 Amen. So keep your place there in Revelation chapter 2. So in Revelation chapter 2, we have four churches. If you have a red letter Bible, all the words Revelation chapter 2 are in red. We see Jesus is giving very specific advice to four churches in Revelation chapter 2. We've gone through three of these churches so far. And tonight we are looking at the fourth church, which is Thyatira, beginning at verse number 18. So we see a pattern in Jesus' advice to these four churches where Jesus first describes himself as something or gives himself or lists himself a name. Then he gives some good things that the churches are doing. Then he gives some bad things that the churches are doing. And then he lists the consequences of what will happen to these churches if they don't get things right. So obviously in the first verse of Revelation chapter 2, he calls himself he who walketh in the midst of the seven gold of candlesticks. In verse number 8, he says he's the first and the last. In verse number 12, he says these things would have the sharp sword with two edges. And then in verse number 18, we see as the church of Thyatira, Jesus calls himself, he doesn't call himself a name, he gives a description of himself here. Look down at Revelation chapter 2 in verse number 18. Let me give you a little bit of a warning tonight. I've been accused of being fairly, I don't want to say geared towards or whatever, but preaching pretty hard and being pretty hard on the men of the church and of guys in the church. Tonight we're going to look at the women in the church. We're going to look at what the Bible says about a woman's role as that has to do with the advice that Jesus is giving to this church. And let me just say that it doesn't matter, you need to kind of put yourself in a mindset whether you're a man or a woman, you need to put yourself in this mindset that if the Bible says it, that's what I'm going to believe. Because many things that we come across in the Bible, they're just going to be, and look, this is just going to get worse and worse and worse as time goes on, but the culture of the day is not matching the Bible. Okay, so you need to just tell yourself in your mind, especially if you are going to thrive in a church that preaches the whole Bible, that it doesn't matter what the culture of the world is doing, what the Bible says is what my culture will be. Okay, look down at verse number 18, and let's get into it this evening. Jesus is talking to the church at Thyatira, and he says, these things, and unto the angel of the church in Thyatira, these things say, at the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass. Flip back to Revelation chapter one. Flip back to Revelation chapter one. This is not giving a name or some other kind of description of Jesus. This is a description of what Jesus looks like here. Look at Revelation chapter one in verse number 13. In Revelation chapter one, verse number 13 the Bible says, and in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and gird about the paps with a golden girdle. And in verse 14, this is John, he's describing what he's seeing here. And he says, his head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire, and his feet like undefined brass, as if they burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters. This is quite a scene if you actually picture what this looks like. Jesus is bright white, his raiment is bright white. Turn to Matthew chapter 17. His eyes are burning as fire. Think about that for a second. Think about standing next to somebody who's glowing bright white, he's got a golden girdle, and his hair is white, and his feet are like fine brass, and his eyes are like fire, and then his voice is like many waters. This is talking about if you've ever stood next to the ocean, especially next to a cliff or something, how loud it is, and how the water comes crashing down, and it's just this booming all-around sound, and that is what is happening here. It's quite a presence that we are seeing of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is what we're seeing in Revelation chapter 2 in verse number 18. This is Jesus Christ in his glorified state is what we are seeing. Now look at Matthew chapter 17, and look at verse number 1. Peter, James and John saw this, and Jesus allowed them to see this at the transfiguration of Christ. Look at verse number 1 of Matthew chapter 17. The Bible says that after six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them, and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as light. And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If thou wilt let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias. So the point I'm trying to make to you is whenever you think about Jesus, whenever you, and look, this is being ruined today, but whenever you think about Jesus, you think about this picture of Jesus, because this is what Jesus looks like right now. The Bible gives us that description. This is the Jesus that the Bible says, it makes a little bit more sense, right? When the Bible says in Philippians chapter two, that every knee shall bow to Jesus. It makes a little bit more sense that this would be the Jesus that we're talking about, the flaming eyes of fire, this all-powerful. Look, Jesus is God, the booming voice of many waters. Turn back to Revelation chapter two. So Jesus gives, in the final church of Revelation chapter two, in the fourth church, Jesus just gives a description of what he looks like. Okay, look at Revelation chapter two in verse number 19. So now Jesus goes into, you know, he's the good manager, right? He's gonna give you some good news first, and then he's gonna, you know, hit you with what needs to be fixed. So here's the good news. Look at verse number 19. Verse number 19 of Revelation chapter two. He says, I know thy works and