Super Widows

well, for our time of study and the word this morning, let's Turning our Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 5. 1 Timothy chapter 5. For those of you that are visiting with us, we're doing a verse by verse study through the book of First Timothy and as we continue in our study of this book, we come this morning to 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 9, and we're just taking this book a verse at a time and whatever God wants to talk about, then that's what we want to talk about and have him Instruct us from his word.

And if you want a title to the message in keeping with this day and the game that is later today, it is Super widows.

Super widows, widows who make The list. By the way, speaking of the game later today, I was really hoping for good weather in Miami where the game's going to be, but I I saw last night, weather report that there's a storm heading toward Miami that's going to hit right at game time. so, in fact, I, I downloaded a satellite picture of the storm that's heading toward Miami and. Not sure what all that means, but It looks scary to me.

Yeah That things are coming. Yeah. anyway, let's get that off the screen. Super widows, and I think it's just honestly I wasn't thinking that actually in connection with the Super Bowl, but when I've been studying verses 9 and 10 over the last few weeks, that's that's the expression I've been using to describe these widows.

These are super widows, great women of God who make the list that Paul refers to in verse 9. Now, I want to encourage you guys as we start off this morning to gird up the loins of your mind, put your thinking caps on, and be prepared to do the hard work of Bible study. All right. Be ready to engage with the text of the Bible.

there's some interpretive challenges, In the passage that we're going to be looking at this morning that we're going to need to address on the front end of what we're talking about today, and I think in the end this passage is going to reward you handsomely for any investment of energy and time that you put into it, but, but you're going to need to To, like I said, gird up the loins of your mind and be ready to do some hard thinking about the text of the Bible as we encounter it here in verses 9 and 10.

just by way of, of review, we have learned that God values widows very highly. In fact, he defines true religion in James chapter 1 verse 27 in this way. He says, pure and undefiled religion before me is this to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

God cares about widows. And when God speaks through Paul in First Timothy on how to conduct ourselves in the household of God, the largest chunk of verses. that we find in this verse or in this book is on the subject of widows. And so even if this may not be a topic that you woke up this morning thinking about our God wants to talk about it and he wants to teach us what our responsibilities are as a church toward women in the church who have lost their husbands.

Just by way of review, guys, let me show you a graphic here that might, help with this. We, we've already learned in verses 3 through 8, a few weeks ago that Paul divides widows in the church into two categories. There are widows with family, with children and grandchildren that are still alive. And what the church does with regard to those widows is it goes to the family members of those widows and instructs them to care for those widows, OK, and we saw that very clearly in verses 3 through 8.

The family is responsible to care for such widows. However, there's another category of women who have lost their husbands, and Paul calls them widows indeed. And he defines who the widows indeed are in verse 5. He says, Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day.

So we have here a pretty good definition of a widow indeed. It is someone who's been left alone, obviously a woman who's been left without a husband. She's had to deal with the pain of losing her husband. She's also been left alone in the sense that there's no children or grandchildren or family members that can support her or provide care for her, and she's also been left alone in the sense that there were no resources, or at least at this time there's no resources left from her husband's estate that she can live off of.

She is truly alone in terms of family to care for her and resources to live on. Destitute is a good word that summarizes that. But he also says a widow indeed is someone who is destitute. She has fixed her hope on God.

That means she's a Christian woman who has put her trust in God for salvation. And also, she continues in entreaties and prayers night and day. She's a godly Christian woman who is devoted to prayer, which is the premier activity of those that are genuinely born again children of God. Now, regarding this category of widows, Paul gives this instruction to the church in verse 3, Honor widows who are widows indeed.

What does it mean to honor them? Certainly it means to treat them with respect. But when Paul says honor them, what he means by that in part is provide assistance for them, and we know that because if you go to the very end of verse 16, Paul defines what honoring means. Look what he says in verse 16.

If any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, she, the woman, must assist them, the widows, and the church must not be burdened so that if the church may assist or provide aid for those who are widows indeed. What does it mean to honor widows indeed? It means to provide assistance for them. So widows with family in the church, the family cares for them.

Widows in the church, women who have lost their husbands, who are totally destitute, they're Christian women, they're godly Christian women, the church takes them in as family and assumes responsibility for providing for them financially. All right, is that clear? Alright, we then come this morning to verse 9. where Paul begins to shift his focus a little bit and look what he says in verses 9 and 10.

