The Gospel of Luke (27): The Women in Jesus' Life 06/04/2023

First Baptist Church Leominster

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the elder to the beloved Gaius Whom I love in truth Beloved I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health as it goes well with your soul

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For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth as indeed you are walking in the truth

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I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth

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Beloved is of it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers Strangers as they are who testified to your love before the church

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You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God For they have gone out for the sake of the name accepting nothing from the

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Gentiles Therefore we ought to support people like these that they may be fellow workers for the truth.

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I Have written something to the church but Diopter fees who likes to put himself first does not acknowledge our authority

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So if I come I will bring up what he is doing Talking wicked nonsense against us and not content with that He refuses to welcome the brothers and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church

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Beloved do not imitate evil but imitate good Whoever does good is from God Whoever does evil has not seen

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God Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone and from the truth

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Itself. We also add our testimony and you know that our testimony is true.

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I Had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink I hope to see you soon and we will talk face to face

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Peace be to you the friends greet you greet the friends each by name Let's pray

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Heavenly Father we are so thankful that you are a good and gracious God that you are a merciful

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God That you give to us which we do not deserve And Lord, we rejoice in this truth that you are our father and that we can call upon you with our concerns with our worries with our cares

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Lord you are a faithful God and we are so grateful to you Lord, we pray that you would help us now as we open up your word

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We pray that we would be mindful of what it has to say Be with pastor Lars as he teaches.

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We pray that His words would be would bring clarity to to a difficult topic

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We pray Lord that we would line up ourselves with what the Word of God teaches We pray Lord that you would bless this time

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Help us Lord to hear your truth and help us to apply it. Thank you Lord in Jesus name.

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Amen Well today we arrive with Luke chapter 8 and We're just going to address the first three verses and we'll be

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Scooting on from there on to several the matters that that are suggested

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Luke first provides a summary in Luke 8 1 through 3 provides a summary of Our Lord's ongoing public preaching ministry in the region of Galilee That's in verse 1 a the first portion of verse 1

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But then Luke wrote of the ones who traveled with Jesus to assist him in his work

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That's found in verse 1 B is 12 Apostles were with him and then in verse 2 we read of the women several women

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The 12 apostles were with them, but Luke also identified several women by name Who had provided for our

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Lord and his apostles in their evangelistic work from their own means? They were the financial backers as it were

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Jesus and his disciples who was earthly ministry And so here are the verses from the

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New King James Version Now it came to pass afterward that he went through every city and village preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God and The twelve were with him and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities

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Mary called Magdalene out of whom had come seven demons and Joanna the wife of Chooza Herod's steward

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And Susanna and many others who provided for him from their substance

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Well, we see in verse 1 a first of all our Lord's itinerant evangelistic preaching

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We read our Lord Jesus went through every city and village preaching the glad tidings of the kingdom of God The verb that Luke used to describe

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Jesus having gone through the region is an imperfect tense verb Which Luke used to express our

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Lord's continuous activity. He was like an itinerant preacher He was traveling about preaching the good tidings of the kingdom

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As one wrote this imperfect verb tense conveys the idea of a continuing wandering ministry

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Rather than a journey from one point to another Perhaps what was being suggested by Luke as a pattern which the early churches were to follow

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Which was underscored to them when they would read this portion of Luke's gospel Luke adds an adverb to the verb

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Jesus had begun to travel about afterwards a Temporal adverb that is after he'd performed the miracle just recorded

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We considered in the last chapter So after having healed several people

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Jesus resumed his principal calling His principal purpose and that was to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God that he was inaugurating

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Here the kingdom of God is described as glad tidings There was the promise no hope of salvation and the long -anticipated kingdom of God that God had promised to King David Jesus And the twelve were traveling about preaching the good news of the kingdom the glad tidings of the kingdom

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That the long -awaited time of God's blessing had arrived They are now available through Jesus Christ deliverance from the bondage of sin salvation was now available in Christ and So the primary subject that he proclaimed was the glad tidings of the kingdom of God Now as we have so often said here the gospel of salvation in the

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New Testament is not simply The good news of how a sinner may obtain

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God's forgiveness of sins that he can escape God's condemnation At the final judgment and then enter eternal life

