1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:05,320 I want to say welcome back to church because we are a week 2 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:08,200 after the great Sunday of the year. 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:13,680 Last week was our Easter celebration and I will never 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,400 tire of what that day represents. 5 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:23,160 What a joy it was to think about Christ conquering sin and death 6 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:28,760 and what a joy it also is to see, you know, that preview of 7 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,000 of heaven when there is just the, the packed House of people 8 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,720 that come and, and praise the name of the Lord. 9 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:40,200 And, and as always, the week after Sunday's, it's always how 10 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,120 do you ever how do you, how do you follow up the Easter Sunday? 11 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:47,320 And so it's always a challenge. I do think it is a very 12 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:53,000 important challenge to take on the I, I, I read a poll this 13 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:57,160 week that the national average of people who visited church on 14 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:03,960 an Easter Sunday last week, there will be about 15 to 20% of 15 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:06,840 those same people that come back this week. 16 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:11,080 And so some of you may have visited our church last week and 17 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,160 you heard the message of the gospel in such a profound and 18 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:16,520 real way that you have decided to come again. 19 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:22,360 So glad you are here, because the power of the gospel is more 20 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:27,120 than believing on a Sunday. And this is the great challenge 21 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:30,880 of following up Easter, not just Sunday to Sunday, but following 22 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:34,200 up the reality of the resurrection with your life. 23 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:38,920 It is not something to believe just as a historical event, and 24 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:42,520 it is not something to believe just as a confession. 25 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:48,160 It is something that if Christ rose again, which he did, it is 26 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:51,960 a reality that changes everything about who you are. 27 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:59,320 The gospel has the power to save and the gospel has the practical 28 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,360 way to live. And so we're going to look at 29 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,800 the second-half of that a great Sunday to come back to our 30 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:09,520 message in first Timothy, because Timothy is a, a, a 31 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:13,200 letter that is written to defend the power of the gospel with 32 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:15,160 grace and truth and sound doctrine. 33 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:19,000 And then it gets very practical. So you've picked a great week to 34 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:23,320 come to church as your second version of visiting a church. 35 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:25,720 If that's you. And for those of you who come 36 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:30,080 every week, let us live both the power of the gospel that we are 37 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,560 born again, our sins are forgiven, We have we have hope 38 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:36,840 in his name to face the headline news of death that we just 39 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:41,440 prayed through. And let us live every day in a 40 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:45,880 response that is practical. So today we will look at the 41 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:47,920 second part of First Timothy chapter 5. 42 00:02:47,920 --> 00:02:51,320 We left off the beginning just giving this picture of the 43 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,040 family of God and how to treat one another. 44 00:02:54,360 --> 00:03:00,640 Today we look at practical steps that a church takes to care for 45 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:02,760 people. And very fittingly, this 46 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:05,600 specifically is caring for people in the shadow of death, 47 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:10,560 caring for people that sometimes are considered the least or 48 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,680 easiest to forget. And today we are going to look 49 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:18,400 at the blueprint that Paul gives to Timothy to care for widows 50 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:21,880 inside of a church. And in doing this, we're not 51 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:25,040 only looking at widow care, we also, as throughout all of first 52 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:28,680 Timothy, we see all of these principles for what it means to 53 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:32,640 live the gospel practically. So that's where we are, if 54 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:37,840 you'll join me in reading First Timothy chapter 5, starting in 55 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:39,400 verse 3. I'm going to read the whole 56 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:43,560 section, and then I want to look at what this says about how we 57 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:47,080 are supposed to live practically in the gospel as we care for 58 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:49,360 people. So read along with me. 59 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:52,120 Honor widows who are really widows. 60 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:56,360 But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first 61 00:03:56,360 --> 00:04:00,160 learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents, for that 62 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:02,640 is good and acceptable before God. 63 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:07,240 Now she who is really a widow left alone trust in God, and 64 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:11,000 continues, and supplication and prayers night and day. 65 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:15,200 But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives. 66 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,920 And these things command that they may be blameless, but if 67 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:23,760 anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of 68 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:29,720 his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an 69 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,800 unbeliever. Do not let a widow under 60 70 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:35,720 years old be taken into the number, and not unless she has 71 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:39,160 been the wife of one man well reported for good works. 72 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:42,400 If she's brought up children, if she's lodged strangers, if she's 73 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:47,400 washed the Saints feet, if she's relieved the afflicted, if she 74 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:51,720 has diligently followed every good work. 75 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:56,280 But refuse the widows that are younger, for when they have 76 00:04:56,280 --> 00:04:58,960 begun to grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, 77 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:02,400 having condemnation because they have cast off their first faith. 78 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:06,280 And besides, they learn to be idle, wandering about from house 79 00:05:06,280 --> 00:05:09,880 to house, and not only idle, but also gossips and busy bodies, 80 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:11,960 saying things which they ought not. 81 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:16,080 Therefore I desire that the younger, younger widows marry, 82 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:18,800 bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the 83 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:21,680 adversary to speak reproachfully, for some have 84 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:26,080 already turned aside to Satan. If any believing man or woman 85 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:30,320 has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church 86 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:36,040 be a burden that it may relieve those who are really widows. 