You're listening to Key Life Fellowships pulpit ministry
podcast. We thank you for tuning in as we
learn from God's word together. If you would like more
information regarding Key Life or to speak with one of our
pastors, please visit us at keylifefellow-ship.com.
No man comes to the Father, but by me.
Jesus also says, and if you're in him, you'll have life, life
to the full. It's in Christ that we truly
find alive for our souls, because prior to Christ you were
dead spiritually. Let our anxious hearts, because
we're all prone to that, be reminded of that.
Then in our anxiousness, all we have is Christ.
Let us devote ourselves to Him like never before.
You have your Bibles. If you would turn to First
Timothy chapter 5. If you don't have your Bibles, I
would quickly just say this. Bring your Bible to church with
you. Bibles are like attorneys around
here. If you don't have one, one will
be provided for you. Open your Bibles to First
Timothy chapter 5 as we continue walking verse by verse through
the pastoral Epistles. And I'll say this again, if
these have not ministered to you to any capacity, I don't
apologize for that because they have ministered to me and they
have ministered to the pastors and the leaders here of this
church. I know that for fact.
And you're going to receive benefit from that as a church.
You're going to receive the trickle down effect that
Scripture produces as God prepares his leaders to lead you
where it is that God would want you to go as a congregation.
And he does that through his word, just as he does it in our
individual lines. But today we're coming through a
topic as we continue the second part on properly caring for the
family of God. Last week we talked about
properly caring for the older men, the younger, the younger
men, the older women and the younger women, what that looks
like in the church and what we are responsible to do in regard
to each of those people groups. Now there were only two verses
in chapter 5 that were set aside and dedicated to all of that,
and we come to another portion in this section of chapter 5.
Where verses 3 through 16 are dedicated to another group of
people in the church that often no one talks about, no one's
really even interested in. I can probably accurately say
that most churches have never really even taught through this
passage in a way that is clear that people can understand and
practice. In fact, in the.
Self driven self gratification culture that we live in.
Most people would. Said under a sermon about the
topic of widows with no interest at all.
And it's interesting no one's interested about widows and what
the teachings on scripture confirm about widows until 1 is
in fact a widow. It shouldn't be that way.
Must understand the importance of that group of people in the
church. We must accurately define who
they are and we must minister to them with the heart that God has
given us as ministers, both as leaders and as laypersons.
Paul's going to use the term quite frequently in these verses
that we're going to cover today, and that is.
The term really in need, and I want you to pay close attention
to that term. You're going to see it multiple
times. We're going to talk about what
it means to be really in need and who are these people who are
really in need and how do we take off the responsibility that
we do. Have as a church in taking care
of them. How do we take care of the
widows? Who are the widows in this body,
and what does that look like in real time?
What does that look like in the clear teaching that Paul is
going to give there? There are no hermeneutical
obstacles here. He is plain and simple about who
the widows are and how we are to minister to them.
So let's look at this let scripture.
Speak First Timothy chapter 5 and verse 3.
We learn to care for the widows biblically, he says in verse 3.
Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need.
There it is. You see it immediately.
But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should
learn first of all to. Put their religion into practice
by caring for their own family. And so repaying.
Their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.
The widow who is really in need and left alone puts her hope in
God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.
But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she
lives. Seven says give the people these
instructions to so that no one may be open to blame if anyone
does not provide for his relatives and especially for his
immediate family. He has denied the faith and is
worse than an unbeliever. Verse 9 says no widow may be put
on the list of widows unless she is over 60, has been faithful to
her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as
bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of
the Saints, helping those in trouble, and devoting herself to
all kinds of good deeds. As for younger widows, do not
put them on such a list, for when their sensual desires
overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry.
Thus they bring judgment on themselves because they have
broken their first pledge. Besides, they get into the habit
of being idle and going about from house to house, and not
only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busy bodies,
saying things they ought not to. So I counsel younger widows to
marry, to have children, to manage their homes, and to give
the enemy no opportunity for slander.
Some have in fact, already turned away to follow Satan.
If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she
should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so
that the church can help those widows who are really in need.
Let's pray to God the Father. In the name of Jesus.
We come to you now. We ask for wisdom from your
Word. We know that we have been given
these widows by Your sovereign hand, and we would take care of
them according to Your word. Let us be diligent.
Let us be obedient in that. And Lord, let us not apologize
for those who You have not included on such a list, those
who You would have us to instruct to remarry and to have
children and to manage their homes.
Lord, may we do that, and may we be obedient in that.
And Lord, as we think about our own families, may we take care
of them as we should, so that they not be a burden unto the
church, and so that you would be pleased with how we handle that
situation. Lord, as we learn Your Word, as
you teach us your Word through Your Spirit today, give us the
heart to be doers and not just hearers only to put into
practice that which we receive, Lord, that we, we may do this so
that you could receive the praise for it.
God, I pray for the unbeliever who's here today, who is outside
of the family of God, who has no understanding of what it means
to be a part of your family, to be your child.
God, I pray today that you would have mercy on them as only you
can. You would reveal yourself to
them, Lord Jesus, your sacrifice.
You would reveal to them their need for a Savior because of
their sinful state, that you, by your grace and your mercy, would
usher them into the family of God to receive salvation and
adoption. It's one of your children.
God, I pray that most importantly, your will would be
done in this day and in our lives as believers, that you
would receive all glory and honor and praise.
And we pray these things in Christ's name.
Amen. So we get to chapter 5 and
verses 3 through 16, and we get to a very, very important part
of Scripture that has, for whatever reason, in the modern
church, become not very important.
It is very, very important that we care for widows.
And in doing so, we have to have what Paul says to Timothy is the
proper recognition of the widows.
Verse three he says, give proper recognition to those widows who
are really in need. Now, proper recognition is not
getting them a plaque and saying welcome to widowdom.
It's not giving them a trophy and saying you've arrived.
It is recognizing them biblically, recognizing them
according to Scripture, giving them that proper recognition and
that proper honor that they deserve as those who are really
in need. Paul is instructing Timothy to
do this, and because Paul instructed Timothy to do this,
we as a church in 2026 have the same obligation to recognize the
widows who are really in need in our church.
This is important. This is important that we
recognize them, that we make a distinction.
