Church Ladies: The Most Powerful Women in the World, p.1

First Timothy chapter 2.

Let's go there together as we continue preaching through this New Testament epistle, beautifying the bride. This will were calling this Paul wrote this letter to his young understudy Timothy.

He has left Timothy behind in the city of Ephesus to function as the pastor of that local church. So he's writing instructions to Timothy about how to structure and how to function within the church we call it her fashion structure and her function has you to carry out her role in this. The way every local church should be we should be about pleasing God in the local church, honoring his word that the wisdom and the power in the beauty of God is seen in us is church now two things to keep in mind Paul is writing this to a specific pastor about the situation in this specific church in this time so it has application to them. Specifically, but the true supply to all of us in all time so we come now to first Timothy chapter 2 verses nine through 15.

An exposition that I am in toddling church ladies the most powerful women in the world cannot just add that there's a lot being talked about an evangelical circles about empowering women but these folks articulate their 2000 years too late. God empowered them 2000 years ago and were going to see much of that as Paul unfolds here the role of women in primarily the role of women in the local church versus non-first Timothy chapter 2. Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls are called costly garment, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making the claim to godliness. A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness, but I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet, for it was Adam who was first created and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived with the woman being the seed fell into transgression, but women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self restraint, biblical womanhood and biblical motherhood. Hood is under attack. It's been going on in a very feverish way for many decades now. Actually I can think of no area of Christian discipleship that is attacked more forcefully and unrelentingly than the biblical doctrine of womanhood and motherhood.

Satan has been far too successful at intimidating us and undermining our convictions and consequently changing our behavior when it comes to the areas of womanhood and motherhood, but for second how often out in the neighborhood in the community centers even in our churches. Do you recall hearing women glad fully conversing about how they embrace centering their lives in honoring their husbands keeping their homes and raising their children think for a moment. When's the last time you stumbled upon a group of women and they were cheerfully speaking of how they enjoy centering their lives in honoring their husbands keeping their homes and raising their children. The reason why you don't hear that is because were intimidated the attack is fierce in this area, even those ladies who believe these things, and even join these things are very careful in the community. They're very careful and circles of other Christian women because Satan has gained more than a beachhead. He's claimed a lot of real territory here in New York City recently as in the other states. They have now passed the most aggressive abortion laws ever established in Western civilization under some of these laws. You now can kill the unborn child up into a moment before birth, actually you can even partially deliver the baby and crush the brain and the ways of the bay becomes outdated and in some cases, should the little baby survived the abortion procedure. The baby can be left to die on its own unattended on the operating table. If the mother and the physician being that the right thing to do. If that's not an attack on womanhood and motherhood. I don't know what is the most wonderful, blessed, godly and natural thing in the world is for a woman to conceive a child can love that baby with all of her heart. It's an attack against the essence of the glory and the dignity of how God made women that women would actually along with the state legislators follow-up party celebrating the passage of such bills.

This is wicked.

This is vile.

This is on godliness on parade. In addition to be being a violent attack God ordained womanhood and own motherhood actually this attack started a long long long time ago Satan came into the garden. The garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were there. Satan didn't go to Adam he came to Eve that Adam and Eve had received the commandment from God. You have all paradise this wonderful perfect environment to enjoy. You can partake of anything roulette as you will. There's one thing you must not do. Though Adam and Eve, you must not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as it Satan comes craftily. Satan comes deceivingly Satan comes manipulative. Lee talks to Eve away from Adam set Adam as God are even has God really said you can't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as God really said that if you eat of the tree of the knowledge and enable the day you eat of it you will surely die a look stand on your own feet. Here, you don't need to go talk to Adam about this, you'll need to submit Adam on this you can you can take headship right here you can stand on your own here make illness. It appears what guys did you keep God knows that the day you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

You're going to be like God, people, you know what God's doing to you, Eve.

God is holding you back. Eve God is being oppressive toward you. God is, is it hindering you. He's discriminating against you in the coming God must be some misogynist to be treating you this way. Now this is the Jeff knob and amplified translation, but that's the gist of what's going on here, Eve, you can make this decision on your own, apart from your head and your husband. You don't need to consult or submit to him even go for Eve to expand your horizons's God's way is limiting you it's not fair it's not just do what you need to do.

He takes and she let me know there's a lot lot more the story below. Later on, Eve conceived a child in that child's name is Kane. Eve conceived another child in that child's name is able. Then one day Kane in a jealous rage murders his brother Abel, and then evil and sorrow and rule and begin their course multiplying in the world all the way down to this day, Eve illicitly fair and balanced.

