These are the original teaching notes from this passage.
I Timothy 5:1-16
Review…
- The good Servant – 10 commands…
- The need to LEAD – command the church / the need to TEACH the Word of God…
- Do not DESPISE youth / be an EXAMPLE – in word / actions / love / spirit / faith / purity!
- FOCUS on reading the Word / interpreting / and applying it…
- USE the gift that God has given / MEDITATE and GIVE yourself to these things…
- Take HEED – be careful – not to fall in the temptation or sin / CONTINUE – in the Word of God!
How to treat people in the church… (4 points)
- 1st – We are a family… vs. 1-2
- Paul now moves on to the final of four topics…
- He has given Timothy three lessons – Teach the Word / Grace / Prayer…
- He has defined three roles – Women / Pastors / Deacons…
- He showed exhorted Timothy on the need to DEFEND the FAITH!
- He now spends chapter 5-6 – talking about relationship within the church…
- It should come as no surprise the church is made up of a DIVERSITY of people…
- There are old people / young people – men / women – married / single – rich / poor…
- Jesus came to save people from all walks of life – and all of them are in His church…
- And his desire is that we all come together in UNITY – as a FAMILY!
- Because only when we have UNITY – are we an example of Jesus to a LOST world!
- John 17:21 – “That they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe You sent Me.”
- 1st – OLDER MEN like fathers… vs. 1
- OLDER MAN – Presbyteros – in context referring to ELDERLY men in the church…
- It seems we always tend to think of OLDER MEN – as people who are older than we are…
- No matter how old I get – I never think I am old – old is people older than I am!
- The typical definition for OLDER MAN – is those who have already raised their children…
- In other words – if they have grandchildren – then chances they are an OLDER MAN!
- Do not REBUKE…
- REBUKE – only here NT – to strike or beat upon – figuratively with our words…
- This does NOT mean we are to IGNORE the sin of others!
- There is a tendency in our culture – to avoid confrontation…
- If someone does something wrong – the accepted response it to IGNORE it / them…
- As if somehow time will miraculously make everything OK!
- Sin is devastating – if we refuse to repent of our sin – it will harden our hearts…
- The danger is we end up rejecting God – prefer to live on in our sin – Hebrews 3:13
- If there is sin – there MUST be correction – caring for someone does not mean ignoring sin!
- Sin destroys lives – how loving is it to let someone destroy themselves!
- Proverbs 27:6 -“Faithful are the wounds of a friend… “
- EXHORT them like a Father…
- EXHORT – parakaleō – we are to come alongside them like we would our own Dad!
- When I was growing up – you never talked back to your dad…
- Even if he was wrong – you were very careful how told him!
- If we are not careful rather than helping an OLDER MAN – we will offend them…
- Not that we do not CONFRONT sin – but we do it respectfully!
- 2nd – YOUNGER MEN like bothers… vs. 1
- YOUNGER MEN – neos – meaning newborn or youthful – possibly referring to their salvation…
- It is easy to dismiss the YOUNGER MEN in the church – think they do not know anything!
- But recall Paul commanded – do NOT despise youth – I Timothy 4:12
- We are to treat the YOUNGER MEN – as brothers / equals…
- What they lack in experience – they often make up for in passion and excitement…
- And the YOUNGER MEN might just surprise us with wisdom God has given to them!
- 3rd – OLDER WOMEN like mothers… vs. 2
- OLDER WOMEN – Presbyteras – in context referring to ELDERLY women in the church…
- Now you might ask – who qualifies as an – OLDER WOMAN…
- The simple answer is – I would rather not say – or even ask…
- Because if you ever tell a woman she is old – you may not live to regret it!
- Treat them as MOTHERS…
- Just as with the MEN – we should ALWAYS show respect to the OLDER WOMEN…
- We are to TREAT them like we would our own MOTHER…
- What does the Bible say about how we are to TREAT our MOTHER…
- Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long…”
- I have noted more and more young people today think they know it all…
- They have GOOGLE and YOUTUBE – and believe KNOWLEDGE gives them all the answers…
- But KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM are NOT the same – WISDOM comes with experience!