87 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:41,240 The Bible in this section and as a survey from the Old Testament 88 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:44,360 all throughout the New Testament, has all sorts of 89 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:49,000 practical ways that believers, those who have confessed faith, 90 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:54,480 now live out the grace of God in their lives, extending grace and 91 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:57,720 care to other people. Dietrich Bonhoeffer says the 92 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:02,560 church is only truly the church when it exists for others, 93 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:07,800 especially the weak, the vulnerable, the widow, and the 94 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:10,640 orphan. Last week we saw the power of 95 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:12,360 the gospel displayed through the resurrection. 96 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:15,600 This week we're reminded that in a response to that pure and 97 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:22,000 undefiled religion is to care for the orphan and the widow and 98 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:25,040 to visit them in their time of affliction. 99 00:06:25,280 --> 00:06:32,200 And it's also not enough to just go out there and say, well, 100 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:34,760 we're part of a church now, so we're just going to throw out 101 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:37,840 widow care as the first priority of everything. 102 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:42,440 What I find so surprising in this is that there is a very 103 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:48,240 clear blueprint and a strategy for how care looks within the 104 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:51,720 community of people who are responding to the power of the 105 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:54,720 resurrection. As I read along, I hope that you 106 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:58,640 were noticing things that are filled with the text that that 107 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:01,720 show us things that sometimes seem like bad words in church 108 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:05,800 policy, almost programs. There looks like a membership 109 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:09,160 role in this church. So compassion does not mean 110 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:13,480 chaos and caring for people is actually within the confines of 111 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:17,040 how to do it in the way that we can care for the most people. 112 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:21,680 And so in this we start beautifully and poetically in 113 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:25,400 response to the gospel of the resurrection of Christ with the 114 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:26,920 most vulnerable and the most weak. 115 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:30,680 And, and I, I know that we have people that are living in the 116 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:33,280 shadow of death in our church that would be qualified as 117 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,800 widows, someone who's lost a husband or lost a wife and 118 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:39,960 they're looking at life after the death of someone they did 119 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:42,120 life with. That is a vulnerable and 120 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:46,280 sensitive place to be and especially true of the 1st 121 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:51,480 century church where there was no Social Security plan or 122 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:54,040 government safety net that was offered. 123 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:59,320 There was no backup plan to a woman who was living with the 124 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:03,800 partnership and the Co labouring of the husband's working income. 125 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:09,800 And so the church very early on was able to display the care and 126 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:13,240 the grace of God by caring for those who had no other option. 127 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:17,800 And today we're going to look at how that care works not only for 128 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:20,680 widows, but also for our church and your lives. 129 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:26,000 And so in verse 3, it says honor widows who are really widows. 130 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:30,480 So the principle there is honor them, care for them, show them 131 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:33,679 dignity and respect. Honor will also mean there's 132 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:36,000 times where you have to financially support them. 133 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:40,200 You have to see them as people that are worth supporting as a 134 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:42,039 church. And we're going to look at what 135 00:08:42,039 --> 00:08:45,000 that looks like, but notice what it says if they're really 136 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:47,840 widows. Now, that isn't necessarily 137 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:51,240 saying that Paul is suspicious that some women are still 138 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:54,600 married and they're, you know, going to Timothy as some sort of 139 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:59,080 spy looking for free handouts. What he's saying is let's define 140 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:02,720 the people who need the care of the church, and let's see if 141 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:05,800 there's other ways that we can care for people to give the most 142 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:08,880 grace and the most compassion that we possibly can. 143 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:13,160 So he's going to give us some rubrics that I think are so 144 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:17,320 helpful for those of you who have big hearts of compassion to 145 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:20,720 make sure your compassion fits within the the design for how to 146 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:22,480 care for the most people possible. 147 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:26,120 So first we'll look at some of the rules that we already read 148 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:30,040 that Paul lays out for Timothy says, if any window widow verse 149 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:36,160 4 has children or grandchildren, let them, namely the children or 150 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:38,800 the grandchildren of the widow. Let them first learn to show 151 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:44,880 piety at home and to repay their parents for this is good and 152 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:48,760 acceptable before the Lord. So a question to ask in the care 153 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:50,600 and the compassion we want to extend to people. 154 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:54,160 Is there anyone in your immediate family that you're 155 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:57,400 still in relationship with that can come around you with a 156 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:01,480 sustained ability to help you? Do you have family? 157 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,520 And throughout what we just read, we're going to see there's 158 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:07,640 some there's some lines of defense that Paul wants to lay 159 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:10,920 out that are very wise. And the first line of defense is 160 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:15,360 the family unit. Beginning this chapter, we 161 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:18,560 looked at this as a vision that the church body is a family of 162 00:10:18,560 --> 00:10:21,400 God that Timothy was supposed to pastor. 163 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:24,400 The older as mothers and fathers and the younger as brothers and 164 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:27,000 sisters. It's a family of God made-up of 165 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:30,800 family units, a trustworthy family of God. 166 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:34,920 Church is cultivating and encouraging trustworthy families 167 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:38,000 of mothers, fathers and sisters and brothers that are actually 168 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:42,200 your immediate family. So the first line of care is 169 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:44,680 family care. I was so blessed. 