I invite you to turn with me in your copy of the New Testament Scripture to 1 Timothy chapter number 5 this morning. 1 Timothy 5 as was read just a moment ago, this morning 1 Timothy 5 verses 3 through 16 most specifically. Last week we discussed our action, reaction, and interaction among one another in the family of God for 1 Timothy 5 verses 1 and 2 addressed four primary relationships within the family of God, that is older men, younger men, older women, younger women. This morning now, chapter 5, 1 Timothy 5, verses 3 through 16, address widows in the family of God. And then next week, you can anticipate, verses 17 through 25, addresses elders in the family of God. But this morning, widows in the family of God, I'll begin by way of introduction with this story. We are not told how he died. But when he died, he owed money. And his poor widow inherited the debt. And so the collectors came to collect her only valuables, her two sons. And whatever price her sons would fetch at the slave market would be used to balance the books. Then the widow would be free of debt, although still imprisoned in a dungeon of loneliness and grief. of course having lost her husband and now wondering if she would ever see her sons again. And so in desperation she sought help from a man of God. What else do you have in the house? The prophet Elisha asked the widow. Nothing but a jar of oil, she admitted. Go collect all the empty vessels you can find, he said, and fill them all from the one jar of oil that you do have. And so the widow and her sons blanketed the neighborhood, borrowed every pot and jar and bowl not in use at the moment. Then they lined them all up and poured and poured and poured until every container was brimming with oil. Now go sell the oil, the prophet said. And the widow used the proceeds to pay off her husband's debt, and she still had enough to feed herself and her two sons. Of course, you can read that story in 2 Kings 4, verses 1 through 7. And among other things, it teaches us that God cares for widows. But God's care of widows isn't only the incidental sentiment of an Old Testament Bible story. It is the very first ministry of the New Testament church. The care of widows because God cares for widows. It was in Acts chapter 6 that widows were being neglected in receiving the care they needed. So the apostles organized what evidently up to that point had simply been a an informal or a spontaneous ministry, and now in Acts chapter six it would become more deliberate, more intentional, as seven men were appointed to serve over the business of that first local church ministry, the care of widows. In fact, James, the brother of Jesus, would declare, pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, to visit widows in their trouble. And so I submit to us this morning that God cares for widows. And as much as we strive to be godly, to be like God, And as much as we strive to follow our practice as a New Testament local church after the New Testament, we have opportunity and responsibility to care for widows. And 1 Timothy 5 verses 3 through 16 helps us toward that end. From 1 Timothy 5 verses 3 through 16, I prepared a message titled Widows in the Family of God. Let's go to the Lord in prayer, and then we'll study the scripture together. God in heaven. We are grateful for the tie that binds us together as brothers and sisters in the family of God. And Lord, it does cause inward pain when some go from us, but we always look forward to the sweet reunion we have with those who've come and gone as part of this local church family. Of course, Lord, we look forward to that great reunion before the throne. when people from every tribe and tongue and nation will worship you as one. God, this morning we've come now in 1 Timothy 5 to a portion of scripture that instructs us. I ask that you would give us insight and understanding by your spirit and that you might compel us to obey the responsibilities that we have in this case. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. There at the top of your notes, the notes that I printed and placed there in your church bolt, and I've written this, God's special care for widows is a recurring theme in the scripture. I've given you some references there from the Old Testament. Specifically, God issued special instruction for the care and protection of widows in the Old Testament, but also in the New Testament, God has given us as a church a responsibility to care for widows in need. 1 Timothy 5 teaches us, number one in your notes, Number one, and I'm sorry, gentlemen, this is not working. To advance those slides, perhaps you could work with that for me. The church's responsibility, number one, is to support widows. Number one, to support Widows, there we go, thank you. Look at verse number three with me. First Timothy five, verse number three, honor widows who are really widows. The Bible commands us to honor the women whose husbands have died, leaving them alone. But while our English term honor suggests respect, we ought to be respectful or honor them. The Greek word tamao is not limited to respect alone, but rather many times in the New Testament, the word tamao is translated honor, but it refers to financial care and compensation. And there is agreement among Bible scholars that the church's responsibility is not to simply show respect, but to lend material support to widows. However, notice here that there's a qualification there in verse number three. It doesn't command us to support every widow, we are to support those who are really widows, or widows indeed, I think is the King James or the New American Standard. What does that mean? Not all widows are truly alone or are really in need or without care. And furthermore, the church cannot indiscriminately support all the widows in the world, for