He says a widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than 60 years old, having been the wife of one man, having a reputation for good works, and if she has brought up children and if she has shown hospitality to strangers. And if she has washed the saint's feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work. Now, the burning question as we come into verse 9 is what is the list that Paul is talking about? He says a widow is to be put on the list only if she meets the qualifications that follow.

This word means literally to enroll, to catalog somebody, to sign somebody up, and so it's a really good translation. To translate it as to be put on a list, but that raises the question what is the list that Paul is referring to? This is where there's different interpretations. There are some who would suggest that the list that Paul's referring to in verse 9 is, is the list of widows who received financial support from the church.

That's how they interpret what Paul is saying in verse 9. And in their thinking, they would say, yeah, Paul defines what a widow indeed is in verse 5. It's a destitute Christian godly woman. But now in verse 9, he's adding additional qualifications to help fill out what those limitations are regarding the women that the church is to provide ongoing help for.

The issue that I would have, this is actually possible, guys, but the problem with this, let me just read what one writer says. Such a reading, if we interpret it this way, Makes it virtually impossible for a widow to qualify for help unless she has been saintly for some years. This would leave many destitute and godly Christian sisters out in the cold. You understand what he's saying there?

In fact, let's read verse 9 in this way. A widow is to be put on the list to receive financial support from the church only if she is not less than 60 years old, having been in the past. The wife of one man. She's a widow, guys, which means her husband's not alive.

I've actually researched this. 100% of widows have husbands that have already passed away. And so he's now not talking about who she is presently, but who she was in the past and the woman she was. A woman is to be put on the list to receive financial support according to this interpretation, only if she's not less than 60.

And in the past she was a one man woman and has a reputation for good works, and she The past has brought up children and in the past has shown hospitality to strangers and in the past has washed the saints' feet if she in the past has assisted those in distress and if she has in the past devoted herself to every good work, you see the problem. With that, imagine Timothy interviewing a woman who's lost her husband, and she's truly destitute. She's a godly Christian woman, and Timothy's like, what's the problem?

She's like, I need some financial help.

And Timothy's like, Well, tell me about yourself. And she's like, Well, I came to know the Lord 3 years ago, and, and God has radically changed my life, and I'm growing by leaps and bounds, and I'm trying to be faithful to the Lord, but, I'm out of resources and I need some financial help. And then imagine Timothy saying to her, so you got saved 3 years ago. When did your husband pass away?

Well, he passed away 7 years ago. Really? OK, so he passed away when you were married to him, you were not a believer. Right?

I was not a believer. Well, my question is, were you back then, a one man woman? Were you a faithful wife to him then? Oh, no, I wasn't, unfortunately, I was a pagan.

I was not a faithful. Wife to my husband. I was immoral, but, since God has saved me, I've renounced all of that. Imagine Timothy then having to say to this woman, what, you truly are destitute, you need help financially and you are a Christian woman and there's no doubt about it, you're godly, but because years ago, in your past, you were not a one man woman, we as a church cannot provide financial help for you.

That feels strange to me, and it causes a lot of commentators to, to be uncomfortable with understanding the list, to be referring to the list of those that are receiving financial support. Paul has already defined in verse 5, it's a widow who's destitute. He's defined what a widow indeed is. She's destitute.

She has fixed her hope on God at the present time, and she's devoted herself to prayer. And so I'm going to suggest, and a number of writers would suggest another interpretation of what the list is that Paul is referring to here. And let's word it this way, and then I'll explain this to you. The list Paul is referring to in verse 9 is the list of widows who are pledged to render full-time ministry on behalf of the church for the rest of their lives, OK.

It is the list of widows who are pledged to render full-time ministry on behalf of the church for the rest of their lives. Again, I think in verse 9 and 10 there's something of a ministry feel because it focuses on the works of this woman. Look at this verse 9. A widow is to be put on the list if she's not less than 60 years old, having been the wife of one man.

Having a reputation for good works and if she's brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work, when you look at the nature of the qualifications, it seems to point in the direction of the position. That is involved in the list is a position of ministry, not a position of receiving financial help. Also, this is going to strike some of you as odd, but look at verse 11 and 12.

Whatever being on the list means, Paul only wants women 60 and over to be on that list.

