23-1001p Transcript

Preacher: Mike Mathis

(0:36) Thank you, Roger, for that reading. Just let me continue what I started this morning, (0:46) taken from 1 Corinthians 11, reading verses 1 through 3, and in particular verse 3. (1:03) Where Paul, when he writes to the Corinthians, he says, imitate me just as I also imitate Christ.

(1:17) Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me, that you remember me in all things, (1:25) and keep these traditions just as I deliver them to you. But I want you to know that the head of (1:35) every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Just briefly this (1:46) morning we discussed the word submitting, and we also looked at the word subjecting.

(1:59) The people will look at the word submit, and they think of it (2:12) in a way that they dislike the word submit, because it is defined as to yield one’s person (2:25) to the power of another. Also, subjective means, according to Webster’s online dictionary, (2:37) to be obedient, submissive, to submit, make accountable. Some people just don’t want to do (2:49) things that other people may want.

They want to do things their way. (2:58) And we look at this word submit, and we’ll find out that it’s not so bad, because, (3:09) and you know, I started with the last thing that he said there, that the head of Christ is God. (3:19) And then I went to the head of every man is Christ.

We discussed that this morning, (3:28) and found that the relationship that Jesus had with God, his Father, (3:38) was neutral, and it was a right relationship. And Jesus proved to be (3:49) obedient to his Son, to his Father. And the Father testified to the fact that he was well pleased (4:00) with Jesus.

He said that twice in Matthew. It was when he was baptized in Matthew 3, (4:15) 16 through 17, and then on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17, verses 1 through 5. (4:29) And Jesus did all that God had told him. He willingly went to the cross and died for us.

(4:43) And Jesus has been given all power, or all authority, in heaven and on earth. And yet (4:56) mankind in general will not listen to Christ and will not submit to him. And whether they do or not, (5:11) still Christ has all authority.

And we discussed that this morning. (5:19) Now I want to turn our attention to the third thing here. The head of woman is man.

(5:33) And this seemingly becomes a touchy subject with some women, because they want to (5:45) be self-judging or so, or they want to have some recognition and such. But we want to look at (6:06) just what God does. Now he says the head of woman is man.

And let me say, as I said this morning, (6:19) that we have an order here that God arranged. God is the one that is the head (6:34) over everyone. God is the head of his Son, Jesus.

The head of Christ is God. And then the head of (6:53) man is Christ. Now we’re going to look at the head of woman, and that being a man.

(7:03) Now there are some that like to turn things around. But when we (7:14) read in the beginning, in the second chapter of Genesis, we’re having the account of the creation (7:30) in Genesis 1 and 2. This is not two accounts of creation, or two different (7:41) accounts or another creation. This is the creation in the beginning.

(7:51) And if we, as they had it at first, if we didn’t have the chapters and verses, (8:01) this all would be all together in one. But anyway, we got the chapters and the verses, which (8:13) does help us to go and pinpoint where we are. But we find that Adam, the first man, (8:30) was created.

In verse 7, the Lord God formed man out, formed man out of the dust of the ground, (8:41) and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And man became a living being. (8:53) And he was placed in the Garden of Eden, Eastward in Eden.

And there he is. (9:03) And we find where the location is. In this, the description is in here.

(9:15) But we will also find out that in verse 18, (9:27) and the Lord God said, it is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper (9:36) comparable to him. Out of the ground, the Lord God formed every beast of the field, (9:46) every bird in the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them.

And whatever (9:55) Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, (10:06) to the birds of the air, to every beast of the field. But for Adam, there was not found a helper (10:16) comparable to him.

And I believe this was to show to Adam that these animals were not suitable at (10:29) all for him to have a helper that would be a helpmate to him. So the Lord God caused the deep (10:44) slit to fall on Adam. He slit and took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place.

(10:54) Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, he made into a woman. And he brought her (11:03) to the man. And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.

(11:11) She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. (11:20) And so Adam was created, and then the woman was made. And the woman was made from the man.

(11:33) Now, many in the evolutionary (11:41) beliefs or theories will say that man came from the lowest of animals, one-celled animals. He came (11:54) from an animal and such and such. But man, when he was created, he was created in the image of God.

(12:09) And then seeing that he didn’t have a helper comparable to him, then God formed woman (12:21) as God took a rib from Adam. And from that rib, he made into a woman. And notice he said he brought (12:34) her to the man.

