(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Bible says in verse number three honor widows that are widows indeed and then later on it's you know give us a little more information but then it defines what a widow indeed is so who it is that the church really is supposed to be caring for and taking care of now that word honor here just so you know in this context this is more than just being respected because this is talking about actually taking care of them I brought this up in this morning sermon but when the word honor is used it looks like honor your mother and your father that's referring to the caring for especially whether it be financially or just you know their their their well-being that's the the usage here and the Bible refers to a widow here that is to be honored which is taken care of verse number nine and ten kind of gives these requirements for a widow to fit in order to fall in this category of being cared for by the church verse number nine and ten says let not a widow be taken into the number under three score years old so 60 years old she needs she needs to be at least 60 years old in order for the church to be providing care for this doesn't mean that if someone's under a widow under 60 years old that you don't respect them right that's why I want to make clear this is talking about caring for them we already saw the level of respect you treat you treat a woman like this as your mother regardless but this is someone who's going to receive the honor of being cared for let that one will be taken under three score years old having been the wife of one man well reported of 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 so what we're going to notice here is that this widow being honored is also going to be reliant on on her works on her good deeds how she lived to receive that level of honor from the church this isn't just automatically anyone well I'm 61 years old and I'm a widow so the church needs to take care of me that's why would these all these rules be here if that if that were the case and it is what it is I think I think that's a good a good reason a good incentive to help people want to live more godly how about care thinking about yourself when you get older if you become you know maybe you don't have any children or maybe you know who knows what's gonna happen right and you want to be cared for well be well reported of for good works and and and a lot strangers and you know and just basically be overall hospitable and and and giving and helping others and and then you'll be cared for when you're older jump down to verse number 17 Bible says let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor so this is talking to about the elders that rule well in the church this is now referring to that position of a bishop the the person who's elder spiritually that rule well be counted worthy of double honor and again just to point out that word honor doesn't is not just talking about respect because if it was just respect how do you have like double respect it's just kind of a weird thing to have either of respect you don't it's one of those things you either have or you don't double honors is the caring of right the care that the church provides for the elder who's who's devoting himself to completely serving and ministering to the church that's the the honor it's referring to but again tied to the works it says especially they who labor in the word and doctrine so not every elder is worthy of double honor just those that are worthy because they've labored in word and doctrine and they're doing all this hard work yeah reward them for that that's why the scripture follows up in verse 18 for the scripture say it thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn and the labor is worthy of his reward so you got someone laboring then honor them take care of them