Sermon Brief
Date Written: August 16, 2014
Date Preached: August 17, 2014
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Series Title: A Series in 1 Corinthians
Sermon Title: Paul’s Emphasis on Gender & Christian Worship
Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 [ESV] – read now
DIM THE CHOIR LIGHTS ON THE LIGHT BOARD!! IT IS MARKED!
Introduction
One of Paul’s most taught principles thru all of his letters is the freedom all believers have IN Christ. In our journey thru this letter to the church in Corinth we have seen over the past several chapters (ch8-10) how Paul taught the believers in Corinth to live out that freedom in Christ!
In chapter 8 he taught them how freedom in Christ is real and it is YOURS, but if and when YOUR freedom causes another to stumble, you should lay aside your freedom for the good of your brother… He used himself as an example!
In chapter 9 taught that HE was free in Christ and that he had all the credentials: He was free:
to demand their respect and
command a position of authority among them as well as
expect compensation for what He was doing in Christ.
However, instead of making demands about what was rightfully HIS, we find Paul teaching that it was ALL about his focus in Christ!
He placed his service to Christ OVER his freedoms IN Christ! In other words, Paul’s focus was on doing what was right instead of demanding his rights...
In chapter 10 Paul taught about believers understanding their responsibilities AS believers… once again he uses the illustration of meat sacficed to idols to make his point.
His point was that those who lived free in Christ… THEIR focus must be on Christ and NOT on their own agenda!
Finally in v1 of chapter 11, Paul stated that the believers in Corinth should imitate him, just as he had imitated Christ! In other words, Paul was saying that his focus and his vision were on Christ; not his own agenda.
So we find ourselves beginning chapter 11… which really begins a new section for this letter. Over the next 4 chapters (11-14)
Paul speaks about:
The roles of men and women in worship and how they present themselves…
(1 Cor 11:2-16)
The role/importance of the Lord’s Supper and how it must be observed…
(1 Cor 11:17-32)
The role of Spiritual gifts and how they must NOT be abused or perverted…
(1 Cor 12-14)
However this morning we are going to explore the 1st part of chapter 11 and the roles of men and women in worship AND how they should present themselves FOR worship!
Essence of the Text: Paul used these verses to give the church in Corinth direction & guidance on the roles of men & women in the church and how they were to present themselves…
Essence of the Sermon: These verses are also rich in direction for today’s church in directing and guiding both men & women in their role in the worship service, and how important it is to present yourself in a Christlike manner!
Main Question(s) of the Sermon: Do we understand what the Bible has to say about the roles of men and women in the worship setting?
Applicable Objective of the Sermon: You will hear:
WORD PROCLAIMED: Paul reveals the godly approach to worship…
WORD EXPLAINED: Paul details the roles of men & women within the worship setting…
WORD MADE PERSONAL: What are my views of godly worship? Am I setting MORE boundaries up for worship than Scripture calls for?
Now before I get started with this sermon… I want to warn every one sitting in this church this morning that what I am about to reveal and preach… it is NOT what you have heard all your lives regarding the gender roles of the church…OR should I say it is not what MOST churches have taught or what MOST preachers have preached.
Also before I get started I want you to know that I have done the research and I have studied the original language and I have read throroughly on this passage and I believe what I am presenting today… NO MATTER HOW RADICAL it may sound… it IS the Word of God and it should be practiced by all believers!
Now with that being said we have looked at what Paul has said in v2-16 and for most of us we believe it seems to be straightforward and ‘easy’ to understand. Well most of us who are MEN may say it is easy to understand… but before we jump to ANY conclusion let’s take a look at the Scripture to see what it is saying…
What we have always heard (traditional outlook on this psg)
I was raised in the pentecostal denomination… where women were usually looked upon to stay busy in the kitchen and have babies!
This particular scripture was always used by preachers as PROOF that God hated women who cut their hair… in other words it was a SIN to cut your hair! It was used by preachers to keep women from cutting their hair…
This was also used as ‘proof’ that God hated those long haired hippy type men… MEN your hair is supposed to be short and if you let it grow long it is a SIN and so preachers used this Scripture to keep men from growing their hair long…
However, HAIR is not the focal point of this passage! Hair is merely the vehicle Paul is using to get across a very important spiritual principal!
