1Timothy 2:9-15
Getting the Most Out of Womanhood
Welcome to one of the most hated passages in the Bible, a passage
that describes what God created the woman to be. It is hated today
because it places a limit on what a godly woman can do. By my view,
it is not much of a limit but it is a limit and it cannot be denied
as such. So tonight, we need to do two things. We need to look at
the verses, but we also need to consider two things.
I. Let’s consider one thing that some say.
A. Some say these verses demonstrate how our Bible was influenced
by Middle-Eastern culture.
1. The Middle East is where Israel is located.
2. Of course, most know that women in the Middle East are
considered to be "less" than a man.
3. That bothers people today and I think it should. (By the
way, why are nations and people open to Islam today when
that religion would and DOES send womanhood to the
lowest, degrading, evil state that can go?)
4. Some today explain away these verses by merely saying this
is not inspired but an influence of the culture.
B. Consider:
1. This is not one single reason to suppose that at all.
There is no question in the original languages,
manuscripts, or anything else.
2. If this passage is influenced by culture, how many others
are? The end result is that if this Bible is corrupted,
it is not the inspired, preserved Word of God and we have
nothing.
C. Reality is that the Middle Eastern culture did not influence
the Bible.
1. This is God’s design for womanhood.
2. Don’t get mad and quit listening until I have finished
but God did intend that women willingly limit what they
do.
3. While that may not sound pleasant to your ears, I believe
I can prove it before we finish tonight.
D. However, before we go on, you must decide whether you will
accept the Word of God as the inspired, preserved Word of
God or not.
1. Every individual must.
2. Your soul hangs in the balance.
3. But the choice is yours.
4. There is something else we must consider but…
II. We need to look at these verses. What is God saying? Four
things concerning being the woman He created you to be.
A. \\#9-10\\ Be modest
1. Paul does not define modest in this text.
a. In the Greek, the word "modest" means with order,
decorum, and good behavior.
b. This word does not tell us what women can and cannot
wear, but they do tell us what their attitude in
selecting their clothing should be.
c. It should be in good behavior, in proper order; that
is, it should not cause chaos or confusion. It should
not stir up trouble.
2. Paul added two more terms to help us to understand what he
meant.
a. "shamefacedness"-It means to be bashful when you
dress.
(1) Again, this does not describe what is appropriate
and what is not. It describes what attitude to
dress with and what attitude NOT to dress with.
(2) God did not design women to dress themselves in
pride or arrogance as though they had
something to show or prove.
(3) Rather, they are dress with humility, reverence,
and a spirit that says either "I don’t want
anyone to see my flesh" or "No one wants to see
my flesh."
b. The truth be known, that is most likely NOT the case.
(1) Ladies, men do want to see your flesh.
(2) Most women do not understand what a woman’s
body does to a man.
(3) It triggers intense desire. To some men, a
desire so strong that they cannot hardly
control themselves.
a. This is not a mental desire but a physical
craving.
b. I have heard jokes all my life about ladies
who blame their mood or their desire on
hormones.
c. Men have the same physical demons inside of
them.
(4) Some men are better at controlling that desire
but, as far as, I can tell, most all men have
this attraction to flesh.
(5) I have often wondered why God created men
with this characteristic.
(6) I do not believe it is part of the fall but I do
believe it got out of balance due to the fall.
a. I think, in part, it is to help us to
continue to procreate.
b. I think in another thought that it is
to bond a man and woman together.
c. And I think in another it to give all
men (and woman) a sure pleasure.
(7) Unfortunately, since the fall for many, this has
become a source of great displeasure and
stress.
(8) Ladies, you are playing with fire—especially in
an undisciplined society like ours—when you
dress inappropriately.
a. You make yourself a toy in the eyes of men
who do not even know you.
i. One study into brain waves noted that
when men see a woman inappropriately
dressed that the region of the brain
that becomes active is the part that
is activated when a man sees a
desirable truck or tool.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/4636689/Men-
really-do-see-half-naked-women-as-objects-scientists-claim.html
ii. Another study proposed the theory that
men are not seeing the woman a an
objects as much as a different kind
of a human, one what can feel emotions
but not think.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-our-brains-turn-women-
into-objects/
b. In a society where men are NOT taught self
control, that is a risky thing to do.
b. "sobriety"-It means sound thinking.
