 Again, here we are in 1 Timothy. We're going to look today in chapter 2 at verses 9 through 15. And what we're looking at is the subject of women in the church, women in the church. And, you know, it's one of those portions of scripture that I believe is very practical. And yet we're living in a time when there is anything that is said that may contradict what the current trend of thinking is, is looked at with suspicion, especially as it pertains to the gifts and the calling and ministry in the church that women possess. And so Paul is dealing with that here in 1 Timothy. And we'll be looking at that together in these verses. So let's read together in 1 Timothy chapter 2 at verse 9. We'll read to verse 15 and we'll get into our study. Paul writes in like manner also that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but which is proper for women professing godliness with good works. Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. I'll just, I'll just rest on that for a minute. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. Oh, for Adam was formed and playing with you. You know I'm playing with you, right? Good, okay. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression. Nevertheless, she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love and holiness with self-control. And so let's look at this passage together today. We know that the apostle Paul is writing a letter. He's writing a letter to a young man named Timothy. You know that Timothy is a pastor. Timothy is the pastor of a church in an area of Turkey that is called Ephesus. So Paul is writing a letter to Timothy, this young pastor, and he's giving to him instructions concerning a few things that are necessary to be tuned up there in the church. So he's speaking about things like false teachers. He's also speaking concerning leadership. Even speaks concerning bad leadership. And so to deal with the problems that now exist in the church there in Ephesus, Paul begins to write to him concerning what you would call church order. He's instructing him concerning church life and ministry within the confines of the body of Christ. So here in chapter two, he's been giving those instructions and we had already seen how he had spoken concerning prayer and how he had encouraged the men to be spiritual leaders. We looked at that last time we were together. Remember in chapter two, verse eight, how he had said, I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. So I already was speaking concerning the men in the church and he was saying to the men in the church that you're to be the spiritual leaders in the church. And he was speaking concerning especially the discipline of prayer. And he said what you are to do is you're to take spiritual leadership, you're to lead out in prayer and you're supposed to do so everywhere because wherever believers gather, he's saying you men need to take the initiative and you need to be leaders. And when you do so, he says that you lift up holy hands, notice without wrath and without doubting. So when he says men you are to lift up holy hands, that's another picture of what we would call purity or holiness. You're to lift up hands and offering and worship to God without hidden sin. You're supposed to pray, he's saying, to us as men, you're supposed to pray without hypocrisy and you should pray in a posture of supplication and worship. But when you pray make sure that you don't have hidden sin. He's saying when you pray don't come and say these great and swelling words about God, how holy he is and how righteous he is and how good he is and how magnificent he is when in fact those are just words he's saying that spill out of your mouth but not from your heart because of the hypocrisy that you sometimes can have. So make sure that when you pray that before you even come that your heart is pure before the Lord. It's like what it says in Psalm 66 verse 18, if I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear. So he says, man, he said when you pray and you're doing your spiritual duties make sure that you lift up holy hands that are without hypocrisy. He says, and make sure you pray without wrath. The word wrath is an interesting word. It speaks of a settled anger but it also gives a practical application of an absence of love for other people and sometimes you may have a settled wrath or settled anger in your heart. Sometimes you may have an unforgiveness within your heart and that's going to hinder your prayers. It says in Ephesians 4.32, be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another just as God in Christ forgave you. And so he says, lift up holy hands and let there be no wrath and also he said no doubting. Doubting it's just another way of speaking of an absence of faith. He said, when you come and you pray, don't have the hidden sin of hypocrisy. Don't be in a position of unforgiveness and he's saying, and make sure that you pray with faith. Like it says in Mark 11, 24, therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them. So you don't go to prayer and pray to God without expecting that the Lord will respond. In Hebrews 11, verse 6, without faith it's impossible to please him. For he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. So men, he is saying to us, be spiritual leaders, be filled with purity, be filled with love and be