Roles in the Family

All right, as we come to God's Word this morning, we're continuing on through Paul's first letter to Timothy.

We've already finished chapters 1 and 4, and we've almost finished chapter 2.

Today, we'll be completing the rest of chapter 2.

So if you have your Bible, you can open it up to 1 Timothy chapter 2.

1 Timothy 2 · chapter mention

Here in chapter 2, Paul has been giving instructions to the church.

And he's already given specific instructions for the men, and then specific instructions for the women.

And we considered those in previous weeks, but now Paul has to say more concerning the women.

And in some ways, his words apply to us men as well, as we'll see in a moment.

The big question that Paul is answering in these verses is,

how should men and women conduct themselves in the church in relation to each other?

How should men and women conduct themselves in the church in relation to each other?

And specifically, is there a difference between the role of men and women in the church?

Let's begin by reading the passage and hearing what Paul wrote to Timothy.

1 Timothy chapter 2, verse 11.

1 Timothy 2:11

Paul writes,

Now before you run out the door, let me first state the obvious.

These are difficult words for some of us to hear.

Some of you women may find these words distasteful or even offensive.

And some of you men might find them embarrassing.

Why do we have this response?

There are at least two reasons.

One reason these words are difficult for us to hear is that when we listen to the world all around us,

we hear the voice of feminism speaking loud and clear.

And what is it saying?

It's saying that men and women are equal in all respects.

That history has long favored men.

The voice of feminine is saying that women have been mistreated and oppressed by men.

That they have been denied basic human rights.

Such as the right to be educated, the right to vote, the right to work in certain occupations, or the right to own property.

Now as we look back over human history, there is certainly some truth to these claims.

Because of sin in the human heart, men have mistreated women.

Men have oppressed women.

Men are still doing that today.

They use force.

They use violence.

They use rage and humiliation to dominate and to manipulate and to get their way.

Men are often filled with lust.

And treat women as objects to satisfy their lust.

And we cannot excuse these evils done by men for a moment.

So there is some truth to the cry of the feminists.

Women are not second class citizens.

They should be cherished and protected.

Because just like us men, women are made in the image of God.

What did God say?

About the way he made humanity.

Back in the first chapter of the Bible.

It says,

So God created man in his own image.

In the image of God, he created him.

Male and female, he created them.

The parallelism here makes it clear.

Both male and female, man and woman, are equally made in the image of God.

Equally bear the image of God.

And when men treat women as less and do not respect the image of God in them, it is wrong.

So there has been some truth to the cry of the feminists over the years.

But, mingled in with those cries for justice, the feminist movement has also cried out some other things as well.

They cry out that men and women are equal in every respect.

That women can and should do everything that men do.

And should not be relegated to any particular role in society.

But should be free to participate as equals in marriage, in the home, in the workplace, in government, and in the church.

And the feminist movement has been very loud about this.

And so anyone who holds to a more traditional view of marriage or family,

or believes that women have been given a certain role,

is shouted down as bigoted, oppressive, misogynistic, chauvinist.

And so when we come to these words of Paul,

they're difficult to hear.

Because for some of us, we're thinking in our minds that Paul is promoting

an oppressive, misogynistic, patriarchal authority structure in the church.

But is he?

Is it possible that God, our creator, really did create us,

men and women, male and female,

equal in his image,

but quite intentionally with different roles

to fulfill as men and women

in the family,

and in the home,

and in the church?

Is it possible that that was originally part of God's good design,

right from the beginning,

that there be real differences in male and female,

men and women,

even when it comes to role?

Differences which complement each other

and complete humanity.

At the end of the day, we have to decide

who gets to define

what it means to be a woman.

Is it culture?

Is it culture?

Society?

Is it the government?

Is it us?

Or is it God?

Let's remember, these words are not just the Apostle Paul's,

but these are the words of Jesus Christ himself

speaking through Paul,

speaking on behalf

of God,

the very words of God.

Letting culture define what it means to be a woman

or a man

is a recipe for disaster.

Think about this.

