 Our sermon title this morning is Godly Compassion. Godly Compassion, and our text is 1 Timothy chapter 5, and we're working through this section from verse 3 through verse 16, and we're looking at God's compassion on those in need, specifically here in this paragraph, this section, as it relates to widows in the church. The Lord gives us very clear, very practical instruction with how we're to interrelate with widows in the church and how the Lord demonstrates His compassion toward those in need. This has great application, though, for us as we interrelate with anyone in need. You may have those in your family in need. There are things that you can take home and how you interrelate with your kids, with your spouse here. There's much to apply, but the Lord in His wisdom has demonstrated this in the way that we interrelate with widows, and there's a fairly lengthy section here and much that we can glean from this. So what we'd ordinarily do is we work verse by verse through books of the Bible. I believe that expository preaching is the way that you get God's word to you and not my opinion to you. I don't care, me least of all, God, don't care what I have to say. I don't care what I think. I want to know what God says, and I want to live by that, and I want to worship Him for that. And so we want to work verse by verse through these sections, and so we're in this section of Scripture, interesting section of Scripture dealing with widows. It begins here primarily in verse 3, and we see, beginning in verse 3, just the compassion of God toward these widows and certainly toward all those who are in need. And it's a godly compassion that we are also to demonstrate. This has great application for us, great wisdom for us. And it begins in verse 3 with, honor widows who are really widows. But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents, for this is good and acceptable before God. Now she who is really a widow and left alone, trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives, and these things command that they may be blameless. But if anyone does not provide for his own and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. So point one on your nose from last week, we looked at the compassion to provide. God's compassion, the compassion that we are to display, is a compassion to provide for those in need. And in verse 3, we see the command, to honor widows who are really widows, that we're there for honor tomorrow. It's a, at a minimum includes respect and reverence, but certainly carries the weight or the sense of financial support. When we see the command, the 10 commandments, to honor your father and mother. So here to honor widows, in chapter 5 verse 17, to honor those who labor, those in the gospel, those elders in the church. You're to honor in one sense by providing financial support, right? And that's certainly clear as well here in verse 3. But now it makes, obviously, in verse 3, makes a distinction. It says there are widows, and then there are those who are really widows. And we're to honor widows who are really widows. So we see, beginning in verse 4, we looked at, in the compassion, point two on your notes, compassion to pastor here, we see this distinction. And a distinction needs to be made, it must be made. Paul commands Timothy to make it. There's got to be a distinction here. And the distinction included in beginning in verse 4, deals with one, the widow's family circumstances, and two, her godly character. In verse 4, it says, but if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home or repay their parents for this is good and acceptable for God. And when we looked at this, we saw from Scripture that she must be in need. In other words, there aren't others in the family who can take care of her. Literally that word there is that she is left alone. She's made solitary, left without family. There isn't any other resource that can provide for her. So that's the first characteristic, the first distinction that needs to be made. She needs to be really in need. But secondly, and interestingly here, she must have, as a matter of character, she must have a record of godly Christian example and service. We're not to just help anybody, we're to help those here specifically who are really widows that include someone who is truly in need, has no other family, and someone who has a godly example, a record of godly service. And specifically here, that's talked about beginning in verse 5. She who is really a widow, she's left alone, number one, number two, she trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. In other words, she is selfless, selflessly devoted to God. She looks to God as the source of her provision. She's not wandering around from person to person, trusting in them for provision. She's praying to the Lord and trusting in the Lord for provision. And the Lord uses the means of His people to help those who are truly in need. And praise the Lord. We get to enter into that work and get to be a part of that. As Paul says, we get to enter into the fellowship of the ministry to the saints. And it's the fellowship that we get to participate in and it's a blessing to do it. But here, again, she trusts God, she trusts in Him for her provision and that's evidenced by her continuous prayer. It shows that she depends on God. It shows that she trusts Jehovah