You know, I do hope that you've been enjoying each other's company and the time together
And just seeing the way everything's been decorated and the balloons and and everything the food
I mean even the foods looks nice
I mean food normally when you know
You give a man a plate of food
He doesn't care what it looks like as long as it tastes good as long as it goes down the belly doesn't doesn't matter what?
It looks like okay, but even when you guys organize these things, you know, everything had to look right
Okay, and so the title that I have
For you today is a lady of beauty a lady of
Beauty now when I think about you know, the differences between a man and a woman
You're looking at a general man or a general woman out there
You know something that is very different between men and women is that women, you know, I'm talking just generally are
Beautiful more beautiful than men. Okay men, you know, we're built to work where we're built to labor
We're not built to be delicate or pleasant to the eye necessarily. I'm not talking about attraction here
I'm just saying generally speaking a woman just for nature
Just the outward even the inward is more beautiful than a man and you know what the Lord wants you to be a lady of
Beauty and so what we're going to be looking at today is what does the Lord consider?
Beautiful for a woman. Oh first of all, you know a woman has an eye for beauty a woman has an eye for beauty
Okay, as I said you guys walked in here, you know Christiana, you know
Like consider the difference between organizing the ladies high tea
Where Christina spending and some of the others, you know spending hours and hours and hours of trying to get things organized
Buying the right tablecloths and the right runners and you know organizing the right food and the right balloons
All those hours into preparing to make this thing beautiful in comparison to the men's mountain climb
Listen, we just turned up there. We just turned up. Okay. Yeah, I did prepare a mini sermon, but that was it
Okay, I mean everything else was organized right there on that same day
It didn't matter what it looked like for men, you know it that you know
We didn't care about looking at you know, making it look beautiful
But for ladies you have an eye for beauty, you know at the men's mountain climb. We had no decorations
Could you imagine if I invited the men and we did we put the balloons for the men?
We had the pink tablecloths. We had the pink flowers
You know what the men would do when they walked in let's say pastor Kevin
I think I'm gonna find another church
They wouldn't trust me anymore. If I decorated a place like this for a men's gathering
Okay, so, you know men we're not we're not looking for the beautiful, you know, things like that the lovely things the decorations
This is something the ladies want, you know, we had no plates, you know, we ordered pizzas last minute. I asked him Tim
Can you find your place? He goes I asked him there you found a place
I'm not really so we let just buy pizzas and we had no plates. So we used the
The pizza boxes as our plates we ate straight out of the boxes. Did we care?
Did we need the gold plates as men? No, but it's something the ladies think about right?
I'd make all kind of plates will make him golden make him look
You know make him stand out make sure they match the colors of the forks and all this as men
We don't care about those things. All right, so there is a clear difference between
Men and women you guys even all gonna even come in
Hey come in dress nicely put something on you put something on elegant and ladies generally are like, yeah, that's that'll be fun
That'll be something to do when the men went to the mountain climb. We took off our shoes
You know, we were in Michaels house. We had no shoes. So think about the older
Alright, I mean that place smell like men. It's not like sweats. It's not like feet
It wasn't wasn't wasn't the light. I come in here smells great. Okay, there's a clear difference between men and women
Ladies have an eye for beauty
And so, you know, even I remember when we first had you know before Christina before we had our first child
You know Isabel and even Nicholas. I remember going to the shops with with Christina
She's like, oh we need to pick out some baby clothes
We need to make sure we pick out clothes, you know from the time we take him from the hospital to home
I want him dressed. I want her dressed a certain way and we're going to the shops
I'm like just just anything will do but for Christina had to be the right outfit
It had to be a beautiful outfit. It had to be something special for that child to come home
But for me, it's like, you know men think differently, right?
