The Role Of A Woman

Today I'm going to preach on the role of a woman.

The role of a woman.

So this is the second of two sermons in a series on gender roles.

If you missed the one for the men, men, you can listen to that one online.

I did that one two weeks ago on the role of a man.

So today it's going to be the role of a woman, but men, do not check out.

It's good for the men to hear about the role of a woman,

especially if you're married,

because you're supposed to live with your wife in an understanding way, right?

So hopefully this will help you understand,

because I have an extensive understanding of women.

Jeannie, that's just a smile or laugh at that.

You're supposed to say, yeah, of course, of course, of course.

No, but the good thing about the Word of God is that it teaches us these things.

And so there's basic truths that we can all learn from.

So I'll talk to you basically about what a woman is and how to act like one.

So I'm going to go over seven different things just to give you by way of intro here.

A woman is beautifully confident.

A woman is the glory and helper of man.

A woman is a lover of children.

A woman is a wise teacher.

A woman is a worker.

A woman is a domestic executive.

And a woman is a submitted follower.

Okay?

And all of these are not just by command, but by creation.

Not just by demand, but by design.

That's an important point there.

Okay?

So we believe that men and women are equal in value, but different in roles everywhere.

Because their roles are hardwired into creation and nature.

If gender roles are rooted in creation and the very nature of men and women, then they apply everywhere, and it makes no sense to limit them just to church and home.

Zachary Garris said the attempt to limit gender roles to the home and church is dualistic, and that it pits the religious against the secular.

But God designed men to be men in all of life.

And he has designed women to be women in all of life.

In the home, church, and society.

Women do not get to act like men just because they have stepped outside of the home into broader society.

A woman takes her womanly nature with her wherever she goes.

And a man takes his manly nature with him wherever he goes.

Okay?

So let's jump in.

A woman is, number one, beautifully confident.

Beautifully confident.

A woman is called to be beautifully confident, strong, and secure with a quiet spirit.

Alright?

We'll start with the first.

This is the fruit of her whole.

1 Peter 3, 3-6 says,

Do not let your adorning be external, the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry or the clothing you wear.

But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,

which in God's sight is very precious.

For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves.

The new living says, made themselves beautiful, which is the definition of adornment.

This is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by submitting to their own husbands,

as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord.

And you are her children if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

So there's so much great stuff in this verse when it comes to womanhood.

Alright?

Not the least being when it says, which in God's sight is very precious.

To know that as a woman you can possess something that is very precious in God's sight.

I would think for any woman that would be a highlight for you to say, wow, what a statement.

What a statement that God would say that when there's an imperishable beauty,

a beauty that does not fade, of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

And so he's talking about not letting your adorning be external.

Okay?

There is an outward or external adorning or beautification, and then there's an internal one.

Some legalists would take this and say, with this verse, you can't do your hair, you can't wear jewelry.

But if they neglect to do the last one, that would be that you also couldn't wear clothes.

So clearly that's not what they're saying here.

Because you can't just pick and choose a couple of them and then pick the last one and say, but you have to wear clothes.

He's not talking here about some kind of legalistic rule structure here.

He's talking about where your adornment comes from.

He's saying you can do these things, but don't let those things be the source of your beauty.

Don't let the braiding of your hair or the wearing of gold jewelry or the clothes you wear,

don't let those things be the source of your adornment, of the way you are made beautiful.

But it should be the imperishable beauty.

See, those things will fade.

Those things fade.

Those are perishable.

There's an imperishable beauty, a beauty that doesn't fade, that comes from the inside.

It's a gentle and quiet spirit.

Gentle in that it doesn't have to make its own way because it's trusting that God is for them.

Okay?

And quiet in that it doesn't have to fight for itself because knowing that God is for each and every woman.

And so when you know that, it causes you and gives you a freedom to be gentle and quiet,

which in God's side is very precious.

And this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves.

This is how people used to make themselves beautiful.

This is the ancient way.

This is the ancient path.

By submitting their own husbands to Sarah B. Abraham, calling him Lord,

and your children if you do good.

And do not fear anything that is frightening.

A lot of women know that it is frightening oftentimes to submit to a man because he's not God.

He's not perfect.

He makes mistakes.

And so we're not saying that a woman needs to be unafraid because it's not actually frightening.

It's saying, hey, there are legitimate things that are scary.

It's scary oftentimes to follow a man.

But you don't have to fear that which is frightening because your hope is in God,

not in that particular man.

And when your hope is in God and you have protection and safety and security in him,

it frees you to lose having to find it in a man, in your circumstances.

And that makes you beautiful.

And if you ask any man, there's something about a woman could walk in a room,

a man could see that woman from a distance, say, wow, that's a really attractive woman.

And then when they get close, if that woman is insecure,

immediately it's like a certain level of the beauty fades.

And in the same way, maybe a woman walks in a room and the man doesn't notice her,

but then all of a sudden he starts talking to her,

realizes she's very secure, very confident.