He doesn't want younger women on the list, and he gives one of his reasons in verse 11 and 12. He says, but refuse to put younger widows on the list. For when they, the younger widows, feel sensual desires, that's a desire. For physical intimacy in the context of marriage, when they feel sensual desires and disregard of Christ, they want to get married.

Now there's nothing wrong with wanting to get married, but here's the problem verse 12, thus incurring condemnation because they have set aside their previous pledge. Some of your translations say, I think, first faith, but probably the better translation is pledge. In other words, whatever being on this list that Paul is talking about means, it involves a pledge of some sort to remain single and not to marry again. And that's why Paul says, I don't want younger women being put on that list and making this pledge that later they're going to end up going back on and violating their conscience and breaking their vow and their promise, their pledge, and awakening a whole host of other Problems.

And so you put it all together, guys, and I think comfortably we can land here that the list of widows that Paul is referring to in verse 9 is women who are pledged to render full-time ministry on behalf of the church for the rest of their lives. They're like, what, I'm never going to marry again. I'm going to remain single and I'm going to devote my life to serving on behalf of the local church. OK, Clear enough?

Let me just read a few. brothers in the Lord who have studied this passage and how they understand it. one writer says, these are the widows who possess the necessary qualifications for the performance of certain spiritual and charitable functions in the church. Another commentator, Timothy George, understands Paul in verses 9 and 10 of speaking of a category of senior widows who looked after the other widows in the congregation, and that might have some merit.

Another writer says that the list that Paul's referring to in verse 9 is a registry of widows capable of offering service. The stringent qualifications to get on the list are necessary for spiritual service. John Stott says this from this passage, verse 9 and 10. It seems that the register or the list is not for widows needing support, but for widows capable of offering service.

Also, in addition to that, when you look at the ancient church, like in the 100s AD, there is evidence that the early church understood Paul in exactly the way that I am describing and suggesting here. Tertullian is a guy that lived in the late 100s. He died in 220. AD he described such a category of widows and even defined what their responsibilities were.

Look what he says. He speaks of these widows who gave themselves to prayer, nursed the sick, cared for the orphans, visited Christians in prison, evangelized pagan women, and taught female converts in preparation for their baptism. So it seems very early on in the church there was a category of widows that were just involved in full-time work on behalf of the church serving in various capacities, ministering to those in distress. And especially providing instruction and help and teaching for the other women in the church.

And so let me just show you this graphic that might put it together. There's widows with family, and then there's widows indeed who are destitute Christian godly women. Inside of that category of widows indeed, there is a subset. There's a smaller category of widows who meet the qualifications of verses 9 and 10.

who are not only provided financial support, but they also pledge themselves full time to serving on behalf of the church. There's a possibility, you'll notice that I fudge and go outside of the line a little bit because it's actually possible that there may have been widows with family. who wanted to devote themselves full time to the church in this way, and I don't, I'm not sure what to do with that possibility, but, but it is there. But at the very least, widows indeed, I'm sorry, at the very least widows on the list are those widows that are involved in a pledged way in full-time service on behalf of the church.

Well, with that work having been done with the text, let's now enjoy what happens inside these verses wherein Paul essentially gives 8 descriptions or 8 qualifications. for those that would be put on such a ministry list on behalf of the church, 8 qualifications that Paul identifies for widows to be a full-time ministry widow employed by the church for life. OK. The first of these qualifications is very clear, and that is they must be 60 years of age or older.

Paul saying, I absolutely do not want any widow that is under this age to be pledging her life to singleness, and making that promise to God and to the church. I don't want that happening, and he gives instructions for the younger widows later and we'll get to that next week. But widows that actually make this list of pledged full-time ministry on behalf of the church, they must be 60 years of age or older. Now, all I want to say about this because it's actually very self-explanatory, is that I love the example of such women who have reached the ripe old age of 60 years.

And there were women at that age who were in a way just getting started. they were not, saying, Oh, finally I'm reaching retirement. No, they're like wanting to come to Timothy and say I want to pledge my life the rest of my life to singleness so that I can serve in ministry on behalf of the church in whatever ways that the church may need. Last week Mike talked about finishing and finishing well.

This is a part of what finishing well looks like. These are not women who Who would say I've served my time, I've done my bit, and now I'm going to sit. That's the thinking of some who reach retirement and they even retire from involvement in the lives of other people and say it's time for everyone else to do stuff and I'm, I'm just going to sit here and enjoy being ministered to. These are women who at the age of 60 were like, I, I'm pledging myself to ministry for however long the Lord gives to me.