We think practically as long as it gets done, that's fine
But we've ladies you like things to make look more lovely
Things to look more beautiful for things to be more pleasant and this is fine
God has created you to have this eye for beauty, you know when we talk about the church, you know
I'm happy with the walls the way they are. I'm happy with the carpet the way they are. I'm happy with everything
I think this building is the most amazing thing I've ever had, you know for a church, but you ask the average lady
She'll say well needs a bit of a paint job. This needs to be touched up
We need new carpet when you do this why because you've got an eye for pleasant beautiful things for men
We just want to be practical. We just it does the job good. I'm happy, you know, we go from there
The next thing that I want to talk about yesterday. I a lady has an eye for beauty
but secondly
If you can please I'll get you to turn to Matthew chapter 6 if you've got a Bible
Matthew chapter 6 you turn there what we won't go there just yet
But the next thing is as I said just generally speaking when you look at the difference between a man a woman
That a woman has physical beauty about her has physical beauty
This is something God created women to be like okay, and you know when Rachel was chosen
For Jacob or when Jacob chose Rachel I should say he looked upon her beauty
It says in Genesis 29 17
Rachel was beautiful and well favored and then it says in verse number 18 and Jacob loved Rachel and said I will serve thee
Seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter, you know for Jacob Rachel was so beautiful
He said look I'm gonna work seven years just to marry this beautiful woman
You know Rachel was beautiful in the eyes of Jacob
And so, you know just physically speaking women are more beautiful than men, you know
If you've married a man that thinks he's more beautiful, you know, he spends more time in the mirror than his wife
That's a strange man. I think most men aren't doing that right most men
They take a few seconds a few minutes to get ready for the day and they're not going to spend more time than their wives
Getting ready. Okay, that's not something men generally care about for themselves. But when they're looking for a wife, hey, there's nothing wrong
We've looking for a woman that he finds
Beautiful and one thing especially I want to talk to the married ladies right now the married ladies
The reason your husband married you is because he found you beautiful
That's why he found you beautiful and he said you know what?
I'm gonna marry this woman before someone else gets in the way
Before someone steps in in front of me and takes this woman as his wife. I find her so beautiful
I'm going to marry her and I say this to the married ladies because you know, we live in a world
We live in in in Satan's world
You know the god of this world and he wants you had to have a different idea of your beauty
Okay, Satan wants you to compare yourselves
You know to some Hollywood actress who's 80 years old who doesn't have a wrinkle who looks like she's 40 when photo photos are taken
Okay, and you might look at that Hollywood actress and say wow, she's so beautiful. She's 80 years old. She's 70 years old
How can she be so beautiful? Well, you know why because she has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on
plastic surgery on liposuction on
Botox on
What else what I say, I don't know what to say on a facelift
Okay, they spend all this money all this time
That's what they live for they live for that beauty and the god of this world
The devil wants you to look at that and make that your measuring stick
No, don't let that be your measuring stick remind yourself the reason I got married is because my husband found me beautiful
Listen ladies, please because the world is is it just wants you to feel horrible about yourself
You know, it's natural for a woman to get wrinkles
It's natural for a woman to get white hairs as she get old men will get white hairs men will get wrinkles
It's it's natural for a woman's beauty to disappear as the years go by in your eyes
But always remind yourself. The reason my husband married me is because he found me beautiful
Please remember that and don't compare yourself to the beauty that Hollywood produces
Because that same woman that apparently looks so beautiful, you know, she when she wakes up in the morning with no makeup
She looks horrible, you know, she looks horrible, you know
She's got to spend hours and hours getting you know, fixing herself up to make herself look presentable
But you take away the facelift and you take away the nose job you take away all the plastic surgery
They're gonna look they're gonna look pretty bad
Especially in that lifestyle that Hollywood offers that is not the comparison
