The Aim of Our Charge Is Love

March 18, 2018 · 1 Timothy

Series · 1 Timothy · Week 6 of 24

Scripture referenced 15 passages

The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.

1 Timothy 1:5 stated as the overarching aim of the letter: love from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith

5 but the goal of this command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith;

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1 Timothy 3:14-15

Paul explains he wrote so Timothy would know how to behave in the household of God, which is a pillar and buttress of the truth

14 These things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly;

15 but if I wait long, that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

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1 Timothy 2:1-7

urging prayers for all people including kings, and Paul's appointment as preacher to the Gentiles

1 I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks, be made for all men:

2 for kings and all who are in high places; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence.

3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;

4 who desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth.

5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

6 who gave himself as a ransom for all; the testimony in its own times;

7 to which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth in Christ, not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

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1 Timothy 2:8

desire that men pray lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling

8 I desire therefore that the men in every place pray, lifting up holy hands without anger and doubting.

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1 Timothy 2:9-10

women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, modesty, and good works rather than braided hair, gold, or costly attire

9 In the same way, that women also adorn themselves in decent clothing, with modesty and propriety; not just with braided hair, gold, pearls, or expensive clothing;

10 but (which becomes women professing godliness) with good works.

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1 Timothy 2:11-12

let a woman learn quietly with submissiveness; not permitting a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man

11 Let a woman learn in quietness with full submission.

12 But I don’t permit a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over a man, but to be in quietness.

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1 Timothy 2:13-15

Adam formed first then Eve; Eve was deceived; she will be saved through childbearing if they continue in faith and love and holiness

13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

14 Adam wasn’t deceived, but the woman, being deceived, has fallen into disobedience;

15 but she will be saved through her childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and sanctification with sobriety.

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Galatians 3

neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, all one in Christ Jesus

1 Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly portrayed among you as crucified?

2 I just want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?

3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh?

4 Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it is indeed in vain?

5 He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you, and does miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?

6 Even as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.”

7 Know therefore that those who are of faith, the same are children of Abraham.

8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.”

9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.

10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.”

11 Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, “The righteous will live by faith.”

12 The law is not of faith, but, “The man who does them will live by them.”

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”

14 that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

15 Brothers, speaking of human terms, though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been confirmed, no one makes it void, or adds to it.

16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. He doesn’t say, “To descendants”, as of many, but as of one, “To your offspring”, which is Christ.

17 Now I say this: A covenant confirmed beforehand by God in Christ, the law, which came four hundred thirty years after, does not annul, so as to make the promise of no effect.

18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by promise.

19 Then why is there the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise has been made. It was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator.

20 Now a mediator is not between one, but God is one.

21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could make alive, most certainly righteousness would have been of the law.

22 But the Scriptures imprisoned all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, confined for the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

24 So that the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

26 For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus.

27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to promise.

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1 Corinthians 11

cited to show women praying and prophesying is not forbidden

1 Be imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.

2 Now I praise you, brothers, that you remember me in all things, and hold firm the traditions, even as I delivered them to you.

3 But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.

5 But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered dishonors her head. For it is one and the same thing as if she were shaved.

6 For if a woman is not covered, let her hair also be cut off. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or be shaved, let her be covered.

7 For a man indeed ought not to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man.

8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man;

9 for man wasn’t created for the woman, but woman for the man.

10 For this cause the woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels.

11 Nevertheless, neither is the woman independent of the man, nor the man independent of the woman, in the Lord.

12 For as woman came from man, so a man also comes through a woman; but all things are from God.

13 Judge for yourselves. Is it appropriate that a woman pray to God unveiled?

14 Doesn’t even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?

15 But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her, for her hair is given to her for a covering.

16 But if any man seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither do God’s assemblies.

17 But in giving you this command, I don’t praise you, that you come together not for the better but for the worse.

18 For first of all, when you come together in the assembly, I hear that divisions exist among you, and I partly believe it.

19 For there also must be factions among you, that those who are approved may be revealed among you.

20 When therefore you assemble yourselves together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.

21 For in your eating each one takes his own supper first. One is hungry, and another is drunken.

22 What, don’t you have houses to eat and to drink in? Or do you despise God’s assembly, and put them to shame who don’t have enough? What shall I tell you? Shall I praise you? In this I don’t praise you.

23 For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread.

24 When he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me.”

25 In the same way he also took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me.”

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks the Lord’s cup in a way unworthy of the Lord will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.

29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy way eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he doesn’t discern the Lord’s body.

30 For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep.

31 For if we discerned ourselves, we wouldn’t be judged.

32 But when we are judged, we are punished by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

33 Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest your coming together be for judgment. The rest I will set in order whenever I come.

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Psalm 24

who shall ascend the hill of the Lord; he who has clean hands and a pure heart

1 The earth is Yahweh’s, with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell therein.

2 For he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the floods.

3 Who may ascend to Yahweh’s hill? Who may stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully.

5 He shall receive a blessing from Yahweh, righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek your face—even Jacob. Selah.

7 Lift up your heads, you gates! Be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in.

8 Who is the King of glory? Yahweh strong and mighty, Yahweh mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, you gates; yes, lift them up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in.

10 Who is this King of glory? Yahweh of Armies is the King of glory! Selah.

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Matthew 5:21-24

Jesus on anger: anyone angry with his brother liable to judgment; reconcile before offering your gift at the altar

21 “You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’ and ‘Whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’

22 But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.

23 “If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,

24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

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Colossians 3

putting off anger, wrath, malice and putting on compassion, kindness, humility, love

1 If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God.

2 Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth.

3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory.

5 Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, depraved passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry;

6 for which things’ sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.

7 You also once walked in those, when you lived in them;

8 but now you also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and shameful speaking out of your mouth.

9 Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings,

10 and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator,

11 where there can’t be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondservant, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.

