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Approaching God – 1 Timothy 2:8-15
Approach – Attitude – Appeal – Action
Connection point
Calling on God necessitates preparation. One would not barge into the
president's office unannounced and unprepared; neither should we with God.
This sermon provides the proper way for approaching God.
Introduction
People on an airplane and people in a church have a lot in common. All are on
a journey. Most are well-behaved and presentable. Some doze, others enter in
a mindless trace, and a few gaze out the window. Most, if not all, are satisfied
with a predictable experience. For many, the mark of a good flight and the
mark of a good worship service are the same. "Nice," we like to say. "It was a
nice flight/It was a nice worship service." We exit the same way we enter –
unmoved, unchanged, unaltered – and we're happy to return next time.
Enter a church sanctuary and look at the faces. A few are giggly, a couple are
cranky, but by and large we are content. Content to be there. Content to sit
and look straight ahead and leave when the service is over. Content to endure.
Content with the mundane. Content with a "nice" service.
A few, however, seek more. And those few leave wide-eyed with the wonder of
having experienced worship rather than have merely endured worship.
The destination of worship is to meet God. As with any journey, we need to
make the proper preparations so that we experience God rather than endure
worship. We want a memorable, not a mundane trip. What does our flightcheck require? Travel demands preparation.
Paul was more stoked about Ephesus than any other place, it seemed.
8 But
I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 For a great and effective door has
opened to me, and there are many adversaries. 1 Corinthians 16:8-9
Ephesus was a place known for worship and prayer, among other things.
In fact, the Temple of Diana in Ephesus was four times larger than the Parthenon
in Athens, Greece – the size of football field.
It had a population of about 250,000.
He considered Ephesus his great opportunity, and stayed there
longer than any other place. The people of Ephesus heard more
teaching from Paul than did any other people, which is the reason he could
write to them the deep truths contained in this epistle.
The church that Paul planted in Ephesus thrived, at least for a while:
This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all,
and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many who had believed came confessing
and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books
together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it
totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. Acts
19:17-20
In Miletus during his final journey to Jerusalem, the Apostle Paul sought to meet
with the elders of the church in Ephesus. When Ephesus' church elders arrived,
Paul warned them:
For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the
flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the
disciples after themselves. Therefore watch.... Acts 20:29-31
A few decades after this warning to the Ephesus' church leaders, Revelation
attests to Jesus commending the church of Ephesus for having heeded the
warning about false teachers, but warning in turn that unless they repented and
returned to loving God as they first did, the lampstand – church – would be
taken from them.
“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in
His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your
labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those
who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered
and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.
Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from
where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and
remove your lampstand from its place - unless you repent.’" Revelation 2:1-5
They failed to heed Jesus, who made good on His words. The weed-covered
desolation symbolizes the state of Christianity today in Turkey, where Ephesus is
located. Turkey, once the heartland of Paul's ministry to Asia Minor, is 99 percent
Muslim and devoid of Bible-based Christianity today. That's too bad for Turkey,
but can the same thing happen to Europe or North America?
Europe is already a spiritual wasteland, where Bible-believing Christians are a
miniscule percentage of the population. North America, meanwhile, has mixed
materialism and self-help psychology with the Bible to concoct a deviant form
of Christianity that sees God not as a God to worship and serve, but a genie
who produces health and wealth on demand.
Savage wolves indeed have ransacked the flock and spoken perverse things to
draw away the disciples.
That's what happened to a church that didn't return to its first love but did
manage to keep out false apostles. What do you think will happen to churches
that can't do either? The lampstand already is being removed from North
America, and unless we repent and return to our first love, Christ – the Word of
God – we will not be spared the weed-covered desolation above.
Approach-in Prayer?
A strong desire is needed. Desire coming from disparity.
V.8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands,
without wrath and doubting;
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Desire “is understood to mean the resolution of the spirit, and as desire or
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“Therefore” because of. v.2:1 First Paul “urges” prayers, supplications,
intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for “all” people.
Men need to take the lead and pray in all places; “everywhere.”
“What the church needs today is not more or better machinery, not
new organizations, or more novel methods; but men whom the Holy
Spirit can use – men of prayer, men mighty in prayer.” E.M. Bounds
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inclination, as the wish of the soul”
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Everywhere can be translated in “every situation”: the workplace,
marriage, children, families, finances, enemies…
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“In prayer, it is better to have heart without words, than words without
heart. Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin entice a man to
cease from prayer. The spirit of prayer is more precious than
treasures of gold and silver. Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the
soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan.” John Bunyan
Approach in Position of Prayer – outwardly- O.T. Prayer was men praying with
hands open towards heaven and looking upward to God, as to be releasing the
burdens and also receiving the blessings.
