OUR CIVIC DUTY OF PRAYER

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on December 8, 2024 under 2024 |

Bethany Bible Church Sermon Message from December 8, 2024 from 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Theme: We should pray for our leaders and land, so that the gospel may spread and change lives in it.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

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I’d like to begin this morning by telling you about a confession I had to make.

I had lunch with a dear brother in the Lord last week; and in the course of our conversation, I ended up giving my opinion about one of our political leaders. The things that I said were not edifying or helpful to say. In fact, they were very disrespectful. And sadly, I had coffee with another dear brother later that afternoon and ended up repeating some of the same things. The broad subjects were certainly worth discussing … but the degrading comments were way out of line.

Now; last Sunday, I preached to you from 1 Timothy 1:18-20 about the whole matter of listening to the voice of conscience. And after those two conversations—just as I was sitting down to begin working on the midweek Bible study—the Holy Spirit, through the voice of conscience, began to convict me of the inappropriateness of the things I said. I can’t very well preach to you about listening to the voice of conscience, and not do so myself. So, I talked to the heavenly Father about the matter and confessed my sin to Him. And then, I got on the phone and called both of those dear brothers. I confessed to them my wrongdoing of speaking disrespectfully about one of our leaders and asked their forgiveness. And it was only after doing so that I felt free to work on the next day’s Bible study.

Some people might think that I was being a little finicky. But I just can’t ignore what it says in Exodus 22:28. It contains God’s command to the Jewish people through Moses—just after God gave His holy law on Mount Sinai. In it, God said;

“You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people” (Exodus 22:28).

I don’t think I would ever do something so evil as to openly revile God. But I find it far too easy to get caught up in cursing a ruler of my people. And it seems that God has placed both sins on an equal level in His sight. So, even though other people might not think it was necessary for me to do so, I knew that I needed to repent of that sin and confess it to my brothers.

Now; I suspect that this probably raises some questions in the minds of some. Does this mean that we can never criticize anything that our elected officials do? Does this mean that we can’t speak critically of the policies our leaders implement or speak out against unjust decisions they make? I don’t believe so. After all, it’s one of the first rights articulated in our constitution that we are free “peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”—that is, to present our case whenever we see unjust laws or harmful decisions or illegal behavior from our leaders, and to urge them to take action to correct their actions. But there’s a fine line between speaking out against unjust actions by our leaders and speaking curses against those leaders themselves. I’m not sure I can always say exactly where that fine line falls; but I’m pretty sure I have felt the conviction of my conscience whenever it’s been crossed by me. And I don’t want to be guilty before God of crossing it anymore.

And that brings us to this morning’s passage at the beginning of 1 Timothy 2. The apostle Paul was giving instructions to Pastor Timothy concerning how the people of God were to conduct themselves in the church, the house of God. He wrote;

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

This passage certainly helps to remind us that we must avoid speaking evil of our political and civic leaders. But it’s telling us something much more than just that alone. It’s telling us that we—who are followers of Jesus—must do the opposite of speaking evil of them. We must habitually pray to our heavenly Father for them.

You know, dear brothers and sisters in Christ; we as the church—as the body of people that God has redeemed to Himself through faith in the blood of His Son—have a duty to perform in this world that has not been given to anyone else. This passage points us to that very urgent and necessary duty from God. That duty is to pray for our leaders and for those in civil authority. He gave that duty specifically to us; and it cannot be performed in the way He wants it to be performed by anyone else but us. No one else than us really can do it in a way that pleases Him, because God only hears and truly honors the prayers of those who have placed their faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, who have been washed of their sins and redeemed by Jesus’ shed blood on the cross, and who pray in Jesus’ name and under Jesus’ authority.

So; if we who are His redeemed people do not fulfill this duty—and if we do not do it in a way that pleases Him—then it simply doesn’t get done to His pleasure … and we all suffer as a result.

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Now; let’s remember the underlying theme that runs all the way through this letter. That theme is the protection of the message of the gospel. It’s a theme that’s highlighted at the very beginning of this letter. In Chapter 1, the apostle Paul began by urging Pastor Timothy to stay on in the city of Ephesus “and charge some that they teach no other doctrine” (v. 3)—that is, no other doctrine than the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus alone. Paul went on in that chapter to explain how that gospel had transformed his own life. It had changed him from a former blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent and violent man, and into a preacher of the good news of the gospel to others. That’s why he then closed off the chapter by urging Timothy to diligently keep this charge that had been committed to him—the charge to protect the integrity of the gospel. The gospel of Jesus is the only message that can save souls and transform lives.

And there’s an immediate connection between the charge to protect the gospel and the command to urge everyone in the church to pray for their civic leaders. We can see that connection in the fact that, after urging Timothy to protect the message of the gospel, he began Chapter 2 with the word “therefore”. What he goes on to say in Chapter 2 is a consequence of Paul’s appeal to Timothy to protect the life-changing gospel message that he wrote about in Chapter 1. And we can see this even more clearly through how he went on—after our passage this morning—to describe that very gospel:

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth (2:5-7).