Now I know we live in a world where no one likes to make
distinctions any longer, right? They don't want to make
distinctions between men and women.
So they have a difficult time in making distinctions.
But let me just tell you this, the Word of God is going to make
a distinction between widows and widows who are really in need.
And we have to pay attention to that.
Why? Because widows who are really in
need are the responsibility of the church.
Widows who are in a position where they have lost their
husband, they are the responsibility of their family
if they are not really in need. And so the word makes the
distinction here that we need to see immediately.
And we need to see that immediately because there are
people who are constantly claiming to be widows in the
church wanting nothing more than just a handout from the church.
And I want to make this ever so clear.
God's Word is not teaching here in regard to widows that we
become a place that is a welfare system, if you would.
That is not what God is advocating.
That is never what God's Word advocates.
In fact, the apostle Paul teaches in another place.
He says if a man wants to eat and he's able to do it, let him.
Work. Let him work.
We're going to see that there are those widows that we have to
recognize who are still able, because they have family, to
meet all of their needs. But there are also those widows
who are really in need who have no one else.
And so as we look at this, Paul's giving instructions so
that we can teach people. And this is what we do want to
teach people to live for Christ and his church and not to try
to. Live off of Christ and His
church. Because you see, there's a
difference, isn't there? There's a difference between
that person who wants to live for Christ and his church, even
though they'd be in the state of a widow.
And there are those who are simply just looking for handouts
from the church because their family is not doing what they
are supposed to do, as we will see in a moment, and taking the
burden off of the church because they are their responsibility,
not the churches. And so we have to ask this
question if we're going to properly recognize the widows as
Paul's telling Timothy to do. Who are the widows?
Who are the widows who are really in need, the ones that we
are to properly recognize in the church?
Well, it's hard for us in our culture to answer this quickly
in this text. And in the context of this text,
it's a little more complex than just a short answer.
And the reason is the the term that we see here for widow has
many meanings, many possible meanings.
It could, of course, refer to someone who loses their husband.
We know that that's the obvious one.
In fact, that's the only one that we still adopt.
But more accurately, this term means this one who has suffered
loss or one who has been left alone or abandoned.
And so we realized very quickly that when we're distinguishing
who the widow really is that the church is responsible for, it
gets a little complex there. Who are we talking about?
Well, we're talking about one who has been abandoned or left
alone, suffering loss. Now, abandonment can come in
many forms, can it? The first one is this, wives who
have been abandoned by their husbands because of death.
Simply put, their husbands have passed from this earth.
They have died. And they are in basic need of
provision. Why?
Because in the culture of the day, and I believe in the
biblical culture of what Paul is addressing here, the wives would
be home, taking care of the children, taking care of the
home, and taking care of their husband.
The husband would be out working as the provider for his family.
He would come home as the protector of his family, as the
prophet, priest and king of his home.
And if. That wife was to lose her
husband. She would lose every resource
that she has. She would be completely
abandoned. She would be desolate.
So of course he's talking about wives who have been abandoned by
the death of their husbands. They are all alone, Alone they
are suffering loss on this earth.
But also in biblical times, not so much in our day, because in
our day we we find ourselves not caring enough about others.
So many times in the church. But in this time that Paul is
addressing the Ephesians through young Timothy, he's also talking
about wives who have been abandoned by their husband's
desertion, meaning that he has deserted them.
He's that unbelieving husband who has gone on.
He is as good as dead. He is no longer providing for
his wife. Many scholars believe this.
I don't know if this is 100% accurate, but we could see it in
this context for sure. Many scholars believe that
perhaps Paul is addressing some who are of the Jewish culture
and background who may have had multiple wives and then when
they came to faith in Christ as a knee jerk reaction and in a
Roman culture that did not advocate polygamy, they would
have chosen their favorite wives and then put the other wives.
Away, leaving them to a place where they had no financial
support, they had no protection. In this world, it could be that
case. It could also be that case of
that man who decides that he's done with his wife and he puts
her away, giving her that writ of divorce just because he
decided that's what he wants to do.
Either way, nevertheless, they are left all alone.
They are abandoned. They have no support, right?
Women could not go out and just get a job.
Like a man did in those days. Now here they are, they're in
this situation where someone must care for them.
Why? Because they are really in need.
This is real. If they don't get assistance and
get assistance immediately, they will perish.
Their children will perish, They will suffer greater loss
potentially. And So what God?
Does in His word, being the merciful God that He is, He
provides for them through His Church in this particular
situation, in the particular manner that we are going to see
that He prescribes for taking care of those widows who are
really in need. So who are the widows?
Now? Let's make this simple and and
so that we can have it in our mind.
They are wives abandoned by their husband's death.
That's where we start. But it's more than that.
They are also wives who have been abandoned by their
husband's desertion. For whatever reason, he has
deserted them. He has deserted his family.
He said, well, I can't believe that went on in the Bible times.
It goes on today. Sinners have always been
present. These sins that still exist,
they always will enter. The Lord comes and straightens
everything out. So there will be a need to
minister to this group of people, those who fit the
definition of the widows. So when we're caring for the
widows, giving them the proper recognition of a widow, we have
to distinguish who they are. We also have to distinguish who
they aren't. And Paul's going to give us some
insight into that in just a moment.
But before we do that, let's do this.
Let's ask the question, who are the widows?
And we have done that and we have answered it.
But let's go to question 2. Why are they a priority?
Why did Paul use 2 verses to
talk about old men, young men, old women, young women, and how
we're to operate, how we're to minister and care for them in
the church and use 2 verses? But now we have verse 3 all the
way to verse 16, covering this very, very important part and
teaching us how to properly recognize and care.
For the widows, why are they priority?
And shouldn't we ask that in our culture especially, why are
widows priority right? We've already established that
those who are properly on the list of widows are 60 and up, so
they're elderly. And isn't it true in our
culture, Well, the elderly are considered all but useless,
aren't they? Outdated.
Nothing to offer this modern society that knows so much.
And we often discount the elderly as if they're not
important. Now, that was not the case when
Paul is riding to Timothy here. They would bring them into their
homes. They they would become a part of
their family again. They would take care of them
till their dying day. They were important.
They had wisdom that they can offer, offer to the church and
offer to the home. Wisdom that our generation did
not even yet have an opportunity to acquire.