12 Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance;

13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.

14 Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.

17 Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father, through him.

18 Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives, and don’t be bitter against them.

20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this pleases the Lord.

21 Fathers, don’t provoke your children, so that they won’t be discouraged.

22 Servants, obey in all things those who are your masters according to the flesh, not just when they are looking, as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God.

23 And whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men,

24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

25 But he who does wrong will receive again for the wrong that he has done, and there is no partiality.

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Genesis 3

enmity between the serpent and the woman; the seed of the woman will crush the serpent's head

1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden,

3 but not the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it. You shall not touch it, lest you die.’”

4 The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t really die,

5 for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate; and she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too.

7 Their eyes were opened, and they both knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made coverings for themselves.

8 They heard Yahweh God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.

9 Yahweh God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”

10 The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

11 God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

13 Yahweh God said to the woman, “What have you done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 Yahweh God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed above all livestock, and above every animal of the field. You shall go on your belly and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.

15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.”

16 To the woman he said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. In pain you will bear children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

17 To Adam he said, “Because you have listened to your wife’s voice, and ate from the tree, about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ the ground is cursed for your sake. You will eat from it with much labor all the days of your life.

18 It will yield thorns and thistles to you; and you will eat the herb of the field.

19 By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

20 The man called his wife Eve because she would be the mother of all the living.

21 Yahweh God made coats of animal skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.

22 Yahweh God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever—”

23 Therefore Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.

24 So he drove out the man; and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

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James 3:1

let not many be teachers because they incur a harsher judgment

1 Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment.

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Isaiah 1:18

though your sins be scarlet they shall be as white as snow, referenced in discussing God purifying hearts

18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” says Yahweh: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

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Recap

The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.

This message came from 1 Timothy 2, part of an ongoing series working through Paul's letters in the order he wrote them. Pastor Ray worked through a genuinely difficult passage about how men and women are to conduct themselves in the household of God, and he was honest from the start that he found it the hardest text he has preached since coming to the church. The overarching aim he kept returning to was the one stated in 1 Timothy 1: that godly love would issue from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

What was said

Pastor Ray began by grounding the whole letter in Paul's stated purpose from chapter three: he wrote so that people would know how to behave in the household of God, which is "a pillar and buttress of the truth." That phrase matters, because the way the church conducts itself either authenticates or undermines the truth it claims to hold. Everything in the passage flows from that.

He then revisited verses one through seven, which he had preached the week before, to show that Paul's first instruction is prayer for all people without exception. That sets the tone. God desires all people to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth, and prayer for everyone is the right posture before anything else gets said about men or women.

When he reached verse eight, Pastor Ray slowed down considerably. Paul says he desires men to pray "lifting holy hands without anger and without quarreling." He argued that the lifted hands are about purity, not posture, pointing to Psalm 24 and its question about who may stand in God's holy place. The anger and quarreling he took seriously as a real problem in the Ephesian house churches, likely among Jewish-background men who were deeply uncomfortable with what was happening around them, and he connected it to Jesus's own teaching that anger toward a brother is a matter serious enough to stop you from offering your gift at the altar.

The "likewise also" of verse nine links Paul's word to women just as tightly to the same desire. Pastor Ray read the instruction about modest, non-ostentatious dress not as a dress code but as a call away from the kind of wealth-signaling that would have divided the room in a first-century house church. He suggested the more likely scenario: wealthy widows hosting the gatherings, possibly dressing in ways that drew attention and created friction with already-agitated men. The positive alternative Paul offers is that women who profess godliness adorn themselves with good works.

The phrase "let a woman learn" he called quietly revolutionary for its context. In the first century, formal learning was not available to women outside of a role as a priestess in a pagan temple. Paul opening that door, even with the qualifications that follow, was not a restriction by the standards of his day. The harder words, that he was "not permitting" a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, Pastor Ray read in their present-active-indicative tense as a situational statement rather than a timeless absolute, while acknowledging that complementarians and egalitarians both read from honest engagements with scripture and that he resists the pressure to land cleanly in either camp.

On the justification Paul gives, drawing on Adam being formed first and Eve being deceived, Pastor Ray was straightforward that this reasoning made complete sense to a first-century rabbi and that Paul was arguing with people who knew that logic and used it themselves. On the strangest verse in the passage, "she will be saved through childbearing," he offered what he found the most supported reading: that the singular "she" and the salvation through bearing a child points toward Genesis 3 and the promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head. The salvation in view is the salvation that came through Mary bearing the Messiah, not anything earned through the act of childbearing itself.

He closed by pulling the two halves of the passage back together. The men's problem was anger and quarreling. The women's problem, or at least some women's, was drawing attention to themselves in ways that disrupted the gathering. Paul was, in Pastor Ray's reading, genuinely trying to help both groups toward the same place: a community that holds the truth without distraction, where pure hearts, good consciences, and sincere faith are what people see.

Doing a Bible study?

Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.

Pastor Ray described the aim of the entire letter as 'love that issues from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.' What does it look like practically to pursue those three things in your own life right now?
Pastor Ray said that when we gather as a church we hold 'the truth that the whole rest of the world does not have,' and that how we behave inside the household of God authenticates that truth. Where have you seen church behavior either support or undermine that witness?

and 3 more questions in the guide

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3:00 Speaker 3To the heart. For you there when they crucify my lord oh you there when they crucified my lord sometimes it causes me to tremble tremble Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they nailed him to the three. Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble tremble tremble were you there when they nailed him to the three

4:32 Speaker 1Notice but he did one verse last week and two verses this week and we are building towards Easter when we'll get to sing that last verse. Would you stand with me and we're going to sing a few songs this morning. Scott, are you here? Would you come on up and sing, help, help, sing with me? Love lifted me, hymn number five zero eight is where we'll start off.

