Turn with me, if you would, to
1 Timothy chapter five. I just mentioned to you a moment
ago that 1 Timothy is where we would normally be for our Bible
study, our Sunday school lesson. But I felt led to swap these messages or texts this morning. I felt like the one from Matthew
was a Bible study, but I feel like this is a Bible study. We're
about to have a Bible study. This is going to be a little
bit more of a format. Like a. Sunday school lesson. But I believe this is the message.
And I pray the Lord will open our eyes to see it, open our
ears to hear it, open our hearts to believe it. Pray he will bless
this. I want to begin by reading the
verses that will be our text. First Timothy five. Let's begin
reading in verse one. And we'll read the verse 16. It says rebuke, not an elder,
but in treat him as a father and the younger man as brethren,
the elder women as mothers, the younger as sisters with all purity. Honor widows that are widows
indeed. But if any widow have children
or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home and to
requite their parents for that is good and acceptable before
God. Now she that is a widow indeed
and desolate trusteth in God and continueth in supplications
and prayers night and day. But she that liveth in pleasure
is dead while she liveth. And these things give in charge
that they may be blameless. But if any provide not for his
own and especially for those of his own house, He hath denied
the faith and is worse than an infidel. Let not a widow be taken
into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife
of one man, 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. But the younger widows
refuse, for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ,
they will marry, having damnation, because they have cast off their
first faith. And with all, 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. I will therefore that the younger
women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion
to the adversary to speak reproachfully, for some are already turned aside
after Satan. 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. I want us to look at what this
is saying, and then I want us to look at why this is saying
this. What this is saying and why this
is saying this, all right? Verse one says, rebuke not an
elder, but entreat him as a father and the younger men as brethren. Pastors are referred to as elders. We saw that in this book going
through our Bible study of it. Pastors are referred to as elders. An elder is one who handles the
preaching of God's word. And beginning in verse 17, we
didn't read it, but beginning in verse 17, Paul deals with
those who hold that office and hold that responsibility. Pastors,
preachers. But right here in verse one,
he is talking literally about older men as opposed to younger
men. Verse two, he said, the elder
women as mothers, the younger as sisters with all purity. He's
not talking about women, pastors, women, elders. He's talking about
older women, younger women, older men, younger men. And in all
cases, he said, rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father. And the younger men as brethren,
the elder women as mothers, the younger as sisters with all purity."
What he's saying is, don't deal harshly with each other. Don't
deal harshly with each other. Don't do what the flesh is naturally
prone to do. Fight it. Resist it. Don't speak sharply to each other. Entreat each other with kindness
and love and respect as family, as brethren. As Paul told the
Philippians, he said, let's esteem all others higher than ourselves. Let's be beneath our elders and
not be above our youngers, those who are younger than us. Let humility reign. That's what
it's saying. Meekness, humbleness. Our Lord humbled himself. Is that all the motivation we
need for that? Our Lord humbled himself. He
said, learn of me. I am meek and lowly in heart. You'll find rest for your souls.
So that's what that's saying. That's why it's saying it. Verse
three says, Honor widows that are widows
indeed. A widow is a woman whose husband
has died. And a widow indeed means she
is left with no one. She has no children. She has
no family. She's left with no one. Verse
4 says, But if any widow have children or nephews, let them
learn first to show piety at home and to requite their parents
for that is good and acceptable before God. As the parents took
care of the children in their young age, it's the children's
responsibility to take care of the parents in their old age.
Verse five. Now she that is a widow indeed,
and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications
and prayers night and day. But she that liveth in pleasure
is dead while she liveth, and these things give in charge that
they may be blameless." Worn against sin, worn against sin. The widow who truly has no one,
relies completely on the Lord her God. But the widow who finds
another love. Moves on into a relationship
with a new love. That widow looks to that new
love that widow relies on that new love. That widow rejoices
in that new love, and especially if. The love and the relationship. Is intimate outside of marriage.
The widow will find herself living in sin, the deadness of sin. He said, we need to be warned
of that. Verse eight, but if any provide not for his own and
specially for those of his own house, his own kindred, his own
family, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.
If the responsibility is laid on anyone to provide for his
or her own and he or she does not do it, that is a crime before
God so severe that person is seen in the eyes of God as being
worse than an unbeliever. That's what the word infidel
means. Unbeliever. Verse 9. Let not a widow be taken into
the number under three score years old. The Jews considered
the age of 60 to be the turning point from young age to old age. And if a woman was above the
age of 60 and truly destitute, You know, now we have social
security, we've got, you know, programs and government help
and all of that, but they didn't have that back then. And there
were times that people, and especially women, were left truly destitute.
