Pageant of Glory (Or, Don’t Let It Go To Your Head)

Austin Prince

1 Corinthians: "Life Under Grace" • Sermon • Submitted 9 months ago • Presented 10 months ago

1 Corinthians 11:2–16

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Mention Youth Magazine

Prayer: Tuesday @ 7pm

Equip: March 2nd - 8:30a-11:30a

†CALL TO WORSHIP Hebrews 12:28-29

Pastor Austin Prince

Minister: Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken,

Congregation: let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God acceptable service with reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.

†PRAYER OF ADORATION AND INVOCATION

Blessed God, I humbly adore you as the great Father of lights, and the Giver of every good and every perfect gift (James 1:17).

I seek every blessing from you, and especially those which may lead me to yourself, and prepare me for the eternal enjoyment of you.

I adore you as the God who searches the hearts and tries the reins of the children of men (Jeremiah 17:10).

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts. See if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24).

May I be renewed in the spirit of my mind (Ephesians 4:24).

You give me a new heart, and place a new spirit within me (Ezekiel 36:26).

Make me a partaker of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), and as he who has called me is holy, may I be holy in all I say (1 Peter 1:15).

May the same mind be in me which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5), and may I walk even as he walked (1 John 2:6).

†OPENING HYMN OF PRAISE #288

“We Come, O Christ, to You”

†CORPORATE CONFESSION OF SIN

based upon Isaiah 64:1-9

Minister: O that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence. Be not so terribly angry, O Lord, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people.

Congregation: Restore us, we pray, through the coming of our Lord Jesus, in whom we place our hope and trust. Amen.

Minister: Sing aloud, O people of God, rejoice and exult with all your heart! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies.

Congregation: The Lord our God is in our midst. A warrior who gives victory! He will rejoice over us with gladness. He will renew us in his love. He will exult over us with singing.

Minister: Know that your sins are forgiven and be at peace.

Congregation: Thanks be to God!

CONTINUAL READING OF SCRIPTURE Exodus 9.13-35

Craig Hoffer, Elder

THE OFFERING OF TITHES AND OUR GIFTS

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYERS

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

†PSALM OF PREPARATION #27A

“The Lord’s My Light”

SERMON 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 Pageant of Glory, Pastor Austin Prince

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION

Almighty God, enter our hearts, and so fill us with your love, that, forsaking all evil desires, we may embrace you, our only good. Show unto us, for your mercies' sake, O Lord our God, what you are unto us. Say unto our souls, "I am your salvation." So speak that we may hear. Our hearts are before you; open our ears; let us hasten after your voice and take hold of you. Amen. —Augustine

TEXT 1 Corinthians 11:1-16

1 Corinthians 11:1–16 ESV

1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 2 Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. 3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, 5 but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. 6 For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. 7 For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9 Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; 12 for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.

AFTER SCRIPTURE

The Lord bless to us the reading of His holy word, and to His name be glory and praise.

Intro

The way we dress and adorn ourselves is always meant to project a message. A king wears a robe and a crown; a police officer wears a badge; a referee wears a striped shirt. Sometimes our message is to project authority or honor, and sometimes the message is meant to draw attention and provoke a response–immodesty, irreverence, or to show disrespect. Sometimes we dress and adorn ourselves to slip into the background unnoticed, and other times we dress to pull the attention toward ourselves. Either way, we always communicate something by the way we choose to dress and present ourselves.

Think of someone going to a funeral in a baseball cap and sweatpants. Or a woman coming to a wedding in a white ballgown, competing with the bride. Or, Pastor preaching in expensive basketball sneakers and ripped jeans. Such a thing, especially if it happened intentionally and frequently, would need to be addressed.

For the Corinthians congregation, something similar was happening intentionally and frequently. For them, life under grace brought had brought about all sorts of new freedoms. Much of what Paul has been dealing with in the past few chapters is how to navigate these freedoms for the glory of God. If we don’t remember this point and see this text as a extension of this same rationale, then this text can seem quite random and difficult to interpret.

