“Get In Where You Fit In”
1 Timothy 2:8-14
• Honor & Reverence.
*I ask you today that you pray for me and pray with me, as I attempt to deliver the Word of God to you. Today is very difficult for me, considering the present situation of the church. Years ago, when I began preaching, a wise old pastor told me that not all preaching will be accepted, and not all preaching will be understood. However, you must continue to preach, and no matter how much opposition you face, you must stand boldly on the Word of God.
*As a church, we are no doubt in a stage of hurting, and we are looking for a stage of healing. I hope and pray for each one of you, and that you allow God to speak to your hearts today. No matter what your personal take is on today’s word, please understand that what I preach to you today is not merely what Shane has to say, but the true & unadulterated, genuine & all-powerful, Holy & divine, never-changing Word of God. Just as Christ came down through 42 generations, the Word of God transcends all cultures and all generations. Pray with me.
*A few weeks after I was called to preach, someone approached me and asked how I felt about women preaching and teaching in the church. It is one of those questions that frequently gets asked, b/c although the Scriptures speak to the subject, God’s people and many Bible critics have done a good job of confusing people about what it means. Today I would like to touch on women and their roles in the church. Jesus placed high value on women in His life and teachings. He recognized them as unique, speaking to and with them in a kind and caring manner. He ministered to them and engaged them in ministry themselves. Jesus did not have the men ministering and the women passively sitting by. He gave them responsibility and encouraged them to use their talents and abilities.
*Men and women are on equal spiritual footing before God. God created male and female equality in that His design was that both men and women were created in His image. We were created to be reflections of who God is—not in form, but by bearing His nature, His personality, His moral and spiritual capacities, His emotions, His intellect, His conscience, and His will. God created both men and women to be images of His righteous character, of His holiness, and of His unconditional love. However, God also instituted male headship—not as a result of the fall, but before the fall. Man was given and still has the primary responsibility to lead the home in a God-glorifying direction.
*It is safe to say that men and women are spiritual equals before God, but God has given man the responsibility to lead, and women have been called to honor and affirm the man’s leadership, and to help him carry it out. Now, the real test of whether we understand the Biblical essence of manhood and womanhood and affirm it as good and right is whether we allow Paul’s teachings to offend us.
*We must allow the Bible to interpret our beliefs rather than forcing our beliefs onto God’s Word so that we make it say something that it doesn’t. I will confess to you that in studying for this message I have changed my mind about today’s subject. I offer that information to you simply to say that when your beliefs are not in alignment with God’s Word, you are the one who must change! I realize that some of you may or may not accept this message. However, Galatians 1:10 says “For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I would not be the servant of Christ.” I hope and pray that if you do not know of what I speak about today, it is simply b/c you are unlearned, and not b/c you are defying the Word of God. Some of you will be angered, some discouraged. However, I pray that your anger subsides and eventually turns to understanding, b/c whatever hostilities you may have will ultimately be towards God himself, for I am merely His messenger, sent to give you the truth, that it might set you free.
*My approach to the text today is simple. First I’m going to explain what is meant by verses 11-12, then I will give you 2 reasons why as a church we must be in agreement with what it teaches.
What It Means
1) Let the woman learn in silence.
There are some extreme views about this phrase. Some explain it away by saying that women then were not treated with the same regard that we treat ours with today, so women don’t have to learn in silence. The other extreme says that a woman should keep quiet in church. She should (as the old folks say) be seen and not heard. Both of these extremes are wrong. Look at how the word “silence” is used in some other places in the Bible. In verse 2 of this chapter, Paul says “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and honesty.” The word “peaceable” comes from the same Greek word for silent. In 2 Thessalonians 3 Paul pointed out how some in that church were walking disorderly and were busybodies. In verse 12 he said that those people should work “with quietness.” Now, the same Greek word is used to say silent, peaceable, and quiet. It does not refer to absolute silence. A quiet and peaceable life is not a life of total silence. In verse 12 of our text, Paul says “ I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” In other words, this silence is merely just the opposite of exercising authority over men. So, what sort of silence is Paul talking about? It is the kind of quietness that respects and honors the leadership of the men God has called to oversee the church. Verse 11 says women were to learn in silence with all subjection, or submissiveness. So the point is not for a woman to remain totally silent, but for her to support the authority of the men that God has divinely appointed to lead His church.
2) I suffer not a woman to teach.
What kind of teaching does Paul have in mind? Probably more damage has been done to this passage than any other place in the Bible. Arguments abound as to why this is not a literal statement or why it is not applicable for us today. People say…..
*Women then were teaching false doctrine.
*Women then were not educated.
*Women today are not deceived like they were then.
*Paul said it b/c women teachers were offensive to his culture.
*Paul made a mistake.