charity. Keep in mind, this is Jesus speaking. These are red words. And service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works. Interestingly, he says, works twice. He says, I know thy works, and then he says all these good things that they're doing. And then he says, and thy works, he says it again. And why does he say it again? Because he says, and the last to be more than the first. Turn to Ecclesiastes chapter seven. So this is a pretty good thing that this church is doing. So he's saying, look, this church is doing some really good works here. And what's even better about that is that this church, they're doing better works now than they were before. This church is getting better. They're doing more works. They're doing harder works. They're doing better works now than they did at the beginning. But guess what? That's how a church should be. A church that is growing where the Christians are getting more mature. This is what should happen. There should be more works happening as time goes on. Ecclesiastes chapter seven, verse number eight. The Bible says, better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof. And the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. So look, this church is getting better. They're getting greater. The works are getting better. Go back to Revelation chapter two, verse number 20. Jesus says, this is a good thing. This is a good thing. These works that you're doing, they're increasing. So what's the problem? What's the problem? There's a big problem in this church. So Jesus is saying, hey, you're doing some good things. You're doing much better things than you were at the beginning. You know, you're doing service. You've got faith. You know, you've got patience. But, look at verse number 20. Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee. Because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which called herself a prophetess to teach and seduce my servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. Sufferest means you're allowing. They're saying, he's saying, you're allowing this woman in your church to teach these things, to get my servants to commit fornication. Assuming, you know, I mean, we can just assume that it's the men here. That they're committing fornication, sacrifice you to idols. Some of the same things that the church at Pergamus was having happen. But the problem is, they're allowing this woman to push this, to teach this doctrine. So yes, it's fornication. Yes, it's idolatry. But the root cause is this. Turn to 1st Timothy chapter two. Turn to 1st Timothy chapter two. How is she teaching them anything is the problem in this church? This is the root cause of the problem. Look at 1st Timothy chapter two in verse number 12. I mean, this may shock you today. This would shock people outside of the Bible today. But the Bible says this. It says, but I suffer a woman not to teach. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor a soup or serve authority over the man, but to be in silence. The point I'm trying to make is that the problem in Thyatira should have never been a problem because there shouldn't have been a woman in the church teaching the men anything. It should have never been possible. Let's talk about what the Bible says is a woman's role. Turn to Titus chapter two. The Bible is very specific, and look, this is counter-cultural today. The Bible is very specific on men's roles and women's roles. Look at Titus chapter two. Titus chapter two and look at verse number three. Now look, the Bible says that women, especially in the church, they can teach. They're just not to assert authority or teach the men in the church. Look at Titus chapter two and verse number three. Let's look at a woman's role tonight and look at how this should not have been possible for this to be happening at the church in Thyatira. Titus two, look at verse number three. The Bible says the aged women likewise that they be in behavior as become a holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things. Or that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Turn to Hebrews chapter 10. Now this is a big deal right here. So the Bible here is saying, look, women in the church, especially it's saying the aged women, the older women, you know what, and that can even be just the more spiritually mature women in the church. It says they can teach, but they're to teach the younger women, they're to teach the children on how to be all these things that it lists. Holy behavior, telling the truth, not being a drunk, not being someone who is given to wine, that they may be sober, love their husbands, obedient to their husbands, love their children, keepers at home. Boy, you don't wanna hear that one today. But go to Hebrews chapter 10. Go to Hebrews chapter 10. Notice what it says at the end of verse number five, where it says, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. You know what that means? You know what that means? It says, when the Bible tells you to do something and you understand what the Bible is saying and then you don't do it, you are blaspheming the word of God. That's what it's, and look, this applies to anything. This applies to anything. This applies to the Bible telling you to go to church. This applies to the Bible telling you to go out and spread the gospel. And you understand that, you don't do it, you are blaspheming the word of God. And that's what the Bible says here. Look at Hebrews 10, and look at verse number 26. Of course, verse number 25 is telling us a very famous verse in the Bible about how we should be in church and how you should go to church. But look at verse 26. The Bible says something very similar to Titus 2.5 here. It says, for if we sin willfully, meaning if you hear the word of God and you're just like, yep, I understand that, but I'm not doing it. If