I'm going to be involved in ministry. It's not a very attractive picture, but as Mike, the analogy he used last week, these are women who are going to die with their boots on, OK, devoted to ministry to their dying. day. So Paul says a woman must be 60 years of age or older.

There's a second qualification that he identifies, and that is that these women must have been in the past a one man woman. The new American standard says having been the wife of one man, but this isn't just speaking of something that's on a marriage certificate. a proof of marriage. This is talking about the character of such a woman, and that is that when her husband was alive, she was a one man woman.

Her heart was devoted to her husband. She was an exemplary wife. She was sexually chaste, devoted sexually to her husband. she made her husband her number one relationship aside from her relationship with God.

He was her number one ministry. This was a woman who when her husband was alive, was devoted daily to doing him good. In Proverbs 31:11 and 12, speaking of the virtuous woman, it says the heart of her husband trust in her, she does him, her husband good and not evil all the days of her life. That's the woman that's being described here, the wife that other people in the church would look at and say that is an example of a one man woman.

It's a woman who took all of her gifts, her talents, and her many abilities and resources, and she put them into service for the benefit of her husband and put them into service alongside of her husband so that together they could accomplish everything that God wanted them to accomplish. Paul says a woman that's going to be brought into full-time pledged ministry on behalf of the church in this way is a woman who's 60 years of age or older. And also a woman who was faithful, a faithful wife to her husband.

There's a third qualification that's identified here, and that is that such a woman must have a reputation for good works.

She must have a reputation for good works. Look at the beginning of verse 10. Having a reputation for good works. The word reputation is actually the Greek word that it's, it's the word for witnessing and testifying.

So in other words, there are other people besides this widow herself who would testify that this woman has done much good and has touched and blessed the lives of many people. There's a chorus of people that could give testimony to the good works that she has devoted herself to. The word that is translated works is actually ergos, and we get our English word energy from from this, and literally the idea of this term is to do work involves an expenditure of energy. That's what work means.

You are expending energy that you have and evil work. is you expend your energy to do evil, and a good work is you expend the energy that you have that God gives to you to do good, and that's what this woman has a reputation for. She expends her energy in doing good works, works that are morally good and that are truly beneficial to other people. All of us have energy, right?

Some more than others. But what do we do with that energy? Some people waste their energy on frivolous pursuits or just doing nothing. Others have energy, a tremendous amount of energy, and they expend that energy in doing evil.

foolish things, things that are hurtful to themselves and to other people. In fact, my son Benjamin and I were, for his homeschooling, we're trying to read through a chapter of Proverbs every day and just with the day of the month, and I don't know if it's the section we've been in lately, but we both have been, noticing and chuckling a little bit about how often Solomon brings up the contentious woman. And you just get the sense that he was just really bugged by this. And we're like, oh, there it is again, and there it is again, and, and the contentious woman, think about it, is a woman with a tremendous amount of energy, right?

But she is expending that energy to tear her house down and Solomon's like, I would, I would rather live on the corner of a rooftop than in a house with a contentious woman. Man, what stories could he tell with 700 wives? But a contentious woman is a woman with energy, but she expends that energy in doing evil and bringing harm and no benefit to her husband or other people. But what?

The woman Paul is describing here is a woman who takes her energy and she wields that energy in doing works that are pleasing to God and that bring true genuine benefit to other people. What a beautiful picture this is. And what works does she do? Well, obviously, who are the first recipients of her good works?

Her husband? And our children and then other people. In fact, we've already learned just from the first few qualifications, she's been a one man woman. She's also been devoted to good works and then the very next thing, in fact, some say the qualifications that follow are basically her reputation for good works just unfolded, just giving us a more specific glimpse of that, but we'll go ahead and treat them as separate, even though there's a lot of overlap.

Moving on to the fourth qualification is A woman will be put on this list of widows who are involved in pledged lifelong ministry to the church. Only if she has brought up children. It says having a reputation for good works and if she has brought up children, this doesn't just mean that she's had children, and it doesn't even mean that she's had children grow up in her home. No, it means that she's brought her children up.

This expression bringing up her children is the Greek word for children, and attached to it is the Greek word for nourish or feed. In other words, she's fed her children. And this doesn't just mean physically feeding, but emotionally feeding and spiritually feeding her children, seeking after the spiritual nourishment of her children and protecting them from from harmful nourishment and making sure they're being properly nourished in every way spiritually, emotionally, and Physically, she's devoted to her children in this way.

