Biblical Womanhood - Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Please, God, would you bring your glory in this place, God? Would you walk amongst us and within us, Lord? Would you open our eyes and the eyes of our hearts, Father, to hear and understand your word, Lord, that we may walk out of here change, God, that it does not go from one ear and out the other, Lord. Please, Lord, your word is powerful. Your word is pure.

And we want it in full and in truth, God. We praise your name, Jesus.

Amen. So we are this morning. We are continuing on this understanding of how God has created man and woman in his image. Both male and female, he created them. He created them to reflect his image, but he also created to fulfill a purpose.

And that purpose, as we talked about last week, covers three spheres. The sphere of the individual, the man in the home, and the man in the church, and the role that he plays out, and the role that he has been given by God. And this week, we're going to explore And the role that she has as an individual, the role she has in the home, and the role that she has in the family. Now, this topic of biblical manhood and womanhood, it's it's really dense, and there's a lot to cover. And so, one Sunday and Biblical womanhood on just another Sunday, the purpose of that is just to get a general understanding of what it looks like.

God willing, by his grace and by his spirit, if he wants us to explore that in the future, we will do a series on each of those in order to really unpack what that looks like practically. So when you hear maybe the men had questions from last week, and if you hear what you're going to hear this week, there might be questions that come to your mind. And that's okay, because this is just a general surface level understanding of what it means to be a woman, what it means to be a man. What we're gonna talk about, specifically, the woman's role as an individual and the family good. And Lord, it is for us to enjoy the benefits of being a man and being a woman and the roles that you've given us.

The fruit of that, Lord, is joy and peace and harmony. Help us really believe that in a culture that tells us the complete opposite of what your word says. So we submit to the authority of the word of God. We pray that opinion would be declared. It would literally be the word of God.

And if any man or woman stands against what is said on these Sunday mornings, it would never be against a man's opinion, but against the word of God. And they would know that. Stand against it. We want to receive what your word says. So give us ears to hear and the heart to receive.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. If you have your Bibles, open up to Matthew chapter 26. Matthew chapter 26 verse six. What is the role of a woman as an individual?

What does God call the woman to be before a wife, before work, before her role in the church? What has God called the woman to be? What is her role? What is her purpose? Jesus points to an amazing picture.

It was so impactful to him that he himself said that this picture, that this act of devotion would forever be remembered. In fact, it would not only be remembered, it would be declared alongside with the gospel. And this action that was performed was not performed by a prophet. It was not performed by a high priest. It was not performed by a miracle worker.

It was performed by Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus, the one who's who sat at Jesus's feet. She performed a specific action that forever would be remembered and not just remembered, Jesus says that it would be declared alongside with the gospel. So what did this woman do? She set a standard. She set a standard.

And here's the picture in verse six. Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of expensive, very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined a table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor. But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, why do you trouble the woman?

For she has done a beautiful thing to me. And in verse 13, it says, truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her. Makes you kind of question whenever you've heard the gospel, have you ever heard this story? Jesus says in the whole world, wherever this gospel is preached, so will this story, this act that this woman has performed will be proclaimed. Why though?

Why this specific action? Why is what Mary and what she's done in this moment so impactful and so important for the rest of history to know about? Simply because of this, she expressed the appropriate response to the gospel of Jesus Christ by giving her full devotion to the person of Jesus Christ. What Mary has done in this moment is express the appropriate response to the gospel of Jesus by devoting herself to the person of Jesus Christ. Mary in this moment is standing in contrast to the disciples.

And the reason why Mary comes up to Jesus and breaks this alabaster flask is because she carries a revelation that the disciples have not yet carried. Notice, Jesus did not ask Mary to do this. Mary comes up to Jesus voluntarily and takes one of the most expensive things that one woman can carry, an alabaster flask, which is a perfume that is estimated to be at the same wage of a year's worth of salary. She breaks that marble perfume box and pours it all on Jesus. Let's estimate $50,000 worth, a year's worth salary on Jesus in a moment.

And by breaking that box, she would never be able to recover it. That perfume would be so sealed so that it would contain the the scents that it carried. But she broke it. She broke the neck of it and completely poured it out without reservation. And the question is why would Mary do that?

Once again, she carried a revelation that the disciples did not have. Jesus said, she is doing this because of my burial. She's doing this because she understood whenever I taught about me dying and resurrecting, she got it. The disciples didn't get it. She understood it.

And in response to the revelation that Jesus is the resurrection, but he would die, she comes and she pours out everything to Jesus voluntarily. The disciples did not do this. That's why they criticized. And there's an important principle to that. Those who are the most radical for Christ are those who have the greatest revelation of the cross.