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But all too often the salvation that is proclaimed even by well -intentioned

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Christians has been reduced to that Forgiveness of sins only The great problem today is that there is a widespread belief in an abridgment of salvation

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Which only is only one part of biblical salvation, which is assumed wrongly to be the whole of salvation

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Much of evangelicalism has reduced biblical salvation to entail only God's forgiveness of sins

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This is how you can be forgiven of your sins and then a rather shallow Presentation of the so -called gospel is given pick up most gospel tracts

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Listen to most evangelistic presentations and sermons and what is frequently addressed is only the need and remedy for God to forgive people of their sins

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So that they may not be sent to hell But that they might receive the free gift of eternal life

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Yes, it's also declared That Jesus Christ had God incarnate who lived a life of perfect righteousness

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But died upon the cross to suffer and pay for the sins on the cross

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He rose again the third day, but they then that say if you but believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins

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Then God will have forgiven you and he's given you the gift of eternal life. Now that all sounds fine on the surface

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Might sound fine to our ears for we're so accustomed to hear that message but our sick text suggests the glad tidings of the kingdom of God entails more than the forgiveness of sins as important and foundational as that is

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The popular gospel of today is guilty of what may be called and this is a formal term of logic historically reductio ad absurdum

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In other words the reductive fallacy It's an error of formal logic and that people think something to be true because it has a ring of truth

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An element of truth But the subject has been reduced to such a level of simplicity that it no longer represents reality

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One described this error in this way You commit the reductive fallacy when you stop with a one -level description when there are many levels to be described

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You're mistaken when you reduce a complex entity to only one of its many aspects

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Our generation is especially vulnerable to this problem of oversimplification Another name for the same error oversimplification

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Salvation is God's rescue of the believer from the guilt and penalty of sin. Yes, but in addition salvation entails much more

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To limit one's message and offer of salvation is only God's forgiveness of sins is not to proclaim a complete gospel

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It really has become a false gospel for it no longer produces a result in biblical salvation for those who embrace it

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Hence the problem the great problem in our land of nominal Christianity Salvation Is deliverance from sin in its entirety?

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Yes from the penalty of sin the penalty of Condemnation damnation, but in addition salvation delivers us from the alienation of sin

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Reconciled to God and to one another as children of God And also from the power of sin that dominated our thinking and living

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Sanctification and of course one day from the very presence of sin when the Lord returns to receive his people unto himself

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This is what salvation entails not only as important as that is not only the forgiveness of sins

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The gospel we proclaim must be to this full scope of salvation in short entering and living as a kingdom of the citizen of the kingdom of God a citizen of the kingdom of God and Jesus went about in all the cities and villages proclaiming the good tidings of the kingdom of God a full message

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The gospel is a good news or the glad tidings of the kingdom of God Since the first sin of Adam in the garden mankind has rejected

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God's kingly authority over him Fallen man has insisted and persisted in ordering his life as though he were the true

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Lord he were the true king of his existence and biblical salvation occurs when a sinner repents of his self -will and His defiance toward God's laws and submits in faith and obedience to the

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Lord Jesus Christ. That's what faith is That's what saving faith is To Jesus Christ whom

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God has appointed to be the true and only King over his eternal kingdom If a man or woman persists in living according to their own will and disregard of the will of God in Christ They're still in their sin

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God has not pardoned the sinner who continues to live in disregard and defiance of the will of God in Jesus Christ They claim to have faith but their faith is a dead faith as James writes about First John 2 17 reads and the world is passing away and the lost of it

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But he who does the will of God abides forever We don't merit salvation by doing the will of God.

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That's impossible That's heresy, of course But the one who truly is saved the one who is a citizen of the kingdom of God Does the will of God and he will abide forever?

