Sermon Tone Analysis

Prayer Made a Difference \\ \\

1 Timothy 2:1-4 \\ \\

March 4, 2007

 

*Opening*

A couple walked regularly in a mall known to have the highest crime rate in the city.

In-stead of just walking, they decided to pray as they walked.

They prayed for the employ­ees, the customers, the owners, and the people who came just to hang out.

After a year the police came to them and said, "We know what you are doing, and please keep on do­ing it.

This mall, which once had the highest crime rate in the city, now has the lowest crime rate in the city, and we believe your prayers had something to do with it."

The po­lice were convinced that prayer made the difference.

The Spindrift group, a scientific organization doing research involving prayer and plants, decided on a simple experiment.

They planted rye seeds in two similar plots.

One lot was prayed over; the other was not.

The rye seeds in the prayed-over plot germinated faster and better than those in the lot not prayed over.

In the second stage of the experiment they reversed the lots.

Once again the seeds in the prayed-over lot germinated faster and better.

The results demonstrated that prayed-for plants grow faster and are healthier than non-prayed for plants.

These Scientists were convinced that prayer made the difference.

World War I soldiers of the 91st Brigade agreed to recite Psalm 91—the soldiers' psalm—as a prayer every day.

During the war the 91st Brigade was engaged in three of the bloodiest battles of the whole war—battles in which similar units had up to 90 percent casualties.

The 91st Brigade did not have a single combat-related casualty in these bat­tles.

The soldiers of the 91st were convinced that prayer made the difference.

Long before these three examples, the apostle Paul—guided by the Holy Spirit, who inspired the words of today’s key verse was convince that prayer made a difference.

Here’s what Paul wrote to his young trainee, Timothy, about the place pf prayer in the church.

Turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter 2 and I will start reading at verse 1.

By the way, I am reading from the New American Standard version

 

As you heard in the three opening vignettes, when believers pray as God commands, God answers their prayers, it makes for huge gains in the kingdom and in the world (even the plant world).

You want the crime rate to go down in Cut Knife?

Pray!

You want Saskatchewan farms to yield healthier crops?

Pray!

You want your personal battles to be casualty-free?

Pray! Let’s look at our 1 Timothy passage more carefully.

Paul starts by urging us to pray.

*1.

**The** **/Prayer /**God** Urges*

In the New King James version, Paul uses four words to describe the kind of prayer he has in mind.

“Requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving.

Let’s take a look at each word.

First, "requests"—requests are prayers related to felt needs.

This is the kind of prayer request you will get if you ask people, "How can I pray for you?"

It will often have to do with health, employment, relationships, or anxieties.

His second word is "prayers"—this word often identifies the things God wants to see happen in our lives and in the lives of people around us—God's "felt needs."

He wants us to come to Him, to trust in Him, to obey Him, to serve Him, but most of all to love Him.

These prayers originate at God’s throne, are brought to our minds by the Holy Spirit and sent back to the Father thru our mediator Jesus Christ.

Third, "intercessions"— as we learned a few weeks ago, this word suggests meeting with God in order to converse with him on behalf of others.

It suggests that the praying believer stands in be­tween God and the need of another person.

It also underscores the freedom of access that believers have to the throne room of God—a freedom that may be lacking for some of the people we pray for.

Marcy and I are interceding for our son David, and two of our sons-in-law.

Because they are not believers, they do not have access to the ear of God.

And the last word Paul uses in his letter to Timothy is, "thanksgiving"—this is an interesting item in the list of prayer words in light of the fact that we are asked here to give thanks for "everyone."

In other words, this is not simply giving thanks for personal blessings but also for blessings that God gives others—their homes, their well-behaved children, their good jobs, and so on.

Who does Paul say to pray for?

Look again at 1 Timothy, this time at the first and second verses.

Pray  “for everyone—for kings and all those in authority ..."

 

"everyone"—this obviously includes people who are close to us—our family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.

It also includes people who are more distant—leaders in our communities, Christians from other denomina­tions, government officials, even our enemies.

Praying with a wide scope moves us beyond selfish prayers for personal gratification.

Pray for everyone!

Then he specifically reminds us to pray for those who rule over us – our leaders.

They need our prayers.

Do you want wise spending of tax dollars?

Pray! Do you want just laws?

Pray! Do you want democracy to work?

Pray!

 

Also notice, The urgency—found in the words with which Paul introduces the paragraph.

"I urge, then"—This is Paul's way of way of saying that prayer of this type is urgent business, something that cannot be neglected or put off.

He goes on to say, "first of all"—Paul knew that prayer is very important, having a high prior­ity.

It needs to be a “pray without ceasing” thing.

A priority!

At the Brooklyn Tabernacle (led by Pastor Jim Cymbala) the Tuesday-evening prayer meeting is considered to be the most important meeting of the week.

It fills their large auditorium and lasts for two to three hours.

No wonder they are rescuing down-and-outers from the streets and haunts of Brooklyn as well as up-and-comers.

Prayer was also a priority in the early church.

In Acts 1:14 we read that the believers /"all joined together constantly in prayer."/

In Acts 2:42 we read that they /"devoted themselves . . . to prayer."

/In Acts 4:24 we read that they "raised their voices together in prayer."

In Acts 12:12 we are told of an all night prayer meeting.

Prayer should be an urgent, first-of-all priority.

James 5:16 tells us that the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

*2.

The **/Answer /**God Gives*

God is fully aware of our prayers and He promises*  *that his answers will make a difference.

Do you want to transform society?

The result of our praying for "everyone" as well as for "kings and all those in authority"  Paul says, is that we will be able to live "peace­ful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

This is not a new idea that God initiated in the New Testament.

In Jeremiah 29:5-7 God says to the Israelites who have been carried into exile because of their sin and rebellion,           If Cut Knife prospers, we prosper.

And how do we ensure that Cut Knife prospers?

We pray to the Lord for it as we seek peace and prosperity.

God wants to see changes in society.

He wants to do something about por­nography, drug addiction, alcoholism, high crime rates, the breakdown of the family, and sexual promiscuity as well as the more sophisticated sins of ma­terialism, worldliness, hedonism, and "the pride of life."

But God chooses to change things in response to prayer and not to change things when we are not praying for these changes.

God’s way always starts with prayer.

Do you want your neighbors to come to the Lord?

People matter to God.

Remember what 2 Peter 3:9 says?

He wants all people to be saved; the Holy Spirit has urged us to pray so that this will happen (1 Tim.

2:1, 4).

God makes it happen by taking the initiative to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ when his people are faithful at making "requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving . . .

for everyone."

The 73 members of a 77-year-old church were graying.

They rec­ognized that the church would die if they were not able to add new members.

After discussing, analyzing, and strategizing they finally decided to pray for ten converts in the next year.