beyond being impractical, that would be impossible. The U.S. Census Bureau tells us that every day in the U.S., 2,800 women lose their husbands every day. Seven out of 10 married women will become widows. Of course, the loss of their husbands, that's no small thing. How is the church supposed to meet every widow's need? Whether in the first century or in the 21st century, that's an enormous prospect, maybe an impossible project. So Paul lists criteria here for determining those who are really widows. A widow indeed, a widow with a true need, a widow for whom the church is responsible. So therefore, number two, the church is responsible to identify what widows are truly, really in need of support. Look at verse number four. 1 Timothy 5 verse number 4, but if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents, for this is good and acceptable before God. Jump to verse number 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. We identify those widows for support first. Widows who are, the slide says with family, but that's an error there, without family. Widows who are without family, widows with children and grandchildren are to receive support from those children and grandchildren. It's logical. It's appropriate that we as children make a return to our parents for the debt that we owe them, for all that they have done for us in our upbringing, our being raised in this world, clothed and fed and educated and nurtured in our youth. Let me give you some historical perspective on this notion of children caring for their parents. There on the back of your notes, I have cited a number of famous thinkers. Now these men are by no means Bible-believing Christians, you understand, but listen to what they have written. First, the Greek philosopher Demosthenes wrote, I regard the man who neglects his parents as unbelieving in and hateful to the gods as well as to men. Aristotle said this, it would be thought in the matter of food we should help our parents before all others since we owe our nourishment to them. And it is more honorable to help in this respect the authors of our being even before ourselves. As Aristotle saw it, we must starve ourselves before watching our parents go hungry. Another, Plato, wrote this. He said, next comes the honor of loving parents to whom, as is meet, we have to pay the first and greatest and oldest of debts, considering that all which a man has belongs to those who gave him birth and brought him up. and that he must do all that he can to minister to them, first, in his property, secondly, in his person, and thirdly, in his soul, paying the debts due to them for their care and travail, which they bestowed upon him of old in the days of his infancy, and which he is now able to pay back to them when they are old and in the extremity of their need. I hope my children are listening, right, to the philosopher Plato. Perhaps I could text this or tweet this and they would read that. Here's what Philo wrote. When old storks become unable to fly, they remain in their nests and are fed by their children who go to endless exertions to provide their food because of their piety. Now, I don't know that we should call our parents old storks, but To Philo, it was clear that even in the animal kingdom, their animals acknowledge its obligation to aged parents. And so here in the scripture now, in 1 Timothy 5, verse number 4, children and grandchildren ought to care for their, not just their parents, but specifically your widows. 1 Timothy 8 tells us that children who do not care for their widows deny the faith and are worse than unbelievers. Now, I don't believe this means that they lose their salvation. It means that even unbelievers, even the Greek philosophers that I just referenced and read from, understand the natural obligation of caring for our family. In fact, if you look at verse number eight, look at verse number eight again. We often cite verse number eight as a charge to parents to provide for their children, and parents ought to provide for their children. But in fact, in the context, and context is always king, remember? In the context, verse number eight refers to children providing for their parents, specifically their widows. Both my mother and my mother-in-law lost their husbands when they were barely 60 years old. They were widowed. And in both of those cases, my mother and my mother-in-law had family who cared for them. In fact, Kim and I were part of that family, that extended family. However, not every widow has extended or extensive family to participate in their care. And that is where then the church must rise to the occasion. Of course, there's always a question about what that looks like. What does the care of our elderly parents or what is the care of widows look like? There are countless practical decisions to make. There are countless different circumstances. Everyone's scenario is different and it demands wisdom and judgment and grace. And I'm not suggesting that there is a single cookie cutter way in which we care for our folks. In some cases, perhaps, we provide housing for them in our home. Perhaps, in some cases, They need to be in assisted living. Perhaps sometimes it's financial or medical or emotional support and relational care. But the church needs to evaluate the needs of widows and identify those who first are without family. Second, letter B in your notes, widows who are godly believers. So we're identifying the widows who are deserving or worthy of the church's special support. Those who are without family, the screen should read, and those who are godly believers. Look at verse number five. Verse number five, now she who is really a widow and left alone trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives, and these things command that they may be blameless. But if anyone does not