1Timothy 5:1-4
The Pastor and the People
Paul’s book to Timothy has been varied, but all under the topics of
how helping people in the church to be the most they can be and
helping pastor to be the most he can be. Paul has given instructions
to the women, bishops, deacons. and to Timothy. Now, Paul will focus
on how to deal with people inside the church.
I. \\#1Tim 5:1-2\\ Pastor, respect your people.
A. The first help Paul gave to Timothy was short but important.
B. Paul began by speaking of elders.
1. Elders where the older men in the church.
2. They helped to lead the church. It was either all of the
older men in the church or perhaps a selected group of
the older men in the church.
3. So this counsel was directed to those who shared in the
leadership roles of the church.
C. He gave two instructions by contrasts:
1. Paul said to intreat the elders not to rebuke them.
a. To rebuke means to correct them, chastise them, or
upbraid them.
b. To intreat means to ask them, invite them, appeal to
them, and make a request of them.
c. The first assumes authority; the second demonstrates
respect.
d. The first assumes control; the second demonstrates
cooperation.
e. Paul was not striping Timothy of his authority as the
pastor of the church; rather, he was teaching Timothy
not to let his authority become his primary method of
leadership—especially over those who were there to
help him lead!
f. In other words, Paul was teaching Timothy not to
become a dictator!
g. The relationship between authority and followers does
not have to adversarial.
(1) The church, the home, the workplace, even the
government and the citizens should all be
working for the same things.
(2) People should not do what the police, the judge,
the IRS, the game warden, and others say because
they carry a gun or can fine you or send you to
jail.
(3) They should do what they say because they respect
the law and the authority God have government.
(4) That will require two things:
(a) Honorable authority
(b) God-fearing citizens
i. But even if the world must have dictators and
penalties, that is not the way the church should
be operated.
2. Treat church members as family not enemies.
a. Treat the…
(1) …elders as FATHER.
(2) …the younger men as BROTHERS.
(3) …the older ladies as MOTHERS.
(4) …the younger ladies as SISTERS.
b. Every society should have strong, loving, cooperating
families! Sadly, not all do. But treat one another
as you should a family member. How is that?
(1) Keep things pure, decent, and clean.
(2) Talk don’t argue and fight.
(3) Work together for God’s glory and the good of the
church.
II. \\#5:3-17\\ Pastor, honor the widows
A. The word "widow" means one deficient of a husband.
1. While we use the term to mean one who lost a husband via
death, that is not the only use the word can have.
2. It could mean almost any woman who has had but now lacks a
husband; however, \\#5\\ has another word which I think
makes it more clear.
1Tim 5:5 Now she that is a widow indeed, and
desolate…
a. The word is "desolate."
b. It means isolated or bereaved.
c. Bereaved is a term that means deprived by death.
3. These two words together make a strong case that the woman
being cared for has lost her husband through death.
4. While exceptions might be made, I think most of those the
church cared for would fall into that category.
B. There are two conditions to be discussed in these verses.
1. How do you treat a woman who does not have a husband.
2. How much care do you give a woman who does not have a
husband.
C. \\#3-4\\ How do you treat a woman without a husband?
1. \\#3\\ With honor.
1Tim 5:3 Honour widows that are widows indeed.
2. There are going to be some women who lack husbands that
the church will not take care of, but regardless, you
honor them.
3. That means you treat them with respect no matter what.
As already has been stated,
a. Treat the older women like mothers.
b. Treat the younger women like sisters.
c. Treat all people like they mean something to you and
you will never have to be ashamed of how you treated
them.
D. \\#5-16\\ How much care do we give a widow?
1. Understand Paul’s topic.
a. The church had taken on the responsibility of the
DAILY needs of some widows.
Ac 6:1 And in those days, when the number of the
disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring
of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because
their widows were neglected in the daily
ministration.
b. That probably did not mean that the church did every-
thing for these women but they did what they could
for them.
(1) This was a potentially life-time commitment on
the church’s part.
(2) There were other kinds of help that could be
given to widows.
(3) Widows, like everyone else, could fall on hard
times and the church might help them with some
need on a temporary basis, but what Paul was
speaking of here was long-term if not life-term
help.
c. Before the church would assume that kind of
responsibility, the widow had to meet certain
conditions.
(1) In our country, the church seldom assumes this
kind of care.
(2) We don’t because the government does.
(3) That is not necessarily a compliment to the
church or the government for I believe the
church may be neglecting its duties while the
government may be meddling where it does not
belong.
2. What kind of qualifications were there?
a. \\#5:1\\ Marriage qualification - She had to be a
widow indeed—having no husband.
(1) A woman who had a sick or even a dead-beat
husband would not qualify for this kind of help
in the church.
(2) That does not mean that the church would not help
as they felt lead, but they were not to take on
the responsibility that belonged to another.
(3) There have always been sick and hurt people who
cannot do for themselves and there has always
been the lazy people who will not do for
themselves.
(4) The church is to be compassionate and caring but
they are not to assume a responsibility that is
not theirs to assume.
b. Family qualification - The widows should not have
others who could take care of them.
1Tim 5:4 But if any widow have children or
nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at
home, and to requite their parents: for that
is good and acceptable before God.