And Paul said, when a woman is in that case, it's the responsibility
of the church to take care of that woman. But if she is under
the age of 60 and has help, and has the ability
to work and quite often women would marry again. Paul said
it is not the responsibility of the church and she should
not be counted in the number who need to be cared for. That's
what he's saying right here. Look at this very carefully with
me. Verse 9, let not a widow be taken into the number who
need to be cared for under three score years old having been the
wife of one man, well-reported of for good works, if she have brought up children,
which is good, all this is good, 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," he
said, don't take her into the number. Do we recognize that?
She's done all those things, don't take her in. Verse 11,
it says, but the younger widows, that's who he's talking about,
those under the age of 60, refuse. For when they have begun to wax
wanton against Christ, they will marry, having damnation because
they have cast off their first faith." What he's saying is the
younger widows will not be content to remain single. And if they
pursue a relationship outside of marriage, they're going to
be living in open sin against God. The word constantly warns
against sin. It constantly warns against sin.
Outside of Christ, sin leads to eternal damnation. And in Christ, although that
sin is put away. Whom the Lord loves, he chastens. I know that today it's considered
okay and it's considered normal to live in fornication. I get
that. That's just the world that we
live in now. It's okay. It's fine. Everybody does it.
It's not. It wasn't then. It's not now.
It is sin against God. Marriage is a picture of God's
covenant to his people. God's promise, God's covenant
in the blood of His Son. And to live in fornication is
to say directly to the face of God Almighty, I don't need your
covenant. That's what it is. I do not need
your covenant. I can do this without your covenant. I can have union without your
covenant. That's not a good thing to say
to God. There is no union with Him outside of His covenant.
So we would be wise to heed the warning of the word on this and
not bring reproach on the gospel and the ministry and ourselves
and the faith that has been given to us. Verse 13, and with all
they learn to be idle. That means lazy. It doesn't take
much for any of us to learn to be lazy. Wandering about from
house to house, And not only idle, but tattlers also. That means gossipers. And busybodies. That means meddlers in other
people's business. Speaking things which they ought
not. Verse 14 says, I will therefore
that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house,
give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some
are already turned aside after Satan. 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. Now, can we all acknowledge that
that is God's Word? Can we acknowledge that? God
put that in His Word. That takes up real estate in
God's Word. All right? All of that is good
instruction and good advice. Whatever God has to say to us
is good instruction and good advice. But if what I just said
is all that we get out of this, if we close the book and say,
now that's what God said, and we close the book and go home.
If what I just said is all that we get out of this, we will have
missed the purpose for which this was written. I want us to really understand
something here. I want us to very much understand something.
It has been said before that the scriptures are bifocal, like
when you wear a pair of bifocal glasses, the scriptures are bifocal,
and they are. And what that means is there
is a physical application, but there is also a spiritual application,
always, always. There are lessons of morality
in here. If we want to find good morality,
there are lessons of morality in here. There are encouragements
in here. There are how-to instructions
in here. Well, what if a widow comes in
under the age of 60, over the age of 60? What if she can work? What if she can't work? All right,
there are how-to instructions in here. There are rules, there are laws,
there are commandments, but all of that falls under the
physical application. And according to the scripture,
that is the application that cannot save anyone. Anyone and everyone can and ought
to be able to open this book just like we did and physically
see that it says this and then it says that. And you ought to
do this and you'd better not do that. That physical application is
called the deeds of the law. You and I just read 16 verses
of the deeds of the law. If all that we get out of this
is the deeds of the law, we have missed Christ and we have cast off. And what
that means is never received. the first faith that only looks
to Christ. And eternal damnation is awaiting
us. And I want to say that one more
time. It's just so important. If all that we get out of this
is the deeds of the law, we've missed Christ. We do not possess
the faith of Christ that looks only to Christ. And eternal damnation
is awaiting us. Now I want to prove that to us,
alright? Hold your place, you can put a marker here if you
want to, and turn to Romans 3. I ask our brother to lead us
in the song, Open My Eyes That I May See. And the reason is
because if God has never opened our eyes to this, I pray God
will open our eyes to it right now. You say, well, I've read
Romans 3 before. Yeah, but has God opened our
eyes to it? Has God opened our heart to it? I pray he will cause
us to see this right now. Romans 3 verse 19 says, Now we
know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them
who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all
the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds
of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge
of sin." What that means is there will never come a moment in time
that God will look at us striving to obey the law and he will stand
there watching us as we strive to obey the law. There will never
come a point in time where he will be happy with what he sees. in our striving to obey the law.
