Today is my beautiful wife's birthday. She's a year older today and looks as beautiful as the day I married her!

I love you very much my love! Have a great Birthday!

Here's the manuscript from Sunday Night's Sermon. I took out the personal illustrations because those are never written out in my notes.



To say we live in a time of political unrest is an understatement at best. This has been a big week for the Unites States of America. North Korea has been testing missiles this past week, the United Nations confirming a 6th missile launch on Friday. President Barak Obama announced Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be his choice for Supreme Court. And the auto industry continues to flounder now looking at the impending bankruptcy of GM and Chrysler. What is a Christian to do? How are we to respond when so much of the world is in turmoil and unrest? 1 Timothy 2 gives us a couple answers to these questions.

Read: 1 Timothy 2:1-7.

Since we are beginning with Chapter 2 let me quickly give us the context of this passage. In Chapter 1, Paul begins with his usual greeting. He states that he is the Author of the letter. He gives his credentials as an Apostle of Christ, commissioned by God. And he mentions the recipient, of course, being Timothy, his “true child of in the faith”. In chapter 1 he addresses the issue of false teachers as it relates to the Gospel. You see, 1 Timothy is a personal letter written to a young pastor (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus are called the Pastoral Epistles for that reason). Paul wants to help Timothy be well equipped and strategic as he leads this church to spread the Gospel.

In chapter 2, Paul walks through how someone who is living as an example of the Gospel really should live his life. Paul will later address some behavior in the church, more on false teachers and how the Gospel should shape the church and Timothy himself.

HOW SHOULD A CHRISTIAN LIVE HIS LIFE AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE GOSPEL?
Since chapter 2 tells us how should a Christian live his life as an example of the Gospel, that’s where we’ll begin.

1 Timothy 2:1 begins with “first of all”, showing us hat this is the beginning of a list of things that Timothy needs to know and the church should be doing. That list will continue throughout the rest of chapter 2 and into chapter 3.

“First of all, I urge”. Paul is serious about something. The word “urge” here means to plea, to beg. “That our supplications (requests), prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all people.” All of these words of course being words to describe types of prayer. Why does Paul list our several different words for prayer? What he wants to show here it that believers need to be purposeful when they pray. When we pray for people, we should pray with intention, paying attention to what we are saying, how we are saying it, and who we are praying for.

Paul goes on and now begins to get more specific. In verse 2 he tells Timothy that prayers should be made for “kings and all who are in high positions”. Who would have been the emperor at that time? Nero. Was Nero a good guy or bad guy? Bad. In fact, Nero was just about as bad as you can get. Nero did horrible things to Christians. He persecuted them, imprisoned them and killed them…often and with great joy. Why would Paul tell Timothy that they should be praying for him? He tells us. “That we may lead a peaceful and quite life, godly and dignified in every way.” Ok, here’s your first point if you’re taking notes.

Point # 1 We should pray for our leaders so that the Gospel might be advanced. When we pray for our leaders it creates an evangelistic environment.

Paul tells Timothy that he and his church should pray for those in authority over them so that they may live peaceful, quite lives, being Godly and dignified in every way. What Paul is not saying is that the Gospel will not spread when life isn’t peaceful and quiet. We know that all it takes is a quick read of the Book of Acts, or a quick look at church history, you know that more often then not when a Christian’s world is in turmoil still the Gospel goes forth strong. The church in communist China is an example of that today. Paul, under the reign of Nero, told Timothy to pray for his leaders. Paul is not just specific to Nero, he opens it up to all who have authority over them. It doesn’t matter is we are Republican, or Democrats, or Independents. We, being Christians, should faithfully be praying for our leaders so that the Gospel might spread. No matter the environment, we are to live in a Godly and dignified way. A person, who lives a Godly, dignified life, will have opportunities to share the Gospel.

Verse 3 says to do this is good and it is pleasing to God. “Who (verse 4) desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Now it’s on verse 4 we need to take a short time-out. If God desires all to be saved, are all saved? Other translations put it this way…
KJV- “Who will have”
NIV- “who wants”
ESV, NASV, NKJV- “Who desires”
There is a great theological difference between God’s desires, and God’s sovereign will. It is God’s desire that all would be saved. Last week, we talked about God’s patience and longsuffering toward us. But, Scripture clearly teaches us that all will not be saved.

Matthew 7:21-23 says, ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

There will be some who will not come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and yet it is still God’s desire. Within God’s sovereign plan, man will still choose to reject Christ.

Point # 2 We should pray for our leaders because Christ gave himself as a ransom for all.

When it comes to the Apostle Paul, everything centers on the Gospel. Paul tells Timothy here, why he should pray. He says, “there is one God, and one mediator (reconciler) between man and God.” Christ gave himself (verse 6) “as a ransom for all.” I want to point something out here. Notice the inclusive language Paul has been using in this passage. v.1) first of all, made for all people, v.2) all who are in high positions, v.4) desires all people to be saved, v.6) a ransom for all. Paul does this for a purpose. He’s showing that Christ came and died so sinner can come to faith. The Gospel does not see race or color. It does not care how much money you have or give. The Gospel doesn’t care about how you were raised, or how smart you are. The gospel could care a less about how good you are, have been or will be. The Gospel cares about what you are going to do with Jesus Christ, the one who died as a ransom for you. Verse 6 ends by saying that “the testimony (probably referring to Christ’s coming) given at the proper time” in history.