170 00:10:44,680 --> 00:10:48,600 As I'm preparing this sermon, you know, the pastoring goes on 171 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:52,240 and there I, I get word that someone from our church had a 172 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:54,120 medical emergency and they're at the hospital. 173 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:59,960 And, you know, I, I, I desire, I would love if my role in our 174 00:10:59,960 --> 00:11:02,880 church was to just be visiting people in the hospital. 175 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:05,920 It's a beautiful place to be, but I can't visit everyone and 176 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:08,960 in this particular instance I didn't have the capacity to go 177 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:11,640 to the hospital. So I I phoned it in, I called 178 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:14,800 it, I said OK, I'm going to call this person, see how they are 179 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:16,600 and set up a way for me to come visit them. 180 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:19,760 And I was so blessed. The daughter answered the phone, 181 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:24,000 and that blesses my pastoral heart because that daughter is 182 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,600 going to give sustained love and care in a way that a pastoral 183 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:30,280 visit can't. That's better than a pastoral 184 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:32,520 visit. Now I don't have superpower to 185 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:36,600 pray or to encourage the the real first line of defense for 186 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,600 caring for widows and then people within our church is 187 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:43,840 let's be amazing sisters and brothers and in this case, 188 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:48,440 children and grandchildren, so that as we age together, if the 189 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:53,760 Lord Terry's, we're all going to get old and some of us will have 190 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:55,320 loved ones that depart before us. 191 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:59,320 Let us be a family within families that care for one 192 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:00,840 another. That's what this is saying. 193 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:04,400 He says let them first show piety at home. 194 00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:06,840 That's just a word for devotion to God. 195 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:09,960 So you guys are all showing devotion to God by singing and 196 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:13,520 praying this morning and and reading the word or listening to 197 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:15,400 it preached. And Paul says, you know what the 198 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:18,680 best way to show piety is at home. 199 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:21,760 So meaning if you have someone in your family that can't make 200 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:24,800 it to church, you know what they might need more than you saying, 201 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:26,280 hey, the pastor had a great sermon. 202 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:28,560 I, I brought it home for you or you, I'm going to send you the 203 00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:29,760 link because you really need to listen to it. 204 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:33,200 They might need not a message. They might need someone who's 205 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:34,400 just going to help them practically. 206 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:37,800 Hey, can I take out your trash? That is devotion to God for that 207 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:39,880 person. Hey, can I mow your lawn? 208 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:41,840 Can I just sit with you Instead of a message. 209 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:44,680 Maybe they need a meal. And so we have to think in terms 210 00:12:44,680 --> 00:12:48,640 of us as the body of Christ being the hands and feet of 211 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:50,720 Jesus. And there's there's there's no 212 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:54,640 elitism that the pastor does that better than anyone else 213 00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:59,480 visiting a home more important sometimes than inviting someone 214 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:03,760 to church. So then it says that they show 215 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:07,080 piety and devotion to God by serving someone who is 216 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:10,640 classified as loss of a loved one. 217 00:13:11,560 --> 00:13:15,000 And then he says and let them repay their parents. 218 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:18,240 Now, this is a great verse for all of you who are, you know, I 219 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:20,040 see some of you holding kids right now. 220 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:23,640 It is expensive to be a parent. It really is. 221 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:26,120 I, I actually, you know, I had to, I had to search because the 222 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:30,160 number is always growing to take your kids from, from diaper to 223 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:31,760 diploma. And that's only high school 224 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:35,440 diploma is going to be about $250,000 in this area. 225 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:37,480 That's the estimation as of right now. 226 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:39,840 So the 18 years that you're going to give them clothes and 227 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:43,200 food and shelter and, and all the things that, that go into 228 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:46,200 just raising a child is $250,000. 229 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:48,720 And that doesn't get you club sports and a college diploma. 230 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:53,760 Those are extra bonus items. So there's a lot that goes into 231 00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:59,440 raising a child and I've got 4 kids at a $250,000. 232 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:03,160 My kids owe me $1,000,000. That's going to be I, I was like 233 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:05,400 reading this, I'm like, thank you Lord, this is great. 234 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:09,440 And it, it, it certainly doesn't. 235 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:12,120 Paul is not living in an economy of dollar for dollar. 236 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:16,440 What Paul is saying is, you know, your parents, my parents, 237 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:20,520 our parents, they cared from us for us when we couldn't care for 238 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:22,600 ourselves. They gave us food. 239 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:26,320 They made sure that we we slept, they made sure we had shelter 240 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:28,960 and protection. And God's design is that when 241 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:31,200 you come into the world, you have an instant caretaker. 242 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:35,840 And God's design is that it's a bell shaped curve because all of 243 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:38,400 us are going to a place where we lose our strength in the outer 244 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:40,760 man parishes. And when when you leave the 245 00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:42,640 world, you're supposed to have an instant caretaker. 246 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:48,320 So you so into the lives of your children, knowing that God is 247 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:53,080 raising you a, a, a, a reward in that is that as you get closer 248 00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:55,640 and closer to heaven, you're going to have an army of people 249 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:57,200 behind you that are ready to care for you. 250 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:01,600 That's God's beautiful design. And can I just say, church, the 251 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:03,480 world needs to see what this looks like. 252 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:06,960 The world needs to see parents who love their children and then 253 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:10,840 children who say, we're going to honor you until the day that you 254 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:14,000 die. And so Paul is going to continue 255 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:17,200 in the reasoning that he gives now, because where wherever 256 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:21,080 there is a rule, OK, it starts at the home, he also gives a 257 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:22,440 warning. So I want you to skip down. 258 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:25,000 And and as we still think about this first line of defense, 259 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:27,880 there is the the care that comes from the family. 