So today we are back as we are dedicating these three weeks on the topic of prayer, starting from Timothy. Actually, I encourage you to go in your Bibles because the passage that we have printed in our bulletins is off by one chapter. So it's chapter two, verses one through seven. So it's first Timothy chapter two, verses one through seven, rather than chapter one, which is what we have in our bulletins. So you have a Bible in front of you, Timothy chapter two, second Timothy chapter two, verses one through seven. So this is the word of God. First of all, then I urge that supplications, prayers, interceptions, and thanksgivings be made for all people. for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignifying every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, And there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this, I was appointed a preacher and an apostle. I am telling you the truth. I am no lie. a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. Let us pray. We thank you, God, that we have your word to instruct us in how we live as believers. We thank you that you reveal yourself to us through your word. and through the prophets and through your servants that you have given us the Holy Spirit also to have understanding of the spiritual things and faith to trust in your word. We thank you that you give us the opportunity to contemplate together this passage and in it you teach us about how we are to pray. Help us as we consider these verses to have a renew and a better understanding of how we are and what we are to pray for. Help us, Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit to have understanding of these verses. We pray all these things in Jesus' name, amen. Have you ever wondered Why do you even have to pray? Have you ever wondered that? I mean, does God need our prayers to activate his power to do his will? Does he need to be reminded of things that he knows? Do you need to knock his door so that probably he put or move up in the list of priorities your prayer requests and therefore he can act upon that prayer that you are bringing before him? Have you thought about these things? At least I was thinking about these things this week as I was considering these verses. And one place where I found a very good answer was the shorter catechism of Westminster, question number 88, says like this. What are the outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicated to us the benefits of redemption? The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicated to us the benefits of redemption are his ordinances, especially the word, the sacraments, and prayer, all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation. So think about this. It is not that God need to be reminded of some things. It is not that God needs our prayers so he can activate his power and act upon his will. It is that by his grace and in his mercy, he have given us what we understand as the ordinary means of grace. As we studied last week, or contemplated last week, together, the Lord's Supper, which is one of them, God uses something as ordinary as taking together a little piece of bread and a cup of wine or grape juice, and God uses that to nourish our souls. And God uses his word, and his instruments to communicate his words in order to also nourish and strengthen the faith of believers. In the same way, God uses the prayers of believers. By his will, he has given us this privilege of participating in building up his kingdom through our prayers. It is a blessing, it is a grace of God, it is a privilege that we have, that God has given us prayers in order to impart, in order to minister to his church, and in order to mobilize missionaries and people around the world to bring the gospel out and to build up his kingdom. So we should see prayer as that. Phil Reichen in his commentary of 2 Timothy says that prayer is maybe the most important thing that Christians do, to pray. Therefore, this is a very important topic for us as believers. Now, today we're looking at these verses and there are four questions that I asked to the passage. These four questions, I think, help us to see some important things that we learned about prayer from these verses. As you can see, maybe in your bulletins, the title of the sermon is, What Do You Pray For? Think about this, what is your prayer life and what do you pray for? And that's not a question that we have, or the part of the four questions. But the first question is who are we to pray for? Who are we to pray for? Then what are we to pray for when we pray for them? Then what is the truth we are to pray for they know? That's something that we'll see from question number two. And the last question that I like to answer from these verses is why are we to pray for that? Why are we to pray for that? So let us start with who are we to pray for? Paul starts saying, first of all, which is he's moving from a chapter where he addressed some doctrinal issues now to talk about an aspect, a very important part of Christian's life, which is worship. And then he gives that importance in saying, first of all, this is very important. I urge that supplications, prayers, interceptions, and thanksgivings be made for all people. George Knight described these different categories for prayer as supplications being the request that we make, or the specific request that we make for some people. Prayers is that we bring those in view before God. Interceptions are appealing bold before their throne of God in their behalf. And Thanksgiving is being thankful for them. Then who are we to pray for? The answer for us here in this verse seems to be simple. We are to pray for all people. We are to pray for all people. In fact, this all people is a constant in these verses. You find in verse four who desires all people. Then you go to verse six. It says, who gave himself as a ransom for all. And finally, which I will connect with all of them, Paul says that he is a teacher of the Gentiles, which is the nations as well. So who are these all people that Paul is exhorting and encouraging Timothy and the churches and us to pray for? I will say that you can see that in two ways. One, that all people means all kind of people. all kinds of people. And that is important to understand in order to understand what Paul uses again, all people in the following verses, what all kind of people. You see that as he follows and he says, for kings and all who desire, and all who are in high positions. Think about this, he's encouraging Christians to pray, especially in the context of the Ephesian church and the Christian churches in the early church, to pray for people who were their