And there's something about her that starts to sparkle or something that just is magnified.

There's a glory about it.

It's a beauty that comes from not being afraid.

It's a beauty that comes from putting your hope in the Lord.

It's an adornment.

Okay.

First Timothy 2, 9 to 15 says,

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.

So again, it's speaking of not having to draw attention

and get my security from outward.

When the security is inward, it emanates a beauty outward.

Do you see that?

Internal beauty versus external beauty.

These are important things.

And we're a culture that's obsessed with feminine appearance.

Okay.

But feminine adorning is rooted in feminine constitution.

It's rooted in what makes up a woman.

And I want you ladies to just know,

don't for a second,

let feminism objectify or commodify your body.

Not in real life, not on Instagram,

Be Real or any other social platform.

I don't know if you realize this,

but these social networks are commodifying you.

They're commodifying the woman's body.

Commercials are commodifying the woman's body.

They are making money by pictures of you.

This is,

this is what's happening.

And you can't let your worth,

your sense of security be defined by the eyeballs and the likes that you get when other people are looking at you.

You get that from the Lord.

That's where that comes from.

And it's not empowering to use your body in that way.

That's not being more feminine or being more a woman.

That's a distortion,

a perversion of where your true beauty comes from.

Don't for one second,

let feminism objectify or commodify your body.

That is not the way God has created you.

You've been adorned.

You're supposed to adorn yourself without,

so you're supposed to adorn yourself with not being fearful.

There's nothing more beautiful than a woman who's unafraid.

This is Mary,

right?

When Mary's told that she's going to have the Messiah,

that was basically a death sentence.

You could be stoned for that.

And what does she say?

Let it be to me.

According to your word,

behold,

I am a servant of the Lord.

This is a woman who doesn't get into that,

which is frightening.

In Luke 1 45,

it says,

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

She's clothed with a quiet spirit,

right?

It actually says in Proverbs 9 13,

that the woman folly is loud.

She is seductive and knows nothing.

There's a,

there's a certain quietness about a woman who's secure and trust in her Lord.

And there's a loudness that is unbecoming of a respectable woman.

A woman,

the woman folly is loud.

She clothes herself with modesty and self-control.

Proverbs 11 22 says like a gold ring and a pig snout is a woman who shows no discretion.

She clothes herself with strength.

Proverbs 31 17 says she dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.

Women are beautifully confident,

beautifully strong.

There's a masculine strength and there's a feminine strength.

There's a feminine strength of constitution that says,

I will not be afraid of what is to come.

And I am trusting in my God.

My hope,

my strong,

my strength and hope gives me strength anywhere else.

Proverbs 31 25 says strength and dignity are her clothing.

And she laughs at the time to come.

There is an,

there is an unbelieving laugh that Sarah had when she heard that she was going to have a baby at a hundred years old.

And then there's a laugh that laughs at the days to come saying,

my God is for me.

I am a strong woman.

I can handle things.

I can handle tough times because I know my God is with me.

Women are meant to be beautifully strong,

clothed with dignity.

First Timothy 3 11 talks about either,

depending how you read it,

either the wives of a deacon or women deacons,

that their wives likewise must be dignified,

not slanders with sober minded,

faithful in all things.

Definition of dignified is worthy of honor or respect.

Does older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior,

not slanders or slaves to much wine.

Women should be clothed with good works and submission.

We'll look at those a little bit later here.

Women want to know that they're beautiful.

When you think of kids,

girls say,

daddy,

look,

boys say,

daddy,

watch.

Girls say,

look at who I am.

And a boy says,

look at what I do.

This is part of what's wired into them.

Okay.

Men do are defining themselves what they do.

Women are defining themselves by how they look a lot of times.

A woman who's not beautifully confident is usually a woman who's not been fought for by men.

This makes a woman prone to fear,

control,

manipulation,

comparison,

and envy.

I think there's a great verse for this in Psalm 131, 1 to 3.

Oh Lord,

my heart is not lifted up.

My eyes are not raised too high.

I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me,

but I have calmed and quieted my soul.

Like a weaned child with its mother,

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Oh Israel,

hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.

She's beautifully confident.

This is the fruit of her hope.

And this is why true femininity resides fully and most manifestly in the gospel.

When you are able to trust and hope in the Lord,

it says,

holy women who put their hope in God,

holy women who trusted God.

Ladies,

are you beautifully confident?

Are you beautifully confident?

Number two,

a woman is the glory and helper of man.

Okay,

a woman is called to be the glory and helper of man,

the fruit of her stewardship.

Genesis 2,

starting verse 18,

says,

the Lord God said,

it's not good that the man should be alone.

I will make him a helper fit for him.

Verse 21,

so the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man,

and while he slept,

took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.

And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man,

he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

So,

she was made from the man,

for the man.

This is described in 1 Corinthians 11,

79.

A man is the image and glory of God,

but woman is the glory of man.

Why?