provide for his own, especially for those of his own household, he has denied the faith is worse than an unbeliever. Verses five and six specifically there citing widows who are godly believers. The church is responsible for the widow who has fixed her hope in God, who is devoted in her communion to the Lord rather than indulging herself. the widow who has demonstrated genuineness of her faith. In short, it's not the responsibility of the church to support every widow. who disregards her relationship with God were to identify the widows who are really widows indeed, namely godly widows without family, their letter A should read, without family. Those are the ones most eligible for support. And this is important, as I read in verse number seven, that they may be blameless. And these are the instructions for the protection of the families and their widows who might receive accusation regarding their care of widows and for the protection of the church who might receive accusation regarding their lack of care for the widows. And there can certainly be dispute and perhaps controversy about whose responsibility it is to care for a widow. Now, we come to a point of question in our text. If you jump to verse number nine, do not let a widow under 60 years old be taken into the number And not unless she has been the wife of one man, well-reported for good works, if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has received the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work, but refused younger widows. Verse 11. So really the question of interpretation for us here then in identifying these widows for support, those without family, those who are godly believers, in verse number nine there's then a list or there's a number. What was this role or this register of widows? Does it describe the list of those who are widows indeed, those eligible for support from the church? Or is the list or the number referring to something else? And another rule of Bible interpretation is that if the plain sense makes common sense, seek no other sense. So let's just read this plainly and understand it simply, and even yet there might be a question or disagreement among Bible students about what this list or this number is. I've come to believe that verses 3 through 8, if you kind of Look there at the text. Verses 3-8 define a widow's eligibility for special support. Verses 3-8, special support. I believe verses 9-15 now regard a widow's eligibility for special service. in the church. Verses 3 through 8 is support. Verses 9 through 15 are service. And from extra-biblical sources like the writings of the church fathers and early historians, we learn that groups of elder widows did serve in the early church in some officially recognized capacity. I'll give you two examples. You might remember Anna, an older woman in Luke 2, verse 37, who never left the temple but was committed to the ministry. In Acts chapter 9, we read of Dorcas and her widow friends who served in the church, their ministry. And so we don't understand really what list this might have been or what shaped this number. It was probably a special role to which an elderly widow would be added for ministry and service in the church. Maybe there were a couple lists here, those that were eligible for support, those that were eligible for service. In fact, I would even have you fill in number three now to evaluate widows for service, and maybe this list for those in service. Whether for support or whether for service, widows can be a great asset to the church. They have wisdom from experience that we may never have. They've often come to participate and contribute in the ministry, maybe even in repayment for the church's support of them. And they're actively involved and they're an asset. And so the church not only is identifying widows for support, they're evaluating widows for service. And in your notes there, why don't you circle or underline the word support in Roman numeral number two. and then the word service in Roman numeral number three in your notes. We identify those for support, we evaluate the widows for service, and we may even have a list. or a record in which we identify and number them. Verses 9 and 10 again, do not let a widow under 60 years old be taken into the number, this list, not unless she has been the wife of one man well reported for good works, if she's brought up children, if she's lodged strangers, if she's washed the saint's feet, if she's relieved the afflicted, if she's diligently followed every good work. We have this these lists even here, and Paul is famous for lists. There's lists of virtues, there's lists of vices, lists of qualifications for leadership. And rather than examining each of these criterions specifically, Paul's point is that spiritual service demands some standards. You say, okay, here comes the legalism, right? Always some legalism. No, no, hear me out. In the Old Testament, preparation for service was extensive. There were ritual cleansings, and there were purifications, and there were limitations and qualifications. Even in the New Testament, the instructions are numerous. Beginning in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus says, if you come to the altar to present your gift, or your worship, or your giving, or your service, And you know that your brother has ought against you. Leave your gift, your worship, your service there. Go and make it right with your brother. Then come offer your gift. Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2 illustrates a house that has vessels of gold and silver and of wood and clay. And the illustration there is if we cleanse ourselves, we can be a vessel of gold and silver. fit for the master's use, prepared for every good work of ministry. And so the criteria before us here is just another representation, an example of, a sample of a woman a widow here in this case, who is pursuing ministry and service to the Lord. I'm so grateful for the women and the widows who serve among us, who are godly women, who are characterized by some of these very descriptors, who are eligible to serve. And they go unrecognized so often because they're serving in unseen ways, unrecognized ways, but they are a blessing to our church family. And I am grateful for them. And so we have to identify what widows are those widows in need, truly in need, and we need to support them. They're without family, but they're godly. Then also we evaluate widows, women and widows now for service. Let's continue. Verse number 11, but refuse the younger widows. For when they have begun to grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, having condemnation because they have cast off their first faith. And besides, they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not." Therefore, I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully, for some have already turned aside after Satan." I'm going to offer you this. The church is responsible to instruct younger widows to marry. So while the qualified older widows were to devote themselves to service to the church, the idea for the younger widows was very different. It was get married. Now, this can be awkward and uncomfortable, right? The church isn't a speed dating game, but the justification for the council is given here, evidently in the sorrow of the loss for their husband and in gratitude for a church's support, a young widow might make a vow of service that she couldn't keep. But then after perhaps some time, she has pledged herself to be committed to that number or to that list in service. And then commonly, however, younger women desire to remarry. That is a good thing. And perhaps would resent their duties and commitments made in service to the Lord. And then another danger, perhaps a younger widow might find themselves idle. and engaged in gossip and in destructive words. And so Paul would have the young women remarry. and be in the home. It's old-fashioned, I suppose, but there is great virtue, great value to a young woman who is a mom and a homemaker. And I would just speak to the moms and the homemakers here this morning. If you have a family, make no apology for your place in the home. It is good and it is right and it is a high calling. And if, as a single woman, young woman, or a widow, young woman, God would allow you to remarry, that is a blessing from the Lord. Look at verse number 16. If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened that it may relieve those who are really widows, truly widows. Widows, indeed, the church is responsible. Number five, to encourage family to support their widows. And here Paul's case is really coming full circle back again with the truth that he already restated beginning in verses 3, 4 and following. For when families take care of their own, the church is then free to assist those who are widows indeed, really widows. Again, I would cite James 1 verse 27, perhaps you want to put it in the margin there. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, to visit widows in their trouble. 1 Timothy 5 presents the church's responsibility to widows. Now, I know your notes are complete. However, what does this look like at Fourth Baptist Church today? A couple thoughts for you in conclusion. Certainly there are differences between the first century and the 21st century. The difference is such things as life insurance policies or pensions and retirement accounts. and social security that help provide a financial safety net for widows. Nonetheless, even if a widow isn't in financial need, perhaps she's gainfully employed. That is something very common in modernity here in the West, not so common, of course, in the first century where a woman, a widow, could be gainfully employed on her own. But regardless of if the financial needs are met, we still have opportunity. and responsibility to bless our widows. And why would we care for them in a special way? Because God cares for them in a special way. And I know there are some widows here this morning under the sound of my voice. You are special before the Lord. And you are special to us as a church. And so following the pattern of the New Testament beginning in Acts chapter 6, we have deaconesses and we also have deaconesses who are organized to come alongside our widows. But we don't need an official title or office to care for these. We have opportunity to be part of that care. We have a widow's group. You may not know this, but we have a widow's group that meets regularly for fellowship and encouragement. And I find that I'm often encouraged more by them than I offer to them. And they meet here at the church. I get the opportunity to eavesdrop on them a bit or walk by a classroom where they're huddled together in fellowship and in prayer. We're grateful for that. If you're interested in being a part of that, contact the church office and I'm sure they would welcome you. If you are a widow or you know a widow in need, reach out to us. You are not a burden. You are an opportunity for us to be what the church ought to be for you. God cares for you and we care for you. There is some Bible teaching that is difficult to understand, difficult to apply. Folks, this is not one of them, right? This is very clear. And may this be the case among us in this place. Let me pray. God, it is clear to us that your heart is for our widows. And this morning, God, I pray, I ask specifically that you will bless them in special ways, provide for them, strengthen them. I ask that you would use us to honor them and bless them. May we be a church family that cares for one another. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.