April 18, 2021 - The Christ Centered Woman

like you to turn to

myON. Turn to 1st Timothy. If you want it, we are there we go. If you want to follow along on your hand on all the verses are are there but this is a passage a difficult passage that brings me back to an experience. I had a number of years ago. I was at the John Piper Pastors conference and I was wondering around the bookroom imagine that and I was John Hall and John said here's a guy I want you to meet at Young Church planter the older you get everyone's Young have you noticed so I don't know. He was maybe 40 or 35 or something like that and we had a nice talk and he was involved in a church plant out on in South Minneapolis some place and we had a delightful time. I just a wonderful young man and about a year later. I remember talking to John and I said, what do you hear from you or your friend? And I don't recall his name now and he's and he said Tell her I just had coffee with him a while back and and they're going through a difficult time. They close had to close a church of just wasn't growing wasn't working. And and so now he's out of work and he's doing something else and and so the story went and it reminded me of when we were at the conference. He was from the tip of his toes to the top of his head. He was so excited about church planting church revitalization and out of out of work about a year later leading a church is really really a hard thing and Paul knew that Paul had been on the receiving end of many of these things attacks on his character attacks on his credentials. He was not a he was a lesser Apostle if he even was one compared to the super Apostles and so on and so forth. Paul would leave one. Leave a church out one side of the town and and in no time would hear that false teachers or immorality had paraded into the town after he left and he would have to write letters. That's what most of this is in the New Testament trying to correct things and guide things. And so now we have this old seasoned Church planter Pastor Paul who'd been through the wars had the scars and the brand marks of Jesus on his body those with were scars from his beatings and things and picks up his pen to write to a young guy. Maybe Timothy was full of zeal from the top of his head to the tip of his cuz like this other fellow that Paul knew I need to I need to give him some encouragement. I need to give him a heads up on some things that he's going to face. I need him to stay excited. zealous for the gospel But I want him to know how to walk through some of the issues that no doubt. He will face until Paul really soaks 1st to 2nd Timothy and Titus in the gospel. We looked at this. I don't want to repeat all of this. But in chapter one, we saw at the gospel being exalted and then in the beginning of this chapter when Paul has charged Timothy in 1st Timothy to fight this good fight of faith and Lead forth. He's at the church at Ephesus. He's probably the lead guy there and probably the youngest there. And you still don't want you to go out and fight the fight of faith. I'm entrusting you with this gospel. And then he says now first of all I want you to pray is what we talked about last week, but in versus one through six or seven Paul again brings him back to the gospel. I want you to pray supplications prayers intercessions Thanksgiving for all people and then Kings and all were high positions that we might live a peaceful and quiet life Godly and dignified and every way and then the gospel because if I do this and I'm praying as a priest interceding for as a guy for my wife and my family and my church and my circle of any influence on my country, if I do this, there's this amazing statement where Paul says, this is good. This is a good thing and it's pleasing in the sight of God. Our Savior who desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth and then he goes on and then last week I want men to rise up it doesn't mean women don't do this, he's just saying men leave the way on this when it's time to pray when you think about your country or your Governor or something like that or your church or people in the church or your family or your wife you'll be the one to stand up Stand up, you know, I think the holy hands I think is is the Priestly position. If you look in the Psalms the priest would often do this as they would bring the petitions the needs lift the people to God they would do this and so he calls them in to be leaders and people of Prayer. Paul would have his hands full with men who didn't know how to walk with Christ. correlation and anger and passivity and so he will teach Timothy how to begin to hedge those things off and help the men begin to walk in a dedicated way with Jesus Christ. Our section today has got to be understood in the light of the gospel and the Heart of God that all men might be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. If we start to take the gender, you know glories and we just take him out of scripture Lamb on the table. We have nothing but problems with them difficulties in this doesn't make sense in this isn't fair. We have all of these things. But if we look at it in terms of the Gospel all of a sudden it makes sense because it's all about God not all about me. So we're going to we're going to Wade through and look at these words for women will cover most of these verses. I might take a second run at this, but we're going to cover these + Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 and Genesis 3 So I'll have you out of here by Mother's Day.