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That describes the true Christian The theme of Jesus is preaching was the kingdom of God and it stated in many places particularly in the

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Gospels Luke 4 Jesus said to them I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also because for this purpose

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I have been sent He was primarily sent to be a preacher At the kingdom of God the promised kingdom of God was now being inaugurated

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Luke 9 2 Jesus sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick

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Luke 16 16 the law and the prophets were until John since that time the kingdom of God has been preached and Everyone is pressing into it

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Matthew 4 Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues preaching the gospel of the kingdom

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The good news of the kingdom the gospel the kingdom and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people

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Matthew 9 Jesus went about all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues preaching the gospel of the kingdom

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Healing every sickness every disease among the people and then we could turn to acts as well and Phillip's preaching when they believe

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Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ both men and women were baptized

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The gospel of salvation is not just this is how you can get your sins forgiven And get into heaven

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No, it's a reconciliation to God. It's a turning away from a self -ordered self existence

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Jesus Christ is Lord and that's what true faith is Believing in Jesus Christ as Savior and as Lord now this subject will reappear for us in The eighth chapter of Luke we just started

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Luke 8 1 through 3, but next week Lord willing We'll begin to address the mysteries of the kingdom of God and The parables the parallel of course to Luke 8 is

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Matthew 13 the mysteries of the kingdom Jesus said to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest

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It is given in parables that see they may not see hearing that they may not understand and so Jesus went about In an itinerant way to all the villages all the cities and he was proclaiming

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The glad tidings of the kingdom of God, but then after our

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Lord Gave or after Luke gave a summary of our Lord's ongoing public preaching ministry in the region of Galilee Luke then wrote of the ones who traveled with Jesus to assist him in his work

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How did Jesus and his disciples support themselves as they traveled about? Well Luke records that their financial support was due to certain women that traveled with them

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In fact many women that traveled with them And so we read of the women who supported

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Jesus and his apostles in their preaching we read and the twelve were with him the twelve apostles and Certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities diseases

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Mary called Magdalene out of whom come had come seven demons Joanna the wife of choose a herod steward

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Susanna and Susanna and many others who provided for him from their substance

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First we read that the twelve were with him the term the twelve Of course refers to the twelve apostles.

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They eventually became somewhat of a title of the twelve apostles. They were just called the twelve

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Here we see it for the first time in Luke's gospel the twelve were with him but it's used more frequently in subsequent chapters of Luke as we will see as Well as in the sequel to Luke's gospel the book of Acts the twelve at this point

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We're probably not preaching along with Jesus But we're observing and learning from their master the kind of preaching they would one day proclaim to the world

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After his ascension to his throne in heaven True he sent them out on short short -term mission

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Sent the twelve out on one occasion seventy on another occasion two by two But here they were probably watching observing maybe doing some personal work with individuals in the crowds.

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I don't know But in addition to the twelve apostles were the women a few of which

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Luke identified by name and certain women Who had been healed of evil spirits infirmities

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Mary called Magdalene? out of whom had come seven demons and Joanna the wife of choose a herod steward and Susanna and many others who provided for him from their substance

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Now it might seem that the Bible is principally a book about men the fallen world views the

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Bible as a patriarchal story in which women are Marginalized and set forth as second -class citizens persons of lesser importance

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Generally women of the world believe that the Bible was and for the most part written by men for men about men and to serve men's

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Interests you hear that charge quite frequently Now certainly the

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Bible sets forth the ancient culture in which men were predominant They were the predominant leaders and protectors of society

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But actually the Bible holds forth women in very high regard in God's world far above any other culture pagan people

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Especially when weighed against the cultures of other people apart from Israel I heard a scholar the other day rebuke a woman's charge that the

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Bible portrays women in a less than noble manner It was Jordan Peterson.

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I heard him a woman charged him and Said you stand for the

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Bible. I don't believe his Christian man as of yet, but he's moving in that direction But anyway, this woman charged him with the

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Bible as a patriarchal book was against women there's no evidence for that he had a straightforward manner and The point he he stated was absolutely true

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He said this is absolutely false One of the most amazing verses in the entire Bible touching on women is found in the earliest chapters of Genesis It declares so God created man in his own image in the image of God.

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He created him male and female he created them and Peterson was right and saying that is perhaps one of the most fascinating verses of all of Scripture particularly in the ancient world because it sets a woman as Equally in the image of God as man the

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Word of God sets forth women as equally made in the image of God it's an amazing elevation of the value of women as they are set forth equally as God's image and It stated so clearly and forthrightly in ancient world

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That women are not in any way to be regarded in this way This verse is extremely significant.

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And of course it is underscored throughout the scriptures God created both men and women in the image of God.