Verse 7 wraps up this section restating why Paul can say all of this. He can talk so inclusively about the Gospel because God appointed him to be a preacher and a teacher to the gentiles.

So what’s the Big Idea for this Passage? The Big Idea is this…
Christians should pray for their leaders so that the Good News of Christ’s redemption might be spread.

When was the last time you really prayed for our President? Our Governor? Our Mayor? It’s easy for us to listen to the news, read the newspapers, and listen to the radio and feel depressed, or concerned or worried. Do I get this concerned depressed or concerned for the lost? I find it very convicting when Paul, under the persecution of Nero, facing death, is praying for those in leadership so that the Gospel my go forth. Do I take the Gospel that seriously? Or am I just as happy to come here to this place we call church to escape the world and all it’s challenges. And when I leave here I‘ll go through my day worrying about who the next news story on Fox News. Instead of leaving here fired up to reach lost and dying world who desperately needs Jesus Christ.

I want to leave us tonight with a few points of application.
#1. What is this telling me?
I have a responsibility to be a person who takes prayer seriously and I should pray regularly for my leaders so that the gospel will move forward. My prayer life, beginning tonight needs to reflect that challenge.

#2. What is this saying to our church?
Berean Baptist Church must take our corporate prayer time seriously and purposefully. We should be people who pray for everyone, especially those in leadership over us.

#3. What is this saying to the non-Christian?
God desires all men to be saved. God wants you to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord tonight. It is his desire that you realize Christ paid the price for sin, on the cross. It is only through him that you will have eternal life.

Read again 1 Timothy 2:1-7

Where does one start to build his theology? In preparation for my ordination I wrote an ordination paper that I had to defend. One of the first questions asked was, “why did you start this paper the way you did? Was there a reason for the order of your theological categories?” I began my paper the way many do. I began it with bibliology, the doctrine or study of the Bible.

Why start there? Why begin with the Bible? I believe for one to have a solid theology (the study of God), he must first begin with the Bible.

2 Peter 1:16-21 says,
“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (ESV)

In this passage, Peter says that he and his companions had seen, walked, and talked with Jesus the Christ. They heard God talk about Him and saw His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration. Yet, there was still something that taught them more about Christ and His deity than that. They had the Word of God, Scripture. When Peter proclaimed what he knew about God and the Christ, he claimed from Scripture.

We are at a disadvantage. We have not seen Jesus. We have not heard God talk about Himself audibly today, but we do have what Peter had. We have Scripture. We have the completed Word of God. Peter didn’t even have that. Everything I know or believe about God is founded upon Scripture... or at least it should be.

Where should we begin when we begin to build our Theology? We should begin with the infallibly, inerrant, Word of God.

Very interesting and convicting, brief video.

(Check it out)

This evening I was in one of those moods to look through my bookmarks on my laptop and check out the links I haven't been to in some time. It was during this brief time of perusing, that I came across the link for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. If you have never been there you will find it to contain a wealth of knowledge in the articles and messages. On the home page you will see the daily devotional given by the late James Montgomery Boice, a treasure in and of itself.

Who’s part of the Alliance? Here are just a few of their council members:
Alistair Begg, Jerry Bridges, Donald Carson, Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, Sinclair Ferguson, John MacArthur, C.J. Mahaney, Albert Mohler, John Piper, Philip Ryken, R. C. Sproul, Derek Thomas…(A pretty incredible list)

Check it out!

Here is an interview in Christianity Today of Rob Bell. Take a minute and read it...carefully. Pay close attention to what he specifically (or not so specifically) says about the gospel.

I find this to be a very interesting interview. Besides having strong opinions about pacifists, I really struggle with Bell’s answer to the questions about the gospel.

Here’s an interview question and Bell’s response:
You're essentially reframing the gospel—at least the gospel you inherited, the gospel we have known as the gospel in North America for the last couple hundred years.

I am leery of people who have very clear ideas of what they're doing from outside of themselves: "You have to understand that I'm doing this and doing this." I would say that for 10 years, I have tried to invite people to trust Jesus. You can trust this Jesus. You can trust him past, present, future; sins, mistakes, money, sexuality. I think this Jesus can be trusted.

I often put it this way: If there is a God, some sort of Divine Being, Mind, Spirit, and all of this is not just some random chance thing, and history has some sort of movement to it, and you have a connection with Whatever—that is awesome. Hard and awesome and creative and challenging and provoking.

And there is this group of people who say that whoever that being is came up among us and took on flesh and blood—Andrew Sullivan talks about this immense occasion the world could not bear. So a church would be this odd blend of swagger—an open tomb, come on—and humility and mystery. The Resurrection accounts are jumbled and don't really line up with each other—I really relate to that. Yet something momentous has burst forth in the middle of history. You just have to have faith, and you get caught up in something.

I like to say that I practice militant mysticism. I'm really absolutely sure of some things that I don't quite know.

And here in lies my concern. Bell would say, probably, I am one of those people who feel he has a very clear idea of what I’m doing. And in one way I do, and in one way I don’t. But I do know the gospel is not to be one of those confusing items.

1 John 2 12-13 says, “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father.”

1 John 4:13 also says, “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”

1 John 5:13 “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

The Gospel, our salvation, and God’s redemptive plan for mankind is not intended to be confusing. All it takes is to simply read God's Word. Yes it's deep. Yes it's confusing many times...and yet simple enough a child can be saved.