260 00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:32,000 And along those lines in verse 8, here's the warning. 261 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:34,480 We all heard the rule, Here's the warning. 262 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:38,880 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially 263 00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:45,120 those for his own household, he has denied the faith and is 264 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:48,320 worse than an unbeliever. Again, we go back to where we 265 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:50,160 started. It's not enough to say Jesus is 266 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:52,080 risen from the grave. Now I'm going to go live my 267 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:56,040 selfish life and do what I want To put faith in the message 268 00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:58,120 means you have a life that backs it up. 269 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:02,120 If you're not caring for people that God has given you the 270 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:06,000 sovereign oversight of, then you're denying the faith that 271 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:09,760 you have put in Christ. Who cares for you He actually 272 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:13,200 says that you're worse than a non believer. 273 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:18,720 Now this is Paul's way of saying listen, look around the world, 274 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:23,200 even people who don't know Jesus and are not standing under the 275 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:26,240 free gift of God's grace that should flow out of them to to 276 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:27,920 care for others as Jesus cares for you. 277 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:31,600 People know that they should take care of their own people 278 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:35,080 know God has designed it in the heart of men to take care of 279 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:37,680 your household. And that's why there's there's a 280 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:41,800 there's a certain lack of just personal pride if you're not 281 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:44,520 someone who can provide. And in the same way, he says non 282 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:47,400 believers, by God's design, they know that they should care for 283 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:51,560 those that are in their tribe. And if you're not doing that, if 284 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:54,040 you're making an excuse as to why you're not going to care or 285 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:56,760 how you know, devotion to church is more important than devotion 286 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:59,360 to family. He says, you know, now you're 287 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:02,160 not even living up to the standards that other people live 288 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:07,720 by that aren't even believers said provide for your own. 289 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:10,480 And you know, we just announced the men's ministry gathering. 290 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:13,319 This will be a great verse at some point for me to share with 291 00:17:13,319 --> 00:17:16,920 the men. Men, you are called to work hard 292 00:17:17,079 --> 00:17:19,359 to the glory of God and to the provision of your family. 293 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,920 And I think sometimes that's the context where you hear a verse 294 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:25,599 like this that you have to provide for your own. 295 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:29,080 But the context is not providing for your children, which does 296 00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:32,560 come a little more naturally. The context is providing for 297 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:37,440 your own meaning your parents and your in laws as well doesn't 298 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:40,840 just go down for provision. It also goes to the needs of 299 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:43,960 people that are your immediate family that can't care for 300 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:46,640 themselves. And as I said, this will give 301 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:49,480 this get this passage gives us practical Christian living. 302 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:52,440 There's amazing Christian living through all of this. 303 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:55,880 Here's a principle that goes way beyond widow care. 304 00:17:57,040 --> 00:18:02,080 For Christianity to to work, it has to work at home. 305 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:06,840 Your Christianity is not measured by your Easter Sunday 306 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:08,520 worship. That's the easy one. 307 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:13,080 Christianity, for it to work, it has to work on your 308 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:16,720 mother-in-law. For Christianity to work, it has 309 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:19,440 to to work on the parents who need your help. 310 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:22,720 So Christianity has to work at home. 311 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:26,000 And this is a principle that I know expands beyond just widow 312 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,360 care because we've seen it in all the qualifications we've 313 00:18:28,360 --> 00:18:32,240 already looked at. How do we, how do we measure the 314 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:35,320 faithfulness of a, a potential elder, overseer, pastor? 315 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:38,520 Does he manage his own household well? 316 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:41,520 How do we measure the faithfulness of a Deacon? 317 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:45,560 Is he managing the people that he's got responsibility for in 318 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:48,520 his own household? And now how do we, how do we 319 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:50,920 manage the people that need help? 320 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:54,920 Well, if we're discipling in the right way, they should belong to 321 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:56,840 Christian homes that care for their own. 322 00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:01,120 Your home is where your Christianity starts and where it 323 00:19:01,120 --> 00:19:04,680 ends sometimes. So let us not be people who look 324 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:08,960 great on Sundays and come home and we have no representation of 325 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:11,320 what it means to follow Jesus faithfully. 326 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:17,240 And this is where Paul will continue a pattern we see 327 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:20,120 throughout description. He gave us a rule that it starts 328 00:19:20,120 --> 00:19:22,600 in the family. He gave us a warning that if 329 00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:25,400 you're not willing to accept that, then then you then you've 330 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:30,320 then you've lost the faith. And he also gives us a why. 331 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:34,000 And this will help us understand where Paul is going for the next 332 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:35,840 line of defense. So you skip down again to verse 333 00:19:35,840 --> 00:20:09,000 16. In our church, where this is 334 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:13,720 just practically true, we have a food bank that people come every 335 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:15,400 week to our church and they come hungry. 336 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:17,440 And I can say the same principle. 337 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:20,560 If you've got food and money to buy groceries, leave the food 338 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:23,120 alone because some people actually need it. 339 00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:26,280 We do. In a more immediate example for 340 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:28,600 what we're talking about, we do oil changes. 