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It's quite an amazing matter that we would feel compelled to affirm That God and his Word teaches that there are only two genders male and female

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But clearly that's what the scriptures declare in that verse. We quoted wasn't it? God created man in his own image male and female he created them two genders

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But our world has in recent years only in this generation Embrace the teaching of a person's right to reassign his or her gender to be different than a birth gender or a gender

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They say that was assigned at birth but our world is embraced as multi gender classification and It's even been codified in law professors of universities are being fired because they

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Pronounce there's only two genders a high school student in Canada Was excluded from a

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Roman Catholic school because he wore t -shirt declaring that there were only two genders

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People are being fired from corporations people in authority because they

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Advocate there are only two genders and this is a battlefield in Today's world and one which we can probably anticipate some pushback and hostility in the future

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Just making this statement this morning. If it was publicized we'd have all kinds of attention given to us people who advocate that there but two genders male and female encounter much hostility and consequences for their convictions and we can expect this to be a

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Battleground for some time to come although there is some pushback that you're seeing here and there and there's some efforts, of course to Of financial consequences for corporations and whatnot that push push gender issues and whatnot in a way that many people most people react and reject

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We purpose to continue and maintain and proclaim God's will in this matter regardless of the consequences that may come our way this is truth and therefore we are not ashamed of it and We will proclaim it

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Now returning to Luke 8 2 we can say that before us women are elevated to equal status as men it

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Grammatically, this is the case Luke wrote of the women along with the twelve apostles.

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They were with Jesus it's a simple conjunction joining the twelve with the women and the twelve were with him and certain women and The Luke and scholar

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IH Marshall wrote along with the twelve or mentioned the women they appear on the same level as men

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The syntax is loose, but the meaning is clear

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Actually Luke gives a great deal of attention to women in his gospel William Hendrickson wrote of Luke's emphasis

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The beloved physicians book has been called the gospel of womanhood For the

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Savior's tender and profound regard for women comes to the fore in this gospel more clearly than in any other

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Not for example the prominence accorded to Mary or or not He's saying he's giving examples now of where Luke does give emphasis to women the prominence according to Mary the mother

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Jesus to Elizabeth Remember also that Anna the prophetess and Joanna the loyal follower are mentioned only in this gospel

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The beautiful story in which Mary sister of Martha and Lazarus make the right choice is told only here

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Luke 10 This holds to for the stirring reports about Christ's kindness bestowed on the widow of Nain That we considered a couple weeks ago and upon the sinful woman who anointed the

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Lord that we examined just recently Unforgettable too is the parable of the widow who persevered?

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We'll be dealing with that later in Luke 18 It is in the

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New Testament that the teaching of the equality of women and men is set forth most clearly and wonderfully Because all who are redeemed are due due to Christ alone there is equality among the people of God Paul wrote of this forthrightly

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For in Christ Jesus you're all sons or better children of God through faith For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ There's neither

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Jew nor Greek. There's neither slave nor free there nor nor male or female For you're all one in Christ Jesus There's a quality of an equal quality between male and female you're all one in Christ Jesus and If you're

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Christ and you're Abraham's offspring heirs according to the promise How is this equality in Christ of the two genders?

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How does that work out in a local church is actually a matter of debate and disagreement Among evangelicals there are really two groups that differ from one another on this subject among evangelicals

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Bible believers, they're commonly referred to as either egalitarians or complementarians

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Egalitarians believe and emphasize it because males and females are one in Christ, which is a biblical truth

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They conclude however, there are to be no distinctions regarding positions of responsibility within church government and service in ministry

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Most egalitarians permit and promote women pastors and elders within local churches complementarians on the other hand

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Also hold to equality of males and females in Christ, but they understand the Bible to teach distinct but complementary roles for men and women complementarians recognize these distinctions that the

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New Testament set forth in the epistles regarding the roles of husbands and wives and that the position of leadership in churches is restricted to male pastors and elders and deacons

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There is an organization of evangelicals who promote the complementarian view of male and female roles

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It's the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood According to its website the mission of the

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Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood has set forth the teachings of the Bible about the complementary differences between men and women created equally in the image of God Because these teachings are essential for obedience to Scripture and for the health of the family and the church

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God created man and woman equally, but he gave them different roles and abilities to fulfill those roles