I'm going to go quickly on this first one, but Paul understands that there's going to be something that's is going to be a challenge for the church here. Peter talks about some of the same things in 1st Peter. And the first line here is 9 and 10 likewise. Also the women so likewise points back to where the men it said then I desire then now that the old New American Standard that is translated there for a little easier to catch your eye there, but it's there for going back to the gospel. Man, I want you to pray it's not just some arbitrary thing. It's for the gospel.

women likewise for the gospel in God's desire that the church would display and speak and Advance the gospel of Christ.

I want them to Adorn them self and then I think there's two categories here in respectable apparel with modesty and self-control not with braided hair gold or pearls or costly a tire. So, let me just stop there for a minute that I think he's talking about two different things. He's he wants the women to develop their beauty, but the beauty should be that the hidden person of the heart that we read about in other places and there's two Temptations. It seems like for ladies in our culture one is immodesty.

The second is extravagance. And I think in Ephesus and an in Peter's letter, there were women when he says braided hair and pearls and costly and gold and costly attire. I don't think he's saying you can't wear on that closer. You can't do your hair. I think he's saying don't let your adornment how you do your hair or what jewelry to wear it? What kind of clothes you wear? Don't let that say look at me.

That's just a hick what he's saying. So as we get dressed or get ready for the day or ready to go to church ready to go out to stop and look at what you're going to wear and how you're going to do yourself up and and understand I want I want to look nice when I look sharp, but I want people to be drawn to Christ. And so the elect the next line is but do it with what is proper for women in other proper means mints that is appropriate for women who profess godliness with good works. So when somebody goes home, they're not talking about, you know, a modesty or or Neiman Marcus. I don't know anything about women's clothes. So maybe they're not even in business anymore. But but you know, it's like so over-the-top extravagance. Let people go home and I can't remember what she was wearing but man good works. And you remember in Ephesians 2. It talks about that. We were created in Christ Jesus for good works. These were good works at that. He is wired us for he's equipped us for as a woman. You're just made just right for those good works. Let people remember. Oh, man. She serves the Lord. Oh, man. She pointed me to Jesus or or while. She was able to talk me down and get me my feet back on the ground with Christ. Let those be the things that you're noted for just a couple of verses. We're dressing and acting. for the gospel So Titus 2 says let them be self-control pure working at home kind submissive their husbands that the word of God may not be reviled Titus 2:10, just down the page talking about the same thing. I showing all good faith so that an everything they may Adorn. It's the same word. They may Adorn the doctrine of God our savior that interesting and the word Adorn is is Cosmos. It's the show up in our verse this morning women should have joined them self. It's Cosmos. It's where we get the word cosmetics. And in the definition means to to arrange or make up something. So when you put your makeup on that's what this that's this makeup cosmetics. That's that's the word he's using when your adorning yourself Titus 2:10, so that your life might Adorn the gospel of God our savior. And we have Jesus saying to the church to church let your light shine before others so that they might may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven until there's many many other applications for that. I want to move on on this because that's fairly straightforward so that when I when you dress as a lady and kind of put your makeup on or you know hair and all of all of that he's not saying, you know, don't look good or don't look sharp or something like that. He's just saying don't send the message look at me. Or have people going home because of thinking about you looked at you because of immodesty or because of wild extravagance that make make sense. So fairly straightforward the next one that Paul gives us in 12 and 13 11 and 12 is more problematic. And so we'll take the rest of our time just on this one. Let a woman learn.

quietly with all submission

And then the second line I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man rather. She is to remain quiet. So just a couple of comments on this before we before we dive in the word learn is the Greek word for disciple.

That's kind of the route of being and therefore into all the world making disciples. It means making Learners and it's a word that's that's full or blur. It means those that know and follow and love Christ. And so when he says let them learn this is really in keeping with even the Great Commission. Let them be disciples. The second thing I point out is in our culture today for any of us man or woman. If anyone said I want you to be quiet and be submissive every one of us want to be offended at the sit down and be quiet. That's American understanding. That's what we think but when Paul says this and this is inerrancy, this is God speaking it to us speaking to us with this quietly. Simply means your demeanor.

come Ready? What's a quiet demeanor?