4:54 It's good to see you this morning. Are you are you happy to be here? Amen. Are you excited? Sunshine, sun shining outside.

4:59 It's beautiful. Amen. Love lifted me. Hymn number five zero eight.

5:09 Speaker 2I was sinking deep in sin far from the peaceful shore he's the master of the sea billows his will obey he your savior wants to be be saved today the love me lifted me lifted lifted me me

7:54 Speaker 1Got another one before. Yes, we do. Tell me the story of Jesus. Alright. Tell me the story of Jesus.

8:01 Hymn number two ninety five and there are hymnals in front of you if you want to look for your part but we're just going to sing off the wall if not.

8:07 Speaker 2That's right.

8:08 Speaker 1Alright. Off the wall worship. That was what the first service was anyway. It was off the wall worship. No doubt.

8:18 Here we go. I think that that's me. Sorry. Tell me the story, Jesus. Here we are.

8:30 Take that

8:30 Speaker 2button away from me here. Tell me the story of Jesus right on my heart everywhere. Tell me the story most precious every word tell me the story most precious sweetest that ever was heard. Amen. Y'all can have a seat.

10:59 Speaker 1Announcements this morning. We have Monday nights that are happening that first week. Carl, would you stand up and just tell us what it's going to be about tomorrow night? 06:00 tomorrow evening down in the fellowship hall. At the same time, Awana will be happening in this room or starting out in this room and then they spread out all over the church for listening but Dan, you have a word you want to say about Awana?

11:29 Tomorrow night is pajama night. Alright. Or pajama night if you're from the South. Alright. Alright.

11:35 Thank you for Awana. Tomorrow night, that's good and it's kids matter to God because they're precious. And so we're trying to pour scripture into their minds so it can reach their hearts. Youth group is Tuesday night. This is middle school and high school youth, 06:30 to eight on Tuesday nights.

11:52 We've still Turning Point is carrying on their baby bottle campaign. If you have taken an empty body baby bottle and you're bringing it back full, then feel free to bring it here to the church, but you can also take it straight to Turning Point. That's their fundraiser this time of year. Guatemala, the mission trip Guatemala to Hope of Life International is happening. I will be the last to depart on that trip because I'm gonna preach the Easter message and then rush to the airport and get on.

12:20 The rest of everybody else should be down there before I get there, but the the Easter is when I'll be leaving for Guatemala. We're gonna do one service on Easter. It'll be 10:00 instead of nine and eleven, and that allows all of us to celebrate the resurrection together, and it allows me to get to the airport an hour earlier. So Guatemala is coming up. We're doing a fundraiser.

12:41 Last one of the fundraisers is the parking lot fundraiser. Most of y'all are not going to be parking in here for the Hill Climb. Some of you might, but we're doing a fundraiser by collecting for parking spaces on the Hill Climb. We do it every year but it changes what we donate that money to changes each year but that's the last one that's happening this weekend, Friday, Saturday. Anything else?

13:03 Guatemala. Secret Church. This is an interesting concept. So, do you all know that Jean and Joni Dimash fold our bulletins? Every week, they fold the bulletins.

13:12 They volunteer on Fridays. They come in and Jean will, yeah, that's good. Please. Thank you very much for doing that. So when they do that, Jean will occasionally come in and say, oh, this seems interesting, or she'll say, is this right?

13:26 And this one she looked at and it says, on April 20 from 6PM to 12:50AM, seven hours of secret church, she said, is this right? And I said, it is indeed right. So April 20, This is something that was started by a church in Birmingham, Alabama. It's the same church where Clay and Nancy Irwin went. David Platt, if you know who that is, had started this secret church.

13:53 They're studying in particular this time around. They're studying some of the cults and the different ways that you can get off of the truth, but also they're linking arms basically with underground churches or secret churches and so in the evening, 06:00 until 12:50AM, it'll be a time to come together, prayer, study, and there will be some simulcast that happens at that same time. I don't really know that much about it and not because it's a secret. Samantha McVeigh knows more about it. If you'll talk to her, she can tell you.

14:24 But it ought to be an interesting time, and it is a come for a while and leave if you need to type thing. I don't expect every one of you to be here till 01:00 in the morning. Okay. But it's there. Secret Church, if you want to come be a part of it, that's April 20.

14:37 Is there anything else that I've forgotten or missed? Seems like there is a pancake breakfast that's gonna happen on Easter morning. The before the 10:00 service, so at 09:00 pancakes, Dave Kaufman made a call for the guys, a brotherhood of the church to come out and help him at 05:30 in the morning, Easter Sunday, come here and make sourdough pancakes and the fixings for that. So, that's one of them that I forgot. Anything else should be listed in your bulletin along with any other prayer request.

15:07 Is there anything I forgot? Alright, would you stand up and greet one another and then we will bring you back together with a song.

17:25 Speaker 2Are one in the Lord and we pray will one day be restored and they'll know we are Christians by our love by our love yes they'll know we are Christians by our love we will walk each other we will walk hand in hand we will walk with each other we will walk hand in hand and together we'll spread the news that God is in our land and they'll know we are Christians by our love by our love yes they'll know we are we will work with each other we will work side by side We will work with each other. We will work side by side. And we'll guard each man's dignity and say each man's pride and they'll know we are Christians by our love by our love yes they'll know we are the father from whom all things come all and all praise praise to Christ Jesus his only son and all praise to the spirit who makes one and they'll know we are Christians by our love by our love yes they'll know we are Christians by

19:55 Speaker 1Amen. Oh, how he loves you and me. Hymn number three forty nine.

20:35 Speaker 2Oh how he loves you Jesus to Calvary Oh, how he loves me.

21:21 Speaker 1Y'all can have a seat. I'm going ask the frontline team to come forward and would you pray with me? God, I pray that you would have your will done in your way this morning in this church. Right now, for the next hour or so, lord, but I don't want for it to end there. So, I'm prayer for lord.