And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be (12:47) called woman because she was taken out of man. Now, we also will know that when the woman was made (13:08) from Adam, she was made to be by the side of man.

As someone has stated that (13:22) she was to be there. And God gave Adam a command not to eat from the tree of mighty the good and (13:36) evil. And he was commanded that he could eat of every tree of the garden except that tree that (13:46) was in the midst of the garden.

And of course, it would be the woman that Satan deceived (13:59) into believing that this fruit on this tree would be good for her. It would open her eyes and she (14:12) would be like God. You see, God was hiding from her.

So she took it. But we also want to know that (14:25) that God placed judgment upon the serpent and upon the woman and upon the man. (14:37) He told the woman, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception.

(14:44) In pain you shall bring forth children and your desire shall be for your husband (14:52) and he shall rule over you. That is God’s order as far as the family is concerned, as far as (15:04) man and woman is concerned. Now for man being the head of the woman does not mean that he (15:20) be a tyrant to her.

She’s not his slave. She’s not supposed to jump every time he says do this, do that, do this. (15:32) But she is, he is to be supportive of his family.

Love being to those that do not take care of the family. (15:49) There are those that will take the money that’s supposed to be for the care of the family (15:58) and they’ll gamble it away. They’ll drink it up and all that money goes to waste.

It’s not to be abusive (16:13) physically or verbally. A man can be really cruel to a woman. He can abuse her physically.

(16:30) He can hit her, cause her to be bruised or he can verbally say things to her, down her and whatever. (16:45) But he is to be supportive of his family. (16:54) Now we learn that Christ is the head of man.

But you know Christ is not abusive. (17:06) We learn this when we go to Matthew 11 and Jesus in verse 28 through 30 says come to me (17:24) all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. (17:31) Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.

For I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. (17:45) For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Yes Jesus is man’s head but he offers (18:01) a kind word.

He offers rest for those that are heavy laden and are burdened down. (18:13) It could be cares from the world. It could be cares that are within the family.

It could be (18:21) cares from sins that they commit. But he says come to me and I will give you rest. (18:31) Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

(18:39) So Jesus being the head is not a tyrant but he’s lowly and gentle. (18:50) And he said that he will help us carry our load. He’ll be right there beside us.

(18:59) Now there is something else that we need to learn and I’m going to go to Ephesians 5 (19:14) from Ephesians 5 22 through 33 and here we’re going to spend a time rest of time in this lesson. (19:27) We’re going to (19:31) study and we find that the church is often referred to as the blood of Christ (19:44) and it is also the body of Christ. But we see that and we’re going to start in this verse (19:59) 22 but since we are talking about submitting there’s something in verse 21.

It says submitting (20:13) to one another in the fear of God. You know we do that here. We have a song leader that selects (20:24) the songs.

We sing the songs that he selects. We have one that leads the prayer. We have one (20:36) that reads from the scriptures.

We let him read that portion of the scriptures. (20:44) We someone delivers a lesson and then we submit to that that one as he delivers that message. (21:01) We submit to one another.

So this this word submit is not all that bad. (21:10) But we’re going to find some things here and we’re going to find this word that in verse 22. (21:21) Wise submit yourselves to your own husband as to the Lord.

He’s given this command to (21:31) those who are Christians. Those who are in the body of Christ (21:38) and he says submit to your own cousins. While the world (21:46) in the world that the wives seem to want to come out among the authority of the husband.

(22:00) Those of the number that are children of God should learn to the wife should learn to be (22:10) submissive to their own husbands. He says for the husband is the head of the wife. (22:20) We saw that is just exactly what God said to the woman in Genesis 3 and 16.

(22:31) That he is to be the head and she her desire would be to her husband and he would rule over her. (22:43) As also Christ is head of the church and he is (22:49) or for the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church (22:57) and he is the savior of the body and we know that the body he’s talking about is the church. (23:05) It is his bride and you know the church needs to be subject or submissive to Christ (23:19) as a wife to her to her own husband.

He says so let the wives be to their own husbands and (23:32) everything. In other words the church is to subject itself or herself to Christ and then he (23:47) says husbands love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her.

(24:00) Now there is going to be a comparison here between the wife and husband and between the church and (24:14) Christ that is going to make and he says Christ loved the church and husbands ought to love (24:27) the wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her.