Remind yourselves my husband married me because he found me beautiful. That's what matters does my husband find me beautiful
That's what matters and he did because he married you. Okay, don't let the devil confuse you on that
The other one of devil throws at you is the ultra thin models as they're walking down the catwalk or whatever
They call it right and they're so thin you can see their bones
It seems like you know, the thinner you are that the more beautiful so-called they think it is
All right, but you know what those those women that you you know that the devil's trying to make you think of beautiful
You know what? They're constantly stressed
They're constantly worried that if they put one ounce of fat on their bodies that they're not going to make it anymore
They're constantly worried about these issues that shouldn't be issues
You know that after they have a meal after they have ladies tea high tea, they're going to the toilet and throwing up
Okay, is that how you want to live your life, you know comparing yourself to the beauty that the world says
Hey, they go into the toilets are throwing up. They don't want to put any weight on they want to remain skinny
They're stressed about these things and a woman's natural bodies not to be that way
You know the natural, you know, if you try to
To be skin and bones you're going to mess up the hormones in your body. You're going to cause damage in yourself
You may not even be able to carry a baby baby, you know full pregnant and carry a baby
Hey that measure of beauty is not what God wants you to be focused on
The Lord wants you to be focused on the fact that my husband married me. Hey
That's all that matters if I'm beautiful in the eyes of my husband
That's what matters who cares what the world says
Who cares what the world puts up as a standard because you're not there to be beautiful for the world
You were there to be beautiful for your husband. Okay, and your husband not some other man, but your husband
He's the one that found you beautiful. You're in Matthew chapter 6 verse 27, please Matthew chapter 6 and verse number 27
The Bible says which of you by taking thoughts can add one cubit unto his stature
You know, and so you can't change the way you look you can't change your height
You can't change your skin color. You can't change your hair color
I guess you can to some extent right if you put all those chemicals into you, you know
If God's given you curly hair praise God for your curly hair if he's given you straight hair praise God for the stray hair
You know God's created you he found you beautiful
He put you together to make you look the way you look
Okay, and as far as God is concerned as long as that one man your husband finds you beautiful
That's all that matters and for the ladies who are singles who are not married yet and especially on that table over there
You're gonna be challenged by this world
This was gonna tell you, you know, you got a look beautiful for everybody
No, all it takes is one godly man to set his eyes upon you say wow
What a beautiful woman, you know
And hopefully it's not just measuring that on the outward but on the inward the person that you are and he'll make that decision
I'm gonna marry this girl. I'm gonna see hey, I'm gonna ask her out. I'm gonna talk to him
I'm gonna get to know her that's all that matters you get started there that one man that finds you beautiful
Hey, you're gonna get married, you know
You don't have to worry about what this world thinks of you
God has created you the way you are and so you need to find contentment ladies in the fact that your husband
Found you beautiful enough to marry and not seek the standards that the devil wants you to desire
Okay, so we looked at you know, a woman has an eye for beauty
We've looked at the physical beauty that a woman has
We're now going to be looking at the inner beauty the inner beauty. You're in Matthew, please go to Matthew 23
Go to Matthew 23
verse 26 Matthew 23 verse 26
And you know
It is no surprise to anybody that as I said generally speaking a lady will spend more time in the mirror than a man
That's normal. Okay, generally speaking. That's fine
A woman's going to be more concerned about how she dresses than how a man dresses. Okay, that's normal
But Jesus Christ gave us a warning in the Bible not about ladies so much
But we can take the principle here and apply it to ladies and Jesus Christ is speaking to the Pharisees here
The Pharisees those that rejected him as Christ in Matthew 23 verse 26
It says thou blind Pharisee
Cleansed first that which is within the cup and platter that the outside of them may be clean also
What doesn't you know ladies if you were offered a drink?
You know and you you could decide on this being you know, this cup has to be dirty
Would you prefer the cup being dirty on the outside but clean on the inside or dirty on the inside?