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Our prayer should not be focused on outward expression as much
as an inward conviction and place of our hearts.
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Actually, there are many prayer postures found in the Bible: standing
with outstretched hands (1 Kings 8:22); kneeling (Daniel 6:10);
standing (Luke 18:11); sitting (2 Samuel 7:18); bowing the head
(Genesis 24:26); lifting the eyes (John 17:1); falling on the ground
(Genesis 17:3). The important thing is not the posture of the body but
the posture of the heart.
Attitude towards Prayer:
1:
Paul stated three essentials for effective prayer.
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First was “holy hands.” Obviously this means a holy life. “Clean
hands” was symbolic of a blameless life David when delivered from
his enemies 2 Samuel 22:21,23). If we have sin in our lives, we cannot
pray and expect God to answer (Psalm 66:18).
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David also spoke of the importance of “clean hands,” but for a
dramatically different reason. He said that clean hands are one key
to being able to enter into God’s presence for worship: Who may
ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart. (Psalm 24:3-4). Here,
“clean hands” is not a reference to personal hygiene but a
metaphor for our spiritual condition — being cleansed from sin (1
John 1:9). It speaks of a life committed to what is right and godly —
enabling us to stand blameless before our Lord in the privilege of
worship.
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Second,, “without wrath” is the second essential, and requires that
we be on good terms with one another. “Without anger” might be a
better translation. A person who is constantly having trouble with
other believers, who is a troublemaker rather than a peacemaker,
cannot pray and get answers from God.
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Acceptable anger. God with sin, Jesus with sin and self-righteous
people, when it hurts others, not selfish anger. Jesus with the tables in
the temple.
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Dangerous anger- James 1:19,20 – “Be slow to wrath, because the
wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” Again,
not all anger is forbidden. It does not say to never be angry, but to
be slow to anger. The problem with anger is what it "produces" or
leads to.
Anger can cause us to sin in two different ways:
No. 1: Anger can cause us to "blow up.” A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise
man holds them back. Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope
for a fool than for him. Proverbs 29:11,20
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Cain – Perfect example of blowing up
Anger can also cause us to clam up.
No. 2: Anger can cause us to clam up. “30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of
God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness,
wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:30-32
Anger and wrath should be "put away" from us, along with bitterness and
malice.
Clam up inside and stuff it. But instead of putting away their anger, some people
just put it inside: they let it build up bitterness and grudges. They may not say
anything, but their hearts are full of malice and a desire to hurt others.
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Anger can become sinful when it is motivated by pride (James 1:20);
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When it is unproductive and thus distorts God’s purposes (1
Corinthians 10:31);
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When anger is allowed to linger (Ephesians 4:26-27).
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One obvious sign that anger has turned to sin is when, instead of
attacking the problem at hand, we attack the wrongdoer.
(Ephesians 4:15-19)
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Third, “doubting” suggests that we must pray in faith, but the word
really means “disputing.” When we have anger in the heart, we
often have open disagreements with others. Christians should learn
to disagree without being disagreeable. We should “do all things
without murmurings and disputings” (Philippians 2:14).
Effective praying, then, demands that I be in a right relationship with God
(“holy hands”) and with my fellow believers (“without murmurings and
disputings”).
Jesus taught the same truth.
22 So
Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I
say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the
sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will
be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever
things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have
them.25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone,
forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your
trespasses.” Mark 11:22–26
If we spent more time preparing to pray and getting our hearts right before
God, our prayers would be more effective.
2-Appeal in Approaching God
V.9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel,
with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly
clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good
works.
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“Likewise” women – appeal to approach God in this way.
modest ■ adjective 1. unassuming in the estimation of one’s abilities.
2. relatively moderate, limited, or small. 3. avoiding indecency or
impropriety.
Externally “modest” and internally “gentle and quiet.”
Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and
wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; 4but let it be athe hidden
person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and
quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. 1 Peter 3:3,4
The outcome, or witness, is this: godliness with good works.
If people can’t see your godliness or good works, then maybe your
modesty is not what it should be. It’s in the way others see God in
you.
You’re photobombing God!
V.11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a
woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13 For
Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the
woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15 Nevertheless she will be saved
in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.
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“to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their
own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.” Titus
2:5
This is the same word that is translated “peaceable” in 1 Timothy 2:2.
Some of the women abused their newfound freedom in Christ and
created disturbances in the services by interrupting. It is this problem
that Paul addressed in this admonition. It appears that women were
in danger of upsetting the church by trying to enjoy their freedom.
Paul wrote a similar admonition to the church in Corinth (1
Corinthians 14:34), though this admonition may apply primarily to
speaking in tongues.
