1 Timothy 5:3-8

Open your bibles to 1 Timothy 5…

As you turn there I told you that before the congregational meeting on the 15th that I would give you an update to who would be on the roster. Of course all of your elders will be on there as a vote of affirmation. Myself, bruce findley, zach vaught, and adam beretta currently serve as your elders. I would like to put before you also the nominations for deacon and deaconess… Your Elders would like to nominate Todd and Jackie Jones as deacon and deaconess over the Trustees ministry team… Manda Beretta as Deaconess over the Providence Women’s Ministry, and Jim Wise as Deacon over the finance Ministry team. These will all be on the ballot. And as you consider them, consider my sermon about deacon and deaconess. Do you believe them to be qualified. And if not I would ask that you come and see me about this matter… Lastly, I would like to put before you that Adam would no longer be a youth minister, but I would like you to consider ordaining him as a Pastor and allowing him to serve this body as Associate pastor. I have had the privilege of watching Adam grow in the lord the last couple years, and I think he has had the same with me. I believe the calling of God is on his life to not just minister as a deacon, or even as an elder. I see the calling on his life as an elder who stands before. Therefore, I would like for you to consider affirming him as associate pastor and should you do that, we will ordain him as a pastor at Providence Christian Church. What that means is that we affirm the call of God on his life, and you as a body see him as not just an elder, but one who is a God called shepherd, teacher, and counselor in your life. It gives him a title, no doubt. But it is simple a title put on the truth of what we see God calling him to already.

As far as the budget goes, it is my goal to get a financial advisory letter out to you this week. I will email it, telegram it, and to the couple of you that don’t do that, I will drop it off in your house.

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Alright, now to our text.

Naturally from the progression Paul moves from relationships in the church to reminding Timothy and the church there in Ephesus about their responsibility in ministry. Every church has multiple facets in which they are to focus. On Christ and feeding the sheep. On fellowship and growing close together as a body in unity and love. And the outward ministry.

So when the question comes, what should our outward ministry look like? We have some indications from the early church as to what should take priority. Sure, there are many good things to do.But, I want to argue this morning that our outward ministry must first be consumed by the things that God cares for the most… So lets stand and read the word of God together from 1 Timothy 5:3-8

1 Timothy 5:3–8 ESV

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.

First, I want you to see that

I. God has a great concern with widows

My friends, as you read these scriptures I wonder if any of you are immediately brought to a humility. I know that I am and hope that together we can return to the heart beat of God. It is clear in the scriptures what really moves God; where his mercy and compassion just pours out. It is with widows and orphans. God has a great concern with widows. The church in Ephesus was struggling a bit. But not with Orphans… Where they needed guidance was with widows.

In the garden God gave us a trustworthy statement… He looked at man, with no helper, and said, “It is not good that man is alone”… this is what widow means. The word describes a woman who has lost her husband. It means to be bereft, robbed, left alone. It is a broad enough term says one commentator to describe a woman who has lost her husband through death, desertion, divorce, or imprisonment. How does God view the widow? With compassion!

Gods Law makes it clear his position on widows.

Exodus 22:21-24

“You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. And if you indeed afflict him, and if he earnestly cries out to Me, I will surely hear his cry; and My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.”

Later when the next generation is about to enter into the promised land and Moses is reiterating the Law we read

Deuteronomy 27:19 “‘Cursed is he who perverts the justice due a sojourner, orphan, and widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’”

The psalmist writes about God’s nature directly in the psalms… Psalm 68:4-5 Psalm 146:9

Psalm 68:4–5 ESV

4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the Lord; exult before him! 5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.

Psalm 146:9 ESV

9 The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

Gods great concern and care for widows may be seen most remarkably through Jesus. Consider Luke 7:11-17 with me…

“And it happened that soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain, and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd. Now as He approached the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her and said to her, “Do not cry.” And He came up and touched the coffin, and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” And the dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. And fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!” And this report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.”

It is no wonder the early church saw to it to care for widows. The very heartbeat of God and his command for his people is to the orphan and the widow. And I say we as modern day Christians may be off track a bit in the things we deeply care about. We as a body often want to do so many good things. That we forget about those that God has his eyes on with great compassion. Paul’s admonition to Timothy reminds us, the church should be about bringing about the will of the Lord in our gospel community. To see to it that widows in the general sense are cared for.

II. The Early Church Had Great Concern For Widows.

Now, briefly consider that the early church had great concern for widows… Acts 6 is a good picture of the need for many hands in the church. The church was growing and some of the folks were grumbling that their widows were being neglected in the daily serving of food. You see they had a principle as a church to gather the excess from the church and to give it to those in need. This is what the serving of food is in acts 6. We see the church concerned with the preaching and teaching ministry of the word as well as caring for the widows. Nevertheless, they saw to it that there were hands to help take care of those God wanted them to.

