“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.
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From time to time during this sermon, I want you to imagine that it’s March of 1861 and you’ve come with me as I preach this assigned passage to a congregation in Virginia. Abraham Lincoln has just been inaugurated president. South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas have seceded from the Union. Virginia will soon follow, but they haven’t yet. Abraham Lincoln is still the president of these people. “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
From time to time during this sermon, I want you to also imagine that it’s one year later—March of 1862. You have come with me as I preach this this same passage to that same congregation. Virginia has now seceded from the Union and they consider Jefferson Davis to be their president. “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” How do you think that same congregation would hear that same appeal differently?
We tend to pray for authority figures quite differently depending on who is in authority. The Republican/Democrat divide is thankfully not as pronounced as the Union/Confederacy divide, but we have a tendency to pray for those in authority quite differently depending on whether our side is in office.
Paul would have taken issue with that, and he wrote these words. Daniel would have taken issue with that, and he was regularly in far more hostile political waters than I dare say any of us have ever been.
God might be taking issue with us this evening on this matter. He has certainly taken issue with me on this matter before. I remember receiving a proper rebuke from one of my junior high teachers during the inauguration of President Bill Clinton. I liked the first President Bush whom Clinton defeated. I liked Bush, in part, because of his hair cut. That is the level of style and political savvy I was displaying at such a precocious age.
During the inauguration, one of the reporters said, “in a few minutes, Bill Clinton will be the 42nd President of the United States.” I said, “not unless something happens to him first.” I was quickly and properly rebuked by my teacher. All that is to say, we tend to view the office of the president quite differently depending on who is in office. We tend to view Paul’s words about praying for the president quite differently depending on who’s in office.
We tend to view these words wrongly. We tend to be so focused on politics that we can’t see the point. Paul prayed for his authorities for the sake of everyone in the empire. God had placed the emperor over everyone. Paul wanted the emperor, and kings, and governors to rule in such a way that everyone and anyone in the empire could live quiet and peaceable lives in godliness and holiness. Politics was not his goal.
Paul doubtlessly had thoughts on politics, but he certainly wasn’t gripped by them the way we often are. He was gripped by something much greater. He was gripped by what was good for everyone. He was gripped by what only the gospel could do. He wanted that and so he prayed for those in authority. The people of God are called to always pray for those in authority for the good and godliness of everyone. That’s the claim of this sermon: the people of God are called to always pray for those in authority for the good and godliness of everyone.
We will study this in two points. First: praying for our authorities. Second: the good and godliness of all. We will see the call to pray for those in authority in verse 1 and the first clause of verse 2. We will see that we are praying with good and godliness for everyone in mind in verses from the end of verse 2 through verse 7.
First: praying for our authorities. Church isn’t easy. Playing church is easy. The routine of church is easy. Church is not easy. Paul wrote this letter to Timothy because church is not easy. Living together as the people of God in a world of darkness with indwelling darkness in our own hearts is not easy. Paul wrote this letter to Timothy to help him lead the church.
There were political dynamics at work in Paul’s day as there are in ours. We aren’t the first generation of the church to live in a political situation. Paul began this group of instructions thinking about politics, which has never been easy; “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority.”
This would have been controversial in our imaginary congregation in Virginia in March of 1861. You might find these words controversial today. You might have found them controversial under our previous president.
We tend to dull the controversy of these words by praying quite differently depending on who is in office. Our requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings can be quite different depending on the most recent election. Sometimes the only thanksgivings we offer that our side has won for at least two or four years. In other times we pray as the rabbi in The Fiddler on the Roof pronounced a blessing upon the tsar, “may the Lord bless and keep the tsar… far away from us.”
We Americans have become remarkably partisan. Think about my horrendous words during the inauguration of President Clinton. Ask yourself what sort of prayer I would have offered if my teacher asked me to pray before Clinton was inaugurated; ask yourself what sort of prayer I would offered if asked to pray after he was inaugurated. Both would have been remarkably partisan.
Paul was very specific about the sorts of prayers he was urging, and they had very little to do with politics. “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority.” Let’s take these four in order: requests, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings.
First, requests. You are to make requests of God on behalf of the president. These requests are to be made with an eye on what we see at the end of verse 2, “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
You are to make requests of God for what President Trump, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell need in order to govern in such a way that all the citizens of this country can live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
You are to make those requests with not simply yourself in mind, or your political passions in mind, but with everyone in mind. That’s part of what’s going on with the word, “everyone” at the end of verse 1.