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But even among complementarians, there are churches that hold different convictions on gender issues

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There are many that hold forth a very high regard for the equality in Christ Of males and females even while they recognize the distinctive roles that men and women have set forth in the scriptures

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But there are others however who regard Who we would understand regard and treat the matter were restrictive and limiting in their view and practice on the participation of women in church life in Some churches the women church members are not permitted to vote on church issues

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But men only are permitted to do so Women are not permitted to speak audibly publicly in church meetings or services

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We would disagree with their practice For in our opinion it diminishes. We would say even disregards the oneness of the redeemed people in Christ Well when we make this assertion, we should comment on several pertinent passages

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That are commonly cited when the role and participation of Christian women in churches are considered the first of these being first Timothy 2 11 through 14

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Paul writing to Timothy We Recognize and acknowledge the Word of God quite clearly teaches that women are not to be teaching or in teaching or authoritative positions over men in the church

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Paul was writing to Timothy instructing him on how to guide and lead the church at Ephesus that he would soon be pastoring and so Paul had written to Timothy these things

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I write to you Though I hope to come to you shortly But if I'm delayed I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God the church which is the church of the

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Living God the pillar and ground of the truth and Then Paul instructed Timothy regarding the role of women and church leadership

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Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I Do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man rather.

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She is to remain quiet And then he gives the reason going back to the creation

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The garden for Adam was formed first then Eve Adam was not deceived

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But the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. And so that's the biblical argument that the

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Apostle gives So Paul wrote as an apostle of Jesus Christ it is on behalf of and in authority of Jesus Christ himself

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This is the will of God Christian women are not to be an authority over Christian men and they are not to be teachers of men publicly

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Aquila and his wife Priscilla Took Apollos aside and taught him more clearly in the scriptures.

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And so there was a discussion there But I'm sure that Priscilla was very meek in the manner that she and her husband dealt with Apollos The reason

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Paul gives is because of the vulnerability of women to deception as Eve had been deceived by the devil in the garden

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It may be argued that because of the emotive nature of women they tend to be more emotional than men that's a general

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Characteristic but this emotive nature of women qualifies them to be good wives and mothers Men make lousy mothers

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But that same emotive quality that qualifies women for what

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God has called them to do Maybe a disabling and disqualifying disqualifying Deficiency in the proclamation and leading of men now egalitarians dismiss

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Paul's words Claiming that our oneness in Christ negates what Paul set forth

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Just put an X over it Some have justified women in leadership in churches and parachurch ministries claiming a woman's apparent giftedness from God Her giftedness to teach or preach trumps

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Paul's instruction to Timothy But to take that tack is really to denigrate and diminish the authority of scripture and it introduces contradictions and deficiencies in the

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Word of God itself Yeah, I know what Paul says but but the

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Lord's gifted me so I know it's okay for me to do No, we would also make the case against women in ministry leadership positions because women are unable to meet the qualifications

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Pastor elder or deacon that are set forth in the epistles Here are the qualifications for pastors and deacons in first Timothy three

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We're not going to read the whole thing, but you can see with regard first of all to the office of overseer or pastor elder

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He needs to be a husband and one wife a difficult thing for a woman to meet

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He must manage or rule his own household. Well, he's the leader of the home and then down lower from verse 8 and following you have a qualifications were deacons and their wives must be dignified and Let the deacons each be the husband of one wife again

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That's a qualification that would seem to be restrictive to males only But having said that we might further say however that we don't take an individualistic view

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Which is which is true too much as society today That somehow only men are qualified Even though we affirm that only men are qualified to serve as elder or deacon

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We hold strongly that it's only with the support and input of the man's wife as his helpmate that he's able to do so within the church

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It's a it's a it's a team You'd be surprised it maybe you wouldn't be surprised how much influence

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Mary has with me or Laura has with Jason they They spare you a lot of grief.

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Believe me as they they keep us in check and in balance Well, let's consider 1st

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Corinthians 13 as well 33 and 30 through 35 here. We have Paul's instruction to the church at Corinth and this takes a little bit of Explanation here.

