Sermon Notes & Slides 11.29.2015

Sermon Notes

Life in the Household of God
1 Timothy 5:1-8
Pastor John Sloan

Introduction: There’s an old saying that reminds: “You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family.” Well, the same is true in the household of God. When the Lord saves us, He places us into a family of believers, complete with all kinds of personality types, backgrounds, and ethnicities. And there’s a specific way that people of one family are to care for one another.

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Questions for Discussion & Discovery

1. What are some specific ways that you can show respect and deference for those in the church who are older than you? How can you show those who are younger that you value them as equals?

2. What does Paul mean by the phrase “those who are truly widows” in verse 3?

3. Read Luke 18:1-8. How does God respond to persistent prayer?

4. What encouragement do you find in the knowledge that others, especially widowed believers, are praying for you?

5. What does it mean to “honor one’s father and mother”?

6. In what ways have you seen God provide for you recently? Materially? Relationally? Spiritually?

Sermon Slides

1. “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.” – 1 Timothy 5:1-2 ESV

2. 01. In God’s family, every person is deserving of respect and dignity, and should be treated in a way that honors age and gender.

3. “Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.” – 1 Timothy 5:3-6 ESV

4. “Given the narrow restrictions of ancient social life, it was not easy for [widows] to maintain their children after the earning member of the family had died, and they stood in need of special consideration and help.” – William Ramsay

5. 02. Caring for our aging parents—particularly those who are widowed—is one way that we honor them and glorify God.

6. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” – Exodus 20:12

7. “Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” – Ephesians 6:2-3

8. “Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” – 1 Timothy 5:7-8 ESV

03. Those who refuse to provide for the needs of helpless family demonstrate no understanding of God’s saving grace.

10. “For a person to claim to be a believer and yet not live up to even pagan standards of decency is virtually to deny the meaning of the Christian faith and live as an unbeliever.” – William Mounce