Please take your Bible and turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter 5. This is our 27th message in our series of studies of this first epistle to Timothy written by the Apostle Paul. And we have now reached chapter 5, and I want to read verses 1 through 16. We'll just be dealing with the first two verses, but I want to read the first 16 verses for the context this morning. 1 Timothy chapter 5 beginning in verse 1. Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters in all purity. Honor widows who are widows indeed, but if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents. For this is acceptable in the sight of God. 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. But she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives. Prescribe these things as well so that they may be above reproach. 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. 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, if she has shown hospitality to strangers. She has washed the saints' feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work, but refused to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires and disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation because they have set aside their previous pledge. At the same time, they also learn to be idle as they go around from house to house, not merely idle, and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies talking about things not proper to mention. Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach. For some have already turned aside to follow Satan. If any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, she must assist them and the church must not be burdened so that it may assist those who are widows indeed. As we have reached chapter five of 1 Timothy, I want to just briefly recap again what we have learned so far. In chapter one, we learn the purpose of Paul writing this letter. Timothy was stationed in Ephesus. Paul had to move on. There was a crisis that had arisen in the church at Ephesus. And we learn of Timothy's commission to correct false teaching and doctrine and to restore order in the church. So then Paul, beginning in chapter two, through chapter four, has been laying out various instructions to Timothy on how to accomplish that restoration of order in the church. Chapter two, he gives directions to the men and to women when in church worship services, when they are publicly gathered together. In chapter three, he lays out the qualifications of the leaders in the church, Elders and deacons. Chapter four, he gives the instructions to Timothy on the leadership of the church and the leadership of the church at Ephesus, how they must heed their conduct and make sure that their conduct is in line with godly principles as they conduct public ministry in the life of the church, as good servants of Jesus Christ, as they combat the apostasy and false doctrine in the church. Up to this point, Paul's instructions have been directed in a general sense to the church as a assembly. But in chapter five, he focuses his attention now more specifically to individuals and certain groups within the community of believers, whom he refers to, if you remember in chapter three, as the household of God, which is the church of the living God. It is that picture, the household of God, that acts as a paradigm for the instructions that Paul gives to Timothy and the church here in chapter 5. There had been this disorder that was prevalent in the church because of false teaching and false teachers. There was these destructive doctrines that had been promoted, and then the lives of the people were promoting even ungodly practices. This model of the church as God's household or family will really help us understand the significance of the instructions that are given here in chapter five, not only to the Ephesian church, but to this church. Chapter five provides us with God's household rules, just as you and I have Rules within our homes for our children, right? We teach our children, you make a mess, clean it up. Something's empty, fill it up. And the respect that is to be given to the mom, mother, and father within the home. These are our basic house rules. And God, in describing the church as the household of God, it is, quite clear to us that there would be house rules for believers as the family of God. How we are to treat members of our church family, brothers and sisters who are in union with Christ. Anytime we come across principles of conduct, such as the ones we find here in Chapter 5, or relational duties or responsibilities toward one another, we are never to view them in a burdensome way. Children often view house rules in this way. Oh, I always have to clean up this mess. Oh, I always have to do this. And they have this negative approach to rules within the house. Because in their ignorance, in their lack of experience, in their lack of maturity, they don't see the importance of them and the order that it brings to the home. Sometimes we see rules, principles, practices that we are to follow as believers in the context of a church in such a way, in a burdensome way. We think of them sometimes of lesser importance. But we are to see them above all as a way in which we are reflecting the very image, the very character, the very heart of God himself in our life together before a watching world. Let me read for you a couple passages from John's gospel. Very familiar again to us, John chapter 13, verses 34 and 35. A new commandment I give to you that you love one another. even as I loved you, that you also love one another. By this, speaking to Christian love, Christ-like love that Christ has demonstrated in that relationship between Him and His disciples, by this, all men, not just believers, all men, the society, the world at large, all men will know. How will they know? They'll know it relationally and experientially. That's the word for knowing there in John 13, 35. They will watch our lives. They will see how we interact with one another. They will see our relationships with one another. On all men will know that you are my disciples through our love and our devotion to one another as a family of God. John chapter 17, verses 20 and 21. This is in our Lord's high priestly prayer. What is he praying for? Moments before he goes to the cross and sacrifices his own life for the church. He prays this to the Father. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, these disciples, but for those also who believe in me through their word. That's you and me. That they may all be one. Unity. Even as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us. The community, the unity of the divine trinity manifested practically in the life of believers, so that the world may believe that you sent me. This is how powerful our love and our relations in godliness matter in this world. They are observable proofs of the transforming power of Christ and the gospel. Yes, preach the gospel to all men. Yes, tell them that Christ has come to deliver sinners from their sin and from God's judgment. Yes, we must bring the gospel to people, but we must also demonstrate the power of the gospel with our very lives. That is what is at the very heart of this passage this morning. So in chapter five, Paul writes to Timothy and writes to him about the church family individually. Older men, younger men, older women, younger women. Then in verses 3 through 16, he talks about widows specifically, this group within the church that needed to be addressed and the concern for them. And then in verses 17 through 25, to the leaders practically in the life of the church. This morning, we will only look at those first two verses, as I mentioned, with dealing with men and women in the context of the local church. Now, these instructions given to Timothy were intended for the church at Ephesus in the midst of their specific crisis. There's heretical teaching, there's ungodly living. This meant that correcting the error and confronting the sinful behavior of some of the church members was inevitable and necessary for Timothy in his position. Some examples of this, very quickly. 1 Timothy chapter one, verse three. As I urged you upon my departure from Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines. Verse five, the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men strain from these things. These graces, these virtues have turned aside to fruitless discussion. Timothy was to correct these men, to confront these men. They had abandoned true doctrine. They had abandoned godliness. Chapter two, verse eight. Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without wrath and dissension. They were going through the motions, yet their hearts were full of sin. Timothy had to confront these men. Verse nine. Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments." Timothy needed to confront the women here in the church for their outward show, ostentation of outward dress. Chapter three talks about unqualified leadership. Those that were leaders in the church that were unqualified because of their lives. Timothy would need to address these men as well. Chapter four talks, verse one, about those who were spreading deceptive, demonic doctrines. Timothy would have to confront these men. And then here in chapter five, we read about those widows, those women within the church who were living lives that were ungodly in character. Younger women, widows, living wayward lives. Later in this chapter, he will deal with sinning leaders in the church. The importance of confronting sin in the church was vital to the very health and well-being of the church at Ephesus. It's no different for us as a church here today, 21st century, United States of America, in our own culture, in our own context. Sin must always be confronted in the church, in the household of faith, necessary for the health and purity of the church. What does Christ say? A little leaven leavens the whole lump. You let a little sin fester in the church and our relationships together, it will spread like a cancer throughout the whole church. There's an undeniable principle in scripture of confronting sin. We don't have time to go through it, but the Proverbs are rich with principles, instructions on confronting sin. Proverbs 6.23 speaks about reproof, being life-preserving. Chapter 13, verse 18, chapter 15, verse 31, and verse 32. Chapter 19, verse 25 of Proverbs, tell us the result of godly reproof or correction is honor, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, all born out of confronting sin in a believer. Now the question is, how should it be done? If confronting sin in the church, something that is being taught that is wrong, ungodly living and practices in the church and the lives of the believers of the church, how should it be done? That is what Paul addresses here. So in this first two verses of chapter one, he deals with family relationships. If we are the household of God, the church of the living God, if we are a family, Then how does a family interact as believers in the church? Paul begins with the men in the household of faith, verse 1. Do not sharply rebuke an older man. Remember, Timothy, again, is a younger man in the cultural context of the day. Men in their 30s, up to the point of their 20s, 30s, up to the point of 40, they were considered younger men. Timothy at this point was probably in his mid to late 30s. He is a younger man. So in his position to restore order in the church, to turn men back away from the destructive doctrines that were being spread and the ungodly living that was being promoted, how would he go about handling all of these things? Do not sharply rebuke an older man. Older man here is the word in the Greek presbuteros. If you remember chapter three, it's the same word for elders in the church. The word