filled with faith. As he has spoken to man, he now begins to speak to the ladies and he speaks concerning women in the church. And as he's doing so, he's actually going to speak concerning the roles of women, at least some of the roles that women have in the church. You see, unfortunately, and you'll see this later on in chapter 5, there are some of the ladies in the church that are causing some problems. They're not living properly. He will address that in chapter 5, verses 12 and 13. As he speaks about those women, he says, these women have cast off their first faith. And besides, they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house and not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not on Facebook. That's the modern translation. So he's speaking concerning men in the church and now he's speaking concerning women. That's why he begins in verse 9 by saying, in like manner, in like manner also that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or constantly clothed. And so now he begins to speak to women about how they ought to be there in church. And that's why he says in like manner, with the same regard, in other words, with the same regard to what our faith requires. Men of the church have certain standards, but so do women. And so he says women are to notice adorn themselves in modest apparel with propriety. The word adorn is a Greek word that simply means to arrange or put something in order. So he's saying a woman is to arrange herself appropriately to join God's people in worship. He speaks of her being modest. As he speaks in that way, the word modest speaks of clothing that is not revealing, clothing that would be regarded as being decent. He uses the word propriety. That would speak of the inner motivation to reject anything that is unbecoming. And he uses the word moderation, which refers to self-restraint. It's a rejection of anything that isn't proper. So arrange yourself with modesty, propriety, and moderation is what he's saying. In other words, he's saying to the ladies, women, he's saying be aware of what worship is and be aware of who you are. If you want to begin to identify as a lady, as a Christian woman, he would be saying, remember that you're daughters of the king. Remember and never forget that. And also he would say, you need to remember that your value is not determined by what others decide for you. There's a word that used quite often in our society that we really don't use anymore. And when it is used, it's usually just used in a way that's not really in regards to what its actual meaning intended to convey. And that's the word pagan. When you read the word pagan today, you don't realize what it's saying. A pagan is somebody who doesn't worship God. It's an ungodly individual. And there is a difference between Christians and those who are regarded as pagan and all. And so we need to remember that pagans are ungodly. People have always used women for their own pleasure. And even today, designers for women seem to sometimes, I don't know how else to say it other than to say it like this. It seems to me that sometimes those who design fashions for women really don't regard them very much because some of the designs that you see that are for women today are anything but attractive. And that's been the way of the world all along. And we need to remember that the teachings of Jesus Christ brought value to women because they were awakened to the fact that they belonged to God, that women who are saved are children of God. And they're no longer to be simply used and then discarded. Because in Christ, women gained individual standing as well as their understanding of their own personal value through Him. And that's something that did not occur in the pagan world. As much as people like to say that Christianity is oppressive, we need to remember historically that Christianity gave women full status before God, equality of personhood, which you did not have 2,000 years ago. Women 2,000 years ago in various echelons of the society during the time of Christ, Roman, Greek, and Jewish did not have the value in the Roman and Greek especially society and didn't have the heightened value in the Jewish society that Christ gave to them when they got saved. Romans looked at women as basically being simply under the possession of their father who basically owned them. He had the right of life and death in regard to his wife and all in the Greeks. Well, the Greeks during the time of the writing, the Greeks looked at women as being divided into a couple of categories. One was if I was a married man, I had a wife who would bear my legitimate children, but I would have a woman on the side that was intended to give me pleasure. For a Jewish woman, the idea of her ever yielding up her Jewish faith for Christianity was unheard of. And for a woman at that time to actually say, I'm going to come and follow Christ was a very courageous thing to do. And on all of this, the pagans did not regard women whatsoever. So when Christ came, he gave women a sense of who they truly are, their daughters of the King. In Galatians 3 28, Paul said, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And so that was revolutionary. And as a woman of God, the most important concern for her was that she be a vessel of honor. And so Paul's point is, don't draw attention to