(24:35) Just as we discussed this morning Christ went to the cross he died upon the cross he shed his blood (24:45) that blood purchased the church. Some people may think the church means nothing (24:55) that it is that it doesn’t make any difference it matters little but Christ died for his church (25:04) and he purchased her with his own blood that’s how much he loved the church.

Well the husband (25:16) should love the wife and he says that he in verse 26 that means Christ loved the church and gave (25:28) himself for her that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word that he (25:39) might present her to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing (25:48) but that she should be holy and without blemish.

So husbands ought to love their own wives (25:58) as their own body he who loves his wife loves himself for no one ever hated his own flesh (26:09) but nourishes and cherishes it just as the Lord does the church (26:17) for we are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones. (26:26) Just as the woman to her husband that she came from his rib she as he Adam testified that she (26:41) is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh she shall be called woman.

And then I didn’t read (26:53) the last part of Genesis 3 because I’m saving that for here. For this reason a man shall leave (27:08) his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh (27:23) that is what is stated (27:27) about the end of chapter 3 that because man was created the woman was created from Adam (27:45) and that and God presented her to him and he said that for this reason a man shall leave his father (27:57) and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.

Paul says that (28:06) this is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the church (28:16) so this is something that we just can’t explain how two can become one (28:27) and be one flesh but it happens (28:32) but that’s what that’s what we learn and Paul says this is a great mystery but I speak concerning (28:41) Christ and the church you see the church is supposed to be submissive to Christ and just as (28:52) the woman is to be submissive to her own husband.

The church cannot make up its own rules. (29:04) It is Christ that has given the rules to the church (29:12) and thus he says at the end nevertheless (29:20) let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself and let the wife see that she (29:30) respects her husband. Now when we have that kind of relationship and that there’s respect (29:46) between husband and wife we can see that there’s a correlation (29:56) and that is between a wife and her husband and we can see that between Christ and the church (30:08) so many then is something that should not be so terrible.

I want to conclude this by (30:20) relating something that was shown on video that I was watching, that I believe, that was (30:33) a school that had this newsletter and they published it. The headline in this newsletter (30:49) said 10 churches of Christ (30:55) closing down treatment of women factor, now this is from this newsletter,

(31:05) yeah, I’ve never heard of the churches of Christ closing down and the factor in (31:15) is treatment of women. But what follows that is there was a congregation (31:26) that made two women elders of that congregation, (31:32) but now how could women be elders when one of the qualifications of an elder (31:41) is that he be the husband of one wife now how can she be a husband unless she’s buying into the world, (31:56) the same sex business.

But then, now this is my memory if it’s correct (32:11) that one of these women’s daughter was made a preacher and she and she was preaching (32:25) but she ended up in a denominational church. Well how was that helping the Lord’s church? (32:36) She just left the church.

Churches that are trying to stand up for what the scripture says (32:53) the scriptures are written they’re the inspiration of the holy spirit and Paul was (33:03) was providing in that being guided by the holy spirit and in (33:15) second Timothy or rather first Timothy (33:29) that it is uh I believe second timothy to put this down to me put the wrong (33:48) scripture.

But anyway he tells timothy that he suffers not a woman (33:57) to teach nor usurp the authority over a man. (34:05) Man, a preacher, puts the woman over a man and that is not what she is supposed to be. (34:30) Let a woman learn in silence with all submission and I do not permit a woman to teach or to have (34:42) authority over a man but to be in silence for Adam was born first. That is, (34:52) and Adam was not deceived but the woman being deceived fell into transgression. (35:00) Nevertheless, in verse 15 she will be saved and childbearing if they continue in faith, (35:08) love and holiness with self-control.

(35:14) You see that is God’s arrangement, we need to submit to the lord. (35:23) If we do what God is saying and follow what God has set forth we will be right. (35:36) Notice that God submitted to his father. He did everything that his father sent him to do (35:44) and say. And because of doing that he lived perfectly, he died but because that death was (35:57) not something that because Christ committed. Christ didn’t sin and because he didn’t sin (36:08) he wasn’t allowed to stay in the grave. There was and he was given authority. He was given a name (36:17) that was above all names because of that.

So you see by submitting to God submitting to our lord (36:30) jesus Christ submitting to his word we will be doing God’s will it will be beneficial that if we do (36:46) so tonight if anybody needs to be subject to God to the gospel invitation anyway (36:56) we would urge you to do so while we stand and while we sing