God's High Calling for Women, Part 3

We are in the day to day when role reversal is really high priority for Satan. It would be one thing if it was occupying itself with the world but it is even more tragic when it occupies its over the church and the church today has definitely lost a sense of perspective and balance in terms of what is titled a women's Bible. These authors re-translated passages of Scripture that they thought were old-fashioned or chauvinistic or unflattering to women what you think is the Bible you own and read a sexist book. The Scripture teach that women are second-class citizens. To what degree does God value women compared with how he values men. Is there a difference for answers to those important questions follow along with John MacArthur now as he continues his series titled God's high calling for women. Let's open our Bibles together to first Timothy chapter 2 first Timothy chapter 2 Shirley or know the name Harriet Beecher Stowe great American novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of 13 children, the oldest member of the family was Catherine Beecher. She was the oldest of the 13 she was one of nine children by her mother and there were four other children born to a stepmother who her father married after her mother had died. Catherine Beecher particularly grew up having a natural love for children, she found great joy in the duties of raising children.

She loved to care for infants.

She loved to care for little children when Catherine was only 16 and all of the rest of the children born to the mother. Nine of them were younger than she was.

Her mother died so she was left really to mother. Eight other little children. Her mother had been very skilled in domestic handcraft and spent a great amount of time teaching Catherine how to take care of the home and so she was quite good at that.

By the age of 16 into the home came in. Anthony, the aunt was to be the replacement for mother and the aunt was remarkable for her neatness and her order and her ability to deal with things on an economical basis. Later on, she was replaced by a stepmother who is expert in all matters of administration in the home under them all. Catherine with experience in the tutelage of these women by the age of 23 had learned all that was to be learned about domestic life and decided that the state of women in the United States was so severe that she needed to do something very dramatic to train women for domestic responsibility. So she founded the Hartford female seminary. The design of which was to train women to be lovers of their husband lovers of their children keepers at home. She and her sister Harriet Beecher Stowe not only found it. The Hartford woman seminary, but a couple of years later they found that the same thing in Cincinnati, Ohio with a view to training women for domestic responsibility at that same time. Around 1869, they wrote a book entitled the American woman's home. We read you just a little of it women's calling embraces the care and nursing of babies in those critical periods of infancy and sickness training of the minds of children the most impressionable years of life child involves the matter of meeting the needs of her husband so that his life is enriched in his home a haven involves the responsibilities of the economy of the house for the benefit of family and all others who grace.

It these duties are a sacred and demanding as any given demand yet where is her preparation and what body certifies her, is duly prepared to give the best to her calling." As a result of that desire to give to women training so that they could be capable at their domestic responsibility.

They found the two seminaries and they wrote this as their purpose. The purpose is to teach women how not only to perform in the most approved manner. All the manual employments of domestic life, but to honor and enjoy the reason I read you. That is just a can I give you a little idea of how far we have come in a few years if anybody imagined to start a female seminary to train women today in domestic responsibility. They would become the instant laughingstock of the whole United States, if not most of the world it would be absolutely bizarre for anyone to attempt to gain society's approval for such an effort. Can you imagine the kind of ridicule that would come upon someone for doing that to endeavor to train women to be lovers of their husband lovers of their children and keepers at home would put a person in direct opposition to everything that's happening in human society, we are in the day to day when role reversal is really high priority for Satan. It would be one thing if it was occupying itself with the world but it is even more tragic when it occupies itself with the church and the church today has definitely lost a sense of perspective and balance in terms of what a woman's role is to be. I'm amazed month by month to see more and more traditional evangelical Bible believing people begin to change their view of the woman's role under the pressure of the society around said parties that they are then instructing women to deny a God given a God ordained pattern for life which would bring them the highest joy and that's it was a problem in the day of Catherine Beecher. It's a problem today and I would like to add. It was a problem in the day when Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy, and as you look at first Timothy chapter 2 verses nine through 15.

You will note that Paul is dealing with that very problem he is identifying here a problem of women who were asserting themselves and trying to overtake the role of men in the church. They were acting indecently in the church were acting shamefully. They were violating their God ordained place. Define the divine standard and so Paul writes to Timothy, encouraging him with this corrective.

In verses 9 to 15 to set things in order in the church at Ephesus where Timothy is located at the present time, so they had their own problems in that time, as we have the problem in this time. Now in verses 9 to 15 a very concise passage.

There are seven verses there, but they're very brief, with the exception of verse nine. So there really aren't a lot of words here, but in a very few words, there is a very comprehensive treatment of the role of women but in these brief verses there is a presentation of six elements related to a woman's place in the church were not talking about the home here were not talking about secular society. Here were just talking about the church. In fact, were talking about the church when it comes together to worship were talking about the order of the church behavior in the church.