There will never come a point where he will say, justified. No flesh will ever be justified
in his sight. Because our striving to obey
the law will only prove to him, as we strive to do it, it will
prove to him our inability to obey his law and his commandments. The more we strive to fulfill
it, the more we will prove our breaking of it. Verse 20, therefore,
by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in
his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now,
the righteousness of God without the law, thank God for those
three words, without the law, is manifested. Manifested. That's a person. Manifested. That is a person. The righteousness
of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and
the prophets. That means everything in this
book and I just want to recall your mind back to what we just
read. Everything in this book. was written not only to, let
me say, not to show us what to do. Everything in this book was
written not to show us what to do, but to show us who to look
to. Everything in this book was written
not to show us what to do, but who to look to. Adam and Eve,
Cain and Abel. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah,
Moses, David, Isaiah, Hosea, Malachi. Every word in the old Testament
was written to point us to Christ. The new Testament is no different
from the old Testament. Every word has been written not
to show us what to do, but to show us who to look to. Verse 21 right here says, But
now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested,
being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness
of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon
all them that believe, for there's no difference. For all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely. being justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom
God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood to
declare His righteousness for the remission, that removal,
that gone of sins that are past. through the forbearance of God,
to declare, I say at this time, his righteousness, that he might
be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, by the law of faith,
looking to Christ. Now watch verse 28. Therefore
we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of
the law. Somebody will hear that and will
say, well, when it comes to the law, I'm not trying to justify
myself by the law. I'm just trying to make my obedience
to the law a nice little addition to my justification. I just want
to lay hold of that along with my justification. Well, there's
a problem with that. Turn with me to Galatians 3. Galatians 3 verse 1. Oh, foolish Galatians, who have
bewitched you that you should not obey the truth. What is the
truth? Christ is the truth. He said, I'm the truth. O foolish
Galatians, who hath bewitched you that you should not obey
the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently
set forth, crucified among you." Christ and Him crucified. What's the commandment concerning
Christ and Him crucified that we are to obey? What's our commandment?
Rest in Him. Rest in Him. Rest in His finished
work. His finished fulfillment of the
law. His finished payment for sin against the law. His finished
righteousness. His finished justification. His
finished sanctification. His finished everything. Look
at verse 3. Are you so foolish? Having begun
in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh? People
think Christ kept us out of hell. But the law gets us into heaven.
No. Christ kept us out of hell. Christ
gets us into heaven. It's all completely Christ alone. And if any man or woman tries
to add anything to Christ alone, he said the plagues of this book
are going to be added to that man or woman. You try to add
anything. Because verse 10 says, for as many as are of the works
of the law are under the curse. You lay hold of it for whatever
reason you want to lay hold of it. To put confidence in it,
to put trust in it. As many as are of the works of
the law are under the curse, for it is written, Cursed is
everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. You put your confidence
in one of them, you're going to have to put your confidence
in all of them. Verse 11, But that no man is justified by the
law in the sight of God, it is evident, for the just shall live
by faith, looking to Christ totally, completely. And the law is not
of faith, but the man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse
for us, for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on
a tree. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles
through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of
the Spirit through faith. What that means is, don't go
back to the law. That's what it means. Don't say,
yeah, but now we got to keep one foot in the door of the law. There has to be something in
our hands that we can bring to God. There has to be something. There has to be some worthiness. There has to be some value in
us. There has to be something redeemable
about us. The soul who says that has missed
Christ. and has missed himself or missed
herself and cannot see his or her own absolute wretchedness
in sin. Look at Galatians 4 verse 21. Tell me you that desire to be
under the law, do you not hear the law? You that desire to lay hold of
the law, do you not see that damnation is all that it can
bring to a sinner against the law? It doesn't matter whether
we're talking about the law of the Old Testament or the New
Testament. It's the same law. God does not change. His commandments
do not change. The only hope that a sinner has
is in this right here. Look at chapter 5 verse 1, it
says, stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ
has made us free. Free, if we ever come to know
the truth, Christ the truth. He will make us free. We'll be
free indeed. It goes on to say, and be not
entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul,
say unto you that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
Well, now, you know, the scripture says you got to be circumcised. It says you have to be circumcised.
