Untitled Sermon

Introduction:

As we continue with our worship of the Lord this morning, I want to invite you to turn with me to 1 Timothy 5:1-16.

In Warren W. Wiersbe’s commentary, “Be Faithful”, he lays out what I believe to be a very appropriate and helpful outline for this little book. Here is his outline

Warren W. Wiersbe Outline

Chapter 1- The Church and Its Message

Chapters 2 & 3- The Church and Its Members

Chapter 4- The Church and Its Minister

Chapters 5 & 6- The Church and Its Ministry

This is what we have looked at so far, in different words, but that is the idea here. And it is in the latter part of the book that we turn to this morning. This passage starts the conversation on “The Church and Its Ministry”, like, in the midst of church conflict and brokenness, what should the church be doing?

Now, this is going to be specific to the problems that this church was facing..... but there certainly are timeless truths that we need to see here from this text that we can apply to our lives and to the church.

Look at 1 Timothy 5:1-16 with me this morning as we hear the Word of God.

Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity. 3 Honor widows who are truly widows. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. 5 She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, 6 but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. 7 Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. 8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 9 Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, 10 and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. 11 But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry 12 and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. 13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. 14 So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. 15 For some have already strayed after Satan. 16 If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.

Let’s pray together.

Body:

Here has been the driving question throughout this study:

What Is A Healthy Church?

To answer this question, I am going to steal some lanuage from a commentary. Now, really there are two parts we are going to look at this morning. And at first, these two parts may seem unrelated, but even though they deal with two different topics, they do in fact go hand in hand. Here are the two points:

A Healthy Church Loves One Another Like Family.

That is what we are going to see in verses 1-2 as Paul directs Timothy in his relationship with all members of the congregation. And the second thing that we see is...

A Healthy Church Cares For Those Who Have No Family.

That is what we are going to see in verses 3-16 as Paul gives Timothy some guidance on how to properly minister to the Widows there in Ephesus.

Let’s start with the first major point: Love One Another Like Family. Look at verses 1-2 with me.

This chapter starts with a continuation of chapter 4. These are Paul’s instructions to this young Pastor Timothy. In Chapter 4 Paul was instructing Timothy to live a godly example before the flock and to instruct them to do the same.

In Chapter 5, what we see is Paul laying out some other requirements for how exactly he is to go about doing his Pastoral work. And the first thing we see is Timothy’s responsibilities towards those of his church. It is not hard to think what would be the reaction of a young Pastor who is seeking to be an example to the flock in the pursuit of godliness. Surly this might cause some type of pride or arrogance in the Pastor’s life… or maybe it could cause a “inferiority complex” because the people are not listening to what I am saying, kind of attitude.

How should a Pastor treat others who are in and among his flock?

Paul gives good advice here. Timothy is not to rebuke an older man, but he is to “encourage” him as he would a father. This is where we see a very familial picture develop in this letter.

These people who are among the church are not just “people” .... these are Timothy’s people. These people are people that Timothy needs to have a deep regard for, and thus that is why we see the language that is used here. Timothy’s relationship is to correspond to someone in his own household.

Old men= Fathers

younger men= brothers

older women= mothers

younger women= sisters… and notice what is added here… in all purity.

Everything that is done is to be done for THEIR betterment. The Pastoral role is not there to beat them into submission, but rather to loving encourage them for their own growth and betterment.

This is a picture that we have to understand in our context. When we look around this room, what we have is ONE large family. We have brothers and sisters in Christ. We have fathers and mothers in Christ. These people are people for who Christ Gave His life for… and we should treat them as such. This not only applies to Pastors, but each and every person who claims to be a Christian.... and this is the beauty of the Gospel. When a person places their faith and trust in Christ, you are adopted into the family of God… and you are given a new family… a community… a place where you are loved and cared for.

Love One Another Like Family.

That is the goal here. Let’s strive for that as a church.

But that is not all that we see here in this text. This brings us to our second point:

A Healthy Church Cares For Those Who Have No Family.

It has always been at the heart of God’s character to care for those who are most vulnerable in society. And although our text this morning focuses particularly on Widows and their care, I do not want us to take this out of the larger context of Scripture. And I find it particularly fitting that we have Bringing Children Hope with us this morning as we talk briefly about this topic.