21:41 I know that yours is a continuing mission and a continuing commission, the great commission that you would spread your good gospel, that it would advance, that you would build your church, and that you would do it in such a way that it goes on and on even till the end of this time and to the uttermost parts. Lord, right now, as we come together, we take a time to give back a portion of what you've entrusted and given to us. That your gospel would advance, that it would go forward here in this community and in the state, region, country, but lord that it would advance to the absolute uttermost to the ends of the earth. Would you, lord, bless the gift and multiply it and the giver and multiply their influence. In Jesus name, lord, we pray that you would have your will done in your way in our hearts this morning.

22:32 Amen.

22:46 Speaker 2The blood that Jesus shed for me way back on Calvary the blood that gives me strength from day to day it will never lose its it reaches to the highest mountain it flows to the lowest valley blood that gives me strength from day to day it will never lose its power. It soothes my doubts and calms my fears. And it dries all my tears the blood that gives me strength from day to day it will never it reaches to the highest mountain it flows to the lowest valley that gives me strength from day to day it will

25:18 Speaker 1Amen. In the first service, I play the bass and I play the bass so they don't have to think about the sermon during the music time. If I were sitting on the front row, it would drive me absolutely bananas thinking about what I was going to say and today, I have the hardest passage that I think I've encountered since I've been here and I was more nervous in the first service and I thank you for letting me sing this morning just to get me from thinking about this sermon until it's time for it. If you're with us this morning and you're not normally with us, what we've been doing is going in a chronological fashion through the letters that Paul wrote in the order that he wrote them and so we've gotten up to after Paul's first Roman imprisonment and he is sent this letter to Timothy. He's left Timothy in charge basically or a charge for the church at Ephesus.

26:09 So, Timothy is an overseer for the church at Ephesus. This is Paul's heart and we'll start right here. In the first chapter, after he's introduced himself and Timothy, he says this and I think that it's good and I've asked everybody to keep this in mind. It's the only thing on the front of your bulletin, right? This morning.

26:27 The aim of our charge, Timothy, from Paul, the aim of our charge and from Ray to you, from Paul to me, from Paul to you, the aim of our charge, Christians, is a godly love, agape love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. So, that is our overarching purpose for the book. The aim of our charge is to help with this. We want for people to have a godly love that issues from a pure heart. Now, God purifies hearts.

26:59 He is the only purifier of hearts. Though your sins be a scarlet, they shall be as white as snow because he can purify hearts. Now, it requires confessing your sins to him and laying bare your will before his and submitting to it but he can purify your heart. If he has purified your heart, you can have a good conscience. You can know that you are walking the walk.

27:26 Following Jesus and pursuing him. Yes, we do make errors. Yes, we do fall off of our way in one ditch or the other but we know that we have that confession. We have that place because of our sincere faith. Though we are sinners, Christ died for us.

27:41 While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us and he's willing and able to sanctify and purify our hearts and give us that sincere faith in the only option, Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life. So, that is the beginning of this book. He starts there. I'm going to skip over for just a second the passage for today and I'm going to the end of chapter three and it covers why Paul wrote what he wrote for today. Does that make sense for our message today?

28:08 The reason that he wrote this, he explains it in first Timothy three fourteen and fifteen. So, want you to hear this first two. Paul says, Timothy, I hope to come to you soon but I'm writing these things to you so that if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God which is the church of the living God, a pillar, and a buttress of the truth. So, what Paul's intent, he says, is so that Timothy may know how one ought to behave and he says that to me, says it to you. This is how one ought to behave within the household of God which is the church of the living God.

28:46 A pillar and a buttress of the truth. We have something within the household of God that the whole rest of the world does not have. Do you get that? And it is the truth. It is the truth that purifies hearts, that gives us a good conscience.

28:59 It is what our sincere faith must be in. The truth, Jesus Christ, his redemptive suffering, and sacrifice given freely to whoever would believe. That truth is authenticated for how we behave within the household of God. So, it matters. It matters how we are.

29:20 It matters how we act. We get up to this. I want to say and I use this from time to time between the already and the not yet. I talked about a while back that it is binary whether you are in the kingdom of darkness, lost, hell bound, or you are in the kingdom of light, in Christ, united with Christ, destined for your incorruptible hope in heaven for sure. Those are two binary things.

29:49 You either are out or you're in. Period. But in our normal Christian walk, we start from this place and as we have accepted the truth of Christ, we begin to walk it out and our practice is not binary. Our practice, we are constantly either moving forward or going backwards but we are moving. We're not perfect immediately.

30:14 So, we're between the already saved and the not yet completely sanctified, glorified, and perfected. Does that make sense to you? Does that resonate with you? Okay. So, we're between the already and the not yet.

30:25 Some of the passages in scripture lead to that and I'll come back to we're between the already and not yet. If you want to look up this kind of theology, George Ladd is the guy who he didn't really come up with that but he's really explored it and it's really good. Now, I'm going to start with the first part of this chapter. First Timothy two, we're going to ramp up to verse eight by reading one through seven. I preached this last week for those of you who are not here.

30:53 First of all then, I urge that supplications and prayers and intercessions and Thanksgivings be made and I made the point last week that yes, he's saying pray. First of all, then, I urge that you pray for all people, all people as the emphasis, for kings, and for all who are in high positions that we may lead a peaceful and a quiet life. We, Christians, may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly, and dignified in every way and this is good and it's pleasing in the sight of God our savior. What's good and pleasing inside of God our savior that we live a peaceful and quiet life, godly, and dignified in every way. Who desires God our savior?

31:34 Who desires all people to be saved? He desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of what? The truth. He says, the pillar and buttress of the truth is the way that we behold within the house of God. There's one God.

31:49 There's one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all. Everyone who will believe will come to heaven and come to Christ, come to the father by way of Christ. There is no other way and that is the proper testimony given at the proper time. Paul then makes this personal note. For this, I was appointed a preacher and an apostle.