Paul said, yeah, if you're circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
It'll profit you nothing. If you're looking to circumcision
and putting some confidence and have some hope and peace because
you know in your heart, that's what the scripture said to do
and I did it. And we use circumcision because
that's what he brings up, but bring up anything in here. That's
what it said to do and I did it. That's what gives me some
assurance that I'm saved. That's what he said to do. I
did it. Paul said if that's the case, Christ will profit you
nothing. Verse 3, for I testify again
to every man that is circumcised, he's a debtor to do the whole
law. You're going to put some confidence and some assurance
in that? Then you're going to have to lay hold of the whole
law. Verse 4, Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever
you are. Justified by the law, you're
falling from grace, free grace, grace alone, faith alone, Christ
alone. Verse nine, he said, a little
leaven, leaveneth the whole lump. You add a little flesh in, you'll
ruin the whole thing. Whatever the reason may be that
we've, you know, made it up in our minds, we need to lay hold
of the law, whatever that reason may be. You add a little flesh in, you
ruin the whole thing. Paul told the Philippians, we
are the circumcision, God's people, which worship God in the spirit,
not the flesh, the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, not
what we see in ourselves, but what we see in Him. And he said,
we have no confidence in our flesh, none. Wow. Okay, did you get off course
much, Gabe? Did you get a little sidetracked
there? What in the world does any of
that have to do with widows? Turn back to our text and I'll
show you. 1 Timothy 5. I'm done, but I'll show you this. First Timothy 5, this is good
instruction and good advice. All right? But if that's all that we get
out of this, I'm telling you we have missed Christ. And we have missed the spiritual
purpose for which this was written. There are two types of widows
mentioned right here. One is able, and the other is
unable. One is desirable, and the other
one is undesirable. One brings her own report of
goodness, and the other one comes completely
destitute, with no commendation given to
her, not one commendation said about her. Those two widows represent
every soul who must stand before the judgment throne of Jesus
Christ. We are going to stand before God one of two ways. Either
in our own ability or completely destitute. And the Apostle Paul
said in verse 9, the woman who has her own youth and has her
own health, and has her own beauty, and has her own good works. Look
at the end of verse 9. Having been the wife of one man,
that's good. Well reported of for good works,
that's good. If she have brought up children,
that's good. If she have lodged strangers,
that's good. If she have washed the saints'
feet, that's good. If she have relieved the afflicted,
that's good. If she have diligently followed
every good work, Paul said, she is not going to be accepted in. Look at the beginning of verse
9. Let not a widow be taken in. Let her not be taken in. If she
possesses her own value, if she possesses her own worth, if she
possesses her own redeeming factor, she is not going to be accepted
in. Isn't that the exact opposite
of what you would think? What the flesh would think? We
need repentance here. We need a new mind. We need a
changed mind on this. He said, if she comes in anything
worthy of her own, she's not accepted in. She's not coming
in. But up in verse 3, Paul said, if the woman is completely destitute,
a widow indeed, with no way of providing anything for herself. And her only hope and her only
plea is to cast her all on mercy and grace. Paul said that woman is going
to be honored and welcomed in. If a woman is in need here, We
will help her. This congregation will help her.
But this scripture was written to teach us law and grace. This was written to spiritually
point us to the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ. And who he purposed
from eternity to give that mercy and grace to. Completely destitute
sinners. with no self-righteousness and
no worthiness of his or her own. The soul that is completely destitute
in self. There are two types of people
on this earth. Some see themselves to be worthy
to walk into glory. Some are so ashamed they have
to stand afar off with their face to the ground, smiting their
breast, crying, God be merciful to me, I'm a sinner. The soul that is completely destitute
in self, he said, that soul is going to receive all things in
Jesus Christ. All things. And the soul who
has any claim of value before God is going to be cast out.
Does that encourage those of us who are destitute, if anybody
here is destitute, like me, does that encourage those of us who
are destitute to come to the Lord Jesus Christ? Does that give those of us who
are destitute the assurance and the confidence to come to Christ? Believing that if the father
has drawn us to him, he will in no wise cast out because this
man receives the destitute. And that's what I am. I pray
God will give us spiritual eyes to see this. I pray he will open
our eyes that we may see. I pray he will cause us to come
to Christ destitute. Come destitute. Come empty. Empty, casting all your hope
on his mercy, his grace, and his forgiveness in his own blood.
Cast it all on him. And if we do, if he causes us
to come that way, he said he will receive us into his eternal
care. I pray so. Pray he'll bless that.