It's going to be an abbreviated lesson today in light of the congregational meeting, but still a lesson nonetheless. We want to get back to our topic of biblical manhood and womanhood, which we last covered about three weeks ago. Because of the length of time that it's been, I want to briefly catch us up to where we are today. So back in September, we began in Genesis with God creating male and female. We looked at the distinctive design of each. We looked at the duties and responsibilities of each. And we also looked at the effects of the fall on both man and woman and how they affect us today. We then looked at how to apply, as biblical men and women, the duties, responsibilities, design, if you will, that God has given us in the context of the home, in the context of the church. Today, we're going to take what we've learned in previous lessons and apply that in the context of society. and the context of the workplace. And then over the next few weeks, we're going to look at hot topics of the day, including gender confusion and also same sex attraction and how godly men and women can confront it. So today we're going to look at the principles, the patterns from previous lessons and passages on the topic to look at Christian women and men in society with a focus on workplace. We'll be drawing from Genesis 1 through 3 as well as Proverbs 31. But the question that I want to begin with is this, what does it look like practically for us to express our God-given gender in the world at large? What does that look like? As we discussed in prior lessons, there's only two genders given by God, male and female. So what does it look like practically for a man to express his God-given design in the world at large and what does it look like for the woman to express her God-given design in the world at large? It's a challenging question. But to answer that, we need to look at Scripture. And we can learn a lot from Scripture, not only the men and women from Scripture, but also patterns and principles and priorities that we see given to the man and given to the woman in the Bible. It becomes a question that we need wisdom to answer. Matt Merker writes, wisdom in this regard, therefore, is figuring out how to live in God's created world according to God's design and for godly purposes. So first of all, let's begin with this. We need to know for sure and be reminded that in considering man and woman's role in society, we should embrace and not forget our God-given dispositions. embrace and not forget our God-given dispositions. When we began our study, we saw that God created man and woman equal, totally equal, but different. If he had wanted two identical sexes, he would have created that, but he didn't. So he created two equal genders of equal value, equal dignity, yet distinct in their design. Generally speaking, men will tend, as we've looked at before, to work in God's creation in an effort to protect others, in an effort to provide for others, reflecting Adam's God-given disposition. Women, on the other hand, will work to, as we've seen in Genesis, to cultivate life and to help others flourish, therefore reflecting Eve's God-given disposition. We should recognize that because of the fall, Men and women may struggle in these areas and with even the design given to them by God. Some will struggle more than others, but it doesn't negate the fact that God's plan is always good. And it's always for our good and it's always for his glory. And so man's ideas cannot, should not supersede God's perfect plans for us. It's worth noting that there are physical differences between men and women. They have different anatomy, different amounts of hormones, different roles in conceiving and delivering children, and usually different in terms of average size and even just physical strength. Therefore, men may be more predisposed to doing physically demanding jobs, such as construction and other jobs. It doesn't mean women can't do these things. It just means that a man's body and the way that he's made and designed makes it perhaps more natural for him to fulfill this and other roles. Certainly, to be a man in society does not mean you have to have a full-size truck. Or as my eight-year-old says, look at that monster truck, dad. Right? You don't have to have a monster truck or be wild at heart to be a biblical man. Well, secondly, we should not only embrace our God-given design and disposition, but we should also seek wisdom, wisdom from our distinctive roles in the home and in the church as we consider how God can use us in society. Looking at how God has designed us in the home and in the church can help give us a pattern for how God can use us in the world at large. In other words, we've seen in both the home and the church, for example, that the man is to lead lovingly and sacrificially. That provides a pattern for the man in society and workplace. It's good and right for the man. to lead and be a leader, but to do so in a way that will build each other up and others up, encouraging them and being willing to sacrifice for others. What does this mean for godly men in society? Well, the Christian men should lead, be strong in conviction, not culturally passive. We should be willing to sacrifice and show the world a pattern of integrity. devotion to our wives, family, and care for others in need, including the widowed and the orphaned. We should serve as men as Jesus came to serve and not be served. Well, for the woman, she is one who should encourage life and encourage others to flourish just as God created Eve to be, which she