1 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:05,680 You're listening to Key Life Fellowships pulpit ministry 2 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:08,880 podcast. We thank you for tuning in as we 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,280 learn from God's word together. If you would like more 4 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:15,720 information regarding Key Life or to speak with one of our 5 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:20,920 pastors, please visit us at keylifefellow-ship.com. 6 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:26,720 No man comes to the Father, but by me. 7 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:33,720 Jesus also says, and if you're in him, you'll have life, life 8 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,120 to the full. It's in Christ that we truly 9 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:40,960 find alive for our souls, because prior to Christ you were 10 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:47,840 dead spiritually. Let our anxious hearts, because 11 00:00:49,160 --> 00:00:52,600 we're all prone to that, be reminded of that. 12 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:59,040 Then in our anxiousness, all we have is Christ. 13 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:05,080 Let us devote ourselves to Him like never before. 14 00:01:06,960 --> 00:01:08,720 You have your Bibles. If you would turn to First 15 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:12,800 Timothy chapter 5. If you don't have your Bibles, I 16 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:15,040 would quickly just say this. Bring your Bible to church with 17 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:20,160 you. Bibles are like attorneys around 18 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:21,640 here. If you don't have one, one will 19 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:28,960 be provided for you. Open your Bibles to First 20 00:01:28,960 --> 00:01:32,480 Timothy chapter 5 as we continue walking verse by verse through 21 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:39,160 the pastoral Epistles. And I'll say this again, if 22 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:45,840 these have not ministered to you to any capacity, I don't 23 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:49,960 apologize for that because they have ministered to me and they 24 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:52,560 have ministered to the pastors and the leaders here of this 25 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:54,120 church. I know that for fact. 26 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:57,960 And you're going to receive benefit from that as a church. 27 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:00,880 You're going to receive the trickle down effect that 28 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:04,760 Scripture produces as God prepares his leaders to lead you 29 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:07,280 where it is that God would want you to go as a congregation. 30 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,919 And he does that through his word, just as he does it in our 31 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:14,280 individual lines. But today we're coming through a 32 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,800 topic as we continue the second part on properly caring for the 33 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:19,520 family of God. Last week we talked about 34 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:23,400 properly caring for the older men, the younger, the younger 35 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:27,040 men, the older women and the younger women, what that looks 36 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,280 like in the church and what we are responsible to do in regard 37 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:34,720 to each of those people groups. Now there were only two verses 38 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,760 in chapter 5 that were set aside and dedicated to all of that, 39 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:44,400 and we come to another portion in this section of chapter 5. 40 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:49,240 Where verses 3 through 16 are dedicated to another group of 41 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:55,240 people in the church that often no one talks about, no one's 42 00:02:55,240 --> 00:03:02,120 really even interested in. I can probably accurately say 43 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:06,280 that most churches have never really even taught through this 44 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:11,280 passage in a way that is clear that people can understand and 45 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,040 practice. In fact, in the. 46 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:21,080 Self driven self gratification culture that we live in. 47 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:25,480 Most people would. Said under a sermon about the 48 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:30,200 topic of widows with no interest at all. 49 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,200 And it's interesting no one's interested about widows and what 50 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:38,840 the teachings on scripture confirm about widows until 1 is 51 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:42,600 in fact a widow. It shouldn't be that way. 52 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:48,720 Must understand the importance of that group of people in the 53 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:50,720 church. We must accurately define who 54 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:58,160 they are and we must minister to them with the heart that God has 55 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:03,200 given us as ministers, both as leaders and as laypersons. 56 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:07,960 Paul's going to use the term quite frequently in these verses 57 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:09,960 that we're going to cover today, and that is. 58 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:15,120 The term really in need, and I want you to pay close attention 59 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:16,920 to that term. You're going to see it multiple 60 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:19,160 times. We're going to talk about what 61 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,720 it means to be really in need and who are these people who are 62 00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:30,480 really in need and how do we take off the responsibility that 63 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:34,600 we do. Have as a church in taking care 64 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:37,960 of them. How do we take care of the 65 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,680 widows? Who are the widows in this body, 66 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:44,080 and what does that look like in real time? 67 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:47,600 What does that look like in the clear teaching that Paul is 68 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:50,240 going to give there? There are no hermeneutical 69 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:55,080 obstacles here. He is plain and simple about who 70 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:57,760 the widows are and how we are to minister to them. 71 00:04:58,360 --> 00:04:59,680 So let's look at this let scripture. 72 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:03,680 Speak First Timothy chapter 5 and verse 3. 73 00:05:04,280 --> 00:05:09,800 We learn to care for the widows biblically, he says in verse 3. 74 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:15,000 Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 75 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:16,840 There it is. You see it immediately. 76 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:22,800 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should 77 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:26,440 learn first of all to. Put their religion into practice 78 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:30,880 by caring for their own family. And so repaying. 79 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:36,080 Their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 80 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:43,520 The widow who is really in need and left alone puts her hope in 81 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:49,400 God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. 82 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:54,600 But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she 83 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:59,440 lives. Seven says give the people these 84 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:04,520 instructions to so that no one may be open to blame if anyone 85 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:08,040 does not provide for his relatives and especially for his 86 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:14,120 immediate family. He has denied the faith and is 87 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:18,800 worse than an unbeliever. Verse 9 says no widow may be put 88 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:24,920 on the list of widows unless she is over 60, has been faithful to 89 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:29,480 her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as 90 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:33,920 bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of 91 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:37,520 the Saints, helping those in trouble, and devoting herself to 92 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:44,840 all kinds of good deeds. As for younger widows, do not 93 00:06:44,840 --> 00:06:48,400 put them on such a list, for when their sensual desires 94 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:51,800 overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 95 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:56,000 Thus they bring judgment on themselves because they have 96 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:00,800 broken their first pledge. Besides, they get into the habit 97 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:04,640 of being idle and going about from house to house, and not 98 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:10,520 only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busy bodies, 99 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:15,160 saying things they ought not to. So I counsel younger widows to 100 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:18,240 marry, to have children, to manage their homes, and to give 101 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:21,480 the enemy no opportunity for slander. 102 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:25,600 Some have in fact, already turned away to follow Satan. 103 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:29,720 If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she 104 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:35,440 should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so 105 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:41,440 that the church can help those widows who are really in need. 106 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:43,360 Let's pray to God the Father. In the name of Jesus. 107 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:47,120 We come to you now. We ask for wisdom from your 108 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:50,560 Word. We know that we have been given 109 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:54,480 these widows by Your sovereign hand, and we would take care of 110 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:56,600 them according to Your word. Let us be diligent. 111 00:07:56,600 --> 00:08:00,840 Let us be obedient in that. And Lord, let us not apologize 112 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:04,960 for those who You have not included on such a list, those 113 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:08,040 who You would have us to instruct to remarry and to have 114 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:10,640 children and to manage their homes. 115 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:13,160 Lord, may we do that, and may we be obedient in that. 116 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:18,720 And Lord, as we think about our own families, may we take care 117 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:23,320 of them as we should, so that they not be a burden unto the 118 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:27,760 church, and so that you would be pleased with how we handle that 119 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:30,320 situation. Lord, as we learn Your Word, as 120 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:35,559 you teach us your Word through Your Spirit today, give us the 121 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:39,480 heart to be doers and not just hearers only to put into 122 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:43,400 practice that which we receive, Lord, that we, we may do this so 123 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:45,400 that you could receive the praise for it. 124 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:48,880 God, I pray for the unbeliever who's here today, who is outside 125 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:52,360 of the family of God, who has no understanding of what it means 126 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:55,240 to be a part of your family, to be your child. 127 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:58,720 God, I pray today that you would have mercy on them as only you 128 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:01,840 can. You would reveal yourself to 129 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:03,600 them, Lord Jesus, your sacrifice. 130 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:09,200 You would reveal to them their need for a Savior because of 131 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:13,640 their sinful state, that you, by your grace and your mercy, would 132 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:16,640 usher them into the family of God to receive salvation and 133 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:19,480 adoption. It's one of your children. 134 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:26,120 God, I pray that most importantly, your will would be 135 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:30,800 done in this day and in our lives as believers, that you 136 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:32,280 would receive all glory and honor and praise. 