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Please be patient with us Paul wrote as in all the churches of the Saints the women should keep silent in the churches

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That seemed to be a rather straightforward and clearly stated command

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For they are not permitted to speak but should be in submission as the law also says For if there is anything they desire to learn let them ask their husbands at home for it is shameful for a woman to speak in church

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These verses are commonly cited by those churches which significantly limit the involvement of women in church meetings and services

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They do not allow the women to speak in church services or even devote in church meetings Somehow they always allow women to sing but other than that We would say that they misunderstand the context of these verses and therefore have misread them

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That it is permitted for women to speak in church is clear from what Paul wrote in verses 1 and 2 of the same chapter 1st

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Corinthians 11 not the same chapter 2 chapters before rather 1st Corinthians 11 for and following Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head

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But every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered Dishonors her head since it is a shame if her head were shaven for If a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short

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But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair shave her head Let her cover her head for a man ought not to cover his head since he is the image and glory of God But a woman is the glory of man for man was not made from woman

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But woman from man neither was man created for a woman but woman for man That's why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head because of the angels whatever that means

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Nevertheless in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman for as woman was made from man

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So man is now born of woman and all things are from God judge for yourselves Is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head?

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uncovered Rhetorical question Paul is assuming. No, it's not proper Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it's a disgrace to him

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

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God has given a woman a woman her hair as a covering How does this all play out?

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What does this mean? Well in order for us to understand what and why Paul gave this instruction

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It's important for us to understand the cultural and historical nature of Corinth Corinth was a very wicked city in the

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Roman world. It was the San Francisco of the day And there were many pagan temples which engaged many temple prostitutes in their pagan satanic worship

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But the Lord had many people elect people in this city He told

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Paul not to be fearful that God would protect him besides I've got many people in this city that are going to be converted under your ministry

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Well, some of the new Christian converts in the church at Corinth had come out of this pagan practice both male and female

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The women prostitutes of the city could easily be identified for they shaved their heads You saw a shaved head of a woman in Corinth there

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Was probably a temple prostitute when some of these women came to church

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They were to wear a head covering to distance them from being associated with these brazen immoral women of the city

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This explains why Paul could say of the women in the church for if a wife will not cover her head Then she should cut her hair short

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But since it's disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair shave her head. Let her head cover.

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Let her let her cover her head and Then he declares that God provided and regards longer hair on the women of that day as his providing a head covering for them

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And so the new Christian women that came out of this pagan environment when they came to church

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Lest they be identified or associated with these immoral women that they had turned from They put a shawl on their head.

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They covered their head to show that they were submissive to God and to their husbands And so Paul had written in these verses every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered

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Dishonors her head since it's the same as if her head were shaven But what is implicit in these words is that if a woman was in church and her head was covered

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Either with a shawl or her own longer hair it was perfectly proper and suitable for her to pray or prophesy with her head covered a

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Woman could speak in church She could pray She could prophesy

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She could pray publicly. She could also prophesy now. What was this practice?

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She could prophesy Well in the apostolic era, there were a number of sign or revelatory gifts

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The Christian man or woman would be wholly passive When the Holy Spirit would use the voice of that gifted person to speak forth his word to the congregation

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And so the person gifted person would not be interjecting his own thinking her own thinking but would be a passive voice

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God speaking Philip had four daughters. He did who did prophesy And this was a needful and important spiritual gift on which the

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Church of Jesus Christ was built in those early days of the Christian Era, the church was built on the foundation of the

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Apostles and prophets in This way a woman could speak for she was not speaking forth from her own mind her own view or opinion of a matter

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But was the passive mouthpiece of God, but she would have her head covered but the problem with this revelatory gift of prophecy in the churches in the

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Apostolic churches is that there were some times when people stood up in church service Claimed to give forth a prophetic utterance a word from God But it was actually not from God and so in order to determine what was true and false other persons in the church who had the gift of prophecy were called upon to publicly affirm or deny the

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Authenticity of a prophetic word given to the congregation How do we know what this guy said is true or not true?

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true of God or not The other persons with the gift of prophecy would stand up and either validate or invalidate

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By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word should be established This is what explains the context of 1st

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Corinthians 14 34 we quoted earlier It stated as in all the churches of the

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Saints the women should keep silent in the churches For they are not permitted to speak but should be in submission as the law also says the context of 1st

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Corinthians 14 Is the responsibility of the church? They have men with the gift of prophecy to pass judgment off on the authenticity of a prophetic utterance in the church

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So let's read verses 29 to 35 and here's the context let two or three prophets speak

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Let the others weigh what is said if a revelation is made to another sitting there.

