Hey Peace Church family and friends, it's awesome to be with you, even if it is mostly online. Let me start with these words, the words that we always start with. Today is the day that the Lord has made, so let us rejoice and be glad in it. And everyone said, Amen. So welcome to our first of our two-part series, From Womb to Tomb, as we look at what it means to really be pro-life.

This is a two-part series that we'll be walking through together as we have church online for the most part, while we wait for the final touches to be put on our brand new worship center. Who's excited? I don't know if I could be more excited. And so when this is played for our church, so when this is viewed for the entire church family, the very next week will be Sanctity of Life Sunday, a Sunday where churches and those who love life pause

and recognize the value of the unborn lives that are among us. It's also all life, because we recognize that all people, born and unborn, are made in the image of God, and this makes life a sacred thing, which is why we are pro-life. But there's often a criticism that we hear

against the pro-life movement and those who are pro-life, is that we're not really pro-life, we're just pro-birth. That we don't care about kids after they're born, we only care about kids when they're in the womb. And of course, those who are pro-life emphatically refute this because we are pro-life

from inception to the end of our life. And so this is all throughout scripture. This is a call that we see woven throughout the pages of scripture that comes from the heart of God. And one of the ways that we see this

is this repeating phrase that we see throughout scripture that we have to care for the widows and the orphans, or often the widows and the fatherless. Two groups of people who are on opposite ends of the human lifespan, two groups of people who are often neglected

and are in need, and God calls us to care for those people because that's his heart. And so next week on Sanctity of Life Sunday, we'll talk about us leading the charge in our cause, in our care for the fatherless,

for the orphans and for the unborn. But today we're gonna talk about caring for widows and God's call and unique call for that. And so would you please turn in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 22. We're gonna look at three verses today, 22 to 24.

Now as you're turning there and as you're turning there online, some context for our passage. Moses is leading the people, the Israelites, the Hebrews. He's led them out of Egypt. God has freed them from slavery. They have crossed the Red Sea and now God has led them to the foot of Mount Sinai. And there God calls his people into a covenant relationship with them. He's going to lead them and they're going to be his people. And God is calling them to be a kingdom of priests

They are to be the pastors of the world there to be the priest who share about God and his goodness with the rest of The world and so in Exodus chapter 20 what we see is that God gives the ten commandments these ten overarching rules which have sort of Sort of embody all of the rules and statutes and laws that God has for his people that that his people are to live by as they embody God's character, his goodness, and his holiness. That's Exodus chapter 20.

But then in the next couple verses, God gets more particular about laws for the Israelites. Now these laws are to show them how they are to live and function as a society of people. And then we get to Exodus chapter 22. And we're going to look at verses 22 to 24 that we in in this we're gonna see that God's heart comes out in his care for others in his care for people And this is going to show us and inform us how we are to continue to live this out and care for others here today and so

Exodus chapter 22 verses 22 to 24. Would you hear God's Word? You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows, and your children fatherless." Wow. God's word is serious here. So let's pray, prepare our hearts, and we'll dive in. Father, we come before you.

Father, we know that your word and your heart remain the same. So please, by the power of the Holy Spirit, help us to know both here today, your heart, your word, your truth, that we, the people of the new covenant, would come to know how you are calling us to care for the orphans and for the widows,

how we are called to uphold life from womb to tomb. And we pray this in the name of Him who was also born of a woman. In the name of Jesus we pray these things and everyone said, Amen, Amen. Alright church, let's consider just one main idea here today from our passage. God's people are to share God's heart to care for those who can't care for themselves.

Let me say it again. God's people are to share God's heart to care for those who can't care for themselves. Next week we'll focus on the orphans, but today we're going to focus on the widows. And we are to care for those who can't care for themselves, because this is God's heart. Listen to me, God's heart is not soft or stoic. God's heart is sovereign and sincere, and that's the heart that we are to have.