Those who do not have the depth of revelation of what Jesus has really done for us are the ones that stand and criticize the radical ones. That's exactly what the disciples did. They looked at this woman and they said, what? Why is this? Why are you wasting it?

Why are you wasting the perfume? You could have sold it and given it to the poor. And Jesus, she's doing a beautiful thing to me. You do not have the revelation that she has about my death. And so even so, people stand alongside when they see somebody radical for Christ and they say, why are you wasting your time?

Why do you give yourself over to church so much? Why do you pray so much? Why do you give your stuff away? You don't have to do this. It's a waste.

We're not talking about the world here. We're talking about disciples. These are followers of Jesus Christ, but with a limited sense of revelation of what he's done on the cross for them. And this woman stood as a standard that whenever this gospel would be preached, this story would also be preached so that when the gospel is preached, people would know the appropriate response. Absolute surrender and devotion.

You have all my money. You have all my time. You have everything. Everything I am is yours. In fact, there's someone in that group that did the exact opposite.

Judas. Judas did the exact opposite. Mary gave everything she had and everything she owned to Jesus. Jesus, though, in response to rather, Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. So there's one who says, God, you have everything.

Take everything I am. And there are those who say, I'm gonna sell you for my job. Jesus, I'm not gonna surrender to you. I'm gonna sell you for 30 pieces. I'm gonna sell you for a relationship.

I'm gonna sell you for my own dreams and my own visions, my own passions, my own understanding of life. So those who are recklessly abandoned themselves, which is Mary and there are those like Jesus, rather Judas, who sell Jesus for their own gain, for their own purpose. And there are those who stand in the middle that, yeah, they're disciples but they criticize the radical ones. So which one are we? And it's amazing.

In John, it gives us even more detailed pictures. She not only pours it on his head, it says that she pours it on his feet. John chapter 12. And so this woman covers Jesus from head to toe with this ointment. Everything she has given over to everything that he is and she wiped her hair on his feet.

And we know that first Corinthians tells us that the woman's glory is her hair and she laid down her glory at the feet of Jesus. She laid down her beauty, her glory. What would make her glorious, she says, no, Lord. I bring that to your feet, and I wipe your feet with my hair. My glory is not my glory.

It's your glory. And that fragrance is also symbolic because that type of devotion carries a fragrance that those who do give themselves fully to Christ. Those who do give themselves without reservation carry a fragrance. Because though she poured that ointment on Jesus, that ointment returned back on her hair. It returned back on her.

Is it not true that those who have truly given everything to Jesus have a certain fragrance? And it's amazing. Jesus says that this woman, not the disciples, will be remembered for this act of devotion. And this is God's will for the woman, that Jesus would be your number one man. That above all, Jesus would be the one that you pursue the most.

Jesus would be the one that you completely surrender to. Jesus would be the one that you voluntarily give everything to you to. And notice from last week and this week, the purpose for God, for the man and the woman is the very same. Loving Jesus, surrendering to Jesus, that is the purpose of man as an individual and woman as an individual. You have everything.

God is looking for a man after his own heart, and God is looking for a Mary that's willing to give everything she has to him. That's the purpose, and that's the foundation. That regardless where you go in life, regardless where God calls you, young ladies, that this would be the standard. That you would even set the standard, not just for other women, but even for men, just like in this scripture. Reckless abandon, total surrender, without reservation.

This is what the will of God is for the woman as an individual. And just like the man, now it gets a little bit more detailed. Now we see how the roles differ. Now we see how it gets a little bit more specific. So we know the role of the woman as an individual.

Love Jesus with everything that you have within you. That must be the thing that you walk in, especially in the season of singleness. Both for men and women, let's touch on this. Give everything you have in this season of singleness. Devote yourself to him in a way that you will not be able to devote yourself when you are in partnership with a man or a woman.

Give yourself over to this, and we talked about this when we talked about dating and relationship and marriage, and maybe we'll talk about it again. But just really remind yourself that life does not start when you get married. Life starts when you give your heart to Jesus, and the plan of your life does not start when you get married. It starts when you give your life to Jesus, and you fulfill a certain season and you fulfill a certain purpose in that time. Don't waste it.

Don't waste it. What is the will of God for the woman in the home though? What is the will of God for the woman as a wife? What is God's purpose for her? There are many places in scriptures that we can go, but we've often found a certain place where we really look to, and it serves as almost a portrait for the woman.

It's on coffee mugs. It's on blog posts. It's on Facebook banners. Proverbs 31. Proverbs 31.

It gives a detailed understanding and picture of what a wife should be. A wife should be? No. An excellent wife. An excellent wife.