She is a good and an exemplary mother to her children who saw to her children's physical diet and also their spiritual diet.

She was all over that, and people would look at her and say this is a This is a good mother. In fact, I would ask of our moms and dads, how, how good of a job are you doing attending to the diet. Of your children. And yeah, yeah, physical diet, that's extremely important.

How How conscientious are you intending to the spiritual diet? Of your children. This woman that's being described as not a children who, a woman who had children grow up, no, she brought them up. She nourished them up.

Paul says a woman who is in this ministry needs to have been an exemplary mother. Also, number 5, it is a woman who needs to have shown hospitality to strangers. Verse 10, having a reputation for good works and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers. Now, throughout the New Testament, we see the word hospitality a lot.

Obviously, it means to have someone into your home. this is not the normal word for hospitality. In fact, this is the only time this particular word shows up in the New Testament, and it's the Greek word for strangers, and then attached to it is the word feast. Literally she has feasted strangers.

She has banqueted strangers. So this speaks of a very gracious and a very, very generous hospitality. She has brought people into her home, and she has generously feasted and banqueted them. Certainly she serves her husband and her children, sees to the nourishment even of her children as we've just seen.

But even beyond that, this is a woman who opens up her home to others. To her brothers and sisters in the Lord that are in the church, she brings them into her home, and she has feasted and banqueted them. But also it's a woman who, when other believers that maybe are not a part of the church are traveling through town, she has opened up her home and she has feasted them. And even beyond that, strangers would also include those who do not even know the Lord yet.

This is a woman who has opened up her home and made her home in past days when her husband was alive. She made her home a place of ministry, even to the lost, and she feasted those who did not know Jesus and showed them love in very tangible ways. There's a 6th qualification that Paul gives for a widow who is qualified for such full-time pledged lifelong ministry. On behalf of the church, and that is she must have washed the saint's feet.

He says in verse 10, having a reputation for good works, and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, and if she has washed the saints' feet. This speaks of her love for her brothers and sisters and the Lord, that she's had them into her home, and when they've come into her home, she has served them. In humble and extremely courteous ways, typically back in this day, if I had household servants, let's say we're not Christians and I just had household servants, I invited you into my home, I would show you courtesy by having my household servant or slave wash your feet when you came in.

And as the servant is washing your feet, you would look at me and say, thank you.

I really appreciate this. You wouldn't even thank the servant because they're simply carrying out my will. That's typically the way that it happened in this day. But this is a woman who back in the day when she had a husband and a house full of children and she had resources, she feasted strangers and when she had, especially her brothers and sisters over into Home she washed their feet.

She didn't have some servant do it or tell her children to go do it. No, she was willing to do that herself. This was a lowly task back in this day, as you can imagine. And yet this is a woman who followed the example of Jesus, right?

Jesus washed His disciples' feet in John chapter 13. And even though up to that point it was not a popular thing to do to wash people's feet, the disciples would have never thought to do that for somebody. Once Jesus did it, there's just something about Jesus doing something that beautifies a task, right? And he did that.

And so the early church was like, Whoa, this must be a great thing to do. And so they rushed for the opportunity to show love to each other in this humble and kind way, if someone doesn't get their feet washed. no one's going to die. At least in most cases, no one's gonna die if they don't get their feet washed.

This is not an emergency. It's just a kind, humble act of love and courtesy. And this is a woman who viewed no task as too lowly for her to engage in, to show love to her brothers and sisters in the Lord. There's a 7th qualification.

7th description of the woman, widow that Paul would put on the list of pledged full-time lifelong ministry on behalf of the church, and that is that she must have given aid to those who are in affliction. She must have given aid to those who are in affliction. Look near the end of verse 10. If she has assisted those in distress.

Now this is really interesting to me. Because you might want to mark the word assisted. And go down to verse 16 where you see this same word twice. It says if any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, she must assist those widows, and the church must not be burdened so that it, the church, may assist those who are widows indeed.

In other words, the woman that Paul is describing right now is a woman who right now is in need of assistance. Because she's been left alone and is destitute, she's without resources. She needs assistance. But Paul says back in the day when this woman had resources, she had a husband and a home and children and resources.

