Sermon: Widow Care

Which timely chapter 5 verses 9 through 16. Let's pray before we open the word together this morning.

We pray O Father that you would illumine our minds and our hearts and our souls this morning. from this text you would teach you would exhort. would rebuke it would comfort. You would sustain and you would Grant new life.

It is only you that can do such a thing. And so we plead with you that you would do so in our midst this morning. Christ's name we pray. amen First Timothy chapter 5 verses 9 through 16. This is the holy inerrant sufficient. word of God

Let a widow be enrolled. She is not less than 60 years of age having. Been the wife of one husband. And having a reputation for good works. She's brought up children has shown Hospitality has washed the feet of the Saints. as cared for The Afflicted and is devoted herself to every good work. But refused to enroll younger widows. But when their passions draw them away from Christ. They desire to marry and so incur condemnation for

having abandoned their former faith. Besides that they learn to be idlers. Going about from house to house. Not only idlers but also gossips and busy bodies. Same what they should not. So I would have a younger Widow Mary. bear children manage their households

and give the adversary no occasion for slander. For some have already straight after Satan if any believing Widow has relatives who are widows let her care for them let the church not be burdened so that it may care for those who are truly widows. The grass withers the flower Fades word of God is forever. Thanks be to God. amen

may remember from last week those of you that were here that the Apostle Paul went through the different. Requirements for widows that were to be cared for by the church and he detailed Widow care. thinking our passage this morning there is Let me say at the very outsets here. There is a lot of disagreement about what this passage teaches here in first Timothy. So I want to be careful as we go through this this morning and don't want

to be too dogmatic don't want you to be two dogmatic as you approach this text and walk away from it, but I have a very firm opinion and I'm going to share that with you this morning. But I think regardless of where you fall on this passage and what you believe Paul is speaking about In this passage that what he does is he brings out various characteristics that are to Mark these widows that are to be put on a list. And at the very least these are Godly

characteristics. And so there is applicability for all of us in this room. Where we can take those different Godly characteristics and we can say where is it that these need to apply in my life? And what is it that I need to grow in and to learn from as we think through this passage together? Want to look at this passage just under three headings this morning. The first is the question. The second is the qualifications

and the third is the caution. So we're going to look at the question that surrounds this text. Look at the qualifications that Paul gives and then we're going to look at the concern that he expresses or the caution that he expresses in this text. The question as we approach this, Texas what in the world is Paul talking about? What they talking about when he talks about making a list when he mentions widows being enrolled they are enrolled

and they're being put on some kind of list that the church is aware of and that the church safeguards and that the church knows what is this list of widows? Well, some of interpreted this list of widows is just a continuation of what we saw Paul talking about last week that this is just a list of the widows in the church that have been qualified to be cared for by the church. That's a possibility but I don't think that's the

case here. He's already given us the qualifications for what widows can be cared for who should be cared for in the church and it would seem incredibly redundant if he was to go on for a whole another section where he is bringing more equalifications to bear and often repeating himself. This is not usually pose way of thought and his way of proceeding through a letter. And so I think that is at least one sign that that's not what he's doing here just duplication.

It's also true that he alludes to a pledge that widows must take to go on this list and we see that in verses 11 and 12 and it would be very odd. For a widow to have to make a certain pledge to go be put on a list to be cared for by the church. But furthermore if Paul was simply talking about the widows that the church was to care for. It seems wrong that at the very outset that he would say that young widows shouldn't

be cared for. Now young widows need to be cared for Just Like Old widows need to be cared for. So what is this list of widows? What seems that this was not a list of those who were to be helped but of those who were to help? It is that they were to help others. That is this was not a list of widows who were to be supported but a list of widows who were being commissioned by the church to serve. I want to flesh that out a

little bit with you here this morning. It appears that there were widows in the church's Ephesus who were put on some kind of official list in order to serve the church in an officially recognized capacity of extending sympathy and service within the congregation. If you remember back in 1st Timothy earlier when we were going through the office of Deacon and we were looking at the different qualifications for Deacon. We saw that there

in that text that Paul spoke about as our es visas the deacons wife, but as I pointed out to you at that time, it's really just a a generic word for woman there and there's no there. I think he's talking about Deacon's wives. But as I told you in that sermon, I also think he uses the broader term woman there instead of just wives because what Paul was underlying is what he's getting at here as well. When our current pastors this