Not just a wife, but an excellent wife. So let's turn to Proverbs 31 together. Go to verse one before we jump to verse 10. Proverbs 31 verse one. This is the words of King Lemuel, an oracle that his mother taught him.

Oftentimes, we look to him, we refer to Proverbs 31 as a proverb for women, the second half rather. This is for women to understand what a godly woman is. But the context suggests that this is what King Lemuel's mother taught him about how to find an excellent wife. So really in context, this is not just for women, though women can use this as a reference point. In context, this is a a royal mother teaching her royal son of what to find in a wife, and we do not know who King Lemuel is.

This is the only place that he's mentioned in scripture, and people debate of who this man is. Some say that this is actually Solomon and Solomon's mother gave this nickname to him. Some are argue otherwise. But what's more important than understanding who this man is is understanding the meaning of his name. Lemuel in the Hebrew means dedicated to God or for God.

That's what it means, and that carries so much significance considering the context. Because young men, if you are a man that belongs to God, if you are a man who is dedicated to God, these are the traits and the characteristics that you should look for in a wife. This woman is giving advice and teaching her son, which means belonging to God, which means for God, and is saying, I want you to look for these things in in a wife, in a woman. Now let's flip the coin. Young ladies, if you want to attract and if you want to find a man who belongs to God, these are the characteristics that you should adopt in your life.

If you want to find a man, Lemuel, a man who is for God, adopt these characteristics and you enhance that reality in your life. But even for the woman that might be married and are not necessarily safe to a man who belongs to God or a man who is for God necessarily, This still applies. Why? Because these characteristics and traits have the ability according to first Peter three to win your husband to be a man for God and to belong to God. First Peter three one addresses women who are married to husbands that are not saved and says, you know what?

They know what you believe in, so instead of trying to win them by your word, win them by your conduct and by your respective and pure behavior. So even for those that are married in this season of marriage or in the season of whatever season you're in, these are characteristics that we should adopt. So men, if you want to be, and if you are a man who belongs to God, these are the things that you should look for in a woman. And in the same manner, a woman who desires to be with a man who belongs to God and is for God are ones to adopt these characteristics. And so we go over to verse 10.

And this mother who's taught his son says, an excellent wife, who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. In this life? Is it excellence? Is it Christ likeness?

Or is it trying to just go with the bare minimum of what I'm required to do? And that's why she says, and this is why this Proverbs says, an excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. In other words, a man who possesses this type of wife, this virtuous woman, this this wife that we're about to break down in detail, that man possesses something more valuable than a treasure chest filled with pearls, gems, diamonds, and gold. That man possesses something to be treasured and valued above everything else.

That man has found something that is absolutely almost without comparison to anything else. That's what she's saying right off the bat. And it's as though each quality that is mentioned in this proverb is a single jewel and when these jewels are placed together they paint and they offer a dazzling and delightful masterpiece. Each characteristic that is described here is almost as though a separate jewel and when you place it together it's something to stand in awe of. That's how she sets this proverb.

That's how this teaching starts off. An excellent wife, who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. And now the proverb describes what that excellent wife looks like. And verse 11 starts off by saying the heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.

The first mark of a woman, of an excellent wife, is trustworthiness. Trustworthiness. This is what it starts off as. She is reliable. She is honest.

She is truthful in her handling and her speech, and she is faithful to her husband. To trust someone is to be able to rely on their judgment, not rely necessarily, but to trust in their judgment, to trust in their decision making, to not question their discernment. To trust someone is to know that if you share any information with them, they're willing and they are able to keep that information. To trust someone is to know that whether I am with them or not with them, they will honor me and they will be faithful to me. And so, trustworthiness is the first trait that is set forth for the excellent woman.

The husband can trust in her. The husband can and believes in her whether he is with her or not with her, that she is faithful, that when she and him are separate throughout the day, that he can trust, that he will not she will not speak ill of him, she will not dishonor him in front of her friends, That when men try to pursue her, she will stand firm in her faithfulness to her husband. She is trustworthy. The husband doesn't have any second guesses about her. And so the first trait of an excellent wife is that she is trustworthy and the husband has that trust in her.

But also in verse 12, she does him good and not harm all the days of her life. And so this woman when she comes into union with the husband actually is a blessing to his life and not a hindrance to his life. That she does good all the days of life. She has been a blessing. She's an addition to who he is.

She is truly, as we're gonna talk about in a moment, the helper that God has instituted from the beginning of time. She does him good and not harm because the reality is there are some who get married and the wife is more harm than good. There are men's ministries that have been hindered because of their wives. There are men who are hindered to fulfill their role as a man because women are stepping out of their boundaries to try to fulfill the role of a man. And the Bible, even in this very book, warns of those kind of things.