In submission has the sense of of been under like under Authority but I really think is we study this word develop in the New Testament in like an Ephesian 5 this house the idea of responsiveness. salt for me application of this quiet means I'm not here. I'm not here to fight. Take a deep breath, and I'm not here to fight submission means. And I'm ready to respond. I remember studying. This was some guys here a couple of months ago and we went over this and I went home that night really tired, but my spirit was just inflamed with these two words the written for women here, but I thought that's what I want in my life. I want to receive from the Lord with a quiet demeanor. I don't feel like me have you ever studied something or looked at a topic and you're just kind of went in with your guns ready to blaze in the body language, you know Lauderdale kaminari this but I'm not happy about it. I'm not going to you know, and I'll have to think this through and out the meditated on it which just simply men are not ready to obey you and and until we go into it in the Bible tells us that the human soul without walking in the spirit is in Amity with the spirit of God and the law of God and so in every even every believer unless I get that submission to the spirit and the word and submission to Christ I go into almost everything with my view on this by my desire for this what I want. And so it's really a beautiful picture of saying come in and come quietly and in just you just ready to receive ready to take steps as a disciple. And then he says I permit not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man but to remain quiet to have that Demeter, so I want to look at these next two lines because I think the next line is is what should begin to unpack this for us. Paul says Excuse me. So two reasons why we do this in the first reason is Adam was formed first then Eve and it and if you're like most of us in the in the room, we're waiting to hear Paul's explanation. Why in the world did you say this verse from verse 12 and verse 11. Why do you say this and pulses while tell you why because Adam was formed first then Eve. And that that line means almost almost means nothing to us. We have first born kids and different things like that. It is almost means nothing to us. So if we could take a jump back to Genesis 2 and I'm going to go through this relatively quickly, but why would Paul say that this is how I want the church to operate. I want the men to bring Direction and lead and more on that in the chapters to come and I want women to come with a quiet demeanor ready to ready to learn and ready to receive. Why would he say that so if we go back to Genesis chapter 2

We could go back to Genesis chapter 2. We're just finished Genesis chapter 1 where in Genesis chapter 1 God talks about male and female and he wraps that up. It's more of the overview of creation. And he says God created a male and female and it was very good. So there's the unity men and women absolute equality absolute same standing before before God absolutely both made in the image and likeness of God. So you have that solidarity and in chapter one and then chapter 2 he begins to unfold the day that he makes the time when he makes and creates Eve and this is what Paul's referring back to so let's walk through this let's walk through this. So first of all, he is already said that God formed the man and he formed him from the dust. So there's something unique the Lord God. This is Yahoo! Call him form the man from the dust of the ground and breathe into his nostrils the breath of life and the Man became a living creature. And so now we have the man on on Earth. And then we we begin to see God in trusting these things with Adam. Remember Eve is not here yet. First of all, inverse 15 the Lord God spoke to the man and put him in the excuse me, the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it and so the Lord God picks. This is where I want you to be. He's under the authority of Yahoo. A Elohim Lord, God and God says I swear I want you to be everything is perfect here for you want you to be here and the responsibilities that I have for you here is that I want you to work the garden of there's no weeds in that ends in Sorenson that yet that comes in. 3 but there was some maintaining of the garden and I want you to keep the garden keeper such an important Hebrew word. It's a beautiful word. That's used of God. Whose Ark April. May the Lord bless you and keep you that's the same word and it and it means to sort of take charge and watch out and and care for you and protect you. It's a beautiful world when we understand it from God to us and all the glory of God. And Adam is keep the garden Watch Over the Garden. So I guess some responsibilities the second thing. He does verse 16 and 17 the Lord God commanded the man said surely of the all of these trees in the garden. You may you may eat. It's like there's no end to them and they're fantastic and they're amazing and they're beautiful have all you want.

