As mentioned last week and the week before and probably the week before that anyway, the we call this the book of Timothy, first Timothy. It's actually the letter, the first letter to Timothy from who? From Paul. Okay? But most importantly, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

And that's something we always need to remember. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. Therefore, it carries God's authority. It is our responsibility as believers in God and in his word not to conform or try to conform the word of God to our opinions, but to conform our opinions and convictions to the word of God as though God himself were speaking. Because if we believe that this indeed is the word of God, then God is what?

Speaking to us through it. There are many things in scripture which we heartily agree with and we find not problematic. There are other things in our culture in particular that maybe are a bit more problematic. But, you know, God never makes what? Mistakes.

He never leads us astray. He knows what is best, and we need to follow what God's word has to say whether we want to agree or not. I'm sure when you were younger, when you were a teenager at home, you always agreed with your parents. Right? Always agreed, never disagreed.

But hopefully, you still what? You still obeyed. Okay? God doesn't ask that we completely understand. What he does ask is that we obey his word.

So, Paul is writing Timothy with instructions concerning the church. How Timothy is now leading the church at Ephesus and Paul is writing to explain some things to help him in this ministry. There are some issues he's going to run into and he needs to deal with those issues in a godly manner according to the leading of the Holy Spirit and the word of God. And so Paul is writing him to help him with these. And so we get to first Timothy chapter two.

God is giving instructions concerning one of the most important things in the church and that is prayer. Prayer is worship. Prayer is vital and important. It's it's vital that we pray together. Where two or three are gathered what?

Together. It is important that we pray together publicly in small groups, in large groups. It's also important, as Christ pointed out, that we pray what? Privately. Okay?

If the only time you ever pray is publicly, then that's a problem because the real growth in your relationship with God does not grow out of your public prayer life. It grows out of your watch or private prayer life. And so Christ deals with that with the Pharisees in Matthew chapter six. But prayer is important, both public and private. He then begins to give some instructions with men and women, to men and women specifically in the church.

And then the leadership in particular, pastors here called bishops in chapter three and deacons in the church. These are important to Paul and then important to the Lord that those that leave the church have certain qualifications. And so Paul relays those to Timothy. Some of this was somewhat new because the church was a new thing. The church began really as a local institution on the day of what?

On the day of Pentecost. And you have the first church there in Jerusalem following the day of Pentecost and then the church grew and then other local churches came to be and they sort of followed the pattern of the synagogue because that is what they knew and had practiced. But as the church grew, God laid down some directions for worship in the church, for the polity of the church, for leadership in the church that needed to be followed moving forward and so Paul is dealing with some of those things here in chapter two and in chapter three. So, we took notice in verse eight where it says, I will fear therefore that men pray everywhere That the word men there, though God does indicate very clearly that God intends everyone to pray, he's speaking specifically to men here because the word in Greek is on air. It's not anthropos.

It is gender specific and God wants to really drive it home to the man you need to lead in the worship and prayer in the church. You need to be the what? The examples. Men need to pray, not leave that up to the women and children. Men need to lead in prayer.

They need to be good examples. This is important. And then he goes on in verse nine as we looked at last week to he had some instruction for women particularly in their appearance or their dress, but more importantly in their what? In their in their attitude in the church. Modesty is not just about how one dresses or the amount of makeup you put on or or that sort of thing.

That's that's not the focus. His focus here is as we see in verse 10, but that which becometh women professing godliness with with good works. It also is more important or just as important, the attitude that we all have toward the Lord and toward the church. We do not want anything to detract from that, do we? We do not want to send the wrong message to the Lord or others by how we act, talk, dress, appear.

When we come to worship the Lord, we come to worship somebody that is higher than anybody else. He is the king of kings and Lord of lords. He deserves for us to draw the attention to him and not to us. He deserves for us to act and speak and dress in a manner that shows respect. Thus, your pastor doesn't get up here, as I mentioned, in, you know, gym shorts and a tank top.

That just would not seem very what? Respectful and honorable. So now the fact is anybody that walks in that back door back there to come to church this evening or this morning, they're welcome. We're glad they're here. And, you know, I think God is glad they're here even if they're not dressed as we would think of being dressed for church.

There are churches that used to have signs that says, come as you are. And I don't have any problem with that. We want people to come as they are. We just don't want people to stay as they are. And we're not talking about the way they dress.

We're talking about their what? Their heart. God says, come as you are, but God doesn't want you to stay as you are. He wants to change us. He wants to make us more like Jesus Christ.

He wants to be whole us to be holy in every aspect of our life and conduct. That's what it means, be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Even our appearance and the way our behavior in decorum. Those things are important to who? To God.

