A Serious Responsibility
An Investment Worth Investing IN • Sermon • Submitted
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· 7 viewsTaking care of widows in the church
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I TIMOTHY -AN INVESTMENT WORTH INVESTING IN
I TIMOTHY -AN INVESTMENT WORTH INVESTING IN
I Timothy 5:3-10 Responsibility
I Timothy 5:3-10 Responsibility
I. The responsibility of the local church in regard to widows
And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
The church was growing and people were getting saved and added to the church new believers were getting baptized the work of God in full swing, but the widows of the church we being neglected.
At the very start of the ministry of the church God has priority has been placed on the importance of taking care of widows in the church.
God has always had a heart that cares for the widow, and way before the church came the Lord had a plan to take care of the widows in the O.T.
He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.
And I will come near to you to judgment; And I will be a swift witness Against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, And against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, The widow, and the fatherless, And that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, Saith the Lord of hosts.
19 When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.
20 When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
21 When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
Learn to do well; Seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, Judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.
Which devour widows’ houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.
To Honor speaks of...
a. Fitting recognition-value, respect
They are not less important than any other church member. That which the widows in the church deserve. Nothing less than the best.
b. Financial resources
To honor the widows of the church means to respect and to value, but it also means to consider and to give the necessary care that is needed. There was a command to respect and honor the widows indeed. These are widow who truly were widows in the church.
Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
Remember there was no social security, no Roth IRA’s, stock market to invest in. These widows needed support from the church to live. They were older and could not get jobs easily. There was obviously some problems in the church of Ephesus in the way that the widows were being treated and Paul wanted to make sure that the widows that were supposed be taken care were being taken care of.
This was not for all the widows in the town though. It was a specific group. The widows that were widows indeed.
A widow that is a widow in indeed is a widow that they need the financial support of the local church to take care of that which is essential to have in life. There has been some problems with widows in the church and Timothy needs to know how to handle it.
Paul’s list of what identifies a widow indeed-What does a widow indeed look like?
Desolate-Forsaken, left alone -Without support from family
She would have to be unable-She was alone-There was nobody in her family able to help her.
If a widow have children or grandchildren they should be taking care of her. The church needs to use the finances wisely that God has given them and using them on a widow who had no family to take care of them. Let the kids of the widows show devotion and reverence to their parents by taking care of them.
If they had no family and if they had family they needed help from their children or grandchildren.
2. She would have to be unafraid
Trusteth in God-A widow that has a strong testimony of faith in God. This is someone is part of the church membership. The church is to do good to all, but especially to those who are part of the local church family.
She is thankful that God has commanded people in the church to help her, but she understand that is the heart of God that moves the hand of the people. The church is just doing what God is told the to do, and at the end of the day whether the church obeys God or not or hope is not in the church, but in God. This is demonstrated by the fact that she is a woman of prayer.
3 She would be unrelenting in her prayer life
A woman that has prayer ministry for the church. She intercedes on behalf of the church family. She can’t do as much as could in the past, but she can still be a powerhouse of prayer for the believers in the church. Her ministry to the church is crucial for the health of the church.
And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
This was the ministry of Anna. Even before the church started should would not leave the temple the place of worship at that time. She was praying for the Messiah to come.
The widow had to be at least 60 years old
That doesn’t seem old to the person who is 60. In fact to those in their 70s 60 is young. Those in their 20’s it is old, and to teenagers it seems ancient. The ladies at this culture were not likely to remarry again if they lost a spouse at this age.
Take in number-This has the idea of taking down the names like one would take down roll call in an army.
There was much needed organization here in the church to list the widows in the church so they knew who they had and how they were being taken care of.
She needed to have a good marriage the wife of one man. She was not a divorced woman. It does not refer to woman that were married and had a husband died and married again. This shows us again that faithfulness in a marriage is extremely important in the eyes of God.
She could have brought up children. She is taking care of kids that need homes. Those that are orphans and raising them to love the Lord.
