Women in Worship, Part 2

We come now to our second lesson on the deminiour of women within church.

Not To Teach

When we speak about teaching. The word didasko is used in teaching in a formal sense.

What it doesn’t mean

It doesn’t mean you can’t have informal discussions and share knowledge.

I love hanging out around the dinner table or around a fire and discussing theology with both men and women.

It doesn’t mean men can’t learn from women.

Women and men are created different.

Because of this, we will have different perspective when it comes to scripture.

Different perspectives of application as well.

If we aren’t discussing scripture with others, we can be totally missing out on a large point that God is making in His word.

This means listening to both genders.

Acts 18:24-26

Priscilla and Aquila, a husband and wife team took Apollos aside to teach him about the fullness of the message.

Priscilla was there with her husband, helping Apollos understand what Jesus had done.

It does mean

Teaching in settings where there is a authority structure.

Where there is clearly a teacher who has authority, and students who are learning.

This type of teaching was the type where Jesus would go to the synagogues and teach.

Teaching bible studies in a formal sense.

Where a teacher would have a pretense of authority.

Preaching

Giving sermons

Where they are giving instruction to men.

This is the same sin that was in the garden.

God said “you can eat of every tree, but this one.” And we said, but we want that one.

God has said in the government of His church. Women have been created for and can do so many thing, but the role of leadership and preaching, and there are some who are in rebellion who say, “but I want that.”

Joyce Meyer, Beth Moore, Victoria Osteen, Paula White. They are all living in direct rebellion to the word of God. They are not to be esteemed or looked up to.

Their may be some good that comes from their ministries. But that isn’t due to their faithfulness, it is due to God being able to draw a straight line with a crooked stick.

God has created us gloriously different.

God has created us for different purposes.

God has created and called men to lead.

God has created women for compassion and for community.

Women are especially gifted at bringing people together, and seeing the needs of others then meeting those needs.

There are many different area’s within a church for women to use their gifts, but preaching and teaching are not where they should be.

Not To Exercise Authority Over A Man

What does this mean?

Women are not to hold positions of governing power within the church.

Our church is being disobedient to God in this regard.

Our governing structure is a church board, and we have women on our board.

BTW, I’m not surprising the board with what I’m speaking of, we as a board have been discussing things like this and I have warned them about this sermon.

Concerning women, there are two personality types of women in power:

Wants to have power

This is the mindset of the feminist movement.

The reason they step up is to “give women a voice.”

You will hear the call to action being, “women empowerment!”

We can do anything a man can do!

Having this type of mindset is at odds with scripture.

It is an attempt to subvert the created order and the way that God has orchestrated things.

If this is your mindset, you need to repent.

It needs to be done:

This is the understanding that, if they don’t do it, it won’t happen.

This mindset says there is a hole, and no one is filling it. I’ll step up because no one else is.

Deborah was this kind of leader.

Judges 4:8-9

It needed to be done, so she did it.

She told Barak he needed to lead, he was to afraid to do it without her.

Understand, v.9 is saying she will go with, but it will be to Barak’s shame.

The leaders of Israel were being shamed for their lack of leadership and courage.

Men, you must lead

When we abdicate, and women step up to fill the void, God’s view isn’t “we’re all created equal, therefore it doesn’t matter.”

When women have to step into the leadership role, it is to the shame of the men.

God has called qualified men to lead. Therefore you must step up and lead the way God calls you to.

You must also work to fit the qualifications of leader. For it isn’t that God has given you a Y chormosone, therefore you are qualified. No, You must work to fit the standard that God has set for leadership.

If we desire for our church to make an impact in our community, we must begin with building our church on the foundation of Christ and the standards that He set forth in His word.

I am not teaching on this because I believe women need to be squashed under the thumb of man. I am preaching on this becasue I am being submissive to the words of king Jesus.

Women, sometimes their needs to be a void

If someone is filling it, what need is there to step up?

This isn’t just in the church. This begins at home.

