| November 25, 1999 | Thanksgiving | 1 Timothy 2:1-8
Thanksgiving Lessons
Lamentations 3:22-25
22 Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!"
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.
1 Timothy 2:1-8
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the 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 a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle -- I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying -- a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;
Luke 17:11-19
11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.
13 And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"
14 So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
17 So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
18 "Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"
19 And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well."
(Re-read: 5-6)
God's Word quite often calls us to be different from the world. We are to break from the pattern which is set up around us by the non-Christians, and do things a different way, God's way. Romans 12:2 says, "...Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
This separation from the world is reflected in our Divine Services, that is our worship. Instead of doing things here the way the world does, we do things in ways which are not the same as our everyday life. The common, everyday things stay out. Instead, here in God's house, you have an experience which lifts you up to a higher plain, and demonstrates that we are in the very presence of God.
God calls us in our text to be lifted up to do that which common people do not do. We are to offer supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks for all men. These are different labels for our prayers, where we lay before our Lord our hearts and minds. Prayer is speaking to God. "Supplications" carries with it the idea of a prayer offered urgently as a result of a specific need. "Intercessions" are specifically prayers offered on behalf of another person. We are also to give thanks in our prayers. This is perhaps the reason this passage is included in the assigned ones for the Special Day of Thanksgiving, according to our hymnal.
Our prayers are to be offered for all men. We are to offer them for their needs and in thanks for what all others give to us. The second verse highlights a specific group, however, one which may easily be missed. We are to specifically include kings and all who are in authority. These would be our leaders in government and in the church. We are to hold these individuals up in prayer.
The text expresses the result toward which our prayers are to be directed. We hope to live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. God places our leaders in office and our prayers have the goal that these leaders might do their jobs according to God's will. Governments are established by God to serve the purpose of preserving peace and providing for a quiet, that is un-troublesome life for all. The goal of our prayers for our government leaders is that they might attain that goal of government in a godly way.
Now considering that we, as followers of Jesus Christ, are called to be different, we might look again at this exhortation to offer prayers. Would the world have trouble offering such prayers? Are there some leaders for whom it might be hard to pray? If you consider our leaders, President Bill Clinton, and Minnesota's Governor Jesse Ventura you might be inclined to want to spend your time criticizing them, rather than praying for them. Perhaps there are other leaders for which you find it hard to pray.
Prayers are to be given for all men. This is something we might find hard to do. Can you pray for your enemies? Finding that Christians actually consider that certain people are their enemies and would rather harm them than pray for them is most disheartening. It does happen often. Each of us ought to investigate our own list of "enemies" and consider why we do not pray for them. In fact, can you pray for someone who you consider to be your enemy? Do you not need to forgive them before you can pray for them? Do you not, in fact, show love to your enemies when you pray for them?
Why shouldn't we just hate our enemies? Why pray for them? Hate is a violation of the spirit of the Fifth Commandment. Rather than hate people, we ought to help and support them in every physical need. To pray for them is to love them.
Why love our neighbors? They too are people created by God. God desires that they too be saved. It is pleasing to God that we be giving such prayers and expressions of thanksgiving. This is His will. It is His will because He wants them to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Notice how the text equated being saved with coming to a knowledge of the truth. To be saved we first come to the knowledge of the truth that we are sinners. We fail to be as thankful as we ought. We fail to offer prayers for all men, especially those we consider our enemies and those we hate. This truth of the Law shows us our sins.
The second truth we must understand to be saved is the truth that Jesus Christ paid for our sins. He paid for our sins of failing to be thankful. He paid for our failures at praying for all men. This wonderful Gospel truth teaches us that we are taken out of punishment and placed into forgiveness and eternal life.
The second truth is expanded in our text. "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus." There is one God - Jesus Christ is one of three persons of that one God. There is one mediator also, Jesus Christ. He serves especially as mediator from His nature as fully man. He is fully God and fully man. Yet, as man, He can understand and be a better mediator. Indeed He is a perfect one. He knows what it is like to be in our places. The best mediators are those who understand both sides of a situation. Jesus Christ, being God and man, two natures in one, is the perfect mediator.
Christ as our mediator is different from the human mediators of this world. Our Divine mediator does not just lead the two sides to reconcile as a result of each side doing something so they can come together. Our mediator does not work by gaining concessions from both. Rather, He Himself does what was needed to bring the two sides together. He provided the key, the missing piece, the essential sacrifice. He "gave Himself a ransom for all." Christ died for all people's sins. He died for the sins of our government leaders. He died for the sins of those outside these doors. He died for your sins. He died for my sins. He died for our sins of not giving thanks for those around us. He died for our failure to pray for all men, especially leaders.
This thanksgiving we are, of course, thankful for the many blessings to our bodies which our Lord has given us. We are most thankful for the blessing to our soul of the one Mediator, Jesus Christ. Because we have such a wonderful gift, we are led to be thankful. In the gospel lesson one leper returned to give thanks. Perhaps he truly understood the value of what he had received. We also can know that what we have received is of the highest value. It took the ransom of our Lord's life to buy it. Even though it cost Him so much, He doesn't charge us for it, but it is given to us for free. What a blessing we have received through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.