137 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:33,760 And we pray these things in Christ's name. 138 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:40,160 Amen. So we get to chapter 5 and 139 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:44,440 verses 3 through 16, and we get to a very, very important part 140 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:48,440 of Scripture that has, for whatever reason, in the modern 141 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:51,960 church, become not very important. 142 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:57,280 It is very, very important that we care for widows. 143 00:09:57,280 --> 00:10:02,520 And in doing so, we have to have what Paul says to Timothy is the 144 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:05,440 proper recognition of the widows. 145 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:08,440 Verse three he says, give proper recognition to those widows who 146 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:11,960 are really in need. Now, proper recognition is not 147 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:14,960 getting them a plaque and saying welcome to widowdom. 148 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:18,480 It's not giving them a trophy and saying you've arrived. 149 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:23,240 It is recognizing them biblically, recognizing them 150 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:28,000 according to Scripture, giving them that proper recognition and 151 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:33,080 that proper honor that they deserve as those who are really 152 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:36,400 in need. Paul is instructing Timothy to 153 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:38,960 do this, and because Paul instructed Timothy to do this, 154 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:46,000 we as a church in 2026 have the same obligation to recognize the 155 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:50,600 widows who are really in need in our church. 156 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:52,960 This is important. This is important that we 157 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:55,600 recognize them, that we make a distinction. 158 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:59,160 Now I know we live in a world where no one likes to make 159 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:02,760 distinctions any longer, right? They don't want to make 160 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:05,120 distinctions between men and women. 161 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:07,840 So they have a difficult time in making distinctions. 162 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:10,920 But let me just tell you this, the Word of God is going to make 163 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:15,400 a distinction between widows and widows who are really in need. 164 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:17,720 And we have to pay attention to that. 165 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:20,640 Why? Because widows who are really in 166 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:23,800 need are the responsibility of the church. 167 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:28,720 Widows who are in a position where they have lost their 168 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:33,840 husband, they are the responsibility of their family 169 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:38,000 if they are not really in need. And so the word makes the 170 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,240 distinction here that we need to see immediately. 171 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:43,800 And we need to see that immediately because there are 172 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:49,200 people who are constantly claiming to be widows in the 173 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:54,080 church wanting nothing more than just a handout from the church. 174 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:58,640 And I want to make this ever so clear. 175 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:05,240 God's Word is not teaching here in regard to widows that we 176 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:10,400 become a place that is a welfare system, if you would. 177 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:13,440 That is not what God is advocating. 178 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:15,520 That is never what God's Word advocates. 179 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:17,880 In fact, the apostle Paul teaches in another place. 180 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:21,720 He says if a man wants to eat and he's able to do it, let him. 181 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:23,880 Work. Let him work. 182 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:27,560 We're going to see that there are those widows that we have to 183 00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:31,760 recognize who are still able, because they have family, to 184 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:37,080 meet all of their needs. But there are also those widows 185 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:40,680 who are really in need who have no one else. 186 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:43,480 And so as we look at this, Paul's giving instructions so 187 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:45,880 that we can teach people. And this is what we do want to 188 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:51,680 teach people to live for Christ and his church and not to try 189 00:12:51,680 --> 00:12:54,600 to. Live off of Christ and His 190 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:56,480 church. Because you see, there's a 191 00:12:56,480 --> 00:12:59,600 difference, isn't there? There's a difference between 192 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:02,840 that person who wants to live for Christ and his church, even 193 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:04,760 though they'd be in the state of a widow. 194 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:09,160 And there are those who are simply just looking for handouts 195 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:13,040 from the church because their family is not doing what they 196 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:16,080 are supposed to do, as we will see in a moment, and taking the 197 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:20,400 burden off of the church because they are their responsibility, 198 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,160 not the churches. And so we have to ask this 199 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:26,080 question if we're going to properly recognize the widows as 200 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:28,680 Paul's telling Timothy to do. Who are the widows? 201 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:31,680 Who are the widows who are really in need, the ones that we 202 00:13:31,680 --> 00:13:34,480 are to properly recognize in the church? 203 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:38,920 Well, it's hard for us in our culture to answer this quickly 204 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:43,360 in this text. And in the context of this text, 205 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:45,800 it's a little more complex than just a short answer. 206 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:51,040 And the reason is the the term that we see here for widow has 207 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:53,840 many meanings, many possible meanings. 208 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:56,440 It could, of course, refer to someone who loses their husband. 209 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:57,800 We know that that's the obvious one. 210 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:00,640 In fact, that's the only one that we still adopt. 211 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:04,680 But more accurately, this term means this one who has suffered 212 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:11,960 loss or one who has been left alone or abandoned. 213 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:16,520 And so we realized very quickly that when we're distinguishing 214 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:21,680 who the widow really is that the church is responsible for, it 215 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:25,400 gets a little complex there. Who are we talking about? 216 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:29,440 Well, we're talking about one who has been abandoned or left 217 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:32,960 alone, suffering loss. Now, abandonment can come in 218 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:36,120 many forms, can it? The first one is this, wives who 219 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:39,120 have been abandoned by their husbands because of death. 220 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:42,600 Simply put, their husbands have passed from this earth. 221 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:47,400 They have died. And they are in basic need of 222 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:48,920 provision. Why? 223 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:53,680 Because in the culture of the day, and I believe in the 224 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:59,680 biblical culture of what Paul is addressing here, the wives would 225 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,280 be home, taking care of the children, taking care of the 226 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:05,320 home, and taking care of their husband. 227 00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:10,320 The husband would be out working as the provider for his family. 228 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:13,480 He would come home as the protector of his family, as the 229 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:16,000 prophet, priest and king of his home. 230 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:20,120 And if. That wife was to lose her 231 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:25,360 husband. She would lose every resource 232 00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:29,360 that she has. She would be completely 233 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:33,120 abandoned. She would be desolate. 234 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:38,360 So of course he's talking about wives who have been abandoned by 235 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:41,480 the death of their husbands. They are all alone, Alone they 236 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:44,800 are suffering loss on this earth. 237 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:51,680 But also in biblical times, not so much in our day, because in 238 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:56,400 our day we we find ourselves not caring enough about others. 239 00:15:56,400 --> 00:16:02,360 So many times in the church. But in this time that Paul is 240 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:07,840 addressing the Ephesians through young Timothy, he's also talking 241 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:11,480 about wives who have been abandoned by their husband's 242 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:15,760 desertion, meaning that he has deserted them. 243 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:18,360 He's that unbelieving husband who has gone on. 244 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:22,320 He is as good as dead. He is no longer providing for 245 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:25,120 his wife. Many scholars believe this. 246 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:28,960 I don't know if this is 100% accurate, but we could see it in 247 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:32,480 this context for sure. Many scholars believe that 248 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:36,880 perhaps Paul is addressing some who are of the Jewish culture 249 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:41,520 and background who may have had multiple wives and then when 250 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:45,200 they came to faith in Christ as a knee jerk reaction and in a 251 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:49,280 Roman culture that did not advocate polygamy, they would 252 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:53,240 have chosen their favorite wives and then put the other wives. 253 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:58,240 Away, leaving them to a place where they had no financial 254 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:02,640 support, they had no protection. In this world, it could be that 255 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:05,079 case. It could also be that case of 256 00:17:05,079 --> 00:17:09,920 that man who decides that he's done with his wife and he puts 257 00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:13,440 her away, giving her that writ of divorce just because he 258 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:15,880 decided that's what he wants to do. 259 00:17:16,599 --> 00:17:19,920 Either way, nevertheless, they are left all alone. 260 00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:23,680 They are abandoned. They have no support, right? 261 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:26,200 Women could not go out and just get a job. 262 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:31,160 Like a man did in those days. Now here they are, they're in 263 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:35,640 this situation where someone must care for them. 264 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:40,560 Why? Because they are really in need. 265 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:44,360 This is real. If they don't get assistance and 266 00:17:44,360 --> 00:17:48,240 get assistance immediately, they will perish. 267 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:53,120 Their children will perish, They will suffer greater loss 268 00:17:53,120 --> 00:17:55,040 potentially. And So what God? 269 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:59,560 Does in His word, being the merciful God that He is, He 270 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:04,720 provides for them through His Church in this particular 271 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:08,600 situation, in the particular manner that we are going to see 272 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:12,760 that He prescribes for taking care of those widows who are 273 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:15,640 really in need. So who are the widows? 274 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:17,280 Now? Let's make this simple and and 275 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:18,560 so that we can have it in our mind. 276 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:20,960 They are wives abandoned by their husband's death. 