If they weren't important to God, then why did he then why did he mention them? They are important to him. So, we get down to verse 11 and we get to another subject concerning the church and worship in the church which everybody agrees on, and there is no debate, and our culture is perfectly fine with. Okay. Did I did I say something funny?

Okay. Obviously, that is not that is not the case. What is the case is this is whose word? This is God's word. So Paul goes on, he says, let the women woman learn in silence with all subjection.

But I suffer not a woman to teach nor usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed then Eve, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding, she shall be saved and childbearing if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. K. We'll get to that last verse.

It is a bit problematic. However, it's God's word. Therefore, it means something. So I think we have a pretty good grasp of what it means. We'll get to it in a minute.

We'll leave you in suspense as to verse 15. Okay? Let's go back up to verse 11. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. This verse tells us, again, he's he's addressing women in the church, their decorum in the church.

Notice that I keep saying in the what? In the church. In the church. K. This is he is addressing what's going on in the church, not what's going on outside of the church.

Paul often addresses the home and he addresses the church. He's not all that concerned about what's going on in government. Okay? If I have if I have to make a choice to vote between a man who is going to lead our country in the wrong direction and a woman who's going to lead our country in the right direction, I'm voting for the woman. Okay?

So because it is important and because Paul is not addressing who governs the state, is he? He's addressing in the what? Worship in the church. Okay? So we need to focus on what Paul is saying here.

This is in regards to the church. The first thing you should notice, which you probably didn't because we've been trained culturally to to really when we see the word silence and subjection to kinda, you know, let oh, you know. But before we get to that, it says, let the woman what? Learn. Where?

In church. Okay. Was that the common custom of the day for women to be taught in school? In no. No.

That wasn't the common custom of the day. The first thing he encourages Timothy here concerning is that women ought to learn and be taught. That is assumed by Paul while it was not the practice either in Judaism or paganism. The men were taught the women stayed at home. Only men were taught in synagogues while girls were taught how to keep house by their mothers.

Anything with wrong with being taught how to keep house by your mothers? No. However, nothing wrong with women learning science and math and most importantly, what? The word of God because that's not just for men, that's for all of us. We are all the children of God.

This wasn't written to man, it was written to all of God's children. However, in the synagogues in Judaism, girls were not taught in the synagogue, only the men were. In Gentile societies, women were often treated like servants or even slaves and used to satisfy men's immoral appetites in pagan temples. This was sadly the case in Ephesus. This was sadly the case in Corinth.

Women were not valued for their knowledge. They were not valued for their wisdom. They were not valued for their ministry. This was sadly the common way of the world and it was the wrong way of the world. Paul assumes because the church had already begun to practice this, and not only does he assume, but when he says in verse eleven eleven, let the woman learn, it is an imperative, he is commanding Timothy that women be what?

That women be taught. They aren't supposed to be quarantined off over here as the world often did. In Christian cultures, women were increasingly being educated and taught the word of God just as men and even with men, a practice which set Christianity apart from most other religions of the world. This was a new idea, a new thought in Paul's day. But it wasn't new in the mind of who?

In the mind of God. Because God created both men and women to be taught, to learn, to work together and not apart. Our roles in the home and in church differ to a degree and they also overlap to a degree. And they're supposed to complement one another where they are both important. The second thing we see here is the part that you probably noticed when we read the verse.

The women were instructed to receive instruction. It uses the word silence, but it means quietly. To learn in quietness. To receive instruction quietly in church and to respectfully follow the male leadership of the church. He further explains what he means by this in the next verse.

Again, in our culture, maybe some people have issue with this, but I really don't think we ought to take issue with who? Take issue with God. God knows what he's doing. God made us. He knows what we are best created and gifted to do, whether we be, smarter or less smart, whether we be taller or shorter, whether we be more eloquent or not, whether we be more, shy or outgoing or whether be be men or women.

God has placed us in the family, in the home, in the church to fulfill vital important roles in service to the Lord. And to do it how? To do it together. But God does have a a some instructions concerning the leadership and how this is to be done that simply can't be ignored. Well, that doesn't quite fit with the way I think, so I'll just tuck this away over here.

What does he mean when he says quietly in the church? Well, he says in verse 12, but I suffer not a woman to teach nor usurp authority over the man but to be in silence. Not teaching men. That is Paul is saying he doesn't allow or permit. And again, I don't think Paul is speaking only for himself because if that's the case, then every time Paul says, I this, I that, then we'd have to just cut that part of scripture out and say, well, he's not he's not inspired there because he's saying what?