morning that as deacons are extending the sympathy and service of Christ into the body of Christ. They often need Godly women to come alongside of them to do this ministry. Why Well because they are often ministering and sympathy and service to the bodily needs of women in the congregation. So it be an appropriate for them to do so just in and of themselves. Often it is wise to have a woman involved in such a sensitive situation and

there are gifts to be utilized. But again, let's make it clear. This is still the deacons work. We need deacons who lead but then they wisely employ women and I would argue men as well in the church to assist them in that work. That's what our book Church order allows for in the PCA. or elders and deacons even right now are working on how do we restructure the diaconate so that our deacons are leading and then how do we fill maybe teams that are

under them that are filled with Godly men and women were employing the gifts of men and women to meet the mercy needs of the church underneath the leadership of the diagonists underneath the leadership of the elders and our church Seems like again don't want to be too dogmatic, but it seems like these widows were put on the list. As such an order of women in the church. They were unique. They were unique and that like all the

other widows. They were provided for financially a materially by the church, but they were unique and that not only they were they provided for but they were to provide for the sake of others in service. Tertullian we see this in the early church church father from the second century wrote about quote an order of widows. He spoke about this order of widows devoting themselves. And then he lists these things they devoted themselves to

caring for the sick prayer providing for Orphans visiting prisoners evangelizing women teaching female converts before they came to the Waters of baptism. It seems like this was a precursor to what tertullian saw in the church. My answer to the question of what Paul is speaking about here. Second what are the qualifications as he goes into the qualifications for widows to serve in such order. What are the qualifications?

Well, I think these qualifications are not hard fast requirements rather what Paul is doing is he's not detailing everything that needs to mark them. He's giving general principles here. General things that should Mark Godly women that are serving in such a capacity the very first qualification I think makes it clear as he says they need to be 60 years old or older. He's just giving a general qualification. They need to be an older woman.

Whose seasoned and shown herself to be included on this list. but regardless here we have the same. We have the same instructions that we can learn from like we did when we were looking at even the office of builder in Deacon. Here are things that Mark godliness so we can see here there are different qualifications that Mark these widows that are serving in some capacity in the church that this is what Marxism is Godly and so there are things for you and I to learn from this

and applicable for us. He says in verse 10 she is to have quote the reputation of good works. It is she's not an idle woman. To understand is we will quote from the Heidelberg Catechism one that her life is not her own, but she belongs body and soul to her faithful Lord, Jesus Christ. To understand that she was purchased with a prize. Gender she can confess with the Apostle Paul for me to live as Christ. She wants to present her body as a Living Sacrifice. Holy and

accept the Lord. She can say with a possible whether I eat or drink or whatever. I do I seek to do to the glory of God. Why because she has been gripped by the grace of Christ. She's become a new creation. And though she is saved by grace. She is saved by grace not by works so that no one can boast. But she is saved by grace unto good works. Where we are as workmanship created in Christ, Jesus Paul says for what for good were.

Is what marks a Christian? Gripped by grace and gripped so much by the grace of Christ is shown his light into your soul and your person and you are now in Union within that now you seek to live for him and you seek to do good works to your heavenly father.

What are these good works break them down at least as Paul enumerates him here into two categories domestic Delight. And outward overflow domestic delight and outward overflow. first domestic Delight He says she is to have been the wife of one husband. Secos, what was said of the requirement for an elder that he was to be a husband of one wife. It's not that he couldn't remarry as an elder. He's not saying here that a widow couldn't remarry and have a second husband. And

that husband die that. She's still the widows still qualify what he's saying the same thing. He was saying about an elder candidate. That as the Elder candidate was to be a one woman kind of man. So the Widow is to be a one-man kind of woman. But as she was to be known as so devoted to her husband that there was no Mark of sensuality and no Mark of sexuality about her. She was truly above reproach. as a married woman again, he begins with domestic Delight. She

was devoted to her husband, but now he states that she also brought up children that if she labored. Well not only as a wife but also as a mother again a general principle here. It may be that she didn't have children.

but notice a pole did not have that modern destructive tendency of dismissing the high high calling of being a wife and a mother.

He's not marked by that. This is not a secondary inconsequential role in his mind widows are worthy of being put on this list as they have labored well for their family both as a wife and as a mother domestic Delight. But you'll notice. That our service doesn't end with her family. She's not so consumed with her own that she has no time for those outside of her family. So the second there is an outward overflow. There's an outward overflow.