277 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:23,800 That's where we start. But it's more than that. 278 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:26,800 They are also wives who have been abandoned by their 279 00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:29,680 husband's desertion. For whatever reason, he has 280 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:33,040 deserted them. He has deserted his family. 281 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:36,200 He said, well, I can't believe that went on in the Bible times. 282 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:38,760 It goes on today. Sinners have always been 283 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:41,280 present. These sins that still exist, 284 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:44,240 they always will enter. The Lord comes and straightens 285 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:48,160 everything out. So there will be a need to 286 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:51,600 minister to this group of people, those who fit the 287 00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:56,000 definition of the widows. So when we're caring for the 288 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:01,320 widows, giving them the proper recognition of a widow, we have 289 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:04,560 to distinguish who they are. We also have to distinguish who 290 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:06,720 they aren't. And Paul's going to give us some 291 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:09,160 insight into that in just a moment. 292 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:11,480 But before we do that, let's do this. 293 00:19:12,120 --> 00:19:14,520 Let's ask the question, who are the widows? 294 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:16,240 And we have done that and we have answered it. 295 00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:19,960 But let's go to question 2. Why are they a priority? 296 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:24,600 Why are they a priority? Why did Paul use 2 verses to 297 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:29,600 talk about old men, young men, old women, young women, and how 298 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:32,120 we're to operate, how we're to minister and care for them in 299 00:19:32,120 --> 00:19:35,320 the church and use 2 verses? But now we have verse 3 all the 300 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:40,440 way to verse 16, covering this very, very important part and 301 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:44,200 teaching us how to properly recognize and care. 302 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:47,320 For the widows, why are they priority? 303 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:51,720 And shouldn't we ask that in our culture especially, why are 304 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:55,480 widows priority right? We've already established that 305 00:19:55,480 --> 00:20:00,080 those who are properly on the list of widows are 60 and up, so 306 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:01,600 they're elderly. And isn't it true in our 307 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:05,520 culture, Well, the elderly are considered all but useless, 308 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:07,520 aren't they? Outdated. 309 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:12,520 Nothing to offer this modern society that knows so much. 310 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:18,000 And we often discount the elderly as if they're not 311 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:21,200 important. Now, that was not the case when 312 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:24,520 Paul is riding to Timothy here. They would bring them into their 313 00:20:24,520 --> 00:20:26,280 homes. They they would become a part of 314 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:28,440 their family again. They would take care of them 315 00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:31,840 till their dying day. They were important. 316 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:34,840 They had wisdom that they can offer, offer to the church and 317 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:38,040 offer to the home. Wisdom that our generation did 318 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:41,440 not even yet have an opportunity to acquire. 319 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:47,520 Why are they a priority? Or why should they be a priority 320 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:52,360 when they're really just elderly people who have nothing else to 321 00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:54,160 offer? Stop thinking like an American. 322 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:58,880 I'll say it again, Stop thinking like an American. 323 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:02,400 They have so much to offer. They know how to love. 324 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:05,280 They know how to forgive. They know how to teach. 325 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:08,920 They're full of wisdom. They're full of insight. 326 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:11,760 The question ought to be, why in the American church do we not 327 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:13,880 glean from the elderly like we should? 328 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:19,520 Why are they a priority? The widows just an old woman, 329 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:22,800 right? Used up all of her good years. 330 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:31,720 Retrain your thinking, seer, for the worth that God says she has, 331 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:35,600 because she's of great worth. And I can prove that to you 332 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:38,720 because the Savior makes them priority. 333 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:42,040 Psalm 68, five, here's what the Lord says. 334 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:48,360 He says that our God is a father to the fatherless and a defender 335 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:52,120 of widows. He is there at their defense. 336 00:21:52,120 --> 00:21:56,560 They are important to the Lord. They are priority to him. 337 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:02,600 Over in Luke's Gospel in Chapter 7, we see the Lord Jesus 338 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,680 applying you this principle. Luke Chapter 7, turn over there 339 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:10,600 in your Bibles, verse 11 as Jesus with all the miracles that 340 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:14,280 he did while he was on this earth according to the will and 341 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:19,680 plan of the Father, He doesn't bypass this one and watch what's 342 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:23,920 said about this particular miracle that Jesus does when he 343 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:28,160 raises the widow's son. Verse 11, it says soon afterward 344 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:31,440 Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples in a 345 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:35,080 large crowd went along with him. And as he approached the town 346 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:40,080 gate, a dead person was being carried out, the only son of his 347 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:44,360 mother, and she was a widow. Now let me show you how this 348 00:22:44,360 --> 00:22:47,000 works. Her husband took care of her 349 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:49,440 until she died, until he died. Excuse me. 350 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:55,280 And when he died, it was now. Her only son's responsibility to 351 00:22:55,280 --> 00:23:00,560 take care of his mother and her only son has died. 352 00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:04,880 That means this. She is really in need. 353 00:23:05,360 --> 00:23:07,520 She needs someone to take care of her. 354 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:12,280 And if her, her husband and her son are gone from this earth, 355 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:15,400 she is desolate. She is all. 356 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:21,720 But dead, he goes on, and he says as they approached the the 357 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:23,960 town gate, a dead person was being carried out, the only son 358 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:26,600 of his mother and she was a widow, and a large crowd from 359 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:29,280 the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart 360 00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:33,200 went out to her, and he said don't cry, don't miss that the 361 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:37,280 Lord's heart went out to her. Why? 362 00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:39,320 Because he knew the condition of this widow. 363 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:45,200 He knew exactly that if she didn't have her son, she would 364 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:48,320 surely perish. And Jesus heart. 365 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:52,080 Went out to this widow and he said to her, don't cry. 366 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:55,680 This seems like a pretty insensitive statement for a 367 00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:59,840 widow who has just lost her only son and her only source of 368 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:03,200 existence on this earth. But Jesus was in complete 369 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:04,440 control. And isn't he always? 370 00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:08,960 And isn't he faithful to be 714? Then he went, went off and 371 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:11,080 touched the beer. They were carrying him all, and 372 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:13,040 that's the sled that they were carrying the dead body on. 373 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:18,640 And the bears stood still. And he said, young man, I say to 374 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:21,840 you, get up. And the dead man sat up. 375 00:24:22,360 --> 00:24:27,000 And began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 376 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:34,680 What a heart for the widow. Why should widows be a priority 377 00:24:34,680 --> 00:24:37,000 in the church? Because they're a priority to 378 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,160 Christ. We don't only see it there in 379 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:41,720 his earthly ministry, we see in Mark chapter 12. 380 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:44,800 And I know other gospel accounts include this as well, but Jesus 381 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:46,960 commends the widow. And what does she do? 382 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:51,240 She gives the smallest, offering two worthless coins. 383 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:54,920 You know what He says about her gift? 384 00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:59,080 Hers was the greatest. Why? 385 00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:01,640 Because it was the greatest sacrifice. 386 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:04,400 All the others gave from the abundance that they had. 387 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:08,600 This widow gave that small amount from the little that she 388 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:11,040 had. It was the greatest sacrifice. 389 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:16,360 And Jesus recognized that widow. So the Savior makes them 390 00:25:16,360 --> 00:25:21,520 priority all throughout His earthly ministry, fulfilling 391 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:26,800 that which Psalm 68 five says that he is the defender of the 392 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:31,720 widow. But they are to be priority to 393 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:35,440 us not only because the Savior makes them priority, their 394 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:37,880 situation makes them priorities. Think about the mess that 395 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:42,040 they're in. I told you if if a woman lost 396 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:45,440 her husband. And she had no older children to 397 00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:48,080 take care of her, no grandchildren to take care of 398 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:50,280 her. She was as good as dead in this 399 00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:57,880 culture and the church. Needs to see widows who are 400 00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:03,560 really in need in our day, so that they don't become 401 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:11,480 destitute, so that they don't lose all hope and become 402 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:14,280 discouraged and even lose their lives. 403 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:17,560 Their situation makes them priority because they are 404 00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:21,240 helpless and needy. Now, isn't it true that as a 405 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:24,240 Christian we ought to take care of everyone who is helpless and 406 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:25,880 needy when we have the opportunity? 407 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:28,800 As you understand. The reason that if we are to 408 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:33,120 take care of everyone, we should also take care of those who 409 00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:39,240 belong to the people of God. Matthew 25 Jesus gives a parable 410 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:43,400 there in Matthew 25 about taking care of the helpless and needy 411 00:26:44,360 --> 00:26:47,680 and what he does there in this parable he talks about those. 