you sin willfully, then let's keep reading. That after we have received the knowledge of the truth. That means you've read the Bible, you understand it. There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. You know what that's saying? This isn't talking about losing your salvation. It's saying, look, you know what? It's like, you're saved, you read the Bible, and you're like, yep, I get that, I understand it, not doing it. It's like, it's not like Jesus is gonna die for you again and again. Jesus died for you once. You're saved, you're sealed, but guess what's coming to you? Keep reading. But a certain fearful looking for judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries. Look, there's punishment coming. If you do that, if you choose to read the word of God, to understand the word of God and ignore the word of God, there's punishment coming to you. We saw that with King Saul this morning. So let's go back to Titus, actually turn to Deuteronomy chapter six. Titus chapter two is explaining the role of women both at home and in the church. There are to be teachers mainly too. There are to teach these holy things. There are to be mature. There are to teach the children, teach the younger women. Look at Deuteronomy chapter six. Look at Deuteronomy chapter six and look at verse number six. The Bible says in Deuteronomy chapter six in verse number six, it says, and these words which command thee this day shall be in thine heart. And thou shall teach them diligently unto thy children and shall talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up. Look, the keeper at home is the one who has the main responsibility for verse number seven to teach the children diligently verse number six, which is the law, which is the Bible. Okay, now look, can teachers be dumb? Yes, it's possible. Should teachers be dumb? Should teachers be ignorant? We talked about this, you know, a couple sermons ago on Jordan Peterson. A good teacher, you know, will be able to have a lot of knowledge about something and be able to explain something that is very complicated in a simple way. They will be able to impart, in summary, a good teacher will be able to successfully impart knowledge that they have onto who they are trying to teach. This is the goal of the woman in the home of the woman in the church. So how could you teach the law, ladies, if you don't know it? How could you teach the Bible to younger women? How could you teach the Bible to your children if you have no idea what it says? Look, reading the Bible is super important for women in the church. Understanding the law of God is super important if you wanna be a good teacher, as the Bible says that you should. Teachers, a Titus chapter two says teachers of good things, good things. What's a better teacher? Someone that knows a lot or someone that knows a little. Women need to be in their Bibles just as much as men. You know, the Bible says that men are to be the leaders, that men are to lead the church, men are to be the pastors, but that does not let you off the hook, ladies, you need to be in your Bible, you need to be reading your Bible, because you are to teach people as well. You're just not to be a leader in the church. The Bible literally commands women to be teachers in Titus chapter two. By that very definition, they need to be wise if they wanna be good at that role. Look, this idea of Deuteronomy chapter six, that we are going to have our, we're gonna be saved, we're gonna follow the biblical model for the family, we're gonna have our wives stay home and raise our children and teach our children the Bible. Look, this idea that these ladies are gonna stay home, they're gonna keep the home, they're gonna teach the children, and they're somehow gonna take this Bible knowledge that they have and put this onto what we're seeing in the world as these kids grow up. This is not a simple thing to do. If you think that this is simple, I hope I scare you, especially young ladies or ladies that are still teaching kids this evening, I hope I scare you a little bit because this is a hard thing to do. This culture's gone insane, but the Bible makes sense of all of it. You need to know the Bible in and out. And then, as your kids, these kids, they are going to, from the time that they are four years old to the time that they are 12, 13 years old, you know what they're gonna do? It's constant questions outside of school, outside of the subjects in school that you're teaching them every day. It's just, what about this? What about this? What about this? What about that? I mean, it's just constant questions. Look, you need to have the answers because once they're 13, 14 years old, look, they need to have some buy-in on the why you're doing things this way. They need figuring out and getting buy-in along the lines of why we're living this life the way we're living. And there's more than just being saved, folks. They're gonna get saved when they're six, seven years old if you're doing things right. But you need to be able to impart a biblical worldview on these children. It is not the simplest thing to do and it takes a lot of knowledge of the Bible to do it. There's good teachers and there's bad teachers. We all know this, all right? It is a huge responsibility. You need to know God's word enough to be able to apply it successfully over years of your children's life. And then you'll raise solid, well-educated Christians or you can raise idiots that are just taken with every wind of doctrine and the world takes them away from you. It can happen. They can be saved and never come to church again once they turn 18, 19 years old. Happens all the time. Turn back to 1 Timothy chapter two. Go back to 1 Timothy chapter two. Let's get back to a woman's role. Let's look at the woman's role in the church. A woman's role in the church. So a woman