The gospel had brought freedom in marriage and singleness, freedom in food, freedom in association with unbelievers. And the gospel also brought about a new view of dignity for women within the culture of the ancient world and within the church. Previously barred from entering into the temple courts, women were now integral parts of the Christian congregation. Viewed as property in the Roman world, women within the church were to be seen and valued as those who are made in the image of God. And as Paul mentions in verse five, this elevation of status and freedom included even praying and prophesying (teaching?) among the congregation.

As a side note: I don’ think these freedoms meant church leadership or preaching. Paul’s instructions elsewhere (1 Cor. 14; 1 Tim. 2) make the male requirements of those offices quite clear. It is likely that this prayer and prophesy was among other women. Nevertheless, there was a much richer harmony between male and female within the church.

So what’s in view here, with this noble new position of women who can pray and prophesy among the congregation, is that they must still do this under authority, not adorning themselves in such a way as to project an attitude of rebellion, individualism, and pride. As we noted earlier, the way we adorn ourselves say a lot about how we wish to be viewed.

The Problem

The problem is dishonor and rebellion, immodesty and contentiousness within the congregation of the Prince of Peace. And, in this example, this was primarily coming from the women in the congregation. For that to be a problem doesn’t need much further explanation, but here is how our text frames the situation:

“Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head.” (1 Corinthians 11:4–6, ESV)

“If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.” (1 Corinthians 11:16, ESV)

From the time of Adam and Eve, there has been a wrestling between the sexes regarding authority. In Genesis three, God says to Eve after the fall that, “…Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you”” (Genesis 3:16, ESV).

This means that one of the displays of the fall is the disharmony between the sexes.

And any marriage here can attest to a frequent tension over authority, submission, and leadership. Adam was to protect and lead and he failed–the new Adam protected, sacrificed Himself for His bride, and truly led. Eve wrestled with Adam for independence and bucked his authority, just as the Bride of Christ, the Church, must repent from the desire to buck Christ’s authority.

We often think of the church being a refuge for sinners who have turned away from obvious sins like hatred and murder and gossip and lust, but because we have such a low view of of authority and submission we don’t realize that it, too, is a great sin and one of the first curses mentioned as Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden.

How Are They Displaying This Rebellion?

Outwardly, some women in the congregation were refusing to cover their heads in worship. As a fashion statement, it was a sign of dishonor and competition. And while I certainly believe that actual cloth veils were and still are common in this eastern culture to display modesty, or marriage, I think that seeing what is happening through Paul’s comment about hair specifically brings some clarity to his other statements and defines the broader problem.

Look at vv.14-15,

“Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.” (1 Corinthians 11:14–15, ESV).

The covering in view here is explicitly named as her hair and its length.

The disgrace is not a particular length of hair for either the man or the woman, but the disgrace comes with a conflagration between man and women, when men adopt feminine dress and women masculine.

The Solution And The Point

What’s the solution? Well, the obvious answer is that these women should cover their heads. But why?

Chain of Submission:

Paul starts the argument for this whole section in vs. 3 by saying,

“…I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Corinthians 11:3, ESV)

Within the way that God has ordered the world, there are glorious differences among roles. Those differences, however, do not belittle or denigrate us in any way. Notice that Christ and the Father are mentioned just as husband and wife are. But certainly Christ is not belittled because He is not The Father.

Remember, the problem was the desire to flatten differences and wrestle for differing roles, but glory is always greater when we embrace our role, not when we abdicate it or wrestle to have someone else’s role.

The peculiar glory that the Father has is seen by the fact that He is not the Son. The peculiar glory that the Son has is seen in that He is not the Father. The peculiar glory that a man has is that he is not a woman. The peculiar glory that the moon has is that it is the moon, not the sun. It is absurd to think that these differences diminish their value.

It is the presence of pride that makes difference into competition.

Image & Glory

“Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven.” (1 Corinthians 11:4–5, ESV)…“For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man.” (1 Corinthians 11:7, ESV)

Both male and female are under an obligation to display the honor and glory of another. One does it in one way and the other in a different way. Gen. 1:27 reminds us that both male and female are made in the image of God, but here we see that male and female each display glory uniquely. Man does this with uncovered head, the image of God. Women does this with covered head, the glory of man.

She is an adornment upon man. If he is a king, she is a crown. She is his glory.