there presbuteros, elders to that position of leadership in the church, but it can also mean simply an older man in regards to age and experience. The older men in the church, Timothy, do not sharply rebuke. Sharply rebuked, two words in the English, one word in the Greek, a very forceful word. Literally, it means do not strike at or upon. Speaking of physical blows, physical punishment, he's using it figuratively here, as it can be seen, to verbally attack, an aggressive rebuke, lashing out at an older man, berating him, browbeating him, humiliating him. He says, do not sharply rebuke. This is a present imperative, a command to regulate the relationships in the church. Timothy was in a position of leadership as Paul's representative. While Paul was away, he was to do these things. But once Timothy left, this was to be carried on by the leaders in the church and the men in the church and the life of the church would carry on under these principles. Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather. Now Paul is not saying an older man should never be rebuked. There may be a just reason where a younger man rebukes an older man in the church. Sin is never to be condoned in any member. It's not a matter of if, but how. It's the manner in which Timothy, a younger man, is to confront sin in an older man. What does Paul tell us? Tell Timothy and tell us? Appeal to him as a father. The word appeal here is the Greek word parakaleo. It's a word that's used for the Holy Spirit as the paraclete, the helper, the advocate. Parakaleo is what it means to call someone to one's side. We speak of the Holy Spirit coming to our side to help us in our Christian life. Parakaleo in this regard speaks to calling someone to one's side, calling someone near, privately. Sin in the church, sin in doctrine, sin in ungodly behavior, that person who sees that sin, if he's a younger man to an older man, he used to take him aside privately. Discreetly. To deal with this sin. To deal with this rebuke. Call to one's side privately for the purpose of admonishment. Here's how it's to be done. Always, again, this is the command that is to be the way that the church is governed, to give it order. Appeal to him as a father. The word father here, to the Hebrew mind, Paul, speaking to Timothy, the Old Testament mindset, a father was an individual in the family and the community deserving of honor and respect. The picture is this, when an older man in the church ever needs to be corrected, and he will, it's inevitable, approach him, appeal to him, plead with him just like you would your earthly father, respectfully, not with hostility, not to humiliate him, but with loving concern. Remember, we tend to think, well, I didn't have a good father. And there's some that maybe were raised by derelict fathers. And we say, well, my father was not worthy of respect. And we tend to think and attribute all of our experiences into the Bible. But we must remember that God is speaking to us through his word in the sense of the ideal situation, a father that is worthy of respect. Remember, the honor and respect due to older men is a principle not given by our culture or our family traditions, but a principle ordained by God himself as a part of the God-ordained order in society. Exodus 20, verse 12, honor your father and mother. There in the Decalogue, in the Ten Commandments. Father and mother speaks, yes, to the parents of children, but also to those in authority, in that place of honor and respect. Honor your father. Leviticus 19, verse 32, you shall rise up. That is in the presence of the gray-headed. of the elderly men in the church, you are to rise up and honor the aged. And you shall revere, fear your God, I am the Lord. God is the one that sets up these principles of respect and honor that is to be given from younger men to the older men. In addition to older men, Timothy was not to be offensive or needlessly harsh with young men either, as we see in verse one. But there is a distinction to be made. Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers. Younger men refers here to those that are equal in terms of age and experience. Timothy's peers treat them as brothers, adelphos, which means literally from the same womb, as those of the same family. Earthly brothers, treat them as you would your earthly brothers. And again, as a young man is to treat younger men in the congregation as brothers, we tend to think, well, you don't know my younger brother. You don't know my older brother. Every punch to his face was worthy of it because of how he treated me. Right? We tend to think like that, but we are to apply our thinking back to the Bible and to the principles that God has ordained for us to lay those things aside and to do what is right according to God's standard. He's speaking here of the spiritual sense. They are not your biological brethren. They are your spiritual brethren. Blood is thicker than water, we are told. But you know what's even thicker or greater than that? The spiritual bond shared between brothers in Christ. Is that not what Christ told the crowd when they came up to him and said, your mother and your brothers are looking for you. And he says, who are my mothers and my brothers? And he points to his disciples and tells them that these are my brothers. These are my mothers. This is my family. I know that's hard in our culture, especially if we have rich family traditions where we say, no, family comes first. And in a sense, that is true. But as a congregation, our spiritual family takes precedence even over our biological families. And we must think in terms of each other as the family of God, as brothers and sisters, as born from the same womb. Which womb? Spiritually speaking, we're born of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit who has given us new life, every single one of us, without distinction. We're a family brought together by God