So let's look at just two thoughts from our passage here today. And we're gonna start with this, this thought here. God has concern for those who are neglected. God has concern for those who are neglected. So God has led his people to freedom and he's going to be leading them to the promised land and he will establish them as a people and as a nation. And he will set them as a light for the world as a light for the Gentiles. And he does this this by setting particular laws before them, laws that are meant to help shape their culture

so that they may stand apart from the pagan religions around them. And God says this, verse 22, you shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. The widow was the most vulnerable woman, if not the most vulnerable person in that society. Typically they were aged women who were fully dependent on any family They may have had left and certainly the people around them and God tells them not to mistreat them But I wonder what did you think when God says do not?

mistreat them This may sound like just a simple prohibition, but God isn't saying just simply leave them alone You have to understand what God is saying here. What his heart is saying here. God wants them treated rightly. Allowing them to suffer is mistreating them. Neglecting them is mistreating them. Acting like they are a burden or that they get in the way is mistreating them. Complaining about them is mistreating them. Letting them go hungry is mistreating them. God has concerns for his people and for particularly the widows neglected in any other ancient society.

God is saying not here, not among my people. You're going to be different than the rest of the world. God wants his people to be a better society, and a better society is one that takes care of those who can't take care of themselves. This is the heart of God throughout all scripture. God is so adamant about this that later in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit leads the church in the earliest of days to formalize a group of men to ensure that the widows are

properly cared for. In Acts chapter six, I'm sure you're probably familiar with this. In Acts chapter six, when the church is beginning to grow, you're seeing more Jews and more Gentiles come together into this one faith and now they're having to coexist together. And as they come together and they're blending their cultures, one of the things that kind of came to the forefront where some of the people felt like the Hebrew widows were being

cared for more than the other widows and the rest of the women. So the 12 disciples convene and they get together and they say, okay, let's ensure that all the widows are being cared for equally. And not just that, but let's make sure that all of the needs of the church are met and so they say this in Acts chapter 6 verse 3 they say therefore brothers pick out from among you seven men of good repute full the spirit and of wisdom whom we will appoint to this duty

but we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word and the Bible goes on to list the seven men they chose and they prayed over them and what we see here is this is the first inception of the role of deacon. Men called to ensure that the physical needs of the church is met so that the spiritual leaders can continue to work spiritually to pray and preach the word. But what is amazing about this passage is

look what happens right after these deacons are formalized. The very next verse, Acts chapter 6 verse 7 says this, And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem. It is so simple, my friends. God will grow the church if the church is faithful to care for one another, starting with the oldest and the most vulnerable among us, the widows.

And so today in our modern era, things are different, and it's okay to recognize that. We have longer lifespans and not only that but greater social safety nets. And we may not have or see the dire need of widows like the ancients did, like we see in the Old Testament. So let's put this before us in two different ways. Today, our care for the widows is still as strong, but it may look a little differently, or at least have some different nuance. Today our care for widows is to be relational as much as it is meeting their material needs. The widows in our church need to feel as enfolded into the life of the church as anyone else in the life of the church.

This is one of the ways that we care for the widows if their financial needs are secure. But I also think the word widows, I think of that term and that notion here today, as far as the desperation of needs go. Yes, this goes for any woman in their older years, any woman who is alone. And I would say by extension,

it also goes for widowers in our church family. But when I think about the women who have desperate needs, how can we not think of single moms? I think our call in our day to live out this heart of God may look a little a little different in the sense that we also have a great burden to focus on single mothers. Moms who are on their own and have a hard time caring for their children while also holding

down a job or two or three. When we care for them this is one of the ways that the church can step up to care for some of the people who are the most vulnerable among us, those who are quote-unquote the least of these. And this shows, this shows them and this shows the world that we care not just for the child in their womb, but for the woman who carries that child as well.

This is why we are so adamantly in support of places like the PRC, the Pregnancy Resource Center, and Alpha Women's Center, places that are fully pro-life, showing that this also means, to be fully pro-life, means that we come alongside the mother, ensuring that she has the physical needs so that she can confidently choose life.

Why? Because God is pro-life. God is basically saying, I have a heart for the orphan who are young in years, and I have a heart for the advanced, those widows who are advanced in their years. And God is saying, if you are to be my people, then you are to have that heart as well. And God is desperately serious about this.

