November 2 2025

No livestream today. We are at Rotary Park!

Havasu Christian Church   

I Timothy 5:1-8

Church in the Park      

November 2, 2025

“Dealing with the old folks, (and the young ones too.”)

INTRO: Timothy is a younger guy when this letter is written to him! 

      Even back then, generations sometimes had difficulty relating to each other. This is not a new problem, but it is a problem that continues..

Timothy is given some good advice about how to deal with this problem. Since Timothy was “younger,” Paul speaks to him about dealing with others from that point of view. But I think we can learn from this Scripture, how to deal with other people, regardless of their age, or ours.     

1 Timothy 5:1–8 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.

1. How is Timothy supposed to deal with other men in the Church?

Verse 1: Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers,

1. Dealing with “Older men.”
2. Don’t “Sharply rebuke” him.
3. In other words, don’t get in his face!
4. To rebuke has the idea in it of speaking sternly to someone because you disapprove of what they have said or done.
5. Jesus rebuked the sea of Galilee
6. Jesus rebuked demons.
7. Jesus rebuked Peter.

Mark 8:33 But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and *said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

1. Jesus rebuked Peter’s mother in laws’ fever… not her.
2. Jesus rebuked James and John when they wanted to “call down fire from heaven to consume a town that didn’t want to listen to Jesus.
3. Later in I Timothy, we will see Timothy being told to rebuke people who won’t give up their sin, as a warning to others.

I Timothy 5:20 Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.

1. Rebuke is a last result, not a first response.
2. If you start there, you have nowhere else to go.
3. Instead, we are to Appeal to him, like you would a father.
4. The three main types of appeal, known as the Aristotelian appeals.
5. The appeal to logic.
6. Using reason.
7. Since this, then that!
8. The appeal to ethics or credibility.
9. This appeal is to character.
10. “No reasonable person would do this.”
11. “No moral person would do this.”
12. The appeal to emotion.
13. Think of all the people doing this will hurt!
14. Think of the emotional toll.
15. “PLEASE! Do the right thing!”
16. Appeal like a son would in a GOOD relationship with his father.
17. It’s done in love.
18. It’s done with the man’s best interests at heart.
19. You are trying to help him, not shame him!
20. You only move to a rebuke when nothing else works.
21. Dealing with the younger men.
22. Timothy is to deal with them like brothers.
23. Brothers can have “interesting” relationships, can’t they?
24. I grew up with just a sister, but I had some friends who were almost like brothers.
25. I’m sad to say I didn’t always treat them the way a brother should be treated.
26. As a father, watching my two sons interact was amazing to watch.
27. They blamed each other for things.
28. They argued.
29. The older would come home from wrestling practice and “Show new moves” to his much smaller brother.
30. But they have ALWAYS been there for each other.
31. They have been allies.
32. They were each other’s #1 Fans!
33. They still help each other.
34. As a Christian, I’ve had LOTS of brothers to practice on.
35. We should strive to have the best parts of the relationship of brothers, without the “bad” parts.
36. Brothers are on a “more equal” footing. They don’t usually have as much of the “older, younger” relationship going on.
37. Often, an older brother will naturally lead.
38. But, when an older brother pushes to be in charge, it doesn’t usually work very well.
39. Brothers have to “work things out” between them sometimes.

1. How is Timothy supposed to deal with the women in the Church?
2. How is he to deal with the “older women?”

Verse 2: the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.

1. Paul tells Timothy to treat these ladies like he would his own mom!
2. Again, this assumes a proper, godly relationship.
3. Since Timothy is a godly man, he knows how to do this.
4. Timothy was taught to be a Christian by his Grandmother and his mother.

2 Timothy 1:5 For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.

1. A man should treat his own mother with respect, and this is how Timothy is told to treat all the older ladies.
2. Give them dignity.
3. Give them respect.
4. Treat them with kindness.
5. Meet their needs.
6. How should Timothy treat the younger women?
7. Like they were his sisters.
8. They ARE his sisters in Christ.
9. He’s going to treat them as a sibling, not a sex object.
10. He’s going to be protective of them.
11. He’s not going to take advantage of them in any way.
12. He’s not going to put himself or them in a compromising situation.
13. Whatever he does with them is to be done “In all purity.”

1. How is Timothy supposed to deal with widow ladies in particular?
2. They are to be treated with honor.
3. They are not to be treated any way but with dignity and respect.
4. There are two classes of widow ladies here.
5. Widows with families who are Christians.
6. Timothy is told that these ladies should be looked after by their own families.
7. This is part of God’s expectation for grown children who are Christians.
8. They are to “learn to practice piety in regard to their own family.”
9. “Honor your father and mother” wasn’t a suggestion!
10. But what if they weren’t so honorable?
11. You can still choose to treat them with honor and care for them, even if they don’t deserve to be treated that way.
12. This is “making a return” to your parents.
13. They took care of you and now it’s your turn.
14. This is the bare minimum that God asks of Christian children.
15. “This is acceptable in the sight of God.”

Verse 8 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.

1. If a Christian son or daughter doesn’t care for his own:
2. He has denied the faith.
3. Those are pretty strong words!
4. From Old Testament times, God has had an expectation that His people take care of their own.
5. He’s worse than an unbeliever!
6. At least an unbeliever has an excuse!
7. Not knowing what God commands at least leaves a little “wiggle room.” “I just didn’t know!”
8. There is no “wiggle room” when we know better! 
9. “Widows indeed” who either don’t have families, or their family has rejected them.
10. She has some reminders that Timothy is to give her.
11. She is to be a woman who “fixes her hope on God.”
12. She trusts God to take care of her.
13. This will be done through the help of her Church family.
14. She is a godly woman.
15. She is a woman of Prayer!
16. For her Church.
17. For her neighbors.
18. For her government.
19. Even for her family who have forsaken taking care of her.
20. Neither group of these women are to “give themselves to wanton pleasure.”
21. This has in it the idea of doing this continually. Not stopping… This is no “one-time thing,” but a lifestyle.
22. “Anything goes, as long as it makes me feel good!”
23. You are already dead spiritually, even though you are still alive physically!
24. Rather, they are to live lives that are “Above Reproach.”
25. “They” may obviously mean the widows.
26. But “They” may also apply to the Church in Ephesus.
27. Even if Paul’s words are meant for the widows, they still apply to the Church.

Conclusion: What can I keep in my mind from what I’ve heard today?

• There are right ways and wrong ways to deal with people.
• “One size fits all” doesn’t fit.
• We are to deal with each other as individuals, not just as a group.
• We are called to treat each other like the members of a godly family!
• Like Fathers.
• Appeal, don’t try to order around.
• Like Brothers.
• Work together… help each other.
• Like Mothers.
• Give the respect they deserve.
• Like Sisters.
• Care for, protect, value.
• When we treat each other in these ways, the Kingdom of God will prosper.
• When we treat each other badly, the Kingdom will suffer…. So will we.
• God has a special plan for widow ladies!
• A plan for families to care for them.
• A plan for the Church to pick up the slack when the family falls short.
• A plan for the widows to live lives where they trust God and they live lives of Holiness!
• The Church is a family, and we need to live that way with each other!