kings and people in high positions who were basically their enemies, that they should be part of their prayer requests or their prayers before God. And all people mean everyone. Even kings and even people in high positions. Think how challenging this may have been for believers at that time. They may have thought that they didn't need to pray about these people who were in high positions and kings because they were basically their enemies. Especially when Paul is saying that he is asking us and was asking them to bring before God supplications, prayers, interceptions, and thanksgivings, that we should be thankful about these schemes and people in high positions. Sometimes our normal attitude, rather than praying for them, is that we get together and we start to criticize them. We have a conversation of how disappointed we are about what they are doing and how that is against God's plan and God's agenda. We are seeing here an exhortation that we should pray for all people and that includes these people. In fact, if you pray for these people, if you make a part of your prayers to pray for kings and people in high positions, people who have power, it will be very difficult after you pray, go and have a conversation with people against them, because you are in fact praying for them. Now the other way that you can see, and I'm not saying that it's one way or the other, it's actually both things, it's all kind of people, but all people is pray for everybody. Pray for everybody. What Paul is saying here is that it's bringing, it's changing the scope of your prayer. That it's not just the people that you have around you, your friends, your relative, your family members, or even maybe your church, your brothers and sisters. You are to pray for all people. You are to pray for all people in the neighborhood. You are to pray for all people in your city. You are to pray for all people in the country. You are to pray for all people in the continent. You are to pray for all people around the world. And that's what Paul is saying here, pray and bring supplications, prayers, interceptions, and thanksgiving for all people around the world. In a sense, he's saying that your prayer should be a global prayer rather than just a limited prayer to what you have in front of you. But what are you, and this is the second question, what are you to pray for them? Well, so we see here, first of all, that for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. So we are praying for them that they will have decisions that will allow people and referring especially to kings and people in high position, people in power, that they will make decisions that will allow people to lead a peaceful and quiet and godly and dignified life in every way. But there is something that is more, I would say, important or deeper than that, which is what Paul asked. Later, in verse four, in fact, when Paul is saying that we may live a peaceful and quiet and godly and dignified life in every way, that will serve a purpose, and this is the purpose, what you find in verse four, is that all people be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. So the prayer that we are exhorted to bring before God for all people, for our neighbors, for the citizens of our city, for the citizens of the country, for the citizens of all the nations is that they will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. In other words is praying for a revival around the world. Praying that people will come to Christ in faith, be transformed, and will understand the truth. Will understand the truth. And I was saying that when we were praying for kings and people in high position that we might lead a peaceful and quiet life, a godly and dignified in every way, that served that purpose as well. Because what we desire is that people in authority will make decisions that will allow the church to continue to preach the gospel and people will come to faith, be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth. So here we are learning that then we are called to pray for all people and we are called to pray that all people will be saved and will come to the knowledge of the truth. Now I challenge you right now, as I challenge myself as I was considering these verses, how much do I pray for that? I may pray for that maybe for some people that I know that I'm sharing the gospel with, some of my relatives that I know that are not yet believers, some of my friends. But do I pray for all people that, are we as a church praying for all people, that people will be saved and will come to the knowledge of the truth? Because that's actually the formula of a revival, is that people will be saved. And we need to pray for that, that people will come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved. Now, Should we pray just, okay, this is my prayer. I'm gonna fulfill what I learned today. I pray for all people that all people will be saved, amen. So if that would be the way we pray, when we have, let's say, a prayer dinner or a prayer meeting, like we usually have on Wednesday, we gather together for 30 minutes. 30 minutes would be too long. If I just start like that, I pray for all people that all people will be saved. What about the rest? The rest have nothing else to add to that because we already pray for evangelism. But Paul here in the following verse is actually described in a very beautiful way what is that knowledge of the truth. And that move us to know how to pray more specifically. So that's the question. What is the truth we are to pray people know? What is the truth we are to pray people know? First of all, that there is one God. Think about this. People around the world, people in our neighborhood, people around this block, how many people around this block don't know that there is one God? They might have their own God or gods, or even if they say that they don't believe in God, they have created their own gods based on the things that they worship. So if we want, if we're going to pray for all people that they will be saved, if we go specifically to pray for them, we pray that they will know that there is one God. That's how you pray also for those that are your friends or relative or people you know that know that don't believe in God, you pray that they will know that there is a God. That they will look at the creation and understand that God has revealed himself, his eternal power and divine nature in everything that is created. You pray that they will know that there is one God. Is that enough? Well, no. There is more. There is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all. Here, in these verses, you have packed, compressed a lot of theology