412 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:50,200 Who took care? Of him. 413 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:53,240 When he was hungry they gave him something to eat, and when he 414 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:55,720 was thirsty they gave him something to drink, and when he 415 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:57,360 was a stranger they invited him in. 416 00:26:57,360 --> 00:26:59,840 When he needed clothes, they clothed him. 417 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:02,360 When he was sick. They looked after him and took 418 00:27:02,360 --> 00:27:04,080 care of him. When he was in prison, they came 419 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:09,760 and they visited. He goes to verse 37 and it says 420 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:10,960 then the righteous will answer him. 421 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:13,720 Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and 422 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:15,520 give you something to drink? And when did we see you? 423 00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:18,240 A stranger invite you in or need and clothes and clothe you? 424 00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:21,600 And when did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? 425 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:24,160 He says in 40. And here's the kicker, to this 426 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:29,400 the King will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for 427 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:32,440 one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, 428 00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:37,280 you did for me. And the same goes for this. 429 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:41,400 Whenever we don't do for the least of these, we do it unto 430 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:45,760 Christ. So we see that widows ought to 431 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:50,400 be priority to us because of their situation. 432 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:52,720 They're helpless. They are in. 433 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:54,960 Need. They are really in need, in 434 00:27:54,960 --> 00:28:01,920 fact, again destitute, unless the church intervenes, provides 435 00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:06,200 for them first. John chapter 3 says this in 436 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:08,040 verse 16. This is how we know what love 437 00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:10,080 is. Jesus Christ laid down His life 438 00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:12,480 for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and 439 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:14,560 sisters. If anyone has material 440 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,120 possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no 441 00:28:17,120 --> 00:28:20,720 pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 442 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:23,760 That's a hypothetical question. The answer is, it can't. 443 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:28,200 For us to call ourselves believers and for us to call 444 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:32,880 ourselves a church, and to see a widow who is really in need and 445 00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:35,480 to do nothing about it should cause us to question our own 446 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:39,480 salvation. He says, Dear children, let us 447 00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:43,120 not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth, 448 00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:46,800 echoing what James taught about being not only hearers of the 449 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:50,560 word, but also doers of that same word. 450 00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:53,880 Galatians 610 says this therefore, as we have 451 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:58,000 opportunity. Let us do good to all people. 452 00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:01,040 What kind of people should we as Christians do good to? 453 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:03,920 All of them. We had to consciously and 454 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:07,960 constantly look for opportunities to do good to all 455 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:10,480 people. But watch this. 456 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:15,240 Watch the distinction that's made here, especially to those 457 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:20,520 who belong to the family of believers, especially those 458 00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:24,160 widows who are really in need in our church. 459 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:27,920 Yes, one thing to take care of the homeless man who's out on 460 00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:31,840 the street and who needs a meal. You should do that if you have 461 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:34,760 the means and you have the opportunity to do that. 462 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:41,160 But you should not feed that homeless man out there in need 463 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:44,720 and then not come into the body of Christ and consider that 464 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:48,280 widow who has lost her husband, who has lost all sorts of 465 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:53,240 financial stability, who has lost any, any sense of any 466 00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:56,160 future. You should not then withhold 467 00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:58,960 your service and your gifts to her. 468 00:29:59,920 --> 00:30:03,840 You should do the same for her, and even more so, especially 469 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:06,560 because she belongs to the body of Christ. 470 00:30:06,560 --> 00:30:10,160 Now, I know the lost world loves that, right? 471 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:13,560 They love to say things like, oh, we have to come in to be 472 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:15,480 treated as good as you. Yes, you do. 473 00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:21,200 And I pray that God graces you and allows you to do that this 474 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:26,160 very day, to reap the benefits of the death, the burial, the 475 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:29,280 resurrection of Christ, to reap the benefits of the church that 476 00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:30,960 he has raised up through his sacrifice. 477 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:33,800 Oh, don't think for a second that you can stay outside of the 478 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:35,680 church and reap the benefits of the church. 479 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:42,400 That's foolish thinking, especially, he says, for those 480 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:44,160 who belong to the family of believers. 481 00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:46,720 Why are they priority? Because of their situation. 482 00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:48,320 Their situation makes them priority. 483 00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:52,040 If we as the Church don't intervene in the lives of widows 484 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:54,760 who are really in need, recognizing them as those who 485 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:57,240 are really in need, they have nothing. 486 00:30:57,240 --> 00:31:01,880 Else, isn't it interesting how God has sovereignly orchestrated 487 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:06,400 that? He has promised to take care of 488 00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:12,840 them and to defend their cause, and in doing so, He has raised 489 00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:17,080 up His church through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ so 490 00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:20,600 that we can show the faithfulness of God to those 491 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:25,520 widows who are really in need. It should be priority. 492 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:29,320 Why? Savior makes them priority. 493 00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:32,800 The situation makes them a priority. 494 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:36,840 And thirdly, the Scriptures make them a priority. 495 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:41,800 I don't have time this morning. I wish I did. 496 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:45,360 I don't have time this morning to go through all of the 497 00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:52,720 scriptures and show us that God makes widows priority. 498 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:55,480 But Deuteronomy 10/18 is where we will begin. 499 00:31:56,800 --> 00:31:59,480 It says he defends the cause of the fatherless, and the widow 500 00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:03,040 loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and 501 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:03,840 clothing. What does he do? 502 00:32:03,840 --> 00:32:08,000 He ministers to the fatherless, to the alien, to the widow, 503 00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:12,760 giving them the things that they need so that they are not in a 504 00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:16,920 destitute situation. Ezekiel 22. 505 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:19,480 Seven says in you they have treated. 506 00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:23,200 Father and mother with contempt in you They have oppressed the 507 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:25,880 foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow. 508 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:28,280 He's now rebuking them. What is he rebuking them for? 509 00:32:28,840 --> 00:32:31,760 Because they've now oppressed the orphan, the fatherless, and 510 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:34,000 the widow. God is not for that. 511 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:36,280 God is not for us oppressing them, right? 512 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:40,040 And when we turn a blind eye to a widow who's really in need and 513 00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:42,520 not make them priority, you know what we're doing? 514 00:32:43,080 --> 00:32:45,560 We're doing. Exactly what God is rebuking His 515 00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:48,360 people for doing there in Ezekiel 22. 516 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:56,720 Isaiah 117 says this Learn to do right, seek justice, defend the 517 00:32:56,720 --> 00:32:59,680 oppressed, take up the cause of the fatherless. 518 00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:04,600 Plead the case of the widow. Why are they priority? 519 00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:08,920 Scripture makes them a priority and to not make widows a 520 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:12,960 priority in the church is to completely ignore scripture. 521 00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:17,840 They are a priority and they must be seen as a priority. 522 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:20,080 James chapter one in our scripture reading you read it a 523 00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:23,520 moment ago with Doug as he let us it says this verse 27 524 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:27,840 religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless as 525 00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:28,960 this. Orphans and widows. 526 00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:32,960 In their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by 527 00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:34,240 the world. You know what he does there? 528 00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:41,080 He equates taking care of orphans and widows with your 529 00:33:41,080 --> 00:33:45,880 spiritual well-being. He says. 530 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:52,920 That pure religion, faultless religion, looks after orphans 531 00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:55,960 and widows. And looks after themselves, 532 00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:58,080 keeping themselves from being polluted by the world. 533 00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:00,560 You take care of yourself spiritually, and you also need 534 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:03,240 to have the priority of taking care of the orphans and 535 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:05,960 particularly in this context, the widows. 536 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:09,000 Now I hate what is going on in modern. 537 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:11,239 Christianity, right? Because they say things like 538 00:34:11,239 --> 00:34:12,600 this and don't even know what they're saying. 539 00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:16,199 They say I don't need all that religion. 540 00:34:16,199 --> 00:34:18,639 I don't want religion, I just want relationship. 541 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:25,520 And I kind of get what they're saying, but they're missing the 542 00:34:25,520 --> 00:34:28,120 whole point of us. Being sanctified upon this 543 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:31,239 earth, the reason that we. Have been sanctified. 544 00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:35,280 Upon this Earth is so that we can practice what James calls 545 00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:40,320 here pure and thoughtless religion, the one. 546 00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:41,960 True religion. Christianity. 547 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:44,880 You know what most people want to do away with the fact that 548 00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:48,280 Christianity is a religion so they can go. 549 00:34:48,280 --> 00:34:49,960 To heaven and live any way that. They want to live. 550 00:34:51,440 --> 00:34:53,120 But James is saying this if you're truly a. 551 00:34:53,120 --> 00:34:55,600 Christian, you're going to live out pure and thoughtless 552 00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:56,719 religion. And you know what pure and 553 00:34:56,719 --> 00:34:59,120 faultless religion does? Takes care of the orphans, takes 554 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:02,880 care of the widows and will make sure that they're taking care of 555 00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:07,040 themselves spiritually and not a part of this world any longer. 556 00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:10,680 People say I don't want religion. 