Sermon Tone Analysis

“I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, 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 dignified in every way.

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

[1]

Apparently, one of the most difficult commands of all Scripture is that which commands Christians to pray for “all who are in high positions.”

At least, that is the obvious conclusion, if the paucity of public prayers for government officials, or even prayers for those who direct our great corporations and businesses, is any indication.

Perhaps we fail to pray for such people because we have become so clearly polarised politically, attributing unworthy motives to those with whom we disagree.

Though I do not suggest withdrawal from the political process, I must remind the people of God that though we are not of the world, we are nevertheless in the world.

We are responsible to live in such a way that we serve as salt in a decaying world and as light in the midst of a darkened world.

It is our presence as Christians that delays the progress of moral and ethical rot through righteous lives and through exercising godly discernment as we participate in the selection of national, provincial and municipal leaders.

We reveal the grace of God through holy and godly lives that reflect the love of God and we thus create a desire for goodness in others who witness our righteous demeanour.

The message this day seeks to lay a foundation for “religious liberty.”

Religious liberty is the doctrine that asserts mankind’s freedom to worship according to the dictates of the heart—a freedom the state is charged to protect.

The tendency in recent years appears to witness states intruding ever more deeply into the realm of the Faith, seeking to compel agreement with and practise of an unspoken, though nevertheless very real, state religion of niceness and quiet tolerance of every deviant behaviour.

Addressing the Southern Baptist Convention, the former American Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, spoke of the necessity to protect religious freedom.

Ms. Rice stated her conviction that “people everywhere are entitled to religious liberty.”

Later, she followed that statement with the affirmation that “government simply has no right to stand between the individual, and the Almighty.”

[2] Each true Baptist would utter a hearty “Amen.”

How may we change the situation in which we find ourselves?

How can we transform government, assuring freedom to worship as we believe right?

The answer provided in Scripture gives no comfort to those who wish to organise a noisy march or a raucous demonstration; the answer given in the Word of God debars us from even imagining that we can castigate government or speak ill of those who give their time to direct the affairs of state.

Instead, what we discover in Scripture is that we are responsible to change government—one prayer at a time.

THE SCOPE OF THE TEACHING —Paul urges us as Christians to offer up “supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings … for all people.”

The scope of his plea is as broad as humanity itself, saints as well as sinners.

That this is the will of God should be no surprise since God gave each of us our life and our being; and God has provided salvation for all who receive the sacrifice of Christ the Lord.

This is in accord with the Scriptures that teach us that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” [JOHN 3:16].

The opening words of the text—“first of all”—indicates that prayer is vital in the program and purpose of a church.

Tragically, prayer appears to be an afterthought in the churches of this day.

We no longer depend on prayer.

When there is a need in the church, we announce the need and ask for volunteers or for contributions; but we no longer look heavenward to find the mind of the Master.

A saying that once was common among the churches warned, “No prayer, no power.”

That could well be applied to the life of churches today.

If I announce a potluck meal, the church will be full; however, if I should announce a prayer meeting for the church, I will be fortunate if the elders attend.

Paul adds the adverb “then,” thus providing continuity by drawing attention to the matters he had already addressed.

He has already encouraged Timothy to stand firm, resisting error, and especially to present in all its glory and clarity the message of God’s Good News in Jesus Christ.

As a primary means of accomplishing this responsibility, the Apostle urges “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings.”

It is fair to state that in the mind of the Apostle, prayer is a primary—if not the primary—means of advancing the cause of Christ and in resisting error.

The congregation that is not marked by prayer is susceptible to every sort of error and whether there is a large attendance or few members in attendance, that congregation will never enjoy sustained success as they seek to fulfil the call of Christ in the life of the assembly.

The prayers of the church must be offered up for all people.

These prayers must include high and low.

Both the Emperor in his power and the slave in his helplessness were included in the sweep of the gospel.

Both the philosopher in his wisdom and the simple man in his ignorance need the grace and truth that the gospel can bring.

Within the gospel, there are no class distinctions.

King and commoner, rich and poor, aristocrat and peasant, master and slave are all included in its limitless embrace.

In the same way, our prayers must be non-discriminatory as we seek good for all people.

Prayer must include good and bad.

Barclay rightly observed that “A strange malady has sometimes afflicted the Church in modern times, causing it to insist that a man be respectable before he is allowed in, and to look askance at sinners who seek entry to its doors.

But the New Testament is clear that the Church exists, not only to edify the good, but also to welcome and save the sinner.

C. T. Studd used to repeat four lines of doggerel:

‘Some want to live within the sound

of Church or Chapel bell;

I want to run a rescue shop

within a yard of hell.’”

[3]

The church’s praying ought to include: (1) supplications, which means telling God our needs; (2) prayers, meaning worship and adoration; (3) intercessions, which involves requests on the behalf of others; and (4) thanksgivings, or expressions of appreciation for what God has done.

These words for the prayers of God’s people are the same as those found in PHILIPPIANS 4:6 and frequently throughout the New Testament, with the exception of intercessions, which appears only here and in I TIMOTHY 4:5.

The Apostle is not enjoining separate categories of prayer to be offered within the congregation, but rather that he is instructing Christians to be conscientious in praying.

