Sermon Title: No matter how you slice it - it is still Bologna
Text: I Timothy 2:9-15
Date: August 10, 2003
Introduction of Scripture:
For those of you that have been following the direction that this series on Paul’s first letter to Timothy has been taken you will know that this morning we will touch on a very sensitive topic. Let me don some protective gear so that I might proceed.
This is one of many Scriptures that some in the church use to say that women shouldn’t teach or preach or have any kind of authority in the church. These same people say it dictates how they should dress and seemingly places the blame on the women for all that has transpired since that fateful moment in the Garden of Eden. If we simply read this morning’s Scripture without giving it much thought, and a lack of thinking seems to be a growing problem in the church of today, we might come to the conclusion that women should remain quiet. Women have no place in a teaching and especially a preaching position in the church. They in no way should be in charge of men in any church situation if not in all situations. It seems that this dictates that women do not know how to dress properly and that it is their fault that mankind exists in a state of fallen ness. The only thing I can say in regards to those that feel that way is HOGWASH! WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE! For reasons that should be obvious by the time that we end this study, I have given this message the title, “No matter how you slice it – it is still Bologna!”
It simply amazes me how much ridiculously unimportant stuff gets in the way of the churches fulfilling “The Great Commission”. If sin in our lives isn’t enough of a stumbling block, the politics and some of the outdated traditions of some of the churches make it almost impossible for a “sincere of heart” person to repent and walk with the Lord.
Let us stand for the reading of God’s Word!
Scripture Reading: I Timothy 2:9-15
9 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, 10 but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. 11 A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 13 For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15 But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.
Sermon Introduction:
For those that are lost and seeking a relationship with Jesus Christ in this time that we are living in, they are at the greatest of disadvantage. They live in a world that calls them weak if they seek something beyond themselves but at the same time, there are many churches that have set up so many hoops for them to jump through that they oftentimes get discouraged and say, “What is the use?” We are not talking about Biblical hoops, we are talking about man-invented hoops that we have put in place to augment where God’s running of the church has fallen short. These people were in ample supply during Jesus’ earthly ministry and they have cropped up again in the form of the new Pharisees.
These self-appointed rule makers have placed supposed restrictions in the paths of new seekers of Jesus and justify these additions as being Biblically based. No matter how you slice it – it is still Bologna! They are giving their self-appointed rules a Biblical basis that is based on a shallow understanding of God’s Word that is nothing short of Biblical ignorance. They may dress the part and they may act the part of Christian, however, Looks can be deceiving! I believe the phrase white-washed sepulchers is the proper label.
On the other hand, there are some in the body of Christ that have taken a stand that is quite the opposite. They have thrown any kind of respectful apparel out the window. They are tattooed, they are pierced, they openly participate in some activities that are clearaly spoken against in God’s Word, and they give the reason for these infractions as an attempt to reach those in the world that the traditional church would never reach out to. No matter how you slice it – it is still bologna! If we look like the world, if we dress like the world, and if we act like the world – then surprise-surprise-surprise, we are the world. We are no different then those that we are supposedly seeking to bring into the kingdom and the very same worldly eternity will await us as well.
That is on an individual basis, but the different churches and the different denominations have done likewise. I hesitate to bash other denominations on some of the minor doctrinal differences, but I will not keep quiet when a denomination does something that basicaaly sets God’s Word off to the side as no9t applicable to the world that we live in today. The Presbyterian church in their actions are no longer a denomination but an abomination. How does this look to those that are lost in their sins, and homosexuality is one of those that is probably targeted the most in God’s Word, if the actions of the church are no different then those of the lost world from which they are seeking to escape from? If a church acts like the world, then it is the world. It is no longer a body of Christ but a favorite tool of Satan himself.
Now, we have dealt with the problem of un-Christian Christians, we need to look within the legitimate bodies of Christ as well. There is a real obsession with the question of Who is the boss? We see church splits over the color of carpet, the tempo of the music, the instruments on which the music is played, the translation of God’s Word which is read from the pulpit, as well as what gender is actually supposed to be doing what. We don’t need sin to bring us down, the nit-picking between the saints of the church is at times enough to make one throw up their hands in defeat. Don’t the lost souls of those in our neighborhoods rate greater attention then any of these other distractions?
It is no wonder that people get discouraged and stop coming to church. Finally when the attendance begins to drop or the offering plate becomes lighter, the finger pointing begins in all directions and the shouts of, “It’s their fault!” begin to echo. The pastor offends with a Biblical truth that runs contrary to someone’s lifestyle or taste and the board makes a decision that was prayerfully considered and a certain group have their feathers ruffled. Are we seeking God and are we serving God for our own pleasure or are we seeking and serving to bring Him the glory and honor that He so justly deserves and are we seeking to further the cause of His kingdom. Unfortunately to often the church from within has become self-centered, self-seeking, and self-gratifying.
So, we ask the question, “Who can make the difference?” Those that can make the difference will be those that study His Word without tireing and it will be those that flatten the creases on their trousers or leave welts upon their bended knees as they seek His will and His alone during their time of prayer.