Verse 8,

for man was not made from woman,

but woman from man.

Neither was man created for woman,

but woman for man.

Woman was created for man.

That flies in the face of feminist society,

but it's the truth.

It's the truth from creation.

And it speaks to a woman's role.

Nevertheless,

1 Corinthians 11,

11 says,

in the Lord,

woman is not independent of man,

nor man of woman.

Okay,

you can't take some chauvinistic view then and says,

okay,

we don't need women because it just only exists for man to whatever degree he wants,

but it says that they're not independent of another.

And you can't take a feminist view that says,

hey,

I don't need men.

Men are optional.

Men are important.

It says,

woman is not independent of man.

The feminist movement is built on the premise that woman is independent of man.

And the Bible shouts from the rooftops,

woman is not independent of man.

Woman was created for man to be his helper.

Great quote here by Elizabeth Elliot.

She says,

femininity receives.

It says,

may it be to me as you have said,

like Luke 1 38.

It takes what God gives a special place,

a special honor,

a special function and glory different from that of masculinity meant to be a help.

In other words,

it is for us women to receive the given as Mary did,

not to insist on the not given as Eve did.

A woman is the glory of man as a distinguished quality or asset that makes things better.

She helps by glorifying what is given to her.

She makes things glorious.

That's what women do.

Jim Gaffigan,

you might be one,

I'm quoting Jim Gaffigan right after Elizabeth Elliot.

Jim Gaffigan says,

women are amazing.

A woman can grow a baby inside their body,

and then somehow a woman can deliver the baby through their body.

And then by some miracle,

a woman can feed a baby with her body.

And then when you think of the male contribution to life,

it's kind of embarrassing.

But I think it's a great example of how male contributes,

not a whole lot in this instance.

And look at what a woman does.

She glorifies it.

She makes it better.

She takes the body that God has given,

and she produces this baby.

She feeds this baby.

She nurtures this baby.

It's an amazing miracle.

But this is what a woman does.

She glorifies what's given to her.

Proverbs 31, 10 to 12 says,

an excellent wife who can find,

she is far more precious than jewels.

The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good and not harm all the days of her life.

So she's looking to do her husband good.

Proverbs 12, 4 says,

an excellent wife is the crown of her husband.

It's another way of saying the glory, right?

The crown of her husband.

She who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

Proverbs 31, 23 says,

her husband, this is the Proverbs 31 woman,

her husband is known in the gates

when he sits among the elders of the land.

Well, what is that husband known for?

You look later on in verse 31,

it says, let her works praise her in the gates.

So the husband is known in the gates.

Why?

What's being praised in the gates?

The woman's works.

She's known,

and he's known in the gates because of this woman,

this helper,

this one who's glorified.

You might say,

helper just seems like such a lesser thing.

If you ever think that,

I just want you to ask,

is the Holy Spirit any less God?

What is his title?

The helper.

Okay?

That's a distortion to think that way.

Being a helper doesn't make you any less of value.

That comes from defining yourself by what you do.

And we don't do that.

That's what the world does.

A wife should take what a husband gives and glorify it.

So wives,

taking things off your husband's plate

is a good thing to do.

You say, hey, how can I help him?

How can I help him do more?

How can I help him

just crush it in what he's called to?

So I'm going to look to try and take things off of his plate.

I am going to,

I'm not just going to wait for him to come home

and have him do everything.

I'm going to look and say,

how can I help him

and help make him be able to run faster and better?

And by the way,

this is not just for married people,

the concept of being a helper.

Single ladies.

Mark 15, 40 to 41,

there was also a woman looking on from a distance.

Among them were Mary Magdalene

and Mary the mother of James,

the younger and of Josie's,

and Salome.

When he was in Galilee,

they followed him and ministered to him.

And there were also many other women

who came up with him to Jerusalem.

Jesus had women who followed him

and then ministered to him.

Luke 8, 1 to 3 says,

the 12 were with him

and also some women

who provided for them out of their means.

Romans 16, 1 to 2 says,

I commend you our sister Phoebe,

a servant of the church at Century.

She has been a patron of many

and of myself as well.

There you have single women

helping, providing funds for,

ministering to.

This is important roles here.

Philippians 4, 2 to 3 says,

I entreat Judea,

I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.

Yes, I ask you also, true companion,

help these women

who have labored side by side

with me in the gospel,

together with Clement

and the rest of my fellow workers

whose names are in the book of life.

Paul did amazing things for the gospel.

Paul did amazing things

through the establishing of churches.

And he had women

who labored side by side with him,

helping him.

Helping him.

Isn't that an awesome thing to think of?

Ladies, are you the glory

and helper of men?

Number three,

woman is a lover of children.

Lover of children.

Called to love, bear,

and nurture children.

She's called to be a mother.

Definitely, there's a natural mother

if possible,

but for sure,

even if not a natural mother,

a spiritual mother,

a motherly heart,

a heart to mother,

the fruit of her womb.