The idea here is that for women, having a covering is protection
from potentially getting involved in church affairs
Women naturally seek out spiritual things even more than men
sometimes. In the garden, Eve sought out a very spiritual thing, but it
was in the wrong way. Thus a covering, or protector is needed.
The idea of being saved through childbearing is that they focus on
taking care of their own households.
Women are permitted to teach. Older women should teach the
younger women (Titus 2:3–4). Timothy was taught at home by his
mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15). But in their teaching
ministry, they must not “lord it over” men. There is nothing wrong with
a godly woman instructing a man in private (Acts 18:24–28); but she
must not assume authority in the church and try to take the place of
a man. She should exercise “quietness” and help keep order in the
church.
Solomon, the wisest and richest man in the world, writing thousands of years
ago, gives us some preflight instructions in order to encounter the God of the
universe when we approach his presence.
3-Action: in approaching God.
Let me share five action points to approach God’s presence properly.
I. Get ready to meet God
Solomon wrote, "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God"
(Ecclesiastes 5:1). One rendering of this verse is: "Watch your feet when you go to
the house of God." The phrase “guard your steps” means to proceed with
reverence, tip-toeing into the presence of God. We come with care and
caution. We come with dignity and respect. We approach God with the same
care as Moses when he encountered God in a burning bush and took off his
shoes. He was on holy ground, and he knew it.
Remember hearing as a kid the words, "No running in church?" The sanctuary is
a place of reverence. Physically we may not be running when we meet God,
but spiritually, emotionally, and mentally we are. We "do church" as many "do
lunch," casually and unprepared. Our hearts and minds don't show profound
awe and respect. We don't anticipate God's presence or voice. Consequently,
we're unable to experience the presence of God that will stir our souls, change
our lives, and satisfy our hunger for meaning.
Let me encourage you to come to worship prepared to worship. Pray before
you come so you will be ready to pray when you arrive. Sleep before you come
so you will stay alert when you arrive. Read the Word before you come so your
heart will be soft when you worship. Come hungry. Come willing. Come
expecting God to speak. Come anticipating a memorable experience with the
Creator of the universe.
II. Listen to God
When flying, I feel for the flight attendants as they share instructions before the
plane takes flight. The attendants are explaining about how to use the seatbelt,
where the exits are, how to use the seat cushion as a flotation device, how to
put on the oxygen mask if needed. Yet most of the people on the plane are
talking, reading, looking out the window, getting stuff out of their carryon
luggage. They are doing everything but listening. Those flight attendants know
how God must feel, when his people come to church.
We show up to our houses of worship after a mad dash from home. World War III
has just occurred with the spouse and children in the car. A few choice words
are said under our breath to the guy who cut us off in traffic. We stroll into the
sanctuary and find our seat. "Whew, no one took my seat." We start looking
around to see who is present. We proof the bulletin for typos. We use notes to
make the grocery list or to-do list for next week. And before we know it, the
preacher is preaching and we are wondering why we didn't sing any of our
preferred songs this evening. Before we know it, the service is over, but our minds
were somewhere else. We were not listening.
Solomon offers further instructions for experiencing God in worship. "Better to
draw near in obedience than to offer the sacrifice as fools do, for they ignorantly
do wrong. Do not be hasty to speak, and do not be impulsive to make a speech
before God." (Ecclesiastes 5:1b-2) The New Living Translation says, "As you enter
the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut" (Ecclesiastes 5:1
NLT). Think about it: When we come to worship, we have come to meet with
God – the living God – who has one agenda to meet with us. When we come to
meet with God, we would be well-advised to let him do the talking. God wants
to communicate with us.
III. Humble yourself before God
Solomon continued, "God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words
be few" (Ecclesiastes 5:2). In actuality, this is a statement of perspective, not
distance. God is in the realm of the infinite. He hears the inaudible and sees the
invisible. God penetrates that which is inaudible to human ears and peers into
what's invisible to human eyes.
Here's the point: God is God and we aren't. God is in heaven and we are on
earth. God is Lord and we are his slaves. As we prepare for worship, remember
that we are to approach God in a stature of humility. We bow before him. We
fall before him.
When Isaiah experienced the presence of God, he bowed before God and
said, "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty
throne, and His robe filled the temple" (Isaiah 6:1).
To see God reigning in power, wisdom, and love produces only one response:
awe.
One of the great benefits of gaining a proper perspective of God is that we not
only gain a view of the throne of God, we gain a view from the throne of God.
Once we have entered into God's presence, we look down on our world from
his perspective. We find that what we thought was a mountain was a molehill.
What seemed great and mighty in the world's eyes turns out to be small and
insignificant in God's eyes. On the other hand, when we thought we were weak,
we became strong because we were in the presence of God. Or, what we
thought was foolish actually became wise from God's vantage point.