It wasn't long ago that the feminists were

fighting with all their might

to have everything be the same for women

as for men.

But now a new movement has arisen.

The transgender and LGBTQ movement

has taken the spotlight.

And now many feminists can be found

almost saying the exact opposite

of what they used to be saying.

The LGBTQ movement says that

anybody can identify as a woman.

And that if they do,

they are one.

And so should be granted

all the same rights

and special treatment

and privileges

that women have come to enjoy.

And suddenly,

now we hear

many feminists

saying the opposite

of what they were saying before.

Actually, there is a difference

between men and women.

And there are good reasons

to keep some things separate

like sports teams

and change rooms.

And some women are even saying,

actually, it is the responsibility

of the man

to protect the woman

since he is biologically stronger

and oftentimes

better suited to do so.

And actually,

I do want him to open the door for me.

Culture doesn't decide truth.

Truth.

Opinions come and go.

Trends and fads

rise and fall.

And that's why we have to go back

to the Bible.

Because it's the authoritative,

definitive

word of truth

about who we are

by the God who made us

and loves us.

The second reason

these words might be hard to hear

has to do with our fallen condition.

There are quite a few places

in the Bible

where we see that

all of us have this tendency

to spurn authority

of any kind.

We don't want to be subject

to anything

or anyone.

We want to be independent.

We want to do whatever we want.

And this

impulse

to spurn authority,

it wasn't there

right from the beginning.

It came as a consequence

of sin

at the fall of man.

And ever since,

there's been a struggle

for dominance,

control,

authority,

and in all aspects

of life.

Yes,

it even affects

the relationship

between a husband

and wife

in the family.

And so,

when we come to passages

like this,

we don't like them.

Because it says

that men should have authority

in the church.

And that women are not

to have that

over men.

And so,

our fallen condition

makes these words

hard to hear

and hard to accept.

So,

there's been

vigorous debate

over this passage

on the screen,

even within the Christian church.

This passage

is at the heart

of a great divide.

And on one side

of this divide

is a group

that call themselves

complementarians.

And on the other side,

a group that calls themselves

egalitarians.

Whole books

have been written

on this issue

of the role

of men and women,

especially

in the home

and in the church.

But the debate here

is not because

the passage

isn't clear.

With the exception

of the last verse,

verse 15,

which we won't really

talk about this morning,

the meaning of these words

is quite clear.

It is straightforward.

But the reasons

I just gave

have led to

all kinds of voices

chiming in

and muddying

the waters here.

people don't like

the plain meaning

of this passage.

And so,

they're looking for a way

out of its

straightforward meaning.

Maybe this word

doesn't really mean this.

Maybe that word

doesn't really mean that.

Maybe that's not

what Paul had in mind

at all.

Maybe this was only

for the days of Ephesus

or the first century.

All of this

is an indication

that it's not

that the passage

is difficult

to translate

or to understand.

It's that many

just have difficulty

accepting

what it plainly says

because of those

two reasons

I just gave.

So,

what is the Lord Jesus

saying

through Paul

in this passage?

I'm just going to

spell it out for us.

Then we'll look at

some objections

and then we'll talk

implications

and applications

for us as a church

today.

What Paul means

to say here

is that women

are not

to teach

men

or

have authority

over men

in the church.

instead

they are to

submit

to the leading

men

of the church

by following

their leadership

and by learning

from their teaching

with a quiet

spirit.

Let me say

that again.

What Paul

means to say

here is that

women are not

to teach

men

or have

authority

over men

in the church.

Instead

they are to

submit

to the leading

men of the church

by following

their leadership

and by learning

from their teaching

with a quiet

spirit.

This is

verses 11

and 12.

Now let's

look at

some of these

objections.

The first

one

some people

will point

out that

Paul says

I do not

permit

a woman

to teach

or to

have

authority.

Could it

be that

this was

only Paul's

rule?

That for

some

unspecified

reason

he was

just

personally

disinclined

to having

women

teach

or lead

men

in the

church.

