(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Alright, 1 Timothy chapter 5, look at verse number 14, 1 Timothy chapter 5, look at verse number 14, the Bible says, I will therefore that the younger women marry. The title for the sermon tonight is the younger women, okay, the younger women. If you were here last week we covered, we began a new series, a new series that's basically I'm calling this a series on the family, but we didn't really start looking at the family just yet, last week we were looking at what it means to be a man. As far as God is concerned, I mean we all have different ideas of what it means to be a man, but as far as God is concerned there were three things, three main things that we covered last week, does anybody want to remind me what those three things are? What does God expect for a man, why did God create a man, what were the three things from last week? Does anyone remember? The first one was to work, right, to work hard, men we have a desire to be productive, we have a desire to put our hands towards something and make a living for ourselves, to provide for others as well, what was the second thing after working? To find a wife, to get married, to find a wife, that was the next thing that God has put into the heart of a man is to find a wife and what was the last thing, which ties into finding a wife of course, but what was the third thing, anybody? To be the leader of your house, to lead your home, husbands are the head of the wife and so we're focusing just primarily on what it means to be a man, why God created a man and now we're going to be looking at why God created women, alright. Now if our God is a logical God, if he's a reasonable God, wouldn't it make sense that he would create a woman to be completely compatible with the reasons he created a man? I mean we're not meant to be at odds, this isn't, the world today, the feminist movement is trying to paint this picture that it's men versus women, women versus men, you've got to get this man centric, we've got to change this man centric world, there's a lot of feminists that hate men and our society, the media are trying to change men into a feminine weaklings, you know, when God has made us to be leaders and so of course when we look at women, it should make sense, it should be compatible with the reasons he created man. Now let's have a look at this, 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse number 9 and we're going to have to build up to it just for a little bit here in this chapter, but 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 9 deals with widows and of course widows are women whose husbands have passed away and now they are alone and the Bible gives us some instruction for a church as to how we ought to look after the widows in our church, okay. And here it says in 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 9, let not a widow be taken into the number under free score years old having been the wife of one man. Okay, let's get that age there, what is free score years old? Do you guys remember what a score is? That's 20, so if it's free score it is? 60 years old, right? So we're talking about a widow here of 60 years old and verse number 10, well reported of for good works if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saint's feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work. So here the Bible's given us, you know, it doesn't say take care of every widow, it doesn't say go out there in the unbelieving world and go find a widow to take care of. No, the instruction is if there are widows in your church then we are commanded if they are over 60 years old to look after them. But are we commanded to look after every widow that's over 60 in the church? No, there's a criteria here, right? Someone who has lodged strangers, someone that has been hospitable, someone that has served the saints, you know, she's been there for the weak and the sick, you know, she's been a good example, she's had a good rapport in the church, the Bible makes it very clear that we are to look after those ladies, okay, that are without a husband. Of course times have changed a little bit, you know, back in those days there was no such thing as, you know, the welfare system, you know, if that widow did not have a husband the man couldn't provide, maybe her children have grown up, left the house, you know, in a scenario where they could not look after mum, you know, it was then the church's responsibility to look after widows. And you know, in our society today, you know, you're taxes, you know, you go to work, you get taxes taken out of you, it goes into the welfare system and it provides needs for widows, people that are, you know, have less than the average person. And so in some ways the church's hands are kind of no longer, we're kind of handicapped, we can't help widows as much as, you know, the Lord instructs the church to because the government's already stepped in, you know, beyond their boundaries and kind of taking that responsibility away from the churches. But anyway, I don't want to get bogged down with the widows, we're just building up our knowledge here. Look at verse number 11, it says here, but the younger widows refuse. So what was the age we're talking about there? Sixty. And if you're under 60, you know what that makes you? Young, right? The younger widows refuse. If you're, ladies, if you're 59 or younger, guess what the Bible calls you? A young lady. How good is that, okay? Young lady, okay, refuse. Look at this, for when they have begun to wax once and against Christ, they will marry. So the Bible says, look, it's instinctive, even if there's a widow who's under 60, her desire will be to get married, okay? So in other words, look, refuse, like, you know, you shouldn't have to look after her as a church because her heart, her desire will be to find another husband, you know, to lead her. That's the idea there, right? Verse number 12, look at this, having damnation because they have cast off their first faith, and we'll just skip verse number 13 for now, look at verse number 14. First Timothy chapter 5 verse 14, look at this, I will, therefore, that the younger women marry. So again, what are the younger women, the criteria? Under 60, okay? So again here, we're dealing with widows, but now we're just dealing with any younger women under the age of 60. Paul says to Timothy, I will, therefore, that the younger women marry. You say, well, hold on, Pastor Kevin, these are the words of Paul the Apostle, and Paul is saying, I will, therefore, that younger women marry. Are you sure this is what God wills? Of course, because, you know, the Bible says that all scripture is given by inspiration of God, right? It doesn't say all scripture is given by inspiration of