Why are they a priority? Or why should they be a priority
when they're really just elderly people who have nothing else to
offer? Stop thinking like an American.
I'll say it again, Stop thinking like an American.
They have so much to offer. They know how to love.
They know how to forgive. They know how to teach.
They're full of wisdom. They're full of insight.
The question ought to be, why in the American church do we not
glean from the elderly like we should?
Why are they a priority? The widows just an old woman,
right? Used up all of her good years.
Retrain your thinking, seer, for the worth that God says she has,
because she's of great worth. And I can prove that to you
because the Savior makes them priority.
Psalm 68, five, here's what the Lord says.
He says that our God is a father to the fatherless and a defender
of widows. He is there at their defense.
They are important to the Lord. They are priority to him.
Over in Luke's Gospel in Chapter 7, we see the Lord Jesus
applying you this principle. Luke Chapter 7, turn over there
in your Bibles, verse 11 as Jesus with all the miracles that
he did while he was on this earth according to the will and
plan of the Father, He doesn't bypass this one and watch what's
said about this particular miracle that Jesus does when he
raises the widow's son. Verse 11, it says soon afterward
Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples in a
large crowd went along with him. And as he approached the town
gate, a dead person was being carried out, the only son of his
mother, and she was a widow. Now let me show you how this
works. Her husband took care of her
until she died, until he died. Excuse me.
And when he died, it was now. Her only son's responsibility to
take care of his mother and her only son has died.
That means this. She is really in need.
She needs someone to take care of her.
And if her, her husband and her son are gone from this earth,
she is desolate. She is all.
But dead, he goes on, and he says as they approached the the
town gate, a dead person was being carried out, the only son
of his mother and she was a widow, and a large crowd from
the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart
went out to her, and he said don't cry, don't miss that the
Lord's heart went out to her. Why?
Because he knew the condition of this widow.
He knew exactly that if she didn't have her son, she would
surely perish. And Jesus heart.
Went out to this widow and he said to her, don't cry.
This seems like a pretty insensitive statement for a
widow who has just lost her only son and her only source of
existence on this earth. But Jesus was in complete
control. And isn't he always?
And isn't he faithful to be 714? Then he went, went off and
touched the beer. They were carrying him all, and
that's the sled that they were carrying the dead body on.
And the bears stood still. And he said, young man, I say to
you, get up. And the dead man sat up.
And began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
What a heart for the widow. Why should widows be a priority
in the church? Because they're a priority to
Christ. We don't only see it there in
his earthly ministry, we see in Mark chapter 12.
And I know other gospel accounts include this as well, but Jesus
commends the widow. And what does she do?
She gives the smallest, offering two worthless coins.
You know what He says about her gift?
Hers was the greatest. Why?
Because it was the greatest sacrifice.
All the others gave from the abundance that they had.
This widow gave that small amount from the little that she
had. It was the greatest sacrifice.
And Jesus recognized that widow. So the Savior makes them
priority all throughout His earthly ministry, fulfilling
that which Psalm 68 five says that he is the defender of the
widow. But they are to be priority to
us not only because the Savior makes them priority, their
situation makes them priorities. Think about the mess that
they're in. I told you if if a woman lost
her husband. And she had no older children to
take care of her, no grandchildren to take care of
her. She was as good as dead in this
culture and the church. Needs to see widows who are
really in need in our day, so that they don't become
destitute, so that they don't lose all hope and become
discouraged and even lose their lives.
Their situation makes them priority because they are
helpless and needy. Now, isn't it true that as a
Christian we ought to take care of everyone who is helpless and
needy when we have the opportunity?
As you understand. The reason that if we are to
take care of everyone, we should also take care of those who
belong to the people of God. Matthew 25 Jesus gives a parable
there in Matthew 25 about taking care of the helpless and needy
and what he does there in this parable he talks about those.
Who took care? Of him.
When he was hungry they gave him something to eat, and when he
was thirsty they gave him something to drink, and when he
was a stranger they invited him in.
When he needed clothes, they clothed him.
When he was sick. They looked after him and took
care of him. When he was in prison, they came
and they visited. He goes to verse 37 and it says
then the righteous will answer him.
Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and
give you something to drink? And when did we see you?
A stranger invite you in or need and clothes and clothe you?
And when did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?
He says in 40. And here's the kicker, to this
the King will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for
one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you did for me. And the same goes for this.
Whenever we don't do for the least of these, we do it unto
Christ. So we see that widows ought to
be priority to us because of their situation.
They're helpless. They are in.
Need. They are really in need, in
fact, again destitute, unless the church intervenes, provides
for them first. John chapter 3 says this in
verse 16. This is how we know what love
is. Jesus Christ laid down His life
for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and
sisters. If anyone has material
possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no
pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?
That's a hypothetical question. The answer is, it can't.
For us to call ourselves believers and for us to call
ourselves a church, and to see a widow who is really in need and
to do nothing about it should cause us to question our own
salvation. He says, Dear children, let us
not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth,
echoing what James taught about being not only hearers of the
word, but also doers of that same word.
Galatians 610 says this therefore, as we have
opportunity. Let us do good to all people.
What kind of people should we as Christians do good to?
All of them. We had to consciously and
constantly look for opportunities to do good to all
people. But watch this.
Watch the distinction that's made here, especially to those
who belong to the family of believers, especially those
widows who are really in need in our church.
Yes, one thing to take care of the homeless man who's out on
the street and who needs a meal. You should do that if you have
the means and you have the opportunity to do that.
But you should not feed that homeless man out there in need
and then not come into the body of Christ and consider that
widow who has lost her husband, who has lost all sorts of
financial stability, who has lost any, any sense of any
future. You should not then withhold
your service and your gifts to her.
You should do the same for her, and even more so, especially
because she belongs to the body of Christ.
Now, I know the lost world loves that, right?
They love to say things like, oh, we have to come in to be
treated as good as you. Yes, you do.
And I pray that God graces you and allows you to do that this
very day, to reap the benefits of the death, the burial, the
resurrection of Christ, to reap the benefits of the church that
he has raised up through his sacrifice.
Oh, don't think for a second that you can stay outside of the
church and reap the benefits of the church.