In fact, in Proverbs twenty one nineteen, it says, it's better for you to live in a desert than to live with a quarrelsome and nagging wife. A woman who stirs up drama. A woman who wants to argue. A woman that tries to find the fault in everything. A woman that's nagging.

A woman, when a man comes home, always wants to just bicker and nag. The bible says, it's better to live on the corner of the roof. It's better to live in the desert than to live with a wife like that. But an excellent wife, she does not bring those things. She brings good all the days of her life.

She's not a hindrance. She's not the one that pushes him away. She's not the one that does that makes her husband not wanna come home. No. She does him good.

She does him good. And that's an understanding of submission as well. That word that makes everybody cringe. Is that submission, and we're not going to talk too much about this, but submission, the role that the woman fulfills in Ephesians five, submission is not a woman that just does everything her husband says. Submission is not a woman that does not offer her opinion to her husband.

Submission is not that whatever the husband says you do and you don't stand up to it and you don't talk about it, and you're just brain dead in your relationship with your husband. Simply this, submission is the woman allowing her husband to fulfill the role that she's he's called to do and not to step in his role, but to allow him to fulfill his role. She does him good, not harm. She does not hinder him. She's not a weight to him.

She's not a burden to him. But all the days of her life, she fulfills her role and allows him to fulfill his role. And from verse 13 down to verse 20, we will not read it, but it goes on to describe the activity of the woman, what the woman does. And what's so significant is from 13 to 20, in those seven verses, there is one word that is repeated six times, the word hands. The word hands, Meaning, the third trait of a excellent woman, a virtuous woman is this, she is not idle, meaning she is not lazy.

She's not lazy. But it says that she works with her hands. In fact, it says in verse 13 that she has willing hands, that she does her work willingly, that she does her work joyfully, that she does her work delightfully, that she is one that keeps herself busy in her role. She's not one that just coasts along and just wants to be pampered the rest of her life. No.

She gets work done. She gets things done. And what this proverb shows us between thirteen and twenty and even past that is that the labor, the focus of her domain, the place in which she does give her energy and her efforts to is in a specific place. The home. The home.

And that's confirmed in verse 27. Look at verse 27. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness and does not eat the bread. She's not lazy, but she is the keeper of her home. She has been given the responsibility to take care of the home, to ensure the right environment in the home, to meet the needs of the home.

And this is what this the the proverb says here from thirteen to twenty that she's busy with the affairs of her household. She rises early in the morning to meet the needs of the day. She goes the distance to provide food for her home. She's attentive to the supplies that are at need in the home. She provides for the food even early in the morning.

She's careful in how she spends her money. She's active in labor physically for household duties. That is what she's been given as responsibility, the home. Does it mean that she never leaves the home? No.

But it means that she does not neglect the home. And we hear that and especially in this culture and it's almost like a spit in the face to woman and that's what we're preaching here in in this day and age from the secular world. The home. You've reduced the woman to just be a woman who keeps the responsibilities of the home and takes the environment of the home into her hands. Have you devalued women in such a way when they do not realize how awesome that responsibility really is?

That the woman has been given the task of establishing the right godly environment in the home, meeting the needs of her children, and even being that encouragement to the husband. And if we really do not understand the the weight that that carries, we will not. Women will not take this role seriously. Think about how people are shaped and molded as adults because of how they were brought up in the home. Your life and my life, whether we believe it or not, has been shaped in some way or form by how we have been raised.

Who you are today is the fruit of how you were raised. And that responsibility, a big part of it has been given to the woman to pour into her children, to establish the right environment, to reflect what it means to be a godly woman to their children, that they may see it, to be nurtured, to be cared of. And that has been given to women. What an awesome task to raise up the future generation, to pour into them, to nurture them, to love them, to shower them with grace and love and mercy, to give instruction. She's not idle.

And just in case we feel like this is really an Old Testament picture, it is a New Testament instruction in Titus two. Titus two four to five. Paul tells Titus to tell the older women, and so train the young women to love their husbands and their children. To be self controlled, pure, working at home. Working at home.

Kind and submissive to their own husbands that the word of God may not be reviled. In first Timothy five fourteen, he says the same thing for young widows that are gonna marry. He says they must manage their households. So we have to understand that she is busy with her hands concerning the affairs of the home. And we see that in this proverb that she prepares the home for winter, that she rises up early, she goes to bed late, her light does not go out at night.

She takes care of that domain, and there is awesome implications with that when it is taken in the right context. That it is not some lesser role. It is a very the how important is the home? How important is the home? Very important.

