Thank you, Mainline. Good job.
It's been a tough week for conservative Americans and Bible-believing Christians.
How have you responded?
How will you respond?
Today I want us to look at one of the ways that God wants us as His people to respond
to our government's leaders regardless of who they are.
And as we look at this, I want us to note this is not a suggestion.
It's not an option.
It is a responsibility. It's a part of our Christian duty.
We're going to look at one thing today from 1 Timothy chapter 2.
It is our Christian duty to pray for our government's leaders.
I want you to look with me.
1 Timothy chapter 2 verses 1 through 5.
Paul is writing to Timothy who is the leader of the church in Ephesus.
He says,
This is good and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,
who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men,
the man, Christ Jesus.
As we go through this passage, I want us to think
in terms of what's going on in our country today.
I want us to try to see how this might apply to our prayers for our current and future leaders.
First thing I want us to note is very, very simple.
We are to pray for our government's leaders.
Now Paul begins with a real general statement about prayer.
Look at this.
First of all, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings
be made for all people.
He uses four different words to describe prayer.
Sort of an unusual thing for him to do.
The first three, supplications, prayers, and intercessions,
are talking about making requests generally.
The third one, or the fourth one, real obvious, thanksgiving,
giving thanks to God.
Why would he do that?
Why would he sort of lump together four words?
Well, evidently, he's emphasizing that we need to make prayer a priority.
All kinds of prayers.
Prayer ought to be a priority for every Christian, period.
And by using these different words,
he would be emphasizing that we need to make all kinds of prayers.
We do need to ask God for things.
We do need to intercede on behalf of other people,
making specific requests,
as we're going to see in a minute, government leaders.
He also says we should pray for all people.
Do you do that?
You pray for everybody in the world?
You pray for everybody you know?
Well, no one.
You couldn't.
That would be impossible.
That helps us to understand that Paul is speaking generally here.
No one can pray for all people,
even all people that we know.
So he's telling us generally.
We need to be people who pray.
We need to pray all kinds of prayers.
And we need to pray for all kinds of people,
not just ourselves and our immediate family,
or maybe even our church family.
But we need to pray for all kinds of leaders,
or all kinds of people.
And he goes on in verse 2 to talk about government leaders.
Note that we're specifically called to pray for our government leaders.
He says, for kings and all who are in high positions.
Now in Paul's day,
most people lived under the authority of the Roman emperor.
And that was not good.
Paul is a Christian,
writing to Christians.
And when he was writing those words,
he knew Nero, the Roman emperor,
was a persecutor of Christians,
responsible for Christians being put to death
because of their faith.
It was not easy to write something like that.
But also in that day,
there were still kings under the emperor.
Some should come to your mind,
as a Christian,
King Herod,
King Agrippa.
Paul appeared before him
in Acts chapter 25,
we read about.
Paul is calling attention to Christians.
Pray.
Pray for all kinds of people.
And pray for those who are our leaders,
our kings,
for all who are in,
or any kind of authority over us.
Today,
the highest position of leadership in our government
is the president of the United States.
So we need to pray for our president.
We need to pray for others in high positions,
for congressmen,
for governors,
for all of our local and state leaders,
all kinds of leaders.
We should make it a matter of prayer,
a part of our regular prayer lives
to lift up these people.
Now,
let's be more specific.
It appears that Joe Biden
has been elected
our next president.
Now,
I know that
lawsuits have been filed
and will continue to be filed
challenging the legitimacy
of this election
in some states.
But as it stands right now,
Joe Biden
is our president-elect
because he has unofficially
over 270 electoral college votes.
There are
the leading conservative news organization
in this country,
Fox News,
they're already calling him
president-elect.
one of President Trump's
most staunchest
evangelical supporters,
Robert Jeffries,
the pastor
at First Baptist Church of Dallas.
He's called Biden
president-elect.
Now,
the Supreme Court
may intervene in some way.
