One of the foundational truths of the Christian faith is that God is a wonderful Creator, and He has a design for everything.
God designed the earth, and He has a plan for the earth.
God designed animals, and He has a plan for the animal kingdom.
God designed the Church, and He has a plan for the Church.
God designed men and women, and He has a plan for men and women.
God designed the family, and He has a plan for the family.
Part of what it means to follow God is that we submit to His will and plan for our lives.
Well, today, we’re going to talk about some of God’s design for the church.
Don’t forget, Paul is writing to Timothy, a young pastor, to give him instructions for the church in Ephesus.
Today, Paul’s going to talk, in part, about the role of men and women in worship. Today’s sermon is entitled “The Roles of Men and Women in Worship.”
Let’s go to the Lord in prayer, and then let’s dive into this passage.
(prayer)
Ok, let’s look at
8 Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument. 9 Also, the women are to dress themselves in modest clothing, with decency and good sense, not with elaborate hairstyles, gold, pearls, or expensive apparel, 10 but with good works, as is proper for women who profess to worship God. 11 A woman is to learn quietly with full submission. 12 I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed. 15 But she will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with good sense.
Alright, as we journey through this passage, let’s discover three truths that we can apply to our lives and to local church worship.
First, we are to . . .
I. Pursue prayer, not anger.
Ok, look at verse 8 only. Paul says, “Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.”
Church, this part is really easy to understand.
Now listen, this instruction in verse 8 is for men, but I dare say this applies to women as well.
Here’s what we should gain from verse 8: prayer is good, anger and arguing are bad.
That’s pretty easy to understand, isn’t it?
Here’s a question for the men in our church: how are you known?
Are you known as a man of prayer? Are you known as a man of anger and arguing? Are you known as a man of complaining? Are you known as a man of apathy? Are you known as a man of intimidation? Are you known as a man of cowardice? Are you known as a man of worldliness? Are you known as an intelligent man? Are you known as a godly man?
Paul says that the men of the church should be men of prayer, with hands lifted up to God.
Men, God wants you to be talking to Him, and in a tight relationship with Him. God doesn’t want to be spouting off to other men in the church, and arguing and fighting to get your own way.
If the men in this church, and in every church, would put their big boy britches on and learn what it means to be in an intimate relationship with the one true living God of the universe, rather than squabbling over ridiculousness, the world wouldn’t know what hit them. The devil wouldn’t know what hit him!
Oh, what a powerful force the church would be if we would be men, and people of prayer!
Pursue prayer, not anger.
Second, . . .
II. Pursue modesty, not attention.
Paul spent a moment speaking about men; now he shifts his attention to women.
In the following verses, Paul will speak about modesty, teaching, learning, authority, creation, childbearing, and more. Let’s focus first on modesty.
Look at verses 9 and 10. Paul says, “9 Also, the women are to dress themselves in modest clothing, with decency and good sense, not with elaborate hairstyles, gold, pearls, or expensive apparel, 10 but with good works, as is proper for women who profess to worship God.”
Ok, first of all, we see that Paul commands women to dress modestly. Well, what does that mean?
I think at a minimum, modesty includes properly covering up ourselves so as not to draw inappropriate sensual thoughts from anyone.
So, Paul would certainly say that we should properly cover the parts of our bodies that should only be seen by ourselves or our spouses (if we have a spouse).
However, Paul goes on to describe hairstyles, jewelry, and expensive apparel. So, it seems that when Paul speaks of modesty, he’s speaking of more than just covering up the personal parts of our bodies.
You see, the church in Ephesus had been infiltrated by Roman culture, which included, among other things, elaborate and flashy dress by women, for the purpose of drawing attention to themselves.
So, here’s the point when it comes to modesty. When we are immodest, it means that we are drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves.
Paul would say that we should not want people to think how beautiful we are, how attractive we are, how much money we have, how athletic we are, or how special we are.
Rather, we should seek to give all the glory to God. We should be purposeful not to seek any of the attention or glory that belongs to God.
Now, I don’t believe that Paul would want us to look like slobs, either. As with most things, there’s a balance. We can look neat and nice, without trying to look flashy and special.
So, women (and men, too, for that matter), should not seek to draw attention to themselves. Rather, in their pursuit of loving God and loving others, they are to be known (look at verse 10) for good works. Paul says that good works are “ . . . proper for women who profess to worship God.”
So, be known as a proper woman: who worships God and does good works for the glory of God.
Women, don’t be flashy, be holy.
Pursue modesty, no attention.
Finally, . . .
III. Purse God’s design, not power.
Again, Paul is speaking primarily to women, but the big-picture principle applies to everyone. God has a design and purpose for us, and we should pursue that design and purpose.
Look again at what Paul says in verses 11 and 12: 11 A woman is to learn quietly with full submission. 12 I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet.