Creation teaches this even.

If you look at a woman's body,

a woman has ovaries,

a uterus,

and lactating mammary glands.

Okay?

No man has that.

So men and women,

they're the same.

Are you kidding me?

Are you kidding me?

There's no way.

God created distinction

with a purpose.

Women have a totally different body

and it speaks to their role.

To say that a woman has no role

with children is absurdity

when you just look at

how God created a woman's body

different from a man.

Titus 2 verse 4 says,

Titus 2:4

Train the young women

to love their husbands

and children.

Train them to love children.

1 Timothy 5, 9-10

and verse 14 says,

Let a widow be enrolled.

Tell me what.

Who are the widows

who should be taken care of?

Let her be enrolled

if she has brought up children.

I would have younger widows marry,

bear children.

You see this?

This pushing towards women

to bear children,

to bring up children.

1 Timothy 2, 14-15

says,

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.

Saved through childbearing.

Is that like,

saved like,

you know,

gospel saved?

No,

because that would mean

you could only be saved

if you had a kid.

That's obviously not

what this is talking about.

What kind of saved

is being talked about here?

There are multiple forms

of the word salvation.

This word here

is talking about

being saved from deception.

If you look at the context

of the rest of that book

and how saved is being used,

it's talking about

being saved from deception.

A woman is saved

from the deception

that Eve fell into

when she stays

in her God-given role

to love children.

One of the reasons

that Eve sinned

is because she got

outside of her role

and decided to be

the leader

instead of the follower.

She decided to

usurp her husband's role

and one of those

damning verses

is that her husband

was with her.

One of the things

to save a woman

from deception

is that she functions

in her God-given role.

One of those

is childbearing,

raising children,

loving children.

Romans 16, 13 says,

this is Paul

at the end of his

amazing letter to Romans,

he closes it by saying,

Greek Rufus,

chosen in the Lord,

also his mother,

who has been a mother

to me as well.

What is the reward

of the spiritual mother

of Paul?

Have you ever

thought about that?

That Paul had someone

who was like a mother

to him.

What role did that

play in his life?

How important was that?

Enough where he

called her out here

and said,

Rufus and her mother,

and his mother,

who has been a mother

to me as well.

What a role

that we could be mothers

to people who aren't,

that a woman could be

a mother to someone

who's not their

actual blood son,

but a powerful role.

Powerful role.

What did Jesus curse

after the fall?

What he cursed

speaks to the role.

He cursed a man's work,

which speaks to the fact

that he was called

to be a worker,

right?

And what did he curse

on the woman?

He cursed her childbearing.

I will surely multiply

your pain and childbearing

and pain you shall bring

for our children.

He cursed that particular thing

because that's her role.

Psalm 127,

Psalms 127:3

verse 3,

in the NASB,

says,

Behold,

children are a gift

of the Lord.

The fruit of the womb

is a reward.

Do you see children

as a blessing?

Ladies,

are you a lover

of children?

Proverbs 30,

15 to 16,

says,

The barren womb

is never satisfied.

Why is the barren womb

never satisfied?

Because women naturally

long for children.

It's their natural disposition.

There's something

very broken in a woman

when she doesn't like children

or she doesn't want children.

It's a very broken woman

who doesn't want them.

Ladies,

are you a lover

of children?

You're a lover

of children.

Number four,

a woman is a wise teacher.

A woman is called

to be a wise teacher

and trainer.

This is the fruit

of her lips.

Proverbs 8,

9,

both speak of wisdom

and folly

as women.

They're personified

as ladies.

Lady wisdom,

lady folly.

Okay?

The fact that wisdom

is personified

as a lady

should speak to us

that a woman

should be a good picture

of what it is

to be wise.

And if she doesn't do that,

she could fall

into the other picture

would be the lady folly.

But I think it's,

God has called women

to speak

with wisdom.

10,

2,

3 to 5

says,

Older women,

they are to teach

what is good

and so train

the young women

to love their husbands

and children,

to be self-controlled,

pure,

working at home,

kind and submissive

to their own husbands

that the word of God

may not be reviled.

Proverbs 1,

Proverbs 1:8

verse 8

and 6,

verse 20

says,

Forsake not

your mother's teaching.

Mothers are to teach

their children.

Proverbs 31,

1,

the words of King Lemuel,

so this is a king speaking,

and he says

it's an oracle

that who taught him?

That his mother taught him.

Think of the thought

of a mother

teaching things

that would be useful

for a king.

Proverbs 31,

26 says,

she opens her mouth

with wisdom

and the teaching

of kindness

is on her tongue.

What a great verse,

right?

Acts 18,

24 to 26,

we have the picture

of Priscilla,

okay?

A Jew named Apollos,

a native of Alexandria,

came to Ephesus.

I think there's good reason

to believe he was an apostle.

So here you have Apollos,

an apostle,

came to Ephesus,

and this guy's

an eloquent man.

He's competent

in scriptures.