Among the Corinthians, these crowns of glory, these women, were apparently frustrated about being crowns and wished instead to be the heads upon which they adorned. They not only can’t be heads, but also ceased to adorn and glorify. Just as a man who wishes to be God can’t be, he also in the process becomes something less than a man.

All Things Are From God

“For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.” (1 Corinthians 11:8–12, ESV)

Women was made after man and made for man. Her glory is in relation to Him. Adam was made to tend the garden and Eve was made to tend the gardener.

V. 10 says that her symbol of authority that she wears is because of the angels. I take this as a reference to images such as Isa. 6:2 where the angels use their wings to cover themselves in the presence of God. This covering does not diminish them, but displays that they are humbly under the authority of another.

And even though women is made after man and for man, Paul says, “nevertheless,” neither man or woman are independent. “In the Lord”, woman was made from man, but also now each man is born of woman. “All things are from God.”

This world that God has made serves all of us. Just as the rain nourishes the fields and the fields nourish the man, God makes each thing for its purpose. Even among the Trinity even, The Father, Son, and Spirit serve uniquely to glorify each other. In like manner, male and female serve in harmony for God’s glory, not independently for self-glory.

Conclusion:

The point that Paul is making here reminds me of a poem by G.K. Chesterton called Comparisons, that states this point clearly:

Comparisons, by G.K. Chesterton

If I set the sun beside the moon, And if I set the land beside the sea, And if I set the flower beside the fruit And if I set the town beside the country And if I set the man beside the woman I suppose some fool would talk About one being better.

There are a couple of practical considerations here that I want to address before we close.

Are we still to wear head coverings today?

Like other things in the Bible, there are timeless principles and there are timely methods. We don’t normally greet one another with a holy kiss though it is mentioned five times in scripture, but we do take seriously the command to greet one another warmly, albeit differently.

Paul also makes the connection in vs. 16 that this particular practice of humility is a synetheia, a custom. And we also can recall that Paul encourages us to do contextual theology (1 Cor. 9:19-23 - To the Jews he became a Jew - All things to all people).

There are many people who choose to cover their heads with a cloth in obedience to this text believing that sends a clear statement of submission. And in their efforts to honor Christ in this way I say, amen!

And there are obviously situations in which someone loses their hair for a time or cannot grow it. Again, this text is not that hair makes us Christian or wearing long dresses or suits or making sourdough bread or any such custom. But we are to intentionally choose displays of distinction and glory, projecting that we are bondservants of Christ and under His authority.

We all know that we have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. And that is what this text is about, displaying that glory.

Jesus didn’t fall short of God’s glory. I bring this text up a lot because it is so instructive of our redemption that “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6–8, ESV)

Though he was equal to the Father, nevertheless, the Son displayed unbelievable glory in his obedience, submission, and joyful service.

And within the Church, Paul says that we should have no such practice as to display dishonor and independence. We must embrace who God has made us to be and leverage that for His glory, man and woman alike. We must play the clear note that we are made to be, not a dissonant mess of wrangling for leadership or rule. We must consider others more significant than ourselves, which is ours to do only through Christ Jesus.

Our culture now is very clear on this topic. Equality means flattening distinctions, demanding independence, and openly scoffing at submission, authority, and honor.

But in the church, we shouldn’t be trying to get the sea to stop trying to be the sky or the moon to stop being the sun, and we shouldn’t be trying to have our women and our men competing with one another.

†HYMN OF RESPONSE #241

“O God Beyond All Praising”

THE MINISTRY OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

Minister: Lift up your hearts!

Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord.

Minister: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

Congregation: It is right for us to give thanks and praise!

CONFESSION OF FAITH

Nicene Creed p. 852

Congregation is seated.

INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE

// ad hoc invitation or use below if needed //

The Israelites in the Passover ate the unblemished, firstborn, male lamb with wine and unleavened bread. By this they were not only celebrating how God delivered them from the 10th plague in Egypt, they were having held out to them the greater substitution that was yet to come. Instead of sacrificing a lamb and putting its blood on the doorposts, God himself would offer up the blood of his own son to save them.