1Tim 5:16 If any man or woman that believeth
have widows, let them relieve them, and let not
the church be charged; that it may relieve them
that are widows indeed.
1Tim 5:8 But if any provide not for his own,
and specially for those of his own house, he
hath denied the faith, and is worse than an
infidel.
(1) God has established a system of caring for one
another through His Word.
(2) The proper order is:
(a) Each individual and family should take care
of themselves.
i. This is the first order of care.
ii. This is only done by prayer, God’s good
grace, and hard work.
(b) The extended family should take care of one
another.
i. Grown children and grand children take
care of their parents.
ii. Grown nieces and nephews take care of
aunts and uncles.
iii. Grown cousins help one another.
(c) If there is no family, then the church would
consider helping to care for the widows.
(3) Two thoughts here.
(a) Some are going to be missed.
i. There are always going to be people
that get missed.
ii. There are scores of people missed with
the government trying to do this work
and scores more who are just abusing
the system.
iii. Yeah, but what happens to the ones the
church refused?
aa. God might stir her dead-beat
husband to work.
bb. God might heal the injured or
sick.
cc. God might convict the children and
family to help care for the
widow.
dd. God might provide work for the
widow.
ee. God might provide a husband for
the widow.
ff. God might convict the widow about
the kind of life she lived and
draw her closer to Himself.
gg. God might let the widow suffer or
even die.
(b) Government is not IN God’s plan for carrying for
the sick, hurt, orphaned, and widowed.
i. Why? Two reasons come to my mind.
aa. That is just not the role God
created government to fulfill.
bb. Government is a "thing" and things
do not know how to care for
people.
1. There has to be the one-on-one,
human-to-human factor.
2. Some people may need long-term
help, others temporary. Still
for others, the worse thing
you could do is to start doing
for them.
ii. Sadly, in our country, the "thing"
won’t let people help people.
aa. It wants to do it so everyone is
dependent upon it.
bb. In doing so, it sucks the money
out of the citizens so they have
little left to give one-one-one
help.
c. \\#9\\ Age qualifications
1Tim 5:9 Let not a widow be taken into the
number under threescore years old, having been
the wife of one man,
(1) Remember this is a discussion for those who are
widowed (without a husband) not for those who
are sick or injured.
(a) There are no age requirements for helping
those who are sick and injured.
(b) Paul was speaking of a woman who is healthy
and fit but single.
(2) To be a widow in the church’s care, the widow had
to be at least 60 years old.
(3) If she was younger, Paul told her to get married
and operate a home.
1Tim 5:14 I will therefore that the younger
women marry, bear children, guide the house,
give none occasion to the adversary to speak
reproachfully.
(4) There were several reasons for this.
(a) A widowed woman under the care of the church
was to give herself to Christ and prayer.
i. There was a commitment on her part to
be a holy, devout woman for Christ the
rest of her life.
ii. If she later changed her mind, she
would be going back on her
consecration.
1Tim 5:11 But the younger widows refuse: for
when they have begun to wax wanton against
Christ, they will marry;
12 Having damnation, because they have cast
off their first faith.
iii. The indication is that a younger woman
might not fulfill her obligation to
Christ and so bring sin upon herself.
(b) \\#13\\ And some would use their time to
pick up some sinful habits.
1Tim 5:13 And withal they learn to be idle,
wandering about from house to house; and not
only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies,
speaking things which they ought not.
(5) The indication from both of these reasons is that
a younger woman might still lack the spiritual
maturity to live the life required to be under
the care of the church.
(a) This "church care" of the widows might have
been carried over from temple worship as it
was practiced in Jesus’ day.
(b) We have an example of one such woman.
Luke 2:36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser:
she was of a great age, and had lived with an
husband seven years from her virginity;
37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and
four years, which departed not from the temple,
but served God with fastings and prayers night
and day.
(c) This was what the church expected from their
widows as well.
(d) I noticed the Jews brought the widows to
live inside the temple. That would be
easier than attempting to maintain dozens
of households.
d. Spiritual qualifications
1Tim 5:5 Now she that is a widow indeed,
and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth
in supplications and prayers night and day.
1Tim 5:9 Let not a widow be taken into the
number under threescore years old, having been
the wife of one man,
10 Well reported of for good works; if she
have brought up children, if she have lodged
strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet,
if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have
diligently followed every good work.
(1) The church should attempt to provide for those
who had served the Lord and fulfilled her role
as a wife and mother.
(2) This was not just a charity of the church. These
women were obligated to continue doing those
things for the saints. They became mothers to
the church.
3. And what was to be done for those who did not qualify?
1Tim 5:11 But the younger widows refuse….
a. That is being directed to those who fail only one of
the qualifications, but the same action would have to
be rendered to any woman who failed to meet any or
all the qualifications.
b. What would happen to a woman who was not cared for by
the church?
(1) God might stir her dead-beat husband to work.
(2) God might heal the injured or sick.
(3) God might convict the children and family to help
care for the widow.
(4) God might provide work for the widow.
(5) God might provide a husband for the widow.
(6) God might convict the widow about the kind of
life she lived and draw her closer to Himself.
(7) God might let the widow suffer or even die.
(a) God takes care of His own!
(b) But the stubborn and sinful are likely to
have a hard time of it.
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