Prayer for Spiritual Enlightenment:
I. Looks can be deceiving!
This was perhaps an indirect approach to this morning’s text, but I think you will see what I was trying to get us to focus on as we look deeper at God’s Word. Let us re-read verses 9 and 10:
9 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, 10 but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.
Timothy is the pastor that Paul left in charge in Ephesus. There were some cultural problems in Ephesus that conflicted with the Christian way. Now without digging any deeper into this text, you get to the place where people promote no jewelry, no fancy clothes, and no wild hairdos. Now there really is no reason to be a clotheshorse in the church and what does the strange hairstyles do for the kingdom? The main issue at hand is the manner of dress that Paul was telling Timothy about was an outward sign of their occupation. This manner was often how the prostitutes advertised themselves as available. And for those that wore outlandish clothes as a statement of self-importance. Paul told that the Christian manner of proclaiming one’s status was through the way that we lived our lives. There was not actually a Biblical basis for avoiding such regalia, but was more of a need to make a statement of difference between the church and the world in the eyes of those that were still searching in Ephesus.
Now how do we apply this – well some seem to think that Sunday go to meeting clothes is nothing less than a fashion show where it becomes keep up with the Jones’s. That certainly isn’t what this text means. In response to that, there are some that would come in the most raggedy clothes looking all ungroomed and disheveled. That certainly isn’t what the text tells us either. Another response has become the congregational self-appointed fashion police that inspects hemlines, haircuts, jewelry type and location of said jewelry. This isn’t the heart of the Scripture either. What we can garner from this text is to avoid the appearance of evil in our manner of dress as a believe, for those that are new in the belief – allow the Holy Spirit to be their fashion police and above all else let our manner of conducting ourselves be fitting of the title that we claim – Christian. We should be found as Christian to the outside world regardless of situation and we should be found as Christian to our brothers and sisters under every and all circumstances.
II. Who really is the boss?
We have mastered the problem of Biblical fashion so now let us look at the hierarchy of power in regards to the different sexes. Let us read verses 11 and 12:
11 A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.
If we were superficial in our studies of this text we would probably come to the conclusion that women are to be silent during worship, they have no business as teachers, they certainly need not be behind the pulpit nor should they have any authority in the worship setting over a man. This is almost Biblical doctrine in some abominations, {excuse me – denominations}.
We need to know something about the Ephesian culture that caused Paul to write the way he did. In that time, this was actually an upward positioning of the women in regards to spiritual and educational standings. Women were considered uneducatable. Women were considered as possessions that held the same value as a household slave. In this new position as Christian they were excited to be a part of the service and since they were previously excluded from religious matters, they did not readily understand all that they were hearing. Questions were coming to their minds and in their hunger and excitement for what the Gospel had to offer, they asked their husbands who were seated in a separate area as was customary in the synagogues. This caused quite a disruption of the services. There was also a problem with false teachings that was targeting the women and for those that had fallen for this heresy, they were attempting to persuade their husbands contrary to Biblical authority. Paul acknowledged the teaching abilities of women in several other places in the Scripture. He acknowledges the contribution of Timothy’s own mother and grandmother to his prize pupils education. In the 16th chapter of Acts it was Lydia who was converted, invited Paul into her house where her servants were Baptized and also she was the home in which Paul returned following imprisonment to the scene of an apparent meeting of which she was undoubtedly the leader.
This section of the Scripture is not a limiting text to be used to keep women in a subservient church roll but rather an encouragement for further training for the limitless possibilities that would lie ahead.
III. It’s their fault!
If the attempt to retain women in second-class spiritual citizenship, we may look at this next section for further guidance. Reading verses 13 and 14:
13 For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.
Alright guys, we are off the hook, this Scripture tells us that the fall at the Garden of Eden was all the fault of Eve. Not quite, in fact this places the blame even further upon Adam and the male of the species. It tells us that Adam was not deceived, in other words, Satan tricked Eve into eating of the forbidden fruit, but Adam with his eyes wide open ate of the fruit as well. Adam was created by God first, it was Adam who was addressed by God specifically not to eat of the fruit, and it was Adam who when Eve said, “Here big boy, take a bite”, chomped into the fruit without so much as giving God’s Word a second thought.
Without a doubt there was a great significance to the statement that mentioned the fact that Adam was created first. The firstborn had always held certain privileges beyond all that would follow and along with those privileges came the expectation of godly leadership. In God’s design, it was the man of the household that was to be the spiritual leader, that design has not changed. It is the man of the household that is to lead his family in prayer, and in the study of God’s Word. It is the man of the household that should lead his family to the place of worship and if you look at many of the churches today, that is no longer the case. Where man has failed to answer the call, this is where the women must respond for such a time as this.
IV. Who can make the difference?
As I looked at this section of Scripture and prayed about the message that the Lord would have me bring forth, I wondered why this particular verse was included at this particular juncture of the text. Let us read this morning’s concluding verse:
15 But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.
As I studied what others had written on this verse, I was amazed at the diversity of the different interpretation. The obvious one is the link to the curse that was placed upon Eve and womanhood in general after being cast from the garden. There was also the implication that through a woman the world had received its Messiah. Both of these are true enough, but there was another suggestion that was equally true and fit in the context of this section of Scripture, because it was mentioned in the tenth verse in regards to the conduct of a godly woman.