has a huge responsibility in the family. Look at 1 Timothy chapter two. 1 Timothy chapter two, look at verse number nine. Keep your place in 1 Timothy two. We're gonna be here for a few minutes. So even when we flip to 1 Timothy chapter five, keep your place in 1 Timothy chapter two. Look at 1 Timothy chapter two. Look at verse number nine. It says, in like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel with shame-facedness and sobriety, some of the same things that we saw already in Titus chapter two, not with broided hair or gold or pearls or costly array. You know, look, this is not saying, look, this is not, because I've seen some people take this to like some weird, weird extreme, okay? This is simply saying, look, I am very happy that my wife and my daughter like to look nice and they like to go out and I work very hard so they can buy clothing that looks nice, that's not what this is talking about. This is talking about people that just want to dress themselves up in a bunch of gold and jewelry and look at how rich I am. That's what this is talking about, all right? It's basically braggy. They're braggy with what they wear. It says, look, they should just be, they should be, you know, humble. They should dress in a humble way. Look at verse number 10, but which become with women professing godliness with good works. So this is just talking about a woman that has, you know, a professional, mature look and, you know, she's got mature behavior. Now go to 1 Timothy chapter five. I mean, a lot of this is just talking about, you know, how these women just need to be very, you know, just mature in their Christian behavior. Look at 1 Timothy chapter five. Look at verse number 13. This is talking about why, you know, women should be married and they shouldn't just, you know, do nothing, all right? The younger women especially should be married. Look at verse number 13. It says, and with all they learn to be idle. This is saying, look, if they don't, if they don't go and get married and do all these things that we're talking about, they'll learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. This goes for men and women, by the way. If you're doing nothing and you have nothing to do, you're just gonna get in trouble. You're just gonna go on and you're gonna go around getting out of people's business and you're gonna be like gossiping about people. And look, it's always the people in the church that have no jobs, that have nothing to do, that aren't doing what they're supposed to be doing that are always causing trouble every time. That's what this is talking about. I will therefore, he's like, because of this, I would therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachily. He's saying, look, he's like, as soon as you get a house to guide and you bear children, he's like, you're gonna have so much to do that you will not have any of these problems anymore. And look, and you'll find women that maybe they have children and they still don't have anything to do. It's because they're not doing what they're supposed to do. They're not doing what the Bible says they should do. Turn to Proverbs chapter 22. Turn to Proverbs chapter 22. Proverbs chapter 22. And then look what it says at the end of, let me just read it for you. You turn to Proverbs chapter 22, but the Bible says at 1 Timothy 5 and verse 14 at the end of the verse, it says, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachily. You know what that says? You know what that means? That means that ladies, as much as I sit here and I just rip the guys up and down about how they're supposed to be honest and hardworking and all these things, the Bible here is saying, look, you should have a good reputation too. It's saying you should have a good name. Look at Proverbs 22. Look at verse number one. Proverbs 22, look at verse number one. A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches and loving favor rather than silver and gold. Now, I don't understand why, but ladies, you need to underline this in your Bible as well because you are supposed to have a good name as well. I don't understand why nobody cares about their reputation today. People don't seem to care. People will sit there and they, you know, because here's the thing about, here's the thing about a good name. A good name will take you years to build and you can lose it in one hour. You can lose it in one day and then it would take you another years to get it back. The Bible is saying in 1 Timothy chapter, at 1 Timothy chapter five, it's saying women, you should care about your reputation too. Women, you should have a good testimony too. Just as much as the men. Having a good testimony is better than gold, the Bible says. It's huge and it's tough. It's tough. It takes diligence. It takes being reliable. Look, I can't just meet you in one minute and say I'm the greatest guy ever and I'm super reliable and I'm just this best Christian ever. Look, I have to prove that to people. You have to see that through my works over time, through my diligence and then maybe I have a chance through just my honesty and my work and my reliability to have a good name. And then I go and I do something stupid or dishonest and it's just gone just like that. I don't know why people don't care about this today. It seems like people are just willing to throw their name away for nothing. It's crazy. But the Bible says we should care and ladies, you should care too. You should care about having a good name. Now go back to 1st Timothy chapter two. Go back to 1st Timothy chapter two. So the Bible is saying that your reputation, how you act ladies is important. Look at 1st Timothy chapter two, look at verse number 11. 