Paul, okay, it doesn't say all scripture is given by inspiration of Pastor Kevin, no, all scripture is given by inspiration of God. And so when Paul says, I will, therefore, that the younger women marry, guess who the I is there, really? It's the Holy Spirit, it's the Lord God working through the Apostle Paul to pen these words, and it's the Lord saying to the younger women that are under 60 years old, hey, get married, get married, all right? And so you'll soon see that this is the purpose for a woman. If we just said, we just last week, we said, look, God wants a man to work, provide for himself, provide for a family, find a wife, then it makes perfect sense, doesn't it? That a woman then, the will of God for a younger woman is to get married, right? To fulfill what we saw with the man, you know, to find the wife, to lead his house, those kinds of things. So the first point that I want to talk about today for you ladies that are under 60 and you're not married, the first, the will of God in your life, you're wondering, what is God's will for my life? Is it to go to university? Is it to get a career? No, God's will for your life is to get married, all right? And that's a great thing, all right? That's an awesome thing, you know, to find a husband and get married. Again, if you want to listen to this world, if you want to listen to this society that we have, they'll tell you, don't get married. In fact, we're in a stage right now where, again, I mentioned, you know, the feminist movement are saying, look, just hate all men. You know, all men are pigs. You know, you don't need a man, they'll say, right? Why do you need a man? Look, we need each other. Men need a wife, and ladies, you'll need a husband. And it isn't just God saying, do this. This is how God's created you. This is what's going to give you joy. This is what's going to give you satisfaction. This is, you know, if you fight against this, I promise you this, you might find some joy in sin for a while, but as time goes on, you're going to become a grumpy, miserable person because you're not fulfilling the will of God in your life. You're not fulfilling the reason you were created, the purpose of your life, you're not doing it, and you're going to feel like you're lacking something significant. So number one, get married, and again, these three things that I have for ladies, or whatever, how many points do I have? Let me double check. Yeah, I've got three things for ladies as well, just like I had for men. These three things will give you joy in life. They will. They will give you satisfaction. It will, you know, fill the gap that you have in your heart, that you have in your soul when you're not doing these things. And so we saw that the will of God was for the younger women to marry. Now keep your finger there, and please go back to Genesis chapter 2. We did look at Genesis chapter 2 last week, but let's go again, and this time let's have a lens and just see how God deals with the woman there. In Genesis chapter 2 verse 18, the Bible says, and the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him and help meet or suitable for him. Ladies, you've been created and designed by God to be a helper to a man. That's why God's created you. That's why you exist. That's why you are the way you are mentally. That's why you are the way you are physically. That's why you have certain desires in you. You know, I've got a lot of kids, right? I've got seven boys and three girls. I didn't have to sit there and show my little girls how to play with dolls, did I? I didn't have to sit there to show my little girls how to push a pram or how to pretend to change a nappy. Guess what? They automatically, an instinct within them said, look, I want to play with dolls. I want to get a little baby and mother it and play with it. And that same way, I didn't have to go to my boys and say, boys, play with balls, play with cars, go and wrestle. I didn't have to tell my boys to do that. They did it instinctively. And when you're fighting against the purpose that God's created you, you're fighting against the will of God. You're fighting against the genetic makeup that you have within yourself. And again, you fight that, you're not going to find satisfaction in life. You've been created to be a help for a man. And here's the thing, ladies, you know, again, the feminist movement, the feminist movement will say, well, that's so degrading. How dare you say, you know, our purpose is to be the helper of a man, right, because they hate men. You know, how dare you say that's why we're created to help man. Look, these women are never happy. You know, turn it around the other way. Could you imagine? God created a woman first, and then said, look, it's not good for a woman to be alone. So I'm going to create a man for her. They'll be more offended by that. They'll be saying, well, what are you saying? Are you saying we need help of men? Look, it doesn't matter which way it is. It doesn't matter. The feminist is going to get angry, aren't they? Wouldn't they get more angry by saying, hey, woman, God created a man to help you? They'll get more offended by that. They're never happy. That's my point. You start living the way that they're trying to change this, the philosophy, you know, of marriage, of the genders, all these things, you start moving away from that. You're going to go miserable as well. You're going to grow up to be miserable, heartbroken, and you're not going to be able to fulfill the will of God in your life. Look at verse number, Genesis chapter two, verse 21, Genesis chapter two, verse 21. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam. And he slept and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh and stared thereof. Now, look, God created Adam out of dust, right? I mean, he could have created a woman out of dust, but instead he chooses to take a rib of Adam. And I believe this is so important because, again, when you become married, you'll become one flesh, one unit, all right? You shouldn't be separated, you know, God hates divorce. And so he takes the rib and I believe that that references the fact that, you know, she's by his side. And, you know, when you get married wives, you ought to be by the side of your husband. You ought to be close to your husband, husband, you ought to be close to your wives. Verse number 22, and the rib which the Lord had taken from man made he a woman and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh. You see the man there, you ought to cleave unto your wife as close as that, you know, that rib is to your body, you ought to be close to your wife, wives, you ought to be close to your husband. It doesn't say, I'll cleave unto my girlfriends or, you know, all the men, you know, I'll cleave unto, you know, my