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Let the first be silent For you can all prophesy one by one so that all may learn and be encouraged and the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets for God is not a

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God of confusion, but of peace as In all the churches of the

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Saints the women should keep silent in the churches For they are not permitted to speak but should be in submission as the law also says if there be is if there is anything

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They desire to learn let them ask their husbands at home for it's shameful for a woman to speak in church and so when the occasion arose to evaluate or pronounce as legitimate or Illegitimate a prophetic utterance women who would normally be permitted to pray or prophesy if their heads were properly covered were not to stand up and Publicly evaluate or pronounce their judgment on the matter

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She'd be teaching or usurping authority over men if she did so in other words verse 34 is not an absolute

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Prohibition of Christian women speaking in church, but it's a prohibition for women to assert

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Authoritative leadership in judging the legitimacy of teaching in the gathered church But it's pulled out of context and so we are complementarian or I should say

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I am and most of us probably are in understanding that we are equal male and female and We regard and treat

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Women equally as men. I don't think anybody could accuse us of anything different than that And yet we acknowledge and recognize that God has given us different roles and that He's qualified some to fill one one role and and it's qualified women to serve another role that That men are not qualified or capable of doing frankly

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And the Lord somehow accomplishes work through all this Well, let's now return in the few minutes we have remaining to Luke 8 verses 1 through 3 and consider these women whom

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Luke identified to be companions in the ministry with the Lord Jesus Again we read it came to pass afterward

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He went through every city and village preaching bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God and the twelve were with him

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Certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities Mary called Magdalene out of whom came

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Seven demons and Joanna wife of choose a hair steward Susanna and Susanna and many others

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Who provided for him from their substance? These were women who themselves had experienced the work of God in their lives

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They had been delivered from evil spirits and infirmities. In other words ailments diseases

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As one wrote note how carefully dr. Luke distinguishes between the two evil spirits and diseases

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These women were not ones who would bring great credit to Jesus in the eyes of others Mary Magdalene.

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Oh, she's the one out of whom came seven demons What kind of credit does she bring to Jesus? Well, the fact is they were much like you and me in that regard

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Calvin said it rightly he wrote of them Yes, he adds it among those who accompanied

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Christ were certain women Who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases such as Mary Magdalene?

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Who had been tormented by seven devils? To be associated with such persons might be thought dishonorable

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Jesus was associating with them You might assume it might have been dishonorable for him to do so For what could be more unworthy of the

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Son of God than to lead about with him women who were marked with infamy? But this enables us more clearly to perceive that the crimes

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Which were loaded before we believed are so far diminishing the glory of Christ. They tend rather to raise it to a higher pitch

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Well, that's true, isn't it? It seems the more wretched a person is who is converted and transformed by the grace of God brings glory to Christ But they tend rather to raise it to a higher pitch and certainly it's not said that the church which he elected was founded by Him to be without spot and blemish, but that he cleansed it with his blood and made it pure and fair First mentioned is

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Mary called Magdalene out of whom came seven demons This does not necessarily mean she was a greatly immoral person

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Demon possession manifested itself in deafness seizures Mental derangement as well and there's been a great deal of speculation about this woman.

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Mary Magdalene that has no biblical basis There's no evidence that she had been a prostitute

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Bible doesn't say that or that she had been an immoral woman Who had anointed the

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Lord Jesus in the house of Simon the Pharisees That was just before that. We just addressed some would argue that Mary Magdalene was that that woman who anointed

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Jesus? With oil and with her tears and wiped his feet with her hair.

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There's no evidence. In fact, there's evidence. I think to suggest otherwise Hendrickson rightly wrote the item about the seven demons

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It had been expelled from Mary Magdalene has led to the wholly unjustifiable Conclusion that she was at one time a very bad woman a terribly immoral person but there's not even an inkling of proof for the supposition that demon possession and immorality go hand in hand

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They may but there it's not a certainty Weird and pitiable mental and physical behavior are indeed often associated with demon possession not

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Immorality Mary is mentioned in 12 different verses in the gospel.