He had been instructed

in the way of the Lord,

and being fervent

in spirit,

he spoke and taught

accurately the things

concerning Jesus,

though he knew

only the baptism of John.

So he's got a lot

of things right,

but he's missing

some things.

He's missing

some information here.

In other words,

he needs to be taught.

Okay?

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.

Now, it doesn't just say

Aquila spoke to him.

It said Priscilla and Aquila.

There was a way

that they both taught

as a married couple.

There was a way

that it wasn't just the man,

but the woman taught as well.

There's an appropriate way

for a woman

to be able to teach a man

in the context of reverence,

in the context of marriage

like this,

in the context,

even outside of marriage,

there's a way

that a woman

can bring instruction

in a godly way

where she's not taking authority

over the man.

Okay?

Women should be

full of wisdom.

They should be educated.

They should be

theologically astute.

They should be skillful.

They should have skills.

They should know

how to do things.

They should know

how to get things done.

They should know

the Word of God.

John Piper says,

Wimpy theology

makes wimpy women.

Wimpy theology

simply does not

give a woman a God

that is big enough,

strong enough,

wise enough,

and good enough

to handle

the realities of life

in a way that magnifies

the infinite worth

of Jesus.

Ladies,

do you have

wimpy theology?

Do you have

strong,

robust theology?

Are you a student

of the Word?

Are you someone

who studies God

and seeks out God?

Are you a woman

who knows how to do things?

You know how to get

things done.

You're not just

farming it out

to other people,

hurrying it out

to people.

You are someone

who knows things

so that other women

can come to you

and say,

How do I do this?

And you have answers.

You have wisdom.

Wisdom's on your tongue.

You're able to instruct.

You're able to tell

other people,

Hey,

this is how you do this

with kids.

This is how you make this.

This is how this works.

This is,

and you can teach.

You can teach and train.

Some of you would say,

I'm not there.

I wasn't parented well.

I wasn't taught myself

or I was taught poorly.

Okay?

If that's the case,

what are you going

to do about it?

It doesn't have

to stay that way.

Seek out godly women

who can teach you,

who can train you.

Seek out the Word of God.

Seek out the myriad

of resources

that are available now

more than ever before

to grow in theological astuteness.

There's more available

than ever before.

There's no excuse

for women not being

theologically astute.

There's so much resources.

And if you're married,

go to your husband.

Say,

Teach me.

Teach me.

You're my spiritual leader.

I want to learn from you.

I want to become

a woman who knows.

And you can,

and there's so many other ways

to learn how to do

so many other things

and be a Renaissance woman

who knows how to do things.

Ladies,

are you a wise teacher

and a trainer?

You train other young ladies.

Number five.

A woman is a worker.

A woman is a worker.

A woman is called

to be a hard worker.

It's the fruit of her hands.

Okay?

1 Timothy 2,

9-10

says,

Women should adorn themselves

with what is proper

for women

who profess godliness

with good works.

There's multiple verses

that talk about this.

1 Timothy 5,

9-10

says,

Let a widow be enrolled.

Again,

the role for widowhood.

Who are the ones

who are going to be supported

by the church?

Let a widow be enrolled,

having a reputation

for good works

and has devoted herself

to every good work.

Godly women

should be known

for doing work,

doing hard work,

doing good work,

doing good works.

And Titus 2,

3-5

says,

Older women

working at home.

There should be

a direction

of that work

that is aimed

towards the home.

The Proverbs 31 woman

is the quintessential

example of this.

Right?

It says,

She seeks wool and flax

and works

with willing hands.

She's like the ships

of the merchant.

She brings her food

from afar.

She rises

while it is yet night

and provides food

for her household

and portions

for her maidens.

So she's getting up

even in the night

to do things.

She's such a hard worker

that she's limiting

her sleep

for these things.

to provide food

for her household.

Verse 16,

She considers a field

and buys it.

With the fruit of her hands

she plants a vineyard.

She's even doing business.

She's buying fields.

She's planting vineyards.

This is a serious woman here.

She's a hard worker.

She dresses herself

with strength

and makes her arms strong.

She perceives

that her merchandise

is profitable.

Her lamp

does not go out

at night.

She's working day and night.

She's working hard.

She's selling things.

She's saying,

I have goods

that are profitable.

I'm able to help my home

by selling the goods

that I'm producing.

She puts her hands

to the distaff

and her hands hold the spindle.

She opens her hand

to the poor

and reaches out

her hands to the needy.

So she's not even

just taking care of her home.

She's taking care of the poor.

She's taking care of the needy.

She's producing so much

that she has extra

to be able to help other people.

She's not just consumed

with herself.

She's not just consumed

with her own family.

She is so productive,

such a hard worker

that she is able

to bless other people.

She is not afraid

of snow for her household,

for all her household

are clothed in scarlet.

She has that beautiful confidence,

right?

She's not fearing

snow.

She makes bed coverings

for herself.

Her clothing

is fine linen and purple.