557 00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:13,080 I do. Why? 558 00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:15,920 Because in this text that we've seen in James, the text that 559 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:18,800 we've seen here in First Timothy, we see the word in 560 00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:21,480 Scripture. And so there's something to it. 561 00:35:21,640 --> 00:35:24,440 You know what I don't? I don't want old, dead, 562 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:29,600 Pharisaical religion. I want true Christianity in my 563 00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:32,360 life. I want to practice the things of 564 00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:34,640 Christ. And would Christ practice these 565 00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:36,720 things, taking care of the orphans and the widows? 566 00:35:36,720 --> 00:35:39,280 Of course he would. You've already seen that he did 567 00:35:39,280 --> 00:35:41,240 it, he gave. Us that example. 568 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:47,560 He lived up to it, so we too to be aware. 569 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:50,000 Of the scriptures that. Scriptures make the widow 570 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:52,600 priority. Savior makes them priority. 571 00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:54,720 The situation makes them priority, and the scriptures 572 00:35:54,720 --> 00:35:56,440 make them priority. That's enough, isn't it? 573 00:35:57,440 --> 00:35:59,680 Isn't it? Now, maybe you came in here 574 00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:04,320 today and you had all kinds of excuses as to why it wasn't your 575 00:36:04,320 --> 00:36:07,880 job as the church to take care of the widows. 576 00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:11,320 All your excuses have been erased, your ignorance. 577 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:13,040 That you could have claimed. Is gone. 578 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:15,080 You can no longer say that you are ignorant. 579 00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:18,480 This is what we are to do to properly. 580 00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:21,400 Recognize. Widows who they really are, and 581 00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:23,320 we're going to talk more about that in detail in a second and 582 00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:28,240 why they're a priority. So caring for widows consists 583 00:36:28,240 --> 00:36:32,280 of. 1st, the proper recognition of widows. 584 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:37,000 Secondly, the proper response to the widows. 585 00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:40,160 The proper. Recognition of the widows. 586 00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:44,560 Was verse 3 now in verses 4 through 16 is going to give us 587 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:47,280 the proper response? To the widows. 588 00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:51,000 How are we to respond to this, Paul? 589 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:55,040 Is going to give us clear and concise instructions on how to 590 00:36:55,040 --> 00:36:57,800 do this. Again, this is not difficult to 591 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:00,360 interpret, though there are some things that culturally we're 592 00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:02,720 going to have to talk about as we walk through this to give you 593 00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:05,960 understanding. It's not hard to interpret. 594 00:37:05,960 --> 00:37:10,160 You don't have to have a seminary degree to do this, so 595 00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:13,640 pay attention to this. The proper response to widows 596 00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:18,680 ought to be first and foremost from their families, from their 597 00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:24,440 families, he says in verse 4. But if a widow has children or. 598 00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:28,160 Grandchildren these should learn first of all to put their 599 00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:33,560 religion there it is into practice by caring for their own 600 00:37:33,560 --> 00:37:37,480 family and so repaying their parents and grandparents for 601 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:44,520 this is pleasing to God. It's pleasing to God, the. 602 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:50,680 Family of the widow is. Her first line of defense they 603 00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:57,280 are to care for her first if the widow has children and it even 604 00:37:57,280 --> 00:38:02,080 says grandchildren that can assist her they. 605 00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:05,600 Should it is your responsibility? 606 00:38:05,600 --> 00:38:09,720 I love how Paul tells you why he says. 607 00:38:10,160 --> 00:38:12,640 Because this is. Right, this is putting your 608 00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:17,440 religion into practice. This is what pleases God, taking 609 00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:22,000 care of people from your own family, repaying their parents 610 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:22,880 and. Grandparents look at the 611 00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:24,600 terminology he uses repaying them. 612 00:38:24,760 --> 00:38:27,200 And I know in our culture we say what are we repaying them for? 613 00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:30,360 Because we're all entitled. You know what you're. 614 00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:33,440 Repaying them for. Every dollar that it costs to 615 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:36,360 feed you when you were a child, even when you were a teenage boy 616 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:41,280 eating everything. You're to repay them for every. 617 00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:45,760 Tear that they've wiped from your eye, every wound that they 618 00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:50,160 have somehow provided first aid for, every cut that they have 619 00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:55,920 bandaged up, every dirty, filthy diaper that they ever, ever 620 00:38:55,920 --> 00:38:58,320 changed for you. I hear people say things like 621 00:38:58,320 --> 00:39:00,360 that. Oh man, I can't bear the thought 622 00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:03,680 of when my pants get old. You're changing their diapers. 623 00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:07,880 You need to get used to it. You need to bear the thought. 624 00:39:08,600 --> 00:39:12,200 It's going to come full circle potentially, and it's your 625 00:39:12,200 --> 00:39:16,720 responsibility as a child or a grandchild to do just that. 626 00:39:16,720 --> 00:39:18,280 But isn't that what they did for you? 627 00:39:20,040 --> 00:39:21,640 Instead of seeing it as a burden, you know. 628 00:39:21,640 --> 00:39:25,120 What you ought to say I get to. Repay them back. 629 00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:27,520 Just a little because you're never going to repay them back 630 00:39:27,520 --> 00:39:32,320 for all that you would owe them. I get to pay them back just a 631 00:39:32,320 --> 00:39:35,840 little for everything that they have done for me, that they did 632 00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:39,240 for me when I was growing up. The love that they showed me, 633 00:39:39,240 --> 00:39:42,440 the mercy that they showed me, the grace that they showed me, 634 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:44,560 the compassion that they showed me. 635 00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:47,080 I get to show those things back. That's exactly what Paul's 636 00:39:47,080 --> 00:39:49,080 saying here. And I want you to understand 637 00:39:49,080 --> 00:39:50,280 that because. Oftentimes, you know what 638 00:39:50,280 --> 00:39:53,080 happens when somebody becomes a widow and they're elderly. 639 00:39:53,160 --> 00:39:54,760 You know what they do? They dump them on the church 640 00:39:54,760 --> 00:39:57,280 immediately. OK, your responsibility, Church. 641 00:39:57,280 --> 00:39:58,800 Responsibility. Take care of the orphans and the 642 00:39:58,800 --> 00:40:00,400 widows. I'm going to go live my life and 643 00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:02,960 not let that old person interfere. 644 00:40:03,720 --> 00:40:05,680 Be a burden to me. Now Paul says the opposite. 645 00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:08,600 He says you as family members of these widows, you take care of 646 00:40:08,600 --> 00:40:09,800 them. If you have means and you have 647 00:40:09,800 --> 00:40:12,160 resources, you are their primary caregiver. 648 00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:15,120 Now the church can come in and the church can supplement that. 649 00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:19,160 But the church should only be a supplement unless they are 650 00:40:19,360 --> 00:40:22,960 really in need. And really in need means that 651 00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:27,880 they have no one else. They don't have children and 652 00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:31,760 grandchildren to repay them for all that they have done. 653 00:40:31,920 --> 00:40:33,080 For them. They're left alone. 654 00:40:34,040 --> 00:40:39,240 So the family of the widow ought to take care of her first. 655 00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:43,440 The family of the widow is to ease the burden of the church, 656 00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:46,920 refuse to neglect their own family. 657 00:40:48,440 --> 00:40:52,040 Why? Because it pleases God, pleases 658 00:40:52,040 --> 00:40:54,520 God. Verse 7 says this, and we'll get 659 00:40:54,520 --> 00:40:56,080 back to the other verses that we're going to skip over. 660 00:40:56,080 --> 00:40:57,360 But to keep it all together, watch this. 661 00:40:57,360 --> 00:41:00,520 Give to the give the people these instructions too, so that 662 00:41:00,520 --> 00:41:04,080 no one may be open to blame if anyone does not provide. 663 00:41:04,080 --> 00:41:05,760 For his. Relatives, and especially for 664 00:41:05,760 --> 00:41:08,480 his immediate family, he has denied the faith. 665 00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:11,560 That's a big statement. He has denied. 666 00:41:11,560 --> 00:41:15,880 The faith and. Is worse than an unbeliever. 667 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:22,880 The family especially. Those who are Christians, they 668 00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:26,200 ought to be. Eager to help that widow who is 669 00:41:26,200 --> 00:41:28,360 their mother or their grandmother. 670 00:41:28,880 --> 00:41:31,520 They ought to get an extra job if they have to, because they 671 00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:36,040 are that eager to give back to those who have given so much to 672 00:41:36,040 --> 00:41:39,040 them. Why should we do that? 673 00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:43,320 Well, again, to ease the burden of the church, the church can. 674 00:41:43,320 --> 00:41:48,440 Quickly become overwhelmed taking care of widows who have 675 00:41:48,440 --> 00:41:50,920 families who could take care of them. 676 00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:53,120 You say, Well, the church could. Be. 677 00:41:53,520 --> 00:41:55,320 Overwhelmed by widows? Yeah. 678 00:41:55,320 --> 00:41:58,280 Go back to Acts chapter 6 and you see a very interesting thing 679 00:41:58,440 --> 00:42:01,800 happened there. In Acts chapter 6, the church 680 00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:03,000 was. Birthed and then there. 681 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:06,120 In Acts chapter 6, we see the church learning how to be the 682 00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:10,080 church. And it says this in verse 6 of. 683 00:42:10,680 --> 00:42:13,080 Verse one, excuse me, of chapter 6, says in those days when the 684 00:42:13,080 --> 00:42:15,640 number of disciples was increasing to Hellenistic Jews, 685 00:42:15,640 --> 00:42:18,440 those of Greek background among them complained against the 686 00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:22,280 Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in 687 00:42:22,280 --> 00:42:25,440 the daily distribution of food. Our widows are being overlooked. 688 00:42:26,560 --> 00:42:28,000 They were overwhelmed. With this. 689 00:42:28,800 --> 00:42:30,560 So the 12 the. Apostles gathered all the 690 00:42:30,560 --> 00:42:32,920 disciples together and said it would be not be right for us to 691 00:42:32,920 --> 00:42:35,200 neglect the ministry of the Word of God in order to wait on 692 00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:37,160 tables. This is where we see the birth 693 00:42:37,160 --> 00:42:39,840 of what I believe to be the Deacon waiter of tables. 694 00:42:40,360 --> 00:42:43,520 Says brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you 695 00:42:43,520 --> 00:42:46,720 who are known to be full of the spirit and wisdom, and we will 696 00:42:46,720 --> 00:42:50,040 turn this responsibility over to them and we'll give our 697 00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:51,440 attention. To prayer and the ministry of 698 00:42:51,440 --> 00:42:54,240 the word what was happening the church was becoming overwhelmed 699 00:42:55,440 --> 00:42:59,040 by all the widows and. In that. 700 00:42:59,040 --> 00:43:00,560 They said we got to do something, we have to put 701 00:43:00,560 --> 00:43:02,400 something in place. And So what they did, they put 702 00:43:02,400 --> 00:43:04,640 in place what I believe. And as I said, the Deacon who 703 00:43:04,640 --> 00:43:07,360 would take care of the physical needs of those who had those 704 00:43:07,360 --> 00:43:09,480 physical needs in the church, they would have been the ones 705 00:43:09,480 --> 00:43:13,200 responsible for deciding, is this person on the list? 706 00:43:13,200 --> 00:43:14,640 Does this person meet the criteria? 707 00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:19,160 Is this person truly and really in need? 708 00:43:19,160 --> 00:43:21,920 Or do they have a family who could be taking care of them, 709 00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:25,480 but instead of taking care of them, they're doing what they 710 00:43:25,480 --> 00:43:27,880 tried to do in tricking Jesus and saying, you know what? 711 00:43:27,880 --> 00:43:30,320 I put this money up for religious reasons, so that gives 712 00:43:30,320 --> 00:43:33,400 me a reason not to take care of my family. 713 00:43:33,400 --> 00:43:36,400 And Jesus rebuked that attitude. Why? 714 00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:37,560 Because. True and pure. 715 00:43:37,560 --> 00:43:40,360 Religion is going to use that money to take care of the 716 00:43:40,360 --> 00:43:41,720 orphans. And the widows? 