A Daily Walk

Guest (Male): Pastor John Randall encourages us to pray for our leaders.

John Randall: I believe that we are living in a day when it is extremely important for us to pray for those who are in authority over us. For one thing, it says here it's good and it's acceptable in the sight of God. Believers ought to be the best citizens that there are. We ought to pray for our government to be stable, to be strong. If you look around the world and you see governments where there is instability, chaos, and bloodshed, and tyranny follow. And thus our government have been established on godly principles. We need to be people praying for those in authority over us.

Guest (Male): So how's your prayer life going these days? I think we'd all agree there is always room for improvement and sometimes we need to refocus as we've gotten off track. Today on a daily walk, we'll take a look at what the focus of our prayers should be as we get back into 1 Timothy. Pastor John Randall will also emphasize the person that makes prayer possible as well as the posture of prayer. We've got a great study lined up for you, so turn if you would to chapter 2 of 1 Timothy and we'll get started.

John Randall: Following this exhortation concerning the priority of prayer and the nature of prayer, Paul then adds the focus of our prayers. At the end of verse 1, he says that prayers, intercessions, supplications, etc., 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 come to the knowledge of the truth. Who is the church to be praying for?

Who am I to be interceding for? It says all men. It's not limited to one group, one select group of people, but to all men. The Pharisees taught that you're only supposed to pray for the Jews, for the people who are the covenant people. And yet Paul, who was a former Pharisee, says God wants us to pray for all men. And why is it that God wants us to pray for all men? It says here because God desires that all men would be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Unfortunately, not all men are saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

God does not violate the free will of the individual, but God's desire, God's heart is that all men would be saved, that all men would come to the knowledge of the truth. And therefore the church is to be in its praying praying evangelistically for people to get saved. The Bible says God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. No pleasure in it. And thus the church in its praying to God in its supplication, in its intercession is to be praying for people to come to the knowledge of Christ, to no longer be lost but found, no longer dead but to be alive, no longer destined to eternity separated from God but saved and on their way to heaven.

That needs to be a part of our daily praying as a church, but also individually. I think of George Müller. Perhaps you've read about him. He was a great man of faith. He was an evangelist. He was also the director of the Ashley Down Orphanage in Bristol, England. Established many orphanages and ministered to over 10,000 orphans. And he did it all through prayer and faith. He never asked anybody for money, never. All he did was pray. You can read his journal and he chronicles when he prayed and when God answered the prayer. It It's fascinating.

It'll encourage your prayer life. The autobiography of George Müller. Just Just prayed and believed that God would answer. And when he was first converted, he made it a priority in his life to pray for five friends that he knew, close friends that they also would be saved. Two friends became Christians within two years of his conversion. But it seemed as if his prayers for the remaining three friends would never be answered, but they were. One of the men was converted 10 years after Müller's conversion. The fourth apparently was converted shortly before Müller's death in response to his last sermon.

And the fifth man was converted within a year of Müller's funeral. In other words, George Müller had been praying for that last man, that fifth man, for over 60 years to be saved. And he was. Maybe you're growing weary and praying for those who are lost that they would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus. Maybe you've been praying for them for 25 years and I don't see any change. In fact, they're getting more distant, more aggravated when I bring it up. What am I supposed to do? You keep praying. We keep interceding. God desires.

Listen, you know that when you're praying for someone to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, that you are praying in accordance with God's will because it says right here God desires that all men would come to the knowledge of the truth. Again, please note this, not just a select few people has God set aside that they would come to know the knowledge of the truth. All means all in the scripture. When it says that Jesus Christ died for the whole world, that means the whole world. Oh. And so we pray. As I read this, I must confess to you is very convicting to me because I asked myself how much of my own personal prayer time is spent interceding and praying for the salvation of people that I know who are unsaved.

And I must say that this is something that needs to increase in my life as a believer in accordance with being an obedient servant to God's word. I want to pray for people that they would come to the knowledge of the truth, the neighbors, the loved ones, the co-workers. He said not only to pray for all men, but he also added and please note this, all who are in authority over you, which speaks of the governing officials. At this time in the history of the church, a man by the name of Nero was the emperor of Rome.