bros, no, it doesn't say that. It doesn't say I'll cleave unto my parents, no, no, you cleave unto one another, husband and wife, you're a new family unit that God can use in you. See the very first purpose for a woman was to become a man's wife, to become a man's wife. And look, here's the thing, you know, when you're designed a certain way, you're only going to be fully productive when you're serving that purpose, alright. So you know, for example, we have cutlery, right, we have forks and spoons and knives, you know, and when we're going to, you know, if my wife were to serve me a soup, right, what would be the best, you know, cutlery to use for that, a soup? Probably a spoon, right, a spoon, right, it's shaped to hold liquid, you know, right. Now could I eat my soup with a fork? I guess I could, it would take a long time, right, I guess you'll get through it eventually but it would take a long time because, you know, the fork obviously is not made for the purpose of soup. What about if my wife served me a steak, you know, could I use the spoon to eat my steak? I guess I could, I could, right, I mean it'd be pretty tough to cut into that, you know, basically, you know, you got a fork, you know, the fork's purpose is to hold down the steak, you get your knife so you can cut into it, I guess you could hold the steak down with a spoon but look, it's not going to be effective, right, you're not going to be able to do, you know, fulfil the purpose by using the wrong instruments. And again, as we go through these things, ladies, I don't know if you're going to resist the things I'm saying here, I don't know where your heart's at, you know, I don't know how much you've been brainwashed by this world, I don't know, right, but here's the thing, you know, you move away from the purpose that God's created from you and you're not going to be able to fulfil, you know, you're not going to be productive, you're not going to be able to fulfil the things in your life that's, again, instinctive inside of you. Look at Genesis chapter 3 please, Genesis chapter 3 verse 16, Genesis chapter 3 verse 16, what we read about just before was before the curse, before Adam and Eve sinned and before God cursed Adam and Eve and then in Genesis chapter 3 verse 16 after she ate of the tree when she was deceived by the devil, the Lord God cursed woman, God cursed Eve and this is what he says in verse number 16, unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception in sorrow thou shall bring forth children and thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee. Look, what's the woman's desire? Oh, it's career, alright, it's to get, you know, a university degree, you know, be highly educated, you know, become a doctor, become an astronaut, become the Prime Minister of Australia, is that the desire of a woman according to God? No, he put it in her that her desire shall be to thy husband. Think about that. I don't know, some of the ladies are going, no, this can't be right, but it's true, that's what the word of God says, right, we're not going to fight the word of God. You come here to hear Bible, you come here to listen to Bible preaching, this is what God says. Now, I'm sure we've all had different desires in life, right, and when you have a desire, you then pursue, you put steps into place to reach that goal, alright, and if God's put the desire to, that you will be under a husband, guess what? What's going to give you joy? What's going to give you satisfaction? Putting yourself under a husband, right? Finding a godly man that you can marry, that's what's important, and, you know, let me give you an example of this because, I won't name names or anything like this, but, you know, obviously I've come from, I've gone to church my whole life, and I'm just thinking about one lady in particular, okay, one lady in particular who had a lot of suitors, a lot of men were interested in her, wanted to marry her, and she kept putting it off, you know, she was in her 20s, kept putting it off, you know, putting aside the suitors, you know, and she would say things like, you know, I just don't want to get married, I never want to have a man over me, I just don't want to have that, but guess what, as the years went by, and then she turned 30, she became desperate, and then she was, you know, looking for a man, she was looking for a husband, and she went all those years saying, I don't want a man, and then only to find out later when she turned 30, I want to get married, she was so desperate to get married, and she ended up marrying, you know, a man who was like 10 years her junior, right, because she was desperate to get married. My point is, some ladies will say, oh, you're not a man, come on, who cares, but deep down, that's what they want, that's what they've been designed to do, to find a husband, and to get married, all right, so, let me just, if you guys can go to Proverbs 31 now, Proverbs 31. Proverbs 31, please. Proverbs 31 verse 10, and Proverbs 31 is the chapter that contains information about the virtuous woman, and we're not going to go through the whole thing here, because I want to save that for another sermon about the virtuous woman, but I do just want to bring your attention to a few points here, in Proverbs 31 verse 10, the Bible says, who can find a virtuous woman, for her price is far above rubies, all right, verse number 11, the heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. Now young lady, maybe, maybe some of you guys are not, you know, are not married ladies, and you want to get married, and you say, you know, how is it, you know, what is it that I can do to attract the right kind of man, okay, because here's the key thing, just because it's God's will for you to get married, it's not God's will for you to marry a non-believer, okay, it's God's will for you to marry a believer, you know, and, you know, your fathers would prefer not just a believer, but a godly man, you know, a man who's got integrity, a man who loves the Lord, a man who will look after, you know, fathers will look out for a man and say, look, this man will look after my daughter, I'm willing to, you know, give over her hand in marriage to this man, because I believe he will look after her all the days of his life, and the Bible makes it very clear here that there is a woman who is virtuous, in verse number 10, and her price is far above rubies, you know, the godly man, the one who's walking after the Lord, the one who wants to safely trust in his wife, he's looking for a lady that's like a ruby, okay, and a ruby are precious stones, aren't they, you know, if you were offered, hey, here's a ruby, here's a precious stone, or some rock that you found there on the footpath, which one would you take out of those two things? Hey, they're