Have you looked at every one of your personal struggles and frustrations from
God's perspective? Worship is a time when we come into God's presence so we
can see our difficulties and our rewards from his perspective. That can make all
the difference in the world.
When we encounter the very presence of God we begin to see life from his
perspective. When we worship we gain a view of the throne of God.
IV. Mean what you say to God
Solomon wrote, "When you make a vow to God, don't delay fulfilling it, because
He does not delight in fools. Fulfill what you vow. Better that you do not vow than
that you vow and not fulfill it" (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5). In other words, keep your word.
Words may not mean much to us, but they mean a lot to God. In God's eyes, a
promise is a promise. You vowed it, you keep it.
Consider for a moment the promises you made to God when you were in
worship? "Oh, God, if you'll get me out of this predicament, I'll serve you." "Lord, if
you'll just help me do this one thing, I'm going to start coming to church more
often." "Yes, Lord, I promise to give you 10 percent of all my earnings." "I do
promise and covenant before God and these witnesses to be your loving and
faithful husband, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in
health, as long as we both shall live." "Lord, I rededicate my life to you. I promise
to spend more time with my family." "I promise to remain morally pure for my
marriage partner." "I pledge before this congregation with my baby in my arms
to rear that child God's way." "Yes, Lord, I will be a missionary and give my life to
you in the mission field." What promises with your time, your commitments, your
life, your money have you made to God and not kept?
When we make a commitment to God, we must keep it because God believes
it and doesn't forget it. Making commitments to God is like flying on an airplane,
once in the air there's no turning back. We are committed. We can't change our
mind. We can't say, "I don't really want to go. Can we turn back?"
When you go to worship, it would be better not to vow at all, than to fail to keep
your word with God.
V. Take God seriously
Solomon concluded this section, "For many dreams bring futility, so do many
words. Therefore, fear God" (Ecclesiastes 5:7). To fear God does not mean dread
or terror; it means holy awe and respect. In other words, we take God seriously.
I once saw a church sign that advertised one of its worship services with a
statement that read: "Casual Worship 9:30 a.m." I know that they were trying to
communicate that their worship service was casual dress and informal.
But Solomon's writings, and, I believe, all of scripture teaches, that nothing is
casual about worship. Far too often, we take God too lightly. We approach him
in a trite and casual fashion. We think of God as our buddy or our pal. But this is
the eternal God of the universe who has a claim on our lives because he has
placed eternity within our hearts. We're to approach him with respect and
reverence.
Let's stop playing games with God. Make no mistake about it: God loves fun
and laughter. He delights in people who have a sense of humor. But, worship is
serious business. We approach God with respect and awe. Again, it's like flying
on a plane. I remember one trip with a group of students long before the
tragedy and subsequent restrictions of 9/11. One teenager, in a good natured,
playful way, as she was going through security, humorously said, "Do you really
think I have a gun in my bag?" In a flash she was whisked away, searched (no
gun), then scolded. She walked away from that experience knowing that she
would never walk through an airport security making jokes about guns.
Entering God's presence is not a joking matter. It is serious business. Are you
ready to board the flight and take the trip?
WHY BLOOD?
On February 16, 1989 the lives of George and Vera Bajenksi of Ontario, Canada
were changed forever. It was a very normal Thursday morning. The phone rang
at 9:15 a.m. There was an accident involving their son Ben. As they approached
the intersection of Adelaide and Simcoe Streets near the high school, they could
see the flashing lights of the police cars and ambulance units. Vera noticed a
photographer and followed the direction of his camera lens to the largest pool
of blood she had ever seen. All she could say was, "George, Ben went home –
home to be with his Heavenly Father!"
Her first reaction was to jump out of the car, somehow collect the blood and put
it back into her son. "That blood, for me, at that moment, became the most
precious thing in the world because it was life. It was life-giving blood and it
belonged in my son, my only son, the one I loved so much." The road was dirty
and the blood just didn't belong there.
George noticed that cars were driving right through the intersection – right
through the blood. His heart was smitten. He wanted to cover the blood with his
coat and cry, "You will not drive over the blood of my son!" Then Vera
understood for the first time in her life, one of God's greatest and most beautiful
truths...why blood? Because it was the strongest language God could have
used. It was the most precious thing He could give – the highest price He could
pay. Through God's amazing love we were redeemed with the precious blood
of Christ.
“Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4: 12-16
Conclusion
Prayer/Worship is not an endurance contest, but a marvelous adventure into the
presence of the God of the universe. It is not business as usual, but a wonderfilled ride into a new dimension of life. It is not a mundane trip, but a memorable
flight. And on that journey, our reaction will not be simply, "nice service" or "nice
trip," but rather in the words of a child who has flown for the first time:
"Awesome."