yourself in any way that dishonors the Lord. And that would include he's saying the way that you dress. You're to worship God properly. That includes your attitude as well as your manner of dress. And so women dress in decent fashion. And he's saying you're not to draw undue attention to yourself because that honors God. And not only that, if you're married, that honors your husband. And as a believer, that honors the church, the body of Christ. So don't cause any to stumble by your outward appearance. Do not stumble. Males, he's saying, be careful not to stumble females. Because the manner in which a woman dresses can encourage stumbling. So men are wired differently than women. You all know that, obviously. I'm saying something that everybody knows, even though today there's an awful lot of argument to the contrary. There are a lot of people arguing today saying, no, no, women and men are actually wired exactly the same. And it's society that determines the way we respond as either male or female. And there's really no difference. I can still remember when my daughters were young and were growing up and becoming more mature as young ladies, that I would say to them, be aware of the fact that the way that you dress can cause men to respond in a way that's not proper towards you. Be aware of that. And my girls being as wise as they were had to instruct their father how out of touch I am and out of step I am. And, oh, dad, boys are no different than girls. And I said, yeah, right. So do you think you'll learn? Because we are different, obviously. And I don't even know why. And I am taking time to say this because today our society is so absolutely confused about this. Men are visually stimulated. Men see differently than women. If a woman came walking in here right now wearing a bathing suit, the women would be looking at her differently than the men I guarantee you. I just guarantee you. That's just a fact, you know, because we are visually wired. And so years ago, back in 1975, I had an opportunity to go to Europe for three months. It was just before I married Marie. And so before I went to Europe, I spent three months backpacking. I went through several countries. I went to Germany and Holland. I went through Belgium, England, France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia. I was gone for three months and I was backpacking through all these countries and joined myself. And so I told Marie before I left, I said, you need to know something. When I come home, I'm going to break up with you. I told her that because, see, when I get jet lagged, I can be depressed. I can become depressed. And first thing I start doing is I'll just throw things off that I don't have time for. And I told that to Marie. I said, you need to know this. When I come home, I am going to break up with you. Do not be surprised because when I go and I travel and I get jet lagged, it just affects me that way. So she goes, okay. So I'm gone for three months. I come back and I see her. I go to church with her. And then I say, I'm breaking up with her. So I call her up. Marie, yes. I'm coming to see you tomorrow. Okay. I go there to break up because I'm going to, that's it. I've had it. I'm tired. I don't need it. So I, I break up with this church every time I travel. No. So I, so I go to her house and I lived in Norwalk at that time and she lived out here in Ontario. I still remember driving my 65 Volkswagen, driving here to Ontario, just up the street. And I pulled over and I, in my mind, breaking up with her. I knock on the door. She opens the door. She's wearing an orange top, jeans, platforms. She'd gone to the place to get her hair all prettied up. And I looked at her and I said, you'd be a fool. Men are visually stimulated. I thought with my eyes at that moment, I thought, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Don't be stupid. Slap, slap, you know, wake up, Jack. But it's true. And, you know, but a lot of women don't seem to understand this. As a matter of fact, I've heard this so many times. They'll say things like, well, you know what, that's your problem. You know, if you have problems and things like that, it's your problem. Well, on the one hand, we need to remember that we as men, that we men, we have to make decisions to keep our eyes on the right things. We are responsible for our own thought life. There's no doubt about that. Who would argue to the opposite? I am responsible. I can decide whether I'm going to allow what I see to provoke me to improper things. Job 31 verse 1 says it like this, I've made a covenant with my eyes. Why then should I look upon a young woman? I've made a decision that I will view them in the proper way at all. I will treat young women like sisters. I will have the right attitude. Yeah, it requires that in me. And it is an act of love for others when I consider how I'm treating them. And yet on the other hand, there are those who say things to us like, well, you know, it's your problem. Some will say, well, young ladies have said this. So what if they say that the way I dress bothers them? Why should I worry about what somebody else feels? And then they'll say things like, well, that's their problem. And I see that quite often. I see that often. It's posted very often on some of the Facebook posts and the various other posts. It's posted. It's their