So; this command that we find in Chapter 2 to pray for our civic leaders isn’t just so that we will have a happy and peaceful life in the land in which we live. It certainly has that goal in mind, but it’s for much more than that. Its ultimate purpose is so that other people who live in this land will be able to better hear the message of the gospel and be saved. The command to pray for our civic and governmental leaders is ultimately a command that has an evangelistic objective. As 1 Timothy 2:1-4 teaches us, we should pray for our leaders and our land, so that the gospel may spread in it and change lives in it.

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So then; let’s look at this passage in a little more detail. It shows us four things: the ‘how’, the ‘who’, the ‘what’, and the ‘why’ of our prayers for our leaders.

First, notice …

1. THE ‘HOW’ OF THE PRAYER.

We find the ‘how’ in verse 1. It says; “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made …” Look at those words “first of all”. That indicates to us not only that—in giving instructions on how Timothy was to conduct the matters of the church for the protection of the gospel—this was the first matter that Paul mentioned. But it also indicates that it’s a matter of first importance. The city of Ephesus was a turbulent place. It was a city given over to paganism, and the church had suffered a lot of persecution in it. So, it was vitally important that the church in that city put a high priority on being a church that prays. It’s important for us to be a praying church in our city too.

And then, consider to whom Paul was giving this command. Was it to Timothy himself? Was Paul saying, “I exhort first of all that you, Pastor Timothy, be a praying pastor”? That’s certainly possible. And if that’s the case, it says something very important to pastors such as myself. A pastor must be a man of prayer. It would be a vital part of a pastor’s duty in his service to the church that he takes time away frequently to pray. We who are pastors need to have the attitude toward prayer that we find exhibited by the apostles in Acts 6:4; where they passed other duties on to other servants of the church, and devoted themselves “continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word”. Pastors must put a priority on prayer in their ministry. I must do so in mine.

Clearly, then, it would be true that this was a command for Pastor Timothy. But this command wasn’t meant for the pastor alone. It was also meant for the whole church family. Paul went on to mention, in verse 8, “I desire therefor that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting”. And not only were the men to pray, but verse 9 tells us that so also were the women of the church to pray “in like manner also”. So, this important duty of prayer is truly for the whole church family. Pastor Timothy was to see to it that it happened in the whole church “first of all”.

And notice the different ways that prayer was supposed to happen. There was to be “supplications”. That’s a word that describes prayer for specific situations and specific needs. But Paul also used the word “prayers”, which is a much more general word for prayer. It speaks of the idea of prayer as a part of our reverent attitude and active worship of God. Joining the two words together would be like saying, “O heavenly Father, I worship You and come before Your throne as the almighty sovereign God. And as almighty God, here is a specific thing I humbly ask of You.” A third kind of prayer that Paul mentions is “intercessions”. That’s where we step in before God and pray on behalf of the needs of another. And finally, Paul mentions “giving of thanks”. Our prayers of thanks to God affirm our confidence in His goodness and sovereignty.

Now; is this list of types of prayer meant to be followed rigidly? I don’t believe so. I think it’s meant to give us a general call to pray in all kinds of ways that are appropriate to the need. It would be like Paul said in Philippians 4:6; “in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” It clearly teaches us to pray through the use of all forms of prayer.

So; that’s the ‘how’ of this command to pray. Then, notice …

2. THE ‘WHO’ OF THE PRAYER.

At the end of verse 1, Paul urged Timothy to make sure that prayer was going up before God “for all men”—or as it can be better translated, “for all people”. Obviously, Paul didn’t mean that we get all the phone books out and pray by name for every person listed. Rather, I believe he meant that we’re to be praying for all people in this world, and not just for the people within our own church family. We’re to be praying for the lost people of the world around us—concerning whom the Bible tells us in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. We’re to pray as the Lord Jesus taught us to pray—who, looking out at the lost and needy people around Him, said in Matthew 9:37-38, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” May God help us to pray for the people of the world around us!

But that’s a very general sort of prayer. Paul then got specific. He also told Timothy in verse 2 to make sure that prayer was going up in the church family “for kings and all who are in authority …” The habit of the church is not to speak evil of those in authority, but rather to pray specifically, respectfully, reverently, and intentionally for those in authority.

Did you know, dear brothers and sisters, that those who are in positions of authority over our civil government have been placed there by God Himself? Some people would find that rather hard to believe—especially when it came to some specific leaders and officials. But the fact is that God is sovereign over all things—even over whoever it may be that is elected to public office and that occupy positions of power and authority in the government. As Paul put it in Romans 13:1-3;

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves (Romans 13:1-3).

That, of course, doesn’t mean that our process of electing our leaders doesn’t matter. Nor does it mean that everything that every elected official does is automatically good or righteous. After all, when Paul wrote those words, Nero was emperor! And neither does it mean that we owe to any elected official the submission that should be given to God alone. But it does mean that submission to God’s authority over us requires that we honor and respect the position and authority of those that He—in the exercise of His sovereign authority—permits to occupy places of power and authority over us.