I'm just talking about this episode and Eve's life.

I believe Eve was ripped, I repent or she was converted shall be in heaven but in this scenario, Eve's heart Eve's behavior and the consequences of her choices have a multiplying effect and influence all the way down to you and I today. But the Bible mentions another woman a lonely woman. August nobody knows about are hardly at least not at this time. Her name's Mary.

She's engaged to a man named Joseph, she becomes pregnant by force of the work of the Holy Spirit of God, being yet a virgin and Angel tells her husband Joseph in Matthew 121 she will bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus or he will save his people from their sin's powerful.here's a woman all biblical accounts is humble submissive honors authority without being too trite not to say that honors authority submits to God, and she bears a child conceived of the Holy Spirit and he's God's Savior and he is a calls for reversing the curse and curing the ruin in the world. Eve's children indulged in sin and multiplied sin in the earth. Mary's son conceived by the Holy Spirit is born into this world and has the impact of reversing the pattern of sin and ruin even forgiving sin and one that you eventually removing sin in ruin from all of the cosmos.

Here's what I want you to see ladies all the ladies under my voice all the ladies in the world, all the ladies who have ever lived in a generalized sense lined up under either Eve or Mary and one since Eve has a headship she represents all of womankind.

But in 16 Mary Richet route represents those Women Who Find Their Pl. in God, who come to know Christ as Lord and Savior, and he walk in his truths. You can be like Eve in your heart and your behavior and how the negative consequential influence in the world are you can be like Mary and her heart fully yielded to God's will and the guidance of the Holy Spirit and then your influence will have that wonderful good reversing the curse and the forces of sin in the world. That's why I say when you become a church lady.

The way the Bible speaks of the church lady. You're the most powerful woman in the world can anybody in a million years ever challenged the Amtrak. Mary had her son, Jesus Christ the hand that rocks the cradle does rule the world. So my challenge as we exegete this text to our dear ladies, this morning is this, do not succumb to the temptations of this world, spirit and the evil one.

Maintain the high honored dignity of God's role for you and have the impact on the world God's called you have. Satan doesn't want you to have.

That's why he still coming the women today. He says hi girls, I've got another tree for you to eat of this tree's gonna really remember how I helped Eve I have hurried of a tree so she could stand on her own. She could take headship she could be liberated, she could be her own woman never high up and not going to help you ladies in the modern era. I've got a new tree. The tree of feminism and liberalism.

If you later this tree you're going to really be free. Get them a quiet place. Get them out from under the crashing, screaming, narrative of liberal progressive voices and talk to the woman women. Rather, who been duped into having abortions and see how their emotional and psychological health is going away site should you be free. Satan said you can throw off these bonds.

Satan told us this is the way we can be like me.

I didn't have it all. You can't go against the way God made you have any freedom you're in the bondage and the slavery of the depression than the anxiety and the burden of what you did to that child by the way of some of you have walked through that nightmare. Here's what I want to say to you, there's a wonderful grace and forgiveness for you in Jesus Christ. Wonderful grace and forgiveness for you in Jesus Christ. Now let's go to our text and as I studied this this week and to be honest, as it just got a hold of me. I realize were not going get this done in one setting. So this will have to be two parts are you're going to miss lunch and I think we got some ladies here that would say forget lunch tell me God's word. I really believe it. We got ladies like that in this church are ladies are afraid of the word of God.

They found liberty in the word of God not know there's been little skits in comedy about the church lady. Through the years.

I think even Medea is a church lady didn't see it all this stuff.

What I want to do is I want to give you the correct understanding of the holy dignity, righteousness, and strength of a real church lady. This would cause the he's running to church ladies, if you're not of Christ. If you're not regenerate of the Holy Spirit is truly born again at your heart and life changed by Christ.

This isn't for you, you won't get it you will like it. You can't receive it, you're not capable of receiving it because these things are spiritually discerned, and even the spiritual ladies ½ place rise up and work against and that's why Paul's writing because evidently there's been some problems in the church in Ephesus. Some of the ladies who come under the great liberation that the Christian gospel gave the women of this day went too far in their liberation and got in another ditch on the other side the way to the outline. The title church ladies the most powerful women in the world I.