problem. If they don't like it, that's their problem. Is that the way that Christians are to speak and to believe about other people, though? And the answer to that is obviously no. I can't live my life based on how people think I should look. That's true. Over the years, I've had people say things to me. I don't like your hair. I don't like the way you dress. I understand that people have preferences and all. And I think everybody's pretty much got a right to their opinion, and that's okay. For a while there, there were people wondering if I dye my hair because my beard is white. And so I was getting my hair cut at where I get my hair done. Hair cut. Can tell I talked to Marie a lot where I get my hair cut. And one of the ladies who works at this particular place went up to my barber and said, okay, tell me, does he or does he not dye his hair? I wonder how many of you know Ken Graves or know of him? Ken Graves, man's man, Ken Graves, right? I saw him just three weeks ago, two or three weeks ago. Ken Graves. He's from Bangor, Maine. And he's a man's man. And he walks up to me and he says, your hair looks real. And I said, what? He said, yeah, he said, good job, your hair looks real. And I smiled at him and I said, listen, I was at a shop. One of the ladies there who comes to our church went up to my barber and asked him, tell me, does he or doesn't he? And my barber said, no, he doesn't. So no, I don't dye my hair. Why is my beard white and my hair dark? I don't care, but God knows why. I don't know. It just is. I'm telling you that because some people are actually curious. They're taking notes right now. He doesn't dye his hair. So I told that to Ken and he says, good man, good man. What business is it of yards? The other time I hear anyway, you wear girls pants. But anyway, um, does that matter? You know, obviously on one level, you know, I, you, I, we cannot live our lives in such a way as to, to, to please everybody. That's true. But when I get the attitude that it doesn't matter whether I stumble somebody, that's not good. The Bible makes it very clear in Romans 14, verse 13, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. 1 Corinthians 8, verse 12, when you thus sin against the brethren and wound their weak conscience, use sin against Christ, Romans 15, 3, even Christ did not please himself. And so on the one hand, we should live in such a way that we don't intentionally stumble others. And on the other hand, we need to be sensitive to the feelings of those that we may stumble. And again with Ken, he's a dear friend of mine and I'm teasing about him. But you know, those are things that you talk about sometimes because people wonder about those things, you know. In the context of this, aggressive sexuality and immodesty, Paul is saying is not pleasing to God. Why? Well, God prizes virtue. He prizes modesty and purity because those qualities are both beautiful as well as edifying. In Proverbs 12, verse 4, a virtuous woman is a crown to her husband. And she that makes ashamed is as rotten as in his bones. Proverbs 31, 10, who can find a virtuous woman for her price is far above rubies. So how is a woman to dress if she's to be pleasing to the Lord? Verse 9, once again, with propriety, which speaks of, again, reserve that keeps one within the bounds of decency and moderation, a soundness of mind, self-control or sobriety. What is he saying? He's saying, do not get caught up with extreme forms of current fashion. That's why in verse 9 he says, in propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, you're not to go out of your way to draw undue attention to yourself. Often clothing is intended to flaunt beauty, your body, your wealth, or simply glorify yourself. And so the point he's making, you'll see this more clearly in a moment, is the preoccupation of the believer must be their spiritual condition and not only the outward. In 1 Peter 3, verses 3 and 4, it says your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. Rather than working simply on the outside, he's saying, cultivate that inner person because that's what God is most greatly pleased with. Again, during the time of the writing, very often Greek women didn't have anything to do because their husband kept them at home. And so they would play dress-up, if you will. They would braid their hair, they'd put on gold and various things like that because their value was basically on the outer. And Peter is saying, no, cultivate the inner person. You see, again, there's nothing sinful about taking care of yourself. There is a benefit in having health and exercising and dressing attractively. That's not bad. But it's also done with the knowledge that we have, what I call an expiration date. We need to be aware of the fact that one of these days, and it's not that long for any of us, will be before the Lord. And therefore, that's why we cultivate the inner person. In 1 Timothy 4, 7 and 8, it says reject profane and old wives fables. Exercise yourself toward godliness. Bodily exercise profits a little. But godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. So you cultivate that inner person and you become a godly person. Modern society has elevated fashion and looks, though, to the point of idolatry. Advertisers encourage immodesty and unwise spending. And designers often create clothing that is intended