Paul's Epistles – I Timothy – Part 4: Pray for All

Paul's Epistles – I Timothy – Part 4:

Pray for All

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org | Online Audio Files

SERMON INTRODUCTION

This letter from Paul to Timothy will be the next “epistle” examine.

Immediately on his release from his first imprisonment before he visited Spain (Romans 15:24; Philemon 22), Paul more than likely visited Macedonia, Ephesus, etc. Not being able to stay long at Ephesus, he left Timothy to take charge of the work.

This parting was a tough trial to Timothy (I Timothy 1:3; II Timothy 1:4).

To encourage and instruct Timothy (who was sensitive and timid, and not strong (II Timothy 5:23 frequently upset stomach because of nerves), Paul wrote and forwarded this letter from Corinth.

PREVIOUSLY

Introduction of I Timothy

False Doctrine and the Law

The Lord’s Grace and Timothy’s Charge

TODAY’S SERMON

Pray for All

 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

I Timothy 2

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. ⁷ And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.

⁸ Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. ⁹ I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, ¹⁰ but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

¹¹ A woman^[a] should learn in quietness and full submission. ¹² I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man;^[b] she must be quiet. ¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Eve. ¹⁴ And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. ¹⁵ But women^[c] will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

The overall message of this epistle to the church is;

“We are designed to accomplish” - I Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

The purpose of this letter is given in I Timothy 3:15 “if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.”

I. PETITIONS, PRAYERS, INTERCESSION AND THANKSGIVING

a. For kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all goodness and holiness

                                                                 i. Paul speaking of our secular civil government

                                                              ii. Also speaks of how prayer can actually have a great effect on the government, praying it is free from turmoil, i.e. pray for peace

b. Petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving, four types of prayer

                                                                 i. Petition - a request made for something desired, especially a respectful or humble request, a petition for aid; a petition to God for courage and strength. (Personal Needs)

                                                              ii. Prayer - A conversation with God, pouring out of the soul, crying to heaven, drawing near to God, bowing the knees

                                                           iii. Intercession - prayer on behalf of another

                                                            iv. Thanksgiving - Giving God thanks for all things (Praise and Worship)

c. This (the four types of prayers for all people) pleases God our savior

                                                                 i. (I Timothy 2:3 God’s Will) Who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the Truth

II.      (The Truth) FOR THERE IS ONE GOD

a. One mediator between God and Mankind

                                                                 i. Not Mohammad

                                                              ii. Not Mary

                                                           iii. Not a priest

                                                            iv. but the man Christ Jesus

                                                               v. This pertains to salvation through Jesus Christ and what He did at the cross (John 3:16; Romans 6:3-6; Romans 10:9-10)

b. Who gave Himself as a ransom for all people

                                                                 i. I Peter 1:18-20

c. For this purpose I was appointed Apostle and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles

                                                                 i. Some doubted Paul’s Apostleship, probably Satan’s servants, and false teachers who lost followers because of Paul’s preaching

III.   THEREFORE, I WANT THE MEN EVERYWHERE TO PRAY, LIFTING UP HOLY HANDS WITHOUT ANGER OR DISPUTING

a. I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety (respectability)

                                                                 i. Adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes

1. Women should not be forward or bold toward men

2. They should show self-restraint

3. The apostle is not condemning hairstyles, gold, pearls or expensive clothing, rather, that women should promote the Christian Character rather than focus on outward appearances

4. Jesus warned the Sadducees about this outward appearance; Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.”

                                                              ii. But good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God

1. You can never make your inside (who you truly are) beautiful with outward appearances

2. Good deeds, producing spiritual fruit, behaving in a godly manner, this is what makes one truly beautiful, and this beauty never fades

3. Proverbs 31 women know this.

b. A woman should learn in quietness and full submission - I do not permit women to teach or to assume authority over a man, she must be quiet

                                                                 i. The meaning is made clear in

1. I Corinthians 14:34-35 “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. ³⁵ If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”

2. Ephesians 5:22-27 “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

                                                              ii. Adam was formed first, then Eve

                                                           iii. Adam was not deceived by Satan, Eve was, then led Adam stray

                                                            iv. Satan used the woman to deceive Adam, which was happening once again in the church in Ephesus

c. Why Paul gave this instruction

                                                                 i. How can he say women shouldn’t teach?

1. Luke 1:16-55 Mary was a Prophetess

2. Martha opened her home for study group

3. Tabitha was known for doing good works helping the poor and a renowned philanthropist in the name of the Lord, she is the only woman in the Bible to have the feminine form of the word “disciple”

4.  Romans 16:1-2 Paul greets Phoebe, a deacon in the church

5. Priscilla opened her home and her husband was a teacher and preacher

                                                              ii. Paul gave this instruction to the Ephesus church because the False teachers had led many of the women stray with false doctrines, and the women were not dressed modestly, and leading the men into false doctrines.

                                                           iii. False teachers were sowing dissension and were preoccupied with trivial issues - I Timothy 1:4-6; 2; Timothy 2:14, 16-17, 23-24; Titus 1:10; 3:9-11

                                                            iv. False teachers taught asceticism as a means of spirituality. (Abstaining from foods, marriage, or intercourse if married, and physical self-abuse) I Timothy 4:1-3

                                                               v. False teachers were persuading many of the women in the Ephesus church to follow and spread false doctrines - I Timothy 5:15; 2 Timothy 3:6-7

                                                            vi. False teachers were also encouraging women to discard traditional female roles

1. This is why Paul mentions child bearing and not assuming authority over man because it is not permitted by God

2. Remember God punished man for listening to Eve’s false doctrine, and He punished Eve for deceiving Adam with false doctrine

3. She would desire her husband, but he will rule over her

                                                         vii. So Paul states women are to learn quietly, and in full submission, and are not permitted to teach or assume authority over men.

                                                      viii. All because this church in Ephesus had false teachers using women to manipulate the men in the church.

CONCLUSION – Plot twist

Verses 11 & 12 should have been translated “wives” from the Greek word used here, and husband in vs 12, making the verse actually read;

“A WIFE should learn in quietness and full submission. ¹² I do not permit WIVES to teach or to assume authority over a husband; she must be quiet.”

Mary, Martha, Tabitha, Phoebe, Pricilla, show that there are women in the ministry...Paul’s instruction is to the church in Ephesus not to allow the false teachers to deceive the women, and to prevent those women from teaching the men false doctrines.

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