Her husband

is known in the gates

when he sits

among the elders

of the land.

Well, of course

the husband's known.

Look at what she's doing.

This woman

is a significant,

substantial woman.

She's a hardworking woman.

Of course the man

is known in the gates,

right?

Her husband is known

in the gates

when he sits

among the elders

of the land.

And she makes linen garments

and sells them.

She delivers sashes

to the merchant.

She looks,

this is my favorite

of the verses in here.

Verse 27

in Proverbs 31.

This is such a great verse.

She looks well

to the ways

of her household

and does not eat

the bread of idleness.

What a verse, huh?

She looks well.

Ladies,

do you look well

to the ways

of your household?

What other people say,

what your husbands say,

what other ladies

look to you and say,

I want to look

to the ways

of my house

the way that woman does.

She looks well

to the ways

of her household

and she does not

eat the bread

of idleness.

She's not lazy.

She's not lazy.

Verse 31.

Give her

of the fruit

of her hands

and let her works

praise are in the gates.

And they do.

They do.

This is an esteemed woman.

This is a woman

who is worthy of praise.

Okay?

She's not lazy.

She's busy with work.

She makes plans

and then she executes

those plans.

And her work

enhances her care

for her household.

It doesn't take away

or distract from it.

People like to ask

the question,

are you saying

that women can't work

outside of the home?

I'm not saying

that women can't work

outside of the home.

I'm saying a woman

is not limited

in any way

that she works.

Except in this,

that her work

needs to be directed

towards the home.

And if her work

ever distracts

from the home,

it's a work

that is unbecoming

of her.

That work

is supposed

to enhance

her home life.

She looks well

to the ways

of her home.

So sometimes

that takes her

outside of the home

for the home.

Okay?

Sometimes even

to help her husband

she's doing that.

But never to supplant

her home.

Never to replace

her home.

And never to distract

from her home.

That is not

godly femininity.

Zachary Garris

says,

Feminism is the

twisted idea

that a woman

is free

when serving

an employer

but is slave

when serving

her family.

And this has all

been to a woman's

detriment.

It's just not true.

You might say,

Well, I wasn't

parented this way.

I wasn't taught

how to work.

I don't know

how to work.

Then learn.

Learn.

Find a hardworking

woman and go

and help her.

Learn from her.

Work with her.

Ask her questions.

Be trained.

But don't make

excuses.

Don't make

excuses.

A woman,

a godly woman,

a hardworking woman,

she doesn't make

excuses.

Even if she's

not skilled

or she doesn't

say,

I'm not skilled

enough or I

have low capacity.

I wasn't brought

up that way.

I'm pregnant.

I have little kids.

Those aren't

excuses.

Those are challenges.

Those are obstacles.

Those are obstacles

that a strong woman

can come over.

She's not a

comer under.

She's an

overcomer.

She overcomes

not having skills.

She overcomes

low capacity,

not being brought

up that way.

Pregnancy,

little kids,

being tired,

or being single,

not being married,

not having certain

giftings,

or not having a

certain personality.

She overcomes

her hormones.

Her hormones are

never an excuse.

Are her hormones

a difficulty?

Yes.

And ladies,

if you would want

to argue with me

on this,

careful what game

you want to play.

Because then a man

can just say,

well,

my hormones,

I'm really,

have a propensity

to lust,

and I just can't

control it.

You can't use

an excuse for either.

A man doesn't

have any excuse

to be given to lust

and come underneath

lust,

and a woman has no

excuse to come under

her hormones either.

Neither of us,

men or women,

are underneath

our hormones.

God has given us

power to have

self-control,

and a woman should be

adorned with

self-control.

She'll be adorned

with self-control

as well in her hormones.

I mean,

I shouldn't compare

you there and say,

well,

I'm not like so-and-so.

Don't let the differences

between you and other

people make you

disobedient.

Okay?

That's not a license

to be disobedient.

Another good test

is to say it out loud

to your great-grandmother

test.

Okay?

Say your excuse

out loud to your

real or figurative

great-grandmother

and see how much

sense it makes.

Okay?

Okay?

If you say that

and you think,

oh boy,

then maybe we need

to change some things.

And that's a good

perspective.

You might say,

well,

that's kind of

a funny thing.

But no,

that's a real thing

because we've forgotten

the ancient paths

and we've moved

the ancient boundaries.

And Jesus said

it wasn't that way

from the beginning

when he was rebuking

the people in his day

and we're far beyond

that day.

And so say it out loud

to your great-grandmother

test is a good test

to say

because we've lost

some things.

And there's things

that have been lost

that need to be recovered.

There's no better place

for them to be recovered

than among godly women

in the church.

Ladies,

are you a hard worker?

Are you a hard worker?

Number six,

a woman is a domestic

executive.

Domestic executive.

A woman is called

to be a domestic executive,

a household manager,

the fruit of her home.

Genesis 1,

26 to 28,

the dominion mandate,

right?