to flaunt specific body parts. I looked up some of the runway models, some of the clothing that runway models sometimes are wearing. And because very often their design is being used to encourage women to dress in a certain way. And sometimes the runway models and the clothing is actually sad to see. It's comical as a matter of fact, I have in that pretty, they're gorgeous and they're so happy. They're always what she's doing is she's looking at food. I like her eyebrows. And these are the models. These are models. I mean, there's so many. There's, there's, you can actually look up just runway models and get all kinds of interesting things. And the sad thing is that that is what is being used today in many ways as models for you ladies. So instead of encouraging women to have a modesty and a beauty from within, you're being told that it all, all that matters is what is outside. And so a Christian woman is to flee temptation like this. If she's single, she should dress modestly because it expresses her moral purity. If she's married, she should reserve her beauty for her husband and reject the desire to attract other men's attention or other women's envy because she's totally committed to her husband alone. And dressing in a sexually provocative way will violate the purpose of even coming to church in the first place. So how are you to dress again? Verse 10, that which is proper for women, professing godliness with good works. So it isn't proper for women professing to be believers to call attention to themselves. It makes no sense if they say they are seeking heaven but are attached to the world. So they are to adorn themselves with godliness. He says, as well as good works, godliness, well, that speaks of your reverence to the Lord. Good works refers to the manner of life that is openly in pursuit of pleasing the Lord. And so he says, if you want to dress in act, when you're coming to church, and I'll make sure that you dress like this, godliness and good works. Now he moves on into some proper things related to church service. Verse 11, let a woman learn in silence with all submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression. Nevertheless, she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness with self-control. And so this again is dealing with order in the church. And notice verse 11, let a woman learn in silence with all submission. So learning should be done attentively with a heart of obedience that the result may be holiness. Now I want to say this quickly. This is not directed towards a surrender of mind and conscience. Ladies, it is not the abandonment of the duty of private judgment, it's been said. Silence refers to her not asking questions during the teaching of the Word. She's free in Christ, but she's not to interrupt the teaching in any way. In 1 Corinthians 14, 33 through 35, Paul said, God is not a God of disorder, but a peace. As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They're not allowed to speak, but must be in submission as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home for a disgrace. It's disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. What is he saying? Well, and we'll look at this in a little more depth. During that time, you have women who would be seated on one side, men who would be seated on another in congregations very often, and the teacher would be given the Word and it would cause the wife to be wondering what it meant, and she may speak across the isles to the husband during the service and interrupt the service, interrupt the teaching. That's why he says that if she has a question, she shouldn't ask it during church. She should ask her husband at home. Well, the husband is supposed to be equipped to be able to answer her questions, which once again puts that responsibility on me. I have the responsibility to be able to answer the questions that my wife may have. That's why I should be in the Word. That's why I should be in prayer. That's why I should be in fellowship with like-minded men so that I can be growing in my faith, so that if my wife is also pursuing the Lord, she can ask me a question. Perhaps she heard something said during the study and she get at home. She can say, by the way, Pastor said this and I didn't get it. Can you explain it to me? And a husband should be able to do so. Now, if he can't do it at that time, then he has the responsibility to get the answer for her because he has a spiritual question. And so during the church services, the woman sometimes may speak across the aisle saying, what did he mean by that? And he's saying she shouldn't be speaking at all. She's to learn in silence. If she has a question, she had asked her husband when they go home. What he's talking about though is that also is that this is to be noticed with all submission. That's a warning against the usurpation of authority. As a member of the church, he's saying she's to submit to proper biblical authority. That's why in verse 12, he says, I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. Now, again, this is in public ministry. The church is assembled. He says she's not to usurp. She's not to act on her own authority. She's not to exercise dominion over someone. He's saying women are to submit to rightly constituted church authority. They're not to be placed in a spiritual authority over