But clean on the outside if you're going to drink from it
Obviously if you're going to drink from it you prefer it to be clean on the inside because that's the substance you're going to drink
from right
Jesus makes the same points
It's more important that the clean that it's clean on the inside then on the outside
But when it comes to the Pharisees, she's fine here
But when it comes to the Pharisees they were concerned about being clean on the outside
They were clean about how they looked on the outside to the world and they didn't care about their insides
And you know what we take this principle here look at verse number 27
It says woe unto you scribes and Pharisees
Hypocrites for ye are like unto whited sepulchres which indeed appear beautiful outward
But are within full of dead man's bones and of all uncleanness
And so ladies you know yes, okay
You know spend a few minutes whatever it is time that you need to look in the mirror and get yourself ready
But then let that be a reminder to you when you get ready on the outside let that be a reminder to you
That I need to be ready on the inside
Jesus said it's more important than I'm clean on the inside
You know that you when you sin and we sin every day that you go to the Lord and confess those sins to him
Hey start your day clean say God
I'm sorry for my sins
Remember the one you know confess the ones you remember and confess the ones that you don't remember say Lord
There are probably others that I've not done. Please that I've done
Please clean me on the inside, and so it's important that you keep that as your focus
You know before the reason I like to now dress with a little tie when I can I get up to preach
Especially behind the pulpit is when I put the tie on it gives me a moment to reflect
And I want to look presentable when I preach
But that gives me a moment to remember hold on am I right on the inside
I'm looking clean on the outside before I go to church to preach, but I have I clean the inside
What's the point the people really want to come to church and hear a preacher who might look clean on the outside?
But might be dirty and filthy on the inside
No
You don't want that kind of preacher you want you want to preach that he's at least clean
It's better than I'm clean on the inside right you know if I'm coming to church
And I fall into you know into mud or something I get I get dirty on the outside
It doesn't matter as long as I'm preaching God's truth, and I'm clean on the inside. That's what's more important
Okay, so when you clean the outside remember the inside. Can you please turn to 1st Peter chapter 3?
1st Peter chapter 3 don't forget Isabelle when it gets to 20 minutes. Give me a wave all right 1st Peter chapter 3 and
You know God puts a lot of emphasis on the inner man or the inner beauty especially
When it comes to a lady in 1st Peter chapter 3 verse number 2
Speaking to ladies here it says while they behold your chaste
Conversation coupled we fear actually you know what let's drop down to verse number 4 for a minute
And let's look at the end of verse number 4
Just the end of verse number 4 it says which is in the sight of God of great price
Now you know what God wants you to be someone of great price
He wants to look at all the ladies in this room and say wow
What riches and that's what I want to think as a pastor you know I think of my church
I think of the ladies in my church. Hey, thank God that we have ladies that have
Have great riches and say pastor Kevin are you talking about our wallets?
No, are you talking about the cost of our clothing?
No, what does God focus on as we saw there in verse number 2 while they behold your chaste
conversation
Coupled with fear these are things that are of great price number one a chaste conversation or conversations like your behavior
Your lifestyle what is chaste something that is pure?
Clean undefiled you know is your life clean is a pure does it does it look like a godly?
Representation your life, or does it look more like a world the world how the world lives
Okay, and if you can say no you know what my life reflects godliness my life reflects Jesus Christ my Savior
Then you can say wow my life is of great price, but what else it says coupled with fear
So yes, you know being godly being clean being pure, but coupling that with the fear of God
You know having a fear of God will help you live right okay, and you know when it comes to my children
You know they love mum and dad, but they've got a fear of the rod
Okay, they've got a fee if we step out of line
I'm gonna cop that and so that as a reminder in the back of their minds the fear of the rod fear of you know
Mum and dad's chastisement will you know cause them to when they have the temptation to do something wrong to say wow am I going?
To risk getting the rod you know am I going to risk getting away with her and get the you know
Oh my you know well
I'm not you know I could really
Cop it this time for my parents right it's the fear that will cause it to stop for a moment say well
Is what I'm doing right is it you know will God be pleased or is it just sinful and will it please myself?
And so when you couple it with the fear of God it'll help you live that clean
Pure undefiled life look at verse number three
Who's adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plating of hair and of wearing of gold or putting on of apparel?
