The Battle in the Trenches: The Battle Objective

Evangelism

1 Timothy 2:1-10

So I have this friend – just some guy I know – who is on a diet. You don’t even know who he is! Anyway, his biggest temptation is Krispy Kreme donuts. You know that Krispy Kreme gives away one free donut to customers who come in at just the right time. When the donuts are coming off the production line, hot and fresh – they turn on this red light in the window. If you come in when the light is on – you get a free donut. So this friend of mine was down in Milwaukee recently, and as he drove down the road, he knew there was a Krispy Kreme coming up, so he prayed, “Lord, if you want me to have a donut this morning, let the light be on...” 

Later his wife asked him if had stopped at the donut shop. He told her about his prayer. “Well, what happened?” she persisted. “The light was on, just like I prayed! It must have been God’s will!” Later he confessed, “I spotted it on my eighth trip around the block!”

We say want to know God’s will. What we really want to know too often is how to bend God’s will to ours. At other times, we pretend that God’s will is a great mystery – that we can’t do what we don’t know. Most of the time our problem is a lack of obedience not lack of knowledge. What Mark Twain said of the Bible applies to God’s will in general. “It’s not those parts that I don’t understand that give me the biggest problem, it’s the parts that I do understand.”

So what is God’s will for me? What is it that God wants from me as a follower of Jesus? Why are we here – as a church? What is our reason for existence? 

Those are some of the biggest questions of life, aren’t they? That question is the nagging inquiry that has driven “The Purpose Driven Life” to become the number one selling book of all time after the Bible. People want to know what they are supposed to be doing. When you think about it, if you know the answers to those questions, everything else just sort of falls into place…

This morning, we are going to look at a passage of Scripture that points out a major portion of God’s will for each of us individually and our purpose as a church.

Turn to the book of 1 Timothy, chapter 2. Let me set the stage for you a little bit – Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, a young pastor whom Paul had left in charge of the church in Ephesus. The church was having some problems – there was no order, authority or strong leadership in the church. Worship services were nearly anarchy. Timothy apparently had some physical ailments. Because of his youth, he was not being shown proper respect by some of the members of the congregation; he seems to have struggled from periods of discouragement and maybe depression, and the church was located in a sexually perverse city, where the chief god was a goddess of sex. So Paul wrote this letter to encourage Timothy, remind him of his responsibility and his calling from God, and to lay out some guidelines for running the church. 

Those instructions on proper church behavior make this letter, and Paul’s second letter to Timothy, very valuable to us today. In this letter, God lays out for us his expectations for the church, and in chapter 2 we have a very clear statement of God’s desire and will for the church. Let’s read the first 8 verses.

1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- 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 Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle--I am telling the truth, I am not lying--and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles. 8 I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.

Using the discussion questions that you will find on the tables, take the next five minutes to discuss this passage of Scripture. [Assign specific tables specific questions]

Discussion Questions:

1. What is Paul’s highest priority for the church? What does he want “first of all”? (verse 1)

 Prayer – all sorts of prayer for all sorts of people.

2. Why does Paul specifically instruct us to pray for government authorities? (verse 2)

“So that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in godliness and holiness.” Paul recognizes that the world is often hostile toward the church – especially in the first century – but he called on the church to pray for Emperor Nero – who HATED Christians – so that the church could live godly lives before the community and reach out to others.

3.  What is it that is good, and pleases God our Savior?

 Requests, intercession, prayer and thanksgiving.

4. What is the ultimate goal – what is it God wants?

 That “all men will be saved, and come to a knowledge of the truth.” (verse 4)

5. What is “the truth” that God wants people to know?

 That there is only one way to God – through Jesus. (verse 5)

6. In verse 8, Paul talks about men everywhere praying “without anger or disputing” how does this impact God’s desire for people to know the truth about Jesus?

Jesus said in John 17:20-23, Jesus says that it is through our unity and love that people will know that He came from the Father and that God loves them…

7. Bonus Question: Do you see the three elements of “THE BATTLE IN THE TRENCHES” in these verses?

 The Battle Ground: [Prayer – verse 1-2]

 The Battle Buddy: [Unity, support – verse 8]

 The Battle Objective: [Reach the lost – verse 4]

[After 5 minutes, lead a discuss of the answers to the questions.]