will do so primarily in the context of the home and the church. If a woman though is entering the workforce, she should consider opportunities that allow her design and role to help promote life in others. Matt Merker writes, the biblical roles we see in the family and the church do not automatically apply in the work and workplace in a formal sense. However, they can still teach us something about biblical masculinity and femininity. And in the case of the woman, bringing her God-given femininity to bear in the particular job or public office that she may bear. And the same is true of a man. So what are we to do in the context of looking at biblical manhood and womanhood in society? Well, by looking through the lens of wisdom, we should ask the question, what would be the most wise for my life in this situation what would be the most beneficial and helpful in order to live out my god-given disposition as a man or woman it's a great question to discuss those of you that are parents of teens and young adults that are praying through life decisions regarding career and or college And that brings us to our third point. Men and women should consider their particular responsibilities, duties, and stewardships. For example, in considering work, the man should look at the time commitments, including time away from family, which are his primary relationships. If work is going to require the man to be away from his family frequently or for extended periods of time, the man may want to reconsider whether it's worth taking on that position. Man, ask yourself this question, among others, will a potential job encourage me in godly masculinity? How can I most glorify God in this position? How can I serve others in a meaningful way in this role? Will this particular position allow me to have a balance where I can continue to serve well and lead well in my home, investing in the lives of those in my home, and also serving in the life of the church? Those are important questions to consider. For women who are considering working outside the home, several considerations must also be made. What are my other priorities at the moment? Am I married? Do I have children? How will my working outside the home affect my work and help or design inside the home? In this type of position, is this one in which I feel pressure to adopt the world's trends on a more fluid view of gender? Will this environment cause me to feel encouraged or embittered toward the Bible's teaching on authority in the home and church? Good questions to ask. A woman's work inside the walls of a home can be so busy and time consuming. I've heard from some that are working outside the home full time. It's as if they have two full time jobs. And in a sense, that's true. A woman should not, hear me carefully on this, a woman should not work outside the home if her husband and children will be adversely affected these are her primary relationships that should be valued and nurtured. Now certainly there's going to be exceptions to that, right? So what I just said was a general statement. Some exceptions might be if a husband cannot work, if he is ill, or if there is a disability and is just genuinely not able to provide. than the wife. It's not a normative structure, but the wife would, in that case, work to provide for the family. Some people may point to Proverbs 31 and say, hey, it's good and right for a woman to work outside the home. After all, you look at verse 16. She considers a field and buys it. With the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard. This verse shows that she's involved in economy. that is outside of her four walls. In verse 18, she perceives that the merchandise is profitable. In verse 24, she makes linen garments and sells them. She delivers sashes to the merchants. And so we see here that she's involved in actually running a business and selling garments. But also notice in verse 15 of Proverbs 31, she rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household. So you see that there is a priority given for the woman that is primarily concerned with the affairs of her home. Based on God's design of women and their feminine nature, the primary responsibility for a married woman, in particular a married woman with children, is her husband and children in the home. John MacArthur is helpful when he writes this. There's nothing in scripture that specifically forbids a woman from working outside the home, as long as she is fulfilling her priorities in the home, Proverbs 31. Whether or not a woman works outside the home, God's primary calling is for her to manage the home. That is the most exalted place for a wife. The world is calling many modern women out of the home but not the Lord. His word portrays the woman's role as one preoccupied with domestic duties. It is a high calling, far more crucial to the future of a woman's children than anything she might do in an outside job. The ultimate decision is a personal one that each woman must make in submission to her husband's authority. Obviously, a single woman would be free to work and pursue outside employment. A married woman with no children is perhaps a little more restricted in the amount of time and energy she can devote to an outside job. A woman who is a mother obviously has primary responsibility in the home and would therefore not be free to pursue outside employment to the detriment, to the detriment of the home. In other words, if it's gonna really be a detriment to the husband and children, probably not the wisest thing to do. He goes on to say this, in fact, from a parental perspective, it's difficult to see how a mother could possibly do all that needs to be done in the home with the upbringing of children, hospitality, care of the needy, and work for the Lord, and still work in an outside job. Indeed, any wife who fulfills God's priorities in her life and home will be a busy lady. However, her children and her husband will rise up and call her blessed. And a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised, Proverbs 31, 28 and 30. You know, I will say, and you've seen this too in our culture, there used to be a very high value in women managing the home and staying home. And over the last, really, 60, 70 years, that trend has changed. And the value that's placed on women staying at home has really begun to change. If you look at the 1940s, in 1940, in America, about 13% of women worked outside the home. In 2022, that number is 58%. Why is this? Is it because more money is now needed to raise a family and the man is no longer able to provide? Is it because women no longer desire to be home? Is it that the feminist movement has had such an effect that has encouraged women to do anything and everything that men are designed to do. The choice of whether or not to work, and even what type of work to do, at its core comes down to a heart issue. So we have to look at just what are the motivations that are driving a man to work or this type of work for a man or driving whether or not a woman will work and what type of work she will do. Both men and women should consider their motivation, their motivation and their heart motives. It's important that in looking at the next generation, how important it is that we train our boys to be heads of household and provide for their families one day. We want to encourage our boys to use the ways in which God has gifted them and the way in which he's designed them to look at potential vocations and careers that will encourage that design and encourage the way that God has gifted them. We're training our girls, as we've looked at just from a biblical context, to be in the normative pattern, to be a wife and be a mother, which is so vitally important. in training the next generation. It's not that that may be all they do. Maybe there'll be more. Maybe they won't just work in the context of their home training the next generation. But even if they were to work, this is our daughters one day, that we need to let them know that their primary responsibility is what? It's managing the home, right? It's being a helpmate. For men, if you were asked, let's take this to a different level. If you're asked to take a promotion, But it's going to involve far more hours and time away from your family. Consider why you want that promotion. Is it more money so you can purchase things that you want rather than things you actually need? For women also realize it's not all or nothing. Some women will genuinely want and desire to work. in addition to their household responsibilities, using their God-given gifts to help others flourish and encourage life. But there's different ways of looking at fulfilling this picture of a Proverbs 31 woman. Some of those ways may be working part-time in the context of the home. It may be working part-time outside the home. I know a lot of mothers who, for example, teach in homeschool co-ops on a part-time basis. It may be working seasonally. There's different ways to look at how to fulfill, as a woman, that Proverbs 31 goal. There are opportunities in those areas that will not take a woman away from her primary responsibility of the home. Ultimately, this is an area that involves a lot of prayer and a lot of wisdom. For you men that are struggling to find meaning at work or trying to decide whether to take a different job or accept the next promotion, take it to the Lord in prayer and take it to your wife. And also take it to other men who know you very, very well. and can offer good counsel for you. For those women who are struggling with whether or not to work outside the home, again, pray much about it. Take it to your husband, pray together with him, and also go to other women that you know who are wise that can offer good, godly counsel in your time of need. Here's what it comes down to. Ultimately, we as men and women Don't want to do anything in the home, at church, or outside in secular society, vocationally, that will take away God's primary design and calling for us. Right? We don't want to do anything that would take away God's design or calling for us. We want to do everything that we can as godly men, as godly women, to promote that which the Lord has given us to do. and the ways in which he has designed us to function, and also the ways in which he's gifted us. So let us draw near to him, praying that in all areas of our lives, we will glorify him, we will serve him, and we will fulfill the callings that he's given to us as men and women. Let's close out our time in prayer. God in heaven, we thank you, Lord, for your word. We thank you, Father, for the pattern, the principles, the truths, though, too, Father, that it sets before us. God, would you help us to live as becomes the followers of Christ, that people may see Christ in us. Father, for those of us that are training the next generation, training children in the home, help us to model godliness before them. that they may see patterns of biblical manhood and womanhood that would be tangible, that they would want to emulate one day as well. Lord, give us grace. Give us wisdom where needed. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.