That meal provided the pattern for the one between Jesus and his disciples. Matthew records in his gospel:

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” 30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

All of this is the background for the meal set before us this morning. At the table our Lord sets we are united by faith with him by the Holy Spirit. In this mysterious working we receive, by faith, the same body that was born of Mary. The real Spiritual presence of Christ is present in the sacrament inasmuch as the Holy Spirit is able to unite us to Christ. It is therefore not a mere memorial or a pledge of our fidelity but is first and foremost a means of grace and a pledge of God’s faithfulness.

Don’t you long for some sign from God? Some sense of his presence? Some token of his having accepted us despite the weakness of our faith and obedience? Here, at this table, the holy one, whose mere voice sent terror into Israel’s bones, clothes himself in humility and gives himself to us.

This supper’s benefits are in substance the same as those communicated through preaching and baptism: Christ and all his benefits by faith. This means that the supper is itself a means of persevering grace. It does not give us an additional ingredient or a power not present in preaching, but supports those means as a perpetual ratification of God’s peace treaty with his people. Faith is created by the preached gospel and confirmed and strengthened by the sacraments. God works supernaturally through natural, created things.

Scripture teaches that such a supernatural supper is a thing that cannot be taken lightly. We are commanded to examine ourselves, individually and corporately, and to be certain that we believe and that we have discerned the body of our Lord rightly. This examination is good and right so long as we do not make the requirements for admission to this table any more stringent than did our Lord. Some have used Scripture’s exhortation to self-examination in a manner that actually undermines the very point of the sacrament, as if communion were a reward, and withholding a punishment, rather than each a means of grace.

Maybe start here:

This cup that we receive is a cup of forgiveness. In it we find the blood of Christ, which was shed for the remission of sins. By definition therefore it cannot be for anyone but sinners. “Jesus said that those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” The forgiveness of God is the medicine for poor, sick souls.

This cup is the blood of Jesus Christ; the one who offers living water. He told the woman of Samaria that if she were to drink of it she would be fully, and finally, satisfied. This cup does not forgive sins, but as we take it by faith we receive the grace of God which unites us to Christ in his forgiveness. In this we too can be satisfied inasmuch as we are satisfied with the one who gives it.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS

//once all elements are received//

The Lord has prepared this table for all who love him and trust in him alone for their salvation. It is for those who belong to Christ through repentance, faith, baptism, and continuing union with his Church.

“O taste and see that the LORD is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.”

[motion to partake]

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” This cup is the new covenant in the blood of Christ, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Drink of it, all who believe.

PRAYER

†OUR RESPONSE #234

Tune: The God of Abraham Praise

The whole triumphant host gives thanks to God on high;

“Hail, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!” they ever cry.

Hail, Abraham’s God and mine! I join the heav’nly lays;

all might and majesty are thine, and endless praise.

†BENEDICTION: GOD’S BLESSING FOR HIS PEOPLE

Christians, go in hope and His peace.

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24–25, ESV)

Grace Notes Reflection:

Part of what falling short of the glory of God means is that our lives project tension where there should be harmony, competition where there should be peace, and self where there should be the promotion of God.

Man is to glorify God by bearing His image and reflecting His glory. One example of that specific call to men would be the command to self-sacrifice in marriage, laying down the self as Christ Himself did. A wife, however, is to glorify God in relation to her husband, and women in relation to men. Though she, too, is made in the image of God as the man is, her display of His glory is not in the same way as the man’s. To use our same illustration, she is not to lay her life down in sacrifice for her husband, but is called to submit and honor him, “as to the Lord” (Eph. 5:22). This, too, was modeled for her by Christ and is possible for her through the Spirit within her.

It is the existence of pride that makes for competition, and this pride is expressed in our daily expressions, actions, speech, and dress. The world around us is deeply comfortable with this pride and celebrates it, but it is not celebrated in the Church. Here, we delight that God is tuning our hearts, orchestrating our lives, and leading us to project attitudes of honor which give glory to Him.

From our text this week:

“But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Corinthians 11:3, ESV)

Notice the relationships mentioned in the verse above. Does the presence of differing roles alter the value of the role players?

Do you tend to think of head as “boss” or “leader”?

In what ways might you need to repent from projecting pride and rebellion in the role you have been given? It may not be appearance but could be speech or attitude. Don’t just recall it in the mind–go and make it right, showing that you are under God’s authority and under their authority as well.

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