341 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:31,720 Every once in a while, we'll do oil changes for single moms or 342 00:20:31,880 --> 00:20:34,880 what we would consider women who need a little extra support. 343 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:39,160 If you can change your own oil, change your own oil, that way we 344 00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:41,680 can serve more people who can't and they need help. 345 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:45,040 And so the, the whole idea is not that the church shouldn't be 346 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:46,520 burdened. It should be the church should 347 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:49,960 be a powerful representation of God's grace and care to 348 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:51,960 everyone. But you're the church. 349 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:55,720 You should help. You should help the people in 350 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:59,720 your immediate way to help. And so the first line of defense 351 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:02,520 is who has God put in your household? 352 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:05,600 How are you washing their feet and caring for them? 353 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:09,120 Now we come to the second line. So we have family care. 354 00:21:09,120 --> 00:21:11,480 And now as we've read, we're going to look at the church 355 00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:13,760 care. There are times where the church 356 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:17,600 has to say, hey, there's no one that is willing to step up to 357 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,080 the plate or they they might not have anyone. 358 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:24,320 So now what do we do? And that's what we find now in 359 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:28,520 verse 5. Now she who is a, is really a 360 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:32,760 widow and left alone trusts in God and continues in 361 00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:36,040 supplication and prayer night and day. 362 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:40,400 All through Timothy we have found qualifications for roles 363 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:44,960 and responsibilities. And you have to see all of this 364 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:48,400 in the light of the power of the gospel and the practicalities of 365 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:50,600 the gospel. We've seen qualifications for 366 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:53,520 elders and pastors and deacons, and now we even have 367 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:57,160 qualifications for widows. And here they are. 368 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:01,640 This verse almost sounds a little harsh. 369 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:05,480 These are the ones who are really widows if they're if 370 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:08,520 they're left alone. And so I, I, I like the way that 371 00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:10,680 the new Living Translation puts it. 372 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:12,680 So I want to read it. And, and you can see just the 373 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:16,800 heart that Paul is getting after who can we really focus on on 374 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:18,640 behalf of the benevolence of the church? 375 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:23,240 The new living translation says now a true widow is a woman who 376 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:28,080 is truly all alone in the world. She has placed all of her hope 377 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:31,080 in God. She prays night and day asking 378 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:35,920 God for his help. So this isn't the exact policy 379 00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:38,000 for every church, but it gives us some really quality 380 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,440 principles. First, left alone, meaning 381 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:43,400 there's nobody else. This is a woman where there is 382 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:46,440 no family that is there to take her in, that wants to take her 383 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:48,200 in. She has no one else in the 384 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:53,840 world, so she's truly alone. Nexus says she trusts in God or 385 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:56,160 New Living Translation. She's hoped in God. 386 00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:59,360 She has put all of her life in the hands of God. 387 00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:03,760 She is absolutely dependent. There is a dependency that she 388 00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:07,800 has in her faith that God is her provider and will care. 389 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:12,360 And one of the ways that you see that, it says that she prays in 390 00:23:12,360 --> 00:23:16,320 supplication night and day. And so there's some principle 391 00:23:16,320 --> 00:23:18,400 here. One of the principles is people 392 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:22,000 that need help. All lines of defense start with 393 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:26,240 prayer and supplication. Our our help to people and our 394 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:29,680 help to one another is not supposed to replace people 395 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:31,560 depending on God. That's what Paul says. 396 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:33,400 Is she praying? Is she trusting God? 397 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:35,280 Is she asking God to be her provider? 398 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:39,160 And then once again, we find a principle that is for all of us. 399 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:44,200 When you ask God for help, when you cry upon the Lord to be your 400 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:48,720 help and your provider, most of the time he provides by sending 401 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:51,800 you people. Most of the time God hears a cry 402 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:53,560 for help and then sends helpful people. 403 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:55,320 But we don't want that to be out of place. 404 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:58,080 We don't want to just help people and say, oh, by the way, 405 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:01,080 there is a God that we believe in and you should consider him. 406 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:04,680 And sometimes we do that and it's not the most effective way 407 00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:08,240 to actually help people, which we'll see as it continues 408 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:12,360 because it says in verse 6, but she who lives in pleasure is 409 00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:18,440 dead while she lives. Meaning if they've not received 410 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:23,480 the power of the born again life, if they're not trusting in 411 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:26,600 God, if they're not putting all of their hope that God is their 412 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:29,160 provider and in the end they will be safe with him in 413 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:32,320 eternity, you're probably not going to help him anyway. 414 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:37,240 Now how many of us have had that moment when someone has 415 00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:39,720 approached you and said, you know, I need, I'm in desperate 416 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:42,240 need of help and you don't know what to do because all of the 417 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:44,840 compassion that God has given you says, I want to help this 418 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:46,800 person. But there's something inside of 419 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:50,360 you that rightfully discerns, am I really helping them? 420 00:24:51,120 --> 00:24:54,480 Is it really helping someone to to give them the support they 421 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:57,240 need to live a life that is not pointing to godliness? 422 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:00,640 So within the confines of a church coming around a widow, as 423 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:04,360 we'll see to to put her on a roster of care, you want to make 424 00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:08,880 sure that you're supporting a life that is glorifying God. 425 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:13,400 And once again, we'll take a commercial break, I suppose, to 426 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:15,960 give one of those principles that is for everyone. 