A Godly View Of Women

Developing a Godly View of Women

Rules for Holy Living

Colossians 3 : 1-17

1. Today we are going to be examining having healthy relationships, but especially healthy relationships with women.

2. It is important to understand what “Healthy” means.

a. Healthy – means to work or function as originally designed.

3. On the flip-side then. Unhealthy or to use a more common term, “Dysfunctional” means:

a. Dysfunctional – means to not work or function as originally designed. Therefore, a dysfunctional family is a family that does not work or function as it was originally designed. A dysfunctional relationship is a relationship that does not work or function as it was originally designed.

4. Let’s consider cars, computers or other household appliances for example: If you want the item to last for a long time and work or function well “AS IT WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED” during the time that you have it, you strive to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for care and maintenance. In so doing you realize and acknowledge that the one who made the item knows what it needs to operate and function, as originally designed, better than you.

a. What is an enthusiast?

b. Shouldn’t we be enthusiasts for Christ?

5. Therefore, having a healthy relationship with anyone, but especially between you and a woman, can only be achieved when you follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer – GOD.

6. Let’s consider this for a moment. When GOD created the world, man and woman; everything was healthy and worked in accordance with the original design. However, when sin entered the world, things became dysfunctional.

7. The fact that we live in a fallen world means that there will always be an element of dysfunction in our relationships, and they are not going to be perfect.

8. God, however, has provided His Son (Jesus Christ), His Word (the Bible), and the Holy Spirit to help us to be healed, restored and have the healthiest relationships that we can have in our current situation.

9. God created us, and He knows us inside and out. He knows what we need to function at our best and have a long and abundant life.

10. He knows what it takes for us to have healthy, minimally-dysfunctional, relationships.

11. Let’s start with looking at a passage from 2 Timothy. Specifically, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 which says:

a. “All scripture is god-breathed, and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

12. You have probably heard and or read this passage many times. But bear with me and let’s focus on four key words in this passage: Teaching, rebuking, correcting and training. These words can have different meanings in different contexts, but let’s consider them in the following ways:

a. Teaching – To teach means to impart knowledge to someone. The Bible gives us knowledge about God. What He is like. What pleases Him and what displeases Him.

b. Rebuking – To rebuke means to reprove sharply, or to reprimand. In other words, it means to stop doing something that we shouldn’t be doing.

c. Correcting – To correct means to show the right behavior or process.

d. Training – To train means to practice, typically in a repetitive format, the correct behavior or process. Discuss the military analogy.

13. These words as well as the order in which they are indicated are extremely important. Our God is a God of order. Let’s look at what he is telling us here:

a. Step 1 is to learn or to be taught what we need to know.

b. Step 2 is to stop any incorrect behavior.

c. Step 3 is to adopt the correct behavior.

d. Step 4 is to train in righteousness.

14. OK, now let’s talk about women from a worldly perspective.

15. First of all, when we are talking about anything from a worldly perspective, what perspective is that? Healthy or Dysfunctional?

16. Right anything that we are taught from or by the world is dysfunctional. Why? Because these are the ways of the Enemy, Satan himself.

17. Ephesians 2:1-3 tells us:

a. “1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.”

18. The point here is that while we were in and of the world, prior to submitting to the Lordship of Christ, and becoming part of His body: we followed the ways of the world or Satan (who is the ruler of the kingdom of the air).