I. Well, that certainly isn't the case. We're not gonna go through the scripture and say, every time Paul says, I say this, I say that. He's not speaking for the Lord. Else, this isn't whose word.

This isn't God's word. So Paul says, I suffer not a woman to teach nor usurp authority over man. So not teaching men, not he doesn't mean that women should never teach, but he's speaking in respect to men or mixed groups within the church. Is this consistent with the practice of Christ and the instructions of Paul elsewhere? Well, yeah, it is.

First Corinthians fourteen thirty four, let your women keep silence in the churches for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. Paul isn't saying that women should never say a word in church. That is not his point. His point is that they should be respectful of the teaching and who's leading and to not speak up and detract from what's going on. That is not, Paul says, permitted that they should do this.

Evidently, in Corinth and maybe in Ephesus, this was a problem. They were interrupting the services or the teacher and interjecting and and disagreeing and and that sort of thing. And Paul said everything in this very same chapter is to be done decently and what? And in order. Certainly, is the case within the church.

There are times when we have I have Thursday bible study. Have any of you come to Thursday bible study? Okay. Okay. Are the women allowed to speak in Thursday Bible study?

Ask Doris and Jules. Okay? Alright. Do they speak in Sunday school sometimes? Yeah.

Okay. Doris Doris speaks regularly. Do do you interrupt me? Does anybody interrupt me a lot when I'm preaching in the morning service? No.

Not really. That's not really normally normally done. It's a different kind of service than is what? A discussion type bible study that we have on Thursdays. So Paul is saying here that men ought to teach men in mixed groups like in service or or Sunday school in the church.

And this practice is consistent with what Paul says here. It's consistent with the actions of Christ. He picked 12, what, apostles, and all of those apostles were men. Did that mean that women didn't play any role in his ministry? Obviously not.

Mary, Mary, Mary, and, see, Salome and Elizabeth and okay. We who am I missing? Oh, okay. We go into you you leave Jesus and you you come to Aquila and what? Who?

Priscilla? By the way, most of the time, it's listed as Priscilla and Aquila rather than Aquila and Priscilla, just just to note. We got Lydia. There's a lady named Phoebe. There's another one named Dorcas.

There's women played vital roles. Philip's daughters prophesied. There were women prophets in the Old Testament. There were women judges. There were women queens, which is a good thing because a queen should be a what?

A queen should be a woman and not a man. Okay? But there were 12 apostles and they were all men. Who's choosing? Christ choosing.

In the Old Testament, there was a particular group in Israel that were required to be men. Who was that? The priest. The priesthood were men only. Is that because there were, in that day, no such thing as women priests or priestesses?

The answer is actually there were. Several pagan religion did have priestesses, but God only required that the priests be men. Who's choosing? God's choosing. God's choosing.

He must have a purpose in the choices that he makes. He certainly is not saying that women cannot have vital roles in other areas and he's not saying that women shouldn't teach either. Well, because, well, right here, he says that women should teach for Titus two. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviors become with holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine. Why?

What's the next word? Teachers. Teachers of good things. Just not teachers of men and mixed groups in the what? In the church when it came to religious matters, you know.

If happened to know a lady that knows how to clean carpets, okay, and you wanna know how to clean carpets, well, I might go to the lady to find out how to clean the carpet. Okay? But when we get to first Timothy chapter three, in the case of both pastors and deacons, it says, the husband of one wife. Husband is the word on air. Again, it is gender specific.

And therefore, it would seem to be clear from scripture that God intends for pastors and deacons to be to be men. Certainly not my words, but but God's. There's nothing wrong with women talking to men in the church. There's nothing wrong with asking good questions in the proper setting or evangelizing anyone anyone God puts in their path. Just not to hold a position as a teacher of mixed adults in the church or a pastor or a deacon as we'll see when we get to chapter three.

Just to note, chapter three verse two, a bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife. God chose that wording for a reason. In our world today, it is understandable that some people outside the church may be confused at what it means husband of one wife, but it shouldn't be an issue where? In the church. We should we should know what that means.

That means a man and not a woman. So he says, not teaching men or exercising authority over men. There are certain positions of authority within the local church and in the home which God have ordained God has ordained to be held by men and not women. Although this is not a popular position, America today is nonetheless the clear teaching of scripture. Paul does not address the business world or government or public affairs, but the home and the church.

The issue was not one of servitude but proper decorum, being respectful of the leadership of their husbands and the church leadership. Evidently, this had become a problem in Ephesus, so therefore Paul wanted to or he was a potential problem, and so Paul wanted to address it. It had become a problem in the church at Corinth. Well, there were a lot of problems with the church at Corinth. So Paul again again mentions it there.