First of all, I want to point out that every commentary I read that spoke about the word quiet in this passage noted that the Greek word used here in Paul’s original writing does not mean “absolutely silent.” Rather, it means “peaceful” or “calm.” So, let’s get this cleared up right away: Paul does not mean that women are never to talk in a church setting. That is definitively not what he means.
Well, what does Paul mean?
I’m going to give you three ideas that I believe Paul wants to drive home here:
1. In worship, women are to be primarily learners, not teachers.
2. In worship, women are to submit to those who are in authority.
3. In worship, women are not to have authority over a man.
Now, I want to talk about each of these ideas briefly and explain why I arrived at them.
Let’s talk about idea #1 first.
First of all, I arrived at this idea because Paul says very clearly, “ . . . a woman is to learn quietly.”
We’re going to learn later in chapter 3, that I believe God has designed the role of pastor to be filled by men. So, by God’s design, the primary role of women, IN WORSHIP, is to learn.
Paul is not saying that women can never teach. He’s not even saying that women can’t teach men. Paul is speaking about the local church gathering for worship. In that context, God’s design is for pastors to teach, and pastors (by God’s design) are to be men. Again, we’ll look at that next time.
Women are to be a part of the worship service, but they (and most of the other men, by the way) are in the role of leaner, not teacher.
Second, let’s look at idea #2.
I believe part of what Paul wants us to know is that in worship, women should submit to those in authority. By the way, I believe that Paul wants everyone to submit to those in authority in worship.
Remember, Paul just said that he doesn’t want the men to get angry or to argue. It stands to reason that Paul doesn’t want men to take authority that doesn’t belong to them either.
As I’ve already pointed out, those who are in authority in the church should be the pastors, and pastors are to be men. Therefore, women (and the other men) are to submit to pastors, who are men.
Finally, let’s look at idea #3.
In the context of worship, women are not to have authority over a man. You’re probably catching on by now.
Who are those in authority in the worship setting? They are pastors, and pastors are to be men.
So, Paul is teaching that women should not have authority in the worship service, because they are not pastors, and they are not pastors because (minimally) they are not men.
Next, Paul appeals to Creation and the Fall to help drive home his point.
In verse 13, Paul points out that God has a design that is supposed to be followed, and in verse 14, he reminds us what happens when we depart from that design.
God’s design for Creation was that Adam would be the leader to Eve, but when they departed from that design, things fell apart for both Adam and Eve.
So, also, God has a design for the church (which we’ll explore more in the coming weeks), and when we depart from that design, things fall apart for the church.
Now, verse 15 is a bit confusing; let’s look at it. Paul says, “But she will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with good sense.”
Let’s be very clear right off the bat: Paul is not saying that a woman will receive forgiveness of her sins if she has a child. That’s not what he means.
Therefore, Paul means something different. I believe what Paul is getting at is that a woman will do well if she fulfills the functions which God has designed for her. Childbearing is one of the general functions that God has designed for women.
This doesn’t mean that all women must have children, but Paul is pointing out that it’s proper for a woman to have children, but it’s not proper for a woman to seek to have authority in a worship setting.
So, also, it is good for a woman to continue in faith, love, and holiness.
I hope the Lord is giving you some clarity about this passage as we walk through it.
Just as a wrench shouldn’t be used to drive a nail, a pencil shouldn’t be used to cut paper, and a mattress shouldn’t be used to cross the Atlantic; so also a woman is not designed to lead the local church worship service (and not all men are either).
Let this bottom line summarize what God is teaching us today:
Bottom Line: Following Jesus includes following God’s design in the church.
Some of you may bristle at this idea that God did not design women to lead the church worship service.
Well, let me ask you why you would be bothered by this idea.
Do you feel that God is unwise or unfair? Is it unfair that a bird can fly, but a human cannot? Is it unfair that a woman can birth a child, but a man cannot? Is it unfair that a whale can reach the depths of the ocean with a single breath, but a human toddler cannot?
You see, God has a good design for all of His creation. When we follow Jesus, we submit ourselves to God, and we submit ourselves to God’s design and plans for us and for His church.
Following Jesus includes following God’s design for His church.
Challenge yourself this week in the following ways:
Weekly Challenge #1 – Discover God’s design for you.
Dive into God’s Word and learn more about what it means to follow Him, according to His design for you.
What does God have for you? What are God’s plans for you? The truth is, we don’t know all of God’s plans, but we know a lot about what God wants for each of us, based on His Word.
Discover that this week.
Weekly Challenge #2 – Pursue God’s design for the church.
God has a specific design for our church as well. Again, we don’t know every detail of God’s plans, but we know a lot about what God wants for our church, based on His Word.
May each of us pursue God’s design for our church, His church.
(Gospel presentation – God has a design for your life as well)
(closing prayer)
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