- KNOLEDGE says fire is hot – WISDOM says it is a good idea NOT to touch it!
- We are to HONOR the OLDER WOMEN in the church – because they have WISDOM…
- Those who have lived more years on this earth – have learned a thing or two…
- We are WISE to listen to and learn from their experience!
- 4th – YOUNGER WOMEN like sisters…vs. 2
- YOUNGER WOMEN – neoteras – referring to the young ladies / possibly new believers…
- Paul here specifically gives the command to interact with them in ALL PURITY…
- It would seem CONTEXT here is referring to avoiding sexual sin!
- PURITY – from the root word for HOLY!
- I Thessalonians 4:3 – “This is the will of God, your [holiness]… that you should abstain from sexual immorality…”
- Men are NOT to treat the young ladies in the church in a disrespectful manner…
- Guard their eyes – NOT look at women in a lustful way – Matthew 5:28
- Guard their actions – NOT get involved just to get close to the YOUNGER LADIES…
- Go to church with a motive is to try and get a date – not to serve the Lord…
- Instead treat the YOUNGER WOMEN as sisters – with ALL PURITY – no ulterior motives!
- 2nd – Widows in the church… vs. 3 / 5–7 / 9-10
- 1st – WIDOWS… vs. 3
- WIDOWS – used 8x just in this passage – a woman who has lost her husband…
- The Bible has quite a LOT to say about WIDOWS!
- Deuteronomy 10:18 – God loves WIDOWS and makes sure they receive justice…
- Deuteronomy 24:19 – God provided for WIDOWS – part of the harvest was left for them…
- Matthew 23:14 – God judged the religious leaders for stealing from the WIDOWS …
- Mark 12:43 – A WIDOW gave more to the Lord – mite – more than all rulers of Israel…
- Acts 6:1 – The first church made sure to provide for the needs of the WIDOWS …
- James 1:27 – Pure religion is visiting the orphans and WIDOWS!
- The point simply being the Lord cares about the widows in the church…
- So here Paul is going to give instruction for how to take care of widows!
- 2nd – HONOR those who are REALLY widows… vs. 3 / 5-7
- HONOR (present imperative) – timao – to give value or importance…
- Paul is commanding financial provision – HONORING them by providing for them!
- NOTE – only those who are REALLY widows – meaning not all widows are eligible…
- You would assume there would only be ONE definition – death of a husband…
- But the church in ONLY to provide for a TRUE widow – defined by FIVE things!
- 1 – LEFT ALONE…
- LEFT ALONE (perfect passive) – monos – a TRUE widow is solitary or forsaken…
- This is NOT speaking of divorce (passive) but someone who has LOST her family…
- Meaning she has no family – children or grandchildren – to take care of her!
- Paul will go into more detail on this in verses 4 and 8!
- 2 – TRUSTS in God…
- TRUST (perfect) – a TRUE widow puts her HOPE in Jesus…
- A true widow is one who always trust in the Lord to take care of her…
- In other words she is not always ASKING for the church to help her…
- She does not walk around in rags – to show people how poor she is…
- Instead her confidence is in the Lord – and she trusts in Him to provide!
- 3 – CONTINUES in PRAYER night and day…
- CONTINUES (present indicative) – prosmenō – to ABIDE in – constantly be doing…
- SUPPLICATIONS – praying for the needs of others…
- PRAYERS – 37x in NT – having a conversation with God…
- A TRUE widow is one who constantly takes the time to pray to the Lord!
- An older widow does not have a lot to offer practically to the church…
- She is not going to climb up on a ladder and paint the church…
- She does not have a lot of money to give to help provide for others…
- But what she can do is dedicate herself to praying for the saints!
- My grandmother was a widow – and she lived with my family since I was a baby…
- Every day she would set aside time to pray – for her grandkids / for the church…
- One reason why God has blessed my life – is the prayers of my grandma!
- 4 – Does NOT live for pleasure…
- PLEASURE – 2x in NT – to desire to live in luxury…
- The church is NOT to help a widow who lives for pleasure – things of this world…
- She is wasting her time – she is spiritually dead – she is not a TRUE widow…
- A TRUE widow dedicates her life to serving the Lord – following God!
