Telling the Truth

Guest (Male): Today, we hear from Stewart how God asks us to care for other people, and in doing so, to put a smile on his face. But before he tells us more on that topic, if you've ever struggled with the pain of betrayal or the weight of resentment, you're not alone. Forgiveness is one of the hardest things we're called to do, but it's also one of the most freeing. That's why we want to send you Freed by Forgiveness, a four-message compilation from Stewart and Jill as our thanks for your gift today. Call now at 282-788-4648. That's 262-788-4648, or give online at tellingthetruth.org.

Thanks again for listening and for your support today. Now Stewart tells us how caring for other people can be expressed not only in being with them, but also praying for them.

Stuart Briscoe: I like to direct your attention particularly to what we commonly call First Timothy chapter two. That means the first letter that Paul the apostle wrote to his young colleague Timothy. While you're finding the place, let me just tell you about what happened to me one day when I was a boy. And now it's hard for you young people to imagine me as a boy, but it actually happened a long, long time ago. Now you've heard the expression as happy as a kid in a candy store. Well, I was born in a home that was immediately behind a candy store because this candy store belonged to my parents.

And the front door of our house was actually through the candy store. So I walked through back and forth to the candy store. And this idea of being as happy as a kid in a candy store, don't believe it. Because I looked all those candies and I thought, well, they belong to us, so I can just help myself anytime I want to. But my parents explained to me that was not how it worked. They said we never take anything that does not belong to us, do we? And I said, oh. And so I learned very quickly that I did not touch the candy.

Well, I had to walk back and forth and back and forth past this very, very alluring candy and do nothing about it. One day as I walked past the candy, I engaged in a fluid athletic movement. Quicker than the human eye could discern. This that's what I thought. And I whipped a candy into my mouth. And then I heard the voice of God. Stewart, come here. Then I realized it wasn't the voice of God, it was worse. It was my father. And now I didn't know that behind all the things that he got stacked up in various places, they had two little peepholes that he could see what was going on.

And so he said, come here, Stewart. And so I made my way so slowly, ever so slowly towards my father. Now he used to wear in those days a starched white apron that was tied in the middle with a big bow. And eventually I made my way up to him and I stared him straight in the bow. And he began to talk to me and all I could see was this glistening pure white starched impenetrable apron. And I had a vision of the holiness of God. And he began to speak to me from way up here how I now embarked on a life of crime.

And I was taken wrong decisions and one thing would lead to another and how I was going to break my mother's heart and how he would come and visit me in prison and all kinds of all kinds of things like this. And it was just a little candy. It was just ever such a little candy and it didn't even taste good anymore. And and then he said, look at me. You know, that was the last thing I wanted to do. Just didn't want to look at him. But my eyes slowly traversed the pure white glistening starched exterior of his apron until I saw his face.

And there was a frown on his face. And I realized that I had really upset him. It wasn't the candy. I mean, he got thousands of candies. It was just the idea that I'd done something he told me not to do. I had disobeyed him. And I put a frown on his face. But there were two things that made that frown bearable for me as a little boy. The first was I detected in the corner of his eye a trace of a tear. And I detected at the corner of his mouth a hint of a smile.

And the trace of a tear told me that I'd hurt him. But the hint of a smile suggested that he understood. And he left me anyway. Well, as time went by, I became a father. And I began to have children, which is a prerequisite of being a father. But the good thing I was listening to the stupid thing that I was saying. And my my children realized that sometimes there were times in our family when father would have to say something rather firmly. And they had learned a very simple technique. Do you know what it was?

They told me later on actually some of my grandkids are now here, so I'm telling them so they can do the same to my kids now. They told me this is what they did. They told me that they used to watch very carefully the corners of my mouth. And if the corners of my mouth turned down, they trod very, very carefully. But if the corners turned up, they knew a smile was coming and all would be well. And listen, kids, let me give you some advice. Whatever you do, make your parents smile. Life will be so much more pleasant for everybody.

Now why do I tell you that? To give you time to find First Timothy chapter two. So let's now turn to First Timothy chapter two and pursue this idea a little further because we're not talking now about making our earthly parents smile. We're talking about something very, very special. And here it is. It is learning how to make God smile, which is another way of saying what we really want to do is find ways in which we can please God. Keep that in mind as we read this scripture together. First Timothy two verse one. I urge you then first of all that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

This is good and pleases God our savior. Now you've got it. This is good and pleases God our savior. Then he goes on to explain what's so good about it and why it's so pleasing to God. This is good and pleases God our savior who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth, for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus who gave himself as a ransom for all men, the testimony given in its proper time. And for this purpose, I was appointed a herald and an apostle.