So you know you probably all have done this and that's not saying this is wrong
Okay, but that's not what is of great price to God
Okay, verse number four, but let it be the hidden man of the hearts in that which is not corruptible
Okay, even the ornaments of a meek and quiet
Spirits which is in the sight of God of great price a meek and quiet
Spirit what does it mean to be meek?
To be meek is the idea of being mild you know when it comes to your you know
You know you I guess you don't lose your temper easily. You know it means to not be easily provoked
It means that you're you're gentle it means that you're submissive to God's will
Hey, God wants me to live in accordance this I'm going to submit myself
I'm going to be meek enough to say yes, God
I'm going to live after the way you want me to live and then when it says quiet spirit there
Don't misunderstand that that's not saying that ladies are not allowed to speak
Okay, that ladies are not allowed to have an opinion. That's not what it's saying. You know have you ever had heard the term?
You know she lives a quiet life
Speaking about someone what are they saying about that person? They're saying that person that lives that quiet life. She's content. She's at peace
Okay, she's not troubled. She's not fighting. She's not finding contention
She lives a quiet life
So quiet is the state of being the state of rest being at peace being content being satisfied
Okay, ladies if you have that meek and quiet spirit
God says that you are of great price to him you're valuable. You know you're rich
Okay, you know people in in this world. They seek the big bank accounts
They seek the things that are red. They think of things that are valuable when I think of a car
It's got to be a BMW or you know it's got to have a brand or the clothing
It's got to be I don't know what clothing brands the ladies wear
What's that sorry
Gucci it's got to be the Gucci bag. It's got to be the I don't know. I don't know sorry. I'm sorry
Yeah, obviously I don't buy fancy clothes my wife, okay
But you know those things and I'm not what God finds us great price
That's what the world is after but hey your inner man that that which is incorruptible
That which is saved born again that which is following after after the Lord living after his ways
That's what God considers of great price
You know what I would love nothing more for God to look down at New Life Baptist Church and say wow how rich
How rich is that church and is looking of course at the inner man?
Especially there of the ladies in the sight of God of great price
Now the next thing I want you to look at if you can please turn to first Timothy in your Bible
First Timothy chapter 5 we're almost done. We're up to the last point now
So the three points so far was that ladies have an eye for beauty number two that ladies have a physical beauty number three
There is also an inner beauty that you need to consider in fact. That's the most important part
Okay, and then finally that ladies you have a beautiful role, okay, I just got the wave
That's 20 minutes
You have a beautiful role that God has asked you to live by okay a beautiful role now in Genesis chapter 2 verse
18 it says and the Lord God said it is not good that the man should be alone
But I will make him and help meet for him
Ladies why were you created by God you were created to help a man?
To help a man you say how degrading how the great
That's what the world wants you to think how degrading but the reverse is also true
That it's not good for a man to be alone a man needs a wife a man needs a wife
The reason our ladies you were created is so God can have the institution of marriage they can have
An institution of a family and that children can be born from that union. It's not degrading
It's complementary
Okay, your function is to be a support a help
You know to your husbands and for the single girls
That's what God has created you to be to find that right man who will love you
Okay, and say and you you know that you will help that man be something that he can be you know
I could not be a be a pastor if not for my wife
You know I would not have great kids. I think they're great. I don't know what you think
I think they're great. I could not have great kids if not for my wife. I couldn't do it on my own
Okay, it's not good for a man to be alone a man cannot achieve as much in his life without a good helping wife
You know I would not have the desire to work and provide if not for the desire of having a wife and family
You know I would not be living a happy life if not for my wife
Okay, these things are complementary husbands and wives ladies you have a beautiful role
You know the world does not want to think like this the world wants you to think you're wasting your life
If you have a desire to get married if you have a desire to help your husband
The Bible also says in Psalm 113 verse 9
He maketh the barren woman to keep house and to be a joyful mother of children
Praise ye the Lord. Hey ladies. I want you to be joyful. I want you to live a life of joy
How do I live a life of joy?