1st Timothy chapter two, look at verse number 11. Now the Bible says this. It says, look, and this is what just people just ignore. Nobody would preach this today. Nobody that is just, you know, this is what preachers read and they're just like, oh man, can't preach that. But look what the Bible says in 1st Timothy 2, 11. It says, let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. Look at verse 12. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man. This is talking about to teach a man nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. Turn to 1st Corinthians chapter 14. 1st Corinthians chapter 14. So look, God is explaining two things here. Okay, God is explaining two things in 1st Timothy chapter two. First of all, he's just explaining church management. He's explaining, here's how I want the structure of the church to look. He's saying, the women, I want them to have this role. They can teach the younger women, they can teach the children, the men that are not to be taught by the women. God is laying out the leadership of the church here. And look, he's also saying, by not saying it, by saying this to the women, he's saying, men, you are to lead the church. Men, you are to lead your families. Look at 1st Corinthians chapter 14. Look at verse number 34. I mean, a woman is supposed to be quiet in the church and be silent in the church. This is why women don't amen here, by the way. This is why you'll hear the men amen-ing in a Bible-believing Baptist church and you won't hear the women doing that because the women are supposed to be silent in the church. Well, what if the woman has a question? What if the woman has a question about the Bible? Look at verse 34 of 1st Corinthians chapter 14. 1st Corinthians chapter 14 of verse 34. The Bible says, let your women keep silent in the churches for it is not permitted unto them to speak but they are commanded to be under obedience as also say at the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home. That means that if they have a question about something, they should ask their husbands at home for it is a shame for the woman to speak in the church. So look, the Bible here is saying is that by saying that the woman should ask their husbands at home, you know what the Bible is saying? Is that the men should be the spiritual leader of the house. That's what it's saying. Right, the man should, and guess what? Sorry guys, you know what that means? You need to know what the Bible says too. I mean you can't be some idiot where your wife reads the Bible all the time and she comes to you and she's just like, well I have a question about this. You know, I don't know. You know what, I've actually had that question asked to me before I was ordained. I had a question with some lady who's asking her husband questions and she's like, well my husband's an idiot. He doesn't know what the Bible says. What am I supposed to do then? Well first of all, your husband shouldn't be an idiot. Men, you shouldn't be idiots when it comes to the Bible. You are to be the spiritual leader of your house. You should know more of the Bible than your wife. You should be reading the Bible so you can teach the Bible to your family. This isn't rocket surgery. Need to understand what you're teaching. And if they're coming to you and they're asking you a question, you better research it and get an answer. Don't be like one of these pastors that you hear about that gets asked a question and just like, ah, you know, never answers the person. No, you get your wife an answer. You study it out, you figure it out. Have a Bible study about it. If your wife asks you a question, be the leader of your home spiritually. That's what the Bible's saying here. When the Bible is giving this advice to women, it is really telling you men you need to lead your home is what it's saying. Now look, this, if I had to just categorize the failures that I've seen over the last several years, you take a family that just drops out of the Christian life, that just, they were in it to win it and they drop out of the Christian life. I'm sorry, I gotta beat up on the guys a little bit, but this is the, if I had to categorize it, I bet you other pastors that are friends of ours would agree with me on this, but I don't wanna put words in anybody's mouth. The number one cause of families dropping out of this Christian life is the man is not leading the home. That is what I have seen. And you can put all kinds of problems underneath that category, but if the man, and guess what guys, guys, if you're not leading your home and your wife is the spiritual leader of your home, everybody knows it. And you know that's true. Every single person that knows you knows it and it is the number one thing that will get your whole family to drop out of the Christian life. I've seen this one thing destroy the Christian life for families, for wives. And guess what? If you make this mistake and your family drops out, your wife suffers and your children suffer. Because of that, men, you must lead your home spiritually. Turn back to First Timothy chapter three. So what's today's narrative? Today's narrative, look, did you know that in 2016, which is the last statistic that I could find, in 2016 21% of the pastors in the United States were women, what in the world? And look at First Timothy chapter three. Look, you can already, by definition, you can say that those women don't believe the Bible. Just as taking the role of a pastor as a woman. Look at First Timothy chapter three. Look what the Bible says in verse number one. This is a true saying. If a man desired the office of a bishop, he desired the good work. A bishop, this is the same as a pastor, okay? A bishop must be blameless. The husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach, not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous. One that rule well his house, having his children in subjection with all gravity. First five, for if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God? Not a novice, less being filled up with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, verse seven, he must have a good report of them which are without, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. In seven verses, we see 11 mentions of how this is a man. You think that that's something important that God wants to get across? 