There are some parallel Scriptures throughout the NT that speak to the same issue Paul is dealing with here…In Timothy and Titus we find similar writings from Paul… However, in each instance when Paul brings up matters that reflect the specific genders… he is using gender to make a spiritual point!
Here in Corinth, they lived in a very Hellenistic society. They were IMMERSED in the Greek culture and in Greek traditions. For the Greek (non-Jew) any religious activity required the man to uncover his head and the woman to cover her head… but the Jewish tradition was JUST the opposite.
The church had apparently brought this distinction to Paul’s attention and Paul was addressing it here in his response! AND it seems as if there may have been some effort to blur the lines of sexual identity…& they based this approach on Paul’s teaching that we are all ONE in Christ… that there was neither male nor female!
This was Paul’s effort to correct that thought… Paul teaches here that there IS a definite distinction between male and female when it comes to worship… but that in Christ there is no difference! Let me explain what I mean…
Use TIRE IRON illustration here… straight vs 4-way
Both are used to change a tire, but they look different and they both can do different things… but they have the same function!
Here Paul is saying that there IS a difference between male and female and we cannot try to blur those lines, but that we ALL are called to the same FUNCTION and that is worship of God!
NOW, before I go ANY further on this issue, I want you to remember the Scripture Peggy read to start the service. That in Christ there is NO male or female…
As Christians, we LOVE to quote Paul and many of us use Gal 2:20 as our life verse! [show Gal 2:20a here]
20I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me…
We LOVE to quote Paul, but many of us quote Paul & don’t fully grasp what he is saying. In our passage today, I believe there are MANY who quote it, but really don’t grasp what Paul is really saying…
The reason MANY so people misquote this passage is that it is probably one of the most controversial & difficult passages in ALL of the Bible to properly deal with as a preacher.
You see as a preacher we must FIRST discover the origin of the passage, who wrote it, who did he write it to, why it was written, when it was written and the basic historical context of the writing.
Once we understand who wrote it, to whom they were writing it to AND why they were writing it…we can begin to garner the spiritual truths that flow directly out of the passage they are dealing with…
In THIS passage, Paul is speaking to a congregation of believers who are living in a heavily Greek oriented society. The Jewish presence in Corinth was minor compared to Jerusalem!
As a pastor, for me to accurately tell you what the Bible is saying I must first understand these things… I must be willing to lay aside my personal thoughts, beliefs and convictions and FULLY trust in the Word of God!
On the surface this passage SEEMS to speak to a specific practice that Paul wanted to address…it was the manner in which church members wore (or did not wear) their hair or a head covering in worship…
However, when we look at how Paul has been dealing with the church so far in this letter and to the context of this passage we can be sure that what Paul is doing is using this situation as an illustration or example to get across the more important spiritual principle! But we see that he does not force them…he gave them the opportunity to pray about this and get back with him. [show 1 Cor 11:2-3 (ESV) now]
2Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
v2 leads off with a congratulatory praise from Paul to the church in Corinth. In v1 he had encouraged them to follow his example and in v2 Paul encourages them that they are listening to his teaching and holding to those teachings he had given to them.
However, there were still some issues that needed to be dealt with…and THIS passage addresses ONE of those areas!
In v3 Paul introduces his teaching by saying:
3But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God...
…But… here Paul had praised them for their willingness to learn from his teaching & their seeking to imitate him as he imitates Christ…
This ‘but’ is placed here to change directions. He uplifted their obedience & then in midst of his encouragement he drops a ‘but’ on them…
Have you ever had someone complement you and follow that complement with a ‘but’? Guys do you remember that girl WAAAY back in the day you wanted to go out with?
You wanted to ask her out and finally you mustered up the courage to speak with her only to hear her say, “I really like you BUT…” or “…you’re cute and all, BUT…”
“…but, I am dating someone else right now…”
“…but I am not interested in you like that…” Or the dreaded, statement –
“I like you BUT, I think of you like a brother…”
Here Paul was praising them in v2… BUT… he changes directions in v3!
Prior to this chapter Paul had been speaking about spiritual freedom & how a believer should live out that spiritual freedom. And we find here that he was happy that they had begun to do that… BUT [there was obviously some other issues Paul needed to address]
So, in v3 he says, “…I want you to understand…” basically Paul is saying here – THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT! Don’t miss what I am about to say!