- If we only live for momentary pleasure – we are spiritually dead – we miss out on TRUE life…
- God created for an incredible purpose – to know Him – Deuteronomy 6:4-5
- If we settle for just food / sleep / pleasure – we miss out on the true purpose of life!
- 5 – BLAMELESS before the Lord…
- Paul commanded – parangellō – these things so the WIDOWS may be (subjunctive) …
- BLAMELESS – 3x in NT – does not mean perfect – but that she cannot be accused!
- A widow who is ALONE / TRUSTS in the Lord / night and day PRAYS to the Lord…
- A widow who does NOT live for this world – will be BLAMELESS before the Lord…
- And that kind of a widow – is someone the church should take care of!
- 3rd – PROVIDING for widows… vs. 9-10
- Let NOT a widow be…
- TAKEN INTO THE NUMNBER – only here NT – put on the list / enrolled…
- Having DEFINED who was a REAL widow…
- Paul three gives additional QUALIFICATIONS – who can be supported as a widow!
- If you want to receive support from the government – you first have to qualify…
- In the same way God gave qualifications for receiving support from the church…
- A check off list for TRUE widows – to see if they could receive help from the church!
- 1 – Under 60 years old…
- A qualified widow could not by under the age of 60…
- God did not want any YOUNGER WOMEN to be provided for by the church…
- The reason for that we will look at more in verse 11-16…
- The good news is – the Bible says that anyone under 60 is still young!
- 2 – Wife of ONE man…
- A qualified widow was someone who was married to ONE man…
- That does not mean that she could not have been married more than once!
- The famous Christian author Elizabeth Eliot – was married 3 times…
- Her first husband was killed by natives in Ecuador / the second died of cancer…
- But she was certainly a godly woman deserving of the care of the church!
- It means she had a husband – a widow by definition was at one time married…
- Meaning a woman who was never married – does not qualify…
- The likely reason is a girl who never married – learned to take care of herself…
- But a married woman was used to be taken care of by her husband…
- And with his passing – she is ill-prepared to provide without his help!
- 3 – Reported for GOOD WORKS…
- REPORTED – martyreō – her testimony reveals GOOD – kalos (external) – WORKS…
- A qualified widow must be known everyone by her actions – seen in five ways!
- NOTE – there are five apparent IF question – all first class – should be SINCE!
- 1 – SINCE she brought up her own children – presumably to love and follow the Lord…
- 2 – SINCE she lodged strangers – provided for those who were in need…
- 3 – SINCE she washed the feet of the saints – she served in the church – helping out…
- 4 – SINCE she relieved the afflicted – visited those who were in the hospital…
- 5 – SINCE she has diligently followed every GOOD – agathos (internal) – work…
- Then because of her heart to be a blessing – the church will want to bless her!
- Acts 9 – Tabitha – presumably a widow – was always serving in the church…
- She is only woman in the Bible who is given the title – a disciple of Jesus…
- She did many Good works – faithfully served the saints there in Joppa…
- Helping out the poor – she even knitted clothes for all the women…
- The result was Tabitha got sick (died) – the church was willing to do EVERYTING for her!
- We often look for others to take care of our needs / but there is no connection…
- It is ONLY when we care for others – that they then in turn want to care for us!
- 1st – WIDOWS… vs. 3
- 3rd – The responsibility of family… vs. 4 / 8
- 1st – If any WIDOW has children / or grandchildren (any descendant) … vs. 8
- Let them learn (present imperative) PIETY at home…
- PIETY – 2x in NT – meaning to show reverence or RESPECT…
- How do they show RESPECT – by REPAYING their parents!
- It is the responsibility of the kids / grandkids – to take care of their parents…
- When they grow old – and need help – we are to provide for them!
- We are commanded to take care of them – because we owe them…
- Mom spend the better part of 20+ years taking care of all our needs…
- Changing our diapers when you are young / cooking / and cleaning our clothes…
- The very least we can do is take care of them when they grow old!