Once again, it is where the children are molded and shaped and the woman has been given that assignment. She's trustworthy. She's not idle. And we see here that she's also compassionate in verse 20. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.

She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. And so she even has her eye, not just in the home, but even outside the home in a sense, where she sees the needs of people, meets those needs. And it just speaks of the character of this woman. It just speaks about this woman. What does it say about her that her eyes are not on herself?

That her eyes are continually upon others, upon her husband, upon her children, even upon those who are needy. This speaks of the tenderness of her heart. This speaks of the sensitivity that she carries about her environment of those that she needs, and she's willing to, with her hands, even extend outside of the home and help. She's compassionate. But in verse 22, there's an interesting insight.

Not only is she compassionate, not only are her eyes yes on other people, her eyes are yes on her children, her eyes are yes on her husband, that she's continued looking outward and not inward, but she's also one that takes care of herself. She's also one that takes care of herself. Look at verse 22. She makes bed coverings for herself, and her clothing is fine linen and purple. Now before we take that verse and says that and and say, you know, that's permission for me to go buy expensive clothing, top brands, There's something even deeper than that.

The context of this chapter is how King Lemuel can find an excellent wife. And for this verse to be included in this means this, that this woman, she dresses herself for the eyes and the honor of her husband, that she takes care of herself for the purpose of the husband's eyes only and for the honor of her husband even in the public eye. Think about it. This is a royal mother teaching a royal son how to find a royal wife. In 2011, we saw Princess Kate get married to Prince William, and I did not watch the wedding, but I know some people who did.

But there's one thing I I remember watching it. There was it was on the TV at home. I believe my mom was watching and I saw a glimpse of her and I saw her wedding dress. And she's royalty. And what came to my mind was not, I wonder what brand that dress is.

Was not, I wonder how expensive. I wonder what the quality is. What came to my mind concerning this royal princess was modesty, was modesty. That you can tell that she's dressed herself in a way where she carried herself with dignity and wisdom and care and great attentiveness. An excellent wife, a woman who pursues this kind of standard is one, yes, who takes care of herself.

Yes, who wants to look beautiful, but also in modesty. And once again, just in case we think this is some Old Testament, old school, King James version understanding of what it means to be a woman, it's New Testament. It's New Testament. We see it here in first Timothy two nine. Likewise, also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel with modesty and self control, not with braided hair and gold and pearls and costly attire.

So that a woman because some people have taken this teaching and have gone to the extreme that a woman should not she should not just not she shouldn't pursue beauty. She should look ugly. She should pursue ugliness. And I know that sounds funny, but people have done this. I want to look as ugly as possible so I can be as godly as possible.

That is silliness. But then there are those on the other end of the extreme I have freedom in Christ I can dress however I want I can look however I want may we find the balance that there is a standard of apparel but the motive is not look as ugly as possible it's look as beautiful as possible and reflect godliness not just in going to church and saying the right things but even in the way we look. This is the same for men but today's dedicated to women so we'll stick to that. So how do I know? Because there's no We wish Where's the proverb that tells me what I need to wear?

Where's the proverb that tells me, this is how you should dress from head to toe? There is no such proverb, but there is wisdom given. And so in questioning modesty, in wanting to dress mod in wanting to pursue royalty but in modesty, what are some questions we can ask? I believe one simple question, both for a man and woman, is this. As I'm putting on my outfit right now, I'm heading out to wherever I'm heading out.

Knowing that I'm gonna walk into a room, knowing that I'm gonna walk into a public sphere, where do I want the eyes of men to look when they see me? Where do I want their eyes to trail when I walk into the room? Is it another place other than my eyes? There's some questions, though we do not have clear instructions of how we can filter our motives even in our apparel. And knowing that true beauty is not on how much skin you can show.

It's not about that. And I wanna encourage you sisters in Christ, don't bow to the pressure of trying to look a certain way to win the approval of man. Don't. Don't bow to that kind of pressure. Beauty is beyond what you can show.

Adorn yourselves in different manners. Pursue beauty but in the context of modesty. And know this, that godly men, a true godly man, will look beyond how you dress. He will look for other things. And so a woman who dresses herself appropriately walks in wisdom.

In the context of a husband, she does it for the eyes of her husband, but also in honor of her husband in the public sphere. And but she takes care of herself. It says that she takes care of herself. Don't go to that extreme of wearing a garbage bag around throughout the day and not taking care of your face because you wanna be godly. That's silly.

