Amen. We come now to the exposition of God's Holy Word. And congregation, let's take our Bibles at this time and turn back to Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 5. I'd like to read in your hearing in Ephesians chapter 5, verses 22 through 24, as we have here in this section, what we are considering, what is before us, the nature of a godly home and the various responsibilities. In these weeks, we have been dealing with introductory issues related to this text, as we will continue to do so today. But if you would please, let's just read the text before us. As Paul addresses the first of several members of the family, he addresses the wives. Ephesians 5 and verse 22. Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church, and he is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be subject to their own husbands in everything. Let's now join together before the Lord in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we bow before you now as again we come before your word. And we ask you, O God, that you would grant to us, your people, that presence of your spirit leading us and explaining to us the precious word of truth. Father, we pray that we would be inclined by your work of grace to receive your word and believe it, and by your grace, obey what it says. Father, we thank you that in these days of increasing confusion, we have the clarity of the word of God, which reveals your will with perfect clearness, that we are called to follow and obey Father, we pray that you would seek out those who are yours, which you have put your electing love upon, and by grace draw them to your Son. That those who are sinners would turn and trust in Jesus Christ, that they would find faith and satisfaction in Jesus, who is the true Savior of the world. Father, we pray this in Jesus' name, amen. As we continue discussing this subject, we are looking in these several weeks at some of the introductory foundational truths which undergird what we find when we get to our text in verse 22. Paul writes in Ephesians 5.22 about wives submitting to their husbands. Well, he is bringing in those words a whole world view that is assumed in the context of what he is saying. We have been considering, therefore, the larger realities of this teaching. The idea that by divine design, God has made men and women distinct and different, and that all the way back at creation. This is something that is even rejected in our culture today, where it is difficult, many would say, to define, well, what is a man? What is a woman? Well, it's up for grabs in our culture today, sadly. Men and women are created distinctly. They have distinct natures. And because of those distinct natures, they have distinct callings and responsibilities. Men and women are equal in their worth and dignity before God, no doubt about it. They are both created in the image of God. They are both image bearers of God. If they are saved, they are joint heirs in the grace of God. All of that is true, and yet it is also true that they are different by divine design, and they have different responsibilities, different callings, different giftings, and they are designed for different purposes in the world in the home and in the church. This idea of male hierarchy, headship, rule, and authority certainly is not a very popular subject in our modern day culture. Last week we gave just a very brief history and looked at the various phases or waves of feminism. We talked last week about, first of all, first wave feminism, which I gave the dates here, the 1830s to the 1920s. And it was, as we said, a very radical, revolutionary movement. The goal of first-wave feminism was to undermine all of society and all of the social order. It was to promote egalitarianism. It was to replace the family as the basic bedrock of society with the individual as the basic bedrock of society. It was marked by anti-Christian individualism, egalitarianism, and as I noted last week, even a prominent influence of occultism among the primary leaders of the movement. That gives you something of the flair, the flavor, and the assumptions of the movement from the very beginning. Then we talked about second wave feminism. This we date from about the 1960s to the 1990s. When we think about the 1960s, we are all much more familiar with that era, that it was an era of revolution, where everything in society, again, was being turned upside down. It was a sexual revolution. The pill, abortion, all kinds of things that, again, were undermining the family and biblical Christianity. No-fault divorce, free sex, all of that was a part of that generation. And then there was the third wave feminism from the 1990s until the present, which really just continues in this flow of anti-Christian thought. It is marked by the promotion of homosexuality, transgenderism, and it's interesting because here we see the ultimate outcome of feminism is it's turned against women and it's now eating women. Because the transgender movement really is what has birthed things like, you know, men and women's sports. So it's kind of turned itself against the movement of women and their betterment. Again, these movements are an explicit attack against the family, against Christianity, against everything that God has ordered and created at the very beginning of creation. Now, today what I want to do is talk about this idea of male hierarchy, headship, rule, and authority as it relates to the church. Now, we've already talked about this briefly as it relates to society in general. Now, we're going to talk about it as it relates to the church, working from the out, moving in. And then after we've talked about male hierarchy in the church, Then we'll be prepared to talk about it in the hall, moving from the out to the