both stones, but you're going to take the ruby, aren't you, why? Because it's rare, because it's valuable, because it's pretty, okay, it's nice to look upon, and when you have that ruby and you know its value, and you know how rare it is, aren't you going to look after it? You're going to look after it, aren't you? You might even clean it once in a while, right, and set it somewhere where you'll always look at it and say, hey, that's a beautiful ruby, and you take care of it, you won't want anybody to steal it, yeah, you might even buy a safe to put that ruby inside, so no thief could come in and take that ruby from you, but if you took the rock on the side of the road, you're not going to care much for it, you're not going to, you're just going to throw it back on the road, right, that's what you're going to do with it, okay, and so ladies, what I'm saying to you is that you need to, you know, grow in that inner man, you know, the new man that's in you, and show, you know, your godliness, show how rare it is to find a godly woman, you know, there are godly men looking for godly women, and there are godly women looking for godly men, and here's the thing, you know, sometimes, you know, you might feel like, well look, there's no suitors, there's no men that are interested in me, and so you'll be tempted, ladies, to maybe dress a little bit like a harlot, right, to dress a bit like a whore, you know, disgusting, right, I mean, honestly, I mean, just go out there, okay, there are a bunch of ladies that are dressed, you know, wrongly, you know, that are dressed inappropriately, and look, you know why they do that? It's because they're seeking the attention of man, again, instinctively, they want a man, they want a husband, they want someone to rule over them, instinctively, that's why they dress the way they dress, okay, now look, here's the thing, that's going to work, you're going to get the attention of a man, or many men, but they're not going to be the godly man, it's not going to be the one that wants to marry you and look after you, it's just going to be some man that wants to take you, and abuse you, and throw you away like that, like that rock on the side of the road, all right, you know what I'm saying to you ladies, you know, if you want to get married, and you don't have a husband at this point in time, or you don't have a suitor at this point in time, then, you know, start preparing yourself to, you know, go through what we see here in Proverbs 31, about the virtuous woman, and start patterning your life around the things that we see in scripture, then you'll become a very valuable, a very lovely ruby, and you'll have godly men seeking to marry you, okay, the Bible has all these answers for us, for that reason, now, one thing, the next thing, the next point that I want to bring up is, of course, you know, what we saw from men last week, men, to work hard, right, to save up, to provide for yourself, to provide for a wife, you know, your wife is looking for a man, the desire toward a man, but a man that can look after her, a man that will love her, a man that will trust in her, as we saw there, okay, but then after you're married, what was the next thing that we saw with the men, to work hard, to find a wife, and then what was the third thing, again, for the man? To rule over his house, to be that ruler of his house, and this makes perfect sense, if you guys go back to 1 Timothy chapter 5, well, I think you kept the finger there, 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 14, and again, we see just the way the Lord puts this together for us, it's perfectly compatible, 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 14, we already read the first part, I will therefore that the younger women marry, what's the next thing? Bear children, doesn't it go hand in hand with what God's created man for, to be the ruler of his house, the ruler of his wife, the ruler over his children, well, the next thing that God wants for a woman is for her not to just get married, but then to bear children, to have children, again, this is contrary to the world, right, I mean, look, this is common sense, this is basic things, basic things in the Bible, but the world has brainwashed us to think otherwise, you know, they'll say, no, no, no, don't bear children, not now, you know, why, look, what did it say? The younger women marry, bear children, you know, should you wait to bear children, should you wait to get to an older age, and say, you know what, we'll just, for our 20s, we'll just enjoy ourselves, we'll just, you know, we'll just, we'll go travelling, we'll just enjoy each other's company, and then maybe when we get into the 30s and the 40s, maybe then we'll consider having children, is that what the Bible says? No, the younger women marry, bear children, okay, you ought to bear children while you can, while you're young, it gets more difficult, I mean, every woman knows this, the more you age, the harder it's going to become to bear children, alright, and then it says, guide the house, give no occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully, okay, now here's the thing, we don't even need the Bible to tell us that's the purpose of women, you know, ladies, you've been created, you've been designed biologically to fall pregnant, you know, to amazingly carry a child for nine months, and amazingly give birth to that child, I mean, it's a, you know, you've been created that way, we don't even need the Bible to tell us that, science will tell you that, biology will tell you that, that's what you've been created for, you know, I've experienced, out of the ten births of my wife, I've experienced nine of them, alright, there was one that I took Christina to emergency, and by the time I went to park the car and got back, the baby was born already, I missed it, okay, but at nine, I've seen nine of them, and I still can't, look, I'm still not used to it, I'm still freaking out when my wife is giving birth, right, it's, you know, for men, it's not the easiest thing for us to see or to witness, but for the ladies, you've been created to go through that sorrow, to go through that pain, to push out that child, and even though you have that hardship, once that baby's born and it's placed in your chest, man, you're rejoicing, you're over the moon, you're in love with that little baby, God's put that instinct inside of you, you know, the men, we're freaking out, we're seeing all the blood and the stuff, but the ladies, man, I love that little, you know, I love that little baby, I love that little child, because she's been carrying it for the last nine months, okay, it's not the first time you've met that child, you've been feeling that child, you know, for the last nine months, and so, you