What are the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil you shall not eat for in that day that you eat of it? You shall surely die. So now not only is he keeping Adam keeping the garden? He's also given this responsibility of obedience in the garden. The third thing inverse inverse 19 and 20 not out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them and whatever the man called The Living every living creature that was its name for the man gave names to all the livestock to all the birds of the heavens that every every beast of the field. And so now there's a third responsibility that the Lord God is giving Adam the man Eve isn't here yet. And so he has them in the garden and all of a sudden we have this line at the inverse 18 and then in the end of verse 20 that says then the Lord God said, so if you can imagine now, this is in the Perfection of the Garden of Eden with no sim. The Lord God said it is not good that the man should be alone. And and I think we'll see from this. It's it's the first thing that comes to our mind is that there was a loneliness there. There was not another human being on the planet watch Lessa a lady for him. And and so they're certainly could have been a loneliness there. But there is much more than that. He was alone and God In His glory wanted to replenish or not replenished but to populate the Earth with life when the first things he says after he creates Eve is be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth Genesis one that's in as well. And so not only is there probably is a loneliness in Adam, but there's also an inability there is a deficit if you will there's something that needs to be there to bring about this this High glory of God about bringing life and populating the Earth and he can't Do it himself something's missing he's alone. And so God says I'll make a helper fit and I'm going to just kind of override my friends with the ESV here and I'm going to say helper suitable. I just like the word suitable so much better than than fit. It's the same Hebrew word here helper suitable for him. And so God here. We see God beginning the process of providing the woman to the man and so verse 21 and 22, but Adam4Adam, there's not found a helper suitable for him. So the Lord causes a deep sleep to fall upon the man while he slept he took one of his ribs close up the Flesh and and the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man. He made into a woman. And he brings her if you I've tried the in my mind's eye picture this this in my mind's eye of Adam waking up. He's been looking at all these animals, there's male and female like horses and cows and dogs and chickens and everything. There's just nothing that's a counterpart to him. Any comes out of this sleep and he looks and there's Eve that the Lord had created and presented to Eve like a gift from God to Adam. End of that Adam the man rejoices at the woman. I'm not a Hebrew scholar. I did okay in Greek not so great in Hebrew. But as I've read the guys that are they said this at last is an exclamation in the Hebrew. This is what would happen if if my lowly Minnesota Vikings ever won a Superbowl when we Larry with jump up and go Atlanta.

That's that's a bad illustration. That's what Adam is saying here. That's what he's saying here.

Bone of my bone. She's up right in walks like me and I can recognize that in flesh of our flesh. She doesn't have you no scales or feathers or something. She's got skin like me I Flesh of My Flesh. I'll name her woman remember he has this Authority and responsibility under God to name things. He said I think I'll name her and I think I'll name her woman because she was taken from Ansel Adams name is a word play and Hebrew with dirt cuz that's where he came from. And now he names her woman. I won't even try to say the Hebrew words here, but it's a play that she was taken out of man. He was taken from the dust. She was taken from him. And so later in the New Testament we can say will man came from woman and woman actually came for a man. Yep. And then in Frisco selling site track here, but he said therefore we're not independent of one another. We're not independent of one another. It's Divine Design and the Man in the woman to become one through marriage and they have no shame or vulnerability all the man shall leave his father and mother's before I had a father and mother that you hold fast to his wife. I'll cleave you remember the old leave and cleave and they shall become one flesh in every sense of that in the man and his wife were both naked and not ashamed and so it's a plug early in Genesis to us. If you're a young person. I was just going to go out on a limb here and say pray about marriage. It's it's a blessing from the Lord not a guy doesn't call everyone to get married and their singleness and and and celibacy and things like this, but you know, I see and our culture that marriage is is fallen on hard times before getting married later and later and later. And and a marriage is under attack more on that at the very end. I just want to say marriage is is a gift from from God. It is a gift from God and it is blessed it in a unique way that no other relationship really is is it hard absolutely. Are we supposed to nurse? Absolutely through Christ and the gospel. It is a relationship that God has intended for the majority or has to be the rule and so I want to encourage you don't listen to the world and and things like that marriage is a good thing think about marriage and pray about marriage just be open to the large leading in this. The second reason so the first reason is that Adam was created formed first. And so we've seen from this that God gave the responsibility of naming and the responsibility of obeying and and keeping the garden was Adams and then God said not good for him to be alone. There's Miss missing something here. And so he creates the woman and the word for helper suitable is exactly what he needed helper is talking about her differences the word help in Hebrew means one who supplies that which is otherwise lacking One who supplies that which is otherwise lacking we think in our culture today if I'm going to I'm going to hire a helper we're going to do some projects. I'll hire a helper. We would kinda be thinking about a minimum wage, you know stuff I could do but I'll let you know Big 12 bucks an hour or something and if he can do what I could do if I had time, that's not what I means hear. It means things that I can't do. And a helper brings that to Adam. That was she could not do. So it's not on minimum wage help her like in our English language now if it's precious and it means Adam what you're missing the woman will contribute she will bring that to the relationship. The second part of that word is suitable and that's talking not about their differences, but about their similarities their solidarity. She's bone of my bone Flesh of My Flesh we can talk together when he came to he didn't need to wonder. What's that standing at the end of the bed he know right away. This is the mic on our part. Oh, she's different helper. But man, I can recognize myself in her. And so atom with the responsibilities of naming and keeping and aubaine in the garden. God says here's what you need. She'll fill in she'll help you and what you're going to do in the sense of supplying the second reason is given in versus 4 verse 14 So Adam was formed for The second reason that Paul had done the clerk that teach things that women should be Learners and not teacher have authority over men. The second reason is Adam was not deceived but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. This is this that sentence is full of questions for us because we know if your new testament person at all that the atom carries the burden Into the Book of Romans sin entered the world through one man and since bread to all people for all have sinned and and and so we have that's that solidarity of those in Adam Romans 5 so we know he's not saying Adam didn't send or Adam wasn't deceived by hickens sense anytime. We send their deception part of it is deception. But I think if we go back and look at these together for in Hebrew, excuse me, in in the Greek here for Adam was formed first then Eve and Adam was not deceived but I think if we carry that idea of first to the woman, she was deceived first and became a transgressor because that is true. Let's look at Roman look at Genesis 3 and this is the fall and this is the second reason why Paul his said that I have these these male female roles in the church. Because he was deceived and I was just meme so Genesis 3 and I want I don't have time to go through every line of this but I think everything's on your paper there that crafty serpent who is Lucifer who still hanging around in the Book of Revelation?