These six elements with which Paul deals are there appearance their attitude, their testimony, the role their design and their contribution but let's be reminded in verse nine of their appearance. In like manner, also that women adorn themselves in proper apparel with godly fear and self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothing. Secondly within their attitude, their attitude was to be one of godly fear that word really has as its root, the idea of a sense of shame they are to have a proper shame about themselves.

That doesn't mean a woman is to be ashamed of yourself. That doesn't mean she's to be ashamed of her beauty and hide it. What it means is she is to have a sense of shame that says I would never want to do anything to cause someone else to be illicitly attracted I would never want to do anything that would cause someone else attention to be drawn away from God to me. Gratitude is one of of a sense of shame that she should ever be the cause of someone else's sin.

Secondly, self-control, and the word is related to controlling her desires and controlling her passions and not being in a position to cause others to have wrong desire, so there appearance now to be fit worship in their attitude as well. Thirdly, their testimony in verse 10 is a part of his discussion. A woman who professes publicly. Godliness should prove that confession with good work.

So you have not only appearance and attitude what you have. Her action or her activity that which she does that, which she says should indicate the legitimacy of her claim to godliness. Now those three then brought us to the fourth and we're going to look at it again today and that is their role.

Now you come to the real heart of this text in verses 11 and 12. The role of the woman is given in these words, let the women learn in silence with all subjection but I permit, not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

I will notice that verse 11 begins with being in silence in verse and 12 ends with being in silence and so that brackets the whole idea herein becomes the dominant thought the dominant thought is that when the church comes together for worship. The women are to be in silence. In the middle of that he sort of speaks to that very issue.

Now, as we looked at this role of women given by God and created in women by his creative power, and I hope you understood the major point I was making is that on the spiritual level.

Men and women are equal their equal and as a result of that, they are equally entitled to be involved in the learning process and we suggested to you that there were no doubt people in the church at Ephesus who came out of a Jewish background or people in the church you came out of a Greek background, both of which diminish the role of women, both of which held that women were inferior and both of which would assume that it was an important or even necessary that women learn anything and so this no doubt had filtered into the church. And Paul is saying, let the women learn let them Monsanto is the verb that we get the word disciple from B disciples B. Learners B on the process of grasping understanding and applying divine truth.

And don't let the influence of Jewish culture.

Greek culture, which diminishes and denigrates the role of women speak evil of them and hinder them from learning the truth of God. We went to the Old Testament to remember and I told you that the law was given for men and women under the rules about the Passover were given for men, women, and God personally appeared to both men and women in the service of God involve both men and women you come to the New Testament in men and women serve the Lord in men and women are responsible for all the commandments and they are given all the promises and their promised all the blessings and they are warned about all the curses. In other words, in terms of spiritual life and blessing.

All are equal. There's no question about but that does not mean that their role as the same. You can have spiritual equality of all different roles.

To put it another way, you and I are spiritually equal.

You and I have the same spiritual responsibility before God to limit his glory that not so we have the same responsibility to obey the word of God.

The same responsibility to pray and teach the word of God and to witness and deliver Christlike life and we have the same promise of blessing we have the same fruit of the spirit we have the same hope of eternal life on the spiritual level are all equal, and yet obviously in a role situation you're there and I'm here.

We should be comfortable with equal spirituality and differing roles.

I don't know why want to make a battleground that for all the women, the demand have equal roles with men would be like all the congregation demanding to have equal roles with the one is preaching and you can understand what that would do. These are just roles God's design for us to play to fulfill his will. So we see then Old Testament and New Testament equality or spiritual life. We do not see equality of role in your members with the Old Testament last time I told you that there were no women priests none. There were no women holding ongoing prophetic office. There were some women who were called a prophetess, namely the four of them, the wife of Isaiah was only called a prophetess because she was going to give birth to a child whose name it prophetic meaning not because she said anything, but Miriam, Deborah and holder are all three called prophetess and all we know about them is that each of them in the Bible is recorded on one occasion to have given a message from God.

We don't know that they had any ongoing prophetic ministry. Certainly not like the major prophets.

The minor prophets Elijah and Elisha, Moses, we have no such woman leaders. Deborah appears in the list of judges and judge for four to have been in a position of giving some wise counsel in the life of Israel, but she is far and away the exception and we really don't know when and how and how many times she was used by God to give wisdom. There are no women kings and all the history of Israel and somebody would no doubt asked me what about second Chronicles 2212 where it says at the liar rained does not call her king or queen at the liar.

You remember, was the mother of a Uzziah when he died she wanted to rule so she massacred the entire Royal seed. The only one she didn't get was Joash.