know, God's created you biologically to fall pregnant and to give birth, and here's the thing, guys, it's not like you have this option, it's not like, okay, we're going to get married, and then we'll decide to put off kids till later, no, if you're a no-married couple, you're going to fall pregnant, it's just going to happen, in fact, in order for you to stop having children, you're going to have to take certain measures, and most people, again, today, they go down the birth control, right, the contraceptive pills, which, for many people don't even realise, creates a hostile environment in the woman's womb, and so it's not that she's prevented from falling pregnant, it's that she falls pregnant, she's with child, but then her body's too hostile to carry that child, and that child is then, you know, miscarried, and sometimes, you know, it's early in stage, you probably don't even realise sometimes you have that miscarriage, but the more you're on those pills, the more you're on those medications to postpone children, the more hostile your body's becoming, your body turns into a baby killing machine, is what it becomes, alright, the doctors don't tell you that, but that's the truth, that's how these pills work, okay, they prevent the fertilised egg from attaching to the uterus, okay, through, you know, changing the make-up of the body, and so it then, that fertilised egg dies, you know, and that fertilised egg, according to the bible, is a child, okay, your body becomes a baby killing machine, and again, I'm just thinking about people that I know, okay, I've worked with many women, you know, in my job, and I'm thinking about one lady in particular, who, you know, decided we're not going to have children now, we're going to postpone that till I get later, in my thirties, you know, we're just going to enjoy our lives, and just have fun, and all those kinds of things, and again, instinctively, what does she want? She wants to have children, okay, every time she hears about my wife giving birth, she's so excited, oh that's great news, but again, oh, but you know, not for us just yet, we'll put that off, and then it came to time when she's like, you know what, now it's time for us to have children, we need to have children, guess what, they can't fall pregnant, why, because her body, even though they stopped the contraceptive pills, her body's become a baby killing machine, and she can't fall pregnant, or she can, but she can't carry the babies to full term, and she, you know, lost the opportunity to be able to fall pregnant, and it's a dangerous thing, the Bible says the younger, look, it's better to have children while you're younger, you know, I'm 38, and I realise I'm a little slower than I used to be when I was a teenager, and I'm 38, and when I jump from a height, it kind of hurts a little bit now, alright, I've started to feel those little pains, I'm starting to feel my body's a bit heavier, you know, I can't run as much as I used to, and you know, when you have children, guess what, they're always running, they're always going from left to right, if you put off having kids till you're older, you're not going to be able to keep up with them, one of the greatest things about having kids is that you can become a child again, alright, you're a child, you size a child, you grow into an adult, you have kids, you know what the kids want, you know what they want more than anything, to play with their friends, no, they want to play with mum and dad, that's what they want to do, play with mum and dad, and then you play with them, it's a great relief, you go to work all day, you know, you get stressed at work, you come home, and the kids are there, they want to play with you, it's a great stress relief, and if you have them young enough, you can run around with them, you can enjoy them, they can enjoy you, but you put it off till you're older, you're not even going to be able to play with them, okay, you'll be like, go next door, go play with the neighbours kids, no, you're going to miss out on some of the greatest opportunities to have children in your younger age and to appreciate them at the fullest, okay, so point number two was to have children, God's created you, number one, to get married, number two, to bear children, alright, and I'll just quickly read to you in Genesis 1-28, Genesis 1-28, the Bible says, and God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it, say, how many children should I have? Well, the instruction that God gave us is to be fruitful and multiply, okay, now what does it mean to multiply? Does it say to divide or to subtract? Well, when you get married, what do you start off with? You start off with two, right, husband and wife start with two, so if you go into multiply, how many kids should you have if you're going to multiply? I guess you could do two times one, that's multiplication, and then you have two kids, but here's the thing, I mean, the thing about generations, you know, every generation that goes by will pass away and you're going to be left with whatever's there, so if you started with two and then that generation passes away and you're only left with two, have you really multiplied? Really? You know, when you think about multiplication, you're thinking about, obviously, it growing to a larger number than what you started with, okay, and so my, you know, I believe, you know, at least three, you know, aim for three, you know, maybe four, I never got, I wanted three, I never got three, I got one, two, and then we got four, you know, we had twins, we never got the three that I wanted, and then once we got to four, five didn't matter, and then, you know, five to six doesn't matter, six to seven just, honestly, it just doesn't matter anymore, all right, we got to ten, it still doesn't matter, I still want to have more kids, all right, I still want to have more kids, we're going to get to number 11 if God wills, but actually, look, here's the other thing as well though in the Bible is some ladies like you yourselves today maybe, or some ladies in the Bible just couldn't have, you know, they were barren, they would say struggle to have kids, it's not like they were preventing it from happening, it's just that biologically for whatever reason they were barren, and God is a God that opens and closes the womb as well, okay, and we have a great example with Sarah, you know, Sarah only had Abraham's wife, she's a faithful woman, she's even named in Hebrews 11 as a faithful woman, and she only had the one son, right, the one son being Isaac, and so, you know, if that's all you can have, you know, well, that's what God's given you, you know, but here's the thing, I truly believe you should have as many children as God allows it to be, you know, as much as God wants you to