Hospitality she was someone whose house was opened to those who needed a place to stay. Our culture is much different today we do not widows letting complete strangers into their house. We want them to be safe. However there is something here that needs to be said about hospitality. That one wold open up their home to people.
She would wash the feet of those that came to her home. This the job of the servants, but remember Jesus did this for the disciples. The widow indeed is a woman how is known as a servant.
relieve the afflicted-This covers all different kinds of ministries. Where she meets the needs of the church family. Makes meals, encourages the hurting on the phone.
Application: You talk about having to have a good resume to get into the church the expectations for the widows were very high, because the cost was very great. Get the wrong ladies in and it could be devastating for the church.
You do not want to be a widow that was after the pleasures of life, but a widow that was pursuing the Lord.
II. The Responsibility of the family of a widow
If a widow has family they family needs to take care of her.
a. A look at true godliness
Piety-to live for Christ in the home, to demonstrate one’s godliness in home.
We can look good at church, and we can be all smiles but moments ago we were snapping everyone’s heads off with our tongue. We were anything but God.
Requite-to return, to repay, to return the good which children and grandchildren have received in their childhood from their parents or grandparents.
Illustration: Do you know the average amount that a parent spends on a child from birth to age 17?
It is not something you have to do. It is something that you get to do.
It is good and acceptable unto God. This is the will of God. That young people take care of their parents as they get older.
This is what God has called us to do. It is not necessarily going to be easy, but God’s want’s us to take care of our parents. Teens your parents are paying for the food that you eat for years. They are paying for the diapers, pull-ups, clothes, teen activities, helping with college,
The reason you do it is not because you want to. It is because God said that it is the good and the acceptable thing to do before God. There is not another option.
Illustration: A missionary came back the field and received harsh criticism by some of her associates. She came back to take care of her parents. When her parents passed away she went back to the mission field and was blessed with more years of fruitful service. The associates of this missionary said that she ought to love God more than father and mother. They totally missed the meaning of this verse. God commands us to take care of our parents. If we love God we obey his commandments.
He that provideth not for his family is worth than an infidel. This is a very strong verse, and one that we must pay very close attention to.
He had denied the faith-He is denying
A relative that is unwilling to support the needs of a loved one look nothing like a believer in this action and Paul tells us that, that person is worse then somebody who denies the faith. Even the lost have an understanding that they should take care of their own.
An infidel is someone who reject Christ it is some who opposes Christ and denies everything about God. He does not believe in the existence, he does not fear God, he does not obey the commands of God.
God is going to hold you accountable for the way you treat your father and your mother when they get to a place where they may not be able to take care of themselves.
The home not the church or school is where your true character is tested. How you treat those in your family. How siblings treat each other in the home. How the husband and wife treat each other at home. The home of believers should be a place where love abounds. Where God is worshipped, but many times believers leave the home and come to church to find some peace. The Christian home ought to be an oasis from the desert of this world.
Illustration: I remember hearing the story of my youth pastor’s child who was probably around 5 years old the teacher was asking for prayer request during a Sunday School hour and the youth pastor’s child said “pray for my mom and dad they are fighting”. Course my sister said then all the other kids shared the same request:)
Who are you when you are around the one’s that you love?
Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
III. The widow is responsible to live for the Lord
This for those all widows in the church.
a. Don’t retire spiritually
As health allows keep active in the service of the church.
-Stay active-involved
-Stay attentive-to the needs of the church/problems
-Stay addicted-Stay devoted to the work of the ministry
b. You won’t regress spiritually
Trust in God, Stay in tune with God
God is not done with you. He wants to answer your prayers to grow His church. You are an important part of this church!
You are godly examples that the younger generations are looking up to.
This is not just for the widows, but for all those that are elderly in the church.
She has not quit or thrown in the towel this is a godly elderly lady in the church how has the mindset that I will not stop doing God’s work until my life is up or until he calls me up.
The serving, stirring, and supplications are not going to stop.
Conclusion:
If you have let up spiritually determine to step up
Don’t slow down until this race is over.
We have been reminded as a church family the importance of taking care of those in our church that may need help, and we have been reminded of the serious responsibility of taking care of our own.