Listen, let's say this before we jump into this outward overflow. Especially you young moms. This is a great struggle. Set with many of you that are in tears and feel absolutely overburdened and overwhelmed because you feel like there is so much that is being asked of you and so much that is on your plate and you feel like you're not doing enough or can even handle what you have there. But there are different seasons of life.

You can only do so much. That's just reality. You can only do so much. but a Christian family That is consumed with itself in the whole is not living. Holy unto Christ. In fact, it is sub-christian. It's not Christ like at all.

Years ago at another church that I served in another state. It was a young there was a young father and husband. That I respected an awful lot. I went to him one day and Said to him you have the gift of teaching. Would you? consider teaching in our children's Sunday School classes He said no. It's important for my children to be an adult Sunday school with me. We don't separate on Sunday morning. Okay. went to him a little while later and said would you

consider coming on Wednesday nights and Helping with our youth program. And he said no.

He said we need to be home every night together as a family so we can practice Family Worship. I said, okay. To him a little later and I said would you consider just discipling a couple of men just praying with them and maybe reading a book with them get up? Before you go to work in the morning and meet them for breakfast and pray and read a book with him. He said no. I need to be at home so I can get my children ready

for school and do devotions with them before their day starts. I said well, could you meet with a man over lunch? Maybe read a book with them and pray with him. He said no, that's when I do my devotion.

It was no overflow. No outward overflow in this man's life. All that he labored at was really good. But he had gone from a man who delighted in his domestic responsibilities to being devoured by his domestic responsibility. He had wandered from leading his family and worship to worshiping his family.

Homes should so be filled with the grace and the love and the mercy and the gospel of Christ that they overflow. And we're bringing others in and we're seeking others out.

Years later, I learned that this man who might respected at one point. That he had left his wife. were divorced all of his children have wandered away from the church in the faith. And his family is seemingly fractured forever. And I'll tell you what when I receive that news, I wasn't shocked in the least.

Wasn't shocked. When the focus becomes only our own often, we lose our own Christian love overflow.

You'll notice this was true of these widows who have a reputation of Good Works. They are he says devoted to every good work. They care for their own. Will they have domestic Delight? They have been a faithful wife. They have been a faithful mother, but then he lists three things that follow there is an outward overflow. They've shown Hospitality. They have washed the feet of the Saints they've cared for The Afflicted.

First Hospitality she is invited others in. Her home was not a fortress set against the world. No, it was a way station of Christian Hospitality to extend love. Hospitality is always a huge Christian virtue in every single day. Just one of the primary ways that you and I show love to those outside the Christian faith and those within the Christian faith. There's a special important at this time. There were no Holiday Inns, there were no Marriotts and

so as Christians traveled especially preachers they needed somewhere to stay. So these women are commended for showing hospitality. But you notice it wasn't Simply Her Space, but it was also her person that she shared she quote has washed the feet of the Saints. And this of course brings to mind our Lord Our Savior on the night in which he was betrayed that as he was sitting there at the table. He got up and he put a towel

on and he went around and he washed the feet of all of his disciples on the very night that he was going to be betrayed and taken to trial and crucified the very next day. Why because he said I came not to be served but to serve.

It's the way of our savior and that's the way of his faithful disciples. We're marked by Good Works. We take such a stance. We stoop to the lowest of levels. In order to serve others. Wash the feet of the Saints.

sitting the pastor friend this week who?

It's historically ministered in the Deep South and he was telling me a true story about two Pastor friends of his. There in the Deep South that were at breakfast one morning. at a restaurant The One Pastor was White and the other Pastor was African-American the African-American pastor pastor. And pastors one of the largest churches and that state. And while they were sitting there having breakfast a white woman walked into the restaurant to get her take out order.

when the cashier brought her takeout order in a box to The cash register this white woman looked at the table that they were sitting at and looking at the African-American man. She said boy. Come carry this out to my car.

the white pastor again to get up and he said I'll take care of this. The African-American Pastor said no. She was talking to me. so he got up and he walked over and He said, yes, ma'am. This box here. Yes. he lifted it and he let her outside and to her car. He opened up the back door. He put the Box. In her back door and open the front door so she could sit down in the front door. and in the front seat He said ma'am. With the food in the back of your car as you requested.