That's foolish thinking, especially, he says, for those
who belong to the family of believers.
Why are they priority? Because of their situation.
Their situation makes them priority.
If we as the Church don't intervene in the lives of widows
who are really in need, recognizing them as those who
are really in need, they have nothing.
Else, isn't it interesting how God has sovereignly orchestrated
that? He has promised to take care of
them and to defend their cause, and in doing so, He has raised
up His church through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ so
that we can show the faithfulness of God to those
widows who are really in need. It should be priority.
Why? Savior makes them priority.
The situation makes them a priority.
And thirdly, the Scriptures make them a priority.
I don't have time this morning. I wish I did.
I don't have time this morning to go through all of the
scriptures and show us that God makes widows priority.
But Deuteronomy 10/18 is where we will begin.
It says he defends the cause of the fatherless, and the widow
loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and
clothing. What does he do?
He ministers to the fatherless, to the alien, to the widow,
giving them the things that they need so that they are not in a
destitute situation. Ezekiel 22.
Seven says in you they have treated.
Father and mother with contempt in you They have oppressed the
foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow.
He's now rebuking them. What is he rebuking them for?
Because they've now oppressed the orphan, the fatherless, and
the widow. God is not for that.
God is not for us oppressing them, right?
And when we turn a blind eye to a widow who's really in need and
not make them priority, you know what we're doing?
We're doing. Exactly what God is rebuking His
people for doing there in Ezekiel 22.
Isaiah 117 says this Learn to do right, seek justice, defend the
oppressed, take up the cause of the fatherless.
Plead the case of the widow. Why are they priority?
Scripture makes them a priority and to not make widows a
priority in the church is to completely ignore scripture.
They are a priority and they must be seen as a priority.
James chapter one in our scripture reading you read it a
moment ago with Doug as he let us it says this verse 27
religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless as
this. Orphans and widows.
In their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by
the world. You know what he does there?
He equates taking care of orphans and widows with your
spiritual well-being. He says.
That pure religion, faultless religion, looks after orphans
and widows. And looks after themselves,
keeping themselves from being polluted by the world.
You take care of yourself spiritually, and you also need
to have the priority of taking care of the orphans and
particularly in this context, the widows.
Now I hate what is going on in modern.
Christianity, right? Because they say things like
this and don't even know what they're saying.
They say I don't need all that religion.
I don't want religion, I just want relationship.
And I kind of get what they're saying, but they're missing the
whole point of us. Being sanctified upon this
earth, the reason that we. Have been sanctified.
Upon this Earth is so that we can practice what James calls
here pure and thoughtless religion, the one.
True religion. Christianity.
You know what most people want to do away with the fact that
Christianity is a religion so they can go.
To heaven and live any way that. They want to live.
But James is saying this if you're truly a.
Christian, you're going to live out pure and thoughtless
religion. And you know what pure and
faultless religion does? Takes care of the orphans, takes
care of the widows and will make sure that they're taking care of
themselves spiritually and not a part of this world any longer.
People say I don't want religion.
I do. Why?
Because in this text that we've seen in James, the text that
we've seen here in First Timothy, we see the word in
Scripture. And so there's something to it.
You know what I don't? I don't want old, dead,
Pharisaical religion. I want true Christianity in my
life. I want to practice the things of
Christ. And would Christ practice these
things, taking care of the orphans and the widows?
Of course he would. You've already seen that he did
it, he gave. Us that example.
He lived up to it, so we too to be aware.
Of the scriptures that. Scriptures make the widow
priority. Savior makes them priority.
The situation makes them priority, and the scriptures
make them priority. That's enough, isn't it?
Isn't it? Now, maybe you came in here
today and you had all kinds of excuses as to why it wasn't your
job as the church to take care of the widows.
All your excuses have been erased, your ignorance.
That you could have claimed. Is gone.
You can no longer say that you are ignorant.
This is what we are to do to properly.
Recognize. Widows who they really are, and
we're going to talk more about that in detail in a second and
why they're a priority. So caring for widows consists
of. 1st, the proper recognition of widows.
Secondly, the proper response to the widows.
The proper. Recognition of the widows.
Was verse 3 now in verses 4 through 16 is going to give us
the proper response? To the widows.
How are we to respond to this, Paul?
Is going to give us clear and concise instructions on how to
do this. Again, this is not difficult to
interpret, though there are some things that culturally we're
going to have to talk about as we walk through this to give you
understanding. It's not hard to interpret.
You don't have to have a seminary degree to do this, so
pay attention to this. The proper response to widows
ought to be first and foremost from their families, from their
families, he says in verse 4. But if a widow has children or.
Grandchildren these should learn first of all to put their
religion there it is into practice by caring for their own
family and so repaying their parents and grandparents for
this is pleasing to God. It's pleasing to God, the.
Family of the widow is. Her first line of defense they
are to care for her first if the widow has children and it even
says grandchildren that can assist her they.
Should it is your responsibility?
I love how Paul tells you why he says.
Because this is. Right, this is putting your
religion into practice. This is what pleases God, taking
care of people from your own family, repaying their parents
and. Grandparents look at the
terminology he uses repaying them.
And I know in our culture we say what are we repaying them for?
Because we're all entitled. You know what you're.
Repaying them for. Every dollar that it costs to
feed you when you were a child, even when you were a teenage boy
eating everything. You're to repay them for every.
Tear that they've wiped from your eye, every wound that they
have somehow provided first aid for, every cut that they have
bandaged up, every dirty, filthy diaper that they ever, ever
changed for you. I hear people say things like
that. Oh man, I can't bear the thought
of when my pants get old. You're changing their diapers.
You need to get used to it. You need to bear the thought.
It's going to come full circle potentially, and it's your
responsibility as a child or a grandchild to do just that.
But isn't that what they did for you?
Instead of seeing it as a burden, you know.
What you ought to say I get to. Repay them back.
Just a little because you're never going to repay them back
for all that you would owe them. I get to pay them back just a
little for everything that they have done for me, that they did
for me when I was growing up. The love that they showed me,
the mercy that they showed me, the grace that they showed me,
the compassion that they showed me.
I get to show those things back. That's exactly what Paul's
saying here. And I want you to understand
that because. Oftentimes, you know what
happens when somebody becomes a widow and they're elderly.