Sowing Discord and killing Saints and fighting against the movement of God and the people of God. The Crafty serpent approaches the woman not the man I think this is profound Adam was the one who had the responsibility to keep the Hedge around the garden to be watching out to keep the garden. She was a helper in this for sure, but he was the one that God said, I want you to keep the garden. And the serpent trying to come in and Rick have it for the rest of your man history. We're still today reaping the effects of what we're reading about right here in in Genesis 3 So he comes not to the man. Who is under the direction of God to protect the garden? But he comes to the woman. Who buy the direction of God had been put under Adam to be a helper to Adam not to to keep the garden but to be a helper in that endeavor and he comes and he begins to dialogue with Eve. The second thing we see is L. She engages she begins because of him the serpent. She begins to doubt God's word. We've been through this many many many times. You're all familiar with this. I think that did God really say and you shall not really die. And so he starts discrediting the word of God and I think as important he begins to sow doubt in her mind of the goodness of God because God doesn't want you to eat of the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil because when you do you'll become just like him Who wouldn't want to do that? Cornwall be like like God and know good and evil and and all of those things and so he begins to not only caught so doubt in the word of God, but don't about the goodness that God has in-store through his direction through his word. Then she starts reasoning and thinking about this apart from Adam. And the next thing we see is she sets out on her own and engages with The Serpent and the first thing not trusting the Lord God or his word which Kim incidentally from the man that God has given her to or the order of creation. This was understood by them. So she begins to trust herself vert venture out engage with a serpent. She's lost trust their number for she sets out on her own with the serpent not trusting the man. She was brought to help so he had told her we know that she knew that we weren't supposed to eat of that tree, but now she goes off on her own and now she doubts that and then number 5. She seems the fruit. She's got all these good reasons Three Good Reasons. It's beautiful. It's luscious to eat and it's going to make her wise and she picture of the fruit she turns the atom gives Adam the fruit Adam takes the fruit and and eats and when God does the cursed things in the penalties in chapter 3, he says to Adam not about the fruit. He said because you've listened to the voice of your wife. And so I believe what Paul is drawing from Genesis 3 is that the deception wasn't necessarily the eating of the fruit it landed there. But the deception was I will go outside of my husband's Authority and that direction that God has God given to him. I'll go out on my own because I can think this through I got a good mind. I'm sharp. I'll think it through. These are really good things and that's the deception and after the deception she eats the fruit and she becomes a transgressor.

enclosing it's not Mother's Day at is it.