There may be things
that happen in states
where ballots are thrown out,
invalidated,
or more ballots are counted.
Things could change.
We do not know
for a fact today.
But it looks like
Joe Biden
will be our nation's
46th president.
And we've got to start praying for him
if that's true.
And if we are wise,
we will pray
that he will turn out
to be a great president
for our country,
for all people,
including those of us
who did not vote for him.
Now,
I remember when Obama
was elected,
I made a statement
on Wednesday night
similar to that,
citing this passage
and some others.
And it was a smaller group,
but I could see
the obvious eye rolls
and the size
and the anger
that I would even say
something like that.
But doesn't it make sense
that if whoever
is our president,
we would want him
to be successful
for our good,
I'm talking about?
That's biblical.
Remember how God
told the people of Israel,
think about this.
They had been captured
by the Babylonians,
taken into exile,
taken from their land
to Babylon,
forced to live there,
a foreign land,
foreign culture,
foreign pagan leaders.
But God spoke
through the prophet Jeremiah,
you know this,
we've looked at it before,
and told them,
look at this,
Jeremiah 29, 7,
but seek the welfare
of the city
where I have sent you
into exile,
and pray to the Lord
on its behalf,
for in its welfare
you will find
your welfare.
I want our country
to prosper.
I want whoever
is in the White House,
whoever is in Congress,
whoever is in Columbia,
whoever is the mayor
of Pickens,
I want them
to be good leaders.
I want them
to help us
as people
in this country,
in this state,
in this town,
to make life
better for us.
We should pray
that way.
That's how God
told His people,
His conquered people,
living in exile,
to pray
for in its welfare,
the city you're living in,
the place you're living,
with the leaders
that you have,
that you did not choose,
you will find
your welfare.
Now that's basically
what Paul says next
about how we should pray
for our leaders
in this passage.
Look at this.
We are to pray
for our leaders
to lead in such a way
that we are able
to live a peaceable
and godly life.
Look at it specifically.
The last part
of verse 2 and 3.
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 Savior.
We need to pray
for our leaders
to lead wisely
and justly.
And that includes
Joe Biden
if he becomes president
on January the 20th.
We need to pray
that he and those
who will be
in his administration
fill his cabinet spots,
that they will lead
with wisdom
for our benefit,
that they will lead
justly,
do the right thing.
We need to ask God
to give our leaders
on every level
of government
wisdom and strength
to stop
the lawlessness,
the anarchy even
that's taking place
all across our country
right now
in some of our
major cities.
We need to ask God
to so work
through our current
leaders
and our future
leaders
to bring an end
to this
craziness,
violence,
unrestraint
lawlessness
that's taking place.
We need to ask God
to protect our
law enforcement
officers,
keep them safe
as they're trying
to keep the peace,
trying to keep it
as confined
as they can
in these places.
We also need to pray
that God would open
people's eyes
to the fact
that these law enforcement
officers are not
the enemy.
They're not the problem.
Rather,
they are a
valuable friend
of law-abiding
citizens
and
they're a force
for good
in this country.
They're agents
even
of the government
to enforce
the law,
to keep
us safe.
We need to pray
that our new
leaders
will respect
religious liberty
and not persecute
Christians who seek
to live in obedience
to the truth
of God's word.
For an example,
right now,
many Democrats
in places
of leadership
across this country,
governors and mayors
in particular,
some of them
have targeted
churches
or church
gatherings
as one of the
major spreaders
of COVID-19
with no evidence
to support this.
Some of these
Democratic leaders
in some states
and cities
have either
tried to stop
in-person
worship services
altogether
or they place
such ridiculous
limits
on the numbers
that can gather
that the churches
really cannot gather.
We need to pray
that Joe Biden,
if he becomes
our president,
will not single
out churches
like this
in his attempt
to deal
with the coronavirus.
He said
this is going to be
one of his major
first initiatives
dealing with the
coronavirus.