Well you do what the Lord has asked you to do keep your house be the housekeeper and and be a joyful mother of children
Children the Bible also says you're in first Timothy chapter 5 verse 14
Let's look at it quickly first Timothy chapter 5 verse 14
I will therefore that the younger women marry bear children guide the house
Give none occasion to the adversary the adversaries the devil there to speak reproachfully
You know what if the devil sees a lady in her role in her beautiful role that God created the devil cannot attack your family
You know if the lady is stepping outside of her role if she hates her role
If she's not living after the role the devil will come in and and hurt your family
It'll cause fights in your in your marriages
It'll cause children to lose respect for their parents the devil will try to find a foothold in your family to destroy it
But you know what God has given you a beautiful role to complement a man a man
Complements a woman the woman complements the man
And the reason I want to end on this point is because once again the God of this world
Will try to make you believe that this is an unpleasant
You know
Miserable life. Oh, you're a housewife. I
You've got a bunch of kids
You know the world will try to make you think a low of yourself
But remind yourself the person you're trying to please is your husband and ultimately please the Lord God
Here's the one that matters
Here's the one that that you know is holding you accountable for the life for the family that is put into your hands
You know I've worked with many ladies in my life
I I managed a call center and most of that call center
I would say like 95% of that call center were ladies and many of those ladies were mothers were
wives and mothers and
Many when you talk to them many of them
You know thought that living a life for some career being a career minded woman was what life was all about
They spent thousands. You know the thousands of dollars in in in debt to some university
Right there's a thousand dollars in debt to some education system
And and they feel like well I've invested so much of my time so much of my money for an education for a career
They feel well. I just got to live this career out
But when you talk to them, they're miserable. They're unhappy. I'm look I manage so obviously when things weren't going well
Sometimes these ladies would come and talk to me and tell me why they couldn't you know
Function in the job properly why they were having problems all the times
It revolved their own family all the time. You know when you summarize that I wish I was at home with my kids
I wish I could go and pick them up from school. I wish I could drop them off or whatever
I wish I didn't miss all these years of seeing them grow up
I wish I could be there with my husband my husband needs me and and so they've got all these thoughts
Just in their natural DNA even though they've been taught to live like the world even though they've been taught it's a miserable life
You know just in their DNA in their general makeup
They desire to be at home with their family
And you know this is true because you know when there's a little baby in church
You know who gravitates that toward that little baby. It's the little girls
Okay, the little the boys younger boys. Just walk past they don't care about you know the baby
But it's the little girls that will come to all the baby, and they've got that motherly instincts listen little children
What are they looking for they're looking to work or they're looking for pleasure
And they're looking to have fun and games or they're looking to labor hard and be miserable
Little children are looking for fun. They're looking for something pleasant something they enjoy and so when little girls
You know naturally you know a desire to hold a baby and to play with a little baby
They find that fun because in inside of them. You know God has put hey. This is a fun life
This is the joyful life raising children
And then as they grow up in their education system the world tells them actually that's a miserable life
That's not fun, but yet inside of them
They knew that would be a great life
You know raising a family and so ladies the last point that I have for you here is
You've got a beautiful role. Don't let the world
Brainwash you don't let anyone else brainwash you to make you think that being a godly mother a godly wife is
Something that is not of great price
We can see from the Bible what God considers valuable what he considers rich and rare a woman
Yes, a woman has an eye for beauty. Yes, women are you know not more than that
You know naturally more beautiful than a man
Yes, even though that's that's good more important than that is the beauty of the inner man
Okay, and finally you've got a beautiful role you live that beautiful role. I promise you you're going to have a happy life
You're going to enjoy that life if you switch off the god of this world and pay attention to what God wants from you
You're going to be able to live that that that quiet life. You're going to have that peace
You're going to have that joy as you serve the Lord and your family. Okay, let's pray