COMMAND TO DO THINGS IN SET ORDER - INTERCESSION
Sermon of TBOLF By Pr. Sebastian Rayappen
Text: I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving 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 Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to conic to a knowledge of the truth- 1 Timothy 1-4 NIVPaul’s urging Timothy should not be considered as personal between Paul and Timothy. Because All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teachiing, rebuking,
correcting wad training In righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work —2 Timothy 3:16. It should be taken seriously by every Christian.By urging, Paul is stressing a strong action to Timothy, probably could be due to the following reason:
By urging Timothy, Paul must have had himself in mind. How he out of zeal, in ignorance, persecuted the church of God.
Paul
also urged Timothy to study the word of God diligently -2 Timothy 2:15Therefore, studying the word of God and praying, which is only addressed to God was very important in the life of Paul, which is urges Timothy to take hold of.
Effective fervent prayer of a righteous man can avail much. It can have strong and definite results, but diligent study of the word of God can confront and expose false doctrines. Otherwise false doctrines can bring a shipwreck in one’s life like that of Hymenaeus andAlexander -1 Timothy 1:18-20
First things first: There is nothing wrong in praying for our families and our near and dear ones.
Paul says FIRST OF ALL. It is very important that we learn to put the first things first. When order is followed, then things get under proper perspective and in proper order.
Most often we wonder why God doesn’t answer our prayers. It is because we do not put the first things first. Instead of putting the first things first, we always put ourselves first. Most often our prayers are in reverse order. It is nothing better than an old American peasant’s prayer. Lord,~ bless me and my wife, my son, John, and his wife
- us four and no more. AmenPaul’s urge for Timothy is that before we pray for our family or ourselves, we ought to first of all pray for kings and for all that are in authority, i.e. our national authorities, state authorities, city/town authorities, including our city or town police and other government departments.
If Christians were praying for our leaders, things would not be as they are in our nations today.
Discussion in relation to our natural feeling concerning the politics of our country is not wrong. Only criticizing and not praying is doubting and limiting God and His saving grace.
In the New Testament age things were very bad. During Paul’s time it was Nero, that beast of a ruler, who was so cruel, merciless and treacherous, but the sincere prayers of the then Christians brought victory to them somewhere by the end of the third century to the beginning of the fourth century.
It God could hear the prayers of Christians then, how much more He will even now.
If we want to live a quite and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty, then we have to do it God’s way. If we do it God’s way, then it is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. If we do it God’s way, then we will be able to spread the Gospel. You know how. If we do not have a good government where there is no quietness and peace, it hinders the spread of the gospel. In time of war, communal rights, terrorist activities, spreading of the gospel is hindered. During war the gospel is hindered due to travel restrictions.
God wants to get the gospel out. He wants us to get the truth out in to the world. Jesus said: This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached to the ends of the earth as a witness unto all nations and then shall the end come
- Matt 24:14. The devil will work his way through to see that this doesn’t happen and that is why he somehow introduces various methods, which is not of God, i.e. not putting the first things first.God wants all men to be saved, but the devil wants all men to be lost. The method of both are man. Therefore, as God’s children we have to do His way by being obedient to Him and pray for all men, especially those in authority. How we can do it.
We will look at the aspect of INTERCESSION. Intercession means praying for others. An intercessor is the one who takes the place of another or pleads another’s case like an Advocate.
Gravity of Intercession: Another good example is the intercessory prayers of Moses. The leader of a nation and a righteous man, Moses successfully petitioned God on behalf of the Hebrew people
Ezekiel 22:30 & 31 says: God sought for a man to stand in the gap and he found none. How true it is even today. Same story, "Can’t you tarry with me one hour in prayer".
If God is sovereign then why he wants us to pray. God gave dominion to Adam, but Adam lost it to Satan by his sin against God. That’s how the devil took Jesus to the highest pinnacle and showed him all the kingdoms of the world. He said that all this would belong to him only if he bows down and worships him - Luke 4:8
That’s why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that the God of this world has blinded the minds of those that does not believe, or else the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
So we see that the devil is the cause of people unbelief.
God is the author of all that is good and perfect - James 1:17.
James 4:2 says: We receive not because we ask noL If only we Christians can pray, then God is willing to hear.
Satan’s authority over matters on the earth can only be overcome as Christians pray and intercede on behalf of our nation and in this case Oman.
Prayer for all men: We see the universality of the gospel. Prayer is to be made for all men. God is the Saviour who wishes all men to be saved. Jesus gave his life a ransom for all.
Walter Lock says: God’s will to save is as wide as his will to create.
If God was reconciling the world unto himself through Christ and has given us the message of reconciliation, whereby we are ambassadors for Christ, then will he not ask us to pray for all men -2 Corinthians 5:18 & 19.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only son — John 3:16
Jesus said that if He is 4/led up He will draw all men unto him - John 12:32.
A Christian needs to pray for all men. High and low. Both the King, in all his splendour and the helpless slave that is left to the mercy of the master. For the philosopher in his wisdom to the unlearned in his ignorance needs salvation only which the gospel can bring. All manner of men are included in the grace of God and salvation through Jesus Christ. Because all men are capable of receiving God. They may be lost, but they can be found. They may be ignorant, but they can be enlightened. They may be sinners but they can be saved.
C T Studd says: Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.
How true it of Christians, who want to live in the vicinity of the church or chapel and do not want to go yonder for the lost.
To fight against Satan, we have to belong to God. A sinner cannot belong to God unless He is born-again, which is personalizing Jesus’ death on the cross and trusting Him to be one’s personal Saviour.
For those of us, who are in the army of God, let us pledge our selves to stand in the gap and do first things first, so that that the Gospel of the Kingdom may be preached to the ends of the earth and that His Kingdom may come on this earth even as it is in heaven.
AMEN