Living in peace 1 Timothy 2:1-6 Truths from Timothy Living in peace 1 Timothy 2:1-6

1 Timonthy 2:1-6  I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.

What is Timothy saying? We should pray for all of those in authority in our lives These prayers will help us to live in peace with each other Having a church full of peace will be attractive to our communities and will lead people to salvation

Deesis We should pray for the needs of all those in authority to be met as they are meeting our needs

Proseuche Sacrificial prayers. I should pray for those in authority in my life even when I may not be pleased with them.

Enteuxis My prayers for those in authority should not be a one-off. I should regularly intercede for those in authority in my life that they may make wise decisions and lead me in a godly direction.

Eucharistia I should pray Gods blessing on all of those in authority in my life whether they are doing a good job in my opinion or not. Its hard to be cross with someone you are blessing!

Why is Timothy saying this? Timothy understands that a wrong attitude to authority leads to unrest in our world and disrupts our peace Many offences and hurts are caused when people don’t know how to respond to authority He knows that at some point we wont like something said/done by those in authority and this may disrupt our peace and so he is giving us wisdom in how to deal with this.

When is Timothy saying this? To understand the full message of the passage we need to look at the time at which it was written. At that time the Roman Emperors were considered divine Timothy reminds us in verses 5-6 that there is only one God and only he is perfect so we shouldn’t expect those in authority to be perfect. Its an exhortation not to be disheartened when our leaders fail or do things we don’t like as the only perfect man is Jesus and so instead of being cross with them we need to pray for them.

Where does Timothy intend this to apply? PRAY FOR ALL PEOPLE IN AUTHORITY Here are Just some of the people we should be praying for: Our government and leaders Our Boss/Manager Leaders in our Church Leaders in our family (Husbands and Parents) Those we are in relationship/fellowship with

Our Government Its easy to find fault with our government and some of their decisions can make us cross but are we: Praying that God will meet their needs so they can run the country well. Praying for them even if we don’t like a particular politician and their views. Interceding for them to have wisdom and for the voices of Christians in parliament to be heard Praying a blessing over them

Leaders in our Church Are we discussing on the way home how we would have done things differently or are we: Praying that God will meet their needs so they can run the church well. Praying for them even if we don’t agree with a choice or decision. Interceding for them to have wisdom in which direction to lead the church Praying a blessing over them

Our Boss/Manager at work Are we frustrated/cross with our boss? Pray that God will meet their needs Pray for them even if we don’t agree with a choice or decision. Intercede for them to have wisdom and for some agreement with them to be reached if its needed Pray a blessing over them – You may see their side of the argument and it will be hard to be cross with them! It will be noticed when other employees are complaining

Authority in our Family Its easy to take issue with decisions made by family members and it’s a major cause of unrest in our lives. I should pray that God meets the physical and spiritual needs of my husband so he can lead our family well Praying for them even if we don’t agree with a choice or decision. I should intercede for my husband that he will lead our family closer to God Praying a blessing over them even when you are cross with them. Its amazing how it staves off an argument.

Those we are in relationship with Becoming a church member gives people an authority to speak into our lives for our good. Sometimes this hurts because we didn’t like what was said or how it was said. Do I run away or hold a grudge or do I: Pray that God will meet their needs? Lift them up to God even if they have upset me? Intercede for them? Pray a blessing over them? Its amazing how an offence becomes a learning curve when you bring it to God in prayer.

What will the outcome be? SALVATION A Church full of peace is attractive to a world full of chaos but if we are no different, how are they to see that life with Christ is different?