In this impactful message, Pastor Ed Hamilton addresses the congregation on the importance of prayer following the recent election. With 1 Timothy 2:1-4 as the anchor text, Pastor Ed encourages believers to prioritize prayer, interceding for those in authority and seeking God’s will for leaders and nations alike. Reflecting on biblical figures—from Adam and Noah to Paul and Jeremiah—he reminds us of God’s sovereignty over human governance and the believer’s call to peace, godliness, and prayer. Through scripture and practical exhortation, this sermon highlights the Christian responsibility to engage in intercession, no matter the political climate.
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1 Timothy 2:1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and giving of thanks be made for all men,
1 Timothy 2:2 For kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet
and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
1 Timothy 2:4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth.
Adam: Good man but problems with his wife. Also one reference told of how
his wife enjoy walking nude in the woods.
Noah: Former pastorate of 120 years with no converts. Prone to unrealistic building
projects. Has been guilty of public drunkness.
Abraham: Though the references reported wife-swapping, the facts seem to
show he never slept with another man’s wife, but he did offer to share his own wife
with another man.
Joseph: A big thinker, but a braggart, believes in dream-interpreting, dreams too big
and too much, plus has a prison record because of an attempted rape charge
Moses: A modest and meek man, but poor communicator, even stuttering at times.
Sometimes blows his stack and acts rashly. Some say he left an earlier congregation
over a murder charge.
David: A talented musician and composer of music and a great lyricist. The most
promising leader of all until we discovered the affair he had with his neighbor’s wife
and he may have had a part in her husband’s death and now they are even married.
Jonah: Refused God’s call into ministry until he was forced to obey by getting.
swallowed up by a great fish. He told us the fish later spit him out on the shore
near here. We hung up!
Solomon: Smartest man in any room and a great preacher with excellent wisdom to
share but he has a wandering eye and not just for several women but for a thousand
Ezekiel: Widower who is known for strange behavior such as lying on his left side for
390 days and then lying on his right side for 40 days. He cut off his hair and burned
one-third of it, chopped one-third of it, and scattered the other third to the wind. He
claims the Lord told him not to mourn his own wife’s death. Paranoid schizophrenic?
Jeremiah: Emotionally unstable, alarmist, negative, always crying over something,
and reported to have taken a long trip to bury his underwear on the bank of a
foreign river. He also claims God told him to wear a yoke around his neck.
Isaiah: On the fringe? Claims to have seen angels in church. Has trouble with his
language. He claims God told him to walk around naked and barefoot for three years.
Enough said.
Hosea: A tender and loving pastor and a family man with a wife and three children,
but it is unclear if Hosea is even the biological father of the children. Our people
could never handle his wife’s occupation — rumor is she is a working prostitute.
John: Says he is a Baptist, but definitely doesn’t dress like one. Has slept in
the outdoors for months on end, has a weird diet, and provokes denominational
leaders..Another jail bird.
Paul: Powerful CEO type leader and fascinating preacher. However, short on tact,
unforgiving with younger ministers, harsh, too deep and has been known to preach
all night. Long prison record also.
Peter: Too blue collar. Has a bad temper–even has been known to curse a lot.
Had a big run-in with Paul in Antioch. Aggressive, but a loose cannon. Known for
saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Judas: His references are solid. A steady plodder. Conservative. Good connections.
Treasury experience so knows how to handle money. We’re inviting him to preach
this Sunday. Possibilities here.
Romans 3:4 “Let God be true but every man a liar.
Some say you can’t legislate morality
Morality will always be legislated, the question is whose morality.
I. THE GENERAL CALL TO PRAYER.
1 Timothy 2:1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and giving of thanks be made …”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus for you.
II. THE LIMITLESS RANGE OF PRAYER.
1 Timothy 2:1 “… be made for all men,
We will never run out of people and needs to pray for.
III. THE SPECIFIC PRAYER FOR LEADERS.
1 Timothy 2:2 For kings and all who are in authority …”
Psalm 109:8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when
a wicked man rules, the people groan.
Charles Stanley – Praying for Leaders
“Whether or not the man who leads your country is one you have personally
chosen is not the issue. Once a leader is elected or placed in a position of authority,
each of us has a responsibility to pray for that individual. You need to be committed
to pray for his personal relationship with Christ and his willingness to seek God’s
wisdom for every decision. Pray that your leader would learn to hate evil and love
righteousness. Only then can true justice be administered in the maze of government
and politics.
Be committed to pray that your leader’s convictions will be based on God’s Word
and not preferences founded on the unstable ground of political consensus.
Ask God to protect his family, and pray that each family member would be given
the opportunity to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Rulers often think they
are in control of their country’s circumstances, but God is quick to point out that
He is Lord over all. Men and nations are under the control of God and not the
House of Representatives, the Senate, Parliament, or any superior court.
You may feel as though your prayers are insignificant, but they are vital links to
God’s throne room where eternal decisions are made on a daily basis.”
IV. THE PEACE FOR THE “PRAY-ERS”.
1 Timothy 2:2 “… that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
reverence.
The greatest threat to truth and virtue in this country is the government
Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity!
Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water;
He turns it wherever He wishes.
V. THE PRAYERFUL DESIRE OF SALVATION FOR ALL.
1 Timothy 2:4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth.
Acts 26:27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.”
Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”
Acts 26:29 And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me
today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”
Theophilus of Antioch AD 181 was the bishop of Antioch in the second century.
Theophilus of Antioch wrote, “The honor that I will give the emperor is all the greater
because I will not worship him, but I will pray for him. I will worship no one but the
true and real God for I know that the emperor was appointed by Him. Those give real
honor to the emperor who are well disposed to him, who obey him, and who pray
for him.”
VI. THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS PRAY.
1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
Ezekiel 18:23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord
God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?
Ezekiel 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God.
Therefore turn and live!
Acts 17:30 “God … commands all men everywhere to repent.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
1 Timothy 2:1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and giving of thanks be made for all men,
1 Timothy 2:2 For kings and all who are in authority,
1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
1 Timothy 2:4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth.
John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him;”
1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,…”
Ephesians 1:4 Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world …”
John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you …”
Scripture References
- 1 Timothy 2:1-4
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18
- Psalm 109:8
- Proverbs 29:2
- Psalm 133:1
- Proverbs 21:1
- Acts 26:27-29
- Ezekiel 18:23
- Ezekiel 18:32
- Acts 17:30
- 1 Thessalonians 5:9
- John 6:44
- 1 Peter 1:2
- Ephesians 1:4
- John 15:16
