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| "I will therefore that men pray everywhere..." 1 Timothy 2:8 |
I. Introduction: The novelist Bret Lott talks about the time he began writing a mystery novel. In a mystery, you are plot driven. Prior to that, Lott says, most of his novels’ plotlines consisted of a woman and a man standing in a kitchen, thinking about things.
Much of real life in this world consists of the mundane, the ordinary, in standing in the kitchen, thinking about things.
There is a realm we call heaven. God is present there in a way that is beyond His very real presence here.
There is this realm we call earth where we have women and men, kitchens, and every routine, ordinary aspect of life.
We pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
C.S. Lewis says, “The petition, then, is not merely that I may patiently suffer God’s will but also that I may vigorously do it. I must be an agent as well as a patient. I am asking that I may be enabled to do it.”
“Thy will be done—by me—now” brings one back to brass tacks.”
II. 1 Timothy is a visionary book:
The theme of the book is found in 1 Tim. 3:14-15
These things write I to you, hoping to come to you shortly: [15] But if I am delayed, I write that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
The church, the microcosm, the small band of the faithful: With the church then reaching out to the whole world:
“Therefore, I exhort first of all that …prayers…be made for all men.”
The church, operating on behalf of the one and only one connection and hope between this world and the world beyond: One God and One Mediator between God and men—the Man Jesus Christ.
This passage teaches that the church be a united force for prayer.
In the Matthew 21 account of Jesus cleansing the temple, He quotes from Isaiah, saying, “My house shall be called a house of prayer.”
In fact, in the Isaiah passage, “For my house shall be a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7)
The church, the people of God, are to be praying and interceding. In a sense, this entire worship service is to be a prayer to go. We enter into worship, into the presence of God. We have prayers, but all of this is a type of prayer to God.
Every problem, societal, social, economic, moral, personal, theological, philosophical, finds its resolution, its answer somehow in the revelation of Jesus Christ.
All we attempt to do here is to bring us and the world into a right relationship with Jesus Christ.
As we come to reorient our lives around prayer, there are hindrances.
Post-salvation hindrances.
Indwelling sin, remaining sin, old habits, the old man, the world, the flesh, and the devil, and everything that defines the way we are, apart from God’s saving grace.
Sometimes Paul lists sins, such as in Galatians 5:19-21, where he includes such sins as "adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred," and so on.
In this passage before us today—verses 8-15, Paul picks a particular focal point and expounds upon it. A particular thing that hinders a particular group.
Often called besetting sins. Recurring patterns. Typical sins.
Two mistakes could easily be made at this point:
1. A surface paint job. Horse traders were well known to be scoundrels in the past. There were things that could be done to a horse, like painting it, that enabled the trader to offer something that wasn’t the real thing.
Men: Prayer posture—raised hands.
Women: Buy an outfit of clothes at “Amish Are Us” and think all is well.
2. The other would be to assume that the problem focused on here is the only problem. Paul picks a representative sin for men and one for women.
Women can be in strife and men can be consumed with vanity.
So let us focus on each group.
III. The Besetting Sin of Men
1 Tim. 2:8: I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
The men get one verse and the women get 7 verses.
A man might say it is because women have a lot more problems. It may be because men don’t focus as well on getting homework done. Tom Garfield: You have to hit men with a 2 by 4.
This is a call for men to pray instead of being contentious, divisive, skeptical, and angry.
A. This is not a call for men to be accepting, overlooking all manner of differences, namby-pamby, girlie men.
Chapter 1: Some of the teachers are to be given their walking papers—verse 3;
Verse 20—some men in the church are to be disciplined, turned over to Satan.
This is not a call to be cuddly with a false teacher or heretic.
B. Men have the built in mechanism to be competitive, aggressive, and protective.
Even non-athletic, rather laid back males still tend to have this aggressive drive.
This is why young, male Calvinists are so much fun, but are like bull dogs. Keep them chained.
C. Church history—from the Early Church to the American experience—has been the story of many, many, too many church squabbles and splits. Theological Wars.
John Frame’s “Machen’s Warrior Children.”
If we could have 100 years of Christ-centered men praying without wrath and doubting, the world would be transformed.
Reformed Christians have often been some of the best of the lot. Brilliant, energetic, devoted.
And men who could not unite in prayer, could not raise holy hands together, without wrath and doubting.
D. Men’s Hands: 3 things here
Men fight with their hands.
Men speak with their hands.
Men work with their hands.
Literally and figuratively, hands represent the total efforts, life, and labor of men.
Men fight with their hands. Strength.
“God made some men strong and some men weak, but Mr. Sameul Colt made all men equal.”
E. Conflicts and Rivalry and Competitive Aggressiveness is built into the heart of men.
In this room, the men, who hold to basically the same worldview, philosophy, and outlook on life, could easily find themselves, OURSELVES, in a series of strong, divisive arguments and squabbles.
And if our arguing isn’t enough, there is the realm of Doubts.
Doubts theologically.
Doubts about life leading to an essentially pessimistic, cynical view of life.
F. Men, be holy. Set apart to God. Put these things aside.
III. Women’s Besetting Sin
A. First of all, Paul is not making a fashion statement, it is a call to prayer:
“In like manner”: Men pray everywhere…In like manner, women prayer everywhere.
And here is a hindrance: A focus on appearance, a self-absorbed consumption with how you look.
Not with braided hair;
Or Gold
Or Pearls
Or Costly Clothing.
As we think through this, realize, women, that you can come here with straight hair, no gold, no pearls, cheap clothes and miss the point.
AND, you can have a nice hair style—braided hair, a gold necklace with pearls, and an outfit that really cost more than you can normally afford and be in line with this.
B. This passage calls for a bit of cultural and fashion updating.
This is not an easy ‘try-this-everywhere’ point to make: In some cases, we have to adjust the culture and conditions of the Scriptures to our times.
Examples of culturally 'updating' Scripture: Greet each other with a holy kiss, references to footwashing, bring me my scroll and parchments, references to sheep, oxen, and donkeys, etc.
If Paul had been living and writing revised versions of this letter, he would likely be changing these four items—braided hair, gold, pearls, and costly clothing—to reflect the trends of advancing times.
So, if a woman is sitting here right now feeling uncomfortable: You braided your hair today, you happened to wear the gold necklace with pearls that you got for an anniversary, and you are wearing that dress that did not come off the sale rack at Fred’s, don't run out of here.
There is a problems trending in the church at Ephesus with women and fashion. Paul addresses some specifics.
In a later era, he might have specifically just said, mini-skirts and high heels.
Here are the operative phrases:
“in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with…, but which is proper for women professing godliness….” (NKJV)
This calls for a recurring, often revisiting, ever rethinking study of women’s fashion.
If the elders ‘notice’ a problem, it has usually gone too far.
At least 4 levels of accountability on this issue:
First, self control.
Second, the male leader in your life: Husband, Daddy, Big Brother.
Third, the women in your life: Mom, Sisters in Christ, wise women in the church.
Fourth, the elders, and again, here the problem has gone too far.
Priority and wisdom issues at stake: The issue is a woman professing godliness with good works.
IV. Paul lobs two grenades into the church assembly: Men’s combativeness and women’s fashion slavery.
His call is not for pacifist, weak men or for women dressed in potato sacks.
This is a call to prayer.
Because he focuses on 2 besetting sins, we could add other distractions.
But the call, again and again, is I desire that men pray everywhere…in like manner also, the women.
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