One Thing

I Timothy 2:1-6 “One Thing”

When we think about Memorial Day, we should we remember the men and women in the military who have paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we have as a nation. We also think of other things when Memorial Day comes along: travel, summer, baseball, grilling out, and times with friends and family. Another topic that probably come up is the government. There’s nothing like politics to turn family fun into a family feud.

What is the Christian’s responsibility toward the government? That’s a big question- one we will not tackle tonight. But there is one thing we can do for our government that is clear in the Bible. We should pray for our government. We’ll see from our passage that prayer for the government is not ultimately for the government, or even for us, but for the fame of Jesus Christ.

Read I Timothy 2:1-6

1. There is one thing we must do: pray (1-2)
In in our text, the Apostle Paul urges his coworker Timothy to teach his church some important truths, in contrast to the bad teaching that has been floating around the church. He says, pray for all people. Pray all kinds of prayers. Why do we pray for all people? We’ll answer that question in a few minutes. We are also to pray for leaders in the government, whether they be local or beyond. Why do we pray for them? So we can live peaceful, quiet lives, in a godly and respectable way. We are to live lives that don’t upset the culture, but at the same time do not conform to the sin of the culture.

It is one thing to disagree with the leaders in government; it is another to gripe and complain about them. Some people go as far as to riot and disobey the laws of the government. Christians should not do this. Even though Paul and his readers lived under a cruel government, his command was to pray for them.

2. There is one God (3-5)
This prayer and lifestyle is pleasing to God our Savior. We pray for all people because God desires all people to be saved. The focus here is on all kinds of people. Not just Jews, but Gentiles also. Not just people in the church, but people outside the church. Not just Americans, but people from every nation. God’s mission to save people should be mirrored by our passion to pray for people.

It says here “one God.” The God we serve is not just the God of one particular nation: he is God over all people and all nations. His desires is to save people from every part of this earth.

3. There is one mediator (5-6)
Even though God desires all people to be saved, there is only one way for people to find salvation. There is only one way to get to God. That is through Jesus Christ. Christ gave himself as a ransom for all. He died to rescue us from our slavery to sin. We were trapped in sin. Through the death of Jesus Christ for us, we can be rescued from sin, death, hell, and the devil.
Has Christ rescued you? There will be a great judgment in the end, and only those who have come to God through Christ will be saved. I urge you to trust him tonight as your mediator and Savior.

4. There is one mission (6-7)
Vs 6 reminds us that Christ was testified of in due time. In other words, at the right time, the good news about Jesus Christ began to be spread around the world. In vs 7, Paul says: “I’m a part of that! That’s what God gave me to do.” Paul preached the gospel to the Gentiles: to all nations.

This missions that Paul had to bring salvation to all nations is the same mission that God has. And it should be our mission. How do we get involved?

1. Pray for the salvation of all people
We could lament the lack of prayer in the American church. We won’t this evening. But I do urge you to pray for the salvation of all nations. That is pleasing to God. It is his mission. Prayer is a huge way we join in God’s mission.

2. Pray for the government
Sometimes the government can seem very big and unchangeable. We might be frightened by what might happen in the future. God is bigger than the government. He will use the government for his purpose of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can be a part of God’s work by praying for our government.

3. Live lives for the mission
The purpose of praying for our government is so that we can lead peaceful and godly lives. But the passage doesn’t stop there. The purpose of leading peaceful and godly lives is not so you can sit on our your porch and sip iced tea. It is so you can live a life for the mission. Let’s not stop with a peaceful, godly life. Let’s use our lives for the gospel. Let’s use the freedoms we have for the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There is one thing we must do: pray. We pray to one God who will save people through one mediator, Jesus Christ. The church has one mission: to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to all people.