717 00:43:43,840 --> 00:43:45,320 So we see that the family has a great. 718 00:43:45,320 --> 00:43:47,680 Responsibility in this first and foremost. 719 00:43:48,080 --> 00:43:51,640 Going all the way down to verse 16, it says if any woman who is 720 00:43:51,640 --> 00:43:54,640 a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and 721 00:43:54,640 --> 00:43:56,040 not let the church be burdened with them. 722 00:43:56,040 --> 00:43:58,400 That's going beyond even children and grandchildren. 723 00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:00,480 If you got a second cousin who can help take care of the widow, 724 00:44:00,600 --> 00:44:02,320 that second cousin needs to be in there doing it. 725 00:44:04,560 --> 00:44:06,040 Why? He says clearly. 726 00:44:06,320 --> 00:44:08,520 And not let the church be burdened with them so that the 727 00:44:08,520 --> 00:44:13,600 church can help those widows who are really in need, those who 728 00:44:13,600 --> 00:44:16,240 have no one. So if you're here today and you 729 00:44:16,240 --> 00:44:19,280 have a widow in your family, you have a widow who is your mother 730 00:44:19,280 --> 00:44:23,720 or who is your grandmother, let me make this as clear as I can. 731 00:44:24,840 --> 00:44:26,240 Do not dump. Them off on the. 732 00:44:26,240 --> 00:44:31,200 Church, do not put them out as if they are some stray dog who 733 00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:35,360 wandered up on your porch. You have the responsibility to 734 00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:39,600 take care of your own families first, I think. 735 00:44:39,600 --> 00:44:44,000 Paul makes that very clear. Now what if we go beyond that? 736 00:44:44,080 --> 00:44:47,320 Well, there is responsibility that the Church has. 737 00:44:49,480 --> 00:44:51,040 They're to respond just as the family. 738 00:44:51,040 --> 00:44:53,480 Is to respond. The church is going to give that 739 00:44:53,480 --> 00:44:55,720 response to those who are really in need. 740 00:44:55,800 --> 00:45:00,120 The church should focus on widows who do not have any other 741 00:45:00,240 --> 00:45:03,440 resources. Again, really in need. 742 00:45:03,960 --> 00:45:06,280 Those who have been completely abandoned by their husbands, 743 00:45:06,280 --> 00:45:11,320 whether that was through death or desertion, they have no one 744 00:45:11,400 --> 00:45:11,880 else. Now. 745 00:45:11,880 --> 00:45:14,960 Church has to use wisdom and insight in doing this. 746 00:45:16,320 --> 00:45:19,440 It's very important that the church does respond to widows, 747 00:45:19,440 --> 00:45:22,880 whether they are widows who meet the list or widows who are now 748 00:45:22,880 --> 00:45:25,800 young enough to do what Paul's going to tell the church to do, 749 00:45:25,800 --> 00:45:28,280 and that is to remarry and to have children and to manage 750 00:45:28,280 --> 00:45:31,200 their homes. But the church has a 751 00:45:31,200 --> 00:45:35,400 responsibility in. This as well in certain cases. 752 00:45:36,520 --> 00:45:40,440 The church is 1st to take care of the widows that scripture 753 00:45:40,720 --> 00:45:45,120 mandates that they take care of. Watch this because many people 754 00:45:45,120 --> 00:45:47,800 don't understand this. I I know this because I've 755 00:45:47,800 --> 00:45:50,280 pastored long enough that they say blanket statements like 756 00:45:50,280 --> 00:45:55,800 this. My aunt's a widow and nobody 757 00:45:55,800 --> 00:45:57,000 from that church has tried to take. 758 00:45:57,000 --> 00:46:00,680 Care of her. I'm sorry, could you tell me 759 00:46:00,680 --> 00:46:04,280 your aunt's name again? Has she ever been to this? 760 00:46:04,280 --> 00:46:04,840 Church. Well, no. 761 00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:07,000 But it's the church's job to take care of the orphans and the 762 00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:09,120 widows. Now am I? 763 00:46:09,120 --> 00:46:12,320 Saying we're not going to help. This person's aunt. 764 00:46:13,400 --> 00:46:15,640 Nope. But I am saying we're going to 765 00:46:15,640 --> 00:46:18,480 examine everything by Scripture and we are going to decide if 766 00:46:18,480 --> 00:46:21,960 this is someone who would meet the qualification for us to help 767 00:46:22,080 --> 00:46:23,600 them. Watch this. 768 00:46:23,880 --> 00:46:26,960 Here it is. Now you can get mad at me all 769 00:46:26,960 --> 00:46:27,400 you. Want. 770 00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:29,480 But I'm going to read directly from the Word of God so that 771 00:46:29,480 --> 00:46:32,280 there is no discrepancy here. You know this comes from God, 772 00:46:32,280 --> 00:46:36,400 not from Curt. Paul plainly says in verse 9, no 773 00:46:36,400 --> 00:46:41,440 widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over 60. 774 00:46:41,440 --> 00:46:44,240 Everybody write that down over 60. 775 00:46:44,840 --> 00:46:49,800 That means if you are 59 or 60, you are still young according to 776 00:46:49,800 --> 00:46:52,400 the word of God. Rejoice. 777 00:46:52,400 --> 00:46:54,720 In that the. Closer I get, the more I 778 00:46:54,720 --> 00:47:01,080 rejoice. He says unless she's over. 60 779 00:47:01,080 --> 00:47:04,960 Watch has been faithful to her husband and is well known for 780 00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:07,920 her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing 781 00:47:07,920 --> 00:47:10,960 hospitality, washing the feet of the Saints, helping those in 782 00:47:10,960 --> 00:47:14,600 trouble, and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. 783 00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:19,120 So let's look at these. Biblical qualifications of the 784 00:47:19,120 --> 00:47:21,320 widows that the church is responsible for. 785 00:47:21,320 --> 00:47:24,880 We've made it very clear that if there is a widow, a woman has 786 00:47:24,880 --> 00:47:28,880 been deserted by her husband, either death or desertion from 787 00:47:28,880 --> 00:47:30,200 her. Through divorce or whatever the 788 00:47:30,200 --> 00:47:33,160 circumstance may be. And they have. 789 00:47:33,160 --> 00:47:36,280 Family. Family's responsible, but if 790 00:47:36,280 --> 00:47:41,680 they don't, the church is responsible if they meet this 791 00:47:41,760 --> 00:47:45,280 criteria first. We need to see that these are 792 00:47:45,280 --> 00:47:48,080 those who. Trust in God for provision. 793 00:47:48,080 --> 00:47:50,240 Look at verse 5. I told you I would get back to 794 00:47:50,240 --> 00:47:51,520 it. It says the widow who is really 795 00:47:51,520 --> 00:47:53,040 in need. Because I told you I want you to 796 00:47:53,040 --> 00:47:55,720 know what really in need means. The widow who is really in need 797 00:47:55,720 --> 00:47:59,800 and left all alone, She's got no one. 798 00:48:01,720 --> 00:48:04,920 She puts her hope in God. And continues. 799 00:48:04,920 --> 00:48:07,520 Night and day. To pray and to ask God for help. 800 00:48:07,520 --> 00:48:11,040 What a privilege to be a part of His sovereign plan. 801 00:48:11,040 --> 00:48:13,320 Do you know this? When you help a widow who the 802 00:48:13,320 --> 00:48:17,200 Bible says you're to help, you're an answer to her prayer 803 00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:20,000 and you are an example of the faithfulness of God to her. 804 00:48:20,160 --> 00:48:23,000 She is praying, Lord, I have no one else, and I know that you're 805 00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:25,280 going to take care of me. And God says, yes, I am going to 806 00:48:25,280 --> 00:48:27,400 take care of you. And I have a group of people who 807 00:48:27,400 --> 00:48:30,440 have raised up to the precious blood of my son, who they are 808 00:48:30,440 --> 00:48:33,760 going to take care of you as if you are a part of their family. 809 00:48:33,840 --> 00:48:35,960 They are going to honor you like their mother, and they're going 810 00:48:35,960 --> 00:48:37,360 to honor you like their grandmother. 811 00:48:38,480 --> 00:48:39,960 We'll see the beauty. Of the church. 812 00:48:40,920 --> 00:48:42,360 Well, I can be a Christian and not be a. 813 00:48:42,360 --> 00:48:43,960 Part of the church. Why would you? 814 00:48:45,240 --> 00:48:46,880 Why would you? Miss out on the. 815 00:48:46,880 --> 00:48:49,320 Blessing of being a part of God's church. 816 00:48:51,600 --> 00:48:55,840 So this widow's really in need. She's trusting God, he says in 817 00:48:55,840 --> 00:48:57,360 verse 6. But the widow who lives for 818 00:48:57,360 --> 00:48:59,760 pleasure is dead even while she she lives. 819 00:49:00,120 --> 00:49:02,440 What is he doing? He's contrasting 2 widows. 820 00:49:02,440 --> 00:49:05,840 He's saying there's one widow, she's trusting in God, and 821 00:49:05,840 --> 00:49:08,200 there's another widow who she's just trusting in the pleasures 822 00:49:08,200 --> 00:49:10,600 of this earth. She's trusting in maybe that 823 00:49:10,600 --> 00:49:12,120 little nest egg that she had put back. 824 00:49:12,120 --> 00:49:14,600 She's trusting in tomorrow, which is never guaranteed. 825 00:49:14,600 --> 00:49:16,720 Who knows what she's trusting in, but she's not trusting in 826 00:49:16,720 --> 00:49:18,600 God. You know what God's Word's 827 00:49:18,600 --> 00:49:19,480 saying here? She's on her. 828 00:49:19,480 --> 00:49:21,760 Own but the one who's. Really. 829 00:49:21,760 --> 00:49:24,640 On her knees, Night. And day, thank God, I need your 830 00:49:24,640 --> 00:49:26,880 provision, he says. I'm going to raise up the church 831 00:49:26,880 --> 00:49:29,120 and the church is going to take care of her. 832 00:49:30,040 --> 00:49:37,830 Don't miss that. He's teaching the church that 833 00:49:37,830 --> 00:49:40,630 from the church. Comes the care for the widows, 834 00:49:41,270 --> 00:49:45,360 her trusting in God's provision. I love to see a widow who's 835 00:49:45,360 --> 00:49:48,640 trusting in God's provision when she loses her husband and she 836 00:49:48,640 --> 00:49:51,960 has nothing else. She has no family and she 837 00:49:51,960 --> 00:49:53,360 trusts. God, I've seen over and. 838 00:49:53,360 --> 00:49:56,520 Over and over and over again how God has. 839 00:49:56,520 --> 00:50:00,040 Raised up the church. To minister to that Lady to make 840 00:50:00,040 --> 00:50:03,720 sure that she is not succumbed to the situation that she's 841 00:50:03,720 --> 00:50:07,600 placed in. But he goes on and he says. 842 00:50:07,600 --> 00:50:11,600 This. After talking about. 843 00:50:12,120 --> 00:50:15,480 This widow who can be put on the list, she's over 60. 844 00:50:15,480 --> 00:50:18,160 Obviously he's talking about those who have no family to 845 00:50:18,160 --> 00:50:20,840 support them because he's already covered that if they 846 00:50:20,840 --> 00:50:23,240 have family, then the family should take care of them. 847 00:50:23,960 --> 00:50:26,880 Over 60, they're elderly, right? Because they can't take care of 848 00:50:26,880 --> 00:50:30,880 them themselves any longer. In many instances, they must 849 00:50:30,880 --> 00:50:34,960 rely on others for their care. The churches then to step in and 850 00:50:34,960 --> 00:50:39,640 to help that elderly widow. But he says some other things 851 00:50:39,640 --> 00:50:42,360 that I want to cover because I think so many times people would 852 00:50:42,360 --> 00:50:45,480 just jump over this right? Though Cook could say we're to 853 00:50:45,480 --> 00:50:47,000 take care of the. Orphans and widows. 854 00:50:48,840 --> 00:50:53,120 How and who and which ones qualify and which? 855 00:50:53,120 --> 00:50:55,840 Ones don't qualify well, he says an interesting. 856 00:50:55,840 --> 00:50:57,520 Statement here. And at first when you read this, 857 00:50:57,520 --> 00:50:58,680 you're going to go, why would he say that? 858 00:50:59,080 --> 00:51:01,440 He says no widow may be put on the list of widows unless she's 859 00:51:01,440 --> 00:51:03,600 over 60. We can understand that she's 860 00:51:03,600 --> 00:51:06,320 elderly. She needs help, has been 861 00:51:06,320 --> 00:51:11,720 faithful to her husband. What in the world would you mean 862 00:51:11,720 --> 00:51:13,640 by? That why would this be a 863 00:51:13,640 --> 00:51:16,240 qualification? Because I told you it doesn't 864 00:51:16,240 --> 00:51:22,440 just mean that her husband died. Her husband could have divorced 865 00:51:22,440 --> 00:51:27,080 her, and her husband could have divorced her biblically because 866 00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:30,240 she committed the sin of adultery against him. 867 00:51:30,800 --> 00:51:34,720 And he had every right in the world to put her out of his 868 00:51:34,720 --> 00:51:37,400 home. And the church had every right 869 00:51:37,400 --> 00:51:40,520 in the world if she did not repent, to put her out of the 870 00:51:40,520 --> 00:51:43,240 church. And he's saying I don't want 871 00:51:43,240 --> 00:51:47,520 those people who have forfeited. The family of God and forfeited 872 00:51:47,520 --> 00:51:51,640 their own family for adulterous relationships to benefit from 873 00:51:51,640 --> 00:51:55,080 the church and those well meaning people at the church who 874 00:51:55,080 --> 00:51:57,720 are giving of themselves and their finances and their 875 00:51:57,720 --> 00:52:01,640 resources to those who are said to be really in need. 876 00:52:01,760 --> 00:52:04,720 You know what God is saying. She got herself. 877 00:52:04,760 --> 00:52:09,000 Into it you say, well, I don't believe in that God. 878 00:52:09,000 --> 00:52:13,120 I believe God is a God of mercy, and He is, but he's also a God 879 00:52:13,120 --> 00:52:16,360 who is just. He has laid down some things and 880 00:52:16,360 --> 00:52:19,160 we need to pay attention when he lays down things because he does 881 00:52:19,160 --> 00:52:22,600 not pick them up to suit our opinions and make them anything 882 00:52:22,600 --> 00:52:24,000 different than what they really are. 883 00:52:26,080 --> 00:52:27,680 He says if she's been faithful to. 884 00:52:27,680 --> 00:52:29,880 Her husband, she can be on this list. 885 00:52:29,880 --> 00:52:33,720 If she's over 60, she can be on this list. 886 00:52:34,400 --> 00:52:38,480 And is well known for her good. Deeds, she's a life. 887 00:52:39,440 --> 00:52:43,040 It shows she's truly a believer, right light in the darkness, 888 00:52:43,600 --> 00:52:46,280 such as and here's the examples of those good deeds bringing up 889 00:52:47,000 --> 00:52:48,720 children. That means bringing them up in 890 00:52:48,720 --> 00:52:50,880 the nurture and the admonition of the Lord with the evidence of 891 00:52:50,880 --> 00:52:55,560 godly children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of 892 00:52:55,560 --> 00:52:58,960 the Saints, stooping to serve others as Jesus did, John's 893 00:52:58,960 --> 00:53:02,920 gospel helping those in trouble. And devoting. 894 00:53:02,920 --> 00:53:06,840 Herself to all kinds of good deeds. 895 00:53:08,120 --> 00:53:09,520 So who? Is this? 896 00:53:10,160 --> 00:53:13,760 Widow that can be. On this list, those who trust. 