Look at verses 23 and 24 as we look at this notion, that God has condemnation for those who are unjust. Verse 23, God says, If you do mistreat them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry. God says, I will hear them.

Listen to me, this is how you know if you truly have a heart for someone. You're willing to listen to them. You're willing to hear them. A pastor loses his heart for his church when he stops hearing them,

when he stops listening to them, but not God. God says, if they cry to me, I will hear them. And then look at verse 24. And my wrath will burn, 24 and My wrath will burn and I will kill you with the sword and your wives shall become widows and your children

fatherless what What is going on for this patriarchal society God is saying if you don't care for the women who are alone God tells the men that he will kill them God says to neglect the widows and the orphans is a capital offense. That is the heart that God has for his people. He will make sure that they are cared for.

God is saying, if you don't care for the widows and the orphans, then I'll turn your wives and children into widows and orphans. Think God takes this seriously? You think we should take this seriously? Listen church, I hear this and I hear this warning as I leave this church and so should you.

Listen to me, I am thankful. I am really thankful for the well-produced and powerful events that we have at this church. But if we're not gonna get our hands dirty, if we're not gonna get on our knees and serve the least of these,

I wonder if God's gonna say to us, if you're not gonna be the type of church that shares my heart, why should I keep you around? Do we have the ears to hear what God is truly saying to us? May I say that again? Do we have the ears to hear what God is truly saying to us?

What he's calling us to do? I've come to realize that sometimes when I say things to my kids, they're not listening to hear my heart. They're listening to try and wiggle out of what I'm asking them to do. Like when I say to my kids, say to one of my kids,

hey, why don't you go take the trash out right now? You know, sometimes they'll respond like saying, sure, dad, I can take the trash out as soon as I'm done playing my video game. At which point I have to say, oh, hold on a second here. I'm sorry, I wasn't actually asking you a question. I was telling you to do something.

So turn off the video game before that video game becomes part of the trash that you're about to take out. God is not asking us to take care of the widows and the orphans. He's commanding us to. You know what also makes us so powerful is that there's a gospel truth to be shown in this. When we care for those who can't care for themselves, this reflects the gospel that Christ saved us when we couldn't save ourselves. That God certainly does have condemnation for those who are unjust.

Those who are unjust in this world will be held to account. God has condemnation for those who are unjust, but the reality is that's me and you. That's all of us lost in our sin. But the condemnation that we deserve was not given to us. It was given to Christ. He stepped in to take our punishment by dying on the cross in our place, and he does this only to rise again victoriously to new life. And this new life is now given to us by faith in him. It's new life.

It's eternal life that we don't deserve. And therefore, how much more should we be living for God? Knowing God's goodness to the point where we get what we don't deserve, eternal life, how much more should we be living according to God's commandments and his standards? Church, we have some amazing widows in our church family

with incredible stories. Sandy, Gani, Judy, Miss Patty, who taught my kids Sunday school, and many more who helped make our church such an incredible place. But listen to me, our church is only as strong

as the care we give to our widows, the seniors and the lonely. And if you're a man listening to this message right now and you're thinking, what does this really have to do with me? Here's what I'd say what it has to do with you.

Husbands, this is why you need to lead your families to be involved and make connections at church. Because when one day, when God takes you home and your family's left here, the church is meant to take care of them. And so make sure that your family

has the connections at church, so that that's not a weird, awkward interaction when that finally happens, that they're already unfolded into life of the church family. Men, get your families to church because you may not always be there. Again, our church is only as strong as our care for those in our church who can't care for themselves. So yes, let's let God establish in us a new

type of society to show the world something better. People who care for life from the inception of life to the old age of life. This is how we are going to be distinct in this world. This is how we're going to truly show that we are pro-life. This is how we're going to model God's heart. And listen to me, it starts with the widows who are among us.

Because, remember, God's people are to share God's heart to care for those who can't care for themselves. So let's do that. Amen? Amen. Let's pray.