And I ask you one question. Are you a Christian woman this? assume you are As she said, yes, I am. said oh You know, I'm also a Christian. I actually Pastor such and such a church. And you know, we're purchased by the same blood of Christ. Were siblings in Christ? And we're coheirs with Christ. Could I just encourage you next time?

Not to call someone that looks like me boy. Remember that we're siblings.

This was a man who understood the call of the wash the feet of the Saints. stoop into the lowest level And this was a woman that had no clue.

he goes on to say she's also cared for The Afflicted. She's not simply a servant of those who are siblings, but she to servant of those who are hurting.

The word here has the idea of imparting and relieving those that are in need. She has an eye for the lonely. She has an eye for the distress. She has an eye for the depression is that I for the discourage he has an eye for The Afflicted she has an eye for the anxious. She has an eye for the hungry. She has an eye for those that are overwhelmed and overburdened the suffering. He says in summary. She has devoted herself to

every good work. The the word here is interesting that is used for devoted. It has the idea of following after like a dog Trails after its master. Peter will use this term in second Peter or 1st Peter chapter 2 when we're told that we are to follow in Christ's steps. That is we're to follow his example we are to to Trail after him. And so he's saying this is what was true of these kind of widows. They have followed after they

have given themselves to every good work. This is her path. This is her way it is the way the way of righteousness

more of us Christians just to be like dogs trailing after their master. That's just our way. Just to be producing good work after good work after work good work because we're just holy devoted to it.

We have a widow example of this in Scripture. Acts chapter 9 we have Dorcas like one of the most unfortunate names no scripture, but dorkus and acts 9 where? she is a widow and she dies and they hear that Peter is nearby. to the congregation calls out to Peter and Peter comes and as he comes we are told that quote all the widows were weeping and showing tunics and other garments that dorkus made while she was with them.

It was full of good works. She was so in little outfits for people that needed outfits ministering to the needs that there were

Calvin and commenting upon this passage will Grieve over the church in his own day that they were. neglectful of organizing serving widows like this Phil reichen will say in our day. He'll say doubtless one reason why the contemporary church is so confused about the role of women is that this pattern for women's ministry has been neglected or even forgotten all together. I think that's true. That's part of the reason that we're

thinking through how to have our deacons lead and plug in. Men and women with their gifts underneath the deacons and serving in these Ministry ways here in the church. finally Paul then provides a caution the caution is about enrolling the younger women on this list and there's instruction here for all of us as well. It's possible that these younger women I think are the same women that Paul will detail in second Timothy

chapter 3 that he calls weak willed women these women that were going from house to house and teaching false things and they were gossiping about things that they should not have. And if the widows on the list have met the qualifications that are to be exemplified, then these very characteristics that are found in the lives of these younger women as Paul goes through them here are to be things that are not to be exemplified in yours in my lives.

He says quote for some have already straight after Satan. He says in verse 12, they incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. What seems to be the case again? I don't want to be too dogmatic. But what seems to be the case here is that we have young widows who were abandoning the faith and they were abandoning The Thing by marrying unbelievers. Paul will say in verse 11 that they've been drawn away by their passions that there's there were

sensual desires or sexual desires or maybe even emotional desires as they met other men. And they forsook Christ by being married to what they knew was an unbeliever. Well say there in 2nd Corinthians 6 that a Christian is not to be an equally yoked. So no Christian ever is to knowingly. Mary a non-Christian it seems that some of these young widows were who had committed themselves to being part of this order of widows. They had made that vowel and

they not only forsook that vow, but now they're forsaking their very vowed to Christ as their trapezene after their passions and and yielding themselves to an unbeliever as his wife. driven by Passion instead of restraint Again, the issue for Paul is not that they are getting remarried. He has no problem with them getting remarried. He will say that in First Corinthians 7. He'll say that again In this passage. He has no problem with a widow

getting remarried. His problem is is that she's forsaken her vows.

Younger widows don't seem to have the right stuff in Paul's mind verse 13. They learn to be idlers going about from house to house and not only idlers but also gossips and Busy Bodies saying what they should not Just busy talking.

This has been said our greatest strength is often our greatest weakness. Must be pointed here for a second. Women are on the whole a lot better talkers and a lot better conversationalists than men. That's just true. on the whole that reads statistics. They estimate that a woman will speak 20,000 words a day. A man will Mumble something like 7,000 words a day? We're just different. Remember when Leah and I were in college.