The heart hairdos and him labs is what Paul talks about ladies. Paul's got something to say about your heart, he's got something about your hairdo. I talked to three about your hairdo myself but to he will talk to you about your hemline.

Look at it there in verse nine. Likewise that uses the word likewise because he's already given a practical instruction about me and leading particularly in the area of prayer in the church. In verse eight. Nice is now a skip over to some things concerning the ladies in the church again, particularly the church at Ephesus, though it applies to all of us at all times. I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing modestly and discreetly with braided hair and gold are not rather with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments so he's exhorted the men about something. Specifically, he's talked to the men about their sphere of responsibility and public worship and the consequential conduct to carry out their sphere nicest ladies you have us fear our role and public worship. And this is primarily addressing public worship in the local church ladies, you have your sphere. Paul is saying and you have proper conduct. You need to carry out to carry out this fear, God is giving you my first boss is ladies, I want you to adorn. I want you to adorn yourself as were themselves hear the word adorn here literally means to address scholars tell us it has the concept of a leading down of things. It is letting down to make a statement about one's person is almost like unfurling a banner that announces this is what I am. Ladies are adorn yourself because you're making a statement with what you wear fleecing the church ladies. Make sure your careful and your adornment your clothing your dress makes a true statement about who you are in adorn yourself right uses the word proper adorn yourselves with proper clothing. The word proper comes from the word cosmos.

It has the idea of order. When God made the solar system. For example, everything has structure in order. There's a propriety and orderliness to it so you saying here that you got understand something. Ladies, you're in a pagan and wicked godless culture. Ephesus ladies just like we live in a pagan and wicked wicked godless culture called America and the Ephesian women in the fees and culture, but rather was godless so the women of the culture had no concept of what was proper because they didn't know the God was proper. They had no concept what was orderly because I did not know the God of order they did not have any concept of what is becoming concerning dress because they didn't know the God who defines what's becoming so the ladies of the church must not fall into dressing in such a way that reflects the style of the women in the culture who do not know God doesn't mean you focus on them and try to be different from them.

You focus on what's right and it'll make you often different from the other women in the world who dress and you can dress like those will be saying yes don't make it the pattern of your heart and life to not like the godless women of the culture. You're not big on the swing of the culture of your gods at the CI called out one you have a higher understanding you live and walk and dress with a higher dignity and goodness, and honor the women of the world can even comprehend. You know who God is. Honor him in your dress so the point is, since we know this one true God and because of the new birth of the changed hardware learning to love this one true God, and we love the things about God and that's something we've worked intentionally for many decades now to teach our children and all of us the great attributes of God so will know what he's like we don't get to make God like we would like for him to be willing.

God be who he has proclaimed him to be so we know him and were learning to love him.

How we understand he is a God who is proper of ordered and orderliness of propriety and decency and Christian ladies therefore must dress in ways that reflect and honor him as he's revealed himself to be. So this word proper includes ladies what you where and it includes how you where have you ever started to leave the house as a young girl, young lady, teenager maybe and your dad say pull up that top you're not going out with that skirt on. You know he saying that's on becoming because your daughter to a family that knows God you're right and I can and I grew up with women and I live with women now alone just one woman now got rid of three but they they have a pattern of coming back and I have heard this phrase before, when we would see a woman somewhere and maybe my mom. I remember this and more.

My wife would try to be giving guidance and instruction by the ways ladies I sympathize with you because this is all out warfare times and you see a girl who's not dressed as a girl who knows God ought to be dressed and mom might say this, that's just too much or that that's just too much what they what their sentence what Paul saying that's not that's unbecoming.

That's not orderly, are proper for a woman who knows who created her and what that creator is like proper. Now the next word gets more deeply to the heart issue. He says and modestly modestly. The idea here. The Greek word here means literally to be ashamed. Scholars say a good way to translate this to get the point is that women church ladies need to have a shame fastness I shame fastness. In other words, there's an honorable shaman that should be an ungodly woman's heart and it should hold her, it should result in her dress being that which is becoming orderly and proper other words, ladies should possess an inner disposition of honorable shame that is, they would be ashamed to dishonor God by dressing inappropriately.

So it's the heart that really is the main issue I would view certain ways to dress as shameful as disgraceful to adorning one who knows this wonderful and true creator. This all wise, orderly, proper, decent creator who loves us and who gave himself for not a practical sense at this point.

Ladies, I think this would be a good reminder. Three things the dress out literally mean that out of the clothing I mean that generically, for whatever you're wearing the dress itself is important.