Paul did not want them to be wrong about this… Paul is revealing a constant godly principle that they COULD NOT miss & if they were vigilant in God’s Word and serving God they were NOT miss it!
Look at v3 with me…
3… the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God....
Here the word ‘head’ is used 3 separate times and I want US to understand that it is the SAME Greek word that is being used… It is the Greek word keph-ah-lay which is translated as ‘head’ but can have reference to authority or position…
What we see here is Paul using the term keph-ah-lay in a metaphorical sense. The term ‘head’ can signify MANY things: 1) authority over; 2) source or origin or 3) preeminent, foremost representative… the part representing the whole
Paul is speaking to ‘man’ as the ‘redeemed and saved man’… MAN here is used in the generic sense, like humanity… “Man” is from Christ in that he comes FROM Christ… only thru Christ could redeemed man exist!
Paul addresses the woman here as coming FROM man… going back to the Genesis account where God caused a deep sleep to come over Adam and God took a rib and formed woman FROM the rib of Adam.
Adam called Eve, woman because she came OUT of man… Now while we know that Christ did not emmanate from God, and that Christ IS God… We can see this as God incarnate who chose to become Jesus the man… that FROM God Jesus the man came to be…
Many use this to try and prove that man is superior to woman and that God created them to be OVER woman… ‘over’ in the sense of lording over and controling them… BUT that is NOT what Paul is stating here!
Man finds his completeness IN Christ and Christ finds communion with humanity! Christ is head of the church, but we are called his brothers…and fellow laborers with Him in His kingdom! We don’t complete Christ, but we complete HIS plan, and the purpose He came to earth…
In that same vein, the woman is the completion OF the man and the man is complete because of the woman. Scripture speaks of the 2 becoming one… this comparison is not man/woman, but it is more husband/wife! If they become ONE flesh… there is NO lordship over each other, but there is an order of things!
So when Paul uses the word ‘head’ here… it is more of a position than it is lording over… So this lets us know that this is NOT a man is better than woman thing from Paul, but rather that he is speaking to a position of authority and purpose!
Let’s move fwd to v4-7 where Paul describes this situation through an illustration or example for the purpose of presenting them with a godly principle he wanted to teach them… he says:
4Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head,
5But every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. 6For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head..
7For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man.
Now this was just the opposite of the Jewish culture and worship practice. This was more in line with the pagan ritual worship practices of the Greeks in worshipping their gods…
This would have been the culture from which all these believers would have come out of…so 1st thing we need to understand is Paul seeking to be culturally relevant to these believers…
The issue was NOT what was OR was NOT on their head, it was a matter of gender identity in worship. What Paul is saying here is that men and women ARE different and that there should be NO blurring of the gender lines by believers. This example has its context in the area of worship, but the principle is very clear… gender identity to God is important.
Look how Paul goes into the creation account to stress the importance of gender identity…
[show v8-9 now…follow me as I read]
8For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man..
Here Paul affirms that man was God’s initial creation in humanity and that man was formed out of the dust of the earth by God…and came first. He then states that woman came from man… created after man and formed by God from the rib OF man. Now this has NOTHING to do with who is superior or who is lesser… Paul is addressing the FACT that there is a difference.
10That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; 12for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.
So if you are going to worship according to your Greek custom then do so, but be sure you do it without blurring the gender lines… If you are a woman then worship as a woman, and the implication is also if you are a man, then worship like a man. This meant to present yourself as a woman worshipping OR a man worshipping.
But notice that Paul was NOT focused on the tradition or ritual here but on the people of God. He says in v11, “…nevertheless in the Lord...” meaning among the people of God… among the church of the New Covenant… those who followed Jesus Christ as Savior... that all were seen and considered equally by God! – [another translation] among the Lord’s people…
“…in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman…” This was Paul’s way to reveal the equality that Christ brings to the fellowship. “In Christ” all are seen as equal before God, but God created us different and we should NOT try to blur those differences OR take on the roles of the opposite gender in our worship practices.
You see to do so would send a mixed message to the outside world. The message of Christ would be muddled and confused with the sexually confused message presented in worship!
Woman CAME from man, but man now comes FROM woman through the birth process… we are the same before Christ, but there are distinctions that we must NOT seek to change.