But a

careful

reading

of

Paul's

letters

reveals

that

he

uses

this

kind

of

phrasing

in all

of them

and about

all

different

matters.

He also

frequently

uses

the first

person.

Look back

up to

verse 8

he said

therefore

I want

the men

everywhere

to pray.

This

isn't just

Paul's

personal

wish.

Everything

that he's

desiring

and directing

the church

to do

comes through

his apostolic

authority

from Jesus

Christ

himself.

Another

objection

that some

bring

is that

women

shouldn't

take

authority

but may

be given

authority.

So they

will point

out the

language

I do

not permit

a woman

to have

authority

over a

man

and just

recently

there's

been a

shift.

Let's

translate that

differently

to assume

authority

over a

man.

This is a

highly

nuanced

reading.

There's

not a

lot of

examples

of that

way of

reading it

and it's

probably

not what

Paul had

in mind.

This idea

that as a

male leader

in the

church I

could exercise

my God

given

authority

authority

and give

a woman

that same

level of

authority

in the

church.

It seems

unlikely that

Paul intended

this or

that he

had this

kind of

an application

in mind.

And so

probably the

better translation

which some

have stayed

true to is

I do not

permit a

woman to

have authority

over a

man rather

than take

or assume

or usurp

authority.

The third

objection

perhaps this

was just

for the

church in

Ephesus

but Paul

has framed

all of

these

instructions

towards

men and

women

with a

location.

If we

look back

up to

verse 8

he says

therefore I

want the

men

everywhere

to pray

likewise

that the

women should

dress modestly

in verse 9

and then as

it just flows

right down

into this

instruction

in verse 11

the woman

should learn

in quietness

in full

submission.

So the

flow

the context

suggests that

this instruction

is not just

for Ephesus

but for all

the churches

everywhere.

And the

final objection

that we'll

look at this

morning of

course there's

many more

this I would

say is probably

the most

important one

this is the

most common

one

that this

only applied

to the

church in

the first

century.

Perhaps this

was only for

churches in

the first

century because

of the

generally

accepted

societal norms

for women

back then.

They had a

certain view

of women

back then

and Paul

wanted them

to do

right by

the culture

of the day

in their

churches.

And so

they'll say

things like

just like

Paul didn't

promote the

abolition

of slavery

so neither

did he

promote the

emancipation

of women.

Well that's a

logical argument

that's a

cohesive

argument

and it

feels like

it's going

to get us

where we

are in our

culture today

but there's

one massive

glaring problem

with it.

Look at the

reason that

Paul gives

for why these

gender roles

should be

maintained

in the

church.

A woman

should learn

in quietness

and full

submission.

I do not

permit a

woman to

teach or

to assume

authority

over a

man.

She must

be quiet

for or

because Adam

was formed

first then

Eve.

The reason

it should be

this way

says Paul

goes all

the way

back to

creation.

It's not

a thing

driven by

the culture

of the day.

It's a

thing rooted

in how

God

originally

made and

ordered things

at the

very beginning.

Adam

was formed

first and

then Eve.

So Paul

is saying

that we

should do

it like

this in

the church

because that

reflects what

God originally

designed even

before sin

entered the

world when

everything was

good,

when everything

was perfect.

God

was

in other

words,

male authority

in the church

didn't come

about because

of sin

or because

of the

corruption

of humanity.

It was

part of the

good,

beautiful

design and

intention of

God right

from the

start.

Now,

there's a

whole context

to this that

comes from

other passages

in the Bible

which we have

to consider at

the same

time.

From ancient

times until

this time when

the New Testament

was written,

there was this

general understanding

that this is the

way it should be

in the family

and in marriage.

We see it in

Genesis chapter 2

Genesis 2:18

verse 18.

Before sin

entered the

world,

God said,

it's not good

for the man

to be alone.

I will make a

helper suitable

for him.

Already,

we're seeing

the role of

women in

relation to

men.

being defined.

She was not

created to be

an independent

head of her

own household,

but in the

context of the

first family,

she would be

a helper to

him,

which implies

that his

leadership would

set the

family direction.