- This is GOOD – kalos – and acceptable before God…
- When my mother passed away – leaving my father a widower…
- There was discussion about putting him into a nursing home…
- Instead he came and lived here with us – we are commanded to care for their parents!
- We are to care for our parents – because it pleases God…
- The fifth command of God – Honor your Father and Mother – Exodus 20:12
- Part of honoring our father and mother includes caring for them when older!
- 2nd – If anyone does NOT provide… vs. 8
- Children who do not provide (present) for their parents…
- Have DENIED (perfect indicative) the FAITH – their actions show they do NOT know Jesus…
- Are WORSE than an UNBELIEVER – speaking of their moral character!
- People who do NOT know Jesus take care of their aging parents…
- How much more should we are believers take care of our Dad and Moms…
- If we ignore our parents – what kind of witness to the world can we be!
- People always seem to have an excuse why they cannot help…
- Mark 10:11-12 – “The Pharisees said it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘I cannot help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I could have given to you.’”
- Rather than taking care of their parents by providing for them…
- The religious leaders taught people could instead give the money to God…
- If it was given to the church – then they had no obligation to their parents!
- Jesus rebuked them – because it voided the command of God – Mark 15:6
- There is no excuse not to take care of family…
- We cannot say we have no money – because God will provide for our needs…
- We cannot say they do not deserve our help – we owe them our lives…
- Bottom line – as believers in Jesus we MUST take care of our parents!
- 1st – If any WIDOW has children / or grandchildren (any descendant) … vs. 8
- 4th – Younger widows… vs. 11-16
- YOUNGER widows… vs. 11
- Paul concludes his instructions – by discussing YOUNGER WIDOWS (under 60) …
- They were NOT to be included in the support of the church – four reasons!
- 1st – They begin to grow WANTON… vs. 11-12
- WATON (subjunctive) against Christ – only here NT – to desire the intimacy of marriage…
- They will get married – and be CONDEMNED – because they cast off their first FAITH!
- Being a WIDOW supported by the church – is a commitment to WORK for Jesus!
- But YOUNG WIDOWS still have the desire for a house / a family / child…
- So rather than serving the Lord / praying for the saints…
- They will grow rebellious and bitter towards the church – perhaps even leave the faith!
- 2nd – They LEARN to be IDLE… vs. 13
- LEARN – manthanō – to learn by experience and practice / IDLE – to be lazy…
- Young widows may not use their time wisely…
- If the church supports a young widow – it means she will NOT have to work…
- The result will be she will have too much time on her hands!
- She will WANDER – from house to house – being GOSSIPS and BUSYBODIES…
- GOSSIPS – only here NT – doing silly things – babbling – talking when they should not…
- BUSYBODIES – 2x in NT – busy about unimportant things – ignoring the important ones!
- II Thessalonians 3:11 – “Some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and wasting time meddling in other people’s business…”
- Rather than serving the Lord she might wander around and become the church gossip!
- 3rd – THEREFORE – I desire the YONGER WIDOWS marry… vs. 14-15
- There was no reason for them to remain WIDOWS – they should remarry…
- Have children – because they still long to have a family…
- Manage the house – only here NT – employed as the manager of the household…
- So they would be busy – rather than having too much time on their hands!
- There is a stigma in the culture that says a widow should not remarry…
- But God never intended us to be alone in this life – it is normal to want a husband…
- If a widow is under the age of 60 – the Bible says they should remarry – in the Lord!
- I Corinthians 7:39 – “If her husband dies, she is free to remarry… in the Lord.”
- Give no opportunity to the ADVERSARY…
- THE ADVERSARY – satan – who would like to bring reproach against the church…
- Some YOUNG WIDOWS had already turned aside after him…
- The implication is they became GOSSIPS and BUSYBODIES – causing division!
- 4th – The church can support TRUE widows… vs. 16
- If any believing family has a WIDOW – let them provide (imperative) of her…
- So that the church has the resources to take care of the TRUE older widows!
- The point of which is simple – we are called to CARE for ONE ANOTHER…
- If we have FAMILY that needs help – we are to CARE for them…
- If someone in the church has no one to help – then we are their FAMILY!