Over and over again, we find in Scripture that God wants us to care for the Widows and Orphans. James 1:26-27 reminds us that, 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

This is a topic that is so dear to the heart of God, and I don’t think that is an overstatement because God himself calls himself a father to the Fatherless and a defender of widows.

But what we see in 1 Timothy is that there was some confusion over exactly what the church's responsibility was towards those widows. Was the church to help every widow in town or the community? If that is the case, how does that exactly work? And what we find here is probably a little surprising because Paul puts guidelines up as to what actually should be helped by the church and who should not.

You see, when we first look at V3-16- This section seems totally unrelated to the previous sections, and if we are honest, to the sections that come after it in verses 17-25; however, this cannot be the case. We have to strive to see these verses as a continuation of Paul’s point on what it means to live a godly life while here on earth. I think if we look at these verses through that lens, maybe we will have a better understanding of what Paul is saying to us through these words.

Let’s walk quickly through these verses together. Start there are verse 3.

v3- This is a very simple command. Timothy as Pastor is given this charge. He is to honor widows who are truly widows.. or as some translations say “widows indeed.”

Well, what in the world does that even mean? Who is qualified to be a widow? Who is the church responsible for? I honestly think this flies in the face of what the modern culture believes the church is to do. People are often quick to tell the church who they should be taking care of and how they are to be caring for them. That is not what we see here. In this section, and starting here in verse 3, we see that there are some qualifications here as to what the church is to be doing.

The church is not a social justice organization set to fix the problems of the world. Is the church to care and to minister to others? Yes, we certainly see that in the scriptures.... but what we also see here in this text is that there are certain things that need to be in place in order to qualify for the help from the church. If this were not true, then we would not have this section in the Bible. If this were true, there would not be the qualifier on this sentence that says “who are truly widows...” That implies that there are some widows who are not “truly” widows. There are some who do not fit this description. And the rest of this section breaks that down for us.

Who Are Truly Widows?

Look at v4-. It starts with a contrast “BUT” Honor widows who are truly widows BUT, don’t miss that word, and here Paul spells out the qualification for whom not to help. Look at the text... If a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. What is Paul saying here? If a widow has children or grandchildren then those of the widow's household are the ones who are to take care of her. They are to learn to do this because this is itself a pathway to learn godliness. Also, this is the right and natural order of things for the Christian. The children and grandchildren have been blessed by the parent or grandparent in their lifetime. That person was there and took care of and provided for their needs. Now, this person is not able to care for themselves, and it is time for the family to learn to show godliness to their own family… or to make some return… (or as I would say, “pay them back”) for what they had done for them all of their life. This is pleasing in the sight of God. That is to say that God looks favorably upon those who are willing to take care of their relatives who are not in a state of independence. We will see this idea again and again in verses 8 and 16, so we will come back to this.

Paul goes on.... look at verses v5- 6 Who then is to be enrolled into this kind of care for the church? To be a widow would be one who is left all alone. Their husband has died. They have no one living in the home with them. She is also a believer. She has her hope in God. But not only that, she is one who is still active in her faith. She is known as a person who continues to pray night and day. She may not be able to do a whole lot in this stage of life, but she has her heart and mind set on lifting up prayers before God. This is a good thing. It makes me think of Anna in Luke 2. This is what is said about her. But then in verse 6, we have another contrast: BUT. The woman in verse 5 is still living an active Christian faith. She has not waivered; however, the person in verse 6 seems to be. They are not thinking of others… instead, they are self-indulgent. They are dead, even though physically they are alive. Their lives do not match someone who has their hearts set on God. They are consumed with their own personal passions.

And in v7- Paul uses some all too familiar words here: Command these things as well. We have seen this language before. These words are not just for Timothy to hold onto. These words are words that the whole church needs to hear. They have to see these things as true. And there is a purpose behind it. And one of the reasons behind it is so that the church may be above reporach. This is the same thing that is said about elders in chapter 3. When the watching world sees the church caring for widows… and it sees family members caring for its own… it speaks volumes to the community. They are not able to say anything bad about the church.

v8- But as with the rest of this section, there is a strong contrast to what was just said. Look at v8 with me. If a person, or the church for that matter, is doing the things that was just spoken about then they will be above reproach.... however, if one does not provide for his own family… and especially for members of his household (and listen carefully here) he has denied the faith and is WORSE than an unbeliever. Those are hard words to hear. Paul is saying here that real faith in Christ results in real care for people… and if you are not even willing to care for and serve the members of your own family.... then you have denied the faith. 1 John tells us that it is impossible for you to love God and not love people. That is what we have going on here. This is a strong warning to us about how we should care for those in our own families. The responsibility falls on us first as Christians.