Is that just for men?

No,

it's not just for men.

God said,

let us make man

in our image

after our likeness

and let them,

them,

have dominion

over the fish of the seed,

over the birds of the heavens,

over the livestock,

and over all the earth

and over every creeping thing

that creeps on the earth.

Eve had authority

over creeping things,

including creeping,

talking snakes

who are trying to overthrow

God's government.

But she didn't use

that authority

and neither did her husband.

So God created man

in his own image

and the image of God

he created him.

Male and female

he created them

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.

Both men and women

were given dominion.

Women,

are you fulfilling

your dominion mandate?

To subdue,

to rule,

over

these things in the earth.

Women,

rule your household

and make it fruitful.

In other words,

be domestic.

Be domestic.

Be unapologetically domestic.

One of the reasons

that a woman is domestic

is that a woman

is a home.

She was created

to house babies

in her body.

That's why the whole

my body,

my choice

is a goofy statement.

It's not your body.

It's someone else's body

living inside your home.

And the safest place

for a baby

should be the womb

of a mother.

And there's a certain

motherly,

hospitable aspect

that says,

hey,

I will make this place

a safe place

for my child.

A woman,

not only is she

supposed to be domestic

and driven towards her home

and to manage her home,

she is a home.

She's a home for babies.

Psalm 139.13

says,

you formed

my inward parts.

You knitted me together

in my mother's womb.

Titus 2.3-5

says,

older women

train the young women

to love their husbands

and children,

to be self-controlled,

pure,

working at home.

Working at home.

That's what it says.

1 Timothy 5.11-14

Younger widows

learn to be idlers,

going about

from house to house

and not only idlers

but also gossips

and busybodies

saying what they should not.

So one of the problems

with these younger widows

is that instead of

managing their own household,

they're going from

house to house.

They're not bound

to their house

in a way that is godly

and right.

They're going from

house to house

and it's getting them

in trouble.

So what is the result?

What is the antidote?

What is the solution

to this in verse 14

in 1 Timothy 5?

He says,

I would have younger widows

marry,

bear children

and manage their households.

They're not going about

from house to house.

They're managing

their own households

and they give the adversary

no occasion for slander.

It was said of

the adulterous woman

in Proverbs 7.11.

This is interesting.

The adulterous woman says

her feet do not stay at home.

Her feet do not stay at home.

That's what it said

of the adulterous woman.

Okay?

There's a,

again,

a saving you

from deception

and sin

when a woman

is unapologetically domestic.

Galatians 4.15 says,

Give my greetings

to Nympha

and the church

and her house.

Nympha used her house

for the church to meet.

What a great use

of a home.

Proverbs 31.15.

The Proverbs 31 woman again

says,

She rises while it is yet night

and provides food for her household

and portions for her maiden.

It says,

She's not afraid of snow

for her household.

For all her household

are clothed in scarlet.

And then Proverbs 31.27,

what we read before,

She looks well to the ways

of her household.

Okay?

She's a domestic executive.

Proverbs 9.1 says,

Wisdom has built her house.

She has hewn her seven pillars.

How does a woman build her house?

How does she make her home?

She does it with wisdom.

She's a wise teacher

who builds her house with wisdom.

It takes,

there's a feminine wisdom

that is required

and that is given to a woman

to build a house

in a unique way

that a man doesn't have.

A man is called

to build his home

in a different way.

There's a feminine aspect

of home making,

right?

That is wise

and comes from God.

Wisdom has built her house.

It says in Proverbs 14.1,

The wisest of women

builds her house,

but folly with her own hands

tears it down.

Okay?

So the wisest of women

builds her house.

The wisdom of a woman

should be driven

to build a home,

to make a home.

Proverbs 24.3 says,

By wisdom a house is built

and by understanding

it is established.

In the book of Ruth,

verse 4.11,

it says,

All the people

who were at the gate

and the elders said,

We are witnesses.

May the Lord make the woman

who is coming into your house

like Rachel and Leah

who together

built up the house

of Israel.

It was known

of these women of old,

these esteemed women,

that the blessing

that was given

to Ruth

was that you would be

like the women of old.

And what did the women

of old do

and what are we blessing

you to do as well?

We're blessing you

to be one

who builds up her house.

Who builds up her house.

Okay?

A woman is given a house

and she glorifies it.

She makes a house a home.

She's a homemaker.

Let's make homemaking

great again.

Right?

It's like,

I've heard women

who are sheepish

when they say

that they're a homemaker

or they'll put the word

just in front of it.

Don't do that.

Say I'm just a homemaker.

Do you understand

the importance

of being a homemaker?

This is a godly,

noble,

dignified occupation.

Okay?

We should make

this great again

because it is a great thing.

It's an important thing.

It's a godly thing.

It's a feminine thing.

A woman is given a house

and she glorifies it.

She makes a house a home.

A woman takes a disorderly home

and brings it into order.

She's a household executive.