32:10 I was sent out to proclaim. I'm telling the truth, I'm not lying. I know that I'm speaking to the guys at Ephesus and a lot of y'all are Jewish background guys who have a hard time believing you can be in the kingdom of light and not practice Judaism along your way. So, I'm telling you the truth. I'm not lying.

32:29 I know how it sounds. When Christ saved me, he saved me to be a teacher of the Gentiles. Anybody outside of Judaism, racially, religiously, ethnically. A teacher of the Gentiles in faith and in truth and he then again, he says at the end of three that the the buttress of the truth is how you behave within the house of God. Now, the not yet is this.

32:54 This is from Galatians. When you see a white slide with black writing, usually it's something we've already been over. In our study, we studied Galatians kind of in the middle between first Corinthians and second Corinthians. That chronologically was not the time it was written but some people argue that Galatians was early, other argue it was late. I put it in the middle just like I do.

33:14 I'm a balanced guy. You know that. I put it there kind of to keep me from having to talk about all the sin in Corinth. It's a different sin in Galatia. When he gets to chapter three of Galatians, he says, there is neither Jew nor Greek.

33:27 There's neither slave nor free. There's no male or female for you are all one in Christ Jesus and when he says, you're all one in Christ Jesus, he means, there is a unity in Christ that is unlike anything this world has ever seen or known before. When we practice communion and we're talking about it, I say, this is what brings us together, the blood of Jesus, the perfect life well lived, no sin, and the sacrificial blood that was spilt on our behalf. That brings us together. Now, we're moving towards a time where there is absolutely no distinction.

33:59 There's no Jew or Greek, slave or free. There's no male or female for you're all one in Christ Jesus but are we there yet? If we look at it, are we there yet? I think there's an already and there's a not yet. So, Paul in his time specifically was speaking to a first century context in a place that was Ephesus.

34:19 The modern debate on this typically is framed this way. There are complementarians and complementarians, please don't associate them with the kingdom of darkness just because I'm standing here, okay? The complementarian view is that male and female complete one another that there are distinctive roles between male and female in the house of God and it is from an honest reading of scripture where we come up with this, complementary. The egalitarian in the debate would say that in from these passages, there's neither male nor female. There should not be any distinctions whatsoever on what men or women can do in the church or elsewhere.

34:58 It is completely equal. Now, I'm an American and I believe completely in equal rights. I absolutely do. I think that equal pay for equal work is absolutely self evident. I don't see how anybody be able to argue otherwise except by tradition or except by the way that they personally are wired.

35:18 The modern debate is framed in one or the other typically. I I have a hard time with framing things in such a binary way. You know, obviously, you've seen me for six years now. This passage is what is disrupting the church. He talks about men.

35:36 He talks about women. He talks about what is disrupting church. In Ephesus, in the first century, yes, but I think there are continuing truths that do go into every place. He specifically, since he calls it out as men and women, how are men and women to behave within the context of the household of God? So, that's what this passage answers.

35:57 Paul uses some reasoning. I'm going to go forward right now into eight. I desire, Paul says, Bulamai, I desire then that in every place, the men. So, he's speaking to men right here. Now he's speaking to them in a specific context, at a specific time.

36:13 The way that we do hermeneutics nowadays is that we look at, okay, who was he talking to where and when? Historical critical context. I'm looking at it and thinking, okay, in the Roman Empire at that time and within the church at that time, coming out of Judaism, this is within the first fifty years, right? Of Christianity. It's actually within the first thirty years of Christianity or from the cross.

36:39 I desire then that in every place, thirty five years, let's say. I desire them in every place, the men should pray. Okay, they should pray. That's good. Does this immediately mean as some people would say, that means men's men are to pray and women are not to pray.

36:54 No, no, no, no, no, no. First Corinthians makes it very clear in chapter 11 that when the women are praying or prophesying, then they blah blah blah blah. It goes on from there. Another difficult passage, no doubt. But it says that women pray and prophesy and that is not forbidden in any way.

37:09 So, yeah, women should pray. In our collective church, women should be praying too but this passage says, I desire that in every place the men should pray. Don't stop there. Even though this is what he says. First of all, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and Thanksgivings be made by all people for all people.

37:28 So, this is for all people. That's the point but he says that prayer in two, he links it again. First of all, I then urge and then you've heard in chapter. I mean, in verse eight, he goes, then, I desire. He's not saying, do this.

37:44 Do you get that? He's saying, I urge. This is good advice that I've lived and I've been doing this for a while. I urge you Timothy then, everybody should be praying for all people. Don't let em count out anybody.

38:00 I desire then that in every place the men should pray. Lifting holy hands. Now, does this mean it's Pentecostal? We'll stop right here. Does everybody have to pray like this all the time?

38:09 Lifting up hands, holy hands. I think that the holiness movement is what Pentecostal came out and he's saying that you should actually be holy, consecrated. It's about purity and not about posture. When you're lifting holy hands, consider this, lifting holy hands. Is it about posture or purity?

38:30 Who thinks it's about posture by the way? Anybody? He's speaking metaphorically saying, lift in holy hands like this in Psalm 24. Who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place? You tell me, who is it that should be able to stand before God?

38:48 We know we're all sinners, right? Who shall ascend to the hill of lord? Who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart. Where do you get that?

38:57 Through Jesus Christ alone. He who has clean hands and a pure heart. He who does not lift up his soul to what is faults and does not swear deceitfully. So, he goes on. He still hasn't stopped.

39:09 Don't stop. Just keep going. Context is king. I desire then that in every place, the man should pray. Lift in holy hands without anger and without quarreling.

39:23 Without anger and quarreling. They've come to church angry? Have any of y'all ever come to church angry? Any of y'all just kind of sit in anger and seethe most of the time? Just be honest.