You know what they do? They dump them on the church
immediately. OK, your responsibility, Church.
Responsibility. Take care of the orphans and the
widows. I'm going to go live my life and
not let that old person interfere.
Be a burden to me. Now Paul says the opposite.
He says you as family members of these widows, you take care of
them. If you have means and you have
resources, you are their primary caregiver.
Now the church can come in and the church can supplement that.
But the church should only be a supplement unless they are
really in need. And really in need means that
they have no one else. They don't have children and
grandchildren to repay them for all that they have done.
For them. They're left alone.
So the family of the widow ought to take care of her first.
The family of the widow is to ease the burden of the church,
refuse to neglect their own family.
Why? Because it pleases God, pleases
God. Verse 7 says this, and we'll get
back to the other verses that we're going to skip over.
But to keep it all together, watch this.
Give to the give the people these instructions too, so that
no one may be open to blame if anyone does not provide.
For his. Relatives, and especially for
his immediate family, he has denied the faith.
That's a big statement. He has denied.
The faith and. Is worse than an unbeliever.
The family especially. Those who are Christians, they
ought to be. Eager to help that widow who is
their mother or their grandmother.
They ought to get an extra job if they have to, because they
are that eager to give back to those who have given so much to
them. Why should we do that?
Well, again, to ease the burden of the church, the church can.
Quickly become overwhelmed taking care of widows who have
families who could take care of them.
You say, Well, the church could. Be.
Overwhelmed by widows? Yeah.
Go back to Acts chapter 6 and you see a very interesting thing
happened there. In Acts chapter 6, the church
was. Birthed and then there.
In Acts chapter 6, we see the church learning how to be the
church. And it says this in verse 6 of.
Verse one, excuse me, of chapter 6, says in those days when the
number of disciples was increasing to Hellenistic Jews,
those of Greek background among them complained against the
Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in
the daily distribution of food. Our widows are being overlooked.
They were overwhelmed. With this.
So the 12 the. Apostles gathered all the
disciples together and said it would be not be right for us to
neglect the ministry of the Word of God in order to wait on
tables. This is where we see the birth
of what I believe to be the Deacon waiter of tables.
Says brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you
who are known to be full of the spirit and wisdom, and we will
turn this responsibility over to them and we'll give our
attention. To prayer and the ministry of
the word what was happening the church was becoming overwhelmed
by all the widows and. In that.
They said we got to do something, we have to put
something in place. And So what they did, they put
in place what I believe. And as I said, the Deacon who
would take care of the physical needs of those who had those
physical needs in the church, they would have been the ones
responsible for deciding, is this person on the list?
Does this person meet the criteria?
Is this person truly and really in need?
Or do they have a family who could be taking care of them,
but instead of taking care of them, they're doing what they
tried to do in tricking Jesus and saying, you know what?
I put this money up for religious reasons, so that gives
me a reason not to take care of my family.
And Jesus rebuked that attitude. Why?
Because. True and pure.
Religion is going to use that money to take care of the
orphans. And the widows?
So we see that the family has a great.
Responsibility in this first and foremost.
Going all the way down to verse 16, it says if any woman who is
a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and
not let the church be burdened with them.
That's going beyond even children and grandchildren.
If you got a second cousin who can help take care of the widow,
that second cousin needs to be in there doing it.
Why? He says clearly.
And not let the church be burdened with them so that the
church can help those widows who are really in need, those who
have no one. So if you're here today and you
have a widow in your family, you have a widow who is your mother
or who is your grandmother, let me make this as clear as I can.
Do not dump. Them off on the.
Church, do not put them out as if they are some stray dog who
wandered up on your porch. You have the responsibility to
take care of your own families first, I think.
Paul makes that very clear. Now what if we go beyond that?
Well, there is responsibility that the Church has.
They're to respond just as the family.
Is to respond. The church is going to give that
response to those who are really in need.
The church should focus on widows who do not have any other
resources. Again, really in need.
Those who have been completely abandoned by their husbands,
whether that was through death or desertion, they have no one
else. Now.
Church has to use wisdom and insight in doing this.
It's very important that the church does respond to widows,
whether they are widows who meet the list or widows who are now
young enough to do what Paul's going to tell the church to do,
and that is to remarry and to have children and to manage
their homes. But the church has a
responsibility in. This as well in certain cases.
The church is 1st to take care of the widows that scripture
mandates that they take care of. Watch this because many people
don't understand this. I I know this because I've
pastored long enough that they say blanket statements like
this. My aunt's a widow and nobody
from that church has tried to take.
Care of her. I'm sorry, could you tell me
your aunt's name again? Has she ever been to this?
Church. Well, no.
But it's the church's job to take care of the orphans and the
widows. Now am I?
Saying we're not going to help. This person's aunt.
Nope. But I am saying we're going to
examine everything by Scripture and we are going to decide if
this is someone who would meet the qualification for us to help
them. Watch this.
Here it is. Now you can get mad at me all
you. Want.
But I'm going to read directly from the Word of God so that
there is no discrepancy here. You know this comes from God,
not from Curt. Paul plainly says in verse 9, no
widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over 60.
Everybody write that down over 60.
That means if you are 59 or 60, you are still young according to
the word of God. Rejoice.
In that the. Closer I get, the more I
rejoice. He says unless she's over. 60
Watch has been faithful to her husband and is well known for
her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing
hospitality, washing the feet of the Saints, helping those in
trouble, and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.
So let's look at these. Biblical qualifications of the
widows that the church is responsible for.
We've made it very clear that if there is a widow, a woman has
been deserted by her husband, either death or desertion from
her. Through divorce or whatever the
circumstance may be. And they have.
Family. Family's responsible, but if
they don't, the church is responsible if they meet this
criteria first. We need to see that these are
those who. Trust in God for provision.
Look at verse 5. I told you I would get back to
it. It says the widow who is really
in need. Because I told you I want you to
know what really in need means. The widow who is really in need
and left all alone, She's got no one.
She puts her hope in God. And continues.
Night and day. To pray and to ask God for help.
What a privilege to be a part of His sovereign plan.
Do you know this? When you help a widow who the
Bible says you're to help, you're an answer to her prayer
and you are an example of the faithfulness of God to her.