Then not

long after,

when Adam

and Eve

disobeyed

God in

the garden,

who did

God call

out to

first and

hold ultimately

responsible?

It was

Adam,

the man.

All through

the Old

Testament,

while there

are the

effects of

sin on

this

relationship

between men

and women,

I mean,

for example,

Abraham was

guilty of

throwing his

wife under

the bus

in his

sojournings

through foreign

territory,

treated her

despicably,

yet there is

still this

general

understanding

that this

is how

God made

it to be.

The man

is the

head of

the household

and the

family,

and the

wife is

under

his

authority.

The

genealogies

in the

Bible are

all traced

primarily

through the

men.

Children

with similar

names were

differentiated by

the names

of their

fathers.

God

assigned

inheritances

in the

promised land

to Jacob's

sons,

and inheritances

were generally

passed down

from fathers

to sons.

And again,

this doesn't

mean that

women are

any less

important to

God.

It simply

reflects that

God assigned

a different

role to

men and

women when

it comes to

the family.

Now, if all

this was only

intended for

the people of

Israel, it

would surely

have been

stated in

New Testament

times when

God opened

his way of

salvation to

all people

that it's

now changing.

And yet we

read Jesus

speaking through

his apostles

and saying

things like

this.

1 Peter

1 Peter 3:1–7

chapter 3

verses 1

to 7

to 6.

Wives, in

the same way,

submit yourselves

to your own

husbands, so

that if any

of them do

not believe

the word,

they may be

won over

without words

by the

behavior of

their wives

when they

see the

purity and

reverence of

your lives.

Your beauty

should not

come from

outward

adornment

such as

elaborate

hairstyles

and the

wearing of

gold jewelry,

or fine

clothes.

Rather, it

should be

that of

your inner

self, the

unfading

beauty of

a gentle

and quiet

spirit, which

is of great

worth in

God's sight.

For this is

the way the

holy women

of the past

who put

their hope

in God

used to

adorn

themselves.

God's

love.

They submitted

themselves to

their own

husbands, like

Sarah, who

obeyed Abraham

and called

him her

lord.

You are

her daughters

if you do

what is

right and

do not

give way

to fear.

So even

though Abraham

mistreated

Sarah on

at least two

occasions and

failed to, and

Abraham failed

to trust God

to protect

her, Sarah

is commended

for obeying

him, and

obeying implies

authority.

The word

submit and

submission imply

authority,

headship.

Peter in the

first century is

saying, yes,

that's the way

for wives

today that is

good and right.

Sarah is an

example of that.

Faith-filled

submission to

husbands, a

submissive spirit

that recognizes

that your husband

is the one that

God has put

in charge.

Notice also

though that this

instruction comes

with a very

serious warning

to husbands.

Husbands, in

the same way, be

considerate as

you live with

your wives, and

treat them with

respect as the

weaker partner, and

as heirs with

you of the

gracious gift of

life, so that

nothing will

hinder your

prayers.

So men don't

get a free

pass.

They ought to

treat their

wives with

respect, says

Peter.

They ought

never to

use their

strength to

dominate.

They are to

recognize that

women, their

wives, are

equally heirs of

the gracious gift

of life that

comes through

Christ Jesus.

In Ephesians

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5, Paul

says, do not

get drunk on

wine, which

leads to

debauchery.

Instead, be

filled with the

Spirit.

And then he

lists off a

whole bunch of

things that the

Spirit will

lead us to

do when we

are filled

with the

Spirit.

Things like

speaking to

one another

with psalms,

hymns, and

songs from

the Spirit,

singing and

making music

from our

hearts to

the Lord,

giving thanks

to God the

Father for

everything, and

verse 21,

submitting to

one another out

of reverence for

Christ.

Wives to

husbands, a

little further

down, children

to their

parents, a

little further

down, slaves to

their masters.

But let's

look at these

instructions that

Paul gives to

the wives

specifically.

He says,

submit to one

another out of

reverence for

Christ.

Wives, submit

yourselves to

your own husbands

as you do to

the Lord.