Jireh, the supplier. And she rightly prays to Him and trusts in Him. Now that's contrasted. If you look at this passage, that's contrasted first with those widows in verse 6 who are living but living for pleasure and dead while they're living. They're just living for this world, living for their own leisure, alright? But it's also contrasted with those in verse 11 who are growing wanton against Christ, having condemnation because they cast off their first faith. They're not supported because they're prone to wander from Christ into sin. There's a distinction here that needs to be made. Now, so that this decision gets made, that kind of a decision, you understand, requires pastoral oversight. Oversight of the church. We're not just to help everyone. There's got to be a distinction made. We need to help those who are truly in need, but also we're to help those here specifically who have a godly example. This requires a pastoral decision. Now, that brings the light here from this passage of Scripture that not only can the church not financially support everyone, but the church shouldn't financially support everyone. And you've got to see this as a compassionate decision because that cuts against the grain of the way that most of the world views compassion, the way that most of the world views helping those in need. You have to have both the strength and true compassion every once in a while to do that which is most important for them, which is not always going to be right a check, right? And there are those in this circumstance who must, it is good and acceptable on the side of God, that they take responsibility for themselves and that they take responsibility for those under their care. That they, in that sense, are blameless and that is important. In other words, beginning here in verse 3, a part of Paul's emphasis is getting family to move, getting people thinking rightly about who is responsible, what their responsibility is, what the responsibility of that widow is, what the responsibility of the church is, and getting each of those people, each of those entities to take responsibility to get them to move in that sense. And if you think about it, that widow, that family as a church, we have to learn to exercise faith just like the one who is really a widow, just like she exercises faith, laying our supplications before God and trusting him to provide. That doesn't mean that we can't, we are not to put feet, action to our love, action to our compassion. We certainly are. We must trust God and we must do what the Lord has told us to do here. And there is in that just a faithful dependence, a humble dependence in following Christ. Many believe the church today should be like a welfare state. We should be like the government in a welfare state where we support anyone. At some point when you don't reach a certain dollar amount, then we need to meet all of your needs. The church, there are many with this theology that the church's soul existence is to relieve those who are oppressed. Much of that is called liberation theology. It's unbiblical. This is prime example of the Bible teaching against it. We're not to be a welfare state. The sole focus of the church is not to be only providing for those who are oppressed or those who are in need. That kind of mindset, you understand, cultivates the wrong heart. And it is the heart in this that God is concerned about. It's the heart that Christ is concerned about. I'll give you some examples. We had at one point, and these are some of the decisions that need to be made. Some of the distinctions that need to be made. I remember someone coming in one time, a stack of bills in their hand, and they came in and they laid the stack of bills on the secretary's desk and said, I'll need a check for this by Wednesday. I have bills coming due. Wrong heart. There's a wrong way of thinking wrong heart. There are some. I remember one example where someone was unreconciled to us. They're in sin, and they're hostile, and they're bitter against the church, against the people, and yet they texted, right? Won't come by, won't fix things, won't, you know. They texted and said, hey, we've had this happen, and it's the responsibility of the church to help. And so I texted back and I said, you may be right. It may be the responsibility of the church to help. What church are you attending? They're not coming to this one. But there's just that expectation, right? We had another circumstance where the person had a need, and we didn't meet that need in the specific way that that person was expecting. In other words, we didn't just write the check. We prescribed other things for their spiritual well-being, and that person got angry and got embittered toward the church. Betraying a wrong heart in this. Betraying a wrong mindset. And again, it's the heart, the condition of their heart that the Lord is concerned about. And that anger, that resentment, that bitterness confirms the condition of the heart. It's not always the pastorally right thing to do to just simply write a check. There needs to be wisdom in that. Let me give you one example of that. Go back with me to John 6. John 6. And let's just take a look at one example of this. Wrong heart, wrong mindset. Look at John 6, beginning in verse 1. Here, Christ is healing, meeting physical needs. He is providing. He's about to provide a