What effect on their children do woman of prayer have? Mothers that are on their knees for their children, even beyond the time where they have left home – what is the effect of that? In the age of equal opportunity, an age where two parents in the household are working, in the age of women’s liberation, the importance and the effect of the praying mother has been downplayed, the prayers that are lifted for the children have lessened and the resulting generations have indicated the fruits of that deviation from standards of old. Spiritually there is nothing to replace the power of a praying mother. I am not saying that mothers should not work, I am saying that if they do they need to continue in their time on their knees for their children.
In to many cases the father is not the spiritual leader of the household, not by the means of a dominating women but through a choice for the things of the world over the things of the kingdom of God. In that case, it only stands to reason that the women fill in the gaps. In this age where the dollar sign has blinded the eyes of many young men to the call of the ministry, then let the women who hear and are willing to follow God’s call to take the position of leadership.
I am not suggestion anything unbiblical, because the reason for the exclusion of the women in this letter was there lack of religious training, training that they were previously unable to attain, now it is the absentee husbands that are guilty of spiritual ignorance, their wives taking their place as leaders in many areas, and through their example of godly living and teaching are doing their best to raise the remnants of those that would follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion:
We need to wake up and get busy in our study of God’s Word. We need to hustle to our knees and make use of the greatest of blessings, and that is the power of prayer that we are so blessed to have. We may be seen at church each and every time that the doors are open, but to many of us are only physically there while our spirits are elsewhere and our souls dangling dangerously close to backsliddenness.
We have placed to much emphasis on the physical and the unimportant that we have to little time for the much more important spiritual aspect of our devotion and worship of God. We look at clothes, we look at hair, we look at the name of the version of the Bible, and in the process we have overlooked the needs of the lost and through this worldly emphasis are blinded to the fact that we are rapidly approaching lostness ourselves. In the Scripture, Jesus asked to pick up your cross and follow Me, he did not say go change into something more appropriate, get a hair cut and a shave, make sure you grab your King James and then come and follow. Not at all!
We can be attentive in our usual pew, however, Looks can be deceiving, we can be as lost as the lost sinner who still wonders the streets of this world.
What about our need to know Who really is the boss? If this is God’s house, if we are to be studying about God’s Word, and if it is God’s message that we are to share with others everywhere, then why do we even concern ourselves with the structure of power. Yes, there needs to be leadership, however if it takes anything less than biblical methods to attain and maintain it, then the leadership is not of God and is based on worldly wants, desires, and motives. Let those with the natural God-given ability to lead spiritually use their gifts and those blessed with the gift to teach and preach to do what God has enabled them to do. God chooses God’s leaders, and not mankind.
And when things go wrong, instead of raising the accusing finger and shouting, It’s their fault! We instead need to find ourselves on our knees in prayer seeking God’s direction to correct and heal rather than succumbing to our own desires to blame and to shame.
So with all of this in mind, we ask the question, Who can make the difference? It is perhaps the gift of past experiences, as bad as they seem at times, that open the eyes of those that have endured, and allow them to steer clear of repeating the same unfortunate circumstances and even guiding others around the obstacles and the pitfalls that certainly await the Christian community of today. It is those that take seriously their position and responsibility as a follower of Jesus Christ that will make a difference. It is those that live out His teaching in the manner in which He meant. It is those that read God’s Word in the manner in which it was given, in the deepest of study. It is those that take their priveledge and responsibility of prayer to heart and lift their children, their spouses, their family, friends, and all that they can to the throne of grace.
Call to Commitment:
This morning can be a morning of great significance in our relationship and dedication to the Lord, or it can be just another task that we have fulfilled in our perceived obligations on the way to heaven. Let us examine our focus in light of this morning’s text. Are we to preoccupied with the physical to allot the needed time to the spiritual?
How about our reasons for doing the things that we do in this fellowship of believers? Do we do things to look good to others? Do we do things to try to annoy in an effort to exact some kind of revenge? Do we act contrary to others then what our deepest feelings portray? Perhaps instead of pointing the finger of needed prayer at others we ought to look long and hard in the mirror ourselves.
How many times have things gone wrong and we seek out the cause of the problem instead of focusing on the solution. Prayer can repair where blame can never heal.
As those that have proclaimed themselves as the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, who read and believe His Word as truth, as those that believe that Jesus is the only Son of the loving God, born from the Virgin Mary, suffered and died under Pontius Pilate, was raised from the dead on the third day as fortold and is now the ascended Christ at the right hand of God the Father, we are the ones, through the empowering of His glorious Holy Spirit that will make a difference in the world that we live for the remaining days that we have. Let us pray that the power be given to us as needed. For those that have heard, but not attained and yet still desire – then come forth to the altar and pray for that forgiveness that is possible only through the sacrifice of the only begotten.