be, and here's the thing, children are the, the Bible says the fruit of the womb is his reward, you know, if God was coming and giving you a reward, are you gonna say, well, God, actually, no, I don't want that reward anymore, no, it's a reward, you're going to take it, and, you know, falling pregnant, having children is a reward, okay, when you start saying, hey, just looking at your kids, hey, yes, even when they're misbehaving, they are reward, a reward from God, all right, then you're going to appreciate them more, okay, you're going to love them more, and man, I'm looking at Isabel, Isabel is now my firstborn daughter, you know, she's 14 now, I still remember when she was two weeks old, you know, I still remember, it's not good, guys, I was playing Xbox, right, I think gaming is a waste of time, it's a vanity, it's vanity, okay, but I was there playing Xbox, and I had Isabel, you know, two weeks old, just across my arms, I think that, like, that feels like it wasn't even that long ago, and now she's 14 years old, you know, and so kids grow up so quickly, as you see them grow so quickly, you realise, wow, what a reward that I've been given, and you want to take the most of the opportunity that you have left before they grow up and leave the house, so, you know, be fruitful and multiply the instruction that God gave both man and woman, and you might say, well, why is it that God wants us to multiply, what's the purpose behind that, you know, what's the reason, and I won't get you to turn there, I'll just read it to you very quickly, it's Malachi, it's the last book in the Old Testament, if you want to turn, if you can turn there, if you want, Malachi chapter 2 verse 15, Malachi chapter 2 verse 15, because here's another mistake Christians make, they know God wants them to have children, so they have a lot of children, but here's the thing, having lots of children is the easier part, what's the harder part of having children? To raise them, to raise them, right, okay, and here's what happens, and you see many men in the Bible, they have their children, but then they're not good parents, and then their children go into the world, their children, you know, become failures in life, because the parents were not there to raise them, you know, having children is great, but making sure that you're there to raise them is the key thing, and in Malachi chapter 2 verse 15, the Bible says, and did he not make one, speaking of God making one, the one flesh, man and woman, yet he hath the residue of the spirit, and wherefore one, so why did God make one, okay, you remember that the two become one, well this is why, that he might seek a godly seed, therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth, okay, why does God want us to have children, why is it that he blesses us and gives us the reward of the fruit through the womb, is so we, for the purpose of God, could raise a godly seed, that's why, okay, it's not just having kids, anybody can do that, alright, but what, you know, what we're commanded to do is then to raise our kids in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, we should raise our kids to love the Lord, we should raise our kids to know the Gospel, to be saved at an early age, you know, to grow our love for the Lord, our love for the Bible, and so that we can have a godly seed, you know, I'm looking forward to the days when my kids are out there knocking doors, not only is it me and Christine are out there knocking doors, we're going to have a, you know, a tribe of ten others out there with us, knocking doors, giving the Gospel out, you know, a godly seed, you know, the next generation going to do some greater works, greater tasks, and what we've been able to do in the past, and so the last thing that I've got for you guys there in, if you go back to 1 Timothy chapter 5, 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 14, 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 14, what was the third thing in this list? 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 14, I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, that's the third part, that's the third wheel for God in your life, is like we just covered, it's not just bearing children, not just having children, but guiding the house, and when the Bible says the house here, it's not talking about the bricks and mortar, okay, it's talking about the family, many times in the Bible, God will use the term house to talk about the family, to guide the family, okay, and we heard last week that men, you are, you know, the head of your wife, you're the head of your home, and so commonly, because men are required to go out and work, and to earn the paycheck, and you know, men will be many hours away from the house, and so who's going to be the one there guiding the house? Who's going to be there most often in the house? It should be mum, it should be the wife, and husbands, you should delegate that authority, you know, to your wife so you can go to work as your wife stays and raises those children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, so again, those things go hand in hand, but I want you to notice the order that we saw here, get married, then have children, then guide your home, that order is there for a reason, okay, it's not have children, and live like a single mum for a while, and then get a husband, and that happens a lot, because here's the reason why, everything is progressive, everything is step by step, you know, when you get married, it's challenging, I mean, for those that have gotten married, I'm sure it took a while for you to adjust, to adjust to your spouse, you know, when I got married, I had bad habits, and I realised it annoyed Christina, so, you know, it's good, you know, it's your honeymoon year, so you say, well, you know, I love my wife, I'm going to try to change these things about me, it's annoying her, then I'll try to change those things, and Christina had her annoying habits, and you know, she tried to change those things, you know, and then, you know, she's getting used to being away from her family, you know, not seeing her mother every day as she used to, and being with me, and then I would go to work, and she'd be alone in the house, and you know, she's getting used to what it means to be a housewife, and all those kinds of things, it takes time to adjust, doesn't it? That's why God does not give you a baby straight away, right, I mean, you know, the shortest period you're going to wait for a child after you get married is nine months, right, nine months, I mean, she falls pregnant straight away, nine months later, you have a child, and during those nine months, you get used to, you know, being married, husband and wife, it could be longer than nine months, of course, but