that you pray for people. Because when you are saying that you are praying that They believe that there is one mediator between God and man. You are praying that they come to the realization that they have a problem with God, that they are sinners. You are praying that they repent of their sins and that they realize that they cannot fix that problem on their own. That therefore they need a mediator. You are praying that they understand that, that they need a mediator, and that this mediator, and there is a beautiful play of words here when you say between God, man, the man, Christ, Jesus. You see God and man, the man, Christ, Jesus. There is a need of a mediator between God who is divine and man, and who is that mediator? Christ who took flesh and became a man as well. in order to become a perfect mediator between God and people. You are praying that they understand that Jesus is God. You are praying that they understand that Jesus took flesh and that this is truth, that the gospel is real, that Christ came and took flesh, and that Christ on the cross paid the ransom, paid the price. Receive the punishment that you and I deserved so that we could be saved, so that we could be set free. So you see, it's not just I pray that all people be saved, but you can go specifically to pray about all you understand the gospel is for those people that you want to be saved. You pray that they understand the truth. You pray with the understanding that they are blind, that their hearts are darkened, that they need spiritual life, that they are spiritually deaf, and therefore the only way they can come to have this understanding is that there is a spiritual regeneration, there is a miracle in their hearts, there is new life given to them. You pray for that. You pray that God give the new life in Christ. Rather than complaining about them, oh, they don't get it. They don't get it because they are spiritually dead. You pray that God give the new life in Christ. Now, why are we to pray for that? Well, the answer is simple. Verse three says, this is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved. You know, sometimes we wonder, am I praying according to God's will? because we bring petitions and needs before God and we are not sure about some of the things that we're bringing before God if this is what God wants and we are wondering and waiting to hear God to see if this is God's will. You know for sure that God's desire is that all people be saved. Now I'm sure that you might wonder, I'm sure, no I'm not sure about that, but you might wonder what does that mean? Is it that God wants everybody or God will save everybody at the end, this universalistic view of salvation? Well, remember that I told you all people means all kind of people. This is how John Calvin and Augustine will define these all people here. It's simply that no nation of the earth, no rank of society is excluded from salvation since God wills to offer the gospel to all without exception. All people is all nations. God desires all nations to be saved. Remember that was the promise that he gave to Abraham. Through you all the nations of the earth will be blessed. And what Paul may be addressing here is that some people are seeing salvation something exclusive to a group. All people doesn't mean every single person in planet Earth. but all the nations of the earth. Therefore, why do we pray for that? We pray for that because we know that this is the will of God. Right? We are sure that God wants all nations to be saved and come to the understanding of the truth, which is the gospel. But also, based on the question that I read to you at the beginning from the shorter Westminster Catechism, this is one of the privilege that you and I, as brothers and sisters, have. That God have given us this ordinary means of grace. Think about this. You can do it with your eyes open, with your eyes closed. You can do it when you are lying in bed, when you are about to sleep. You can kneel down, you can do it at church. You can do it everywhere. God uses something as ordinary as your words, petitions, supplications, prayers, intercession, and thanksgivings to bring the gospel out. That people be saved. That people will know and understand the truth. That is why it's so important that we pray for missionaries. Remember what I said, what Rycon said, prayer is probably the most important thing that we do. It is very important that we are praying that those who are bringing God's word to those who have not heard God's word, bring God's word to them and God open their eyes and their hearts. Why? Because God is asking us to pray for that. Why? Because God uses those prayers. Why? Because it is His will. So brothers and sisters, it is good that we pray for those we love. It is good that we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ here in the church. It is good that you have a prayer list, that you pray for some people that you know that are in need. But we have to rethink the way we pray because God uses prayer for a greater purpose than actually sometimes we think. Let us pray for our neighbors. Let us pray for our city. Let us pray for our country. Let us pray for the nations of the world that they will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. And if we do that, and if we trust God's word, we will see God doing his work. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you that you, in your grace, Use people like us who are still in need of your grace to be instruments of your grace. We thank you that you use us as we just walk around bringing the aroma of Christ to those around us. As we open our mouth to confess that you are the Lord. But even as we pray silently in our homes, by ourself. We thank you that you, in your grace, use those prayers to bring people to you. Now together, we pray, Lord. We pray for our neighbors here in Philadelphia, in Center City. We pray for the students in the universities around us. We pray for those who are homeless on the streets. We pray, Lord, for our nation and for all people who don't know you, people who maybe grew up going to church and today are out of the church. We pray for people who have been convinced by philosophies and ideas that are against you. We pray, Lord, that they will be saved. that they will come to the knowledge of the truth, which is that there is only one God, that you are the only one God, that there is only one mediator, our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that they will open, or that you will open the eyes of their hearts and they will see the truth of the gospel. We pray that they will be saved. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.