39:36 You worry about yourself, right? This I'm asking you a sincere question for self evaluation. He's saying, I desire them in every place. The men should pray, lift in holy hands without anger, without quarreling. So, Jesus has something to say about this too.

39:50 You've heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder. Whoever murders will be liable to the judgment but I say to you, anyone and everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement. Whoever linsults his brother will be liable to the council and whoever says, you're a fool will be liable to the hell of fire. So, if you're offering your gift at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave that gift but there before the altar and go. First, be reconciled to your brother and then come off for the gift.

40:21 It matters whether or not you're angry and I have people come into the office sometime for for a counseling session and they'll go, I don't know why I'm angry all the time. Through gritted teeth sometimes. I'm just angry all the time and I don't want to be. I'm angry with everybody all the time. I say, stop watching the news.

40:38 Because it is completely polarized, absolutely polarized. And if you're listening to one side of it, it's reinforcing your own opinion. If you're listening to the other side, it makes you mad. Anger actually comes from the word orge. Orge.

40:55 Anger, wrath, passion, punishment, vengeance. Or gay looks like another English word, right? That says a lot. Anger, wrath, passion, punishment, vengeance. It's thinking you're right and it's a very selfish word to hold on to anger.

41:13 Quarreling, the word is or in this case is. A calculation, a reasoning, a thought, a movement of thought, deliberation, plotting. You can see dialogue in the word. Actually, I don't have the English pronunciation up there, but you can see it in there. It's from Diologizima.

41:31 If you look deeper, it's a back and forth type of reasoning. And for me walking back and forth on the stage all the time, I'm constantly going from one ditch to the other. This is a back and forth reasoning that's self based and it is self it's kinda like a feedback loop. You're telling yourself the same thing over and over and over again and so you get to be more and more entrenched in your opinion. It's reasoning that's self based, therefore it's confused.

41:56 It's especially as it contributes to reinforcing others in the discussion to remain in their initial prejudice. Does that sound like anything that's pertinent to where we live today? He says, when we come here, we're to do it without anger and we're to do it without quarreling and we are to pray. Now, it says it specifically to men. I think it's a great equalizer because then, the next thing he says is likewise also.

42:22 Likewise also means he's got more news for somebody else. I desire that men should pray is desire is part of a verb. It's I desire to pray, man. So it's an infinitive there for you grammar nerds. Likewise also, that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel.

42:43 So this is a very close linkage. It's not just an and, it's a likewise also. Likewise also means that it's tied together. In fact, this I desire carries to that next verb. I desire that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel.

43:02 This is within the context of the household of God. As a buttress to the truth. This is what he's saying. A desire that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel. He doesn't stop there.

43:15 He goes on to say with modesty, modesty meaning not showiness. It does have a hint of sexual overtones that it's a come hither type dress. And self control. Self control is the same word as sobriety or moderation. It's not to be outlandish.

43:33 He goes on from there and says, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness with good works. Do you immediately know when you've been saved by a belief in the provision of God of a savior? Do you know when you're transferred for immediately from that kingdom of darkness to light? Do you know immediately everything that's wrong with your life? Oh my goodness.

44:00 If God dropped on us all at once, all the sin, all at once and had us just completely clean. Oh, that that were true but it's not true. We must surrender our will to his will. And as we do surrender our will to his will, we walk and we are progressively more and more in line with the things of God. Now, the braided hair golden pearls are costly attire.

44:23 I know I'm I'm not looking to see if anybody actually has braided hair this morning but in Paul's day braided hair was to come hither. And the pearls and costly attire is saying it's an ostentatious show of your wealth. When we come together, we come together rich and poor, slave and free, male and female, and it is the the great equalizer. And in fact, if we can infer from all of the context of first and second Timothy and Titus, all written really close together, we can see what's going on in Ephesus. There are men who are angry and quarreling.

44:59 And there are women, some women at least, I'm not saying all women. There are some women at least who have been dressing in an immodest fashion. Do they know better? I don't know if they know better. They might have been very intentional about the way that they were dressing to call attention to themselves.

45:14 Where they would have been meeting at that time were house churches. They didn't have great big temples. They didn't have great big churches. They had house churches and who would host a house church? Wealthy people.

45:30 Towards the end of Timothy, we figure out that there are widows, wealthy widows who are causing difficulty. He says that specifically. We're inferring it here. It's not explicit but he says, don't make an ostentatious show of your wealth and don't try to feel like you're in charge. He's going to get into that in a minute because we're meeting in your house.

45:48 We come together in humility not with any kind of an ostentatious show. But for women who profess godliness, what you adorn yourself with is good works. It reminds me of Colossians three, the putting off and putting on. We always say, putting off like a garment, putting on like a garment, like a robe. You put off anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, and lying.

46:09 And honestly, if you are constantly blasting the other side, you are probably lying. Do you get that? If you're constantly blasting the other side, you're probably not giving fair weight to their argument. But putting on what? Compassionate heart, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, bearing with one another, bearing with the ones who disagree with you, forgiving each other, and love binds them all together in perfect harmony.

46:39 Okay. So that's Colossians three. Here, it's flat, not with braided hair, gold, or pearls, or costly attire, but with what's proper for women who profess godliness, good works. That's how he would like for the ladies to be adorned. Can you imagine a scenario where the Holy Spirit is moving like crazy in Ephesus such that the Temple of Diana and all the silversmith that changes their economy, right?

47:05 And the word of God is going and flowing and the gospel is advancing and then it advances into some places into the wealthy which is great. When that happens, it's harder for the rich, right? It's advanced to the point where these wealthy widows are having church in their homes. And they're dressing like they're at home and the guys who are from a Jewish background are really upset about it. This is not the way this is supposed to be.

47:37 She's not supposed to be showing her hair. She's not supposed to be wearing that. Can you believe what she said? This is not godly. This is not good and they come in and instead of thinking about others and praying for all people, they list.