it takes time, and then, when the first child comes, it's a big change, alright, I mean, it took me two weeks before I realised I was actually a dad, like two weeks after the baby was born, it took me, I was still in my, I don't have a child, I'm not a dad, it took a bit of time for the instincts in me to click over, and to mature, and say, I'm a dad, I'm a dad, I've got to look after this child, I'm responsible for this child, it took time, right, it's all one step at a time, and then you have that one child, it's a big change, you don't know what you're doing, I remember every few weeks, I'll be amazed, the baby's still alive, we must be doing right, we must be doing something right, right, just being amazed, it's working, she's still there, right, you know, because it takes time to learn these things, and then she grows, and you've got to learn how to discipline the child, and to train the child, all those kinds of things, it takes time, you make a lot of mistakes on the first child, don't you? I mean, it feels like, for the wife, especially if she's learning for the first time, it feels like her whole life is taken up by looking after this child, and then soon after the second child turns up, okay, but here's the good thing, you don't need to start from scratch, you've already gained all that experience with the first child, and now you can take that experience with you, and say, well, these are the mistakes I made the first time, I'm not going to make those same mistakes again, I'm going to now, I have better experience, and I'll be able to raise this second child, okay, but then that second child grows up, and now you've got siblings, and kids sometimes argue and fight, and now you have to get used to that relationship, and taking ownership over there, and saying, hey, who's wrong, who's right, who's the one that started the argument, and you're trying to work out that combination there, and so everything's one step at a time, but here's the thing, if you're a young lady, and you commit sin, and you fall pregnant, you have a child, and it's going to be harder for you to then find a man, because not only does that man have to get used to having a wife, but immediately he's got to get used to having a wife and a child, and it adds further complications, because what about the father, the biological father of that child, he's in the picture somewhere, he's out there somewhere, you know, what about that man, you know, now it becomes complicated, you know, the Lord has put these steps there for a reason, get married, then have a child, then you lead your house, and notice that it also says there, the order there was to, the third thing was to guide your home, after you have children, why do you think that's there, women ought to guide the house, I believe that, I believe you ought to be in charge of your house, but here's the thing, if there's no kids, and you're guiding your home, well the only other person in your home is your husband, and the Bible's made it very clear that it's the husbands that have the head over his wife, okay, so it's not saying wife guide your husband, no, bear the children, then you can guide your house, why, because now you have authority over those children that God has given you, so, you know, God has common sense, and look, perfectly aligns well with what we saw last week with the role of a man, alright, so these are the three things later that's going to give you the greatest contentment, the greatest satisfaction in your life, you know, get married, bear children, guide your home, alright, now go to Proverbs 31 please, Proverbs 31 verse 27, Proverbs 31 verse 27, and sorry that's still the chapter on the virtuous woman, we're almost done now, but Proverbs 31 verse 27, and I should have told you to keep a finger there in 1 Timothy chapter 5, but anyway, Proverbs 31 verse 27, I want you to notice this, ladies, because, anyway, let's read it first, Proverbs 31 verse 27, she looketh well, this is the virtuous woman, the woman that's like a ruby, she looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness, okay, this is a housekeeper, this is a woman that's at home looking after the ways of her household, and the Bible says that she eats not the bread of idleness, meaning that she's busy, she's constantly busy, but how does the world portray stay-at-home mums, they're just, they're at home watching the soap operas, they're just at home watching, you know, Dr. Phil, and what are the shows, ladies, days of our lives, you're just at home watching days of our lives, no, no, no, no, a godly woman who's fulfilling the will of her life that comes from God is not being idle, she's not watching the soap operas, okay, she's busy at home making a great environment, you know, taking care of things, and if she's that way, she's looking well to the ways of her household, guess what's gonna happen as more kids come into the picture, they're less likely they're gonna be able to take care of certain things in the house, and this is just a reminder for men, if you're married to a godly woman, if you can say yes, she's like a ruby, you know, she's priceless, she's a rarity, then trust in her, trust that she's doing the best she can in the household, you know, don't be too hard on her, you know, if something's missed out on the house that day, you know, I personally take the opinion, if something's not done, and I can, you know, and I see something's not done, I'm not there, you know, criticizing my wife, I'm assuming she's had a busy day, and I've seen how busy her day can get, and this is just an area that she has to put aside, you know, it wasn't a priority, it wasn't some of the main things that she had to take care of, and that's fine, you know, you ought to have a heart that is safely trusting in her as we saw before, and again, she's not someone who's idle, because the reason I want you to turn there, go back to 1 Timothy chapter 5 please, and again, sorry, I should have told you to stay there, but 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 13, still in the same chapter that we've been covering about the young women, you know, why should she get married, why should she bear children, why should she guide a house, verse number 13, and with all they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle, but tattlers also, that's like gossipers, and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. Here's what's going to happen to you ladies, if you don't do the will of God in your life, guess what's going to happen, you become idle, you've got nothing else to do, but it's not that you become idle completely, you become busybodies, you do become busy, but instead of being busy looking after your house, instead of being busy looking after your husband and your