The people whom God has placed in power are the authorities of everyone. You want it to go well with everyone and so you pray for the president of everyone. That’s far different from partisan prayers.
You make your requests to God for what the president needs to govern for the good of everyone. You pray this way because you care about people who are at particular risk in this pandemic. You pray that way because you care about store owners devastated by the shutdown during this pandemic. You pray that way because you care about African Americans. You pray that way because you care about police officers. You want all of these people, including you, to live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. You make requests appropriate to that.
You make prayers appropriate to that—“requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving.” You need to remember that you are not simply making requests, but that you are encountering God in prayer. God is in charge. He knows what’s needed. He doesn’t need me to offer Him a political manifesto. Prayer entails submission to the will of God. He might have something very different in mind from what I think is needed for this country. I’m to make my requests, but I must do so recognizing that He is all-knowing and that I’m not. I’m not lobbying God. I’m praying to God.
“Requests, prayers, intercession, thanksgiving.” Next are intercessions. We must boldly appeal on behalf of our leaders. Appeal as if you were in office and had to govern in such a way that everyone could live quiet and peaceable lives in godliness and holiness. Appeal as if you worked in an elderly care facility during the pandemic. Appeal as if you had a daughter who was trying to keep a restaurant afloat in this pandemic. Appeal as if you were married to a police officer. Appeal as if you had an African American loved one who was struggling with what it means to be black in America in 2020. Appeal to God on behalf of our leaders for the sake of our whole nation.
Finally, be thankful for your authorities; “requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving.” Express thanksgiving to God for the leaders He has put over you. Now, you might find this easier with some leaders than with others, but the call is to give thanks for all that is worthy of thanks regardless of whom is in office, and there will always be thanks you can give.
If you think I’m trying to be politically correct, please take a step back and consider who wrote these words. Paul wrote these words. Consider when Paul wrote these words. Paul most likely wrote this letter sometime between 63 and 65. Consider the man who was in authority: Nero Claudius Caesar Augusts Germanicus.
Nero is infamous for his sexual deviance. It is still shocking. He murdered his own mother, Julia Agrippina. It’s likely that he kicked his wife to death as she carried their unborn child. He tied up Christians and lit them on fire to illuminate his parties. God spoke these words about thanksgiving through Paul even though it was Nero who would be in authority when Paul was executed.
If you want to argue that Trump or Obama is somehow worse than Nero, I imagine that everyone is all ears. Paul knew far more about godless authorities than any of us, and he said that thanksgivings could and should be made for Nero.
You can and should give thanks for certain religious liberties that have been protected under Trump. You can and should give thanks for sixteen years without sexual scandal under Obama and Bush. You are commanded by God to give thanks for everything for which you can give thanks under any president. That is what the king of these kings requires.
You don’t need to agree with everything in an authority figure in order to give thanks. In fact, you won’t agree with everything in any authority figure, or shouldn’t, until the new creation.
Jesus is the first and only human authority who deserves your total allegiance. He deserves it far more than Trump. He deserves it far more than Obama. The extent to which that grips you is directly related to the extent to which you long for his kingdom to come.
If you long for Jesus’ kingdom to come, please pray as Paul instructs. Please pray for President Trump so that everyone in this country can live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. Please pray for Speaker of the House Pelosi so that everyone in this country can live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. Please pray for your leaders for the sake of the good and godliness of all. That’s our second point: the good and godliness of all.
Paul wasn’t just urging prayers for authorities for the sake of the authorities. They certainly need it. President Trump certainly needs requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving made to God. I originally slated this sermon thinking about what the president needs in terms of the pandemic. He certainly has much more on his plate now.
However, Paul wasn’t just urging prayers for authorities for the sake of the authorities; he was also urging prayers for authorities for the sake everyone under those authorities, that these people, “might live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
There were any number of different people groups in the Roman Empire. The vast majority of them weren’t there by choice. Governing that empire was no easy task. Governing them in such a way that everyone was able to live quiet and peaceable lives was no easy task. Governing in such a way that everyone is able to live quiet and peaceable lives is no easy task today. That’s a reason for prayer.
This prayer for the sake of the first two adjectives “peaceful and quiet lives,” is a prayer for the fabric of this life. God is interested in this life. He is interested in people living quiet and peacable lives. He is interested in that for people who want nothing to do with Him. He makes the sun to shine on the righteous and the unrighteous. He is the God who called for justice to roll on like a river and righteousness like a never-failing stream.
