Please God in Your Worship
1 Timothy 2:1-15
As the children were exiting the sanctuary to go to children’s worship, one little fellow asked his adult leader as he looked back over his shoulder toward the adults left behind: “Are they doing God’s business in there?” That’s a good question for all of us to ask from time to time as we evaluate both our personal and corporate worship lives.
In 1 Timothy 2, Paul now turns his attention to matters of public worship. Our highest aim in worship should always be to please God. Many people evaluate the Sunday service by what they “get out of it.” God evaluates it by what we bring to it as we approach Him “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). In this chapter, the apostle focuses on three important areas of worship that ought to please God.
Pray for others (vv. 1-4). Verse 1a gives us the rank of prayer: It is of “first” priority for believers. Verses 1b-2a show us the reach of prayer: It should be offered “for all men.” In verses 2b-4, we are told the reasons for prayer: One, that our walk and witness may be enhanced (2b); and two, that we may prayerfully join with Christ, who went to the cross for us all, in seeing sinners come “to the knowledge of the truth” (3-4). Warren Wiersbe writes: “If the basis of prayer is the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross, then prayer is a most important activity in a church.”
Teach the truth (vv. 5-7). The teaching and preaching of the gospel seem to have taken a back seat in many congregations across our land. While singing, offerings, personal testimonies, etc., all have a place in our services, they should not have priority in corporate worship. The Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus) call upon us to maximize prayer and the teaching of gospel truth within the gatherings of God’s people. And all sound teaching will lead men and women to the sacrificial work of Christ Jesus on the cross.
Behave with reverence (vv. 8-15). First, Paul speaks to the behavior of “men” (the Greek here is specific for males) in corporate worship (8). “Lifting up holy hands” was more a reference to godliness than to posture. He called upon them – and us – to pray out of a character of righteousness (see Psalm 24:3-4).
Second, he turns to the behavior of the women in the congregation. Specifically, he points out the need to dress in a manner so as to not call attention to one’s physical appearance, but rather to adorn one’s self with good works that grow out of godliness (9-10). The closing verses (11-15) speak primarily to the need for order and propriety in corporate worship as men lead the services. However, this passage must be balanced with other Pauline Scripture where women are regarded as equal partners in the grace of God (Galatians 3:26-28).
Clark– Lessons in the ETB series for the spring quarter are being written by Tim Clark, pastor of Holly Springs Baptist Church, Inman.