427 00:25:16,360 --> 00:25:19,600 And it is in light of everything that we talked about last week. 428 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:22,240 Think about what Paul is saying to Timothy. 429 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:25,480 There's some of these women that if you help them, it doesn't 430 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,520 matter. It says that that she lives in 431 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:31,800 pleasure and is dead while she lives. 432 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:36,960 So let some of us receive that. What you don't need is for God 433 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:38,720 to answer all of your wish lists. 434 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:41,760 What Paul is saying is there is a character test for these 435 00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:44,000 widows. Some of them are dependent on 436 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,800 God and some of them are indulgent in the Word or in the 437 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:48,080 world. And if they're indulgent, 438 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:51,240 they're dead. The principle is this. 439 00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:55,520 You can be living and you can still be dead. 440 00:25:56,360 --> 00:26:00,240 And what you need in the moment of the gospel coming into your 441 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:04,560 life is you do not need God to start mending your plans and 442 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:07,560 paying your bills and get you back on the life that you have 443 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:10,880 for yourself because you're still dead in your sins. 444 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:16,360 What you actually need more than a handout is you need to be born 445 00:26:16,360 --> 00:26:19,080 again in the power of the resurrection. 446 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:24,520 You need to start by coming alive so that when the church 447 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:28,720 comes around you, it's it's helping you grow in the will of 448 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:32,520 God for your life. And so Paul is disqualifying 449 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:34,920 some who are not even born again. 450 00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:37,240 They're just living these indulgent lives and they're 451 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:40,400 showing up for the, the, the, the widow care. 452 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:45,520 And then they're going out and buying things that that are a 453 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:48,920 waste of money and doing things that are a waste of time. 454 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:53,040 And they're not one step closer to putting their faith in 455 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:56,880 Christ. You can be dead while you live. 456 00:26:56,960 --> 00:26:59,560 No doubt some of you needed to hear only that part. 457 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:03,120 Your the problem with your life is not your problems. 458 00:27:03,120 --> 00:27:05,920 The problem with your life is that you are dead in your sins 459 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:08,080 and you need to put your faith in Christ. 460 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:14,120 So there's ways to help people that only delays the inevitable. 461 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:22,120 The power of the gospel has to have you come alive before you 462 00:27:22,120 --> 00:27:25,200 can take part in all the practicalities of church. 463 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:27,840 So you have two tests now you have the family test. 464 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:31,520 Is the family caring? And you have the church test. 465 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:34,440 Are are are they qualified? And Paul is going to give a 466 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:37,280 couple more qualifications because for those of you 467 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:39,720 sometimes like me that need to be humbled that the Bible does 468 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:42,200 have policy. It's not just a quick thing. 469 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:46,000 These are people that Paul wants to see sustained by the help of 470 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:48,320 the church in a way that is good for them. 471 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:52,360 So he says in verse 9, don't let a widow under 60 years old be 472 00:27:52,360 --> 00:27:54,720 taken into the number, and not unless she has been the wife of 473 00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:56,960 one man. So she's a certain age. 474 00:27:57,200 --> 00:27:59,840 Why 60? I have no idea. 475 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:03,760 I'm guessing that in that time, 60 represented some sort of line 476 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:06,480 that Paul was trying to draw between people who could 477 00:28:06,600 --> 00:28:10,760 potentially work and provide some way to contribute in a way 478 00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:14,600 that might give them self support or in some way they 479 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:17,440 could still find another person to marry. 480 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:20,480 But he said for him, his line at that time in Ephesus was the 481 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:23,000 number 60. So there's a certain age, an age 482 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:25,880 which qualifies them as people that are coming to the stage of 483 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:29,000 their life where they're going to spend time praying and being 484 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,960 supported by the church. And then it says she was married 485 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:35,840 to one man. She was a faithful woman and 486 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:40,640 that is going to be now the rubric is this woman a faithful 487 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:45,200 contributing member seen in her devotion to her husband and also 488 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:47,800 in her devotion to the household of God. 489 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:50,600 Verse 10, it says she was well reported for good works. 490 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:54,160 If if she has brought up children, if she has lodged 491 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:57,720 strangers, if she has washed the Saints of the feet, if she is 492 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:01,520 relieved the afflicted, if she is diligently followed, every 493 00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:04,920 good work, she is a faithful member of the community of 494 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:07,320 believers. Help her honor her. 495 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:12,760 And I will tell you this is one of the great tests as myself, 496 00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:15,920 elders overseers of the Benevolence Fund. 497 00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:23,600 Are we helping someone who is clearly sown grace and kindness 498 00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:27,040 and love into the church that God has called them to. 499 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:30,680 And if the answer is clearly yes for years and years we see 500 00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:35,160 someone that has given their life to serve and to to build up 501 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:37,520 this church. It's clear that those are people 502 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:39,720 that we should take on as responsibilities. 503 00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:44,240 Which brings us to another important principle for all of 504 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:49,760 us says that they were known to be of diligent and good works. 505 00:29:50,880 --> 00:29:53,880 And here's the principle. Every single one of us right now 506 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:58,120 are either building what we're known for or we are becoming 507 00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:00,200 more and more less known for anything. 508 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:04,280 And as a believer, we are supposed to be known. 509 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:07,840 Let our good work shine before men that they could glorify our 510 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:10,920 Father in heaven. We are supposed to be diligent 511 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:15,320 in our work in such a way that when our time comes to someone 512 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:17,360 gives a measure of who we were and what we are about. 