the church. They're not to officiate as a pastoral teacher in a congregation of believers. Obviously, this doesn't forbid women from instructing from God's Word. All you need to do is look at Timothy himself, because Timothy came to faith in Christ through the influence of his mother and grandmother. In 2 Timothy 1, verse 5, Paul said, When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I'm persuaded, is in you also. And then he says in chapter 3, verse 15, he said from childhood you, Timothy, you have known the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. So Timothy had a godly mother and godly grandmother. They gave him the scriptures. So he's not saying that a woman cannot communicate the truth of God. Women do teach. They teach other women. They teach children. They teach at conferences sometimes, seminars, college courses, various classes. We'll see this next week if you women come back. But he gives the qualifications of an elder in chapter 3, after speaking concerning the women's role in chapter 2. And you do not see in chapter 3 any qualifications that relate to a woman. These are qualifications that pertain to male leadership. So women do have obvious ministry, but not in pastoral services. In worship services, when a woman is communicating, she does so under the covering of male leadership. Male leadership in Scripture is the norm. And women have roles, but they're not to compete. She's not to, as he says, usurp authority over the man. She's not to assume a role of spiritual leader over a congregation. I was in the Philippines. We used to have radio ministry in the Philippine Islands. And our radio ministry was in, it was broadcast out of Manila, Philippines. And so on a few occasions, I took teams to the Philippines and I did radio rallies with other Calvary Chapel ministries. And I can still remember being in Manila on one occasion. And I taught main seminars. And then we had what are called breakout sessions. And so in the breakout session, I was sharing. And I was sharing out of this passage and the Filipino pastors and their wives were there in the breakout session. And so there were women and men that were gathered together. There were maybe 60 to 80 in attendance in this one particular session. And I was just teaching about these things. And the men began to snicker when I said that women do not have the role as a pastor in the church. They began to actually snicker. And you can see, as I'm teaching the right in front of me, the men are looking at one another. And I haven't got a clue. This was in the 90s. I had, didn't have a clue why they were doing that until we had the question and answer period. And so when we had the question and answer period, I said, are there any questions you'd like to ask pertaining to what we're looking at? The first person who stood up was a lady. I still remember her clearing her throat. And I remember seeing the men looking at one another when she did that. And she introduced herself to me by saying, my name is, we'll say, Eunice Flores. I am pastor Eunice Flores. So she wanted to argue. So I looked for Marie. No. No. Mommy, help. So I, so I said, Oh, really? And the guys are snickering. And she says to me, I would have you know that in the Philippines, men, this is her, I'm quoting what she said, as I remember, as accurately as possible. Men in the Philippines do not take leadership roles. She says, so the women have had to rise to do so. She says in churches throughout the Philippines, there are pastors who are women because the men will not rise and teach. So I have had to stand up and I have had to become a pastor because the men in the congregation will not lead. And I'm looking at the men. And, and so I said, so Eunice, what you're saying to me is that the scriptures are not supposed to alter culture, but culture is supposed to alter scripture. What you're saying to me is because man's weakness, because of man's weakness, women are now in authority. I said, is that what you're saying? Because as we look at the scriptures, the scriptures say that the man is to lead and the woman is to be in submission with silence. And the Bible doesn't say that the woman has the authority, but that the man has been vested with it. Not just because a man is not enacting the role that God gave to him, does not say that scriptures are wrong. It says your society is wrong. And it says that the men should stand up and take the lead. But you don't alter your your biblical understanding based on human frailty and sin. And we're doing that right now, by the way, here in the United States. Did you know that right now in seminary, there are more women studying to become pastors than men? Did you know that? That men who should be leading are not and women who have not been called to hold the office of pastor that they're studying and going to seminary in order to be pastors? Did you know that? It's true. And there are different denominations that are yielding to that trend, rather than saying, Hey men, why don't we do what God called us to do? Now this is not to knock men and this is not to knock women. What we're supposed to do though, wouldn't you say, is what God says in his word. And what God says in his word is that men are to lead and the women have a support role they can do so many things. I'll show you this in a minute that are