We need to pray
that God
will give him
wisdom
about what
not to do
as well as
what to do.
And we need to pray
that God
will help him
to understand
that Christians
gathering together
are an essential
part of American
life.
It's essential
for our
spiritual well-being.
It's essential
for many things
that benefit
our country.
We need to pray
for President-elect
Biden.
If he truly is
going to be
our next president,
that he will be
wise in dealing
with this pandemic.
We also need to pray
that our new leaders
will see
clearly
the failures
of socialism
every place
on this planet
that has ever
been practiced.
We need to pray
that Biden
will not be
led further
left
and lead
our country
to adopt
more socialistic
programs
and policies.
Now,
in light of what
we know about
Joe Biden's
positions on
such issues
and the stated
platform of
the Democratic
Party,
we should pray
that God
would change
Biden's mind
on these issues
of major
importance.
I'm not trying
to be,
I'm trying
to be
anti-political.
I'm trying
to tone
things down
this morning.
I want you
to understand
that.
But I must
say,
if you've
looked at any
of the history
of Joe Biden,
he's changed
his mind
a lot.
He's flipped
a lot more
than you flip
most hamburgers
when you grill.
He is not
above changing
his positions
on anything.
So,
seriously,
we as
Christians
should pray
that God
will so
work in
him and
put around
him people
who will
influence him
to cause
him to
change his
mind and
approach to
dealing with
the lawlessness
in this
country.
To change
his mind
on dealing
with religious
liberty.
and to
cause him
to totally
reject
socialism.
We should
also pray
that God
will work
in his
mind and
heart
to cause
him to
see that
life is
sacred.
Life is a
sacred gift
from God
that must
be protected
from the
life of
the baby
in the
mother's
womb
to the
life of
the elderly
Alzheimer's
patient
in a
nursing
home
or any
home.
life is
sacred
and must
be protected.
We need
to pray
like this
now.
We need
to pray
like this
if he
becomes our
actual
president.
And we
need to
pray like
this the
whole time
he is in
office.
We should
be praying
for our
president
now.
Should have
been always.
But we're
looking now
at where we
are in light
of the
election this
week.
It's important
that we
understand that
one of the
major reasons
Paul wanted
us to pray
like this.
Paul's not
just talking
about just
having a
peaceful and
tranquil life.
Look at this.
We're to pray
for our leaders
to lead in
such a way
that our
ability to
share the
gospel is
not hindered.
Look again
at the
scripture.
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
Savior who
desires all
people to be
saved and to
come to the
knowledge of
the truth.
For there is
one God and
there is one
mediator between
God and
men, the
man, Christ
Jesus.
New Testament
commentator Tommy
Lee.
He taught at
Southwestern Seminary
when I was
there.
He makes an
important,
point about
one of the
purposes of
our prayers
for our
leaders.
Look at what
he said.
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 benefited
by the
leadership of
Rome.
even the
persecuting
Emperor Nero.
Paul benefited
by the
freedom he
was accorded
to travel,
to preach,
to start
churches, to
do all the
things that he
did.
Paul benefited
by a
government that
kept peace and
order, didn't
allow anarchy,
allowed economic
flourishing.
It benefited the
spread of the
gospel.
people.
We must
never lose
sight of the
fact that we
have a
responsibility to
be witnesses of
the Lord's.
Understand that.
All of us in this
room right now who
claim to be
Christians, we are
responsible for how
we live in this
world.
We are to be
faithful, positive
witnesses of the
Lord's by the way
that we live, and
we have the
responsibility to
share the gospel,
to help people to
understand that
alone, on their
own, they are
separated from God
by their sin, and
the penalty for that
sin is death.
But the good news of
the Bible is that God
has provided a way of
salvation through
Jesus Christ that
whoever would turn
from their sin and
trust him can be
forgiven, made
children of God, and
prepared to live in
fellowship with God
forever.
That's part of our
responsibility as
Christians in this
world.