Remember he was protected later became the king but she usurp that throne and was not and is not to this day listed among the kings of that land. No woman kings.

No woman priest, no woman with ongoing prophetic office and no woman wrote an Old Testament book of Ruth and Esther are named after women but were not written by one so they had no ongoing role of leadership in the normal course of life in God's economy. The Old Testament, though some of them were used by God here and there to speak a word for God and many women prophesied according to Psalm 68 off a great host of the women who publish the good news that doesn't mean that women couldn't speak for the Lord. Of course not, they should speak for the but they were not given the roles of leadership within the nation of Israel, either in political life or religious life, both of which were the same in a theocracy ruled by God to come to the New Testament. He remember that there is neither male or female in Christ. Galatians 328 and we know we are all equal, spiritually, and yet it's very obvious in the New Testament, there are no women apostles. Although there were women who accompanied Christ and the 12 they are not included in the 12 there are no women prophets.

There is Anna mentioned in Luke two, and said to be a prophet task because her husband died seven years after their marriage, and she for over 80 years had stayed in the temple waiting for the Messiah and anyone who came in the temple. She would tell them about the Messiah coming and what a joy it was when she met the Messiah, even as an infant, but she really is a is a holdover from the Old Testament and she was a prophet task in the sense that she spoke about the Messiah, to anyone who came along and then you look in the New Testament again and you do see that the four daughters of Philip did prophesy. They did speak for God, but a lot of women speak forgot we don't know anything about there not call prophets that would be after the church began and they're not call prophets. It just says they prophesied they spoke forth for God, we imply is implied. There, there were other women. First Corinthians 11 will get back that a minute who also prophesied spoke forth for God, but as I said there are no women apostles. No women's women called prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, Elder, and no woman wrote a New Testament book so both Old Testament and New Testament make it clear that though there is equality on the spiritual level there differing roles that equality of learning which is given here in verse 11 is qualified at the end of the verse, let the women learn and here comes the qualifier in silence with all subjection in silence with all subjection. They have to understand what's going on. The culture to get an idea of what's going on in this situation and remember that you have in the church at Ephesus, a Gentile culture as the basic culture in which the church exists in Asia minor, which is modern Turkey was a Gentile place and women were ranked in Gentile religion very low, very low. In fact, if you were to go to the temple of Diana of the Ephesians in Ephesus would find hundreds and hundreds of priestesses there called Mel açai whose primary function was to act as prostitutes for the male worshipers they were chattel. They were to be used and discarded. Furthermore, any respectable Greek woman who was not some kind of prostitutes some kind of streetwalker led a very confined life she lived in her own quarters into which no one but her husband could enter. She had not even the privilege of appearing at a meal, unless she was invited to be there. She never at any time appeared on the street alone. She never went to any public assembly, and still less did she ever speak or take any active part in an assembly so you can understand that when some of these women were converted more they begin to feel their oats reported colloquial expression and they would read that concept that we understand male and female equals one in Christ and they would say what were going to take our place. Other women were coming out of a Jewish background. We know that because there are indications in first Timothy to the were Jewish influences in the church at Ephesus. So here you have some women coming out of a Jewish background which was very much the same in terms of suppressing women and keeping them in a sort of deprived situation in terms of learning and now these women have come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Perhaps in some cases their growing faster than their husbands and so they too begin to feel the surge of the desire for prominence and to get out from under this abusive kind of a chauvinistic tradition that they have known and so there's pressure applied in the church as these women begin to assert them. So now you add to that that this church was a sinful church and there are not only those pressures that come because these women are overreacting to their liberty in Christ. But you had the sinfulness of the culture around them, which obviously would militate against the things of God and you've got loose and immoral women in the church, were coming to church, flaunting their sexuality flaunting their wealth trying to entice in the lower other men you got women were trying to surgeon the positions of teaching and surgeon to positions of leadership. Women who don't want to subordinate themselves to their husbands anymore. They want to take over the authority in the church. The authority in the relationship at home and the church is in great great need in great great danger and so as chapter 3 verse 15 says this whole section is to set things in order in the church.

The second thing he wants to set in order after the prayer passage in verses 1 to 8 is this matter of the role of the women because it's all out of whack and he calls basically for them to learn in silence with all subjection to things there. They are to be silent, and subject the word silence means just that Jesus yet just me.

Silence.

We have to define what that is intended to say by the context.

The word subjection is from Libertas so which means the lineup under in other words there to get in their proper line and not rebel there not to be unruly there to get in line in their proper place. So women are to learn in silence and get in line in their proper place. Now it's obvious. The Bible says that no one's going to equivocate on that. It says that the women learn in silence what you say.