A wicked man, a vile man, many believed demon possessed. He hated Christians so much that he would clothe them in animal skins, bring them into the arena for sport and release wild animals who would devour them. History tells us that he would take believers and he would cover them in pitch. He would light their bodies on fire, human torches in his garden. And he would ride upon his horse through the garden screaming light of the world. A wicked man. And here this merciless persecutor of the church, Paul said to Timothy, pray. Pray for those who are in authority over you.

I believe that we are living in a day when it is extremely important for us to pray for those who are in authority over us. For one thing, it says here it's good and it 's acceptable in the sight of God. Believers ought to be the best citizens that there are. We ought to pray for our government to be stable, to be strong. If you look around the world and you see governments where there is instability, chaos, and bloodshed, and tyranny follow. And thus our government had been established on godly principles. We need to be people praying for those in authority over us.

But also I believe that there are critical decisions that will be made in this coming year that can potentially affect our children and grandchildren for years to come. We need to pray. I realize that when I vote, I am voting for a flawed person, no matter who I vote for. They may not be a Christian. They're flawed. They may be an unbeliever. They're sinners just like us. But when I vote and exercise that right of the freedom that I've been given because of the sacrifice of men and women who laid down their lives so that we could have this liberty, I realize the importance of it.

But when I vote, I vote as close to biblically as possible. Therefore, the issues that I consider, and this is just in response to people asking me, where does this person stand concerning the unborn? 40 million babies killed, never given a chance to live. Where do they stand on the unborn? Secondly, where do they stand concerning the sanctity of marriage? Did they believe as the Bible says that marriage is to be between a man and a woman? Or do they prefer the opposite of that? Where do they stand on marriage? Thirdly, where do they stand concerning the nation of Israel?

These things are extremely important as I personally go and cast my vote and I encourage you to pray not only to vote but to pray for those who are in authority. Pray that God would raise up men like Daniel who was alongside of Nebuchadnezzar who influenced him. Pray that God would raise up men like Joseph who was alongside the Pharaoh, second in authority, had a major impact on that nation. God would raise up men and women like that to be influence concerning our authorities. Paul then emphasizes probably the most important part of prayer. And that is the person that makes prayer possible.

It says in verse 5, there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. There's one God, not one of many gods, but one. Three persons in one, the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. One God and also one mediator. The word mediator means a go-between. A mediator attempts to influence a disagreement between two parties with the goal of resolving a dispute. There is a dispute and the dispute for us is our sin. It separates us from God. We need a go-between. We need a mediator.

Job in Job chapter 9 after Job had suffered the loss of his children and and all of the things that were precious to him, you remember that he said I I need someone to be a go-between. I need someone to put their hand on me and hand on God, but I can't find one. It's not like I can go to court and and have a mediator, Job said. But Jesus Christ is the answer to Job's cry. He's the mediator. Jesus has bridged the gap between sinful man and a holy God. And the bridge that has been built has been built by the timbers of the cross.

You see, Jesus came to this earth fully God and yet fully man, born of a virgin, speaking of his deity. And yet born of a virgin and his humanity, the incarnation of Christ and being fully God and fully man, he lived a sinless perfect life and then died upon the cross for our sins, bridging the gap. And now I have the ability to approach God because of Christ. He is my mediator, formerly separated from God. Now the Bible says brought near through the blood of Christ. He's the mediator. He solved the problem. He ended the dispute.

He paid the price so that I could be reconciled to God. But make note of this and don't make this mistake. It says there's only one mediator, one singular. There is no other person that qualifies to be our mediator between God and man than Jesus Christ. That's it. No other person. And I emphasize this with great passion because there are some who are looking for and praying to another mediator that cannot mediate. Some will approach Mary. They see her as a co-redeemer, a mediator. You pray to her to get to the Son in order to get the attention of the father.