children, you become busybodies, you get involved in other people's business, go in house, what do I say here, from house to house, in this day and age, you go from Facebook profile to Facebook profile, right, seeing what is this person up to, what is that family up to, and spreading gossip, spreading rumours, you know, just becoming that person that's involved in people's matters that have nothing to do with you, that's what happens when you're idle, when you have nothing else to do, you start getting involved in other people's families, it's got nothing to do with you, okay, focus on your family, focus on your marriage, focus on your children, you know, don't become a busybody, and here's the thing, men, is that, you know, sometimes we think about women being busybodies and gossipers, you know, men do the same, yeah, sometimes men are worse, alright, we'll look at the men very soon, we'll look at the men very soon, actually let's look at men right now, go to 2 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 10, because I know women get a bad rap, right, for being gossipers, there are a lot of women like that, okay, but 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 10, 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 10, and you might say to me, well, here's one way, here's one way that we don't become tattlers and busybodies and gossipers if we go and work a job, that's what the ladies might say, I'll go work a job and say, that way I can't be busybodies and gossipers, again guys I've worked with a lot of women, I worked for a call centre, you know, I was a manager for a call centre in Australia and New Zealand, and typically in a call centre, what do you get, a lot of young ladies coming in for those jobs, a lot of ladies that were married as well, a lot of ladies that had children, do you think they were busy at work, or sometimes they were busy at work, but guess what, sometimes they became idle, and guess what they're doing in their idleness, gossiping, criticising their husbands, speaking bad of their husbands, speaking bad about, you know, their co-worker over there, hey, the same thing happened, even when they went to get a career, even when they went to get a job, they were still busybodies and tattlers, you guys know this, I'm sure many of you guys have worked with people like this, constantly criticising their husbands, making them look bad, and just letting off steam, complaining about their children, of course you complain about your children, you're not spending time with them, you're not raising them up, if you raise them up and taught them good manners, good communication, good behaviour, you taught them the fruits of the spirit they were seeing in the Bible, you taught them the word of God, they'll be different children, and it's such a shame because during school holidays, the kids would come home from school, and the ladies would be busier because now they've got to look after kids as well, what do we do with the kids, and then when the school holidays are wrapping up, what are they saying, I can't wait for school holidays to finish, I want to get rid of the kids out of my house, they're meant to be a reward, a fruit of the worm, the fruit of the worm is his reward for you, and you treat them like trash, what, to get a career, to have a title, who cares, your family's falling apart, and you want a career, man, you've got the priorities really wrong there, and you're not following after the will of God, but look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 10, because men, we'll just end up on this one man, because you guys can become busybodies as well, you can become gossipers as well, if you're not doing what God has asked you to do in his will, 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 10, for even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat, who's the he? The man, okay, God's put a command if you're not working, don't even eat, you don't even deserve to eat, if you're not working and providing, look at this, first time in 11, for we hear that there are some which walk among you this orderly, working not at all, what are you doing, but are busybodies, just like the women, verse 12, now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread, in other words, shut up, stop gossiping and go to work, that's what God says about men that aren't working, so guys it's the same thing, when we become idle, you know, ladies, when you become idols you'll become tattlers, gossipers, busybodies, but so will the men, you know, we've been created for a purpose, we've been created to be productive, to follow after the will of God in our life, we don't need to wonder, what's God's will for me, what does God want, no, it's very clearly laid out in the Bible, it's not complicated, don't make it more complicated than what God has already laid out in the scriptures, and so what's the conclusion guys, what's God's will for a woman, you know, what did God design a woman for, it's very basic, number one, that they marry, number two, that they bear children, number three, that they guide the house, raising a godly seed, let's leave it there and pray, heavenly Father, Lord, I just want to thank you for this church once again, and Lord, these things that should be easy to accept and easy to believe, Lord, you know, I'm ashamed, Lord, but even our nation in Australia, Lord, we've been brainwashing our people, brainwashing the children of God, brainwashing our children, Lord, to think another way, Lord, and you've made life so straightforward, Lord, so much common sense, Lord, you've laid out for our lives as men and women, and Lord, I thank you that, you know, you love us, Lord, and we know that you love us, and we know that if we walk according to your will, we're going to find the greatest love and joy and satisfaction in our lives, Lord, I just want us to be a people of joy, people that have hearts full of joy, Lord, that love families, wives that love their husbands, husbands that love their wives, you know, parents that are raising their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Lord, I want to make sure that this church here is raising a godly seed, a seed that would seek your face, Lord, because they're growing up in a society that's worse than the society that I grew up in, Lord, and we need them to be strong in the Lord, we need them to be full of the spirit, so Lord, I pray that as parents we would raise our children to love you, to honor you, to desire to go out there, Lord, and spread the gospel to a lost and dying world, Lord, I thank you for this church and I thank you for your word, we pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen. Let all the people praise thee. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy.