JULY 11, 2014 1 Tim 2:1-4 (NKJV) “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” We have been looking at Paul’s letter to Timothy the last couple of days. There are three things in these four verses that Paul instructs us to do. 1) We should be people of prayer. In fact, Paul says we should pray for all men, including leaders who are in authority. 2) We should live a righteous life. “That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” We have so much chaos in our world today. I witnessed a lady standing on the street corner yesterday talking on her cell phone, I don’t know who she was talking to but it was evident she was giving them the what for. I see this often. I know sometimes in my own life it seems to be out of control. I personally don’t believe God intended us to live chaotic lives. He offers us rest and peace, not turmoil and trouble. The third thing Paul instructed Timothy to do was share Christ with everyone. The last part of verse 4, “God our Savior desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” That includes but not limited to: • The person who doesn’t agree with me. • The person standing on the street corner holding a sign for help. • The person who doesn’t look like I look or dress like I dress. • That includes everyone. (John 3:16-17) Jesus came to save not to condemn. I preached a sermon last Sunday night on these verses, when I closed the sermon I sensed a deep sense of conviction that I really fail to share Jesus in my daily walk like I should. It is easy to talk about Him in our sanctuaries of worship, but evangelism is what is done outside of those sanctuaries. Let me leave you with an illustration that I think says it all. “One Sunday, as they drove home from church, little Susie turned to her mother and said, “Mommy, there’s something the preacher said this morning that I don’t understand.” “What’s that, honey?” “Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. He said that God’s so big that He could hold the whole world in his hand. Is that true?” The mother replied, “Yes, honey, that’s true.” “But mommy, he also said that God comes to live inside us when we trust Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. Is that true, too?” The mother assured little Susie that what the pastor had said was true. With a puzzled look on her face, Susie then asked, “If God is bigger than us, and He lives in us, wouldn’t He show through?” Susie had it right, didn’t she? If God lives in us He ought to show through and the lost and dying world around us out to see Him in us.
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 12:21:49 +0000
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