For the husband

is the head of

the wife, as

Christ is the

head of the

church, his

body, of

which he is

the Savior.

Now as the

church submits

to Christ, so

also wives should

submit to their

husbands.

in everything.

Now there are

equally serious

instructions given

to the husbands

as well about

how they must

love their

wives in this

passage, just

as Jesus Christ

loved the

church.

With a

self-sacrificing

love, seeking

her benefit, but

it's difficult to

get around these

words and the

clear meaning of

them.

The husband is

the head of the

wife as Christ

is the head of

the church.

So this is an

important context

to Paul's

instruction about

women in 1

Timothy.

God has

designed and

intended from

creation that

this is how a

family should be.

Men and women

are created

equally in the

image of God.

they're granted

an equal

inheritance in

salvation, but

they have been

given different

roles to play in

the family.

And this is

good.

Everything God

made is good,

said Paul in

1 Timothy

1 Timothy 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4.

God's intention

was that the

husband would

bear the

burden of

leadership for

his wife and

children.

And it

wasn't supposed

to be a

sinful, selfish

domineering of

his wife, but

a humble,

self-sacrificing,

serving, kind,

respectful,

considerate,

loving kind of

leadership.

The kind of

leadership that it

would be a joy to

submit to and

follow.

According to

Paul here in the

rest of this

passage in

Ephesians,

husband and

wife in their

unique God-given

roles are meant

to picture and

point to the

wonderful love of

Jesus for his

bride, his

church, and her

joyful submission to

him in all

things.

That's one of the

ways God intended

for marriage and

family to bring

glory to God.

I mean, think about

Jesus and his

relationship with

his church.

How did he treat

his disciples?

Did he say, get

down there and

wash my feet?

No.

He washed their

feet.

He served them.

He gave his life

for them.

And so this is the

pattern that we are

to follow in the

church and in the

home.

Now, it doesn't

mean we won't

fail and struggle

to live this,

or that sin

won't cause

problems, but

this is how

Christ wants us

to live when it

comes to the

family.

And now here in

1 Timothy 2,

1 Timothy 2:11–15

verse 11 to 15,

Paul's basically

saying the will

of Christ is the

same in the

church.

The church is to

be done like the

family.

Just as the man is

the head of the

wife in the home,

so he must also

have the authority

and take the lead

in the church.

And the women

must submit to

that leadership.

Remember Paul's

stated purpose for

writing this letter.

1 Timothy 3,

1 Timothy 3:14

verse 14 and 15.

I'm writing you

these instructions

so that you will

know how people

ought to conduct

themselves in God's

household, which is

the church of the

living God.

We are to operate

just like a family,

family, which

means that the

men who lead

might be thought

of as the

spiritual dads

in the family.

And there's a

wonderful safeguard

here because not

just any man is

permitted to teach

and to have

authority in the

church.

As we'll see

next week, Paul

gives specific

requirements for

men to lead in

the church, to

have authority.

And most of

them are character

kinds of things.

Christ-like

character, and

that will protect

the people in

the church from

being governed by

those who are

domineering or

abusive.

How do we apply

all this?

How should the

rubber hit the

road with this in

our church?

First of all, is

Paul saying that

women should be

silent in the

church?

Some of your

translations will

have the word

silent.

There are a few

scholars that

think that that's

what it means, but

they would never

say in the whole

gathering of the

church, women can't

even open their

mouths.

They really will

mostly always say

that it's during the

regular teaching

moments of the

church, like during

the sermon.

The majority of

interpreters, however,

take the word

silence to refer to

the spirit of their

participation because

it also is used

that way as well,

quietness.

And I think that's

what makes the most

sense here.

just look back up

the page to

verse 2.

We're to pray for

kings and all those

in authority that we

may live peaceful and

quiet lives.

That's the same word.

In all godliness and

holiness.

It doesn't mean silent

lives.

It means quiet, in

tone, respectful,

gentle, as opposed

to loud, interrupting,

obnoxious, arrogant.