In your home, men you must be leading, and leading well.

Girls if you aren’t married, make sure that the man who you seek to marry is one who will lead.

Equally yoked doesn’t mean they willing to warm a pew.

If you are married and you husband won’t lead spiritually, encourage him to do so.

Ask him to lead you in devotions.

Ask him to lead in prayer.

Encourage him to get together with Godly men.

Men who will challenge him to lead.

Sometimes men are a little slower with biblical things, sometimes we need to be encouraged, and trained in how to do so.

But he is the one whom God has called to lead your family, so encourage him to do it well.

Evidence From Creation

v.13

Paul doesn’t argue his point of headship from culture, he doesn’t say it’s from the fall.

He argues from creation.

This is how God created you, and created the gender roles to work.

Genesis 1:26-27

Created THEM, Imago Dei, in His image.

We are equal in value and standing before God.

But we are created different, with different gifting.

Genesis 2:7, 18, 21-22

God creates man first; then woman from man.

He could have created them at the same time, but he didn’t.

1 Corinthians 11:8-9

1 Corinthians 11:8–9 ESV

For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.

God has established a headship order.

God has done this so that their might be order, not chaos.

For churches and marriages to function correctly, they must operate the way in which God has designed them.

v.14

It wasn’t that Eve was uneducated.

She was deceived.

The first thing that took place was the creation order was turned on it’s head.

The serpent goes to the woman, not the husband.

She is deceived by the desire for more knowledge.

She was not content with what God had given her.

Once again, when women want authority. It is the same mentality of Eve just before the fall.

Eve also not recognizing that the serpent was subverting the created order shows that she wasn’t content with the headship order in creation either.

For she recieved teaching from the serpent, then turned and gave the instruction to her husband.

She acted like the leader and the teacher by then giving it to her husband who was with her.

Adam was the created head and leader, yet he played the coward, and did nothing.

v.14 isn’t the reason women aren’t to lead. v.13 is the reason are not to lead, v.14 is what happens when we begin to compromise.

One sin begets another, begets another.

Eve wanted a greater position than she was given. Which led her to upend the created order of God. Which led to her being deceived, which led to her leader her husband into sin, which led to her being a transgressor and her husband with her.

Even though Eve led, and Adam followed. Adam is still the one help responsible for bad leadership.

Scripture doesn’t say “sin came into the world through one woman.”

Scriptures say “Sin came into the world through one man.”

Men, you will be held responsible for how you lead.

Even if that is through abdication, you are still leading.

Saved Through Childbearing?

Saved physically, will God preserve her during childbirth?

No, many women die in childbirth.

Saved from hell?

We know that their is only one way to have eternal salvation, through Jesus Christ.

I believe what Paul is doing is drawing a contrast, just as she brought death into the world through her disobedience, she can bring life to her family, bring salvation to her family through her obedience.

Let me explain this.

The Greek rendition of v.15 is “she is saved through the childbearing,” or “through the motherhood.”

Women have been given the greatest gift of all, bringing immortal souls into the world.

Training those immortal souls to follow God.

The household is the most important place.

Work and careers are elevated now, but they shouldn’t be.

The entire reason anybody works, is to support the household.

The reason men should work, is to support the household.

To support our wives, so they are free to continue in the greatest work.

The raising of souls that will either live for eternity in heaven, or hell.

The greatest work is to train up a child in the way they should go, so when they are old, they will not depart.

So we are raising immortal souls to make heaven crowded.

Is this world tainted with sin, yes.

Did Eve have a part to play in that? Yes!

But becasue of Jesus Christ, we are free.

Even through this world is getting dark, women have a chance to bring light into this world, by being good mothers, and training their children well.

Mothers have a chance to bring salvation to their households by bringing the author of salvation (Jesus) into their household.

And using the blessing of motherhood to train up their children to follow Jesus.

By focusing on faith, love, holiness, and self control.

And training their kids to do the same.

Let us seek to glorify God with the way that we order church, our households, and our lives.