As we approach our text this evening, I want to bring out about three lessons. As I prepared for tonight’s sermon, I originally wanted to present this as three unrelated lessons. Each seemed not to have much to do with the other. And each seemed too brief to use the entire time that is made available to preach on a Sunday evening. Yet each was important enough that I believed that they should be shared with you. The lessons ran the gamut from first principles to what I believe to be the meatier matters of the scriptures. Then I considered "How can three unrelated lessons occur within the space of four verses?" This is something that I need all of you to grasp. There are no unrelated lessons in scripture. When studied in their entirety with regularity, the scriptures fit together like a finely woven tapestry. The consistency of content throughout, and the interrelation of the scriptures is evidence of the divine power that directed the writing thereof.

So as we look into our text, we see Paul start out with the very first principles of faith. There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Tim 2:5) The first commandment of the Law of Moses was "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." (Ex 20: 3) This is not a statement that makes an allowance for alternate viable gods. It is a statement that shows recognition on God’s part that men will, out of ignorance or out of rebellion, worship that which is no god. This practice is not acceptable to the one true God. Look at:

Exodus 12
¹²   For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.

God says here that he was to bring judgment against all of the gods of Egypt. Who was penalized, the gods or their worshippers? The worshippers were punished. The gods could not be punished because they were not alive.

Well, we’re past the age of idolatry aren’t we? We’re more enlightened now. But, I want you to understand that at those times in Israel’s history that they turned to other gods, they didn’t always leave Jehovah out of their worship system. Often they would relegate him to the pantheon of their other gods. God found this to be just as abominable. But you say that we don’t have other gods. Perhaps not, but sometimes I wonder. If God blesses man with thousands of years more upon the earth, if civilizations come and go as they have, might not some archaeologist one day unearth a home entertainment center, and believe it to be an altar to the god of television. When television time was compared to church time, might not that god have been considered superior in importance to the one true God? Just food for thought, you can do with it what you wish.

The second part of Paul’s basic truth from verse 5 is that just as there is only one God, there is only one mediator between man and God, Jesus Christ. Again, this is first principles, but it is sad how many will be lost because they failed at first principles.

John 14
⁶   Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

This states plainly that Jesus is the one mediator. It also states that Jesus has the right to make the rules for coming to the father. If we are to come to God, we are to come through Christ, by His terms. Year’s ago it was in vogue to have bumper stickers that said "One Way". They might have had a finger pointing upward, or a cross with an arrow pointing upward. We had a member hear in Palmdale that would preach occasionally. He would take exception to the bumper stickers, saying that they implied that there might be another way to heaven. I never took it that way. But now I kind of see what he meant. Most of the people that had these bumper stickers came to God some other way than I did, or at least were trying to do so. They were coming through the same Jesus, but through a different set of rules. If this were possible, then John 14: 6 would not say that Jesus was the way, but that he was the ways. I believe that as we look at Matthew 7:21-23 we see evidence of the fate of those who would come to God through Jesus, and not through the rules of Jesus.

Matthew 7
²¹   Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
²²   Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
²³   And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Notice that these people believe that they are saved. They also believe that they have been working in the cause of Christ. Christ says to them "I never knew you". He doesn’t say that I used to know you, but you turned from me. He never knew them. Regardless of what they thought, they never had a relationship with Christ. They did not come on His terms. Their fate would be just as sad had they come to Him properly, and then turned away. But these he never knew.

Matthew 7
¹⁴   Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

There is only one way to life, and that is through Jesus on his terms.

There is one God and one mediator. Paul anchors the balance of our text on that fundamental truth. This seems appropriate. After all do not all things balance on that fundamental truth? Paul says that it is to this truth that he was appointed a preacher, apostle, and teacher to the Gentiles. What did he teach? The scripture tells us that he was a teacher of faith and verity. Verity is one of those King James words that we don’t use anymore. Simply, it means truth. Paul was a teacher of truth. Jesus said in:

John 8
³¹   Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
³²   And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Truth indeed is important. As Jesus puts it, the very knowledge of the truth (and there is only one truth) is what sets you free. And of course we’ve already read from John 14: 6 that Jesus is the truth. From this text we also see that knowing the truth is more than a simple intellectual acceptance. It is being intimate with the truth. It’s a keeping of and continuing in the words, commandments, rules and patterns set forth by the master that makes us true disciples. Paul was a teacher in this truth. If we are not teachers in this truth, then we are no teachers at all.

What I really wanted to point out from our text in 1 Timothy was that Paul was also a teacher in faith. This got me to thinking (and appreciating) that faith is a learned behavior. I know that it is also a gift (1 Corinthians 13: 13ff). But it is also behavior. When James says, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." James 2:17. He is saying that without the behavior produced by faith, faith is no faith at all. It’s dead being alone. So if faith is not itself behavior, it is at least evidenced by a particular type of behavior. We must be teaching that behavior. But we should also be teaching faith. Those of us who are more mature (I use more mature because maturing in faith continues as you walk) should be modeling faith for those who are less mature. When Sunday school attendance is dwindling, it is then more than ever that our teachers model their faith. It is then that we need to work harder on our lessons, knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain. When there is financial trouble in a family, it is then that the man, as God’s appointed spiritual leader, should calmly confess that God will make a way. That is not to suggest that we ignore the things that we might have done to cause the problem. But it is to acknowledge that if we keep God in the proper place in our affairs, and exercise good stewardship, that God will take care of us. Paul taught faith. His letters are models of faith to all who read them. The examples in scripture of those who were willing to give their lives rather than turn from God or Christ are there for a very good reason, to teach us faith. We must teach the truth only. However, we must not teach only the truth, but faith also.

Our last section deals with lifting holy hands in prayer. Before we get to the lifting of holy hands, let’s talk about the object of these prayers. When the scripture says "therefore", you need to look previous to see what it is there for. The object of these particular prayers would seem to be for the accurate teaching of truth and faith. We should always pray for our teachers. We should pray for our shepherds. Those with faith should pray for those without faith. Those with strong faith should pray for those with weak faith. But strong faith or weak faith, Paul wills that all men everywhere should pray. No one is excluded from this pattern. It is a divinely provided privilege that all Christians are to observe with regularity.

Now about the hands, if you want to lift them as you pray, fine. If you want to fold them while you pray, that’s all right. Just make sure that you have holy hands. Holy is free of sin. The proper relationship to Christ must be maintained to have "holy" hands. I might suggest that our hands be sanctified as well. Sanctified is set apart. Are your hands set apart or devoted to the work and purpose of the Lord? Our children sing a song, "Be careful little hands what you do". I don’t believe that God cares that much about the physical position of my hands when I pray. But I do like the imagery of lifting "holy hands" because I do know that God does care whether or not my hands, or the rest of me is holy when I come into His presence. Paul is almost redundant when he says that these hands are to be lifted without wrath and doubting. Hands lifted in wrath are not holy! And prayers must not be offered in doubt. Truly this is an insult to God to put anything beyond His power.