And this means that we ought to pray for them. We ought to pray for them in all the ways that Paul mentions that prayer should be offered; that is, to reverently come before God for them, to make specific requests for them, to intercede for them, and—yes—even to give thanks for them. If you’re not happy with something that an elected official is doing, you can certainly write to them or call them and respectfully tell them so. But you can do much more than that. You can do something that only a redeemed follower of Jesus can do. You can lift them up to God and pray for them. When he was being executed under King Henry VIII for having printed the Bible in English, it’s said that William Tyndale’s last words were the prayer: “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.” What an example of prayer that was!

So; we see the ‘how’ of the prayer, and the ‘who’ of the prayer. Now notice that, in the later half of verse 2, we’re told …

3. THE ‘WHAT’ OF THE PRAYER.

Paul told Timothy to make sure that prayer was being offered up in the church for all people, and for kings and those in authority, “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

This may at first seem like a selfish thing to pray. But it really isn’t. To pray that we—as followers of Jesus—may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity is to pray something that would be a blessing to the world around us. First of all, a quiet and peaceable life is exactly the kind of life the Bible teaches us that we’re to aspire to as followers of Jesus. In his first letter to the Thessalonian believers, he wrote to them and said,

that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12).

It’s not appropriate for us as followers of Jesus in this world to be trouble-makers. The whole current popular cry “Refuse, Resist, Revolt, Rebel” is not for us. We’re to aspire to be the very best citizens of the land that we can be, and all in order to be good witnesses to the Lord Jesus in this world. As God told His captive Jewish people in Jeremiah 29:7;

… seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace (Jeremiah 29:7).

But that has to do with our external behavior. Paul also addressed our inward conduct before God when he said that we should pray to lead a life “in all godliness and reverence”. And this speaks of a second blessing that we end up giving to the world. God’s answer to our prayers for a peaceful and quiet life enables us to live faithfully and proclaim the truth of the gospel to the watching world.

Dear brothers and sisters; we should thank and praise God that we live in a land in which we enjoy more freedom, liberty, safety, and prosperity than almost any other place in the world. But we should remember that the freedoms and blessings we enjoy and pray for are not meant to be ends in and of themselves. We’re graciously given these things by God so that we may use them to enjoy the greatest freedom of all—the freedom that comes through salvation from our sins by faith in Jesus Christ. We have these things so that we may live in obedience to God our Father, and honor Him with our whole life. And we’re to use our freedoms in this land to help the lost and needy people around us to become the citizens of an even greater and more eternal kingdom. That’s the highest use of our freedom; and that kind of freedom is what we should pray would be protected by our leaders.

And that leads us, finally, to …

4. THE ‘WHY’ OF THE PRAYER.

What is the reason for it all? Why do we pray in all kinds of ways, for all people and for those in authority, that we may live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and reverence? Paul tells us in verses 3-4, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” It’s God’s good pleasure that we live godly lives before Him freely and peaceably; because He wants the people around us to see how the gospel of Jesus has transformed us; and by seeing that transformation, to inspire them to then become interested in knowing about our Savior, and in hearing and believing that gospel.

Paul said something very remarkable in this passage, and we need to pay careful attention to it. He said that God our Father ‘desires’ for all the people around us ‘to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth’. That doesn’t mean, of course, that all people will believe the truth and allow themselves to be saved by it. Many will not. Many will hear the message of the gospel, reject it, and be lost. But we should understand that it’s not God’s will that they do so. Instead, He genuinely shows love to lost people and desires their salvation. He gives an amazing invitation in Ezekiel 18:32:

“… I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32).

Concerning the rebellious Jewish people, God commanded the prophet Ezekiel,

“Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’” (Ezekiel 33:11).

In a similar way, the apostle Peter wrote in his second epistle about the seeming delay of the Lord’s coming; and explained,

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

And dear brothers and sisters; one of the chief ways that God has provided the gospel to them—to set the message of eternal life before them so that they can hear and believe—is through us. He has called us to live it out in front of them and declare it plainly. And that’s why we need to pray that we will live peaceable and quiet lives in all godliness and reverence … which is why we must consistently pray for all people and for those who are in positions of authority and leadership.

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Now; I did wrong in speaking of our leaders the way I did. But it’s not enough that I just simply stop speaking that way. I must do the right thing—and that is to pray for them. If we don’t have the leaders we would like to have, perhaps—before God—it is because we haven’t been praying for them as we should. Perhaps the problem doesn’t lay ultimately with them … but rather with us!¹

I notice that in that famous passage concerning revival in 2 Chronicles 7:14, it doesn’t say anything about getting the right leaders in place. Instead, it speaks of getting God’s people into the right frame of heart before Him. In it, God Himself says;

“… if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

May God help us then to stop criticizing our leaders in ways that we shouldn’t; and to instead pray for them in ways that we should. Then—by His grace—His gospel of Jesus Christ will spread to the healing of our land.

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¹“It is the wrath of God that renders magistrates useless to us, in the same manner that it renders the earth barren; and therefore, we ought to pray for the removal of those chastisements which have been brought upon us by our own sins” (John Calvin, Commentaries on The Epistles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, p. 55).

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