That’s great discussion – thanks – you know, this is how we each should study the Bible on our own – when you read a passage, don’t just read a chapter so you can check something off your “TO DO” list – actually ponder what you’ve read – ask some questions and think about the answers – it’s a great way to get more out of your reading.

Now, in this passage that we’re studying – if God’s will is for everyone to be saved – is everyone going to be saved?

Obviously not – Jesus talks in Matthew 7 about people who would cry out, “Lord, Lord,” but would not be saved…Jesus said “Narrow is the road that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:14) Revelation 21:8 says that “unbelievers” and those who are unrepentant will experience “the second death.” The Bible teaches clearly that salvation is not automatic and that many will not follow Jesus.

Why not?

God is willing, and desires everyone to be saved, and in His mercy has provided one path by which any person can be saved – but each person must choose to walk that path. Acts 4:12 says that “there is no other name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved.” Salvation comes only by the “one mediator between God and man” that Paul describes. If people fail to recognize their need, do not to believe on Jesus, and seek God’s only way to salvation, then they will be lost for eternity.

In our discussion of The Battle in the Trenches, we have said that the war that rages all around us in the spiritual realm is the battle for the souls of men, women and children. Satan hates God, and he wants to destroy God’s greatest creation – human beings. So he sets out to deceive, trick and blind people to the truth of God. God, on the other hand, desires for people to be see, understand and believe the truth. And he has had a consistent plan for accomplishing that mission – he sends messengers of His truth to the world.

From the earliest days of human history, God has been in the pattern of sending messengers. He has sent angels, preachers, prophets, teachers and even talking donkeys or godly political leaders to call people to Himself (and no, talking donkeys and politicians are not always the same thing!). Jesus, as God in the flesh, is without question the single greatest example of God’s plan to reach humans with His message. John 3:17 says, “God did not send His Son to the world to condemn the world, but that world though Him might be saved.” Jesus was sent to save the world!

But while Jesus coming may be the greatest example of God’s plan to reach us with his message, He is not the last effort by God to reach us. God continues with his plan to reach the world with the knowledge of the truth by sending messengers of that truth into the world. You know who those messengers today are? 

Pastors?

Teachers?

TV Preachers?

NO – actually, those people are placed with in the church for the specific purpose of equipping the church – the responsibility for being God’s messengers to the world actually belongs to every one of us – not the pastor or the teacher – but the people in the chairs!

When Jesus had completed His mission, He returned to the Father, but just before He left, He said,

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

This passage of Scripture is sometimes called “The Great Commission,” and rightly so. It is indeed our commissioning – we have been given a mission to accomplish. But far too often we look at this mission as a chore or a punishment. But it is anything but that – it is an amazing honor and privilege! When we become a child of God we also become an ambassador for God. We become the representatives of Christ in this world – we are given the opportunity to be the voice of truth, the source of God’s message of forgiveness. We get to be the means by which God’s will – the desire of His heart – is accomplished! Isn’t that amazing?

The anxiety we feel about accomplishing our mission comes from our enemy. He wants us to do ANYTHING except tell others about God’s love! The belief that we have that telling others about Jesus is not for us, or that it is only for a few, or that we don’t know what to say, when to say it, or how to say it comes straight from the pit of hell. It’s actually quite easy – we simply tell others about what Jesus has done for us…it doesn’t have to be a sermon, or a three-point outline of theological truth. People simply want to know what we have found – that when life is tough, but Jesus gets us through. When life is good – with Jesus it’s better. That we can KNOW, with absolute certainty, that we are a child of God and are going to heaven because we have placed our faith in Him and Him alone.

I was recently walking down the sidewalk in Mayville, and came across some young girl’s chalk writing on the walk. One section caught my attention – it said, “I love Jesus, He’s my Savior” and it was signed “Amy.” It was written by Amy, whose mom, dad and uncle run the Chinese restaurant in town. Amy has been coming to AWANA for a couple of years, invited by Oisin and Michaela Campbell. Here’s a girl, raised in a Buddhist home, who now loves Jesus, and testifies about it by writing it on the sidewalk! And what’s more, her parents and uncle are very interested in the truth about Jesus. Reaching the world is just that easy – all it takes is a friendly invitation, and faithful friendship.