Absolutely ridiculous. But in the same time to say whether I eat or drink or whatever I do, Lord, I do it for your glory even in the way I dress because I don't wanna be a stumbling block for my brothers. And I don't wanna bring dishonor to my husband. And I if anything, if I wanna impress him, it's my husband. She takes care of herself.

But also here we see in verse 23, she's a helper to her husband. And what's amazing about this specific proverb is that if you look at it, it is built artistically and with structure. That if you were to see it and you were to organize it as a pyramid, verse 23 sits at the center, meaning this is the central point of this proverb. And what is it? Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land, and it seems like a random inclusion when in fact it is the central point of this proverb.

City gates in that day were where the city's activity was mainly held, where legal decisions were made, where political decisions were made, where business transactions were made. It was at the city gates. This is where it was held. And this verse is telling us that the husband is known in the city gates. Known in the city gates.

Now what does that have to do with the wife? What does that have to do about the excellent wife that her husband is known in the gates? Simply this, because the woman was faithful and and fulfilling her purpose, her husband was able to fulfill his purpose. That's what it says. Because she was faithful in her role within the home, the husband was able to be faithful and fruitful outside of the home.

That's exactly what this is talking about. That because this excellent woman pursued what it means to be excellent and godly in the scriptures, According to the standard of the word of God, her husband can flourish in his role. Her husband can be fruitful in his role. And so we rejoice in this understanding that this is a divine partnership. I know there's a lot of single people in here, but we have to understand this, that when the roles are respectfully met, they both can flourish and be fruitful in what God has called them to do and be.

And so in that verse alone, we see the reality of what God has said in Genesis two, that man, out of all the things that he has created, he said one thing was not good, that man was alone, and that he must have a helper fit for him. And I remember studying in my religion and societies class in in in college and I sat there and said, well, this is gonna be interesting. Because he started the class by saying, we're not gonna target one religion, but all religions. And sure enough, he targeted Christianity more than anything. And one day, he stood up in class and he said, look at this verse in Genesis two.

Look at how the Bible devalues woman. Look at how the woman is in a subservient. She's in a lower value rate than the husband. Look what the Bible says in Genesis two verse 18. Then the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone.

I will make a helper a helper. Oh, so she lives with the husband. And he just went on and on and on and on. And I sat there and I said, that's not right. And it stirred me to go home and to study that that verse I came to realize that the Hebrew understanding of helper is actually more weighty and more valuable than we actually think.

The word is azur, to help, and the word is literally something that God uses concerning himself as our God. In fact, Moses names his child, Eliezer, in Exodus eighteen four, the God of my father who is my help, who is my Azar. God literally attributes himself with the same characteristic that he has given to the women, that the same way God has helped the people of Israel, the same that way that God has helped Moses, the same way that he's used that very trait for the wife concerning her husband, that she is a supporter, that she is a partner, she is an encourager. I mean, woman, you should feel some kind of, hey, that's great. The first thing that God said that was not good was the fact that man was alone.

That's right. And so this woman says here in verse 23 of Proverbs 31, her husband is known on the gate. She, because going all the way back to Genesis, fulfilled her role, was able to see her husband even flourish because he was able to fulfill his role. It goes on in verse 26. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

What a beautiful trait of painting this excellent woman. That it's more than just, yes, her service. It's more than just the way she dresses. It's more than just all of that. Her beauty is even shown in the way she speaks.

Then when she opens her mouth, there's wisdom. And when she opens her mouth, there's kindness. There isn't scorn. There isn't silliness. There isn't gossip.

There isn't lashing of words. There isn't inappropriateness. No. It's wisdom. Her mouth is filled with wisdom.

It's filled with kindness. And we can go on about every single verse, and every single verse can be a sermon in itself. But there's one important thing as we close about the woman's role in the home is that all those things that we just mentioned trustworthiness, not being idle, compassion, being a helper, all these different things is only a reality. It is only possible because of what it says in verse 30. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

All those things that we just mentioned, all those things that we just understood, all those things that describe what a godly, virtuous, excellent woman is, is only true because she fears God. And it goes back to what we just talked about in the beginning of the message that that foundation must be a reality before these things can become a reality. That when a woman reveres God, obeys God, submits to God, lives for the purpose of God and his word, all those other things will just be the fruit of the reality that she fears God. It's simple. It all begins vertically before it happens horizontally.

And so here we see that she fears the Lord. And men, is that something that you are looking for in a wife? Is that something that you are looking for in a woman? Because the Bible says charm is deceptive and beauty is vain. If you're just going for looks, you're in for trouble.

Because those looks are gonna go away one day. So will yours. But the fear of the Lord is to be praised. The fear of the Lord is to be praised. And take a deep breath because some of us in here could be hearing all that saying, that's overwhelming.

