It Happened Before, It is Happening Again

There are perhaps no more controversial and difficult verses in the New Testament than the closing verses of chapter 2 of 1 Timothy. Lets turn our attention to these verses by reading them from our bibles. You may follow along on our projection screen or in your bibles.

1 Timothy 2:8–15 ESV

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

What is the point Paul is trying to make by writing, "Adam was not deceived, but the women was deceived and became a transgressor"? A superficial reading of this text would seem to suggest that women are more prone to deception than men, therefore they are not to "teach or exercise authority over a man". However, both experience and more importantly, other Scripture does not lend support to this idea. For example, in Acts 18 we see that both Priscilla and her husband Aquila instruct Apollos.

Acts 18:26 ESV

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

Moreover, if women are more prone to deception, why are they so frequently commanded to teach other women and children? If women were such poor teachers, children and other women are the last people you would want women to teach!

The key to understanding these verses is to examine the story of Adam and Eve that Paul uses as an example. When we do this we discover that the point Paul is making is this: Just as Satan deceived Eve in the Garden to reject God's creation order and plan for her life, so now through false teachers, Satan is deceiving the women in Ephesus to reject God's creation order and plan for their lives. What happened before, can and IS happening again!

Deception Happened Before, It is Happening Again

Hear again the deceptive lie of Satan to Eve:

Genesis 3:4–6 ESV

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

The deceptive lie is that Eve could leave her place in God's created order and become like God himself! In our study from the book of Romans last year, we learned that Eve's rejection of God creative order is a sin all humanity shares in.

Romans 1:21–23 ESV

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

It is important that all of us, both men and women own up to this deceptive lie that we can be like God. This deception reveals itself in many ways and is on full display this very weekend. For example, today on the Sunday news shows liberals are voicing their opposition to the new Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. Their talking point is that he favors "big business" over the rights of the individual. The business they have in mind is Hobby Lobby and the individual right they have in mind is the made-up "right" to murder a child by abortion. They oppose Gorsuch because he actually believes in the "laws of nature and nature's God". That phrase, "the law of nature and nature's God" come from our Declaration of Independence and refer to what is commonly know as Natural Law. Nature Law is a biblical concept and comes from the book of Romans.

Romans 2:14–15 ESV

For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them

You need to understand this, what we are witnessing in not a battle between to political parties, but a battle between those who want to make themselves god and those who want to obey God. The right to life is an inalienable right and trumps all other so called "rights". This is because humanity is created in God's image. To believe anything else is to believe a lie.

One more example: Tonight, during the Superbowl halftime, Lady Gaga will be promoting her liberal agenda of sexual immorality and perversion. This as we also learn in the book of Roman is another example of humanity rejecting the true God and His creation order.

Romans 1:26–27 ESV

For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

I hope all of you see by these two examples that the problem of deception I am preaching about today is not a female problem, but a humanity problem. In Ephesus this rebellion happened to expressing itself in the rejection of the roles God had ordered men and women to have in the home and in the church.

Look again at verses 13 and 14 and you will see that Paul is concerned with the creation order.

1 Timothy 2:13–14 ESV

For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.

This morning we ordained and installed men to serve as deacons and elders and we commissioned women to assist our deacons as deaconess. This is not an insignificant distinction--it is a faithful recognition that God has given both men and women gifts to serve him, but He intends they use those gifts in different roles and with different authority.

To reject and rebel against those roles brings God's curse upon individuals, families, the church and eventually the whole world.

Cursing Happened Before, It is Happening Again

Paul is very concerned by what he is hearing is occuring in the Ephesian Church. Timothy is his trusted protegee and he would not be writing him unless he was truly alarmed. Just as Eve's rebellion brought the curse to Adam and through Adam to the whole world, so the rebellion of these women in Ephesus had the potential of damaging the whole church and eventually the whole world.

In an earlier letter to the church of Ephesus, Paul reveals a great mystery that had been hidden from humanity, but is now revealed to the church. Marriage he says was designed by God to mirror the relationship Christ has with his church (Eph 5:32). Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church (Eph 5:25). Just as Christ loves his church by being Prophet, Priest and King; so the husband is to love his wife by serving her as a prophet, priest and king of his home. When women step into these roles in the church and in the home a man's purpose in life is taken away from him. Men thrive when they believe they have a wife and family to protect, provide for and lead. Without this sense of purpose, men tend to act like overgrown adolescents. It is what sociologist have dubbed "The Peterpan Syndrome." But more importance than men acting badly, the message of the gospel is compromised, because when the world looks at a Christian marriage they should see an image of Christ and his love for the church. Churches today busy themselves with so called outreach programs, when they need to busy themselves with building godly marriages and families to serve as living billboards of the gospel!

For example, I believe that the exhortation to men we find in verse 8 is tied to breakdown of the family within the Ephesian church. Let's remind ourselves what Paul says:

1 Timothy 2:8 ESV

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;

I have no doubt that some of the anger and quarreling was occuring among the men themselves, but there is good reason to believe that Paul had in mind the anger and quarreling that occurs within the home among husbands and wives. In a parallel passage Peter writes:

1 Peter 3:7 ESV

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Here Peter ties a husbands failure to "love his wife as Christ loved the church," to hindered prayer. Why do you think so many non-Christians think Christianity is hypocritical? It is because they see and heard Christian men treating their wives with disrespect! As I said earlier, this is not just a warning directed towards women, when we fall for the deception of rebelling against the roles God has given us there are consequences--people's lives are cursed!

If God's Word to us ended here with the curse there would be little hope. But God's Word never ends with the message of curse. Paul continues:

1 Timothy 2:15 ESV

Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

What is Paul saying? Is he saying that no godly Christian women will die in childbirth? Is he saying that women are saved by having children, rather than by having faith in Christ? NO! Paul is saying this:

Blessing Happened Before, It Will Happen Again

Just because women are not called to teach and exercise authority in the church like men, does not mean they do not play a significant role in God's plan of salvation. Consider Eve--when she repented and accepted God's role for her God gave her a promise of blessing. Interesting enough, this promise is found in the midst of God's curse of the serpent:

Genesis 3:15 ESV

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

This was the first promise of a Messiah or Christ to free humanity from the curse of sin and death. As we follow the Bible's story line we find that this promise found its ultimate fulfillment in the life a young women named Mary. Unlike Eve, Mary humbly accepted the role and the plan God had for her. Let's hear her story again:

Luke 1:30–35 ESV

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

Luke 1:38 ESV

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

In observing her submissive faith, Elizabeth her cousin made this pronouncement:

Luke 1:45 ESV

And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

I believe Paul's point is this verse 15 is this: God created us as male and female to be his instruments of blessing in this world. Our maleness and femaleness is created into the very fabric of this universe. When we follow that God's plan for our lives as men and women there will be blessing, when we don't we become a curse. The greatest blessing this world has ever known--Jesus Christ--came into this world because a young woman accepted her calling to give birth to the Messiah. Salvation came into this world by childbirth!

I hope this message encourages all of you--men and women--that you can be a blessing just as God created you. Women you don't have become like a man to be a blessing. Men you do not have to become like a women to be a blessing. You are an instrument of blessing just as you God made you.

I know sometimes it does not feel as though your life is blessed or can be a blessing, but when it feels that way, remember the words of the angel to Mary:

Luke 1:37 ESV

For nothing will be impossible with God.”

It happened before, it can happen again!