(1) That means think when you dress.
(a) Do you really want to be desirable in the
eyes of men you do not know?
(b) Are you advertising that your body is
available, come and get it?
(c) Are you telling people that you are an
immodest woman who thinks only of sex?
(d) Are you wanting to tell God that you don’t
care about what He created you to be?
(2) Another way of saying this would be to say, "Use
common sense."
3. Paul then gives some things that women should not do.
1Tim 2:9 …not with broided hair, or gold, or
pearls, or costly array;
10 But (which becometh women professing
godliness) with good works.
a. It is because of this verse and what Peter said
\\#1Peter 3:3-5\\ that some do not wear any jewelry,
make up, or nice cloths.
b. I do not feel that is what this verse is saying
although if you do, you should abide by that.
c. I feel that what he is saying is do not use the
externals things to make yourself appealing to men.
(1) I have no doubt that if Paul and Peter were alive
today, they would say do not use the dress—or
the lack thereof—to make yourself appealing to
men.
(2) However, they did not have the kind of clothing
that we have and would not until near the end
of the church age.
d. \\#10\\ What Paul is saying is use your character to
attract a man not your body, not your wardrobe, and
not your body!
e. Ladies, if you use your body and your beauty to catch
a man, you will most likely lose him to someone else
who has better bait later on.
f. You say, "No one is attracted to my character."
(1) Either your character needs some work.
(2) Or you are fishing in the wrong fishing hole.
B. \\#11\\ Be Taught
1. It is interesting that people claim the Bible wants to
keep women in the dark ages, barefoot and pregnant.
2. Actually, the opposite is true.
a. The Bible does command women to limit themselves in
certain areas but it is not to keep them in the dark
ages it is to help them find their greatest
fulfillment.
b. Here is one place in the Scripture that proves that.
c. I need you to just skip the "in silence" for right
now. I will not get to that until next week.
d. Focus instead on the first part, "Let the woman
learn."
3. The Bible teaches the woman to learn.
a. Perhaps you did not know that even the best societies
did not teach the woman. They did not feel it was
necessary.
b. Even Jews in this time period did not teach the women.
c. Yet, the Bible teaches women to learn, especially
about the things of God.
d. At the time the Bible was written, it promoted women
to positions never before seen and still not seen
in many cultures of the world.
(1) \\#John 1:12, Romans 10:13, 2Cor 5:17\\ And many
others offer women as well as men the opportunity
to become a child of God.
(2) \\#Acts 2:17\\ Describes the Holy Ghost filling
both men and women for service to God.
(3) \\#Acts 9:36\\ Calls Tabitha a "disciple" of the
the Lord.
(4) \\#Acts:24-26\\ Describes a husband and wife
team, Pricilla and Aquila, discipling Apollos.
(5) \\#Acts 21:9\\ Tell us that four of Philip’s
daughters were prophetesses.
(6) \\#Romans 16:1\\ Tells us that Phebe was a
"servant" in the church at Cenchrea.
(7) \\#Romans 16:3\\ Calls Priscilla Paul’s "helper"
in Christ Jesus.
(8) Chloe of \\#1Cor 11:1\\ hosted a church in her
home.
(9) \\#1Cor 16:3\\ Again mentions Aquila and
Priscilla, this time as having a church in their
home.
(10) \\#Gal 3:28\\ Testifies that there is neither
male nor female in Jesus Christ.
(11) \\#Philemon 2\\ Lists Apphia as Paul’s "beloved"
who along with Archippus had a church in their
house.
e. While the Bible was not written to change the status
of women in a culture, it did, has, and is expanding
their opportunities beyond any other religion or
culture UNTIL our modern-day, anti-God world decided
that they should be able to do anything and every-
thing that a man can or could do.
(1) And while I understand that today in our culture
that might sound horrible, the truth is God did
put some limits on women.
(2) By the way, God also put some limits on men.
(3) But that is what we will have to wait until next
week to discuss.
Right now, consider this, "Is God’s Word inspired and preserved?" If
it is, then you can trust that whatever limits God put on women, He
did for a reason. If you do not, then it really does not matter what
God’s Word says because you are going to do what you deem to be right
in your own eyes anyway.
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