The multiple synonyms serve to emphasise the importance of praying.

The initial term in this list of synonyms for prayer distinguishes the element of insufficiency by the requester, the second highlights devotion by the seeker, and the third underscores the childlike confidence of the petitioner.

[4] All this must be suffused with thanksgiving for all that the Master has done and for all that He is expected yet to do.

The local church does not pray because it is expected of the people of God (although it is expected of His holy people); the church is commanded to pray because prayer is vital to her life.

In Scripture, we learn that the Holy Spirit works in the church through prayer and through the Word of God [EPHESIANS 3:20, 21; 1 THESSALONIANS 2:13].

The congregation that will know the power of God must seek sound doctrine and it must be a praying congregation.

The church that prays will have power and will make a lasting impact for Christ.

Consequently, the church that does not pray will have scant power with God and little progress against the siren allure of the world.

Therefore, the church must pray, and especially must the church pray for civic leaders.

Ii is necessary to observe that beyond the immediate text, Paul lays down three conditions for the public praying in the local church: (l) “without anger or quarrelling”—loving one another; (2) with “holy hands”—marked by clean, obedient lives; and (3) in faith.

Moreover, the men of the congregation are to take the lead in the prayer ministry of the church.

I make the dismaying observation that though we are prone to “say prayers,” few of us know anything about prevailing prayer?

Though we tolerate prayers in the public services of the church, we do not know much about praying for all people.

I suppose it is necessary to remind you that the text is not condoning the cult of spiritual nudity, as people bare their souls in a misplaced bid for pity or titillation.

God is not calling us to drop every morsel of juicy gossip as a “prayer request.”

He is, however, stressing the need to learn dependence upon the Living God for our relationship with one another, for our relationships with outsiders, and for our ministry within the world.

We must become a people of prayer.

If we will please the Lord Christ, we must learn dependence upon Him and upon His power.

Instead of flinging a plea heavenward when we feel the need, giving a feeble tap at Heaven’s gate, we must work at becoming a people known for persistently knocking at the door of Heaven until our pleas are heard and we have received power and mercy for all that the Master calls us to accomplish.

Until each of our loved ones is saved, and until our colleagues are serving the Master, we have great needs for which we can pray.

Until we know the presence of the Holy One in each service and until our services are marked by holy unction, we need to pray.

THE FOCUS OF THE TEACHING — Having established the need to be prayerful and thankful as God’s holy people, and having also demonstrated that the scope of our requests and the expression of our gratitude should be for all people, the Apostle focuses our prayers on “kings and all who are in high positions.”

Though we should pray for all people, prayers that include everyone in a non-specific manner actually include no one.

Paul does not permit us to wander aimlessly through the hallowed halls of prayer, but instead, he compels us to focus our requests on the needs of those for whom it is sometimes hardest to pray.

Prayer for those in authority can be difficult because government leaders are frequently distant from our lives.

Politicians and bureaucrats are often detached from the everyday reality of the life of those they govern.

Consequently, we fail to pray for them because we don’t really know what they are thinking or because we don’t really believe it will do any good.

Underneath, we are too often disgusted with the arrogance displayed by those in power at the various levels of government.

However, the Word of God teaches that we are not only to seek good for those who are our leaders, but we are to pray for these individuals because we benefit as God blesses those same leaders.

VERSE TWO suggests that prayer helps to maintain the peace of society.

As Christians pray for leaders in government, God overrules wicked men and protects His churches from their evil.

This is a neglected benefit of prayer, one that we doubtless take for granted in our day.

Because of our failure to pray for government leaders, the future of our nation is jeopardised.

When Paul writes that we are to pray for kings, you need to know that this included Nero who was emperor at that time and who had already set fire to Rome and laid it on the Christians whom he was also persecuting.

Paul implies that Christians must pray that their leaders will have the knowledge needed to guide them—freedom from anarchy, persecution and economic hardship can facilitate the spread of the gospel.

Wise rulers can provide sound, solid leadership to accomplish these goals.

Paul was not merely requesting that Christians pray for the conversion of their leaders, although this was at least a part of the prayer.

Our prayers for government leaders should include thanksgivings for those decisions that facilitate the spread of Christianity and requests for wisdom in making important decisions.

An example of a great prayer offered for a bad leader was penned by Clement of Rome.

This prayer was written about A.D. 90 when the savagery of Domitian was still fresh in men’s minds.

“You, Master, have given them the power of sovereignty through your majestic and inexpressible might, so that we acknowledging the glory and honor which you have given them, may be subject to them resisting your will in nothing.

Grant to them, Lord, health, peace, harmony, and stability, that they may blamelessly administer the government which you have given them.

For you, heavenly Master, King of the ages, give to the sons of men glory and honor and authority over those upon the earth.

Lord, direct their plans according to what is good and pleasing in your sight, so that by devoutly administering in peace and gentleness the authority which you have given them they may experience your mercy.

You, who alone are able to do these and even greater good things for us, we praise through the high priest and guardian of our souls, Jesus Christ, through whom be the glory and the majesty to you both now and for all generations and for ever and ever.

Amen.” [5]