The way it is worn is very important.

But most important of all is the inner heart that God's the choices of how you dress nice continues on in verse nine and he comes to the word there discreetly. Women adorn themselves with proper clothing modestly and discreetly, though I the work discreetly or has the idea of self-control and the idea of a soundness of mind. Paul is saying to the ladies in the church at Ephesus, and God is saying to the ladies at Grace life Church of the toes don't go out in this world. Dress like you've lost your mind that you forgotten your brain who this God is ideal, forgotten his nature. You've got forgotten. He's totally pure and dignified and orderly in becoming honorable and becoming a should say don't go out in the world like you don't know who God is, don't dress yourself like you've lost your mind men. There's a proper way to look at your daughters and she starts to go out the door as a whole, you lost your mind. That's proper that's good. When we go out in the world. He send ladies you represent God, your joy and your duty.

Both of those we've had a lot of legalism and badness in Christian Christian evangelicalism of the last decades adjust room rule. That's not where Paul's going that's not what God's going joy because of my joy in this God. I want to have some rules about what's proper what honors my God and my address so this word picks up on a sense of an inner self-government is getting it it it means that the woman has a constant rain on her desires and her emotions to make sure she stays in check with how she adorned herself that he goes to the saw the point. He says in the last part of verse nine, that's what I want you to be like. Here's what I don't want. Here's what God does not want you to be like not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments. The point that Paul is making here is that Tom that the women of the Ephesian culture were given to excessiveness in their dress.

Again, these are women who do not know God, so they dress like they do not know God and that was characterized by an extravagant's and excessiveness. The Ephesian culture to women of the day worst show law and that's about all they had was what they cosmetically are showed off what was on the outside because they weren't like the ladies of the church you had godliness and dignity inside all they had was just a shell and a covering is that not our world today. These pop stars in these Hollywood movie stars they put themselves up in the most extravagant garb and cosmetics. You know why that's all they got their showoffs because there's nothing to decide. I think I'm going take my 12gauge shotgun and the next time they interview some Hollywood star about our political situation of the storm blow that screen out why in the world. Should it matter to us what some person who spends their life acting like somebody they're not. Feels about things.

That's all the patient I got as I get I like something they're not, that's okay. There can be an art form. There, the most of its wicked it could become a decent art form. There, that in me not qualified to tell us anything.

Not like the Ephesian women who were showoffs. They gave themselves to excessive refinements and great expensive clothing first Peter 33 to show you this is throughout the New Testament.

Your dormant must not be merely external braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry are putting on dresses Bible does not say were not talking about legalism in the Bible is not saying that you can't break your hair. You can't wear jewels.

You can't were not stress that's just not to be the heart of the issue for you. You want a different kind of beauty to be known about you other than just that effect. In Revelation 17 for we see a description of the great harlot church that great spot great false church that will come together and be this global church and in times about going, everybody will think it's the grandest thing in the world.

I think finally we have the solution for the whole world famous great church but it's a false church. It's a harlot it's a fake self more metaphorically speaking. He speaks of this church as a woman is that she's clothed in purple and scarlet adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality so he uses the woman who has no inner beauty. Our real strength and character, but only outward showy attractiveness as a symbol of the fake harlot church so these godless women in Ephesus displayed their godlessness and extravagant dress with expensive jewels always striving to wear the clothing of the latest top designer labels Christian women may do some of this but that's not tomorrow.

You are is not the pattern of your life. I think the heart condition is so very important. That's why think Paul brings that aspect out here. Listen, the spirit of the heart definitely alters the effect of the outer garment here was it the spirit of the heart definitely affects our office rather, the effect of the outer garment. There's a lady that can wear an item of clothing and she's got an unclean spirit about her. She's got inappropriate spirit about her since you will spirit about her and she gives also the air that dishonors God the same lady can wear the same clothing of some clothing, just wrong. But the same lady were the same clothing who loves God has a pure spirit and a godly spirit and she does not put off that kind of allurement or life, the heart, so important. The heart condition affects the, the, the effect of the garment itself.

I believe it's the key issue of Pam and I were in pigeon Forge, Tennessee. One Christmas and there was a large church youth conference. There and I don't remember which group it was but it was one of the more rule centered denominations where their real strict about women's dress, you know you just got about eight or nine dues and eight or nine notes and if you do that in every thing is okay.

You couldn't can cut your hair.