meal here, meeting physical needs. He's curing diseases. He's meeting needs. In all of that, those miracles that are done, those acts that are done, all of that is to point them to Christ. There are many who do wonderful things. They build houses. They dig wells. They down many on Thanksgiving, providing meals. And those are all wonderful things. But as a Christian, all of those wonderful things are to point that person with the right heart, the right understanding to Christ to meet their greatest need, right? And people, even despite that, despite faithfulness here, the greatest preacher ever, right? Preaching and healing and doing works, doing wonders, all should be pointing them to Christ. And even here, they still have a tendency to get it wrong. It's a matter of the heart. Look at verse 1 in chapter 6. It says, after these things, Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, the Sea of Tiberius. Then a great multitude followed him because they saw his signs which he performed on those who were diseased. You've got to understand, there is a type of faith which does not save that is faith in an experience. Faith in a sign or faith in a wonder. If you remember, the Bible says at the end times, the Antichrist will come performing signs and wonders and will deceive many. There is a faith that does not save. It's a faith in some experience, a faith in some act, a faith in something they've seen. Here is an example of that. They saw the signs which he performed. Now there are many who saw the signs he performed and came to faith in Christ because they saw him as the Messiah and they trusted him and followed him and turned from their sin. It says in verse 3, and Jesus went up on the mountain and there he sat with his disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and seeing a great multitude coming toward him, he said to Philip, where shall we buy bread that these may eat? But this he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. And dropped down to verse 10, this is what he did. Jesus said, make the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place and so men sat down in number about 5,000. Jesus took the loaves and we had given thanks, he distributed them to the disciples and the disciples to those sitting down and likewise of the fish as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, he said to his disciples, gather up the fragments that remain so that nothing is lost. Therefore they gathered them up and filled 12 baskets with the fragments of the 5 barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did said, this is truly the prophet who has come into the world. Now they saw the sign and truly this is the prophet. They saw Christ as that, but dropped down to verse 22. So on the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there except that one which his disciples had entered and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples but his disciples had gone away alone. However other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks and when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there nor his disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. Now were they seeking Jesus? Were they seeking what Jesus had done for them? Verse 25, and when they found him on the other side of the sea they said to him, Rabbi, when did you come here? Jesus answered them and said, most assuredly I say to you, you seek me not because you saw the signs but because you ate of the loaves and were filled many, many see Christ as the prophet, see Christ as the savior, see Christ as a messiah, see Christ as God in the flesh and rightly so and yet they don't seek Christ for what he has done for them eternally, they seek Christ for what he's done for them temporarily. I'll have my present needs met. I'll get that shiny new red truck that I wanted, that shiny new thing that I need. They don't seek Christ for the right reasons. Verse 27, Christ says to them, do not labor for the food which perishes but for the food which endures the everlasting life which the Son of Man will give you because God the Father has set his seal on him. They said to him, what shall we do that we may work the works of God and they're used to a works mindset, what they mean here is what do I got to do? What do I got to do to be saved? I'll work, work, work, work, work. It's not how it works, Jesus said verse 29. Jesus answered and said to them, this is the work of God that you believe in him whom he sent. Therefore they said to him, what sign will you perform? That's just your right. What are you going to do, Christ? Prove yourself that what are you going to do for us? What sign will you perform then that we may see it and believe you? What work will you do? And they bring it up again. Verse 31, Our fathers ate the manna in the desert as it is written he gave them bread from heaven to eat. Again, wanting a free meal. Not interested in Christ at all. Just wanting a meal, wanting lunch, right? God, you provided for us lunch. We want dinner too. No interest in Christ. So verse 32, Jesus said to them, most assuredly I say to you, Moses did not get you that bread from heaven. Who gave them bread from heaven? God did. God provided for them. Look to the Creator. Not that created thing. Look to him who provides eternally. Not only to that temporal need. Look with the right heart, with the right reasons. Recognize your need. Your need is not a lunch. Your need is eternity. Your need is salvation. Verse 33, For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. There's something more important than lunch. Verse 34, they said to him, Lord give us this bread always. Their first concern was filling their stomachs. The Lord is concerned with their eternal soul. Where to show that same kind of compassion? There's a discretion that needs to be made. Not as concerned with filling someone's stomach at that moment. We need to be concerned about their spiritual well-being. We need to be concerned about where they go when they die. What their life reflects. There's got to be discernment in this. Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger. He who believes in me shall never thirst. It's meeting a real need. Verse 36, I said to you that you have seen me and yet you do not believe. They said they believed he was a prophet. Christ is saying to them, yeah, you don't believe. You don't have the faith that saves. All that the Father gives me will come to me. That's all that the Father gives him. Mind you, right? All that the Father gives. All those who make a decision. All those who pray to ask Jesus into their heart. All those who walk an aisle and sign a commitment card. No, it's all those that the Father has predetermined to give to Christ. All those that the Father gives to me will come to me. And the one who comes to me, I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of the Father who sent me. That of all he has given me, I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day. Flip the page. Jesus Christ preaches this lesson. They do not get it. They don't accept it. They reject it out of hand. And look at verse 66. It says from that time many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more. Just wrong heart. Wrong thinking. Not recognizing Christ for who he is. There's something more important about following Christ than having your temporal immediate physical needs met. Trust in the Lord. In that is doing what is good and acceptable to God. It's cultivating the right heart. Cultivating a heart of trust and dependence and love for Christ. That's exhibited now with what Paul goes on to say beginning in verse 7. Like live for Christ. Obey Christ. Be blameless. Verse 7 back in 1 Timothy chapter 5. He says in these things command that they may be blameless. But if anyone does not provide for his own and especially for those of his household he's denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. It is the essence of faith that you work while trusting God. It's the essence of faith. Work. Work out your own salvation. We're to work. And we're to trust God. It is Christ. It is God who is at will at work in you to will and to do according to his good pleasure. Many view God. Many view the church. Like the baby bird. And the mama bird. And the baby bird just lies on her back opens the beak and they expect the mama bird to fly by and throw up everything they need in their mouth. And they view Christianity the same way. Having difficulty at work. You know. I don't have a job. Get out and find a job. Get out and work to find a job. And the Lord will bless you with work. Let me ask you this question. Does the Lord want you to be able to provide for your own family? Yes. The Bible says that if you pray in accord with his will you have that thing that you've asked for. You know it's God's will that you have work. And so you go out and doggedly work to find a job knowing that when you like that godly example of a widow who is really a widow lays her supplications before God. Praise night and day. Dependence on God, right? You lay your supplications before him. You depend on him. You exercise faith. You pray night and day knowing that the Lord is who will provide you with work. And that's in accord with his will. And then you go out and you do that. And the Lord is faithful to provide. That's dependence on God. It's cultivating the right heart. The right dependence. The right humble spirit. Many do that. Struggling with sin. Work against that sin. And pray to God. Trust in him. Let it be by the strength of his spirit. By the power of his might. And then overcome that sin. Many people do that with their own sanctification. Well if the Lord wants to sanctify you He's going to have to do it because I can't do it myself. That's an unbiblical attitude. Many people don't like. They get confused. This salvation is a salvation by grace alone. No works. And you'll hear someone say I can't do anything. In one sense for your salvation that is true. But then God comes along in his wisdom through scripture and says you got to do something. What do you have to do? You got to repent. And you got to believe. You must repent. Turn from your sin. And you must believe. The Lord says do something. Now let me say this. My car is broken down. The run down. You know a piece of junk. It's at the shop. And the mechanic just out of the goodness of his heart out of his grace fixes my car up. And he calls me up. Says Mark. I'm not going to charge you anything. I just want to be gracious to you. And so I fix your car for you. Praise the Lord. What an act of grace toward me that he fixed my car. But listen Mark. You're going to have to come down to the shop and pick it up. I'm like, well that's not grace. What are you talking about? It's all grace. Just because you have to go down to the shop doesn't mean make it any less grace. It's all grace. But you got to go down to the shop. You got to stick the key in. You got to turn the... Are you doing anything to undermine grace? No. When the Lord commands you to repent and believe in the gospel it is a fruit of his grace to you that you do that. It's not a work that earns you anything. All of your salvation is by grace. But the Bible is full of... You got to do something. You can't just... Right? Open your beak. In that... If you're not providing like that then you're denying the faith. You become worse than an unbeliever. You're denying the faith. Work and trust the Lord. And work and trust the Lord. Live by faith. Faith in Christ. And trust the Lord. And the Lord will provide. And it is that kind of faith that is the faith exercised by that one who is truly a widow. So we've got the compassion to provide. That was point one. The compassion to pastor. That's point two. But point three on your notes is the compassion to prove. The compassion to prove or the compassion to test. There is a proving here that needs to happen. That begins in verse nine. And Paul in verse nine shifts focus here a bit, right? And he obviously, beginning in verse nine lays out some conditions. Some conditions. And many throughout church throughout the world period don't like that word conditions. But there are some conditions here. And the concern moves from who is really a widow now to what are the qualifications for when and how the church is going to get involved in the care of widows who are really widows or those in need. Now there's two things to say about this as we get into these verses, right? One is this. It is not a heartless church. It is not a heartless pastor. It is not a failure of grace or a failure of mercy. It's not an insensitive brother or sister or an insensitive pastor or a cold hearted brother a cold hearted sister that will expect or set conditions for help. It doesn't make the church a pastor or anyone's cold hearted or insensitive. Here it's commanding that we do this. It's prescribing conditions for help. We are to not only help those in need but we're to expect that someone take responsibility for themselves and take responsibility for those under their care. That is to be done because it is good and acceptable in the sight of God. Our government could learn a lot from these principles, right? You think about the welfare state that we're moving into. These principles in God's word are seen by many as unloving as insensitive or unmerciful and that's because the world has a sappy, sentimentalized view of what love and mercy and help and grace are. They just don't understand it. Think about that for a moment. Look at the bitter fruit of what that sappy, sentimentalized view of mercy or grace or love or assistance has gotten us by their fruits. Look at the fruit of it. We have raised a generation of people who just feel entitled to help, right? An entire culture that will take no responsibility for themselves or for those under their care. Many deadbeat dads just abandon wives with kids. They blame everyone else but won't take blame themselves. When I was a kid in school, that was a long time ago, but I remember if you got in trouble, my dad always said, listen, if you get a spanking in school, that right off the bat, okay, do you remember when there was actually spanking in school? I do because I got spanked in school, all right? There was actually, they would spank you. Teachers, principals would spank kids in school. My dad always said, listen, if you get a spanking at school, you're going to get ten times worse the spanking at home. There's no questions asked. There was no, what do you got to say for yourself? There's no opportunity to defend. It was just, pull down your pants, let her rip. It was going to be a spanking at home if I got in trouble at school. Today, number one, there is no spanking. If you look at little Johnny wrong, you know, you're threatened with a lawsuit. And I remember when I became a school teacher, long before I became a pastor, there's no spanking. There's no discipline like that. You'd be sitting in the principal's office with little Johnny and little Johnny's parents, and you're saying, I saw Johnny with the brick in his hand when he threw it at Sally. And you got other students. I saw Johnny, and then you got Johnny's parents saying, my kid would never do that. And little Johnny's saying, I didn't do it. And the parents are saying, little Johnny would never do that. He didn't do it. It's like, no responsibility for their actions. That's the way that it goes. We live in a society that has bred that, always blaming someone else for the problems in their life. Laziness, apathy, not taking any responsibility. It is, that's the fruit of our societies, our cultures, understanding of those things. We're not to have a worldly view of those things. We're to have a biblical view of those things. We can't go in the current of this world. We need to trust God and do what God's word says. That's always, that's not always going to be easy. And they're going to be many times and that appears counter-cultural. It appears insensitive, or heartless, or cold, or whatever the case may be. God is true. Every man is a liar. Right? And we're going to follow God's word and obey him. And there's great blessing, great safety in that. But you can take these principles at home with you and apply them in your home. Should you have conditions for little Sally, little Johnny to live in your house, your son or daughter? Should there be conditions for them to eat your food and wear the clothes that you provide? And yes, there ought to be a lot of conditions. Should there be a condition for little Johnny, little Susie, when they get old enough to drive a car? Just because the government says they're old enough, is that all, you know? Yes, there should be conditions. Take that home. How do you interact with your spouse? How do you interact and raise your kids? There should be conditions in the home. Expect those conditions to be met. Remember when we were raising our girls? It's like one of the conditions we early on set was, listen, there will be no bickering in this household. You're not going to fight with your sister. That took some effort and took some time. But eventually that got worked out. You just don't allow that kind of stuff. Set conditions in your home for how people are to act, for how people are to obey. When you make the statement, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Well, there's got to be a lot of conditions in place to make sure that happens. And we learn that from passages in Scripture like this. We can meet these conditions, right? But secondly, okay, one, it's not heartless church, a heartless pastor that does this. Secondly, in this passage, there's difficulty presented by the words here taken into the number. In verse nine it says, do not let a widow under 60 years old be taken into the number. And then there are qualifications given. Some would say that this represents an organized group of widows serving the church in some official capacity, similar to like a third office. There are elders, there are deacons, and there are these widows. Not what is being taught here. There's nothing in the context that supports that. Everything in the context here simply points to further qualifying those who are on the list for help, for support. Simply the church supporting widows. That being said, there's every indication given here that there are widows that were being supported by the church, and there were enough of them that they started a list. They started writing their names down. And that's actually supported by the word there for taken into the number. Taken into the number is represented by one word in the Greek kata legesto. kata meaning down, lego meaning to speak. It literally meant signing someone up in a group. Writing their name down on a list. The church at Ephesus here was keeping a role or a list of widows who were qualified to receive help from the church and who were getting that support. Widows now, that being said, would have had a somewhat of a distinctive identity within the church. We don't have time to go there, but in Acts chapter 9, we saw that with the widow Dorcas who died. And Peter in Acts chapter 9 went and raised Dorcas from the dead. There were a group of widows who were mourning over Dorcas. And one of the reasons that mourning is that all the good that Dorcas had done. She was a godly woman who was sowing clothes and providing for people in the church. And he had the widows there, it says with her that were mourning her. These widows certainly, being supported fully by the church, would have given themselves entirely to the church, to the service of the Lord, like Anna. We looked at last week, fully devoted to the church. And in many ways, most likely provided discipleship, like we see in Titus chapter 2, that older women were instructed to give. They are in Titus chapter 2. It says the older women likewise, beginning in verse 3, that they be reverent in behavior. Not slanderers, not giving them much wine, teachers of good things, that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. But now, beginning in verse 9, considering this list, who then are these widows who belong on this list? And there are three main considerations given. The first is in verse 9, is maturity. He says, don't let a widow under 60 years old be taken into the number. And that's certainly for many reasons. One, those 60-year-olds are unlikely to respond, like the widows in verse 11, that they grow wanton, or wanton in their desires. They leave the faith, become a slave to their lusts. It's just unlikely, more unlikely, for someone over 60 to respond that way. Secondly, 60 was well beyond the age of having children. So they were very unlikely to remarry. And we'll talk about why that's important next week. Thirdly, younger widows would have likely been expected to work and support themselves. In the Old Testament, with Ruth, before Ruth married Boaz, what was Ruth doing? She's not gleaning in the field, right? Providing for herself. So many of the younger widows would have been expected to do that. But going on in verse 9, the Bible says, and not unless she has been the wife of one man. So the second consideration is that this woman shows fidelity or faithfulness similar to the requirement for elders and deacons who are required to be one woman then. This godly woman would be a one man woman, literally in the Greek there. Not an argument against polygamy. It's just saying that she's to be faithful to the husband that she had if she had a husband. But the third mark in verse 10 is charity. It says, well reported for good works. Again, her character here being looked at and her character, her faith being expressed in good works. And here she said to be, have a reputation for this, to be well spoken of for her good works or well reported for good works. And once again, we're confronted here with the idea in Scripture that we are to be people who do good works, Christians living doing good works. Paul's concern again here is for good works. Not because they save. Good works don't save you. This is not a salvation by works. This is a salvation that works. It's not because they save. It's not because they earn some kind of merit with God. But because good works give evidence of the genuineness of your faith. So if you're here today and you're in Christ, you claim to be a Christian. How do you stack up to these characteristics of this godly woman who is a widow here? These are characteristics, mind you, of every Christian. Could it be said of you, okay, I'm a Christian, but I'm not going to be given to hospitality. You know, that's for those widows. No, every Christian is to be given to hospitality. I'm not going to do any works of kindness or service for my brothers and sisters like washing their free. This is not making foot washing a church ordinance. It doesn't mean that you've washed people's feet today, but we're to act with loving kindness towards our brothers and sisters, sacrificially serving them to the point where, think about it, if you did wash your brothers or sisters feet, we're to sacrificially serve our brothers and sisters in a way that honors them, honors God, this sacrificial toward them is loving toward them. Or you say to yourself, yeah, that's stuff for the widows to do. I don't need to do that. No, every Christian does that. So how do you stack up? You're not saved by your works, but the works that you do give testimony of the genuineness of your faith. Are you living wholeheartedly for Christ? Are you obeying Him? There are sins of commission, things you shouldn't do. There are sins of omission. Are you sharing the gospel with people? Wanting to see them? Do you claim the name of Christ and yet you won't open your mouth for Him? That's absurd. Anyone who is ashamed of Him and His words. Are you loving your brothers by being regular, faithful and small group and looking for ways to love them and support them and help? If you see your brother in need, you close yourself off to Him. Bible says you're not a Christian. Are you, by your good works, demonstrating the genuineness of your faith? Again here, Paul is concerned for good works. He says if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work. That diligently followed every good work is just a way of saying this is not an exhaustive list, this is a representative list and it encompasses everything. It encompasses everything. We're to be faithful to the Lord by being faithful to one another. And we'll look at those next week. We can take a lot from the example of the widow here, can we? There's a lot here to learn from this. And as this godly widow is to exemplify a godly character in her life, let that be said of us. Let that be said of you, that we're living for the Lord. And where you're not, the Lord gives you grace and mercy even now to repent of sin. If you're not, if you're here and you're not saved, the Lord says that He will change your heart, indwell you with His Spirit and cause you to walk in His statutes. We'll give you the heart to obey. We'll change who you are by your very nature. We'll take away your desire for those things that are destructive, take away your desire for those things that are sinful and give you a desire for Him. And it's an awesome blessing from the Lord to do that. It's a glorious salvation. Will you reject Him? Will you take Him at His word? Put your faith in Him and trust Him. If you trust Him, there's a glorious blessing. Amen. The Lord takes care of those who are His own. Let's pray. Father in Heaven, God thank you for this testimony of yourself in 1 Timothy chapter 5 here. Your compassionate heart toward those in need. We see that exemplified or throughout Scripture, and it's just a glorious reminder of how compassionate you are, to meet our greatest need in Christ. We thank you for that, Lord. We praise you. We worship you. Lord, we will serve you joyfully from the heart for all eternity, for all that you've done. And God, thank you for the new heart. And thank you for your spirit. Thank you for your word. And thank you for this joyous Christian life. Albeit lived, God, in a sense of our own unworthiness, a sense of our own sin. God certainly lived in the truth that you are the great provider. You provide for our greatest need and continue to provide for our greatest need. Our sanctification, our conforming into the image of Christ, our eventual glorification. We thank you and praise you for that glorious truth. Help us to live by these truths. God, strengthen us by your spirit to live wholeheartedly for you and to be an example of this godly character that you, by the work of your spirit, produce in us. And may that be a trophy of your grace, God, in front of a dying, a lost and dying world. We love you and thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.