That's a tall order. You're telling me that all those things are things that I need to adopt in my life. Where's the Proverbs 31 man? See the Proverbs 31 woman? Where's the detailed description of what a Proverbs 31 man is?

And here's the answer to that in the same text. In the same text. You say, how? There's a husband responsibility in relation to the Proverbs 31 woman. Look at verse 10 again.

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. Proverbs 31, man treasures his wife. He values his wife. Like a piece of jewelry, a rare diamond, a rare ruby, does he care for her, protect her, love her, cherish her?

If you own expensive jewelry, you don't toss that jewelry around. You protect it. You clean it. You provide, in a sense. You understand that whatever you need to do to make sure that that jewel stays as a jewel, you do it and you value it.

In the same way, Proverbs 31 men does the same for his Proverbs 31 wife. He values his wife. He cherishes his wife. She's more valuable to him than anything in this world. But not just that, we see here that the Proverbs 31 man in verse 11 trusts.

He trusts her. He trusts her. He's supposed to trust. He honors her judgment. He honors her decision making.

He honors her discernment. He honors her decision making abilities. He allows her to flourish in her abilities and giftings. I mean, he talks about in this proverb how she buys a field. She goes and she buys a field.

And so there's that mutual understanding that a Proverbs 31 man trusts in his wife. He's not always watching over her and being a parent more than a husband. That's not what a Proverbs 31 man is. So he values you. He loves her.

He shares her. He trusts in her. And look at verse 28. He encourages her. He praises her.

Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her. Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all. And so even the Proverbs 31 man knows how to speak life into his wife, knows how to speak life into her, knows how to encourage her, knows how to when she's down, lift her up. Don't get the idea that the woman is running around sweating and the man's just having a jolly old time with the at the gate with his friends.

No. But he recognizes her. He pours into her, as we talked about last week. He encourages her. So although there is a Proverbs 31 woman, there is also a Proverbs 31 man.

And if we want to see a Proverbs 31 woman, if you are married or you're pursuing marriage, we also must be men who know how to be a Proverbs 31 man. And remember, this should be our motto concerning any teaching that God has not called us to a standard in which he will not empower us. He will not. Finally, the woman's role as an individual, the woman's role as a wife, and finally, the woman's role in the church. What is God's call for the woman within the church?

What is God called? What is God designed for the woman in the congregational setting? What is she supposed to do? And really, like last week, there's one main point that people really go to all the time. One main point that people try to focus on and try to unpack and try to understand and it's first Timothy two twelve, and we're gonna talk about that a little bit again today.

Where it says, I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, rather she is to remain quiet. It does not mean that women can't talk in church. The context is she is to remain quiet in the sense of her not teaching and exercising authority in a congregational setting. And we talked about one of the reasons why God has made this true and why God has set this standard. Is that role because it demands so much time and energy and planning and all these different things?

If a woman were to adopt that role, if a woman were to pursue that role, she would not fulfill her primary calling as a wife and as a mother. And that is why when you go down to verse 15 of first Timothy two, it says, yet she will be saved through childbearing if they continue in faith and love and holiness with self control. So Paul counterbalances this understanding with the negative that women should not be teachers or exercise authority over a man, and he counterbalances it with the truth that her role should be fulfilled in childbearing. Her role should be fulfilled within the household. And stop stops us up.

You might be thinking, so you're telling me, you're telling me that the woman's role is to come to church, listen to sermons, and have babies. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Though eldership is reserved for men, there is an array of ministries that are available for women. An array.

A banquet full. We know this in first Corinthians eleven five that woman can pray and prophesy just like men can in first Corinthians eleven four. That they can exercise their spiritual gifts according to first Corinthians twelve four to 11 and Romans twelve six. They can exercise those gifts that are a great benefit for the edification of the body of Christ. They can meet the needs of widows and orphans.

They can meet the needs of the homeless. They can go out and evangelize and preach the gospel, and they can even teach. Teach? Yes. Teach.

In Titus two three to five, it says, older woman, I want you to teach what is good. I want you to teach what is good and to teach younger women how to so on and so forth. So even women have the ability to teach other women, to teach other women how to grow to be godly women. And so Paul's main concern with that first Timothy two twelve verse is that women would not step in the role in which they exercise authority over men, in which they teach over men because the church should be a reflection of the home. At the same way that man has been given the headship role in the home, not in some abusive, we know this way, but in a servant manner, loving servant manner, is the same way it should reflect the church.

Now that would be contradictory if those roles are switched in the church and in the family. And that would cause a lot of chaos within the home. That's Paul's concern. That if men are the headship in the house and women are in submission to his leadership, but in the church, it's the opposite. We're now clashing here.