You can wear makeup dresses had been, certainly, and all of those 16 to 21-year-old women there. Everyone of those rules but they were the most sensuous girls I've ever been around. I mean, buddy. They didn't cut their hair, but they had it in the most extravagant, alluring on the menu wouldn't believe what they did with they were the long dresses for the dresses just had such a an appeal to the my wife reminded me yes and they fitted in ways that were improper and on and she and I have talked of years about even amazing. Just in one, since they were the most modestly dressed girls, but in the other since they were the most sensuous. The girls would ever say. So it's more than just strict rules, though, we need some of those. It is the condition of the heart. That's what Paul's getting to your sink, your different you been changed your God's daughter. Make sure your dress didn't like women who don't know God. Now in balance. A balancing thought here, you think you would hear balance out of me this morning. Your balance of me a lot, don't you, because the Bible in one verse one section there's balancing truths in balance.

There is no scriptural evidence that I know of that prohibits a woman from special adornment, even expensive adornment for proper occasion H&H it is real. God gave guidance to the chill of Israel and they spent a lot of money and time on certain festive occasion on all all the girls wedding day. I think that's proper that's that's a proper in an orderly time to do something special. Maybe there's a special setting. Our special occasion with maybe a dignitary. The Bible talks about going before the king in a proper way I've had to private dinners with the governor of our state and when the governor came here and had dinner with me. I dressed appropriately.

I didn't dress like 90% of these cool preachers we got today. Dress when I mount the sacred best to preach God's word.

Some of look like they just came from a chicken fight because I think there's an appropriateness. This indignity about your wedding day about certain settings and I believe about the pulpit ministry. I look, I know some these guys are good brothers and I know they preach Salem stuff.

When you understand the weight of what God says. The women we understand the principal about the propriety covers a lot of thing. A lot of these guys who are sound in doctrine and who are building their churches own gimmicks and fads and nonsense don't be deceived their dressdown sloppy look is very intentional. They put a lot of work into it there putting on the uniform trust me, but I will take the God that I serve is not casual. He's not loose he's not trendy he's not cool. He is holy.

He is transcendent is of utmost dignity and righteousness and, as Paul tells women dress like a daughter of the king, so we all should have some concept of propriety in the totality of our lives and responsibilities on 4 July. How would you feel if I unfurled out here on a great big flagpole. The flag of the country of Canada. I love Canada just went hunting up there. But Blake Keenum got me hunting trip up there so I went hunting up there and by the way you get out the cities and you fine folks just like us but you try brother Jeff. That's not appropriate to fly the flag of Canada.

That's not orderly that's not becoming this is America's fourth of July and I'm so you're exactly right. That's what Paula say ladies dress appropriately. As a daughter of the king.

Now let me conclude this morning and now I think this is become a three-part, let me conclude this lady this morning it with the next rotation to our younger and older ladies young ladies look at me some of your out here. Some of you scattered around I want you to continue to strive your beauty is more than what you where it's good that you were pretty things and you know and I'm glad my fight. We want our girls to be pretty can get a man there propriety also means girls shouldn't dress like boys and boys should dress like girls.

That's biblical well were just at know you're not different your sinful God developed the genders by the way he assigns them at conception. So young girls strive in your hearts yesterday but beautiful attire. Nothing wrong with them to make sure people say there's something more beautiful than just the way she dressed her heart to our older ladies. I charge you to be a little more intentional a little more active. A little more personal, always with humility, compassion, and without legalism help our younger girls dress right. We need older church ladies by the way you do that for any of my daughters or granddaughters. I'm first signing up.

If you do it kindly, humbly with compassions.

I sweetheart your way to pretty to be dressed like that did work on that. I mean if your skirts up here. You need to get down lower and by the way, can I just get it all out here this morning when did it become okay for women to wear their pantyhose like pants. Who told you that was dignifying an honorable to the King of Kings, who owns unique rated you and he loves you and who died for you and then propriety can I say it again, don't go to Walmart with your flannel pajamas on not know that is funny, but not the socket I was. I took a picture I was Monica I said I can't believe a person made in the image of God created by him only in hide honorable and righteous God. The look, there's a place for sweatpants understand all that I'm not about legalism what I'm talking about is propriety the careful with the trends. Be careful with the fads to be careful with the culture throws out there that were not going to be a subculture. We all dress like the cast of Little House on the Prairie but we can walk in the way and dress in a way that honors God. Can I get a hearty affirmation from our ladies all in favor say men like you like