11 times in seven verses, we see that a pastor is supposed to be a man. But they just throw the Bible out the window because of the culture of today. Back to women, women's role in the church. So they're to be mature, they're to be holy, they're to be meek, they're to be silent, they're to be obedient to their husbands, they're to be teachers to the young women, teachers to the children. That's what the Bible says. Truthful, you know, drunks, teachers of good things, not gossips, not busybodies, keepers at home, they're to guide the home. Which you know, those two things right there, guiding the home and keepers at home. Read Proverbs 31, that's a lot of work. That's a lot of work right there. What does the world say about this? That's what the Bible says. What does the world say? Now this is one of the most irritating things to me in our culture today because the world, the world will look at a biblical teaching like this. That we believe that my wife should stay home and she should raise my children and she should teach my children and she should guide the home. The world will put less value on this. They will say, oh, you know, you're taking your wife and putting less value on her. Look, that's the opposite of what's true. Look, they'll say, oh, a housewife, and you know, you're just a housewife, that's degrading. As if keeping the home, feeding the family, I don't know, raising the next generation is that that's a small, unimportant thing. It's actually, everything feminism teaches, by the way, is bad for women. Every single thing that feminism pushes today is bad for women, it hurts women. Think about abortion for a second. Think about abortion for a second. If I loved women, I mean, if I didn't even care about unborn children, if I didn't even think it was a life, which we know it is, if I didn't even think it was murder, look, and all I cared about was women, I would ban abortions and I would make it so hard for a woman to have an abortion because it does nothing but destroy women. It does nothing but destroy them physically. It does nothing but destroy them emotionally. It does nothing but cause depression, because guess what, they grow up and 10 years down the road, 15 years down the road, they realize they've murdered their child. They realize that those wicked people at the clinic, those wicked people at Planned Parenthood lied to them, and that was their child. Imagine, imagine a murderer who goes to prison, somebody that was in a gang or something and maybe does a drive-by shooting and shoots up a neighborhood and kills somebody on accident or killed somebody on purpose or whatever. Imagine they go to prison for 10 years and then they come out of prison and they get reformed in prison. And they realize they meet the family of the person that they murdered when they were 16, 17, maybe they were high, maybe they were drunk, and they realize that comes rushing back to them and they see the family of this kid or this child that they killed. Imagine the guilt that somebody like that would go through. Now imagine being a woman who has an abortion when she's 16, 17, 18 years old. And then she goes on with her life and she gets married and she starts having children of her own and then she realizes 10, 15 years down the road that she has committed murder except as she looks at her own children sitting next to her. She realizes that she murdered her own child. Imagine, now you imagine that person. Yeah, but you're like, yeah, but we're saved. God can forgive everything. You can get saved and that murder can be forgiven, true. But you know that most of these women are not saved. Now they have to sit there and raise their children knowing that they've murdered a child of theirs in the past. And that's why it messes them up so bad because they never, I've met women like this. I've met women like this out soul winning and I've had women like this break down in tears and tell me I'm a murderer. I murdered my child 20 years ago. And then you know, look, we have the answer. We have the gospel. There's forgiveness. But it doesn't take away the fact that abortion is destroying women. Abortion is bad for women. Everything, feminism, all that to say this folks, everything that the world is teaching about a woman's role, about what, you know, a housewife is degrading. No, a woman that stays home and raises her children like the Bible says she should, that teaches her children the law, that raises strong Christian children is protecting this country, is protecting your family. Look, they are the saviors of the next generation. I'm just going to work and get in a paycheck. Who cares? I'm just going to work and trying to scrape up some money to keep this machine of my family going. What in the world? It's her that is the important one. It is her that makes all the difference. When she sits home and she studies the Bible and she spends hours and hours and hours making sure that her children are raised with a world-class education and a biblical worldview and they will become 18, 19, 20-year-old kids who are just strong Christians that can take anything that is coming at them. That is the important thing. And the world tells us that that is nothing. What a lie from the pit of hell itself. Everything that this world teaches women is wrong. This world will teach women that they are there to go out and they are to dress like prostitutes. They are to go out and their value is nothing but their bodies. What a lie. Women are the heart