It's confusing. And so Paul's desire is inspired by the Holy Spirit is to be consistent with the role that has been given to man and woman in order for them to flourish in each of their ministries. And just to be safe so nobody gets this wrong, it has nothing to do with value, nothing to do with ability, all to do with the roles that have been given to each gender. Because here's the reality. Men can't do what you do, ladies.

Men cannot do what you do. And likewise, ladies, you cannot do what men do. You might be able to do it, but it's not the design. Bible puts high value on the woman raising up. So people say, well, I can't I can't teach and I can't preach behind the pulpit.

No, but you can raise up godly men that will be preachers, anointed of the Holy Spirit. That you can pour into those people. You can pour into those kids that can be raised up to be godly men. What is the role of the woman in life? As an individual, the same as a man, to pursue Jesus with everything within her.

As a wife, yes, a Proverbs 31 type of standard. And what's amazing about Proverbs 31 is that those things that we just mentioned are not things that are impossible to adopt in our lives. In fact, all those things that were mentioned are choices that a woman can make. Do You understand? She didn't the standard is not set there, so that's like, well, I can't do that because of this or that.

Though there are some expect exceptions with different scenarios. But generally speaking, I can adopt compassion in my life. I cannot be idle. I can develop a trustworthiness. I can develop the fear of the Lord in my life.

I can develop wisdom through the word of God, kindness on my tongue. All those things are things that we can add to us. They're never a stair in which we cannot meet, and so we need to be encouraged with that, that these things are available. And as much as there is a Proverbs 31 woman, there's also a Proverbs 31 man. That's something to remind ourselves of.

And finally, in the church, trust in God's wisdom that in what he has established in that one little verse, yes, does separate the roles, but does not mean that there are no ministries that the woman could fulfill in. And when you look even in the book of Acts of how those ministries are played out, Philip's daughters, Priscilla and Aquila, husband and wife, we can see that women are not just meant to just make babies and listen to sermons. No. They're great men of God, and God calls women to be great women of God. Let's pray.

And so, father, we know that your word, it cuts, it convicts, it shapes us. And our prayer this morning is that no opinion would have been stated, no opinion would have been heard, but that everything that was declared would have been simply by the word of God and that we should wrestle with that. And so, Lord, help us trust in your word that there is an excellence in which you are calling women to. And, Lord, in the same way that we prayed for the men last week because of the standard in which they've been given of laying down their life, of being like Christ, we pray for our sisters in Christ in this house that they've also been called to excellence. They've also been called to a standard.

And that, Lord, just like the men, women Jesus women need just as much power, just as much encouragement, just as much, Lord, mercy and grace as they walk in that. So, Lord, we just pray for every woman in this place that they can testify to the Proverbs 31 woman and that they would pursue that and now allow culture to shape and form what they should be. And Lord, in all things, God, whether it's speech, whether it's dress, whether it's work, it would all be according to your word that we would seek to honor you in all these things. Lord, help us trust that the reason why biblical manhood and womanhood is important is because you want us to experience the fullness of your plan and that you want us to receive the fruit of your blessings. And Lord, we pray for every married couple in here that you would bless their marriage and that you would allow them by the power of your spirit to walk in their individual callings but also being one flesh.

They're still one. They're still one. The same way Eve came out of Adam, they're of the same. And when they came together in in marriage, they also became one. Lord, it is a beautiful picture.

And those that are in their season of singleness, that you, Lord, would help us prepare to be those men and women and that we would pursue it, God, and that we would be on our knees asking your help to be that person. And so Lord, as we've surface leveled, understood what it means to be a man and a woman, help us walk in it now. Let us not be hearers but doers, God. Help us walk in it. Help us to encourage one another as brothers and sisters to walk in it.

So, Lord, we need your help. We need your help. And God, we thank you for your design. We thank you for your beautiful design. Forgive us in a day in which we have mocked it and spat on it and even in our own hearts rebelled against it.

Surely, we are fallen creature. That even sometimes when we hear your word, we, in our hearts and mind, stand against it. But even now we submit to it. We say, Lord, though my heart has these issues, it's hard for me to understand submission when there are so many boys around instead of men, when there's abuse. But Lord, help us also understand that as long as we do what we need to do, you will be pleased and that you see us, Lord, trying to pursue your calling for us as individuals.

And so, Lord, both men and women, may we reflect Jesus Christ. Both men and women, would you empower us to fulfill our roles? Both men and women, may we, in spite of a culture that tells us otherwise, stand by the word of God. And we worship you because of that. In your name we pray.

Amen.