She is praying, Lord, I have no one else, and I know that you're
going to take care of me. And God says, yes, I am going to
take care of you. And I have a group of people who
have raised up to the precious blood of my son, who they are
going to take care of you as if you are a part of their family.
They are going to honor you like their mother, and they're going
to honor you like their grandmother.
We'll see the beauty. Of the church.
Well, I can be a Christian and not be a.
Part of the church. Why would you?
Miss out on the.
Blessing of being a part of God's church.
So this widow's really in need. She's trusting God, he says in
verse 6. But the widow who lives for
pleasure is dead even while she she lives.
What is he doing? He's contrasting 2 widows.
He's saying there's one widow, she's trusting in God, and
there's another widow who she's just trusting in the pleasures
of this earth. She's trusting in maybe that
little nest egg that she had put back.
She's trusting in tomorrow, which is never guaranteed.
Who knows what she's trusting in, but she's not trusting in
God. You know what God's Word's
saying here? She's on her.
Own but the one who's. Really.
On her knees, Night. And day, thank God, I need your
provision, he says. I'm going to raise up the church
and the church is going to take care of her.
Don't miss that. He's teaching the church that
from the church. Comes the care for the widows,
her trusting in God's provision. I love to see a widow who's
trusting in God's provision when she loses her husband and she
has nothing else. She has no family and she
trusts. God, I've seen over and.
Over and over and over again how God has.
Raised up the church. To minister to that Lady to make
sure that she is not succumbed to the situation that she's
placed in. But he goes on and he says.
This. After talking about.
This widow who can be put on the list, she's over 60.
Obviously he's talking about those who have no family to
support them because he's already covered that if they
have family, then the family should take care of them.
Over 60, they're elderly, right? Because they can't take care of
them themselves any longer. In many instances, they must
rely on others for their care. The churches then to step in and
to help that elderly widow. But he says some other things
that I want to cover because I think so many times people would
just jump over this right? Though Cook could say we're to
take care of the. Orphans and widows.
How and who and which ones qualify and which?
Ones don't qualify well, he says an interesting.
Statement here. And at first when you read this,
you're going to go, why would he say that?
He says no widow may be put on the list of widows unless she's
over 60. We can understand that she's
elderly. She needs help, has been
faithful to her husband. What in the world would you mean
by? That why would this be a
qualification? Because I told you it doesn't
just mean that her husband died. Her husband could have divorced
her, and her husband could have divorced her biblically because
she committed the sin of adultery against him.
And he had every right in the world to put her out of his
home. And the church had every right
in the world if she did not repent, to put her out of the
church. And he's saying I don't want
those people who have forfeited. The family of God and forfeited
their own family for adulterous relationships to benefit from
the church and those well meaning people at the church who
are giving of themselves and their finances and their
resources to those who are said to be really in need.
You know what God is saying. She got herself.
Into it you say, well, I don't believe in that God.
I believe God is a God of mercy, and He is, but he's also a God
who is just. He has laid down some things and
we need to pay attention when he lays down things because he does
not pick them up to suit our opinions and make them anything
different than what they really are.
He says if she's been faithful to.
Her husband, she can be on this list.
If she's over 60, she can be on this list.
And is well known for her good. Deeds, she's a life.
It shows she's truly a believer, right light in the darkness,
such as and here's the examples of those good deeds bringing up
children. That means bringing them up in
the nurture and the admonition of the Lord with the evidence of
godly children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of
the Saints, stooping to serve others as Jesus did, John's
gospel helping those in trouble. And devoting.
Herself to all kinds of good deeds.
So who? Is this?
Widow that can be. On this list, those who trust.
God for provision. They're trusting in Him alone
because he's all that they have. Just as we sang a moment ago,
All I have is Christ. That's all she has.
Those who have no family to support them.
Those who have been faithful to their husband, who are not in an
unmarried state and left abandoned because of their own
doing, he said, won't God forgive that?
Yes, God will forgive that, but it won't allow her to be on the
list of widows. His words already spoken.
I'm sorry, but that's what it says.
And serving the Lord and true service to the Lord, just like
in our lives, in the life of the widow, it'll be displayed by her
good deeds and her piety of life.
The fact that she is actually living out the faith that she
claims to have. We see that evidenced in the
fruit of the Spirit, Lovejoy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, gentleness, self-control.
What's he saying? That if she's going to be on
this list, she has to be a godly woman and she has to be a proven
godly woman. And then when?
She is, then she can be. Put on this list so the church
is to care for the widows that Scripture mandates, right?
Those elderly widows who meet biblical criteria, you say,
well, I don't like the biblical criteria.
Take that up with God. I didn't make that.
Up. I'm just reading it to you.
And I really don't care if you like it or not.
I can tell you this is what it says, and this is what we'll
practice at Key Life Fellowship. Why?
Because God's Word says that this is what we're to do.
And now we bring in another. Category of widow to this
equation to what? Paul's teaching.
We saw that the church is to care for the.
Older widow, but the church is also to care for the younger
widows. And how?
Well, I'll go ahead and tell you this.
Not the same way that they care for the older widows.
Watch what Paul says here. He says As for the younger
widows, why? Because he knew that their
question was going to be what about the younger widows?
We have widows in our church that are 55 1/2.
What do we do about those? He says As for.
The younger widows do not. Put them such a on such a list.
For when their essential. Desires overcome their
dedication to Christ. They want to marry.
Nobody's talking about sensual. Desires for a woman yes, a woman
has a desire for the man, though it'd be different from the
desire that a man has for a woman.
A woman has an. Inward desire.
For a man and what has obviously gone on here, this woman has
done like many young women do when they lose their spouse
unexpectedly. Here's what they say
immediately. Oh God, I don't know what to do
I'm never. Going to marry again.
I'm just going to devote my life to you, Lord, and your church.
And why did they say that? Because they were in an
emotional state. Now this is just for free.
Widows who are female can get in an emotional state and they make
a vow and. Their vow is to the Church,
right? I'm never going to marry again.
The love of my life is gone until their sensual desires.
Overcome their dedication to Christ.
Until the vow that. They made is no longer good.
And that's what Ecclesiastes 55 tells us, isn't it?