And there's a few

other usages, just

like this, where it

doesn't mean silent,

but it refers to the

spirit.

The spirit of the

learning for the

women is to be a

quiet one.

Perhaps there were

some very loud,

outspoken, interrupting

women of social

standing in the

church at Ephesus who

were seeking to take

charge and have their

way.

So how does this

apply practically?

I'm just going to do

this in kind of

question and answer

format.

Should women

participate in the

discussion in adult

Sunday school?

Yes.

Participating in the

discussion, sharing

your thoughts, your

observations, your

insight, that's

different than

teaching the class.

It's about the

spirit of how we

participate.

Do you come to the

class to learn?

to respond to the

word of God?

Or do you come to

teach and to help

others come to the

same conclusion that

you have, the way

that you think is the

right way to live?

So women,

absolutely.

Participate in the

discussion, but

teaching the class and

giving leadership to

the class should be for

those qualified men.

Should women

participate in the

discussion at

congregational meetings?

Yes.

In fact, good

leadership always seeks

feedback from those

who are following.

To make the best

decisions, we need to

know what the needs

are.

We need to know how

people are doing, what

the situation is.

Good leadership gathers

counsel and wisdom.

And so dialogue and

discussion between a

husband and wife, between

an elder and a church

member is good.

It's healthy.

But the tone of that

and the spirit of that

dialogue should be

respectful of the

God-ordained differences

in role.

Should women be

pastors in the church?

Well, it depends what

you mean by pastor.

But if by pastor you

mean one of the leading

elders who preaches and

teaches the whole

congregation, then no.

No.

This word from Christ

through Paul implies

no.

But, God has given

some women the

spiritual gift of

shepherding for the

building up of the

church.

And should that be used

in the church?

I say yes.

But these instructions

given to Timothy would

limit the use of that

gift to women and

children.

Should women be elders

in the church?

According to this

passage, no.

As we'll see next week,

elders are tasked with

authoritative oversight

and leadership of the

church.

Not only that, but to be

an elder, Paul says in

the next chapter, that

you must be able to

teach.

And in the context of

this letter, that's

teach the truths of the

faith, the word of God

to the church.

That's one of the

primary responsibilities

of an elder.

And so women cannot be

elders in the church

because that would put

them in a position of

authority over men and

give them the role of

teaching men, which goes

completely against what

Paul is saying here in

these verses.

But, let's also

remember the context of

this letter.

This letter is about how

we should conduct

ourselves in the

household of God, in

the church.

And, as I just

mentioned, in the

context, the teaching

refers specifically to

the doctrines of the

church, the truths of

the faith, the word of

God, how to live in

response to God's word.

So, can we have

Sherry, our public

health nurse, she's

shaking her head, teach

a one-day course on

CPR on a Saturday

morning?

Yes.

There's no problem

with that.

Can we have a sister in

Christ come up here to

the front and share

personal testimony?

Absolutely.

That's the story of what

Christ has done in her

life.

That's not teaching the

church like the elders

are tasked with doing.

Furthermore, many women

have been gifted by God

to teach.

And these gifts should be

used in the church for

the building up of the

other women and the

children.

In fact, when we get to

Paul's letter to Titus,

we're going to see him

command it.

Older women, teach the

younger women.

So, women can lead, they

can teach women's groups,

women's Bible studies,

women's Sunday school

classes, alive.

If you're a woman and

you have the gift to

teach, do not bury it in

the sand.

It is to be used.

Just not to teach the

men.

Should women be on the

board of our church?

According to our current

church constitution, we're

to have a board and the

board shall be the

business administrators of

the church and the board

is to be made up of the

pastor, elders, church

clerk, and church

treasurer.

Now, we've already said

that women should not be

pastors or elders, but

can they be the church

clerk or the church

treasurer?

However, the problem

with this is that if we

elect women to these

roles, it puts them

functionally in the

authoritative decision

making seats around the

table for the whole

church.

They would then come to

the monthly meetings.

They would not only

participate in the

discussion with the

elders and pastor, but

also vote on motions.