Now, you say, well, pastor, it's because of the culture. You see, Paul lived in a culture where women were not allowed to take leadership roles to be acknowledged in public and other things over men, and it had to do with the culture. He didn't want to offend the culture. Okay? If that were the case, then Paul's reasoning would have been what?

Cultural in nature. He would have given an explanation that had to do with the culture. He would say, I don't permit this at this time because of the what? Because of the culture. But we get to verse 13 and he doesn't give that reason.

He doesn't give a reason from culture. He gives a reason from creation. Verse 13, for Adam was first formed, then Eve. K. Go back to Genesis chapter one, Genesis chapter two, and we would see that God formed Adam out of the what?

The dust of the ground. And then after Adam named all of the animals so that he would recognize that he was what? Alone. And that there was no mate, no no helper, no completer for him, that he would value the one that God made for him. So then God caused him to fall asleep and then God took a rib.

And with that rib, with that hunk of his side, the the the word there in Hebrew means more than the rib, but just the the flesh even around that God took from the man and with it, made a what? He made a woman. He made a helper. He made a completer. He made a partner for man.

But as Paul points out, and unless unless you are convinced that Paul is just a male chauvinist and this isn't the word of God, I must accept Paul's reasoning. Paul says, I suffer not a woman to teach nor use super authority over man in the ministry of the church, for Adam was first formed then Eve. And Adam was deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. So man was created first, man was created then Eve to be his help me. This was God's intention from the very start of creation.

Thus, wives in particular are not to usurp authority over their husbands or other men in the church, but to assist them in the ministry, not as servants but as partners, as equals with differing roles. Our roles are different and that's okay. Because who made it that way? God did and that's okay. A matter of fact, we should embrace those roles.

Husband should embrace the role as leader and protector and provider for his family, for his wife, and for his children. Sad to say men sometimes today don't embrace that role, and that's just as problematic as the other. The same thing is true in church. Men should be leaders. They should embrace that role that God has given to them.

He goes on to say, kind of an odd verse here, If you've read it and thought, what is he talking about? For Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Again, this is part of his reason behind what he just said and what he's going to say in chapter three. Eve was deceived by the servant serpent demonstrating, at least in her case, a vulnerability to deception. She was easily deceived, it would seem.

Does that mean that women are always easily deceived? No. He's talking about Eve. Okay? However, Eve was demonstrated a vulnerability to set up to deception, and she was deceived.

Adam was not deceived. How do I know that? Because it says so. Right? It says so.

Paul says, Adam was not deceived. Eve was deceived. Adam was not. He knew what he was he knew that what he was doing was wrong. He knew what God had said, and he did it what?

He did it anyway. He did it anyway. Eve evidenced demonstrate a vulnerability to deception. Adam evidenced a vulnerability to the peer pressure of his what? Of his wife, of his mate.

When God came to the garden, Adam said, God said to Adam, why'd you eat of the fruit? And he blame shifted and he put it on who? The woman. Now who was supposed to be leading the woman? Who was supposed to be helping to protect the woman from the deceit of Satan?

Adam, he didn't do his what? He didn't do his job and then when he got caught, he blamed the woman. But in part, he was telling the truth. He did it because of the woman. He did it because he didn't take the leadership.

He didn't take a stand. He didn't protect his wife. No. Instead, he followed her right into sin. And by the way, in Eve, all die.

Is that what it says? No. It says in who? In Adam, all die. K?

Who does God hold ultimately accountable for the human race being plunged into sin? It wasn't Eve, it was Adam. Eve came from Adam. All came from Adam. And in Adam all die.

Praise the Lord. The finish of that verse says, in Christ shall all be what? Made alive. But the fact of the matter is, Eve was deceived. She gave to Adam, and then Adam followed suit and ate.

Eve did not submit herself to her husband who no doubt had told her what God had said concerning the tree. How do I know that? Well, because when Satan asked Eve in Genesis three if she could eat if she couldn't eat of all the trees of the garden, Eve told the serpent exactly what God told who? Adam. So Adam had told Eve, but nonetheless, she was deceived, ate of the fruit, and gave it to Adam, and then he followed suit.

This is not an argument from culture. It is an argument from creation. It is an argument from Genesis chapter two, and we see the consequences of Adam and Eve not following that in Genesis chapter three, and we still suffer for their error, their sin today. So, again, Paul could have said, well, the reason that I'm telling you this is because, well, it just isn't it isn't kosher with the culture of the day. It would distract from what we're trying to do if we had men pastors and we had female pastors and and leader and teachers in the church of both men and women, but that is not what Paul says.

