August 3 2025, Sunday School Lesson

Pray for Peace

Lesson Text: 1 Timothy 2:1-8

Related Scriptures: Psalms 28:1-9; 100:1-5; Romans 8:26-28; Philippians 4:4-7; Hebrews 9:11-22

TIME: A.D. 62

PLACE: from Macedonia

Golden Text – “I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hand, without wrath and doubting” (1 Timothy 2:8)

Introduction

The church at Ephesus was a deeply troubled church. Certain leaders had turned away from sound doctrine, exchanging it for controversies that engendered foolish arguments and ultimately yielded envy, strife, and perverse disputes (1 Tim. 6:4-5).

When Paul discovered those problems, he disfellowshipped Hymenaeus and Alexander (1:18-20) – presumably two fallen church leaders – leaving leadership vacuums and necessitating the selection of new church leaders.

Paul charged Timothy to go there to fix all those problems and restore sound doctrine and practice (1:3). Unfortunately, it seems that Hymenaeus and Alexander were still unduly influencing the church, especially through newly converted rich young widows. We know that the fallen church leaders were motivated by money (6:10) and, judging by his emphasis that leaders must be faithful spouses (3:2, 12), perhaps Paul thought they were womanizers.

Paul’s first order of business for Timothy was to restore prayer-centered worship, without anger or disputing (2:8).

LESSON OUTLINE

I. THE CHURCH’S PRAYERS FOR LEADERS – 1 Tim. 2:1-3

II. CHRIST’S MEDIATION FOR HUMANKIND – 1 Tim. 2:4-6

III. PAUL’S APOSTLESHIP TO GENTILES – 1 Tim. 2:7-8

QUESTIONS

1. Who exactly was Paul commanding the churches to pray for?

2. Why was Paul’s command to pray for authorities especially surprising for the early church?

3. Who were the Asiarchs, and what was Paul’s relationship with them?

4. What two motivations did Paul give for the churches to pray for the community and its leaders?

5. How would prayers like that lead to peace for the churches?

6. How would prayers like that please God?

7. What is the most important point to be taken from 1 Timothy 2:4?

8. How is Jesus the Mediator and Ransom?

9. What did it mean to lift up holy hands?

10. How does praying for the community help a church?

ANSWERS

1. Paul’s exhortation to prayer was first for all people, not merely other church members. Second, his exhortation was specifically for government and community leaders.

2. First in everyone’s mind from Paul’s day would have been Emperor Nero, who was likely the emperor when this letter was written. While believers were not to bow to Caesar, they were to pray for him. Nero’s early reign was deemed competent by contemporaries, as it was administered by his well-reputed advisers Burrus and Seneca, perhaps representing the height of Roman law and justice. Only after Burrus’s death and Seneca’s retirement did Nero’s reign turn to atrocities and injustice. The great fire in Rome occurred about the same time as Paul wrote 1 Timothy. Still, Paul calls us to pray for kings and all those in authority. Our prayers are not limited to leaders we feel are godly or moral.

3. There were dignitaries in the region of Ephesus known as Asiarchs. These men were chosen from the wealthiest and most influential families. Paul was a friend of several Asiarchs. In Acts 19:31 these friends in high places urged him not to go into a crowd on the verge of a riot in Ephesus. Paul’s relationship toward these powerful leaders makes his call to prayer for understandable.

4. Paul mentioned specifically two motivations for prayer on behalf of authorities: peaceable lives and God’s pleasure.

5. By praying for Roman authorities, the churches would show reverence for the state and good citizenship. Jesus gave instruction to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Mark 12:17); His followers should be good citizens, even if the state does evil. Jesus followed Roman law, and Paul commanded it (Rom. 13:1-7). The only time believers are to disobey the state is when the state contradicts God. As Peter said, “we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). By praying for authorities, Christians can live peaceable lives and be supporters, not rebels.

6. Even more importantly as a motivation, prayer for the community and for leaders pleases God. God, who is our Savior, accepts such offerings of prayer with pleasure

7. Rather than puzzle fruitlessly over this mystery, we should catch the main point of Paul’s statement: God is not a God who delights in condemning people; He delights in our salvation and works mightily toward that end.

8. A mediator is someone who stands between two opposing parties and works out a solution. Jesus is a mediator because we were God’s enemies, child of His wrath (cf. Eph. 2:3). Our path at that time led toward judgment. We were to be punished for rejecting God and choosing our own sinful ways, but God sent Another to take our punishment for us. The prophet said, “The chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). God punished Jesus for our wrongdoing and for our faithlessness. Some people find it strange to hear that God himself was punishing Jesus, but Peter told the Jerusalem crowd at Pentecost that God had delivered Jesus over to death according to His plan and foreknowledge (Acts. 2:23). God did this so that we could have peace with Him and be spiritually healed. Jesus became our Mediator. He mediated by standing between us and God and reconciling us through the Cross. Paul also called Jesus our Ransom. A ransom is a payment to persuade someone to do something for someone else. Jesus’ death was a ransom, a payment in suffering. His suffering paid the debt owed by us to God so that we are forgiven and accepted in Him (cf. Mark 10:45).

9. The prayer is to be with lifted holy hands. The lifting of hands was a Jewish posture of prayer (cf. Neh. 8:6). More than just lifting hands, Paul called for the hands to be holy. In other words, Paul wanted the hands to be lifted for the purpose of prayer and by holy men, faithful to God. In this context, the likely sense is that men meet for prayer with pure motives.

10. Paul’s command is good for churches today. Some churches are marked with strife. Praying in the Spirit, with clean hands and pure hearts, along with a fervent zeal that all would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, will help heal divisions and enlarge the church’s ministerial footprint.