Gender Differences, Worship & The Glory Of God Series

SERMON OUTLINE:

• Key thought:

• “Honour your head” (vs 3)

• Principle #1:

• Honour your head for the sake of biblical teaching (vs 3-6)

• Principle #2:

• Honour your head for the sake of creation (vs 7-11)

• Principle #3:

• Honour your head for the sake of nature (vs 7-12)

• Principle #4:

• Honour your head for the sake of apostolic authority (vs 16)

SERMON BODY:

Ill;

Difference Between Men and Women:

• A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.

• A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

• A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.

• A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

• To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot & love him a little.

• To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot & not try to understand her at all.

• Any married man should forget his mistakes;

• There's no use in two people remembering the same thing.

• Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.

• Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

• A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.

• A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change & she does.

• A woman has the last word in any argument.

• Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

• There are 2 times when a man doesn't understand a woman ;

• Before marriage & after marriage.

• TRANSITION: Men and women are different;

• And as the saying goes, “Viva La Difference!”

Ill:

• A movie producer once asked the actor Spencer Tracey;

• Why he insisted on always having top billing over Katherine Hepburn.

• The producer said; “After all she’s the woman and you’re the man. Ladies first.”

• Spencer Tracey replied; “This is a movie, not a lifeboat!”

• TRANSITION: The respective roles of men and women have long been debated;

• Whether in movies, or in lifeboats or in Church.

• In this chapter we are going to look at what the apostle Paul says;

• On matters of gender roles in the Church of God.

Note:

• That First Corinthians chapters 11 to 14, begins a new section in his letter.

• In these four chapters the apostle Paul’s concern;

• Is how God’s people conduct themselves in a church worship setting.

• The word “church” (‘ekklesia’) appears 13 times in these chapters.

• And in these four chapters the apostle Paul will discuss three primary issues:

• They are:

• Gender distinction – the different roles of men & women (chapter 11 verses 2-16),

• The Lord’s Supper – Communion (chapter 11 verses 17-34),

• And spiritual gifts (chapter 12 verse 1 to chapter 14 verse 40)

• One of the biggest problems in the Church at Corinth;

• Was disorder in public meetings.

We have commented in previous weeks that:

• There was only one place in the Roman empire that welcomed all people;

• Regardless of nationality, social status, sex or economic position;

• That one place was the Church!

• In the Church women, slaves and children;

• Were treated with respect and equality and were as valued as the men.

• But there were some people who misused that new found freedom to excess;

• Quote: Someone has said;

• “A new movement always suffers more from its disciples than its enemies”.

• It was true of Corinth;

• They would misrepresented the Lord’s Supper,

• They would mishandle their spiritual gifts,

• And in the public meetings the women misused their freedom

• So the apostle now addresses these three issues in this new section.

• Chapter 11 verses 2-16 to chapter 14 verse 40.

Note The Key Thought is Headship.

• The theme of this first section (1 Corinthians chapter 11 verses 2-16);

• The key thought in the passage is “Honour your head.” (vs 3):

“But I want you to realise that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.”

• The key thought in the passage is “headship,”

• Don’t get side-tracked by other issues.

• The key thought, the number one issue is “headship.”

Now when the apostle Paul uses the word ‘head’ in this chapter:

• He is using the ordinary word for the hairy (or in some cases not so hairy);

• Round lump that sits on top of the neck.

• The head of course is understood to be the control centre of the body.

• We all know that to damage the head then that body will not perform correctly;