Can I just tell you right now if you have been under the influence of that false teaching, this passage right here obliterates that. There is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. You can pray to Mary, but listen, she can't hear you. It's pointless. She's no redeemer. She's not deity. She was blessed, honored among women. What a privilege. But not above women. Mary was in the upper room with the rest of the disciples waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit. One mediator. Listen, if you come and ask me for prayer, you know what I'm going to do?

I'm going to take you right to the mediator. That's where we're going to go. I'm no mediator. I know who the mediator is. We're going to go right to Jesus. In Jesus' name, that's who we're going to pray. That's who we're going to pray through, the mediator. Guys, this is tremendous. You don't have to You can go right to the Lord. No priest, no pastor. You've got access into the presence of God as a child of God. You can come before his throne. He's the mediator. But not only is Jesus the mediator, but please notice it says here he is also the ransom.

He's our ransom. This word ransom is full of meaning. There is a word for ransom. It's the Greek word lutron, but this is the word antilutron. And this implies a substitutionary ransom whereby Jesus becomes the victim taking my place, taking your place. It's the idea of an exchange. A ransom. Christ exchanged his life for ours. He died our death. He bore our sin. He took our place. He gave himself as the substitutionary payment for our sin. He's the ransom. And this is the wonderful news. He was a ransom for us. His blood was the the price that was paid so that we could be delivered out of the slavery of the sin that we were involved in, the bondage that we were in, and we were delivered so and set free so that we never have to go back to it.

That's what the ransom provided. Maybe this morning you are in bondage to your sin. Listen, friend, there is a ransom. There is a price that's been paid. You can be delivered and never have to go back to what you hate what you are right now through the blood of Christ. You don't have to be what you don't want to be anymore. You can be who you are in Christ through his blood. You can be delivered. You can be free. He desires you to be free. He has the power to free you. He's the ransom. Maybe you've tried everything else.

Have you tried Jesus? You tried Jesus, you'll never be the same. He's the ransom. And who's he the ransom for? Please again, for all. The ransom for all. I think it's pretty clear for everybody. He died for all. He's the ransom for all. There's one God. There's one mediator. The ransom for all. And Paul says because of this, because he desires all men to be saved, because he paid the price, because he's the ransom. He says it's for this reason verse 7 that I was appointed a preacher and apostle. I'm speaking the truth in Christ.

Paul is stressing his integrity here that was in question. I'm speaking the truth. I'm not lying about this. And I'm a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. Three things Paul refers to himself, his calling. He says first of all, I'm a preacher. It's a word that means to herald the truth. A preacher that would proclaim it before the the king would come. I herald. He says I'm a preacher. He says I'm not only a preacher, I'm also an apostle. Means one that is sent out to represent another, an ambassador as it were. And he says I'm also a teacher.

There is the teaching of the word of God, the explaining, the exposition of the word of God, preacher, teacher, apostle. I think within the church we need these kinds of operations. We need people who are preaching the word of God. We need people that are teaching the word of God. I like preaching and teaching the word of God. And then we also need people that are sent out to proclaim the word of God, to represent the Lord in other places in this country as well as around the world. These things need to be in place.

And why? Because Christ desires all men to be saved, because he's the ransom for all. And people need to know this. And therefore he appoints and and he prepares his instruments and he sends us out to serve him in these ways. Paul then gives us in verse 8 finally the posture of prayer. How am I supposed to pray? It says here, I desire therefore that men pray everywhere lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. Now when you first learn to pray, you were probably told, and I was also, fold your hands, close your eyes, bow your head.

Don't Don't open your eyes. He's opening his eyes. How do you know? Because your eyes were open. And of course, we instruct our children to pray in this way because we don't want them to be distracted. It's They get fidgety with their hands. And so as long as their hands are together and their eyes are closed, we want to help them in order to pray. And I don't think that it's a bad thing to close our eyes when we pray. It helps me to focus my attention, quiet my mind. Lord, I just want to pray to you.