897 00:53:13,760 --> 00:53:15,680 God for provision. They're trusting in Him alone 898 00:53:15,680 --> 00:53:18,280 because he's all that they have. Just as we sang a moment ago, 899 00:53:18,960 --> 00:53:21,080 All I have is Christ. That's all she has. 900 00:53:22,960 --> 00:53:24,640 Those who have no family to support them. 901 00:53:26,520 --> 00:53:29,760 Those who have been faithful to their husband, who are not in an 902 00:53:29,760 --> 00:53:32,320 unmarried state and left abandoned because of their own 903 00:53:32,320 --> 00:53:34,480 doing, he said, won't God forgive that? 904 00:53:34,480 --> 00:53:37,240 Yes, God will forgive that, but it won't allow her to be on the 905 00:53:37,240 --> 00:53:40,520 list of widows. His words already spoken. 906 00:53:41,360 --> 00:53:43,760 I'm sorry, but that's what it says. 907 00:53:45,360 --> 00:53:49,720 And serving the Lord and true service to the Lord, just like 908 00:53:49,720 --> 00:53:52,320 in our lives, in the life of the widow, it'll be displayed by her 909 00:53:52,320 --> 00:53:55,400 good deeds and her piety of life. 910 00:53:56,000 --> 00:53:59,600 The fact that she is actually living out the faith that she 911 00:53:59,600 --> 00:54:01,840 claims to have. We see that evidenced in the 912 00:54:01,840 --> 00:54:04,040 fruit of the Spirit, Lovejoy, peace, patience, kindness, 913 00:54:04,040 --> 00:54:05,600 goodness, gentleness, self-control. 914 00:54:06,320 --> 00:54:08,200 What's he saying? That if she's going to be on 915 00:54:08,200 --> 00:54:11,320 this list, she has to be a godly woman and she has to be a proven 916 00:54:11,400 --> 00:54:13,920 godly woman. And then when? 917 00:54:13,920 --> 00:54:17,720 She is, then she can be. Put on this list so the church 918 00:54:17,720 --> 00:54:20,800 is to care for the widows that Scripture mandates, right? 919 00:54:20,800 --> 00:54:25,400 Those elderly widows who meet biblical criteria, you say, 920 00:54:25,400 --> 00:54:27,080 well, I don't like the biblical criteria. 921 00:54:27,080 --> 00:54:28,360 Take that up with God. I didn't make that. 922 00:54:28,360 --> 00:54:29,320 Up. I'm just reading it to you. 923 00:54:31,040 --> 00:54:32,640 And I really don't care if you like it or not. 924 00:54:33,360 --> 00:54:35,080 I can tell you this is what it says, and this is what we'll 925 00:54:35,080 --> 00:54:37,640 practice at Key Life Fellowship. Why? 926 00:54:37,640 --> 00:54:40,160 Because God's Word says that this is what we're to do. 927 00:54:42,000 --> 00:54:45,600 And now we bring in another. Category of widow to this 928 00:54:45,600 --> 00:54:47,080 equation to what? Paul's teaching. 929 00:54:48,800 --> 00:54:50,440 We saw that the church is to care for the. 930 00:54:50,520 --> 00:54:54,880 Older widow, but the church is also to care for the younger 931 00:54:54,920 --> 00:54:56,600 widows. And how? 932 00:54:56,640 --> 00:54:57,680 Well, I'll go ahead and tell you this. 933 00:54:57,680 --> 00:54:59,840 Not the same way that they care for the older widows. 934 00:55:01,360 --> 00:55:04,200 Watch what Paul says here. He says As for the younger 935 00:55:04,200 --> 00:55:05,240 widows, why? Because he knew that their 936 00:55:05,240 --> 00:55:07,040 question was going to be what about the younger widows? 937 00:55:07,720 --> 00:55:10,520 We have widows in our church that are 55 1/2. 938 00:55:12,040 --> 00:55:14,720 What do we do about those? He says As for. 939 00:55:14,720 --> 00:55:17,320 The younger widows do not. Put them such a on such a list. 940 00:55:19,440 --> 00:55:22,440 For when their essential. Desires overcome their 941 00:55:22,440 --> 00:55:25,520 dedication to Christ. They want to marry. 942 00:55:26,120 --> 00:55:28,960 Nobody's talking about sensual. Desires for a woman yes, a woman 943 00:55:28,960 --> 00:55:31,280 has a desire for the man, though it'd be different from the 944 00:55:31,280 --> 00:55:32,960 desire that a man has for a woman. 945 00:55:32,960 --> 00:55:35,720 A woman has an. Inward desire. 946 00:55:35,840 --> 00:55:39,480 For a man and what has obviously gone on here, this woman has 947 00:55:39,480 --> 00:55:41,840 done like many young women do when they lose their spouse 948 00:55:41,840 --> 00:55:43,200 unexpectedly. Here's what they say 949 00:55:43,200 --> 00:55:46,200 immediately. Oh God, I don't know what to do 950 00:55:47,680 --> 00:55:49,240 I'm never. Going to marry again. 951 00:55:49,360 --> 00:55:53,040 I'm just going to devote my life to you, Lord, and your church. 952 00:55:54,320 --> 00:55:56,920 And why did they say that? Because they were in an 953 00:55:56,920 --> 00:55:59,760 emotional state. Now this is just for free. 954 00:56:01,160 --> 00:56:11,840 Widows who are female can get in an emotional state and they make 955 00:56:11,840 --> 00:56:14,720 a vow and. Their vow is to the Church, 956 00:56:14,720 --> 00:56:16,120 right? I'm never going to marry again. 957 00:56:16,120 --> 00:56:21,320 The love of my life is gone until their sensual desires. 958 00:56:21,840 --> 00:56:24,040 Overcome their dedication to Christ. 959 00:56:25,560 --> 00:56:28,640 Until the vow that. They made is no longer good. 960 00:56:28,640 --> 00:56:30,680 And that's what Ecclesiastes 55 tells us, isn't it? 961 00:56:30,680 --> 00:56:33,720 That it's better to not make a vow than to make one and not 962 00:56:33,720 --> 00:56:35,600 fulfill it? I would encourage young widows. 963 00:56:35,600 --> 00:56:39,240 If a young widow happened to come to me in our church, what 964 00:56:39,240 --> 00:56:42,240 should I do? Nothing right now. 965 00:56:42,320 --> 00:56:45,280 Pray and seek the will of God for your life. 966 00:56:45,280 --> 00:56:47,840 Perhaps God will bring another man. 967 00:56:47,840 --> 00:56:49,080 Well, I don't even want to think about it. 968 00:56:49,080 --> 00:56:50,400 You're not ready to. Think about it now. 969 00:56:51,840 --> 00:56:54,680 But perhaps he will. Because that's what his word 970 00:56:54,680 --> 00:56:59,640 instructs you to wait upon. Now, if you can remain single 971 00:56:59,640 --> 00:57:03,040 and make that vow, of course, Paul even says in First 972 00:57:03,040 --> 00:57:05,840 Corinthians Chapter 7, it's better for you to not marry. 973 00:57:05,840 --> 00:57:07,360 He said if you can be like me, be like me. 974 00:57:07,480 --> 00:57:11,320 But if you burn in your sensual desires, the lust of your flesh, 975 00:57:11,560 --> 00:57:13,680 he says it's better for you to marry than to burn. 976 00:57:14,520 --> 00:57:17,480 So he's applying everything that he's taught all throughout his 977 00:57:17,480 --> 00:57:21,240 ministry, even to this. He says they want to get married 978 00:57:21,240 --> 00:57:24,960 when this happens, thus they. Bring judgment on themselves. 979 00:57:24,960 --> 00:57:26,520 Because they have broken their first pledge. 980 00:57:26,520 --> 00:57:29,400 They made a pledge to God. They made a vow that they broke. 981 00:57:29,400 --> 00:57:32,440 We shouldn't do that. So what happens? 982 00:57:32,440 --> 00:57:35,440 Here we see first. That this young widow is 983 00:57:35,440 --> 00:57:38,120 ensnared by good intentions, right? 984 00:57:38,240 --> 00:57:40,920 Making vows she can't keep. How many of you have ever made a 985 00:57:40,920 --> 00:57:43,680 vow that you couldn't keep? Lord, if you get me through 986 00:57:43,680 --> 00:57:45,640 this, I'll never. Do it again, and then you turn 987 00:57:45,640 --> 00:57:49,760 around and do it again. You weren't in a position to 988 00:57:49,760 --> 00:57:50,680 keep that. Vow. 989 00:57:50,960 --> 00:57:52,880 You just made it, hopefully to get you out of trouble. 990 00:57:53,800 --> 00:57:57,600 Paul is very understanding of this, that a woman in that 991 00:57:57,600 --> 00:58:00,440 situation will make a vow that she just can't keep. 992 00:58:01,080 --> 00:58:03,240 Lord, I'll be dedicated to you and your church. 993 00:58:03,240 --> 00:58:06,040 Just take care of me because I've lost all income and I've 994 00:58:06,040 --> 00:58:09,480 lost all resources and I need the help of the church. 995 00:58:11,200 --> 00:58:14,360 Then she's overcome. By her fleshly desires. 996 00:58:14,360 --> 00:58:17,320 And then she wants a man violating her own conscience and 997 00:58:17,320 --> 00:58:20,720 the own conscience and the own her own vow that she made. 998 00:58:21,520 --> 00:58:23,920 See the trouble that good intentions can get us into? 999 00:58:24,920 --> 00:58:27,680 He's warning that they should remarry so that they don't fall 1000 00:58:27,680 --> 00:58:30,520 into and become ensnared by their good intentions. 1001 00:58:30,520 --> 00:58:32,720 Because isn't it horrible to have good intentions and then 1002 00:58:32,720 --> 00:58:35,320 drop the ball? Then they put a weight. 1003 00:58:35,320 --> 00:58:37,080 On your conscience, right when? You tell your kids you want to 1004 00:58:37,080 --> 00:58:39,000 do something that you know you're probably not going to be 1005 00:58:39,000 --> 00:58:40,640 able to do, but you really want to do for your kids. 1006 00:58:40,640 --> 00:58:42,960 But you, you know that you probably can't do it. 1007 00:58:42,960 --> 00:58:45,240 And then inevitably, you don't do it. 1008 00:58:45,240 --> 00:58:47,040 You look like you don't keep your promises. 1009 00:58:47,800 --> 00:58:50,040 What should you have done? Well, you probably shouldn't 1010 00:58:50,040 --> 00:58:52,760 have made that promise until you were sure that you could keep 1011 00:58:52,760 --> 00:58:55,320 that promise. Same thing here. 1012 00:58:56,560 --> 00:58:59,000 If we're not careful, the younger widows can be ensnared 1013 00:58:59,000 --> 00:59:02,560 by their good intentions, but also they can be ensnared by a 1014 00:59:02,560 --> 00:59:06,920 sinful idleness. Look at verse 13, he says. 1015 00:59:06,920 --> 00:59:09,600 Besides, they get into the. Habit of being idle and going 1016 00:59:09,600 --> 00:59:13,480 about from house to house, and not only do they become idlers, 1017 00:59:14,120 --> 00:59:18,640 but also gossips and busy bodies saying things they ought not to. 1018 00:59:22,320 --> 00:59:26,240 What is he saying here? He's saying that a woman. 1019 00:59:26,240 --> 00:59:28,880 Who gets married? Just the fact that she has a 1020 00:59:28,880 --> 00:59:31,440 husband and children in the home, it keeps her out of a lot 1021 00:59:31,440 --> 00:59:33,880 of trouble that she could. Get into if left to herself. 1022 00:59:35,760 --> 00:59:37,560 Now ladies, I know that might offend. 1023 00:59:37,560 --> 00:59:41,920 Some of you. And all I can simply tell you is 1024 00:59:41,920 --> 00:59:43,520 this sometimes. The truth is offensive. 1025 00:59:45,240 --> 00:59:49,840 You you can get in trouble. If you are idle, right? 1026 00:59:50,360 --> 00:59:53,280 Idle hands, an idle mind, as your grandmother used to say. 1027 00:59:53,280 --> 00:59:58,120 What the devil's workshop? Is there a woman who is? 1028 00:59:58,120 --> 01:00:01,920 Remarried after being a widow. She now has a husband. 1029 01:00:02,680 --> 01:00:06,200 She potentially has children. She now has a home. 1030 01:00:06,360 --> 01:00:09,640 And let me tell you this, just having a husband, if it's me, 1031 01:00:09,840 --> 01:00:11,960 you're so busy, you can't be idle. 1032 01:00:13,800 --> 01:00:15,440 I can laugh at myself. I know the truth. 1033 01:00:16,120 --> 01:00:18,480 My wife deserves some medal on earth and in heaven. 1034 01:00:20,400 --> 01:00:21,920 But he says if you're a young widow. 1035 01:00:21,920 --> 01:00:25,000 You you ought to encourage her to remarry so that she can be 1036 01:00:25,000 --> 01:00:28,360 busy taking care of her husband and her children and her home so 1037 01:00:28,360 --> 01:00:33,120 that she doesn't become idle or an idler or busy body or gossip. 1038 01:00:35,920 --> 01:00:38,160 So that she's busy. At home? 1039 01:00:38,400 --> 01:00:39,680 Is that not what scripture teaches? 1040 01:00:40,240 --> 01:00:44,080 To be busy at home instead of being a busy body. 1041 01:00:47,120 --> 01:00:48,960 I'll just throw social media on. There. 1042 01:00:50,720 --> 01:00:53,880 For fun, you can be a busy. Body on social media now? 1043 01:00:54,040 --> 01:00:57,560 Easy, can't you? But if you're busy with your 1044 01:00:58,200 --> 01:01:00,400 husband, your home and your children, you don't have time 1045 01:01:00,400 --> 01:01:04,240 for all that, do you? Paul's warning. 1046 01:01:05,440 --> 01:01:09,040 That these women could be ensnared not only by. 1047 01:01:09,040 --> 01:01:11,400 Good intentions of making vows. That they're not able to keep or 1048 01:01:11,400 --> 01:01:16,120 ensnared by sinful idleness. Watch verse 14. 1049 01:01:18,520 --> 01:01:22,200 It can also be ensnared by much more than that, he says. 1050 01:01:22,200 --> 01:01:24,400 Verse 14. So I counsel younger widows to 1051 01:01:24,400 --> 01:01:27,680 marry, to have children, to manage their homes, and to give 1052 01:01:27,680 --> 01:01:34,200 the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15 says some have in 1053 01:01:34,200 --> 01:01:38,680 fact already turned away to follow Satan. 1054 01:01:39,720 --> 01:01:43,640 What is he talking about here? Well, he's talking. 1055 01:01:43,640 --> 01:01:46,280 About something that. You probably would think about, 1056 01:01:46,280 --> 01:01:48,400 but you don't want to think about in church. 1057 01:01:48,960 --> 01:01:51,400 But I'm going to make you think about it in church. 1058 01:01:54,720 --> 01:01:59,560 There is one of the oldest. Professions in the world that 1059 01:01:59,560 --> 01:02:03,840 women are capable of and that is sexual. 1060 01:02:03,840 --> 01:02:08,920 Immorality they are capable of prostituting themselves so that 1061 01:02:08,920 --> 01:02:13,160 they can make. An income and it wasn't uncommon 1062 01:02:13,160 --> 01:02:15,960 in the day. It wasn't uncommon in the day. 1063 01:02:15,960 --> 01:02:18,480 For someone. To be in this same situation, 1064 01:02:19,920 --> 01:02:21,320 deserted. By their husband. 1065 01:02:21,360 --> 01:02:26,240 Either through death or divorce. And they have. 1066 01:02:26,240 --> 01:02:28,840 No means for an income. They have no means for food. 1067 01:02:28,840 --> 01:02:31,320 Perhaps they have children that they need to provide for that 1068 01:02:31,320 --> 01:02:34,200 are so young that there's no one who could ever help them. 1069 01:02:36,840 --> 01:02:38,400 And they say, you know what? I don't have any skill. 1070 01:02:40,240 --> 01:02:41,960 I don't. I can't apply for a job. 1071 01:02:43,080 --> 01:02:46,400 But what I can do is I can present myself as a prostitute 1072 01:02:46,400 --> 01:02:48,480 and I can make money through sexual immorality. 1073 01:02:48,480 --> 01:02:50,320 And what Paul's saying here is that Satan's already grabbed 1074 01:02:50,320 --> 01:02:53,200 some of them. Some of them have already 1075 01:02:53,200 --> 01:02:56,720 succumbed to this temptation, he said. 1076 01:02:56,720 --> 01:02:57,680 Well, I would. Never. 1077 01:02:57,680 --> 01:02:59,120 You've never. Been placed in that situation. 1078 01:02:59,120 --> 01:03:00,880 So before you cast judgement, be careful. 1079 01:03:02,480 --> 01:03:04,760 Be careful. What is the cure? 1080 01:03:04,760 --> 01:03:07,040 For this, how do we prevent? This Paul's giving us that cure. 1081 01:03:07,120 --> 01:03:11,520 He says take the older widows and teach them to remarry. 1082 01:03:12,480 --> 01:03:14,200 Make sure that it is a. Biblical. 1083 01:03:14,280 --> 01:03:18,400 Marriage make sure that it is a biblical remarriage right she's 1084 01:03:18,400 --> 01:03:21,800 not free to remarry if she's committed adultery against her 1085 01:03:21,800 --> 01:03:25,480 husband if her. Husband is taken from her from 1086 01:03:25,480 --> 01:03:28,360 this. World she's no longer bound by 1087 01:03:28,360 --> 01:03:30,480 that relationship because he's died. 1088 01:03:31,440 --> 01:03:34,720 She can now remarry someone who has never been married or who 1089 01:03:34,720 --> 01:03:38,560 has had a biblical divorce, he said. 1090 01:03:38,560 --> 01:03:39,840 Well, you think? The Church ought to. 1091 01:03:39,840 --> 01:03:41,200 Play matchmaker. Yes. 1092 01:03:41,400 --> 01:03:44,920 I don't think there's a better place in the world to play 1093 01:03:44,920 --> 01:03:47,880 matchmaker to say, you know what? 1094 01:03:48,320 --> 01:03:51,720 I know that you've been handled, handed. 