And we were part of this Christian fellowship and they brought in a married couple to divide up the men and women in this Christian College Fellowship had all the men in one room and all the women in another room and had this couple come in to speak to us about Christian marriage and what it should look like to be a Christian husband and what it should look like to be a Christian wife. And I remember the Christian husband standing up before us men

and he was saying you men you have to give your wife the time that she needs. He said my wife needs three hours to talk every night. He said some wives need four hours. Some wives need one hour. I began praying for a one hour wife at that very moment.

Regardless the average woman talks more and often talks better than the average man. This also leads to the great Temptation that accompanies it. Women are tempted more readily with being gossips. and with being busy bodies and Christian women you especially need to help one another. It doesn't matter how much you respect that woman how much you want to be like that woman no matter how much you want her to like you no matter how gifted you think

she is. the moment you begin hearing gossip the moment you begin hearing slender the moment you begin seem busy bodiness

where to correct one another the stop one another for our own good but also for the good of our sibling and Christ and even more so for the very name and Glory of Christ.

Paul is concerned enough about young women widows falling into this trap that he doesn't want them in rolled on this list. There's a real temptation. He's saying the Temptation is this that they aren't busy enough and so they busy themselves or what they shouldn't be busy about. He's saying they need to be busy. So Paul says let them be busy. But let them be busy by remaring. Let them be busy by burying more children with managing their

own households. He reorients them away from sinful business outside the home to Godly business inside the home. Why? It's fascinating. Why? He says so our adversary is given no occasion for slander. Isn't that astounding?

And I also think it's encouraging.

pose pointing out that a woman's domestic laborers are part of the Great fight of the faith.

It wasn't so in nonsense when he highlighted domestic Delight before. That's a good reminder. Especially for wives that feel so overwhelmed and mothers that feel so overwhelmed. And feel like I don't know that what I'm doing during my days accomplishing anything for the sake of the Kingdom.

Paul say no you are. You see you're in a spiritual fight. and as you cook or as you do the dishes or as you do the laundry, or as you teach the ABCs or as you look for that baby formula. You're fighting the good fight of the faith.

What you do matters? It matters. It gives our adversary. No right the slander.

Fighting the good fight of faith.

You're not giving into the Temptation the gossip, you're not giving into the temptation to be busy bodies going from house to house and text to text and phone call to phone call. You're busy about good and godly things you're presenting Satan from being able to Slender the church and the Christian faith in your Christ.

fighting the good fight

give him no opportunity post saying This is such. of such concern in the pole that he would have a young Widow remarry. He would have her change her life circumstances. He would have her commit herself to another man. So that she avoids this temptation delighting in our domestic duties as good and it is right and it is Holy and from that should come a outward overflow that blesses the church and blesses the world. These women are being commended because that is the case.

And we have so many wonderful examples of this in the history of the church. Think about women who have committed themselves to Christ and committed themselves to their families and committed themselves to their husbands and their children and to just seeking to labor daily day in and day out for the cause of Crisis. Whatever is set before them. So many good ones. We have them biblically you have it in Abigail. You have it in Ruth and Naomi you have it in Lois

and Eunice. You have it in Dorcas. you have it in church history with figures such as Monica Saint Augustine's mother and Susanna Wesley and think of others like Elizabeth Elliott Sarah Edwards There's so many in our church. Many Godly women that do this so well, and I'd Point them out this morning if they wouldn't get embarrassed.

You see it matters what you do daily?

It's just that plotting day after day after day where we're just busy about the things of the Lord has given to us today. We're devoting ourselves holy to him today. We're working out our salvation with fear and trembling today. We're seeking to present our bodies as a Living Sacrifice to him today. And we're just producing good works today. for the glory of our savior these women are being commended for this.

How you think about your day?

You just seeking to do good works to him today.

It's a good way. It's the only way to live the Christian Life, holy. It's the right way to live it.

Pray, that's true of all of us more more. Let's pray together.

father We thank you that you have made life purposeful in your son. What we do day in and day out matters. Whether we go to work whether we go to school whether we are at home.

Help us to be faithful plotting pilgrims.

Help us to seek to do good works, and we know that we can only do those good works if we have been first saved by grace we pray. To pour out your grace on each of our lives in this room. We pray that once we've been gripped by that Grace that we would seek.

Amid ourselves to doing good works for your glory and praise.

We want to honor you with all that we are we want to arise as the church. bless our God a great God of selfish It's in Christ. Holy name we pray. amen