That it's better to not make a vow than to make one and not
fulfill it? I would encourage young widows.
If a young widow happened to come to me in our church, what
should I do? Nothing right now.
Pray and seek the will of God for your life.
Perhaps God will bring another man.
Well, I don't even want to think about it.
You're not ready to. Think about it now.
But perhaps he will. Because that's what his word
instructs you to wait upon. Now, if you can remain single
and make that vow, of course, Paul even says in First
Corinthians Chapter 7, it's better for you to not marry.
He said if you can be like me, be like me.
But if you burn in your sensual desires, the lust of your flesh,
he says it's better for you to marry than to burn.
So he's applying everything that he's taught all throughout his
ministry, even to this. He says they want to get married
when this happens, thus they. Bring judgment on themselves.
Because they have broken their first pledge.
They made a pledge to God. They made a vow that they broke.
We shouldn't do that. So what happens?
Here we see first. That this young widow is
ensnared by good intentions, right?
Making vows she can't keep. How many of you have ever made a
vow that you couldn't keep? Lord, if you get me through
this, I'll never. Do it again, and then you turn
around and do it again. You weren't in a position to
keep that. Vow.
You just made it, hopefully to get you out of trouble.
Paul is very understanding of this, that a woman in that
situation will make a vow that she just can't keep.
Lord, I'll be dedicated to you and your church.
Just take care of me because I've lost all income and I've
lost all resources and I need the help of the church.
Then she's overcome. By her fleshly desires.
And then she wants a man violating her own conscience and
the own conscience and the own her own vow that she made.
See the trouble that good intentions can get us into?
He's warning that they should remarry so that they don't fall
into and become ensnared by their good intentions.
Because isn't it horrible to have good intentions and then
drop the ball? Then they put a weight.
On your conscience, right when? You tell your kids you want to
do something that you know you're probably not going to be
able to do, but you really want to do for your kids.
But you, you know that you probably can't do it.
And then inevitably, you don't do it.
You look like you don't keep your promises.
What should you have done? Well, you probably shouldn't
have made that promise until you were sure that you could keep
that promise. Same thing here.
If we're not careful, the younger widows can be ensnared
by their good intentions, but also they can be ensnared by a
sinful idleness. Look at verse 13, he says.
Besides, they get into the. Habit of being idle and going
about from house to house, and not only do they become idlers,
but also gossips and busy bodies saying things they ought not to.
What is he saying here? He's saying that a woman.
Who gets married? Just the fact that she has a
husband and children in the home, it keeps her out of a lot
of trouble that she could. Get into if left to herself.
Now ladies, I know that might offend.
Some of you. And all I can simply tell you is
this sometimes. The truth is offensive.
You you can get in trouble. If you are idle, right?
Idle hands, an idle mind, as your grandmother used to say.
What the devil's workshop? Is there a woman who is?
Remarried after being a widow. She now has a husband.
She potentially has children. She now has a home.
And let me tell you this, just having a husband, if it's me,
you're so busy, you can't be idle.
I can laugh at myself. I know the truth.
My wife deserves some medal on earth and in heaven.
But he says if you're a young widow.
You you ought to encourage her to remarry so that she can be
busy taking care of her husband and her children and her home so
that she doesn't become idle or an idler or busy body or gossip.
So that she's busy. At home?
Is that not what scripture teaches?
To be busy at home instead of being a busy body.
I'll just throw social media on. There.
For fun, you can be a busy. Body on social media now?
Easy, can't you? But if you're busy with your
husband, your home and your children, you don't have time
for all that, do you? Paul's warning.
That these women could be ensnared not only by.
Good intentions of making vows. That they're not able to keep or
ensnared by sinful idleness. Watch verse 14.
It can also be ensnared by much more than that, he says.
Verse 14. So I counsel younger widows to
marry, to have children, to manage their homes, and to give
the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15 says some have in
fact already turned away to follow Satan.
What is he talking about here? Well, he's talking.
About something that. You probably would think about,
but you don't want to think about in church.
But I'm going to make you think about it in church.
There is one of the oldest. Professions in the world that
women are capable of and that is sexual.
Immorality they are capable of prostituting themselves so that
they can make. An income and it wasn't uncommon
in the day. It wasn't uncommon in the day.
For someone. To be in this same situation,
deserted. By their husband.
Either through death or divorce. And they have.
No means for an income. They have no means for food.
Perhaps they have children that they need to provide for that
are so young that there's no one who could ever help them.
And they say, you know what? I don't have any skill.
I don't. I can't apply for a job.
But what I can do is I can present myself as a prostitute
and I can make money through sexual immorality.
And what Paul's saying here is that Satan's already grabbed
some of them. Some of them have already
succumbed to this temptation, he said.
Well, I would. Never.
You've never. Been placed in that situation.
So before you cast judgement, be careful.
Be careful. What is the cure?
For this, how do we prevent? This Paul's giving us that cure.
He says take the older widows and teach them to remarry.
Make sure that it is a. Biblical.
Marriage make sure that it is a biblical remarriage right she's
not free to remarry if she's committed adultery against her
husband if her. Husband is taken from her from
this. World she's no longer bound by
that relationship because he's died.
She can now remarry someone who has never been married or who
has had a biblical divorce, he said.
Well, you think? The Church ought to.
Play matchmaker. Yes.
I don't think there's a better place in the world to play
matchmaker to say, you know what?
I know that you've been handled, handed.
Excuse me, an adverse situation. And I know you can't handle
this. On your own.
But I know of a young man in the church.
Who's looking for a wife? Who's a godly man?
He's not afraid to be a godly man.
Who would probably? Take care of you and.
Probably take care of your family.
Would you be interested in even talking to him?
I don't mind saying that at all. Why?
Because it's biblical. Ah, to encourage that young
widow to remarry. Why?
So that she will become busy. Taking care of her husband and
her family and her home and her big problem.
What was it she was? Deserted, she was left.
Destitute her big problem. Is now taken care of because she
has a husband that God has raised up for her who is taking
care of her and taking care of their family by providing for
them through his hard work and the finances that that the Lord
allows him to acquire through that.
The only other option for the young?
Widows. Is to let them figure it out on
their own. And.
Unfortunately in trying to figure it.