He uses an example, a reason that goes back all the way to Genesis chapter two and Genesis chapter three. So I think I'll just stick with what God says in regards to this issue even if it doesn't make me real popular in the culture of the day. We get to verse 15, and if you've if you've ever picked a book that says explaining hard sayings in scripture, okay, and it picks out a few difficult verses, Inevitably, verse 15 might pop up as one of the hard sayings of scripture, okay? What does that verse mean? How do we interpret verse 15?

We get confused, I think, because of one word in this verse. What is that word? That word is saved. That word is saved. How do we most use the word, the term when we're in church and we're talking about somebody being saved, what are we how are we using that word?

We're talking about their eternal salvation, their relationship with God, whether they're going to heaven or whether they're going to hell, that is how we often use that word. But the word means to deliver, the word means to rescue, the word means to redeem. The word the it's a word that's used in several different ways even in scripture particularly in the Old Testament. David talks about being saved and sometimes he's not talking about being saved from sin. He's talking about being delivered from Saul who's trying to what?

Kill him or the enemies that's trying to destroy him. So every time you see the word saved, we just assume it's talking about your eternal salvation. That's not how this word is being used here. Paul is not saying that notwithstanding she or a woman will be saved by doing what? Bearing children.

Now that is not the way of salvation. Okay? If that were the way of salvation, then all men would be lost for eternity because we can't bear children. Regardless of what the crazy people in education today, men cannot have children. Okay?

So we would be forever lost. That's not what that's saying. The statement concerning women being saved and childbearing is not a reference to their spiritual salvation, but a means of being delivered in a small way from the shame or stigma of whose sin. Specifically, who are we talking about? Eve's.

Eve's sin. That's that's it. Adam was first formed then Eve and Adam was not deceived but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding, she shall be saved in childbearing if they obviously, he's he's applying this to women in general. He uses a plural there.

If they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. He's not saying that women are saved by childbearing. But what this means is that through well, I'll just read what I got here again. But a means of being delivered in a small way from the shame or stigma of Eve's sin and an opportunity to reverse it by raising children to trust and honor God. The whole human race was plunged into sin by the choices of Adam and Eve.

But through childbearing and child rearing that is somewhat unique to motherhood, moms have an opportunity to raise children that follow and honor and serve the Lord. And what an opportunity to turn things for the human race in a different in a different direction as they are an example of charity and faith and holiness in their life before their children. As they are examples in their home, as they are examples of these in their church, they too have an opportunity to have an incredible role, and particularly with children and in the home. To rear up a generation that will turn the world upside down for Jesus Christ. And that often starts where?

It starts in the home with little children who have a loving mom who loves them, who loves God, and who begins to instill that love in their children at a young age. Psychologists tell us that so much of who we are is determined in the first eighteen months to three years of our life. And who is the one who often has the most contact with children under the age of three? Moms. So, yes, Eve was deceived.

Yes, Eve ate the fir tree first, but Eve and every wife and mother that follows has a wonderful privilege to turn things around. Now isn't it isn't their only responsibility or place of service, obviously. And not all women are called to be wives or mothers, though it's generally the case. It's certainly not the case for all. We support a single woman on the mission field presently.

Her name is Rachel Stefansmeier. She teaches music at Bob Jones Memorial College in The Philippines. I suspect as she teaches music, she probably has male students and female students in the class. Anything wrong with that? No.

No. God is using her in that college. And while she is ministering in the college, she's also ministering in the church. She's also going out and talking to people, probably men and women in the street handing them tracks and telling them about Jesus. There is nothing wrong with that.

And God is using her as he has used many many women on the mission field and in ministry. However, that does not refute the teaching of scripture. And what Paul sets forth here as he explains to Timothy, this is what you need to teach and establish in the church because this is the way that God has determined it to be. And we all, whether we be men or women, boys or girls, we need to follow the teachings of scripture and the way of Jesus Christ, even the parts that we may not quite understand or completely agree with. Let's pray.

Dear heavenly father, thank you, Lord, for your word. I pray, dear heavenly father, that you would give us wisdom in understanding it and rightly interpreting and applying it to our lives and to our church. I I pray that you would help us, Lord, to follow you in every way, to conform ourselves to the word of God and not seek to conform it to our thinking. And, Lord, we thank you for the roles that we have in home and in church. We thank you, Lord, for the ministries that you've given us.

We thank you for men and women who are vital to our ministry here, who make a difference in the lives of many. And we pray, Lord, that you would help us to take those privileges and responsibilities seriously, that we together might change hearts and lives for Jesus Christ in a way that brings glory to the one who made us, who has saved us, and has called us. In Jesus' precious name, we do pray. Amen.