47:48 These dirty Gentile dogs. I can't believe. Even when even when Christ gets a hold of em, they're still filthy. Can you see that as a possibility? Okay.

47:59 It doesn't get easier from here by the way. It does split men and women and I had a lady after the service this morning. I had a very hard time for the service today. I actually knelt for a while in the middle of the service and prayed quietly with a bunch of people looking at me because I felt like I stepped over a line and said something I shouldn't have have said. It's an uncomfortable position to be up here in that position.

48:26 I don't think it's as simple and as black and white as this dip side of the debate says and it's definitely not as simple and black and white as that size says. The truth is nuanced. It really is. In this time and place when he was presenting that, if Paul had said what he's about to say, any other way, I think it would have caused a huge hubbub and a huge stir. But it's caused us problems for a long time since then.

48:53 Let a woman learn. When you look at let a woman learn to us in English, let a woman learn. Looks like, okay, you who have authority, let a woman learn. The truth is, let a woman learn in the first century context was an unheard of idea. You didn't have women learning in educational places.

49:12 You didn't have them in, like, universities. They didn't have any kind of a school for teaching. Where were women accepted in leadership positions? To be a priestess in a temple of a pagan god. And so, when Christianity spreads and some of those hiddens and pagans are getting saved and coming into the family of God, it makes perfect sense for them that they might just join in, share their opinion.

49:42 Considering the first century context, let a woman learn or educating women was pretty much unheard of. If you look at this, we don't do it in English. So when I get to these, sometimes I mention it, sometimes I don't. We don't usually use third person command. If I'm speaking to Florine, I don't say, women do such and such, Florine, and mean that they actually should follow through on whatever it is that women should do.

50:06 Paul is speaking to Timothy, but he's saying, women, learn. Women, learn. Do it. Learn. You are welcome in this place to learn.

50:16 You're welcome. Now, the problem with this verse from a lot of people's perspective is he goes on. He says, women, learn. Sorry. Y'all can't see it.

50:28 I'm sorry. I've I've grayed it out. Women learn quietly with all submissiveness. Women learn, but quietly with all submissiveness. He knows the real people who are really in these rooms.

50:39 There are angry men who are having a hard time with the women even being in there in the first place. So women, yes, by all means, come and learn but do so quietly and in submissiveness. Submissive is not the same thing as subjugated. In fact, Paul goes on to say, I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over man. Rather, she's to remain quiet.

51:05 A quiet. People are like, oh, silence in my voice is really upsetting me. I don't like to hear to be quiet. Paul had just said in our earlier verse right there, to live a peaceful and a quiet life. Same word, exact same word, It's good and godly.

51:26 It's godly and dignified and it's good before the Lord God. So, when he says, I I actually better translation. We don't do this because we don't. It is, it does mean this but it's easier to read it. I do not.

51:42 He is saying progressive tense, present active, indicative, third first person singular is, I am not permitting a woman to teach or to exercise authority. Wait, Paul, you said to the Galatians, you said that there's no male or female. How can that be? And Paul says, he is a realist and he's living in the world and he knows how it is and he says, I am not permitting that a woman should teach. Or to exercise authority over man rather, she's to remain quiet.

52:11 I think Paul's honestly trying to help. He's honestly trying to help. He has been read as a chauvinist pig. Actually, the best book I read last week. I've read everything on this subject, by the way.

52:22 Absolutely everything I get my hands on. Have two commentaries sitting here now. Read everything I could. The best book that I read was Paul behaving badly. Was the great apostle a racist chauvinist jerk?

52:38 His teaching is nuanced depending on the situation and the time. There are some things that need to carry on forward. When he says, I pray that or I desire that in every place. There are people that are arguing for every place means every place. Home, office, business, every place.

52:57 Then there are other people that are saying, he's writing to people in Ephesus who are in house churches, not in one big gathering. Every place means every one of those little house churches. That's reasonable. It's reasonable to think. Every place means every place too but I think for a long time, one side has used every place to subjugate instead of asking for voluntary submission and the other side has completely obliterated all reason to say that there's no such thing as male or female nowadays, right now, is crazy.

53:29 Do you all think? I know that in our society gender has become a social construct, but really? There are no men and women? No. There are men and women, and he is being straightforward with it.

53:43 I'm not permitting a woman to teach or to exercise authority. The word is greatly and better translated, I think, as domineer, to domineer over man and when I got through, this is what the lady said afterwards. She said, Ray, I appreciate what you had to say this morning and I thought, okay, here it comes. I'm going I'm going to just and she said, no, I appreciate what you had to see here because in my heart, me, just me. I'm talking for me.

54:04 My heart, my temptation is to take over. My temptation is to take over. My little, our battle, Josh is sitting at the back and I have a controller right here and he has a controller right there And so when we're singing the songs, and I get uncomfortable because he has not yet switched to the next slide, I switch to the next slide. And then he switches to the next slide, which is one slide ahead of us. So we have to switch backwards, and sometimes I switch backwards too.

54:34 Who is in authority? I'm the guy up front, but he's in authority. I should let him, excuse me, I should let him do it and just put that thing down. Josh, it's it's yours. You have the control.

54:46 I'm sorry that I doubted you. The exercise of authority. The other thing that I woke up thinking about several times this week is we are all responsible for the authority that we exercise. Does that make sense to you? So, my job ends up being that I'm up here.

55:06 I'm responsible for before God for every single word that comes out of my mouth teaching you. That's why James says not let let not many of you be teachers because you'll incur a harsher judgment. I don't want for you to go wrong because of what I said

55:18 Speaker 2up here.

55:21 Speaker 1I don't want to take away from the word and I don't want to add to it. This is what it says. Paul says, I'm not permitting that a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man rather, she is to remain quiet and then he gives us justification. The way he justifies it is perfectly legitimate in Jewish thinking for the first century. For us, we may read this and go, what kind of arcane proof texting is this?

55:43 He says, for Adam was formed first and then Eve. Okay. Are they not equal? They are equal but Adam was formed first and then Eve. Well, that makes perfect sense to a rabbi from the Jewish century.

55:56 Number one, for Adam was formed first and then Eve and Adam was not deceived. He's right there. Adam was not deceived before Eve came on the scene. He was wanting. He was lonely but he was not deceived.

56:10 Adam had spoken to God. God spoke to Adam directly. He walked with him in the cool of the day and he told him of all the trees in the garden. You're welcome to accept for this one. He knew it directly from God.

56:21 He knew it and he didn't doubt that. Now, when he was lonely and God had compassion and mercy on him and gave him a helpmate, then, at some point, we don't know how long later, the serpent started to question Eve and said, did God really say that? Because all you've heard it from is Adam. Did God really say that? Did he really say that?

56:48 He's he caused doubt and then she was deceived and she went to him and said, hey, why don't we do this? He sinned too. They're equal there. Adam was not deceived but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Now, we're hearing one side of the argument too, right?

57:06 We're only hearing one side of an argument. Who is his primary concern? Certain persons, false teachers, Jewish myths. They are from the guys from that century who are interpreting the Old Testament and they know this passage inside and out, upside down, backwards, and forwards and they have had this logical line of reasoning before and Adam was not deceived but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor and then he says, the most, the weirdest verse to me that I've encountered yet. Yet, she will be saved through childbearing.

57:36 Did the record just go? That doesn't seem to make any sense whatsoever to me and I've read everybody's opinion. The reason I read so much, a lot of it had to do with this as hard as the rest of the passage is. She will be saved through trial bearing. Really?

57:54 We know that there is one way to salvation and it's Jesus. How can this be? He carries forward and says, if they continue in faith and love and holiness. Now, one of the things I was burdened over this week is, am I going to share what is my opinion, what I think this means? And I do have some backing in some of the commentaries but I I'd come to this because it we're here in one side of a conversation.

58:18 We got a letter that was intended for someone that knew the rest of what was going on and we're here in one side of this conversation. He said, yes, you shall be saved through childbearing. If she continues in faith and love and holiness with self control, the persistence of the saints or the perseverance of the saints from their place in their sanctification and their walk as they walk towards God and walk towards holiness. They're walking forward in faith and love and holiness and self control and it's gaining ground. It's the work of the Holy Spirit as we yield our will to his.

58:52 The yet she will be saved through childbearing. I just go, that didn't make any sense. Unless their argument was, well, women, women, they're going to be saved through childbearing. They're doing their role that God gave them. They're really not people anyway.

59:06 They're kind of sub people. They'll be saved through childbearing, whatever. That's a possibility for their consideration but I think a better possibility and this one I have a lot of support for. Do you remember Genesis three after the fall? He says and I'm going to put enmity between you and the man and I'm going to put enmity between you and the serpent.

59:31 It says, and then the seed of woman which is Jesus, the seed of woman. Will crush the serpent's head. You'll strike it as heel but he's going to win it. I think that that the weirdness of the grammar on this and I don't have two hours to explain it. We're already over.

59:54 She will be saved through childbearing. She is singular and then if they continue in faith and love and holiness, the only way that they are going to continue in faith and love and holiness is through the blood of Jesus and through submitting their will and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead that she will be saved through childbearing. Everyone that will be saved was saved through the Messiah. Singularly born of Mary, seed of woman. So, I think that's a reasonable leap to make.

1:00:26 Although, I would never reason that way. I would never expect for y'all to believe that Paul did but Paul was arguing with a certain group of people at a certain time, in a certain situation, it's good to remember that his writings are called occasional writings. In the time, in the place, at that occasion, he wrote what was necessary and God continues to use that. The plenary, verbal, inspiration of scripture, the Holy Spirit had him write in such a way that we can still see it and see truth in it years later but I think if you're holding on to your position and I think that's my last slide. If you're holding on to your position as I'm a complimentarian or I'm an egalitarian and you're holding on to your position, I think you may be doing this or this to scripture.

1:01:11 I think that he is pulling us back together. The great equalizer hitting us where we live. Guys, are you angry? Are you quarreling? Do you think you're right?

1:01:22 I think he said, when you come before the Lord, do it with pure hands. Admit, clean your conscience, Purify your heart. Get right with the Lord before you even come into the place and pray for all people. For ladies, he is saying, I'm going to give you a heads up. Respectable attire, modesty, moderation, sobriety.

1:01:47 It's a good thing. Ostentatious show of wealth, probably not. It's making people feel bad and it's making the guys angry. You don't like them when they're angry anyway. Can we come to the place of seeing that God has our best as his intention and then, can we just take the word for what it is for us?

1:02:09 Alright, I think that's it. Miss Rosemary, would you come up and lead us? Would y'all stand and we will Hey, that's perfect. I needed him big time at 09:00, and I feel like I dropped the ball. But 11:00, thank you all for being here.

1:02:26 God is gracious. I need thee every hour, 06:38. Amen. Amen. The benediction today is on the front of your bulletin.

1:04:41 I I want to keep on focusing on that. Now, next week is Palm Sunday and the following week is Easter. So, we'll go for a Palm Sunday message next week and an Easter message the following but we'll get back to first Timothy after that. Want for us all to consider though that the aim, the center of our bull's eye, the aim of our charge is love, agape love, godly love that issues from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. God, would you please, lord?

1:05:11 Bless us this week with those three. A pure heart, good conscience, and may the sincerity of our faith be evident to those around us by the way that we behave. It is a pillar and a buttress of your truth. Jesus name. Amen.

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1 Timothy 2 Anger In Worship Men And Women Roles Modest Dress Prayer For All People Women In Church

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