1095 01:03:51,720 --> 01:03:57,040 Excuse me, an adverse situation. And I know you can't handle 1096 01:03:57,040 --> 01:03:58,080 this. On your own. 1097 01:03:59,720 --> 01:04:01,440 But I know of a young man in the church. 1098 01:04:01,440 --> 01:04:04,400 Who's looking for a wife? Who's a godly man? 1099 01:04:06,880 --> 01:04:08,480 He's not afraid to be a godly man. 1100 01:04:09,640 --> 01:04:11,160 Who would probably? Take care of you and. 1101 01:04:11,160 --> 01:04:12,680 Probably take care of your family. 1102 01:04:12,680 --> 01:04:14,560 Would you be interested in even talking to him? 1103 01:04:14,560 --> 01:04:15,960 I don't mind saying that at all. Why? 1104 01:04:15,960 --> 01:04:19,200 Because it's biblical. Ah, to encourage that young 1105 01:04:19,200 --> 01:04:21,480 widow to remarry. Why? 1106 01:04:21,600 --> 01:04:26,080 So that she will become busy. Taking care of her husband and 1107 01:04:26,080 --> 01:04:29,680 her family and her home and her big problem. 1108 01:04:29,680 --> 01:04:32,840 What was it she was? Deserted, she was left. 1109 01:04:32,840 --> 01:04:37,520 Destitute her big problem. Is now taken care of because she 1110 01:04:37,520 --> 01:04:41,520 has a husband that God has raised up for her who is taking 1111 01:04:41,520 --> 01:04:45,480 care of her and taking care of their family by providing for 1112 01:04:45,480 --> 01:04:49,880 them through his hard work and the finances that that the Lord 1113 01:04:49,880 --> 01:04:52,360 allows him to acquire through that. 1114 01:04:56,680 --> 01:04:58,280 The only other option for the young? 1115 01:04:58,480 --> 01:05:03,280 Widows. Is to let them figure it out on 1116 01:05:03,280 --> 01:05:05,280 their own. And. 1117 01:05:05,280 --> 01:05:06,720 Unfortunately in trying to figure it. 1118 01:05:06,720 --> 01:05:09,560 Out on their own there is an enemy who desires to ensnare 1119 01:05:09,560 --> 01:05:12,200 them by their own good intentions, by their own sinful 1120 01:05:12,960 --> 01:05:17,080 idleness, and their own sexual desires may never be. 1121 01:05:17,080 --> 01:05:20,720 So in this church. May never be so, and not only. 1122 01:05:20,720 --> 01:05:23,360 As a leader in this church, but it may never be so with any 1123 01:05:23,360 --> 01:05:27,920 advice that you give to any of the younger widows that may come 1124 01:05:27,920 --> 01:05:31,200 in our church. This isn't it true? 1125 01:05:32,360 --> 01:05:39,520 We're all just one phone call, this one sentence of bad news. 1126 01:05:39,520 --> 01:05:43,000 All the women in this church, you are one of those away from 1127 01:05:43,000 --> 01:05:46,200 being a widow. Isn't it important that we know 1128 01:05:46,200 --> 01:05:48,360 what they? Are isn't it? 1129 01:05:48,520 --> 01:05:49,440 It's. Important that we know how to 1130 01:05:49,440 --> 01:05:50,000 treat. Them. 1131 01:05:51,040 --> 01:05:52,680 Isn't it important? That we show them the love and 1132 01:05:52,680 --> 01:05:54,920 the compassion that the Lord shows to them. 1133 01:05:54,920 --> 01:05:58,040 Isn't it important that we look at them and we treat them 1134 01:05:58,520 --> 01:06:03,440 biblically as Scripture has mandated for us to do so Both 1135 01:06:03,440 --> 01:06:05,680 the family and the church have a role in this. 1136 01:06:05,680 --> 01:06:08,320 Families, take care of your people. 1137 01:06:09,400 --> 01:06:11,480 Let me just make this promise to you. 1138 01:06:11,960 --> 01:06:14,760 When you run out of resources or your resources get low, then you 1139 01:06:14,760 --> 01:06:17,120 come to the church and we will then. 1140 01:06:18,040 --> 01:06:20,400 Come alongside of you and subsidized what you need. 1141 01:06:22,600 --> 01:06:25,120 Why would we do it that way So. That we don't have that extra 1142 01:06:25,120 --> 01:06:32,200 burden so that when we do have that woman who is over 60 who 1143 01:06:32,200 --> 01:06:33,960 has no. Children and no grandchildren. 1144 01:06:34,120 --> 01:06:38,880 He's left all alone but has trusted God her entire life to 1145 01:06:38,880 --> 01:06:43,320 be her provider. We can faithfully. 1146 01:06:43,840 --> 01:06:47,920 Ensure that she will be taken care of because Scripture has 1147 01:06:47,920 --> 01:06:50,680 mandated that we take care of her. 1148 01:06:53,560 --> 01:06:55,000 So how do we take care of our widows? 1149 01:06:56,080 --> 01:06:57,560 For all of you who. Were afraid because we were 1150 01:06:57,560 --> 01:06:59,200 only. On .2, that's all we have today. 1151 01:07:01,880 --> 01:07:05,200 No need to be afraid. I have no objective. 1152 01:07:05,200 --> 01:07:07,360 When I go into sermon preparation, is it going to be 1153 01:07:07,360 --> 01:07:08,640 one point or is it going to be 30? 1154 01:07:08,640 --> 01:07:12,960 It doesn't matter to me this. One's 2. 1155 01:07:13,800 --> 01:07:16,760 Proper recognition of the widows, the proper response to 1156 01:07:16,760 --> 01:07:19,800 the widows. As I said a moment ago, your 1157 01:07:19,800 --> 01:07:22,640 ignorance card has been removed. You can't neglect this any 1158 01:07:22,640 --> 01:07:25,880 longer. We must define them properly. 1159 01:07:25,880 --> 01:07:27,880 We must care. For those who are really in 1160 01:07:27,880 --> 01:07:30,080 need. Must take care of our. 1161 01:07:30,080 --> 01:07:32,680 Own family When it requires that we take care of our own family, 1162 01:07:32,680 --> 01:07:34,320 we must encourage younger widows. 1163 01:07:36,280 --> 01:07:39,720 To remarry if so possible. So that they don't fall into the 1164 01:07:39,720 --> 01:07:41,840 trap of Satan. That's simple. 1165 01:07:41,840 --> 01:07:42,800 I told you. There's nothing hard to 1166 01:07:42,800 --> 01:07:45,440 understand here. What's hard to? 1167 01:07:45,440 --> 01:07:46,720 Understand is why we don't talk about this. 1168 01:07:46,720 --> 01:07:49,320 In the church, what's hard to understand? 1169 01:07:49,320 --> 01:07:51,520 Is why we we think. We have to be tricky and we have 1170 01:07:51,520 --> 01:07:53,040 to be exciting. We have to be entertaining. 1171 01:07:53,040 --> 01:07:53,800 I get it. Guess what? 1172 01:07:53,800 --> 01:07:55,840 There's nothing fiery about this this morning, was there? 1173 01:07:59,040 --> 01:08:00,680 But does that change the importance of it? 1174 01:08:02,560 --> 01:08:04,880 Absolutely not. This is why we exposit the 1175 01:08:04,880 --> 01:08:07,080 scripture. Not going to jump over this 1176 01:08:07,080 --> 01:08:09,800 topic and say like many do by jumping over it. 1177 01:08:09,800 --> 01:08:10,880 Then widows are not that important. 1178 01:08:10,880 --> 01:08:13,240 It's just a trivial matter once the church is handled. 1179 01:08:13,240 --> 01:08:15,600 No, let's let's teach it properly and let's handle it 1180 01:08:15,600 --> 01:08:16,600 biblically. How about that? 1181 01:08:18,319 --> 01:08:22,680 Why would we do that? Because God requires it and he 1182 01:08:22,680 --> 01:08:25,720 deserves it. So to the leaders of this 1183 01:08:25,720 --> 01:08:29,319 church, we have to assure that. This happens. 1184 01:08:29,439 --> 01:08:33,040 Why didn't I know this? I look at Acts chapter. 6 and I 1185 01:08:33,040 --> 01:08:34,600 know that. I have to devote myself to the 1186 01:08:34,600 --> 01:08:37,800 scriptures and to prayer, but I also know. 1187 01:08:37,800 --> 01:08:40,960 That God is constantly raising. UP men in this church who can 1188 01:08:40,960 --> 01:08:46,840 minister to our widows as need be to take care of them as their 1189 01:08:46,840 --> 01:08:49,800 own family, just as he did in the early church. 1190 01:08:50,520 --> 01:08:52,760 Believer, you have to do your part. 1191 01:08:53,600 --> 01:08:55,760 What's your part? Care for the widow? 1192 01:08:57,160 --> 01:08:58,600 How do you do? That the same way you care for 1193 01:08:58,600 --> 01:09:01,080 anyone. Time, talent, resources, right? 1194 01:09:01,840 --> 01:09:04,600 Time, talent and resources. Got a widow in our church who 1195 01:09:04,800 --> 01:09:07,040 she's suffering with a health problem and you're a nurse. 1196 01:09:07,560 --> 01:09:13,520 Why aren't you there already? The hush breaks over the crowd. 1197 01:09:14,000 --> 01:09:15,960 Well, I get paid to be a nurse. I know you're actually going to 1198 01:09:15,960 --> 01:09:18,479 store blessings in heaven like he told you to do instead of on 1199 01:09:18,479 --> 01:09:22,840 earth. I don't know if I can help him. 1200 01:09:22,840 --> 01:09:23,640 I'm a busy man. I got a. 1201 01:09:24,399 --> 01:09:25,760 Big company I got to take care of. 1202 01:09:25,760 --> 01:09:27,760 Yeah, you make lots of money. Hey, give your money to the 1203 01:09:27,760 --> 01:09:28,439 church. You know what? 1204 01:09:28,439 --> 01:09:29,439 You know what they did in the early church? 1205 01:09:29,439 --> 01:09:33,359 They laid at the apostles feet and they distributed as the need 1206 01:09:33,640 --> 01:09:36,479 dictated. I'll tell you this, our church 1207 01:09:36,479 --> 01:09:39,479 has always been faithful to make sure that it gets into the hands 1208 01:09:39,479 --> 01:09:43,760 of those who are really in need. If you have financial resources, 1209 01:09:43,760 --> 01:09:45,080 give. We say I don't have financial 1210 01:09:45,080 --> 01:09:46,080 resources. I'm not a nurse. 1211 01:09:46,080 --> 01:09:48,200 Pray. Watch this. 1212 01:09:48,439 --> 01:09:52,680 Write a card, send a text message, make a phone call. 1213 01:09:52,760 --> 01:09:55,080 Just let them know, hey, we care about you. 1214 01:09:55,080 --> 01:09:56,600 Why? Because Christ cares about you 1215 01:09:56,600 --> 01:09:58,400 and. That's what we're to do as a 1216 01:09:58,400 --> 01:10:00,360 church. We're to take care of our 1217 01:10:00,360 --> 01:10:02,000 widows. Do your part. 1218 01:10:03,000 --> 01:10:06,160 You have a family member who's a widow, take care of her. 1219 01:10:06,480 --> 01:10:08,880 I'm dump her on the. Church, take care of her. 1220 01:10:08,880 --> 01:10:09,880 Do what you're. Supposed to do. 1221 01:10:10,680 --> 01:10:12,320 Does your mother, your grandmother, remember they did 1222 01:10:12,320 --> 01:10:15,720 it for you? Repay them because they deserve 1223 01:10:15,720 --> 01:10:18,240 it. Honor your mother and father, 1224 01:10:18,240 --> 01:10:21,800 not just when you like it, when it's difficult, honor them. 1225 01:10:21,800 --> 01:10:24,920 Why? Because God said to do that to 1226 01:10:24,920 --> 01:10:27,920 the unbeliever. I know where you are right now. 1227 01:10:29,480 --> 01:10:31,240 You're sitting here and you're saying, what does this mean to 1228 01:10:31,240 --> 01:10:32,280 me? It means nothing to you. 1229 01:10:33,720 --> 01:10:34,840 It can't. Mean anything to you, and 1230 01:10:34,920 --> 01:10:37,040 frankly? You can't even understand what 1231 01:10:37,040 --> 01:10:38,520 I'm teaching here this morning. Why? 1232 01:10:38,520 --> 01:10:40,600 Because the natural man does not understand the things of the 1233 01:10:40,600 --> 01:10:43,400 Spirit. To you I'm nothing more than 1234 01:10:43,400 --> 01:10:46,560 Charlie Brown's teacher. Wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah. 1235 01:10:49,800 --> 01:10:51,520 Means nothing to you because you're not a part of the family. 1236 01:10:51,520 --> 01:10:54,640 Of God. You say. 1237 01:10:54,640 --> 01:10:55,920 Are you saying that to isolate me? 1238 01:10:55,920 --> 01:10:57,000 No. I'm just saying that so that 1239 01:10:57,000 --> 01:10:58,080 you'll know that you're isolated. 1240 01:11:00,640 --> 01:11:02,120 I'm not the one who's isolated you your. 1241 01:11:02,120 --> 01:11:05,520 Sin has isolated you. Your sin has cut you off and 1242 01:11:05,520 --> 01:11:08,320 alienated you from the family of God and from God Himself. 1243 01:11:09,120 --> 01:11:11,840 And thanks to be to God that 2000 years ago Jesus Christ, the 1244 01:11:11,840 --> 01:11:14,160 only begotten Son of God, came to this earth and he died on a 1245 01:11:14,160 --> 01:11:17,360 cross and he was buried and he rose again to new life so that 1246 01:11:17,360 --> 01:11:20,960 you can have forgiveness of. Sin and new life, and so that 1247 01:11:20,960 --> 01:11:24,520 you can be justified before a holy God and so that you can be 1248 01:11:24,520 --> 01:11:27,480 brought in to the family of God. Why is that important? 1249 01:11:27,560 --> 01:11:30,000 Because one day you might be that widow who needs the family 1250 01:11:30,000 --> 01:11:32,120 of God to take care of you. One day you might be that 1251 01:11:32,120 --> 01:11:34,600 widower who needs the family of God to take care of you. 1252 01:11:34,680 --> 01:11:37,280 One day you might be that orphan who needs the family of God to 1253 01:11:37,280 --> 01:11:39,960 take care of you. And hasn't God been just to us? 1254 01:11:41,360 --> 01:11:42,880 Let us bow. Before him, let us. 1255 01:11:42,880 --> 01:11:44,680 Acknowledge Christ as Lord and Savior. 1256 01:11:44,680 --> 01:11:48,680 Let us walk to Him with every ounce of energy that we have 1257 01:11:48,680 --> 01:11:51,200 this morning and kneel before Him as our Lord and as our 1258 01:11:51,200 --> 01:11:55,200 Savior, turning from our sin and turning to Him as Christ and 1259 01:11:55,200 --> 01:12:00,040 Lord of our lives. Surrender to Christ today and 1260 01:12:00,040 --> 01:12:01,320 become a. Family of God and. 1261 01:12:01,320 --> 01:12:06,200 Understand these principles that have been taught personally as 1262 01:12:06,200 --> 01:12:08,240 we all in Christ understand them personally. 1263 01:12:09,080 --> 01:12:10,560 Just pray to God the Father in the name of Jesus. 1264 01:12:10,560 --> 01:12:12,040 We thank you so much for your word. 1265 01:12:13,800 --> 01:12:15,880 We thank you that it's true, every bit of it. 1266 01:12:19,560 --> 01:12:22,360 From cover to cover. It means something. 1267 01:12:23,120 --> 01:12:26,080 What I pray for the widows that means something to you. 1268 01:12:26,080 --> 01:12:28,040 Let them mean something to us as well. 1269 01:12:29,600 --> 01:12:35,520 Let us passionately love and passionately give to them, but 1270 01:12:35,520 --> 01:12:38,440 let us do it biblically that it would be pleasing. 1271 01:12:38,440 --> 01:12:40,680 To you whether that. Be the family who gives or the 1272 01:12:40,680 --> 01:12:44,000 church who gives to the widow. May we do it all in honor of 1273 01:12:44,000 --> 01:12:45,960 you. May you receive. 1274 01:12:45,960 --> 01:12:49,120 All honor and glory. And praise for the soul who's 1275 01:12:49,120 --> 01:12:50,480 here today who does not know Christ. 1276 01:12:50,480 --> 01:12:51,800 Lord, I pray that you would give them mercy. 1277 01:12:52,560 --> 01:12:54,360 You would draw them out of the darkness of their sin, that you 1278 01:12:54,360 --> 01:12:57,280 would draw them into your marvelous light, that today they 1279 01:12:57,280 --> 01:13:00,800 would turn from sin and self under your power, turn to faith 1280 01:13:00,800 --> 01:13:04,880 in Jesus Christ, the one true Lord and Savior. 1281 01:13:05,680 --> 01:13:08,120 We'll give you the praise for it in Jesus name, Amen. 1282 01:13:10,000 --> 01:13:11,400 You've been listening to Key Life. 1283 01:13:11,400 --> 01:13:15,600 Fellowships Pulpit Ministry Podcast Join us each week for 1284 01:13:15,600 --> 01:13:17,440 more teaching from God's Word.