You need to beware of a spirituality that is of no good today and to others. As James asked, ‘Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is that?’
If your spirituality doesn’t nudge you to take an interest in this life and in the welfare of your fellow human beings, it’s not the spirituality of Jesus who took an interest in this life and in the welfare of his fellow human beings.
The authorities whom God has appointed have a role to play in this life and in the welfare of us all. Their decisions affect our ability to live quiet and peaceable lives. They will be held accountable for these decisions. There is a heaviness upon the head that wears the crown. Pray for these people. Pray for them for the sake of everyone.
Pray for the political authorities so that people can live quiet and peaceable lives but pray for much more than that. Pray for the political authorities so that people can live, “peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” These and the second two adjectives.
Godliness and holiness only come about by the gospel. There were all sorts of people groups in the empire, and God wanted people in each of them to embrace the gospel. This is why verse 3 follows verse 2; “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
There were all sorts of people groups in the Roman Empire and God wanted people from all of them to be saved. He wanted godliness and holiness from all of them. The same is true today. God wants the elderly who are at particular risk for the coronavirus to embrace the gospel. God wants those who have been financially crippled by this pandemic to embrace the gospel. God wants African Americans to embrace the gospel. God wants first generation African immigrants to embrace the gospel. God wants Native Americans to embrace the gospel. God wants illegal immigrants to embrace the gospel. God wants people like many of us whose ancestors weren’t even in this country until after the Civil War to embrace the gospel. God wants people whose ancestors owned slaves to embrace the gospel.
Now politicizing the gospel here will be counterproductive. Thinking that the gospel must necessarily make a man agree with us is counterproductive. In fact, that’s what Paul was writing against. He was writing against the false teachers who said that to become a Christian entailed becoming a Jew. That’s the opposite of God calling all sorts of people to salvation.
He uses your prayers for political leaders for diversity of all sorts in the church. Now it gets a bit sticky here because there have been all sorts of relationships between the church and the state throughout the generations. Praying that the authorities would govern in such a way that all sorts of people might live lives of godliness and holiness looked different in Calvin’s time and place than in ours. The situation with the separation of church and state is much different from the situation with a state church. It looks different under communism. It looks different under Islamic rule
Now this diversity shouldn’t surprise because the Scriptures are not near as partisan as we tend to be. The Scriptures are lived out under monarchies, under despots, under prime ministers, under Republican presidents, Democratic presidents, Federalist presidents, and Whig presidents; the Scriptures were lived out under Hitler; they were lived out under Mao. The prayer, however, was the same, and the prayer was that God’s people might live lives of godliness and holiness and that others might join them.
That’s the prayer today. You are to pray that our political authorities might govern in such a way that we can live lives of godliness and holiness and that others might join us.
Now some of these leaders might have never given a consideration to either godliness or holiness in their entire lives. Neither did Nero, but Paul prayed for Nero that the people might live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. God told him to tell us to pray that way.
God knows what He will do with these prayers. He used the persecutions—the lack of quiet and peaceful lives-- under Nero to spread the godliness and holiness. As Tertullian put it, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” I’m certainly not praying for persecution. I would rather have the total package, “peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” I, however, am not in charge.
The people whom God has placed in authority are in charge. Donald Trump is president; pray for him. Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the House; pray for her. John Roberts is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; pray for him. Kim Reynolds is Governor of Iowa; pray for her. Pray for them that we and everyone might live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
They are in charge, but they like you, are under authority. God is in charge, and “He wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
God wants all sorts of people to be saved. We are so partisan. God isn’t. You see that in His plan for unity in verse 5, “there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.”
There wasn’t a Jewish mediator between God and humanity and a Gentile mediator between God and humanity. There wasn’t a Roman mediator between God and humanity and a barbarian mediator between God and humanity. There isn’t a black mediator between God and humanity and a white mediator between God and humanity. There is, “one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all peoples.”
You see this in Christ’s choice of disciples. He chose a tax collector and a zealot as disciples. The tax collector did Rome’s bidding. The zealot was willing to take up the sword in rebellion against Rome. Matthew could have ratted out Simon, Simon could have stabbed Matthew. They didn’t. They became one through and only through Jesus. He became more important than their political passions, different as they were.
That’s the plan for unity. God doesn’t unite all people by way of concessions and compromises. Politicians do their best, and sometimes they do less than their best in that regard, but that’s not how God makes unity, and I hope that unity is what we all want across whatever divide. God unites humanity in one way and one way only: the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all peoples. Pray for that. Amen.