I'm telling the truth, I'm not lying. And a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles. All right, now what can we learn from that? We can learn that there are some things that we can do that will please God. Something specific here that says if we do it, it is a good thing to do and pleases God our savior. But what is this thing? Well, it has to do with praying for people. Praying for people pleases God. It's a good thing to do. Why would we pray for people? And the answer to that is because we care about people.

Why should we care about people? Because God created them and he cares about people. So put it all together. God created people and he cares about people. If we care for what he cares about, that pleases him.

Guest (Male): More powerful teaching from the Briscos is headed your way, so don't go anywhere. We've made a wide array of resources and content available to you online for free at tellingthetruth.org and on the Telling the Truth app. There you can listen, read, and watch powerful teaching from Stewart and Jill on relevant topics like the sovereignty of God, the importance of the church, and how to grow closer with Jesus Christ. You can also request this month's featured resource as thanks for your gift of support to help share the abundant life Jesus offers with more people around the world.

Visit us online or download the app today and experience life with Telling the Truth. Let's return now to hear more from Stewart who tells us how to make God smile by caring for others.

Stuart Briscoe: We please God by caring for people. Now why should we? Well, one of the things that we've learned from the Bible about our humanity is this, that God did not make us in order that we might live an individualistic life, just living for ourselves. He created us to be relational people. The old John Donne, the 16th century writer, said no man is an island. Remember? No man is an island, entire or complete in himself. He went on to explain. He said if one clod of earth falls into the sea, Europe is diminished. Not much, but it is diminished.

In the same way, he said that human beings all belong to humanity. And if one human being dies, humanity is diminished. And then he said, therefore if you hear the church bell tolling, what that means is there's been a funeral. Do not ask for whom the bell tolls. That sound familiar? Do not ask for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee. Why? Because if one clod of earth falls into the sea means Europe is diminished, then one human being dying means humanity is diminished. And you are part of humanity. No man is an island.

Why? Because God created us for interpersonal relationships. Now then if we begin to understand that, then under one of the main things in our thinking will be how can I relate properly to people? This will please God. Well, who is this God we're trying to please? He is described in this passage of scripture as God our savior. Now that gives us a clue. God our savior is the one who cares about people in order that they might come into an experience of salvation. If we are to rightly relate to people, then we are to understand that God is involved in their salvation and we will care not only about people in general, but about their salvation in particular.

And if we care about people in general and their salvation in particular, then we will pray for them. And this pleases God. This puts a smile on the face of God. Now one of the great, great privileges of living in the United States of America is what we call the freedom of the individual. We have the freedom as individuals to believe what we want to believe. We have the freedom to say what we want to say. We have the freedom to go where we want to go, etc., etc. And these are cherished freedoms, the freedom of the individual.

But if we allow our freedoms as individuals to degenerate into individualism, when all we interested in is me and my wife's husband, then we are diminishing ourselves and we're diminishing humanity, and we put a frown on the face of God because he didn't make us for that kind of behavior. That's the first thing that we learned from this. The second is this that we we care for people and put a smile on the face of God by engaging in prayer for them. That puts a smile on the face of God. Why? Well, one reason because God made us uniquely capable of prayer.

That's one of the distinctives of your humanity. You never saw a cow on bended knee. You never saw a mosquito raising holy hands in prayer. They don't do this kind of thing. But human beings are made for prayer. God has made it possible for us to have a relationship with him. That means that we can come into his presence and bring our concerns to him. Paul explains it to us here using four specific words. He urges first of all that requests, that's the first one, prayers, second, intercession, third, and thanksgiving be made for all men.

The word request is simply a word that describes a fact. I understand there's a need. I want this need to be met and I'm going to call on somebody who can help meet the need. That's all request meet. But prayer, the second word that he uses uniquely in relationship to God, it is always used in terms of making a request to God and it is only used in terms of making a request for God. So I have a need, I want the need met. I need somebody to meet the need and that person is God himself.

That's what prayer is. But then the third word intercession reminds us that God is majestic and awesome. Therefore I come into his presence with reverence. But he invites me to come into his presence and therefore I come with boldness. I come with reverent boldness of bold reverence. And what do I do? I say, Father, you are the one who is in control of the universe. You have invited me into your presence. I come to you as the great God of the universe and there is a great need in this society of which I'm a part.