Still April 18th, I think. This word help.

I want us as men and as women to understand the glory of the word help as are Ezra is a derivative of this help one who supplies that which is needed in another person's life or what is otherwise lacking first of all, we see this as so a woman might say or the Satan might whisper to her while you're asking to be a helper, that's all but if we go back and we study the Hebrew word for help. We find that this is one of the most precious words describing the activity and position of God. I lift my eyes to the hills from where does my help come My help comes from the Lord who made the heavens and earth. It's that same word. It means who's going to fill in that which otherwise I'm lacking in my life. Robinson in the prayer. He said he said we're coming or hungry and we were needy or desperate where we desperate for we're desperate for that which were lacking and God said I'll be there for you. Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble Psalm 146 bless. It is him whose help is the Lord the god of Jacob. We going to the New Testament with the same same thing. Jesus said I'm going to go to my father and if I go to my father, I'm going to send what The helper on your help why cuz there's a ton that you're going to be missing. The other wise is going to be lacking that the holy spirit will come and do the whole Ministry of the holy spirit is help. So it's not some little insignificant word. It means I'm filling in that which is otherwise lacking when the helper comes when the helper comes the helper will come and then in in Romans 8:28 likewise, the spirit helps us same idea. He'll do what we can't do in our weakness for we don't even know how to pray as we ought but the spirit himself intercedes with us regret with groanings too deep for words end in Philippians, 1:9 and it and it goes on and on then we can in Hebrews 4:16. We can come with confidence to the throne of grace that we might find Mercy and and received help in time of need help because of Christ. And so the word help the idea of help is not something to listen to the world's opinions or even your own flesh alert. Pendant Kenyans like

Now get your eyes back up again. Look at these verses understand that this is actually what God calls himself in our in our lives the second thing. We see this played out in Proverbs 31, and I know most of these applications are so easy with marriage and I know there's people here that are not married and not married yet or have been married or something like that. But look at this workout in Hebrews, then scuse me proverbs, 31 10 to 12 an excellent wife who can find she's more precious than jewels. No, this is this this is the work of a helper a wife who is a Godly helper the heart of her husband trusts in her. He will have no lack of game. We just learned that the man was incomplete.

Now he says he's not going to be any lack of gain. Why? The Good Wife she does him good and this is the same word used in Genesis. When God says no man, this is good. This is good. This is very good. Same word. She does him good and not harm all the days of her life. And I I like the Bible now commentator guy writes this a normal woman enhancers her husband standing among those who so this is talking about in the first Thirty one where he sits at the gate with the Elders of the of the town she enhances her husband standing among those who transact legal and judicial Affairs at the city Gates among the elders. She is obviously aggressive and confident she functions in a way that honors her husband's leadership rather than denigrated. She respects him and build him up. That's helper. That's helper. And one of the things when it says not doing him harm, I know that there's people maybe even in here the day that have husbands who are failing at things and have failure in their life. And you say this is just this is for someone as a Godly wonderful husband know this is for a female who's a Godly Christian to love and do this with a husband who doesn't really match up who's not where he needs to be and I would say this that a husband's failures. Are entrusted to you as a wife? That's a stewardship because nobody knows your husband as a man. Nobody knows your failures like your wife. They they kind of know them all. And when when you've got that in your life and we all do for a Godly wife, she could say things to other people and share it here and share their insurance there. She holds it in her heart and says God know that bring apartment. That would denigrate him. Bring them harm. I'm going to do them good. And if she is that helper suitable and shows respect for him and Trust for him. I can just tell you ladies. There's there's a few things in a man's life the come alive more than were when were trusted or respected. This is why you Visions 533 says love husbands love your wives and wives respect your husband's love and respect a terrific book that has some very practical ideas on that. And so we look at this beautiful roll both in marriage, but then we look back at this is for the church and women played which we tend to look at all 1st, Timothy 2:12, the big glitch in the process and yet when we look at the sweep of the of the Bible, we realize that God knew what he was doing when he made his male and female Eddie brought us together. So I Paul when he's writing this and pull this eminent Apostle rights to 26 people in in Romans, 6:18 Romans 16, and almost half of them are women. And I just love Rufus. I can't wait to meet Rufus. It says greet Rufus as mother who's been a mother to me. I know I can kind of imagine what that was. Like I had women all through my Ministry all the way old ladies. I love all the ladies and I had a man in all through my Ministry that just hit the you know, I had a Helen Anderson when I was in in in Fargo and I was just a young guy getting go on and hardly knew which end was up. And and I when I would meet with her I'd go over she always want to make coffee and cookies and stuff and feed me enough and then she's always pray for me and I always felt that that Helen could look right through me. And she pray the sweetest prayers and they were she was an ally and she pray that God would keep me humble and help me grow. And and I had Ruby Linda land in Watertown Lester heart. These are all in heaven now and and others more than I could even mention who were this to me in the local church. Godly women when Paul says, you know, I got to send off a greeting here 26 people almost half of them are women he vital part of the body of Christ But we faced times today. This week was really a hard week working on this and I was reading some things that if we receive from the Garden of Eden on I'll really try to finish this here in a second. But the more you read you realize that the spirit of our age is anti-gender. It's anti-men mail. It's anti-female. It's anti-nuclear family. Its anti Ephesians 5. It's anti Genesis 1 2 3 We see BLM is is part of that the big part of that what they believe in that they promote is against the nuclear family to destroy that to masculinity make a toxic and see it is toxic and it's a break that up critical race Theory picks this up and in does the exact same thing making shut make, you know, breaking that in the oppressed and oppressor and they would read 1st Timothy 2:12. Hope the doors are locked if they came in here, they'd shoot me because I sent all their Hugo oppressor and oppressed but it's not so its glory and Glory.

