Paul now focuses on the ministry of deacons in v.3-16 B. Provision of widows. 5:3-16 V.3 b) Respect widows - The sound works of respecting widows. I. Respect widows. A. Deut.10:18; 24:17; Psalms 68:5; Isaiah 1:17; Acts 6:1 B. Widows should be treated with respect. C. The following verses explain how they should be respected. II. Real widows. A. Not all widows are real widows, only the elderly. B. The following verses explain who are real widows. V.4 c) Repay parents - The sound works of respecting parents. I. Piety at home. Its children’ s and grand children’ s responsibility to help the widows. II. Pay back parents. God want the children and grand children to give back what the mother gave them. Mark 7:10-12; Eph.6:2 III. Pleasing God. Such behaviour is pleasing God. V.5 d) Real widows acts - The sound works of a true widow. True widow - 2 qualifications of a real widow A. Trusting widow. She lives a life that trusts God. B. Travailing widow. She is a prayerful woman that prays day and night. Luke 2:36-38 V.6 e) Reality of widows acts - The works of a false widow. v.6-7 I. Lifestyle of Pleasure. Living for selfish pleasure brings corruption and destruction, even though they experience pleasure for a season. II. Lifestyle of Powerlessness. To live a carnal pleasurable life is to die spiritually. Rom.8:6-10 V.7 f) Requirements of widows - I. Requirements of widows Verses 4-6 were Timothy’ s weights of judgment whereby he could judge who were true widows. II. Righteousness of widows. A. The widows would keep themselves blameless, as they knew the requirements of the church to receive help. B. The children and grandchildren would take care of their mothers. V.8 g) Responsibility of men - The works of a backsliding believer. I. Denied faith. If their children did not take care of their mother who had become a widow, then they will have denied their faith, for faith worked with love. Gal.5:6 II. Dead faith. Many unbelievers take care of their mothers; Christians should be better than the world to care. V.9 h) Right age of widows - The sound works of a true widow. v.9-10 I. Minimum Age. A. All less than 60 years should not be considered by the church. B. 60 years was considered old at Paul’ s time. C. It’ s hard to remarry at that age for a widow. II. Marriage Attachment. Fornication and adultery would have disqualified a widow to receive help from the church. V.10 i) Report of widows - I. Reported for good works - Heart for people. II. Raised children - Heart for her children. III. Relived strangers - Heart for guests. IV. Respected the saints - Heart for the saints. V. Relieved the afflicted - Heart for those that Hurt. The works of young widows. v.11-15 V.11 j) Refusal of widows - I. Denial of young widows - Don’ t even consider them. II. Desire to marry. When younger widows begin to backslide they want to marry, they could not live the life of a fully committed old widow, they should then had married before seeking help from the church. V.12 k) Rejection of faith - A. Condemnation follows the Casting off. B. The faith in that they could live the rest of their life without a husband and live fully devoted in prayer would fail and they would be left with condemnation of the church and in their conscience. V.13 l) Rude widow - Busy outside. I. Going from house to house. Instead of being prayerful they would be busybodies, from home to home they would pick up private matters, they would have Fuel to their Fire. II. Gossiping through mouth to mouth. Instead of being busy talking to God in prayer they would be busy gossiping. V.14 m) Reputation of widows - Busy inside. I. Marriage - Younger widows should remarry and bear more children to keep them busy. II. Management - Be faithful housewives that are busy at home. Titus 2:5 III. Message. These would cause them to have a good testimony, but if they committed themselves to the church and received help and fell away from that commitment, it would give ground for accusation. V.15 n) Rebellious attitude - Strayed after Satan - Some of these younger widows had probably left the church, perhaps because of a bad testimony o f quitting the promise to be fully devoted to God. V.16 o) Relieving widows - The sound works of a believing man. I. Responsibility in Relieving the widows. Children should take up the responsibility to take care of their mothers. II. Really widows Relived by the Church. A. The children should not give the church his own responsibility. B. The church should not be overly burdened so that it cannot relieve those that are really widows.