I don't think it's a bad thing to fold one's hands. But the posture of prayer has much more to do with the heart than it does the outward posture. But I do believe there are times, as it says here, that we lift up holy hands and pray. Remember when Solomon dedicated the temple, he was on his knees and he lifted up his hands and he prayed. When Moses was interceding as the the nation of Israel was in the valley in a battle, he lifted up his hands and he prayed. He interceded. Lifting up hands. Notice the hands that are to be lifted up.

It says they're to be holy. And that speaks of a godly life. I'm lifting up holy hands. I'm seeking to live an obedient life and thus I can come before the Lord with holy hands. Who can approach the Lord? Who can ascend the mountain? He who has a clean heart. The Bible talks about and clean hands. It speaks of a pure life. Listen, sin will always hinder prayer. If you're living today in a life of sin that you know is not what God's called you to and you're living that way, and at the same time you're asking God bless my life, your hands are dirty.

The first prayer that you want to pray is a prayer of repentance to get right with the Lord. There are times when people will come and they'll ask me for prayer and I love to pray with God's people. But I also want to know what the real need is if I'm going to pray. Sometimes people want to pray band-aids over major diseases. I'm speaking spiritually at this moment. Or someone will come and they'll say you know what, maybe it's a couple, they're not married. And they'll say will you pray for our relationship? We're really having some problems.

You guys living together? Yes. Well, there's your problem. I'm not going to pray for God to bless this thing. I want to pray that you would repent of your sin and then God will bless when you walk in obedience to him. That's the real prayer. Holy hands. Oh God, bless my life while I live disobediently to you. No, no, no, no. Holy life. Doesn't mean I'm perfect. Doesn't mean I have it all together, but I want to live a godly life before the Lord. Holy hands, it says. It also says without wrath. It means without anger, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness.

God, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, be pleasing in your sight without wrath. And he also adds without doubting. With faith. Do you believe that God's hearing you? Do you believe that God's going to answer you when you pray? If if I come to prayer and I'm doubting, the Bible says without faith it's impossible to please God. And anybody that comes to God must believe that he exists and that he is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek him. So I come praying with faith without doubting.

I don't necessarily know how God's going to do it or in what way God's going to do it, but I don't doubt whether or not God can do it. I know he's able. It's just a matter of if it's his will or not. And if it's not his will, okay, then he's got something better. But I don't want to doubt whether I'm praying for somebody who has cancer or I'm praying for somebody who's whose son is is living a wayward life. I want to believe in faith. God, you can do it. And so I lift up my hands and I pray and I ask God to do it.

Guest (Male): You've been talking about the power and purpose of prayer today on a daily walk. It's part of John Randall's study of 1 Timothy. Would you like to hear the study again or share it with someone who might benefit by hearing this? Head over to a dailywalk.org where you can listen to and share the content or listen to us wherever you get your podcasts and at oneplace.com. The Calvary Salvosy app is another great way to listen to Pastor John on your mobile devices, so download that today. Did you know that Pastor John releases an encouraging daily devotional each day?

Check it out at a dailywalk.org and let us know what you think. Our special offer for the month of August is a newly released book by John's wife, Michelle Randall. It's titled Redeemed, A Journey Through Ruth. This book is the second of five published in the series of many Bible study books and it's ideal for small group summer studies, one-on-one discipleship, or even a women's study. It's available for the cost of just $10 at a dailywalk.org or call 877-242-0828. That's 877-242-0828 and a dailywalk.org. Please remember that it's your gifts that help us deliver God's word on stations like this all across the nation.

We want this ministry to bring the Lord glory and help as many people as possible with their daily walk. And your gift, whatever the size, will help us accomplish that goal. Make a donation online at a dailywalk.org. You can also call 877-242-0828. If you find these studies helpful to your daily walk, we'd like to know. Pastor John reads your emails and is so encouraged by what you have to say. It is important that we hear from you as it lets us know where a daily walk is effective. Write to us by email at a dailywalk@gmail.com and let us know what station you hear us on.

That's a dailywalk@gmail.com. Tomorrow on the daily walk, the focus shifts to women in the church as Pastor John Randall continues our study in 1 Timothy.