Women of the Church
The Church: Standards and Leadership • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 49:07
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What does Equal mean?
What does Equal mean?
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
We are equal, but not the same.
These differences would be worked out perfectly without sin. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve sinned. What was meant to be a perfect partnership was now hampered by sin, shame, blame, being unforgiving, being judgmental, etc. The list goes on. What was meant to be our best features turned into points of contention.
A man designed to:
reflect God,
work hard,
protect and cherish his wife,
would be stymied in his work and find his wife at odds with him.
The woman who was designed to:
reflect God,
compliment her husband,
support, encourage, and nurture her family,
would find herself tied to a broken man who would struggle to provide, dominate her, or leave her with nothing.
She would struggle to give birth to the children she was designed to love.
She would find herself at odds with her husband because instead feeling connected at the soul with deep satisfaction she would be frustrated by his failings and long for more.
The mishandling of scripture and the corrupt hearts of men have led to abusive relationships where women are held down instead of supported. They are given the role of silent servant instead of vibrant partner. They are viewed as second class instead of co-heirs with Christ. This kind of false teaching is to be soundly condemned.
God has called his church to reclaim that beautiful relationship between husband and wife as they seek to reflect him and relish in one another.
All this is to be done according to God’s Word which teaches us that we are:
Equal but not the Same
Equal but not the Same
With that groundwork laid, we turn our attention to the book of Titus. As we reviewed last week:
The Goal of Titus: Moving the church towards godliness and good works.
The Goal of Titus: Moving the church towards godliness and good works.
We are continuing through this core section of Titus where Paul gives instruction to Men, women, bondservants, and Titus himself. At the core of these teachings are the key verses for the entire book: Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
These verses gave us four steps in God’s work on his church
God fixes our mess
God changes our lives
God fills us with hope
God refits us for good works
2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.
3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,
4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,
5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.
Older Women Refit for Good Works
Older Women Refit for Good Works
3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,
4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,
Reverent in behavior: A godly heart being reflected in godly actions.
Not Slanderers: guards her words and uses them to build not tare down.
Not Slaves to much Wine: Not a drunken carouser
Teaching what is good: Not on the sidelines but looking to share the wisdom she has learned through the years.
Younger Women Refit for Good Works
Younger Women Refit for Good Works
4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,
5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
Love their Husbands
Love their children
Be self-controlled
Be Pure
Take care of the home
be kind
be submissive to her husband
So that the word of God may not be looked down upon by the world. The choice to live as equal but not the same creates the harmony that God designed for marriage in the beginning.
Let’s listen to the words of Solomon:
Godly or Ungodly
Godly or Ungodly
19 It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
15 A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike;
16 to restrain her is to restrain the wind or to grasp oil in one’s right hand.
24 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
1 The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.
22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.
10 An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
When godly older women invest their lives into the younger women of the church they can help them avoid the pitfalls of worldly thinking and human opinion that denigrate marriage and destroy families.
How can women of the this church be proactive about investing in the lives of younger women?
What do we have in place to fulfill this function? What commitments have we placed in our lives to set an example and train up a generation of godly women?