A woman rules her household.

She's decisive.

She's an authoritative

home manager.

Not taking authority

over men

but taking decisive authority

over her household,

both her home

and her children

if she has them.

If she's single,

she helps other women

rule their households,

not taking authority

over children

where authority

has not been given.

If she's single

and lives with other women,

she rules and subdues

her household

with those women.

If she's single

and owns her own house,

she makes it a home.

She rules and subdues it.

If she's married,

she takes the house

her husband has rented

or bought

and makes it a home.

She rules her household.

Women should be

unapologetically domestic

in their focus

and their aim.

unapologetically.

C.S. Lewis said,

the homemaker

has the ultimate career.

All their careers

exist for one purpose only

and that is to support

the ultimate career.

You might say,

well, I have bad parenting.

I came from a broken family.

I don't know how

to be a household executive.

I don't know how

to manage a house.

I don't know how

to rule a house.

Have someone teach you.

Find someone you know

who does manage

your household well.

Ask how you can serve her.

Come and help her

in her household.

See how she does things.

See how she manages.

See the tricks

and the traits of speed.

The things that you

wouldn't notice maybe.

Why did you do that?

Why don't you do this?

What did you do that for?

Ask good questions.

Learn.

Grow.

Ladies,

are you a domestic

executive?

You don't have to wait

until you're older too

if you're younger.

Start at a young age.

And parents,

start your young girls,

daughters,

at a young age.

Don't wait.

Teach them how to

manage a home

so when they get

to be older

that they could

totally run a home.

That is a godly gift

that you can give

to your daughters.

Number seven,

a woman is a

submitted follower.

A woman is called

to be a respectful

submitted follower,

the fruit of her submission.

Genesis 3.13

says,

The Lord God said

to the woman,

What is this

that you have done?

The woman said,

And the woman said,

The serpent deceived me

and I ate.

2 Corinthians 11.3

says,

The serpent deceived Eve

by his cunning.

1 Timothy 2.11-15

says,

Let a woman learn quietly

with all submissiveness.

Then it says,

I do not permit a woman

to teach or to exercise

authority over a man.

Rather,

she is to remain quiet.

You might say,

Well, why?

Well, it was because

of in Ephesus

there was this goddess

there,

or it was because

of the culture there.

It's different

than the culture now.

But listen,

you don't have to insert

a reason into the text

when a reason

is already in the text.

We don't need to

pontificate

or come up

with these reasons

when there's a clear reason

that's already given.

He says,

I do not permit

to 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.

And then it gives the reason.

This is really important.

If you take this verse

out of context

and say it's cultural,

well,

you're misusing the scriptures.

You've got to look

at what it says.

For Adam was formed

first,

then Eve.

And Adam was not deceived,

but the woman

was deceived

and became a transgression.

Yet she will be saved

through childbearing

that they continue

in faith and love

and holiness

with self-control.

So he makes

this distinction

between the role

of a man and a woman

based on creation,

based on created order,

who was created first,

based on what happened

in the garden.

That's the basis.

It has nothing to do

with what was going on

in Ephesus.

It has nothing to do

with some imagined

conjecture that you're

putting into the text.

It's not there.

Just take the text

for what it says.

It gives us the reason.

A woman was created

to follow.

And in the absence

of male leadership,

she's still going to follow

because that's what

she was created for.

So she's susceptible

to following the wrong entity.

And in this case,

she ended up following

the devil.

She was supposed

to be leading,

but because the man

abdicated his role,

she still kept following.

But instead of following

her husband,

she followed the devil

into this coup

that was happening

in the garden.

All right?

This is why a woman

should look to the leadership

of her husband

if she's married.

And if she's single,

she should be in submission

to other men,

not the same way

as a husband.

That's weird.

Okay?

But looking to have men

speaking into her life.

All right?

And a woman should be

doing the things

that are the role

of a woman

so as to save her

from further deception

where she would end up

following the wrong entity,

in this case,

the devil.

One of the results

of the curse

in Genesis 3.16

said to the woman,

Your desire shall be

for your husband

and he shall rule over you.

That word desire

is the same one

that's in the next chapter

in Genesis 4.7

when it said to Cain,

Hey, sin is crouching

at your door

and its desire

is to have you.

Okay?

It's the same word.

So essentially,

this curse that was on there

is that there's this

desire inside of a woman

to control her husband,

to take leadership,

to be afraid

that she is not

being fought for,

cared for,

and loved

and so she has to

take matters

into her own hands

instead of putting

her hope in God

like the holy woman

of the past did.

That's the propensity.

You have to watch out

for that.

1 Corinthians 14.33-35

says this,

In all the churches

of the saints,

women should keep

silent in the churches

for they are not

permitted to speak

but should be in submission

as the law says.

If there is anything

they desire to learn

that the master

or husband is at home

but it's shameful

for a woman

to speak in church.

This is in the context

of weighing prophecies.

And they were talking

about how they should

weigh the prophecies