What did she do with those resources? She gave aid to those that were in affliction, as she is right now in affliction. You realize that in God's economy, God intends for that thing to happen. That maybe right now you have an abundance.

And others, brothers or sisters, don't have abundance and they have need, will you give to them out of your abundance to help address that need, and then maybe 5 years later you're going through need and that believer you helped 5 years ago now has abundance and you're now in need, and they give out of their abundance and they address your need. Do you realize that's part of God's economy? In fact, you remember. Paul was trying to raise funds for the Jerusalem Christians that were going through hard economic times and even famine conditions, and so every church Paul went to throughout all his missionary journeys, he would try to raise funds to take back with him to Jerusalem to give to the saints to help them and listen to what he says to the Corinthians.

He says at this present time, your abundance being a supply for their need. So that their abundance may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality. Paul saying to them, you never know, there may come a day when you have need and they have abundance, and they will be able to help you out of their abundance then just as you can help them out of your abundance now. God designs for this to draw us together to where we need each other.

This isn't Plan B, this is Plan A. And here's a widow who throughout her life, she was faithful, she was godly, she was generous, she gave aid to people in affliction, even no doubt to widows that were in affliction. And now years later, here she is in affliction herself, in need of aid. And the church addresses that need.

So this is to be a woman who is generous and who is kind. And who has a heart for the poor and for the needy and those who are hurting, and she has a history of ministering and providing aid for such people. That's the woman, Paul says, the widow that I want to be put on the list of those that are involved in full-time pledged ministry on behalf of the church for life. Well, there's an 8th and a final qualification that Paul identifies, an 8th description of the widow that would qualify for This ministry, and that is found at the end of verse 10, and that is that she must have devoted herself to every good work.

Look what he says, and if she has devoted herself to every good work. In a way, he's already said that, he's talked about good works, but the way he chooses to word this is instructive for us. The word that is translated devoted literally means to follow after. Meaning this is not just a woman who did good works.

It's a woman who followed after good works. She didn't just do good works. Almost literally the idea is she chased after good works. She went after the good works that she wanted to do.

This is not a woman who waited for opportunities to come to her and said, Well, if you end up needing something, you can just call me if you need a place to stay. You can call me. This is a woman who went after it. She chased after it.

She didn't wait for opportunities to come to her. She went after the opportunities to do good to other people. She was the woman that when she ministered to you, you would get the real strong sense that she really wants to do this for you very badly. You ever met someone like that?

there's sometimes someone's doing something for you and you're like, I don't even know if they really want to do this or if they're feeling obligated. And then there are times where someone's blessing you and you can tell they really wanted to do that very badly. That's what this woman is like. She is followed after, she has devoted herself, she's pursued, she's chased after opportunities to do good to other people.

Also, in following after every good work, this would certainly mean that when she starts a good work, when such a woman starts a task, she's devoted to that task and she follows through with it. She sees it through to its completion. She doesn't get an idea and start on it and then doesn't see it through. No, she's devoted to the completion of that good work that she has resolved to do.

I would also say that such a woman is a woman that when she receives a prompting from the Lord to do good to somebody, she follows through and goes after that and accomplishes that. And I was thinking about this this week that how many times have we had an idea to do something for someone or a prompting from the Lord to serve someone, maybe to call somebody or write someone a note or encourage them in some way or whatever it might be? How many times have we received those promptings and it's like, oh yeah, I've got to do that, and then they just go away.

It just, it just disappears and we forget about it.

Until later. Well, this is the woman who when that idea comes, she follows after that, she won't let it get away. She chases that down. She's like, I, I will do this, and she's devoted to the doing of that.

If I stood before God and was judged by all the things that I wanted to do or had ideas to do, I would do pretty well at the judgment, but how many of those things have I actually done and been devoted to, to where I chased those opportunities down and then having started them to follow them through to their completion., I think of, my wife's mother when I think of this. She's, she's the woman who really wants to do good to anyone who comes into her home, and it took me a while to figure it out, but like, I'd come into her house and we're sitting around, she's like, do you want some ice cream?

and I'm like, and I would always say no. I wanted it, but I didn't want to say yes because I didn't want to seem greedy and so I would always just say no and she's like, are you sure?

Because it's in the freezer. You can have some. And I'm like, No, I'm fine, I'm fine. And, and she's like, well, I just bought it yesterday, man, and it's, it's in that freezer.