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She's one of the most frequently mentioned women in the Gospels Only twice however here in Luke 8 2 and in the longer ending of Mark 16

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Is it said that out of her came seven demons? And yet that's so, you know significant.

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We we send tend to associate this Mary Magdalene with this with this

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Life before having been converted to Christ This Mary is one of the most prominent most mentioned women in the

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Gospels she mentioned she'd mentioned all four Gospels Especially during the Passion Week of our

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Lord Jesus. She was an eyewitness to the crucifixion She had stayed with the body of Jesus after he died until she saw where they laid him in the tomb

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She rose early that Sunday morning to go to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus with several other women

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But she was most significantly perhaps Mary was the first person to whom the risen

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Lord Jesus appeared More where she was the first disciple to testify to the

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Apostles that the Lord Jesus had risen from the dead This is a prominent woman in the

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Gospels Well second to Mary a woman named Johanna Luke is the only gospel writer to who refers to her directly

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She was one of the first after Mary Magdalene to learn of the risen Lord We won't read that passage but in verse 10, it was

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Mary Magdalene Johanna As well as another Mary Mary mother James and the other women with them

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Who told these things to the Apostles? And then Luke described Johanna to be the wife of choose a

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Herod's steward King Herod To have been a steward of Herod. I mean the man who handles his money would have been a very important influential person

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Matthew Henry wrote of Johanna she had been his wife.

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So say some but was now a widow. There's no evidence of that But maybe she was and left in good circumstances

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She didn't just abandon her husband to follow Jesus if she was now his wife In other words if while following Jesus she remained married to to choose

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Oh, we have reason to think that her husband though preferred in Herod's court had received the gospel was very willing

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That is why I should be both a hearer of Christ and the contributor to him. I Think that's reasonable and then the third woman that Luke named was

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Susanna and This is the only place in the New Testament where Susanna is mentioned

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No information regarding this woman Nothing known of her Other than she was a faithful helper and fellow traveler of the

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Lord and his Apostles But in addition to these three ladies named

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Luke says there were many others with them many other women with them And Luke declared that these women financially supported

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Jesus and his Apostles in their public ministry in Galilee And there are women that are wonderfully faithful and generous in the support of ministry

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I Debated whether to say but say so but I'm going to because she's with the

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Lord now Margie. God bless her Every December she had some account somewhere where she'd had distributed, you know, what she made through the year

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It was usually seven or eight thousand dollars that she'd give to the radio ministry did that for years on the condition?

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That it was not told that it was her but since she's with the

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Lord It doesn't bring undue attention to her but rather credit to her stewardship So the

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Lord or Luke declared these women financially supported Jesus and his Apostles there were many of them

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Our Lord at one time said to his disciples for whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name because you belong to Christ assuredly

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I say to you he will by no means lose his reward These women will be richly rewarded on the day of Christ For having helped and encouraged his preaching ministry in Galilee William Hendrickson wrote regarding them nevertheless

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It's a fact that with very few exceptions The girls and women mentioned are referred to in the

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New Testament were on the side of the Lord By and large it is true that though Peter denied

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Christ though Judas betrayed him though erred mocked him Pilate condemned him the women honored him and ministered to his and his disciples needs to the extent to which they did this the comforting words of Matthew 25 are

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Certainly applicable to them and that passage of course is where the Lord on the Day of Judgment will bless those the righteous ones entering to the joy of your

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Lord for You fed me you provided for me in providing for his people.

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Well, these women provided for him directly Everything that Jesus accomplished during his earthly ministry was really do

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Directly to the financial support of these women Disciples of Christ.

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Thank the Lord for them Let's pray Father help us to understand these things and Lord your people good people have different in opinions on some of these matters

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Help us our God to be convinced in our own minds as to the truth That you set forth in your word and help us our

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God to be consistent in our practice We pray our God that you would bless us and bless the women of this church in their service

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To you our God and to others for the encouragement and support

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That they show our God to to those that might be involved in leadership

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So called we recognize our God that we are a single body of Christ and that all persons within this body are equal in stature being in Christ and Every one of us our

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God have been gifted in different ways and Blessed ways in order to serve you and to serve one another and so help us in these matters.