himself. The relationship between brothers is distinct from fathers, though. There's more freedom with being direct and to the point with them, right? We know how that is amongst our siblings. They do something, and they're being a knucklehead, you say, Knock that off. Why are you doing that? I wouldn't say that to my father, but I could say that to my brother. You see that? And it shows us that we need to have this established relationship. There needs to be some level of intimacy, some level of closeness with brothers and sisters in Christ. So that when we see sin in their life, we come alongside them, not harshly, not to beat them over the head, not to call them blockheads and say, you idiot, what are you doing? Say, brother, I've noticed this. What's going on here? How can I help you? Let's talk about this. Being very direct and upfront with them, out of love and kindness, gentleness for their good, not just simply because we want to make a fool of them. Admittedly now, this takes great discretion, does it not? with a younger man to an older man, a younger man to his peers, men in general. We know our disposition, our makeup. We know how easy it is and the joy sometimes we take in a good fight, a good spat, whether physically or with words. We're given to that. This takes great discretion, patience, meekness, and self-restraint, especially in light of our culture. Culture which talks about toxic masculinity, so they have feminized men to act like women. We talk about abuse in the home, where abuse is promoted, allowed, tolerated in homes. Physical abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse. If it was tolerated in our homes, we think, well, it can be tolerated. This is how I grew up. This is how men spoke to men, so this is what it means to be a man. No, men, we are to go to God's word and to see how we are to treat one another according to God's standard. The most masculine man that ever walked the face of this earth was the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Yes, he created a cord, a whip, and went into the temple and dealt with things that needed to be dealt with, but also when dealing with the men that were his very enemies, dealing with the disciples who were filled with unbelief, how did he talk with them? How did he deal with them? At the end of his life, at the end of his earthly ministry, we find him washing their feet in humility because he loves them, because he cares for them. This takes great discretion, great grace by God, but it can be done. Galatians 5, verse 16, but I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. What are some of those desires of the flesh? To be violent towards others. To lash out. Jealousies, outbursts of anger. are works of the flesh. How do you avoid that as a man and to other men? Walk in the Spirit. Trust the Spirit's work over your life and even over your emotions and over your mouths. Paul moves along here, as we must move along quickly, to verse two. Paul then moves to the women in the household of faith. Timothy would have to establish leadership even with the women in the church. The older women, as mothers and the younger women as sisters in all purity. Paul addresses the older women first. The same word is used in the feminine sense that was used for the older men. Women, older women who are worthy of respect and honor, the same that was shown to the older men in the congregation, there Timothy is to treat when confronting sin in the church as mothers. As no godly son would rebuke his mother hurtfully, so should Timothy or any young man in the context of any local church speak down to an older woman in the church to treat them rather with respect, with love, with gentleness. When we hear our mother is sick or something has happened to our mother, men, we call our mother. We stop by her house and make sure she's doing okay. In the same way, when there is something wrong with an older woman in the church that you may notice and you can confront because of that level of relationship, you are to treat her with respect, out of love, heart of love, seeking her good. And to the younger women who need to be confronted about their sinful behavior, Paul writes, treat them, think of them as sisters. Looking out for her, right? Those of us who have sons and daughters, we teach our sons that their God-given role in this world, in our family, you are to protect your sisters. You are to look out for them. You are to respect her. You are to love her with godly affection as a brother. That's what Paul is telling Timothy here. In all purity, he adds. See, Paul knows human nature. Timothy was a young, single man in a position of leadership in this church, and there were women, old and young especially, that were living sinful lives. And who has to confront them? Timothy. So when you're there counseling a young woman as a young, single man, you are to do it in all Purity. Purity in a moral sense, in thought, in word, and deed. How you look at her with your eyes, how you think of her with your thoughts, how you speak to her in such a time. In a society like ours today, where moral indecency was accepted and sexual immorality was prevalent, Timothy was to keep himself pure in his dealings with younger women, allowing not even a hint of indecency in his interaction. I've heard it put, and I'll say it quickly and simply and leave it at that, I've heard since the reality, the analogy that's given here as the church, brothers and sisters in Christ, as the family of God, brothers and sisters, for a brother to look upon a sister in a sexually sinful way is equal to incest. I'll leave it at that. That's what we're talking about here. Listen to what one commentator says. Nowhere else does he, that is Timothy or any young man in this position with younger women, need the grace of the Lord Jesus and the exercise of prudence and the manifestation of incorruptible integrity than in the