Just, it's got your name on it. if you want it, you can have it and And I'm like, No, I'm fine. And then she would get up and get the ice cream. It's like, Are you sure you don't want some ice cream?

I just learned, in fact, sometimes I would, I would actually be conscious of this. I'm thinking, how many times can I say no? And still she's going to do this anyway, but that was a woman who was following after, chasing after, devoted to doing good, even in some small way. I think of Lydia.

You guys remember Lydia in Acts chapter 16. She gets saved through the ministry of the apostle Paul, and look what happens next. It says in verse 15 of Acts 16, when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, If you judge me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay. That's not a question.

this is what you guys are going to do. And look what Luke says, and she prevailed upon us. it's not, hey, if you need a place to stay, give me a call., I might be available and I'll check and see if, if you need something. No, it's like if you judged me to be a true believer, come into my house and stay.

And there's indication in the, the text, the way this is worded that Paul and Luke and their companions weren't, they didn't say yes right away, but Lydia saw to it that they ended up saying yes. She was devoted to that good work of hospitality. And so Paul says that's the, that's the people we want hired in a sense by the church to pledge themselves to full-time devoted service for life in the church, and that is we want, we want individuals, we want widows that chase after, that follow after.

The opportunity to do good to other people who don't just sit around and wait for opportunities to come to them, they go after them.

Aren't these qualities beautiful? And, when I first started studying this passage, I was thinking, man, this would be a great sermon for ladies who often are neglected on Super Bowl Sunday, and we're gonna, we're not going to neglect them, we're going to preach to them. But as I, as I studied verses 9 and 10, I just, there was so much for me in it, just like I want to be like this. I want to, I want to be faithful to my spouse.

I want to do good and touch the lives of other people. I want to feed and nourish physically, spiritually, emotionally my children. I want to bring them up, not just have them grow up in the walls of my home. I want to show hospitality to others.

I want to feast others. who come into my home with the love of Jesus Christ. I want to provide assistance to people who right now are in distress. I wanna be devoted to, I wanna follow after good works and not just sit around and wait for them to come to me.

So, there's plenty here for all of us, but especially ladies, there's so much beauty here that hopefully, will encourage your heart. I'll close with this quote from John MacArthur. He says, because all those qualities that are in these verses describe the character of a widow qualified to serve the church, they must also be recognized as the standards for every Christian woman to follow in her life. Should the day come when she is considered for service in the church, she will then be qualified.

In the meantime, she will gain a reputation as a woman of excellence. The qualities Paul gives illustrates God's design for women. They are a woman's highest priorities. By following them, she can make a profound impact on the world.

Let me ask you to bow your heads. We're going to ask God to help us to be motivated by the truths of the gospel and the grace of God to just, that's all this widow is, all these descriptions, it's just a widow who has God touching her life and he's done the ultimate good in her heart and in her life through Jesus Christ. And, and she's just full of that and she's like just wanting to show that this is what the gospel looks like when it's on display in someone's actions. They're devoted to their spouse, they, they take the energy God gives them, they do good to other people the way God has done good to them.

They feed, nourish their children the way that Jesus does, the church. They feast Bring people into their home and feast them, which is what God has done and will do through all eternity. Being generous to those in need. And chasing after Following hard after good works.

our God has done that. He has left heaven. He didn't wait for us to figure out a way to get there. He came after us.

The woman being described here as someone who's been so touched and transformed by this glorious gospel that it's just spilling out in all of these ways. And she's being just like Jesus. May God give us women who are like this, and may we as men. Mirror these very same qualities.

In our life We're going to give you an opportunity to give of your offerings to the Lord. We would encourage you to give as the Lord leads you to give. As the offering bags come by in just a moment, let's pray together. Lord, Help us to Be all these things.

And may we not make a list and say I want to be these things and then try to generate this within us. Just may we see how you've done all of these things in our lives and then be so full of gratitude and love that you have lavished upon us that we just go forth and we're, we're just being Jesus. Towards Our spouses and our children and our brothers and sisters in the Lord and just being Jesus towards the loss. This is, this is what the gospel looks like with skin on.

May we glorify you in this way. Lord, we thank you for the opportunity that we have to give of our offerings to you. Receive these gifts, Lord, and make much of them for the glory of this precious gospel of Jesus Christ. It's in your name we pray, and all God's people said,