The people I'm dealing with have all kinds of problems and I am coming to talk to you about them. And I am doing it with the fourth word thanksgiving. And what that means is I am so thankful you're there. I'm so thankful I can come. I'm so thankful you here and I'm so thankful that you will answer according to what is in your mind best for all of us. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's called prayer. Now then it puts a smile on God's face when we pray on behalf of other people. Why? Because we care.

Why should we care? Because God cares. Let me try and illustrate this for you. Just supposing some of you have got a young person who's going off to university in the fall. Now you realize that they're going to branch out on their own, that this is a right of passage and all kinds of things are going to develop in their lives. You've built into them for 18 years and now they have the opportunity of putting into operation all that you have built into them. That's the theory. Now you say to them, well, we want you to stay in touch with us.

Well, we're going to help you with your tuition. We'll help you with the insurance on your car, but you have to be responsible as well. And the only thing that we ask you to do is call home once a week. That's all we're asking you to do. Just call home once a week. Oh, here's credit card for the phone call. And so God bless you and off you go. We love you. Off they go. Off they go. Now you haven't asked them much, have you? I mean, you've made it so easy for them to call home once a week.

What happens when they get off to university? They get into all kinds of stuff. They get off with all their friends and they're studying hard the week before exams. And they they're just, you know, they're all thrilled about the new exciting life and they clean, forget. The only thing you ask them to do call home once a week. Did that put a smile on your face? Hurts you deeply. And God sits in heaven and he'd be waiting for the phone to ring from some of you for years. And he says there's a world out there that's desperately in need.

And I care about those people. And you're supposed to care about those people. And do you show your care for those people by coming before me with requests and prayers and intercessions and thanksgiving. Where were you? Where are you? And then one day phone rings and it's you. And a smile comes on the face of God. You see, because we put a smile on the face of God by caring for people, enough to pray for them. That's the second thing. Here's the third thing. We show our care for other people by demonstrating genuine concern for their social well-being.

Now Paul goes into a little more detail about this praying. We should pray for everyone, particularly he says in verse two, for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

Guest (Male): The question about prayer. How do we know when it's better to pray or to physically lend someone a hand?

Stuart Briscoe: I guess the only way I can answer that is to is to say that we should be living in a constant attitude of prayer. I don't mean by that that we spend all our time on our knees with our arms stretched up to heaven. But what what I do mean is an attitude of prayer requires that we're living in in happy relationship with the Lord, relating things to him, bringing our problems and desires and our joys and our excitements to him and sharing them with him. That becomes an attitude, not not necessarily an action, an attitude.

Now if that attitude prevails and something needs to be done, then within that prayerful attitude, we're going to do it. What what it really comes down to then is it's not a matter of either or praying or physically lending a hand. It's a matter of both. Pray without ceasing and do what needs to be done.

Guest (Male): So when the apostle Paul urges us to pray for those in authority, is he saying we should care for people in government?

Stuart Briscoe: What what scripture is saying in the passage in First Timothy chapter two is this, that we we we do need to pray for those who are governing, those who are in authority with specific things in mind. And the specific things are that that they will so govern that we will be living in an environment where we do have the freedom and the opportunity to live godly lives. I don't know that it's telling us specifically about different policies that we need to pray about, although of course we should. But what it did what it is specific about is that we are looking for an environment in which it will be possible for the church of Jesus to flourish and for the name of the Lord to be spread.

Guest (Male): Thanks for listening to Telling the Truth today. We're so glad you've joined us and want to encourage you further with a powerful resource from Stewart and Jill Briscoe. If you've ever struggled with the pain of betrayal or the weight of resentment, you're not alone. Forgiveness is one of the hardest things we're called to do, but it's also one of the most freeing. That's why we want to send you Freed by Forgiveness, a four-message compilation from Stewart and Jill as our thanks for your gift today. In it, you'll discover how you can break free from bitterness and step into the healing and freedom Jesus offers.

So request your copy of Freed by Forgiveness when you give today, knowing your support helps more people around the world experience freedom in Christ. Many for the very first time as they hear God's truth, thanks to you. Call now at 282-788-4648. That's 262-788-4648, or give online at tellingthetruth.org. Thanks again for listening and for your support today. Thanks for listening today. We hope you'll come back again for more encouraging biblical truth with the Briscoes. Experience life next time on Telling the Truth.