Out on their own there is an enemy who desires to ensnare
them by their own good intentions, by their own sinful
idleness, and their own sexual desires may never be.
So in this church. May never be so, and not only.
As a leader in this church, but it may never be so with any
advice that you give to any of the younger widows that may come
in our church. This isn't it true?
We're all just one phone call, this one sentence of bad news.
All the women in this church, you are one of those away from
being a widow. Isn't it important that we know
what they? Are isn't it?
It's. Important that we know how to
treat. Them.
Isn't it important? That we show them the love and
the compassion that the Lord shows to them.
Isn't it important that we look at them and we treat them
biblically as Scripture has mandated for us to do so Both
the family and the church have a role in this.
Families, take care of your people.
Let me just make this promise to you.
When you run out of resources or your resources get low, then you
come to the church and we will then.
Come alongside of you and subsidized what you need.
Why would we do it that way So. That we don't have that extra
burden so that when we do have that woman who is over 60 who
has no. Children and no grandchildren.
He's left all alone but has trusted God her entire life to
be her provider. We can faithfully.
Ensure that she will be taken care of because Scripture has
mandated that we take care of her.
So how do we take care of our widows?
For all of you who. Were afraid because we were
only. On .2, that's all we have today.
No need to be afraid. I have no objective.
When I go into sermon preparation, is it going to be
one point or is it going to be 30?
It doesn't matter to me this. One's 2.
Proper recognition of the widows, the proper response to
the widows. As I said a moment ago, your
ignorance card has been removed. You can't neglect this any
longer. We must define them properly.
We must care. For those who are really in
need. Must take care of our.
Own family When it requires that we take care of our own family,
we must encourage younger widows.
To remarry if so possible. So that they don't fall into the
trap of Satan. That's simple.
I told you. There's nothing hard to
understand here. What's hard to?
Understand is why we don't talk about this.
In the church, what's hard to understand?
Is why we we think. We have to be tricky and we have
to be exciting. We have to be entertaining.
I get it. Guess what?
There's nothing fiery about this this morning, was there?
But does that change the importance of it?
Absolutely not. This is why we exposit the
scripture. Not going to jump over this
topic and say like many do by jumping over it.
Then widows are not that important.
It's just a trivial matter once the church is handled.
No, let's let's teach it properly and let's handle it
biblically. How about that?
Why would we do that? Because God requires it and he
deserves it. So to the leaders of this
church, we have to assure that. This happens.
Why didn't I know this? I look at Acts chapter. 6 and I
know that. I have to devote myself to the
scriptures and to prayer, but I also know.
That God is constantly raising. UP men in this church who can
minister to our widows as need be to take care of them as their
own family, just as he did in the early church.
Believer, you have to do your part.
What's your part? Care for the widow?
How do you do? That the same way you care for
anyone. Time, talent, resources, right?
Time, talent and resources. Got a widow in our church who
she's suffering with a health problem and you're a nurse.
Why aren't you there already? The hush breaks over the crowd.
Well, I get paid to be a nurse. I know you're actually going to
store blessings in heaven like he told you to do instead of on
earth. I don't know if I can help him.
I'm a busy man. I got a.
Big company I got to take care of.
Yeah, you make lots of money. Hey, give your money to the
church. You know what?
You know what they did in the early church?
They laid at the apostles feet and they distributed as the need
dictated. I'll tell you this, our church
has always been faithful to make sure that it gets into the hands
of those who are really in need. If you have financial resources,
give. We say I don't have financial
resources. I'm not a nurse.
Pray. Watch this.
Write a card, send a text message, make a phone call.
Just let them know, hey, we care about you.
Why? Because Christ cares about you
and. That's what we're to do as a
church. We're to take care of our
widows. Do your part.
You have a family member who's a widow, take care of her.
I'm dump her on the. Church, take care of her.
Do what you're. Supposed to do.
Does your mother, your grandmother, remember they did
it for you? Repay them because they deserve
it. Honor your mother and father,
not just when you like it, when it's difficult, honor them.
Why? Because God said to do that to
the unbeliever. I know where you are right now.
You're sitting here and you're saying, what does this mean to
me? It means nothing to you.
It can't. Mean anything to you, and
frankly? You can't even understand what
I'm teaching here this morning. Why?
Because the natural man does not understand the things of the
Spirit. To you I'm nothing more than
Charlie Brown's teacher. Wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah.
Means nothing to you because you're not a part of the family.
Of God. You say.
Are you saying that to isolate me?
No. I'm just saying that so that
you'll know that you're isolated.
I'm not the one who's isolated you your.
Sin has isolated you. Your sin has cut you off and
alienated you from the family of God and from God Himself.
And thanks to be to God that 2000 years ago Jesus Christ, the
only begotten Son of God, came to this earth and he died on a
cross and he was buried and he rose again to new life so that
you can have forgiveness of. Sin and new life, and so that
you can be justified before a holy God and so that you can be
brought in to the family of God. Why is that important?
Because one day you might be that widow who needs the family
of God to take care of you. One day you might be that
widower who needs the family of God to take care of you.
One day you might be that orphan who needs the family of God to
take care of you. And hasn't God been just to us?
Let us bow. Before him, let us.
Acknowledge Christ as Lord and Savior.
Let us walk to Him with every ounce of energy that we have
this morning and kneel before Him as our Lord and as our
Savior, turning from our sin and turning to Him as Christ and
Lord of our lives. Surrender to Christ today and
become a. Family of God and.
Understand these principles that have been taught personally as
we all in Christ understand them personally.
Just pray to God the Father in the name of Jesus.
We thank you so much for your word.
We thank you that it's true, every bit of it.
From cover to cover. It means something.
What I pray for the widows that means something to you.
Let them mean something to us as well.
Let us passionately love and passionately give to them, but
let us do it biblically that it would be pleasing.
To you whether that. Be the family who gives or the
church who gives to the widow. May we do it all in honor of
you. May you receive.
All honor and glory. And praise for the soul who's
here today who does not know Christ.
Lord, I pray that you would give them mercy.
You would draw them out of the darkness of their sin, that you
would draw them into your marvelous light, that today they
would turn from sin and self under your power, turn to faith
in Jesus Christ, the one true Lord and Savior.
We'll give you the praise for it in Jesus name, Amen.
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