513 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:19,960 Your story would speak for itself. 514 00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:25,080 Are you diligent in good work? Are you diligent to take the 515 00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:28,560 gifts and the opportunities that you have while you're still 516 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:32,160 young, while you still have gifts and opportunities to 517 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:35,600 contribute? Are you someone who's becoming 518 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:39,240 known as a diligent person? And you can read through this 519 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:40,760 list. What a beautiful list it is. 520 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:44,640 Washing the feet of the Saints, taking people in, caring for 521 00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:47,680 people. This is clearly a woman that is 522 00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:52,120 not there for a handout, but is there at the end of her faithful 523 00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:56,920 service to a church. Galatians 6 verse 7 says 524 00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:59,720 whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 525 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:03,520 Sow in the flesh, Reap in the flesh corruption, but sow in the 526 00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:05,880 spirit. You'll, you'll reap this 527 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:07,920 everlasting life. And then he goes on to say the 528 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:12,920 principle of what you give. Let us not grow weary for doing 529 00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:16,560 good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 530 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:19,080 Now, of course, in doing good for the Kingdom you have 531 00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:21,000 treasures in heaven. You will reap a reward. 532 00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:26,320 But no doubt all of you who are serving in any capacity the 533 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:28,600 Kingdom now, you will reap in this life. 534 00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:31,960 You will serve people who will remember your faithfulness. 535 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:34,800 You will serve a church who remembers and sees your 536 00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:37,680 contributions. And this is not a way to say, 537 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:40,440 you know, work really hard so that you're putting into the 538 00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:44,080 four O 1K of Calvary Boise. This is just a principle for how 539 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:47,560 you're living your life. So you have family care and you 540 00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:51,200 have church care. And then finally, the third 541 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:55,480 category, which was probably needs, you know, the the most 542 00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:59,480 softening because it does sound harsh, the pastoral care. 543 00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:03,160 Paul is going to tell Timothy, some people don't need to go 544 00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:05,960 with their immediate family. Some of these women don't need 545 00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:08,160 to be put on the the roster of care. 546 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:10,320 Some of them need to be pastored. 547 00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:13,080 Some of them are living a life right now that just needs some 548 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:16,720 correction and guidance. And so he says in verse 11, 549 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:20,720 refuse the younger widows for when they have begun to grow 550 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:23,040 wanton against Christ. They desire to marry having 551 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:26,080 condemnation because they have cast off their first faith. 552 00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:31,840 So Paul says you're not going to actually have chaotic compassion 553 00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:35,440 that a woman lost her husband. And and there's certain of them, 554 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:37,600 you say, well, actually, we're going to do something different 555 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:39,200 for you. And he says some of these 556 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:42,600 younger windows, one of the reasons you're not going to help 557 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:48,040 them is because they're in a place of uncertainty. 558 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:52,560 They're in a season where they've lost their husband and 559 00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:54,920 maybe they looked at the older widows and they thought, you 560 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:58,960 know, that's such a simple life, just praying and, and faithfully 561 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:01,880 gathering to do whatever they can to take care of the needs of 562 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:03,040 the church that they're able to do. 563 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:06,880 Even though I'm young, I'm going to join the widow ministry. 564 00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:09,960 I've lost my husband and I'm just going to enjoy early 565 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:12,520 retirement and, and, and enjoy the widows. 566 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:14,960 And, and Paul says now they've made a commitment with their 567 00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:18,800 lips, but they're still young and they, they, they kept coming 568 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:21,760 to the, to the, the gatherings. And all of a sudden they're not 569 00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:23,600 just looking at the widows. They're actually looking at some 570 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:27,080 nice young eligible bachelors. And they're thinking, you know, 571 00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:29,320 maybe I shouldn't have joined the widow ministry so soon. 572 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:33,840 Maybe I made a mistake here. I, I was fully committed to 573 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:36,320 dying alone and just serving the church, But now I'm fully 574 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:37,600 committed to that guy over there. 575 00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:42,360 And Paul says, don't support them. 576 00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:45,320 Don't put them in the widow ministry in the season of 577 00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:48,320 uncertainty. Let them settle, principal. 578 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:52,960 We all go through seasons of uncertainty, especially. 579 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:57,240 Is there more uncertainty than being a young person who has to 580 00:33:57,240 --> 00:34:01,000 navigate resetting your life after losing a spouse? 581 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:05,840 For this principle, he says, don't immediately transfer them 582 00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:07,920 into a lifelong commitment to be a widow. 583 00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:11,000 Let them settle. And I will say that if you are 584 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:13,600 in a season of uncertainty, there's all sorts of emotions 585 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:15,320 that are going to try to pull you in One Direction to the 586 00:34:15,320 --> 00:34:17,800 other. Wait, wait to see what God 587 00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:20,800 really has for you before you decide you'll never marry again, 588 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:23,639 or before you decide this is exactly what I'm going to do. 589 00:34:23,639 --> 00:34:27,440 Give yourself time to heal, to go through a process where the 590 00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:30,520 church can come around you and encourage you and see what God 591 00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:32,639 has for you next. Because what he's going to say, 592 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:34,679 marriage isn't bad. He's actually going to recommend 593 00:34:34,679 --> 00:34:37,639 it. What is bad is thinking that you 594 00:34:37,639 --> 00:34:40,440 know everything about your future in a season of 595 00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:46,840 vulnerability. Here's another why verse 13, he 596 00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:49,440 says, and besides, they learn to be idle, wandering about from 597 00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:52,800 house to house, and not only idle, but also gossips and busy 598 00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:54,480 bodies saying things which they are not. 599 00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:59,920 So not only do they change their mind in a season of uncertainty, 600 00:34:59,920 --> 00:35:02,960 but they have too much time on their hands. 