performance of this duty. Next time, we'll look at the family responsibilities from the family relationships to family responsibilities with widows. But let me draw this message to a close now in the last few minutes that we have. I want to talk again about the church as the family of God. We aren't to think of the church ever as a place, a place to where we go, but a people. Yes, we gather in a building as we are this morning on Sundays to worship, to learn, to fellowship, but the building isn't the church. We are the church. And when the worship service concludes today and we exit through the doors, the church leaves the building and enters back into society as citizens of the kingdom of God until we join next week for our weekly family reunion. The church is not a where, the church is a who. It's not a corporation, it's not a club, it's not an organization. The Bible tells us it's a spiritual organism, a living organism, a body of believers. More than that, we read here, and the analogy, the comparison that's used of the church more than any other in the New Testament is what? Is the church as a family, as a household, These are family terms that we studied this morning. As members of this church, we are the blood-bought, adopted family of God. God is our Father. He has given them authority, the right to be the sons of God, John tells us in his gospel. John tells us in his epistle, behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed or lavished upon us that what? We should be called the sons of God, the children of God. What does Paul write in Romans chapter 8? And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. God is our father, Jesus is our elder brother, the firstborn among many brethren, Romans 8 verse 29. What about the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is our helper. regenerating, converting, sanctifying, teaching, interceding, enabling, empowering us to hate sin and to love God, to love one another practically as we have seen today. Why is this so important? Why stress the church as a family, as a household? Why? Listen. Our life together ultimately reflects the power of saving grace. Let me explain to you what I'm saying there. Some of you know Francis Schaeffer. In the last century, he wrote this about Christian love and the bond of unity between Christians. He called it the final apologetic. Without true Christians loving one another, Schaeffer wrote, the world cannot be expected to listen. even when we give proper answers. Let us be careful indeed to spend a lifetime studying to give honest answers. But after we've done our best to communicate to a lost world, still we must never forget that the final apologetic which Jesus gives is the observable love of true Christians for true Christians. That's how important these practical instructions are to us. They demonstrate to a watching world the message of transforming grace that we proclaim to them. We have that opportunity, you have that opportunity in our lives together as a church. I thank God in preparing this message that I knew was gonna follow in just a few hours, couple of hours, is a demonstration of love to a person, a family in this church. It's what's going to take place in just a few moments. Can you imagine the joy that brings my heart as a pastor of this church to know, man, there should be this love that is evident in the church. And I take a step back and say, we see it. But as Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, You're doing it, but excel in it, do it more, continue in it, don't let it wane, grow, outdo yourself, show even more ways that we can show love to one another because what's happening at the same time that we're showing love to one another is we're showing each other the power of the gospel, we're showing the world around us that we treat these people whom outside of Christ we would probably have no dealings with, that we are the family of God, that I've got my brothers back. When his head is down in the pits of despair, of depression, of besetting sin, I'm coming there to get him. That is my responsibility and I take great joy in doing that. If for any moment we think that any of these things have been petty, have been irrelevant, let me remind you of one passage of scripture in closing. In the book of Proverbs, God gives us a list of abominations, seven things that he hates, detests. Proud-looking eye, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, heart that thinks of wicked things to do, and feet that run to evil too. Anyone who loves to lie about others, what finishes off the seven? The one who causes trouble with his brothers. What God is telling us here in this passage is what it means to avoid something that is abominable to him, something that he detests, and instead to do what he loves and commands us to be as a church in our life together. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you again for your Word and the truth and wisdom that comes to us. We thank you for the love that is shared mutually among believers here, brothers and sisters in Christ as the family of God. We thank you that there is compassion and love and care that is evident in our life together. We pray that you would help us to increase and excel in that, that we would even examine our own hearts now and how we look towards our brothers and sisters in Christ. If there is a wayward thought, a wayward Emotion towards those in our church, if there is any evidence of hatred, sinful anger, may we repent of it even now. May we cast it before you in prayer, to confess it, to know that Christ cleanses us from these things. And we pray that we would live lives reflecting Christ-like love and unity in this church. not for our comfort only, but especially for the name and reputation of the Lord Jesus Christ in this congregation and in this world. We seek him to be glorified above all things. And it is in his name we pray, amen.