Whether it was intended

or not, having a woman

in these positions puts

them in a position of

authority over men in the

church.

This is why we haven't

nominated women to these

positions in the past six

years.

Furthermore, next week, as

we move into chapter three,

we're going to see that

church governance by a

board is not biblical

anyway.

We're to be governed by a

council of elders, a

plurality of elders.

And so we actually have

some major work to do

right here in our own

church on how we are

organized on our

constitution.

constitution because our

governance is modeled

more after a secular

organization way of

operating than the

Bible.

And if the word of God

gives us a pattern to

follow for church

governance and we find

ourselves at a step with

it, we got to get in

step with it.

We need to change.

Should women be deacons or

ministry coordinators in

the church?

We're going to dig into

this a little more in the

weeks ahead.

Paul talks about deacons

in chapter three.

But for today, when it

comes to leadership in

the church, there's a

difference between having

authority and oversight in

the church like the elders

are supposed to and

coordinating a mixed group

of volunteers in set up

for a potluck or in a

renovation project or in

an outreach event or a

financial review committee.

I sometimes laugh at how

legalistic people can be

about this.

I've heard people tell

me, a woman shouldn't

lead the budget committee.

That's big decision

making and should only be

done by the elders.

But then you ask that

person, so how do you

manage your finances at

home?

Oh, my wife looks after

all that stuff.

Okay.

So she can be trusted

with the family finances

but not the church

family's finances?

How does that work?

I say go read Proverbs

31 and look at all that

the wife of noble

character has been

entrusted with in the

family and in the home

and then let's talk about

whether women can be

ministry coordinators or

deacons or treasurers or

whatever.

Now, women, I know the

tendency is to hear in all

this a list of don'ts.

But I want to encourage

you.

God did not give these

instructions to take

something away from you

that's rightfully yours.

The different roles he

has given us really are

good.

And so I would encourage

you to see this not as a

list of don'ts but as a

list of don't have tos.

A list of things you don't

need to worry about.

A list of things where God

himself blesses you to say

that's not my job.

This is where all of you

women get to breathe a

sigh of relief.

You're off the hook.

You're free of the

responsibility of church

leadership.

And it is a heavy

responsibility.

Those who lead in the

church and teach the

congregation will have to

answer to God for

everything that they

decide and what they have

taught.

And truth be told,

sometimes we men who have

been saddled with that

burden wish we could

sometimes just be followers

followers and just have

someone else lead the way

and submit to that

person.

So women, you are off the

hook.

But men, you are on the

hook.

This serious responsibility

of teaching in the church

and having authority in the

church falls to you.

Which means that you men

must strive to be men of

character.

You must strive to live

exemplary lives worth

following.

You must strive to learn

the truths of the faith

because it falls to you,

this burden.

This sacred responsibility.

That's why we started doing

LEAD twice a month.

Because we cannot neglect

this.

In the absence of good male

leadership in the church,

the family falls apart.

It scatters.

In the absence of good,

solid biblical teaching,

the health and the life of

the church slips away.

Men, women have been given

the instruction in God's

word to submit to our

leadership and teaching.

And so we better be the

kind of leaders and

teachers that make it a

joy for them to follow.

May the Lord not find us men

sleeping at the wheel or

checked out and living for

our own comforts and

pleasures abdicating our

responsibility.

So yes, there is a

difference between the role

of men and women in the

church.

It's rooted in creation.

It's good.

And when we live out our

God-ordained roles as men

and women in the home and in

the church, it brings glory to

God and it adorns the

gospel.

Let's pray.

Father in heaven, I pray that

you would help us with these

challenging words.

We see many Christians and

churches adrift.

They're not tethered to your

word anymore.

And we so want to be

faithful.

I pray that you would give

us the courage and the

wisdom to know how to live

in response to these words.

I pray that you would give

us the humility and the

graciousness towards one

another.

And I pray that Jesus Christ

really would be exalted and

glorified through this.

Though we may not understand or

see how today, but we trust at

the end of the story, we will.

To your name be the glory.

Amen.