601 00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:06,640 There is a danger of early retirement that you might pick 602 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:09,720 up some habits that are not good for your life. 603 00:35:10,440 --> 00:35:13,960 And these particular women are young enough to where Paul is 604 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:16,080 saying to Timothy, I want you to pastor them differently. 605 00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:20,160 I want them to fill up their time and their days with 606 00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:24,000 something that is not just wandering from house to house. 607 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:28,760 And here's your principle for all of us, too much time is a 608 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:31,960 bad thing. I know we all want more of it. 609 00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:34,720 I feel it. It's so nice when we look at the 610 00:35:34,720 --> 00:35:38,240 calendar, there's a blank space and we have time and even a 611 00:35:38,240 --> 00:35:40,560 season of time. It's like, my goodness, I can, I 612 00:35:40,560 --> 00:35:41,960 can just take a break. I'm mourning. 613 00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:44,560 And I'm going to let this process really, really just have 614 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:51,400 its time. Too much time and being idle is 615 00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:55,440 dangerous for your life. One quote said, engage in some 616 00:35:55,440 --> 00:35:58,960 occupation so the devil may always find you too busy to 617 00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:01,320 tempt you. And that's what's happening to 618 00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:03,280 these women. They're going around and they 619 00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:06,680 don't have a lot going on in their life, so they're talking 620 00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:08,920 about everybody else's life. That is gossip. 621 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:13,960 It's like the ancient version of Desperate Housewives on social 622 00:36:13,960 --> 00:36:16,200 media. Don't do that. 623 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:22,000 And the answer for Paul, I think is the answer that extends into 624 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:25,080 the the the direction for widows and all of our lives. 625 00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:29,440 Be so busy with something good that you don't have time to be 626 00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:33,720 tempted by something bad. Verse 14 Here's the solution. 627 00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:38,280 Therefore I desire that younger women or younger, younger widows 628 00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:42,120 marry and they bear children and they manage the house. 629 00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:46,160 Give no opportunity to the adversary to speak 630 00:36:46,360 --> 00:36:50,680 reproachfully, for some have already turned aside after 631 00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:53,640 Satan. I think this is a fantastic 632 00:36:53,640 --> 00:36:58,160 principle for all of us to consider in the same way we 633 00:36:58,160 --> 00:37:01,080 started the sermon. The resurrection means your 634 00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:06,520 whole life radically changed. If Christ rose from the grave, 635 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:11,640 let you be about Christ's work. Paul very wisely says get them 636 00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:12,600 busy. You know what, You know what 637 00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:16,120 takes a lot of time? Getting married, having kids and 638 00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:17,960 managing a household. Am I right, ladies? 639 00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:20,160 I mean, for those of you who are doing that, your life kind of 640 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:22,240 went from a season of like, OK, what am I going to do with my 641 00:37:22,240 --> 00:37:23,280 life? And then the baby comes and 642 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:26,200 you're like, I'm going to do this for the next 20 to 30 643 00:37:26,200 --> 00:37:29,920 years, depending on how fast these kids, you know, go. 644 00:37:29,920 --> 00:37:31,200 And you have these seasons of breaks. 645 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:33,320 And then it's one thing after the other. 646 00:37:34,080 --> 00:37:36,960 Paul is saying get busy. Get busy with something really 647 00:37:36,960 --> 00:37:39,600 good to do with your life. I don't think that Paul is 648 00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:42,880 saying for all times and purposes that the only answer 649 00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:45,440 for a woman with time on her hands is to get married and have 650 00:37:45,440 --> 00:37:46,960 kids. It's a great one. 651 00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:50,520 God might be sending someone with time on their hands to a 652 00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:53,840 mission field or to to work really hard and in the 653 00:37:54,280 --> 00:37:56,800 opportunity of economics that all of us have available to us, 654 00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:59,600 both men and women. But what he's saying is get busy 655 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:02,880 about something productive so that your life has meaning and 656 00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:06,200 purpose to glorify God and do something on the behalf of of 657 00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:09,880 someone else. And with that same pastoral 658 00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:14,440 wisdom that he's giving to these younger women we now all 659 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:18,480 receive. Are we at church that's busy 660 00:38:18,480 --> 00:38:23,800 about the Father's business? And here's a great opportunity. 661 00:38:24,080 --> 00:38:25,760 There are people who need your care. 662 00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:28,560 There are people who are lonely. There are people who are 663 00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:33,640 vulnerable and time and idle Time is a dangerous game. 664 00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:37,280 So may we give up some of our time to serve others for their 665 00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:39,620 benefit and ours. Here's the grand, grand take 666 00:38:39,620 --> 00:38:42,120 away. We have 3 lines of care. 667 00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:45,800 May we be a church that grows and matures in all of them. 668 00:38:46,240 --> 00:38:50,880 May we be a family of God that is made-up of healthy families 669 00:38:50,880 --> 00:38:54,280 within our church. For that, I think Frank and 670 00:38:54,280 --> 00:38:57,440 Kathy Kaprivnikar are family oversight because we want to 671 00:38:57,440 --> 00:39:00,840 build up young couples who are thriving in such a way where 672 00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:04,000 they can care for kids and care for their immediate relatives 673 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:08,760 that need help. We also want to be a church that 674 00:39:08,760 --> 00:39:12,880 does take care of those who are alone, which means that we 675 00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:17,440 should probably form communities to where we can be known our 676 00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:20,240 diligent good work can be seen and benefit others. 677 00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:23,760 And when your time comes, there are people who know you and can 678 00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:27,960 support you. And so I thank Connor, who is 679 00:39:27,960 --> 00:39:31,480 helping craft all of these Calvary communities in such a 680 00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:34,280 way where we have a second line of defense ready. 681 00:39:34,440 --> 00:39:36,720 You have your immediate family and you have your church family. 682 00:39:36,880 --> 00:39:39,880 And if you have those two things, you should not be in 683 00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:44,800 want at our church. And then finally, may none of us 684 00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:48,680 be busy bodies. May we all be people who have 685 00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:51,520 been so moved by the power of the resurrection that we're 686 00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:55,440 willing for the gospel of power to turn into the gospel of 687 00:39:55,440 --> 00:39:57,360 practical. May we serve. 688 00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:01,280 May we find a way to give up some of our idle time for the 689 00:40:01,280 --> 00:40:03,400 benefit of the the Kingdom of God.