Just a few chapters on at the end of Acts 9:36-41 we read where a woman named Tabitha fell sick and died. Being a remarkable woman full of good works and charity that she continually did, the disciples of Christ in Joppa pleaded with Peter to come to her house at once. Without delay he came and what did he find? Verse 39… “So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, crying and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.”

Tabitha’s good works and charity was in part given to the widows. This ministry was so important that Peter verse 41, “gave her his hand and raised her up. And calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.” My friends. The heartbeat of God was strong within the early church. The apostle James even went on to write in his letter,

“If anyone thinks himself to be religious while not bridling his tongue but deceiving his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

James 1:26-27 LSB

Now, back to 1 Timothy…

There is a difference between caring for widows, as in the law where it says not to afflict them… There is a difference between loving them as a church and supporting them. We honor all widows! But that is also different than “adding them to the list”, as Paul helps timothy order this ministry rightly. Paul lays down a few guidelines for how to go about their ministry as a church to widows… however, as we land this plane, there is one that take precedent this morning…

He says twice, once in verse three and again in verse 5, honor true widows, or those who are widows indeed. What he is describing is a woman who had a husband, her husband has died and she either had no children or they have died as well. Meaning she was totally alone without anyone to care for her. This was the woman who was to be not just loved on by the church, but honored and suppored.

This wasn’t a prayer list they were going to be added to. This was financial and resourceful support. To add a widows to the list was to say, we as a church body will come together and will take care of her every need because she doesn’t have family who can.

However, the expectation of God for his body, he people individually is to pay attention to widows first in our own family. Meaning, if you are a Christian and have a widow in your family, Christ expects you to take care of her if you are able! Verse 8 “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

I don’t think this means give them anything and everything they want. But are you showing them hospitality? Are they loved and cared for as you would love and care for yourself? He reiterates this in verse 16 calling not just to men but women too…

“If any believing woman has widows, she must assist them and the church must not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are widows indeed.”…if you have the means to tithe and assist the widows in your family, you must do it. Don’t burden someone else if the Lord has given you the means necessary. So, lets boil this down into specific application for us…

If God deeply cares for widows, and His early church fresh from walking with Christ cares for widows, it means

III. That we should have great concern for widows…

Here are two applications for us..

1. We as Christian’s should be very careful of quickly outsourcing our God given ministry to institutions. That includes placing our parents or relatives in a nursing homes. Not that it’s not an option. Don’t hear me as saying the bible outlaws nursing homes…. I’m not… But our heartbeat as Christ followers. As servants of the King of Kings. Must be to give the best care to those who are in need. Especially those closest to us….

Sometimes a nursing home makes sense. But then again, sometimes we use it as a crutch because we don’t want to make the sacrifice and give up our independence… almost as if we say “Let someone else take care of them I have a life to live”… But it runs much deeper…

Do you see caring for your family as a ministry? Sometimes men and women alike don’t feel like they are doing much to serve God because they aren’t out every night giving to the homeless and working in soup kitchens and doing some big spectacular and awe inspiring thing for the kingdom of God! Yet, they have family… they have people built into their lives they are first called to serve. Christ gives us people to show his love to, we don’t have to go searching for it… Husbands and wives, serving your spouse is ministry. Mothers and fathers, your children are ministry. Grandparents your children and grandchildren is ministry. Single people, your parents and grandparents are ministry. The warning is great to men and women alike who does not provide for his own family… not just the deadbeat dad that is more than able to work but instead lays around the house while the family is in poverty, but woman too who allows the widows in their life to be taken care of by the hands of another when they are more than able… Paul says, they deny the faith…

Secondly…

2. We as a church should have our eyes open wide to those who are widows and orphans. I know this passage is on widows, but I can’t help it because I know there is equally a great need for orphans in our community than widows. So many orphan children in need of a home to care for them, just in the state of Indiana! But to stay true to the text here, we as a church should see to it that our ministry includes widows who are truly widows. That we take it upon ourselves to care for those who have no one to care for them. It is my intention within the next year to see a widows and care ministry begin. to have people devoted to creating relationships with people in need and being able to serve them in Jesus’ name. Not simply giving money. Not simply donating. But true service.

This is a way we can show the love of Christ and steward our church well. My friends, loving widows and orphans the way that God desires us to is quite a task. It requires great love and sacrifice… but as your heart grows warm toward this, know that your flesh with quickly come and cool it off. When you battle these thoughts remember Christ…. Christ Jesus our Lord who gave his life for you… this is our pleasure as Christian’s, it should be our pleasure to get up each morning, pick up our cross, and give our life in service of our King. Many of you go out looking for ministry opportunity’s far away from this community… I dare to wonder how much more effective we could be as a body if we collected our excess money, and time, and resources, and prayed for the Lord to show us where his precious lambs are that are in need right here among us…