of the biblical family. Men, you are to lead that family. Look, this is God's design, folks. Stick to it. It is God's management of the family, of the church. Do it his way. Do it his way. There's this weird philosophy today. There's this weird philosophy today that because God says, do it this way, I must do it the other way and prove him wrong. It's weird. It's a weird philosophy by doing the opposite. Look, you know what? You know what, ladies? You could go out and you could be very successful out in the working world. Women are intelligent. This isn't, you know, how this equates to women being less intelligent. My wife is very smart. I don't know about your wife's but my wife is very smart. And I appreciate her counsel. I appreciate her knowledge of the Bible. I appreciate the education that she's providing to my children. I appreciate the support and the help meet that she is to me. This has nothing to do with it. You could go out and you could have successful careers. It's not about what you can do. It's about what God wants you to do. It's about God's design, folks. So, you know, turn to Proverbs chapter 16. People just go out and they just do the opposite because they're just like, you know what? God says, do it this way. But you know what? I can make it work by doing it my way. But I mean, look, look at Proverbs chapter 16. Proverbs chapter 16, look at verse number nine. The Bible says, a man's heart devises his way but the Lord directed his steps. Turn to Jeremiah chapter 10. Jeremiah chapter 10. Well, you could go out and you could send your wife to work. You could send your kids to public school and we could have our, you know, churches run by female pastors, by pastors who are women. You could go, I mean, look, it's possible. People do this. It's possible. It can be done, folks. I can kick against the pricks in my Christian life and so can you. Look at Jeremiah chapter 10, though. And look at verse number 23. Jeremiah chapter 10, verse 23. The Bible says, oh, Lord, I know that the way of the man is not in himself. It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. You know what that means? It says, the way of man is not in himself. Look, the way I should go is not in me. It's not what I wanna do. You know where the way of man is? The way I should go, it's right here. Is what this is saying. And look at verse number 24. It says, look, if I do start thinking that my way, that my way is the way that I should go, verse 24, oh, Lord, correct me. But with judgment, not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. He's saying, he's saying here, he's saying, if I start to think that I can direct my own steps, God correct me. He's like, but do it nicely. Don't just destroy me right away. Because look, the way that we think is right, look at what's going on out here. Jeremiah 29, 11 says, for I know the thoughts that I think towards you sayeth the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil. To give you an expected end, that's really the key right there. If you listen to God's word in your life, you will have the expected end that God designs. You go off on your own and you will get what everybody else gets. And guess what? They don't care, the world, they don't care. You know what? They'll have more money. They'll have more money. They'll have nicer cars. They'll have a bigger house. All this, and they'll have kids that go the way they went and they don't care. Whatever, that's life, but that will not work for you. That will not work for God's people. You had better do it God's way if you want God's results. And look, I guarantee you, if you do it God's way, you will get God's results. Too many people come and they just pick and choose from the Bible. That's one thing that I never really saw as a church member that I really see as a pastor. I really see as a church leader is people just pick and choose. Turn back to Revelation chapter two. People just pick and choose from the Bible. That is not going to work. You are not going to get the expected end unless you follow God's plan. Go back to Revelation chapter two. Let's finish up the advice to Thyatira. So we follow what the Bible says for God's management of the family and God's management of the church. That is what God is saying here. And he says in verse number 21, and I gave her space to repent of her fornication and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed and then they'll commit adultery with her in great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death and all the churches shall know that I am he that searches the reins and hearts and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. There's that judgment. There's that end that's going to come when you just, when you get away from God's plan. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira as many as have not this doctrine in which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak, I will put upon you none other burden. He's saying, look to the people that aren't involved in this is I am not talking to you. Look at verse 25, but they which have already hold fast till I come. But they which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that over cometh, we know what that means, that means to be saved and keepeth my works unto the end. To him will I give power over the nations. Turn to Revelation chapter 20 in verse number six. Did you know that as a saved person you will rule and reign with Christ one day? Look at Revelation chapter 20 and look at verse number six. The Bible says, blessed and holy as he that hath part in the first resurrection, that's you, on such the second death hath no power. But they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. We will reign with Jesus Christ in the millennial reign. What a wonderful thing to think about. Look at verse 27 of Revelation chapter 2. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron. As the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers even as I received of my father. And then verse 28, super interesting. And I will give him, this is the person who's saved. I will give him the morning star. Now what is the morning star? Turn to Isaiah. Actually turn to Revelation chapter 22. Anyone have an NIV tonight? I hope not. Now look at Revelation chapter 22. Look at verse number 16. The Bible says in Revelation 2.28 it says, and I will give him the morning star. All right, as we rule and reign and to those that are saved, we'll get the morning star. Look at Revelation 22.16. I, Jesus, the Bible says, have sent my angel to testify into you these things in the churches. I am the root of the offspring of David and the bright and morning star. The morning star is Jesus. The morning star is Jesus. Now turn to Isaiah chapter 14. And look at verse number 12. Isaiah chapter 14 in verse number 12. I'm just gonna give you a little tidbit to end the servants tonight on why you need the King James Bible. All right, this is a pretty big one. All right, look, I can't really preach one sermon on King James Bible-ism because they're just too much. So what I try to do is whenever we come across something that's been seriously corrupted by the other Bible verses, I just try to point that out to you. So make sure you make note of these in your Bible. Look at Isaiah 14 in verse number 12. So Revelation chapter 2. Revelation chapter 22 says that Jesus is the morning star. Look at Isaiah chapter 14 in verse number 12 in King James Bible. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer? We were talking about Satan right here. Son of the morning. How art thou cut to the ground which did weaken the nations? Now let me read for you Isaiah 14, 12 in the NIV and many other newer Bible versions. Notice how it says, O Lucifer, son of the morning. Jesus is the morning star. Son of the morning, morning star, different things. Look at, I'm gonna read for you Isaiah 14, 12 in the NIV. How have you fallen from heaven, morning star? Son of the dawn. You have been cast down to the earth. You have once laid low the nations. And then you would say, oh well maybe the NIV changes Revelation 22, 16. So the morning star in Revelation chapter 22, 16 is a different name. Here's Revelation 22, 16 from the NIV. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give to you this testimony for the churches. I am the root and offspring of David and the bright morning star. And I could do like a sermon series on just like stupid things of the NIV and how you can just prove the NIV wrong like crazy ways. But the NIV here is calling Jesus Christ and Satan the exact same name in its own pages. Look, it is important that, and look, this really throws people off. You go and you, I mean, you just go look up commentaries on this and people are just so confused about this, because you know what? It's confusing. You're like, and guess what? You're like, yeah, but who would equate Jesus and Satan? Like there's no doctrines that would ever, you know, take that seriously like Jesus and Satan could be, I don't know, brothers like the Mormons. Look, this is where all this garbage comes from. It's just messed up Bible versions. They just have errors everywhere. And I look, I don't think these errors are accidents, by the way, I don't think it's an accident to equate Jesus Christ with Satan. Okay, so look, that's why we're King James only. Just one small reason. Look at verse number 29 of Revelation chapter two to finish up. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear. There we are. What the Spirit saith unto the churches. So look, in conclusion tonight, look, the church at Thyatira was not following God's plan, God's management for men and women in the church. And look what happened. They were going into fornication, idolatry. Look, God's plan is perfect. We need to follow it. Turn to Isaiah 55. Turn to Isaiah chapter 55. Isaiah chapter 55. And look at verse number eight. We need to understand that whenever we see anything, because look, it's not gonna be just this thing. It's not gonna just be feminism versus what the Bible says. It's not just gonna be, you know, I mean, people will actually come to you as a Bible-believing Christian and they will accuse you. I just heard this one today. They will accuse you of like, oh yeah, you hate women. That is a lie from the pit of hell. We value women more than what the world does. Look, the Bible values women and puts them in the most important role. If there is one role that was failed in the Old Testament over and over and over again, it was how do you get this next generation to understand and follow the word of the Lord? Now the people that were in the battle in the Joshua generation, they did great. How do we raise a next generation that follows the Lord with their life? This is how you do it. And the women are the key part of that role. But you know, through stupid worldly philosophies, through greed, through money, through lust, we just throw the Bible to the wind. It's never gonna work. We just, and look, here's the thing. You don't even have to think about all these things. All you have to do is just read what the Bible says, trust it and do it. That's all you have to do. Look at Isaiah 5, 55 and verse number eight. The Bible says, for my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways my ways. Sayeth the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. You don't even have to understand it. You know what? You're not gonna understand everything. Just trust, as you trusted on Jesus Christ, who by the way is the word of God, just trust what the Bible says and just do it and then you will get the results that God promises you. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.