tremendously important. Well, when it comes to the role of pastor in a church, that's God has called men to do that. God has called men to do that. That's what we're called to do. And it's that's what he's presenting to us. He's saying that the male leadership is the norm. Why? Well, verse 13, he says Adam was formed first and then Eve. Adam wasn't deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression. So he says that Adam was formed first to finalize this argument. He actually is appealing to the authority of Scripture and refers to the priority of creation. Adam was created first in order to have biblical headship. He says that again in 1 Corinthians 11, eight and nine, he said the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman, the woman for the man. He's going to priority of creation. God created Adam that took the rib and created from the rib Eve. That's what he's speaking about the priority of creation. He was not made for her. She was made as a help that was suitable for him. Therefore, she being made for him is not to usurp authority over him. He says, and he says Adam was not deceived. The woman being deceived fell into transgression. In 2 Corinthians 11, 3, he says this, Paul said, I'm afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. She was deceived. She was hoodwinked. She was completely beguiled. She was taken. And that's what he's saying in verse 14 here. Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived. She was deceived. In Romans 5, 12, wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, death by sin, death passed upon all men, all have sinned. Man is the federal head. The sin nature comes from man because man voluntarily made the choice to succumb to taking of that forbidden fruit. Someone said Adam and Eve both sinned, but Adam was not deceived He sinned aware of the magnitude of the sin he was voluntarily committing. Eve, on the other hand, was completely and thoroughly deceived. She succumbed to the serpent's deceit. So since she was so easily deceived, she's not to be a pastor teacher. Again, this doesn't mean that women have no ministry in church. The women minister in every way possible, but they're not the pastor. One of the key ministries is found in Titus 2, verses 3 through 5, where older women teach the younger how to live godly lives. He said in Titus 2, 3 through 5, likewise teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. He said that the older women are to admonish young women to love their husbands, love their children, be discreet, chased, homemakers, good, obedient to their husbands, that the Word of God may not be blasphemed. Women have tremendous ministry. Here in our fellowship, we have women who actually minister to other women. They're trained to, they know the Word of God, they're experienced in life, and they minister to other women. That happens all the time. We have great women's ministry, as some of you ladies partake in and know, where you grow in the ways of the Lord. Women have tremendous ministry. They're not called the pastor. He goes on finally in verse 15, nevertheless, she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness with self-control. Now that's mysterious. In many ways, it's like, what are you talking about? She's going to be saved in childbearing. Well, in childbirth, a woman remembers the curse and she as a believer could even think that she's lost. Why? Because the curse found in Genesis 3.16 reads to the woman, he said, I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing. With pain, you will give birth to children. Your desire will be to your husband. He will rule over you. You're going to, in birth, you're going to have pain. I don't care. I've said this before. I'm going to repeat myself. Forgive me. I don't care if it's the Lamas, Ha, Ha, He, He, Who, Who. It all ends up with one word, Ow, Ow. My sister, my sister Madeline was teaching ladies to have childbirth in a particular way. I forgot whether they were in bath tubs or whatever. I went through Lamas classes to try and help my wife and all. It didn't work. She crushed my hand. She squeezed it so hard. I always went going, Ha, Ha, Who. As she was breaking my fingers. It's a reminder. In pain, you're going to be giving birth. And so a Christian woman going through the birth pains could be thinking, perhaps I'm not saved because the curse that God had given in Genesis 3.16 seems to be being affecting me right now. And so he says, no, wait a minute. You need to remember that though you experience pain, the pain doesn't represent a break of relationship with God any longer. It's just a matter of natural fact that you're going to have pain. But also you can remember that Messiah was brought forth through a woman in order to remove that curse. Someone said those sin and sorrow and childbirth came in by the woman. Yet by a woman's childbearing, a savior came into the world. And so women may be saved as well as the men by Christ. And Jesus, of course, being born to a woman by the name of Mary. So how is a woman supposed to dress in church? Moderation, godliness, good works, remembering that she came to church, not a fashion show, but she came to church to worship the Lord and to enjoy Him. It's so simple, but it bears repetition, especially in this hour day. That modesty is a good thing. It's pleasing to the Lord.