What are people who believe in women preachers going to do with it while they want to take the word silence and they got us. It doesn't mean that silence means a meek and quiet spirit, what it means is that when you do preach or teach you do so in a quiet spirited way right there are those who want to advocate that there are others. On the other hand were hardline and they say when it says let the women learn in silent, that's exactly what it means no women should ever talk in church under any condition not into the person they're sitting next to not in the way and out of the way out. You know the real hardline thing. Total silence women never give a testimony. Women ever pray women never speak nothing. Now which of these two or one other option do we have the answer is very simple.

You always define terminology by context and all you have to do is look at the context to figure out exactly what he means by silence. Verse 11. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. What do you mean Paul, I mean I don't permit a woman to what teach.

That's the silence issue nor usurp authority.

That's the subjection issue. He defines exactly what he means what he means by the silence of a woman is that he does not permit a woman to take the role of teacher what he means by her subjection is. He does not permit her to rise to usurp authority over men in the life of the church doesn't mean that the woman can't sing a song he doesn't mean that an appropriate place.

The woman cannot pray a prayer does not mean that she cannot offer praise to God in an appropriate time, it does not mean that she cannot participate in worship. It doesn't mean that she can't even ask a question when a question is called for in a proper spirit, proper way, what it means is she is not to be the teacher and she is not to rebel against the role of submission which God's design for her in the life of the church so silence then is in relation to teaching, and it means she's not to be the teacher the subjection is easily understood to mean she is not to rebel. She is not the desire to overturn the divine pattern.

Now we need to understand what this means, let's okay we got the church were looking at the church were saying all right woman is not to be the teacher that's plain and simple were not there preachers and teachers standing up in church before everyone makes congregations of men and women who are the official teacher of the church. The official preacher giving the message. The sermon the less that's right. That's very obvious but there are other passages that broaden our understanding of this and you're going to find this. I think very, very interesting and next time we're going to look at that passage. John MacArthur just alluded to first Corinthians 14 as we consider the question whether the Bible permits a woman to preach your listening to Grace to you the title of John study today, God's high calling for women. Now, whether were talking about women who lived in Bible times or the women who are listening to our broadcast today. It's obvious that there are powerful influences at work designed to derail godly character. John does that fierce opposition against God's design say something about the huge potential that a godly woman has in making a difference for the kingdom yeah really well stated.

The reason there such an attack on Christian women is because they do have such a powerful influence when they do it.

God designed them to do when women stay in the home bear children love their husbands, love their children raise godly children when women do that the world is a different place.

The kingdom passes on from one generation to the next through godly family.

So of course Satan wants to attack women and men and marriage in the home and it is disastrous when women abandon their God ordained calling but that II don't understand why young people in this generation wait so long to get married. Why are they waiting to be 25 or 30 or 35 and and then decide they want to be merry. What what kind of selfishness. What kind of postponing of the grace of life, which is marriage God's design. Will you go back in the biblical time people getting married 12 and 1314 years of age that was God's design and you race a godly family and here you have this perpetual singleness and people going down the track.

That's basically selfish and self-fulfilling and then to try to make a marriage out of that after 30 years of living in only what you wanted is really challenging so not a lot of problems with the trends that I I wish Christian young people would get married earlier and I wish husbands would be godly leaders and I wish women would love their husbands, love their children be keepers at home raise a godly generation of children.

This is God's high calling for women that I wrote a book by that title.

God's high calling for women and I would love to give that book to any mother who contacts us and requested okay. If you would like the book God's high calling for women. You just need to tell us it's a great book for you as a mom to study with your daughters to help them understand God's design. It examines the unique role that women fulfill in society in the church and describes what God really prizes in a woman, a role that husband should affirm and praise and work to preserve so if your mom we want to put this book in your hands, all you have to do is ask for it will send it to you free of charge. Yes we do want to get this book in your hands. If you're a woman, God has blessed you in special ways.

This book, God's high calling for women will encourage you in your unique divinely designed role to pick up a copy. Again, it's free to any mother who wants one.

Contact us today.

Call our toll-free number 855 grace or go to our website Jide TY.org. John's book God's high calling for women answers questions like how did women serve the Lord in the old testament. How can women serve the Lord today and what are a woman's most important responsibilities again.

If your mother will send you God's high calling for women free of charge. All you have to do is let us know you want a copy of this book reach us by calling 855 grace or go online to TTY.org and to keep up-to-date on all the latest news from grace.

Do you follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook now for John MacArthur and the entire staff. Nine. Phil Johnson. Keep in mind you can watch grace to you television this Sunday on DirecTV channel 378 or check your local listings for channel and times and then join us again next week, you'll hear a message John recently delivered to his congregation, one that never aired on the radio. It's titled, does the Bible permit a woman to preach. You won't want to miss our next half hour unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on racing