So when you begin to worship, if you are going to use your own custom and cultural form of worship to lift up Christ…be sure that you do so properly! Don’t confuse the message by confusing the gender identify of the worshiper!
13Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?
Paul did not limit them to their Greek custom of worship NOR did he require them to submit to the Jewish form of worship which was just the opposite. Paul allowed the church to decide this in their own minds…
IN other words, I trust you to be mature believers, judge the situation for yourselves, but know that God created us different and we cannot worship Him truly unless we worship Him as we are created!
14Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, 15but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.
Here Paul is quite possibly addressing the cultural norm of the day, in that long hair on men was considered shameful, most likely because wearing long hair was seen as mimicking the persona of a female…
This was done usually because the man was involved in some form of homosexual lifestyle and would grow his hair out to enable himself to dress the part! Paul did not want ANY sort of stigma like this to ruin the witness of this church.
Likewise, Paul goes fruther in saying that it is a great thing for a woman to have long hair. In the church setting, the long hair would immediately identify her as the feminine and womanly worshipper she was! Her long hair revealed WHO she was in creation and WHO she was in worship!
But in v16 Paul tells them that these things bring confusion into the church. The people who insist on bringing contention and chaos into the church has no place in the church… If anyone is inclined to be contentious… in other words if you insist on blurring the lines of worship there is NO place for you in the church of God! We glorify God by worshiping him , not by bring chaos or confusion!
This passage is NOT about keeping women in their place in worship… it is actually a rather ‘freeing’ passage that reveals that IN worship we are ALL free to worship… that we are ALL free to give praise… and prophesy!
Women are equally called by God to participate in worship, just as men are. Today you heard women read Scripture and offer prayers… Women are an integral part of the worship process within our church.
Now why would Paul address what many may believe to be such a trivial matter? Well I believe Paul did this because the blurring of the sexual identity of worshipers would bring confusion and chaos into the worship service. Confusion and chaos present a mixed message for the world. A mixed or confused message to the world is harmful the witness of Christ!
When we go back to ch9 we see Paul saying that he was willing to do ANYTHING to see souls won to Christ, and that meant meet people where they were in their sin, but it also meant ensuring that the church presented a proper picture of Christ to the world!
Paul was NOT against women! He was not seeking to put women in their place… in reality Paul wanted to elevate them to the place God already had them!
So what is it we learned from this passage?
We learned that God created both men and women for worship!
We have learned that God did NOT create men to lord over women in the worship arena!
We have learned that women can and should play just as critical of a role in worship as the men.
We have learned tho’ that although there is equality before God, that God created us DIFFERENT.
We learned that we should celebrate the differences, but that we should NEVER blur the lines of sexual identity! Men must worship and live as MEN and women should worship and live as WOMEN!
Men should worship as men… Paul’s example was to worship with NO head covering to reveal you were a man worshipping, and also a full headcover if you were a woman worshipping! That is IF you are going to adhere to that custom and view of worship.
Judge for yourselves is what Paul tells these people… judge for yourselves the importance of gender identity in the worship event. A confused gender idenity will muddy the waters of a true Christian witness… we are called to worship as God created us.
But here is the good news for this passage… although God created us with a definite distinction between man & woman… God has laid out a redemptive plan in the person of Jesus Christ, and it does NOT matter if you are male or female, God has opened salvation up for everyone!
So what are your worship practices today? Is there something you just WON’T do worship wise because you think ‘that’s not approriate for a man to do or a woman to do…
Men! Working in the nursery is NOT limited our our women. Ladies! I appreciate the spunk and willingness of our ladies in all areas of ministry, but don’t limit yourself, don’t sell yourself SHORT in God’s kingdom!
Paul told us at the end of chapter 10 that he was willing to do WHATEVER it takes to see some come to know Christ as Savior. Are you willing to do the same? Are you willing put aside your personal feelings about worship and dive into what God has in store for you?
Many of us get caught up in human tradition when it comes to serving God, and we lump things into categories where only a man can do this OR only a woman should do that…
The point of Paul’s teaching here is that we are ALL one in Christ and that we must all worship Him in a manner that brings glory to Him. That means we must worship Him as we were created!
Today in our worship services, there are NOT any items that I can think of that distinguishes male from female in worship, but the biblical point still remains here… we should never seek to blur those lines, bring contention or chaos into the worship experience! When it comes to worship today, where do you stand this morning?