closest, most inner circle of our concern, which of course is what Paul is talking about in Ephesians chapter 5. God has ordained that the rule and authority found in the church is male, hierarchical, and it is the rule of men in Christ's church. The office of elder, is explicitly reserved for men, according to the scriptures. Now, there are several terms that are used in the New Testament to describe the office of elder. We think about two offices in the church. You have elders and you have deacons. And whenever we talk about the office of elder, there are several synonyms that are used for the same office. You have, for example, the word pastor. Poimane is the word. That is the imagery of a shepherd leading a flock. That's the biblical imagery of that. A pastor is a shepherd. Then you have the word bishop, or it's sometimes translated as overseer. That's the literal meaning of the word, episkopos. And that has the idea of leadership or of oversight. Again, these different words, they all coalesce together. It's not like there's one thing and then there's another thing. They all go together. Thirdly, you have the word elder, which is the Greek word presbuteros. It's where we get our word Presbyterian. This idea of elder denotes the concepts of maturity. I mean, think about someone who is older. They're an elder. That speaks of maturity. It also has the idea of dignity, honor, and respect. We are to respect our elders, not just those who are chronologically older, but those who hold the office of an elder. Pastors are called to do three things as their job is calling them in the ministry. They are to number one, guide the flock, that's leadership. They are to be giving clear leadership about where we're to go. Number two, not only are they to guide the flock, they are to guard the flock, warning and protecting against wolves, either in or without the flock. And then number three, they are to graze the flock. That is, they are to feed them the truths of Holy Scripture. Those are the responsibilities of the pastor, to guide, give leadership, to guard, warn against false teaching, and graze them by feeding them the Word of God. Pastors are under shepherds. They are not the shepherd of the flock with a big S, capital S, shepherd. Amen? Jesus Christ is the shepherd of the flock. And pastors serve under his direction. And the Lord, as the shepherd, he sets aside men to do the under-shepherding in the flock of Jesus Christ. So when we think about this office of elder, this is the office of rule, it is the office of leadership, it is the office of authority in the New Testament church, and it is explicitly male only as to the occupancy of that office. In fact, if you will, turn with me in your Bibles, and we'll look at some of these scriptures, familiar, I'm sure, to most of us. But turn with me first to 1 Timothy chapter 3. 1 Timothy chapter 3. 1 Timothy chapter 3, we see here the qualifications given. And it has to do with the various gifts that are requisite to the office of elder. Now, here the word that is used is overseer or bishop, as it is translated in many translations. But notice here in 1 Timothy 3 and verse 1, it says, it is a faithful saying, if a man desires the position of a bishop or overseer, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach. And then verses 3 through 7 give the rest of his qualifications. But what I want you to see is what we find there in verse 2. In verse 2, it tells us that an overseer, a bishop, and that is the same office as pastor or elder, he is to be, quote, the husband of one wife. He is to be a one-woman man. The literal language in the Greek is the man of one woman, and it is very clear. It's a man who has one wife. Now, certainly this prohibits polygamy, is not to have more than one wife. And it certainly teaches the idea of fidelity, that is, he is to be committed to that one wife as a one-wife man. Both of those things are present here. But the thing that we want to note as it relates to male hierarchy and headship is that it must be a man for the office of elder. Now this is seen also, look with me, turn over to Titus chapter 1, the same exact qualification now in Titus it's found the qualifications of elders is found in verses five through nine you say well how do we know that bishop or overseer and elder are the same office well one of the reasons we know that is because when we read here in Titus chapter one we see that those same qualifications as is found in first timothy three referring to bishop or overseer repeated, but now Paul calls the office the office of elder. Notice verse 5 of Titus 1, For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you. Verse 6, If a man is blameless, and then here again you have the phrase, the husband of one wife, the man of one woman. So it is very clear from these statements that the office of elder, bishop, pastor, overseer, whatever term you use, shepherd, these are the places of appointment that are reserved for men only. Now, turn with me in your Bibles, if you will, back to Ephesians, Ephesians chapter four. We've been in Ephesians, so turn back to chapter four. We see here that the New Testament requires that an elder be a man. Secondly, we see that the New Testament requires that an elder be able to teach which is the task reserved for men in the public assembly. The task of teaching is explicitly for men in the gathered assembly. In fact, we see here in Ephesians 4 and verse 11 that the very office is connected intimately and inextricably with the idea of teaching. Ephesians 4 and verse 11, and it says here, he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and, and notice the last phrase, pastors and teachers. Now, in the Greek New Testament, these two terms are linked together. your Bible might