We have seen some general answers to our question: Who Are Truly Widows? but in verses 9-10 Paul gives us a very detailed answer. Look there with me. Look v9-10-: Who is to be on the list of widows for the church? Here is what we see Paul saying:

Who Are Truly Widows?

One Who Was All Alone

Was Active in Prayer

Living For God

She has to be 60 or Above

She has been the wife of one husband

She has been known for doing good work. Her faith was something that was lived out in her daily life.

She fulfilled her role in life by raising Children.

She welcomed people into her home and took care of them.

She was active in ministry as she cared for those who were afflicted.

And, to sum it all backup, she devoted herself to every good work.

She was not idle.

She was not a Christian who just sat back and did nothing. Her faith caused her to move to action.

Now, we have to see this list and understand that these are general guidelines and hard fast rules. For example, would it be wrong for the church to care for a widow who never had children? No. That would not be wrong for the church to do that. Everything that we read in this list has to deal with enrolling Widows… and most people believe that this enrolling them on a list had to deal not only with support and with a special service or ministry in the church.... but they were to be enrolled into this service if they had lived a life that showed Christian ministry to others. Everything about that list shows a woman living an outward-focused life. That is the point. Did this woman love others while she was able? Did she poor her life out in service to other people? That is why Paul starts with and ends with an emphasis on good works.

Paul says enroll these type of women on the list.

However, there are certain women that do not need to be on that list. And this can be hard to hear in our context. But this is what the Bible says. Look down at verses 11-12.

v11-12- Here is where Paul starts giving his list for those who do not need to be enrolled into the program of widow care. So, who does not need to be enrolled?

Anyone less than 60 years of age. Again, probably not a hard and fast rule here, but the principle remains the same. And the reason given follows the prohibition of enrolling anyone younger than 60. Paul says “for” which can be seen as a “BECAUSE” when their passions draw them away from Christ,.... and as they drift from Christ, they desire to marry, and then apparently this results in them leaving their faith and bringing condemnation upon themselves.

There may be something to be said here about the desire to marry is so great that they are willing to just go about with anyone so that even if they have to walk away from the Christian faith, they are willing to do that… and this would show that their hearts were not right with the Lord to begin with. They never truly repented and placed their faith in Jesus.

As if this was not bad enough.....v13 tells us the other dangers of what happens when the church tries to take care of every need among those who are widows. Paul says, Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.

They are no longer honoring Christ by their lives. Their lives become very one-dimensional. They are only living for their own pleasure and desires. They live life with them right in the middle of it. They become self-centered, talking bad about others, and all up in everyone else's business and spreading that around the town. This is not a beautiful picture, right?

v14- So if younger windows are not to be enrolled, what are they to do? Verse 14 tells us. Paul suggests that they marry. They are to bear children. They are to manage their households and give the adversary no occasion for slander. In short, they are to do everything that a Christain woman is supposed to do. They are to live life for the Lord. They are to spend their lives pouring into the lives of others. They are to love and care for other people… that is what they are to give their lives to.

And the warning given here by Paul is again highlighted in verse 15.

V15- The reason is BECAUSE some have already strayed after Satan. They have left their faith, as was stated in verse 14 and have given up everything to follow Satan. Talk about a ruined life. There is an old saying that says “Idle hands are the devil's playground.” When all of the needs of a person who is fully capable of loving and serving others is met, then that person is in danger of living life only in self-seeking sinful pleasure… and apparently, this is what was happening in the church at Ephesus because some had done just that.

So, here we have this problem. There are those who are widows who are truly in need and are living for God, and then there are those widows who need to continue to live life by loving and serving others. two groups. But who is the church responsible for?

This is where we go back to what was said before in verses 4 & 8. Look at verse 16.

v16- Paul goes back to instructions for those who are the children or grandchildren. If a Christian woman has relatives who are widows, she is to care for them. The church is not to be burdened with caring for those who have others who can care for their needs. The reason given is SO THAT the church can care for those who are truly widows. This means that the church is to be limited in its scope and burden. A Church does not have unlimited resources and thus cannot meet ALL of the needs that are present within the church body. However, it is good, right, and well, for Christian family members to care for their own family members as they took care of them for so long.

Conclusion: