Shabbat Shalom everyone. Turn to 1 Timothy chapter 5 and we are going to read the first 16 verses and so I'm reading verse 1 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 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 supplication and prayer 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 has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.

Let not a widow be taken into the number under 60 years old, having been the wife of one man, well reported 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 Messiah they will marry having damnation because they have cast off their first faith and withal they learn to be idle wandering about from house to house and not only idle but tattlers also and busybodies speaking things which they ought not 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 assembly be charged, that it may relieve them that are widows indeed. To remind you, we studied a letter that Paul wrote to a younger brother by the name of Timothy. He left him in the city that is called Ephesus, according to chapter 1 and verse 3, and he said to him, I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou might charge some. And he began to give him a list of the things that he is to charge some of the people of God in the local assembly at Ephesus.

Later on in chapter 3, the apostle Paul said to Timothy in verse 15, but if I tarry long, Timothy, if I'm not coming right away and it might take longer time for me to stay away, that you may know how you ought to behave yourself in the house of God, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and the ground of the truth. Timothy, I'm going away. Timothy, I'm leaving you at Ephesus. Timothy, if I'm going to tarry long and I'm not going to come back right away, I want you to understand how you ought to behave yourself in the house of God. What is the house of God?

It is the assembly the called out ones of the living God and in the assembly it is the pillar and the ground of the truth so the whole letter is written to him first Timothy later on he will write to him another letter in the second epistle to Timothy but we are now right in the center of this letter that Shaul Paul wrote to Timothy it is interesting notice that beloved brothers and sisters. He doesn't only write about the necessity for doctrinal teaching that will be sound in the local assembly, in the local congregation, but he's speaking also about practical things in the life of the people of God.

You see, after all, the believers in this particular city of Ephesus were brought in from the world. They were living a life of paganism before they became believers. In fact, many in Ephesus were worshipping Diana of the Ephesians. You remember they shouted at the time in the book of Acts, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. But now many of those individuals became believers. And they became part of the local assembly, the local church at Ephesus. So the apostle is giving them instruction. They needed that. You and I need that. They have an inclination to fall. You and I have an inclination to fall. They had the danger of the attack of the enemy.

You and I have the very same danger of the attack of the enemy. And this is exactly why it is so beneficial for us to take these things to heart and to learn to grow as we follow Yeshua the Messiah. Well, now in this chapter 5, in fact, this whole section from verses 1 to 16, is really specifically dealing with the issue of the widows in the local assembly. Widows, those that their husbands have passed away and they remain widows in the assembly, among the believers, among the people of God. In Hebrew, the word widow is almana, and widows is almanot. And you notice in this passage, specifically, he's giving instruction how to deal with the almanot, with the widows.

You notice he's three times used the expression here, widow indeed. Almana beemet in Hebrew. You notice verse 3, widow indeed. You notice it says here in verse 5, now she that is a widow indeed. Later on, if you notice that, he's mentioning this again in verse 16. At the end, he says, widow indeed, at the end of this passage in verse 16. He mentioned this again and again, widow indeed. Three times he's mentioning here this truth. In other words, real individual that is indeed a widow. Someone that really have a need in how the people of God are to minister unto her. And so notice in verses 1 and 2, give us a general information.

In fact, he reminded Timothy that when we became believers, we became part of a family. Mishpacha, we say in Hebrew. A mishpacha is not only because we all were born again, we were born into the same family. Yes we are mishpacha but many times mishpacha family is so divided and scattered and so many friction among the mishpacha among the family of God it happened to us in our personal life many of us have families but our families are not necessarily walking in the same direction they're not working in harmony as we ought to be as a family and it is the same thing spiritually the body of Messiah the believers who are part of the family we're not always practicing what we should practice as the mishpacha as the family of God and so he's telling them in verses one and two how to treat everyone who is part of the mishpacha of the family in the assembly notice he's using these four groups of people he says first of all in verse one rebuke not an elder but entreat him as a father secondly he said and the younger men as brethren thirdly in verse two the elder women as mothers and fourthly in verse two and the younger as sisters and then he says with all.

Purity. You notice that in a family of God, you have the elder one, the older men, the older women, the younger men, and the younger women. And you can add the children. We have in 1 John chapter 2, I write unto you fathers. I write unto you young men. I write unto you children. There you might say inclusion, the fathers, the young men, and the children. But here is including the male and the female the men and the women and how we are to relate to each other you know it's so precious brothers and sisters to see how the apostle gave godly sound instruction to younger brother Timothy he was telling him listen we are not merely religious people who became believers and we on cloud nine we got to go down to earth and we got to relate to each other in a right way so it's a real life of the believer relationship is so important in our relationship with each other and so he says first of all rebuke not an elder and that the word for elder come from the.

Word zaken in Hebrew in the Greek is the presbyters in other words he's an elder in the local assembly but it could also apply to an older individual in a local assembly. We have to be very careful not to rebuke publicly without first approaching the elder individual and in treating him as a father, as an Abba. After all these older men that have grown up for many years in their lives walk with the Lord serve the Lord among the people of God we had to recognize them and to respect them whether it's speaking about an elder in the local assembly or whether an older man is the very same applied to this person who is older how we are to treat them well we are to treat them as a father one day we're going to get to a point that we're going to be older we would appreciate the younger one is in treating us as fathers out of respect and out of honor.

Now it doesn't mean that the father is always right or that the elder is always right. The elder at times goes in the wrong direction and he needed to be corrected and challenged but we don't do it publicly just to show how great we are. We take the opportunity in visiting with this particular older or elder and dealing in treating him as a father, recognizing that this individual is older, is elder, and we are to treat him right. And the younger man is brethren, Achim. It's beautiful to realize all of us who are believers, we are part of a family and we be brethren. You remember when Abraham's and Lot's herd men, they were fighting with each other.

And then Abraham approached Lot and he says, we be brethren. Why do we have to fight all along? Why the brethren are so divided many times? Because they always seem to manage not to take care of each other. And instead of treating each other as brethren, as Achim, as part of the family of God. Then he continued on. Then he's speaking about thirdly about the elder women in Hebrews cannot the feminine the elder women treat them as mothers there are older sisters in our midst who are getting up in age well they should be recognized as mothers among the people of God and to appreciate elder sisters because they have gone before many years they've gotten older age-wise and now they are to be recognized as mothers in the midst of the people of God.

I always appreciate the beautiful expression about Dvorah, Deborah, the judge among our people from many years ago in the book of Judges. She is called a mother in Israel, Ima be Yisrael. How beautiful to have these elder sisters being a blessing to the believers and appreciated because they are like mothers. What does mother do? She nourish, she cherish, she minister, she give, she serve, she does all these things among the people of God and they deserve to be treated as mothers among the people of God. And fourthly, beloved brothers and sisters, he's talking about the younger ladies to treat them as sisters as achayot. Ministering to them, notice it says, with all purity.

In other words, treating them with respect, with pure motives and recognizing that they have need, they are younger, they are not gone up with the things of the Lord at the end, but respecting them and treating them as our own sisters to seek their welfare, to seek to be a blessing to them, to watch over them, to encourage them in a world in which we live in today. And how we need that, all these areas, rebuking not an elder but treating him as a father, and a younger man as a brother, and then an elder woman as mothers, and then a younger woman as sisters with all purity.

Here is the whole mishpacha, mishpachat Elohim, mishpachat Adonai, the family of God, wonderful to see. So Paul gives instruction to younger Timothy, a general instruction of how to treat the believers in the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. This is again to remind you how one ought to behave in the house of God. That is not limited to this building, these four walls that is here. The house of God is the assembly, the church of the living God. It is a composition of all believers everywhere from Acts chapter 2 until the day of the rapture. We are all part of the assembly, the ecclesia of the living God.

Every true believer is part of the ecclesia, of the assembly. And so how we are to behave in the house of God. It could be in this building. It could be outside. It could be anywhere. Where the house of God is the people of God together, collectively. So, this is now, from verse 3 on, he zeroes in on how to treat the widows. Now, you and I might say, well, you know, what's such a big deal to make such a whole chapter to deal with widows? But then Paul says, no. In a relationship among the people of God, we don't only deal with sound teaching and with sound practices, and so on.

We're also dealing with practical things such as this, including our treatment of those who are widows indeed. First of all, in verses 3 to 10, the apostle is giving Timothy instruction on how to treat the widows in the assembly. Now, before we're going to get to these verses, I want to highlight one or two things. The first thing that I want to highlight is the fact that the God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov, always taught our forefathers, Israel, to take care of the widows. It's not something new that Shaul Paul just introduced. It was something that was given to our forefathers many, many years ago, and Timothy is being reminded of this right now as the apostle Paul gave him instructions.

So turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 10, verse 17 and verse 18. Again, remember Israel came out of the land of Egypt. They're just about to enter into the promised land. God is instructing Moses to instruct Israel how they are to conduct themselves when they go into the land. And so he says, for the Lord your God is a God of gods. He's Lord of lords. He's a great God and mighty and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward. He does execute judgment of the fatherless and of the widow. And he loved the stranger in giving him food and raiment. Israel, Moshe is saying to the people of Israel, Listen, I want you to understand that our Lord, our God, is a God of God.

He's a Lord of Lords. He's not regarding persons. He doesn't make any favoritism to anybody. He does care for the fatherless. He does care for the widows. And He does care for the strangers. What a wonderful truth to understand. God always cared for the fatherless. He always cared for the widows. He always cared for the strangers. One more verse. Psalm 68 and verse 5, we read these words. God is a father of the fatherless and a judge of the widows. He is a God in his holy habitation. That's the kind of God we have. But here, specifically, we have to understand that God always cared for the widows.

And so, that's the first thing that I want to mention. Secondly, I wanted you to also understand that in the early days of the assembly in the city of Jerusalem, there was already a problem in the local assembly, the local church, the local congregation in Jerusalem, where there is a friction between the Jewish believers who were born in the land, local Jewish believers, and the Jewish believers who came from the diaspora, the Grecians. They came now from the diaspora, they formed the local assembly in Jerusalem, the congregation there, but they already had some problems in the local assembly then. Let me just show you in Acts chapter 6, verse 1, we read, In those days when the Numbers of the disciples were multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians, this is the Hebrew believers from the diaspora, against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

You think we have problems today, how to treat widows? Already 2,000 years ago right in the city of Jerusalem the brethren had already a problem and the Jewish people of the diaspora who became believers complained against the local Hebrews that they have not treated the widows rightly and they caused them to be neglected apparently what we learn that there was perhaps a list of those who were widows that needed to be taken care of by the local assembly so here you can see that they were complaining because the widows were neglected in the daily service to become a widow years ago was not an easy thing in one's life because the this woman who used to have a husband provide for her her family taking care of her now she become dependent she had no means to sustain herself and so the Lord had provided a way whereby she could be helped by the local assembly it's not like today thank God in many ways that we live in a country that there is social security there are.

Various provisions for the elderly and so on but years ago it was not depending upon the country around them or the society around the believers in the city of Jerusalem the believers ministered to the widows in the local assembly. They needed to take care of them. They ministered to them. So the Apostle Paul now gives us a clear instruction on how to deal with the widow that have a need. One more point I want to mention. Number one, we said God of our fathers always cared for the widow. Number two, we said that the local church, the local assembly in Jerusalem already had a problem in the daily ministration.

But number three, Paul now here lays down the qualification for a person to be reckoned as a widow and to be supported by the assembly. Here we have beloved brothers instruction on how the people of God are to take care of the widows in the assembly. So let's look over these qualifications. First of all, verses 3 and 4, we are to honor widows that are widows indeed. And I'm reading, honor widows that are widows indeed. We are to honor, to respect these women who are widows indeed. After all, you understand the experience that they are going through. They lost their support. They lost their loved one. One that they used to be fellowshipping with, and they became widows.

They are alone, on their own. So the Apostle Paul is encouraging the believers to honor them. But I want you to notice that he said, honor widows that are widows indeed. Then he says, in verse 4, but if any widow have children or nephews, in Greek it's supposed to be descendants, Let them, first of all, show piety at home and to recognize their parents. For that is good and acceptable before God. Well, we learn immediately in these verses that widows are first of all to be taken care of by their family. It's not right to make the responsibility of the local assembly if she has children or family members that are to take care of their mother or grandmother.

The primary responsibility will be of the family members. It is so important. Can you imagine if a person has children and they're not going to take care of her? Can you imagine what a shame it is? There's a responsibility of the people of God to honor their mother and their father. And if they do not show this godly character in their life this is rather sad it is so wonderful when a younger individual take care of his mother or his grandmother so precious to see that because it is really honoring the elderly and respecting them can you imagine what it will mean for us for you and i if we get up to an age you know in due time become a widow how sad it becomes when you are left on your own and somebody else has to meet your need have to minister to you and yet your very own family to whom you have given your life you gave them birth you serve them all your life and then they throw you away and don't take care of you and so the apostle Paul is very clearly He's saying, let them learn, first of all, piety, show godliness at home.

And to recompense their parents, for that is good and acceptable before God. We are to return to our own parents what they have done for us. I remember when my dad passed away. My mom was left alone for quite a while. And I tell you, I had the fun time of my life to take my mother every week for lunch together. It was a date that I had with my mom. And I had such a blessing, not because I had to do that, but it was such a pleasure to spend time with my mom. We laughed about the things of the past. We looked back.

We looked at all the things that happened to us. It was such a joy. Now, I don't know that my mother became a believer in Yeshua, the Messiah, when she passed away. But irregardless, it is the right thing to do that we will take care of our own parents, our own grandparents, out of obedience to the Word of God. Children, honor your father and your mother, for this is right. This is the first commandment with a promise. What was the promise that you will have long life upon the face of this earth? That's what God has given to our own people Israel. And how important it is, beloved brothers and sisters, it is acceptable before God.

God finds pleasure in seeing the caregiving for a widow indeed by their own family member. But you see, it's not always happened so, isn't it? Many times when a woman becomes a believer in Yeshua, the Messiah, and then maybe her husband dies, but her children are not believers. And maybe they don't want to have anything to do with their own parents because they have trusted that Yeshua is the Messiah. So from here on we find out that here is a possibility that may happen. And so what do we do? Do we neglect these widows who are widows indeed? So Paul continue he says in verse 5a what happened to a widow if a widow is desolate I'm reading verse 5a now is she that is widow indeed and desolate now notice the word desolate in Hebrew that thought here is yechida alone she doesn't have any more obviously no children around to support her and she doesn't have any family around her at all she's on her own he's desolate helpless what should the assembly do Paul is giving the instruction here to the brothers and sisters to Timothy you need to take care of her and to meet her need that was the responsibility of the assembly years ago as it was given to them and it is also an instruction for us as well Now, immediately I'm reminded of 1 Kings chapter 17.

You remember when Eliyahu, Elijah, Eliyahu Hanavi, when he gave this instruction to Israel, he says there will be no dew and no rain for a long time. For three and a half years, there was no dew and rain in the land of Israel, in the northern kingdom. And then he fled to an era called Sarefet. And in Sarefet, there was a widow. She had a son, but he had a need as well. And Elijah went to this woman and ministered unto her. This was so precious because Yeshua himself mentioned that in the Gospel of Luke in chapter 4 and verse 25 and verse 26. But I tell you the truth.

Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, Eliyahu, when the heavens were shut up for three years and six months. When great famine was throughout all the land. But unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Tzarefet, a city in Sidon, and to a woman that was a widow. You see, the condition of Israel was so sad in the time of the Kings. When there was a wicked king by the name of Ahab, Ahab, who married Jezebel, who led the whole nation into wickedness and idolatry. Then when Elijah came and he brought judgment upon the nation of Israel, God said to Elijah, you're not going to meet the need of the widows in Israel because those widows have followed in Ahab's direction.

But there's a widow in Zarephit, in a place that is called Sidon, Zarephit. There, Eliyahu, I want you to go to minister to this woman. And Elijah, Eliyahu went to her. He ministered to her. And ultimately when her son died, he raised her son and he ministered to her. In other words, what we learn, that widow indeed who seek to follow the Lord will be blessed by the Lord and ministered by God's people and God's servant. But Elijah had to go far outside of the land because the land's condition, the people's condition was so sad. But he ministered to a widow. He ministered to her need as he went all the way to the place that is called Tzarephit.

So a widow must be also a dependent one that had no one to provide for her, verses 5a. Secondly, from verse 5b to verse 7, a widow ought to have a godly life. Let me give you this list. It says in verse 5b, if she trusted in God and continued in supplication and prayer night and day. See, she's to be supported by the believers if she trusted in God. He didn't forsake God. She had indeed continued in supplication and prayer night and day. She must be a godly woman, a sister that trusting in God, not trusting in men. Number two, verse six says, but she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she is alive.

In other words, if a widow live careless about the things of the Lord and not really following the things of the Lord, well, Paul said she's dead while she's alive. She's dead, you might say, spiritually, not in communication with the Lord. In Revelation chapter 3, the Apostle John says, you have a name that you are alive, but you're really dead. In other words, to be recognized as a widow indeed, you have to have those godly characteristics in your life. Continuing to trust the Lord, continuing in supplication, continuing in prayer night and day, and also not living in pleasure out of the will of the Lord, because then you are like, while you are alive, you are really have, you are dead while you are still alive.

No spiritual growth, no blessing to the people of God. Thirdly, if a widow live a godly life, it says in verse 7, if she lived a blameless life without reproach, it says here in verse 7, and these things give in charge that they may be blameless. Now that doesn't mean that they are perfect, that they don't make mistakes or do not sin, but they have a godly life. They are without reproach. They are living a life for the pleasure of the Lord with all the failure that existing. Then the Apostle Paul said, then you will recognize them as a widow indeed among the people of God. So if they are desolate, verse 5a.

If they are living a godly life, verses 5b. To verse 7 they are trusting in God they are continuing prayer they do not live in pleasure and they are living a life without reproach then Timothy you will reckon them as widows indeed in the local assembly of the living God then he continued and he says in verse 8 he's kind of reflecting on the one that will neglect to take care of his own widow his own mother or grandmother It says in verse 8, if any provide not for his own, especially of those of his own house, he is denying the faith and is worse than an infidel.

See how strong it is? Can you imagine if somebody doesn't take care of his mother or grandmother who is in a need, he's behaving worse than an infidel. He denied the faith. Because in the faith means that we are to honor your father and your mother. We are to take care of the needs of our family. We are to meet their needs, to seek to be a blessing to them. An infidel is an unbeliever. And God help us when we have such an attitude as this. We need the Lord to help us to have a right attitude so we will treat the widows in a right way, especially those that are members of our own family.

Now he continues. In verse 9 now, he gives us the age. It's interesting that the age is given here. Perhaps it is the age they are using even in the system today in many countries. It says in verse 9a, that let not a widow be taken into number under the year of 60 years of age. Having been the wife of one man. In other words, he gives us an instruction. She must be above 60 years old. Now, there were widows that were younger than that, but she was not to be placed on that list that will be receiving assistance from the local assembly. The number 60 here, it's interesting because in the past, I remember when the people get retirement at the age of 60, at least it was for the women, the men it was 65, if I'm correct.

Things are changing today, but nevertheless, there's some guidelines here that perhaps some countries used for their own country. 60 years of age, then she could be reckoned as a widow indeed and be numbered among the widows that needed to be ministered to by the assembly. And then we have a 9b. She must be a woman that had been the wife of one man. In other words, she had lived a long life with her husband and her husband passed away. I guess the Apostle Paul assumed here that if she get to the age of 60, she probably will not get remarried. Now things happen, obviously. We know that years ago people did not live as long as you and I live today.

Today I still heard of a widow who got married at the year 90. And things are possible things are perhaps changing but here we see that she is to be above 60 years of age and number two she should be a wife of one man and that perhaps which also suggests that she have never been divorced because years ago in the teaching of divorce the experience of divorce have not happened in the past and if it happened it was something that was not spoken about not like in the years in which we live in today that there is so much divorce that is going on whether it is outside in the world or whether it is within the local assembly the local churches and so on.

And the lesson here is that she is to be a wife of one man now in verse 10 she also has to have a faithful report of good works. And the apostle gives us the five-fold list of the good works that this faithful widow is evident in her life. Look at this list, brothers and sisters, in verse 10. Well reported of good works. And then he gives you these five things. Number one, if she had brought up children. Number two, if she had lodged the strangers. Number three, if she had washed the saints' feet. Number four, if she had relieved the afflicted. And number five, if she had diligently followed every good work.

This list is, number one, she had brought up children. In other words, she had children, she raised, she labored, she worked, She ministered to her own children. Number two, if she had lodged strangers. Can you imagine? She must have been a hospital sister. People would come and be guests in her own home. And she had been serving the people of God. Number three, if she washed the saints' feet. What does that mean to wash the saints' feet? You know, the feet is where we walk on and we travel through. And they get tired and needed to be refreshed. It was our father Abraham in Genesis chapter 18 where the two angels and the Lord came into his own tent.

He says, let me wash your feet. Let me minister to you. You know, the washing of the feet is a ministry of refreshment. It was Yeshua, the Mashiach himself, in John chapter 13, that he washed the disciples' feet. Can you imagine? Nobody rose up to wash the disciples' feet and neither the Lord's feet. Yeshua put himself a garment and so on, take a towel in his hand, and he kneeled down and he began to wash the disciples' feet. That speaks of refreshment and encouragement. You know how we need encouragement in the midst of the people of God that somebody will give us refreshment. And apparently, a widow indeed is a woman that refreshed the hearts of the saints.

If a person come and been hosted by this woman, she would wash his feet and refresh him and encourage him. You might look at that in a physical way, but we can look at that in a spiritual way. Speaking graciously, encouraging the servants of the Lord. This is such a tremendous thing to say about this widow. Then it says if she relieved the afflicted. There are so many people who are afflicted, who have trials in their life. And she was there to assist them, to minister to them. And finally, if she diligently followed every good work. So we can see that she was a real servant of the Lord.

Then she could be reckoned among the widows in the local assembly that they will minister unto her needs as she's gone up in age and lost her loved one. Brothers and sisters, this is just instruction that Apostle Paul is giving to Timothy, how he is to minister to the people of God during the time that he's there, how to instruct them. Now in verse 11 to verse 16, he's instructing now the young widows. Up to now, he was talking about the older widows, those that are above 60 years of age. Then I can tell you that there are those that live in such a way and we should really recognize them and appreciate them and minister to them.

But now notice he's talking about the younger widows. Now, it's very possible that a younger sister that was married, that her husband had passed away. It's happened, you hear it many times in many places, whether he had some sort of a sickness or whether something happened to him and she was left alone. How do we handle a younger sister who is now left alone and become a widow? Well, look what Paul is saying to Timothy. First of all, it says in verse 11, but the younger widows refuse. Now, what does it mean? You don't put them on the list to be taken care of, not that you cannot minister to them, but the point is they are still young.

They are able to function. They can perhaps find a Job and taking care of themselves. They are able to do so. So they are not to be part of the list of those that are above 60 years of age. And then he gives them the reason why. Notice in verse 11, he's saying, For when they have begun to wax wanton against the Messiah, they will marry. He gives them the possibility that, listen, there may be something happen. They are human beings. They need to be met somehow. And they may not continue to remain a widow. Notice his expression. When they have begun, notice it, begun to wax wanted.

When they will want their needs to be met. Then they may change their direction and even they will end up to go, as it says here, against the Messiah. Not in the will of the Messiah. And they will end up married. So he gave us the possibility. This is rather sad because if a woman that lost her husband and she's a believer and the Lord opened the door for her to marry, she should marry only, 1 Corinthians 7, in the Lord, in the Messiah, to a believer. But what happened? Because the younger one has a need and they may want to get married again, but there is even the possibility that they marry not in the Lord, away from the Lord.

And the apostle says, that's one of the reasons why you should not put them on that list of widows. Indeed, because they are below the year 60 and they are still young and they may have a need that they want to fulfill and therefore they will get married and may even marry away from the Mashiach and they will marry in a wrong way. Now, it is wonderful if a person marry in the Lord. If one's husband passed away, and this woman is waiting patiently on the Lord, and the Lord brings before her a believing husband, what a blessing it is, because then she can continue her life to live for the Lord.

And that is wonderful, if that might happen. But to go against the Messiah, and to marry outside of the will of the Messiah, which would ultimately lead her away from the will of the Messiah in her life, The apostle says, no, those young widows should not be placed upon the list of widows to be taken care of by the saints, by the assembly. Now notice verse 12, they may be guilty of abandoning their first pledge to God, having damnation because they have cast off their first faith. You know, sometimes it's so possible. It's not that they lose their salvation. But sometimes, you know, when they're desperate.

You know, when you are desperate and you don't wait on the Lord. It can happen to a man. It can happen to a woman. It can happen to you and I. If we are not waiting on the Lord and we take a step that is away from the Lord, what happens is that really we become guilty of going in the wrong direction and casting off our first faith, what we devoted ourselves in the beginning. You know, when we say, Lord, you are my Savior, you are my Lord, I will follow you wherever you lead me. But all of a sudden something happened. And you lost one's husband.

And then there's a natural need, emotional and physical and so on. And what do we do? How do I handle that? And somehow the enemy is very quickly can come in and lead one astray. That they will end up, as it says here, having casting off their first faith. In other words, what they began with, they will end up kind of setting it aside and continuing the way of the world. You know, brothers and sisters, this is real in the life of the people of God. That's why the apostle said in Hebrews chapter 12, the sin which does so easily beset us. Casting it away, the weight and the sin which does so easily beset us.

We are so capable in our own hearts. The hearts of the human race is so deceitful. Our own hearts is desperately wicked. And that's why we needed the help of the Lord. And so Paul is instructing Timothy concerning the younger widow. And now to the conclusion. It says now in verse 13, you see what can happen to a widow that is not waiting on the Lord. And he said, and withal, they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle, but tattlers or gossipers also, and busybodies speaking things which they ought not to speak. You see what he's saying? The potential of a widow, and we can also say a widower, is when he or she, and specifically here it is the feminine, if she's not aligning herself with the will of the Lord, she has the danger of becoming, number one, idle, number two, gossiper, and number three, busy body.

Isn't it true? There's always a danger. You know, what happens, what we do very quickly when we are idle and we have no responsibility, We start to become gossipers. Well, let's pick up the phone. Oh, let me make a visit. And you become a gossipers. And you know what? This is something we need the Lord's help not to gossip. You know, we often talk about big sins. Maybe that's called a small sin. But that sin, of course, so much problems among the people of God. The gossiping, the talking back about somebody else. But then also busybodies. Speaking things which they ought not to speak. Specifically about those younger widows who is now in a danger of not following the instruction that they are called for.

And then it says in verse 14 and 15, Paul is telling them that they ought to do if the Lord opened that door. It says in verse 14, I will, therefore, that the younger younger women. And here it has a reference specifically in the context to widows. I want them to marry, number one. Number two, I want them to bear children if possible. Number three, I want them to guide the house. And number four, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachably. See, Paul says, listen, don't go in the wrong direction. Don't be idle. Don't be gossiper. Don't be busybody. Don't say things that you should not say.

Wait on the Lord. Pray earnestly. Intercede on behalf of the saints. Serve in the midst of the assembly of the believers. And maybe the Lord will bring about into your life the man that he has for you. Therefore, I will that the younger women will marry, number one, will bear children, number two, if it's possible, of course, will guide the house and then give none occasion for the adversary to speak reproachfully. He is catching us every time when we are not waiting on the Lord. And he's so able, he's like an angel of light, appearing and trying to seduce us, to lead us in the wrong direction.

And if we are not careful whether it is a widow or a non-widow, we are able to give occasion of the adversary to speak reproach against the people of God. And that's what Satan does. Why do you think we have all these problems that we experience in our own lives? It's not always the fault of somebody else. Is because we did not wait on the Lord and trust in Him and prayed and committed ourselves to the Lord. And it's so precious if a widow will sincerely wait on the Lord, trust the Lord. Recently, we had a young sister in the meeting, in our local meeting in Niagara on the lake.

Such a precious sister. Waited and waited and waited for the time to get married. Then finally the Lord gave her the man of her life. But a few years later, he got choked somehow and he fell down and he died. And she's now alone. But what do you think she's doing? She continued to serve the Lord. She come to the meetings. She read her Bible. She served in a mission field. She continued to trust the Lord and I pray that the Lord will open a door and give her a godly man so she can establish a home and be such a blessing. See, this is so real, beloved brothers and sisters.

It's a real life that the Lord, through Paul, to give these instructions to the local assembly at Ephesus. And unless the Lord help us, we all fall apart and we don't please him. And so here's the conclusion, beloved brothers and sisters, in verse 15, he says, for some are already turned aside after Satan. Satan is not going to give them room he is attacking he has his own way and some even turn away after him because he was successful in beguiling he beguiled Eve in the garden as God said he said to Eve in the garden and he ended up influencing Eve to take up the tree and ultimately she gave it to her husband and he ate and sin came into the world and he concludes here verse 16 If a man or a woman that believe have widows, let them relieve those widows.

And let not the church be charged or the assembly be charged. That he may relieve them that are widows indeed. He's going back to what he has already said in verse 8. If any provide not for his own and especially of those of his own household, He's denied the faith and he's worse than an infidel. If any one of us have in their home, really, in their life, a widow, let them take care of them. Let them minister to them. Let them relieve them and not put it as a burden on the local assembly. Take care of your very own family first. And then you will do the will of the Lord.

If there are widows, indeed, ministered unto those widows, indeed. This is very mundane. Why do we need these instructions? Well, this is real. We experience this in our own lives. And the apostle gave this instruction to Timothy for the benefit of the local assembly. And it is for you and I, even today.