And intersectionality and gender fluidity what we're doing two young kids read an article this week of a young girl who ate 9 years old. I was confused changes in her life and body and and it came from an awful family background and and was coached and coaxed into transgenderism went through irreversible surgeries and shooting up her body with hormone blockers and testosterone and and finally at in the in her early twenties. She ate her brain finally catches up to all of this and realizes that I really am a woman and all that. I was told and all that I was let into in this and all the coaching from older people with lab coats and doctorates. Peta ruined her life in a sense

and in and it's it's this hostility towards masculinity and femininity and yet I go back to the word of God and it's like glory glory glory and Glory.

And it's no wonder that Paul when he writes to the Corinthians who had rampit immorality gender problems in their Church. That he says a sexually immoral person sins against his own body. It's different. when we get into mrl in Mortal sins

and yet we see back in Genesis the promise of a redeemer the seed of the woman of all people. God says that the redeemers going to come from you and Adam runs out of the meeting and says I'm going to name her Eve because she's going to be the mother of all the living I would almost think you know, she's the mother of all that have not she's them up because of redemption and Paul goes on to tell the same people in in in Corinth that had rampant sexual failure in their life and scars. I don't know if there's anything deeper as I've counseled people over the years that that deep raw abusiveness sexual abuse and things like that that goes deeper deeper to the soul and yet and 1st Corinthians same chapter. Paul says you some some of you were like that but now you're washed. Now you're washed.

in the blood of Christ and so when our hearts are looking and feeling like all the world is broken. And the Shadows are getting darker and darker.

And we think that the dark is so dark that no light will get through. But we've come to realize the creation is groaning. And the new creation is coming and the glory of the Lord will be the light within our midst. That's now And then this song says it's good to remind ourselves of that. Let's bow our heads.

Our Father

Thank you for your word. We wouldn't get this anywhere else. I don't think thank you for your word. Thank you for explaining to us Glory. Thank you for the Beauty and The Wonder of Womanhood. meiosis men get this and tell him portent women in our life wives daughters. even church members how much they add to our life how precious their Ministry their presents and their words are to us.

And I I would pray father. That is we sing this next song Lord if there are those here that Are have some of those deep deep wounds father maybe from fathers or ex-boyfriends or whatever. It might be. And Lord they have those deep deep. Once we pray that Evan is we sing this song and this song gets us to the lion of Judah. That they would understand that in Christ. They're washed clean. Like clean like white as snow. Until father this this is a song your church singing to you father. We're eager work work quiet demeanor and we're submissive. We're ready to hear from you and we have now we're ready to respond until father God this song is for you in Jesus name. Amen.