Sometime I would like to go through and deal with these arguments, but for the sake of time let’s try to consider what Paul does mean. Again, let us appeal to other passages of Scripture. In Titus 2:3-4, Paul said, “ The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women.” 2 Timothy 3:14, Paul encouraged Timothy to…” Continue in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.” Timothy had been taught by some fine people, and among them, according to 2 Timothy 1:5, were his mother Eunice, and his mother Lois. So you see, Paul wasn’t against women teaching. It is only when it puts them in authoritative positions over men, in the church, that Paul is against. One more example is Priscilla. Acts 18:26 says, “And Apollos began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded, or taught unto him the way of God more perfectly.” So, when Paul forbids women to teach, it quickly becomes obvious that not every kind of teaching is forbidden. They taught younger women, children, and at least one woman teamed up with her husband to give better instruction to a man.
3) I suffer not a woman to usurp authority over the man.
This statement is an affirmation of God’s divine plan for male headship. Do you think it is a coincidence that a large portion of the next chapter deals with explaining the roles of male leadership in the church? Men had 2 basic responsibilities: to govern and to preach and teach. Let me say this…if , as men, we are too lazy or unwilling to perform our duties as God expects, then we have far worse problems.
Why It Matters
Does a strict adherence to this passage really make a difference? I mean, considering the culture we live in, and the political correctness of our day, should we operate by Paul’s teachings or just follow it loosely? I doubt any would argue that women can and should speak in the church, and you probably agree that women should allow for male leadership in the church. The statement that rubs most people wrong is saying that a woman cannot teach men, so let me give you two reasons why we must accept this teaching.
1) Because accepting it affirms what we believe about the Bible.
There is no arguing that god has included some tough teachings in His Word. There are some things in it that we are naturally going to resist, but again, I urge you to accept what it says and allow it to shape your beliefs. Here is the danger. Suppose you come to the bible and read a statement such as the one we’ve been looking at today. You read it, but think, “Surely this does not say what it appears to say. There must be some explanation for it, b/c it can’t mean that today.” So as a result we explain it away by saying that there was some cultural reason for it or some other reason why it does not apply today.
Let me ask you this: what is to stop us from doing that with any other passage of Scripture? Listen, either it is the Word of God or it is not. We must either accept it as the truth or don’t. The Bible is not a book to be interpreted by culture or time. It transcends all generations. The Bible is like a lens through which we must look at every part of life. It should serve as a filter through which we funnel all of our thinking, our beliefs, our practices, and our doctrines. When our beliefs and opinions fail to agree with the teachings of the Bible, then we must change our beliefs! If you cannot accept these teachings , then you might as well throw the Bible out of the window, b/c you have chosen to live by your beliefs rather than by God’s Holy Word.
2) Because accepting it opens the door for God’s blessings.
I believe with all my being that if this church wants to be blessed by God, then we must be willing to do what His Word teaches, even when it means taking unpopular positions. Do we want to bask in God’s glory? Do we want to enjoy His presence? Do we want to see His power revealed? Do you want the blessings of spiritual growth? Then we must be a people, a church that honors His Word!
I hope that when someone asks does Rev. Burney believe in women teachers, you can understand my belief. I absolutely believe that God allows women to teach in His church, even to prophesy in the name of Jesus. Just as long as they are in alignment with the Word of God, and that they do not have the final authority over man. In conclusion, let me ask do you believe that God inspired some difficult texts in the Bible? I do, and preparing for this message has been a good reminder of that fact. Who can know the mind of God? He said in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” I have often thought that if I had been the one doing the creating or setting things up, I probably would have done it differently than God did, but that’s why I’m not God! What God has done is good and right, and what has been established has been established for a purpose, even if we do not understand it! We can be confident of one thing—that regardless of whether we understand Him and all His ways, we can know Him and enjoy a personal relationship with Him! Folks don’t misunderstand my teachings today. You don’t have to be a man to be a teacher. You don’t have to be a man to be a minister. You don’t have to be a man to declare God’s Word. NO, NO!!!! That’s not what I’m saying at all. If you have questions, if you have concerns, please, I encourage you to pick up the Word of God and read it for yourself. We have Bibles all around us. We have ministers all around. WATCH THIS!!! Don’t die of starvation in the grocery store!!! Please read your Bible. 1 Corinthians 9:16 says, “For though I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel!’ Understand that I am merely a servant of Christ, fulfilling His will in my life by telling you what thus saith the Lord. If you are here today and you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you need to consider just how great an invitation it is to know God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The God who is infinitely more wonderful than we can imagine says to you today from that same chapter 55 in Isaiah, “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” As our officers come, the doors of the church are open. Won’t you come. Won’t you get things right with God. Won’t you come.
Rev. Shane Burney