actually translate it as pastor-teachers because that's the meaning of this statement. It isn't that you have the office of pastor and then you have another office called teacher. No, this is referring to pastor-teachers. Teachers are to be pastors. That is their primary goal and their purpose and their responsibility to be, as we said, grazing the flock, feeding the flock with the Word of Almighty God. Pastor-teachers. Turn back now with me the place we were just a moment ago, back in 1st Timothy chapter 3, just comparing Scripture with Scripture. And we see here in 1st Timothy 3, again this office of elder, it requires that they be teachers, that they be apt to teach. And so we read 1 Timothy 3 and verse 2, it says, a bishop then, or an overseer, must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, and then notice the last phrase, able to teach. If a man is not apt to teach, then he is not qualified to be an elder, because that is the primary duty and responsibility of the elder. His week is to be filled with the responsibility of preparing to teach. There are many things that churches call pastors to do. The pastor's primary responsibility is not to see to the sick or visit the shut-ins or do all of these thousands of things that could take up multiple hours in his schedule. And while those are valid ministries and those things ought to be covered, the primary responsibility of the pastor is to be feeding the flock. Amen? This is their duty. This is the non-negotiable. They are to be apt to teach. Now, look with me here in 1 Timothy, turn over to chapter five. 1 Timothy chapter five, you see this emphasis of the priority of teaching. And it says in 1 Timothy five, verses 17 and 18, here about honoring elders. And Paul says, 1 Timothy 5.17, let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of a double honor. And that, of course, has to do not only with a very high respect for them, but for the financial compensation which would be commensurate with the highest paid people in the congregation relative to that idea. They're to be worthy of a double honor. They're to be well taken care of. Notice verse 17, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. That's their responsibility, to be teaching, to be laboring in the word and in doctrine. And if there was ever any question about what does that double honor have to do with, look at verse 18. For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle the ox while it treads out the grain, and the laborer is worthy of his wages. So here we see again, that this is the duty of the elder, the pastor, the overseer. They are to be laboring in the word and in doctrine. That's their primary responsibility. This we could look at many other places. We could turn back to Titus chapter one. There again, we see that responsibility of being able to teach. You say, Pastor, what does this have to do with the idea of male headship and male hierarchy in the church? Well, still in 1 Timothy, look with me please over in chapter 2. In chapter 2, verses 8 through 15, we see here this statement where Paul talks about men and women in the church. 1 Timothy 2 and verse 8, I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting, in like manner also that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing. but which is proper for women professing godliness with good works. Let a woman, verse 11, learn in silence with all subjection or submission. And, verse 12, I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression. Nevertheless, she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness with self-control. You see here that we've already established that elders are required to be apt to teach. And their primary responsibility is to be teaching. And they're worthy of a double honor if they give themselves as their primary responsibility to the word and doctrine. And yet, Paul says in this same letter that the women, verse 12, they are prohibited. from teaching. And so therefore, by the very prohibition against teaching, women can't serve as elder. Elders must be apt to teach. Women are prohibited from teaching in the church. And of course, we note there in verse 13 and 14, why is it that women are not to have this place of teaching? Why is it that they are to be in all submission and silence? Well, it is verse 13, because Adam was created first. The idea of headship and authority. This goes all the way back to Genesis, what we've been talking about all along. Paul doesn't say, well, I say this because that's what all the people believe in my first century day. And so therefore, that's what we ought to do. No, he ties it to the doctrine of the natures and designs of women and men at creation. Men are to be in this place of responsibility because of that priority Adam was created first. And secondly, verse 14, Eve was deceived and not Adam. Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression. Again, both of these, they go back to their natures, how God has designed them, And it goes back to the created order. It's interesting that this idea of men only teaching, this was of course not something new in the first century world or in the New Testament. This was the practice in Old Testament Israel as well. In fact, turn with me in your Bibles and look with me please in Deuteronomy 33. Deuteronomy 33. Here you have this statement here to the Levites. We see that in Israel only the male Levites were allowed to teach God's people. And so in verse 8 it says, and of Levi he said, and you have this statement here of what was said to him. Notice looking down to verse 10 for the sake of time. They shall teach Jacob your judgments and Israel your law. They shall put incense before you. Now in verse 10, who is the they? Well, the they are the Levites, the priests, the male Levites. They are the ones to teach Israel. They are the ones to teach God's law to the people. restricted to male only. This is seen also, if you'll turn over to 2 Chronicles, just looking at a few examples real quickly. We've seen an example from the law. Let's look at an example from the history books of the Old Testament. In 2 Chronicles 35, in verse 3, 2 Chronicles 35, in verse 3, says, Then he said to the Levites, who taught all Israel, who were holy to the Lord, put the holy ark in the house which Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, built. It shall no longer be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people, Israel." 