We need to pray that
our new president will
not do anything to
interfere in our
ability to live as
faithful followers of
Jesus and to
actively share the
gospel with people
who are not
Christians, people who
don't care even about
their relationship with
God.
We also need to pray
that Joe Biden, if
he is elected
president, will be
convicted to live like
a Christian if he is
truly a child of God, or
that he'll be saved if
he is not a Christian.
Now, he claims to be a
Christian.
He is a member of the
Roman Catholic Church.
But the real test of a
person's faith, Joe
Biden, Donald Trump, you
and me, the real test of
our faith is found in the
way that we live.
Not the church we're a
member of or anything like
that.
Jesus would say it like
this from time to time.
We're known by the fruit
that we bear.
Our fruit give evidence of
the root within us.
There's one point in this
passage we must not miss
this morning because it
applies to all of us.
I've just alluded to that.
It does matter how you and
I live.
Look at verses two and
three again.
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 Savior.
Now, Paul said something
similar to this in his
first letter to the
Thessalonians.
Look at it.
Make it your ambition to
lead a quiet life.
You should mind your own
business and work with your
hands, just as we told you,
so that your daily life may
win the respect of
outsiders.
Thomas Lee made an important
point about why Paul would
have said this.
Talking about why it matters
how we live.
Look at what he said.
Paul desired that believers
live peaceful and quiet lives.
He may not have intended that
this quiet life be free of all
conflict and persecution because
Paul said if we truly live the
Christian life we will be
persecuted at times.
Perhaps strife and discord in
the church caused outsiders to
scoff at the religion of the
Ephesian Christians.
Paul wanted his readers to live an
orderly life free of strife and
discord so as to convince
unbelievers that Christianity was
worthy of their attention.
Here's how I want to apply this.
For the past four years there have
been thousands upon thousands of
Trump haters in this country who
have whined, complained, screamed,
shouted, cursed, did everything they
could do to show their hatred and
displeasure of Donald Trump.
Many of them said things like they
refused to acknowledge him as
their president.
They did everything they could to
disrespect the man, to put him
down, show him no honor as the
president of this country.
We as God's people cannot, must not,
act that way toward a President
Biden no matter what.
In fact, it would be better for you to
renounce your faith, don't call
yourself a Christian, than to become a
Biden hater like so many have been
Trump haters and lived the opposite
life of what God calls us to live as a
Christian.
Now, make no mistake, we can disagree
with liberal and unbiblical policies all
day long.
We've got to do it the right way.
We can work for change the right way with
all that is within us.
But we must as Christians now, and it's,
being a Christian is a higher calling than
being an American.
Our ultimate and final citizenship is in
heaven, not the United States of America.
We have the responsibility to show a
watching world that Jesus Christ does make a
difference in how we live.
He has an effect on our attitudes, our
words, and our actions, whether we win or
lose in politics, regardless of who's in
the White House.
As I said at the beginning, it's been a
tough week for conservative Americans and
Bible-believing Christians.
The election did not turn out like we wanted
it to, or at least it has not to this point.
But what we must never lose sight of, God is
still on the throne.
God is still in charge of this world and this
country.
God is sovereign.
And He can be trusted.
We can trust Him.
And if we trust Him, we'll obey Him.
And what I am emphasizing only this morning, we need to
pray for our leaders.
It's just simple.
We need to pray for President Trump because he is
still our president and will be for another few months
unless the election results are changed.
We need to pray for our leaders.
We need to pray that he will be a wise leader at this time.
That he will do the right things the right way.
If Joe Biden is to be our president, we must pray that he will do the same.
That he will surround himself with the right kind of people.
We also need to pray for ourselves.
We need to pray that we will do the right things, the right ways, for the right reasons.
And I want us to note, when we do things like this, look again at the verse.
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 Savior.
Bottom line, if we're Christians and God is our Father, our greatest desire should be to please Him.
And one of the ways we can please Him is by praying for our government leaders.
Let's pray together.