2 Chronicles 35 and verse 3. Notice the very beginning of this verse. It says, the Levites who taught all Israel, They were the ones with the responsibility to teach Israel. Turn with me one final place. We've looked at the law. We've looked at the history. Turn with me please to Malachi chapter two. We see it as it is proclaimed among the prophets as well. And we read in Malachi chapter two, it begins with his statement to all the priests. Verse one, and now all priests, This commandment is for you. And so, verses 2 through 7, you have this statement about what they are required to do. And notice, please, if you will, verse 6. It says, the law of truth was in his mouth and injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and equity and turned many away from iniquity. Verse seven, for the lips of a priest should keep knowledge and people should seek the law from his mouth. For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. So here again you see this idea. The priests, they had the responsibility to teach in the Old Testament. They were, in the language here, they were the messenger of the Lord of hosts, and they are the ones who should keep knowledge, and it is from their mouths that the people were to seek the word and the law of God. So, congregation, we would say that this is not unique to the New Testament. This was true of the Old Testament as well. We have said that the New Testament requires an elder be man, the husband of one wife. We have said that the New Testament requires that an elder be apt to teach, which is the task of men in the public assembly. Women are to remain silent in the public assembly. Number three, another way we see this male hierarchy and headship is that the New Testament connects the role of elder to that of a man as the head of his household. Let's go back to the New Testament and look with me please in First Timothy chapter three. 1 Timothy chapter 3. Now, we already have looked at this passage, but we didn't read these words, so now let's look at these words. 1 Timothy chapter 3, verses 4 and 5. Here, this requirement of an elder, an overseer, or a bishop, Verse four, one who rules his own house well, having his children in subjection with all reverence, for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God? Household management was connected with the management of the church. The elders manage the affairs of the church. And so a man who's not managing his own household, how can he manage the affairs of God's household? That is the church. If he does children, for example, who are disobedient, who are wicked, who are rebellious, a man's children can disqualify him from serving as an elder. His wife, if she is insubordinate, if she's a busybody, if she's a gossip, she can disqualify him from being in office. His house must be in order. He must have his wife and his children in order because if he can't do that, how in the world is he going to manage the affairs of the church? The man is the head of the household, 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 3. The head of woman is man. And so here again, you see that the assumption of verses 4 and 5 is that an elder is a man. He is a man who has his household in order. He is a man who manages his house in a way pleasing to God or he will not be able to do so in the office of elder. So we see here again, another connection reaffirming that elders must be men as heads of their houses. They must be very good heads of their houses. Now, look with me please here in 1 Timothy, look in chapter 2, and I want to point out another statement that shows us that elders are to be men. And it is this, the New Testament prohibits women from having authority over men, which automatically disqualifies women to the office of elder, because elder is an office of authority. And we read this a moment ago, but let's just look at it again. Chapter two, verse 12, and do not permit a woman to teach. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. So this idea here is that women are not to have authority over a man. And yet elders have authority over all of the members of the church, amen? And there is a false assumption sometimes that floats around that the elders have authority over the men but not the female members of the church. That is false. The women are responsible and accountable to submit to the teachings of the elders just as the men, amen? It's not just, well, the men, they are to submit, but the women, they can do whatever they wish. All of the members of the congregation are required to submit to the elders. Men can sin and men can come under church discipline for their sin. And women can sin and they can be put under church discipline for their sin. It's not just the men who are the sinners or who are accountable to submit to the elders. So if elders have the authority over all of the members of the assembly, women cannot hold authority over men in the assembly. So therefore, they cannot be elders of the assembly, because they are explicitly said to not have any authority over men. This, again, shows us that the office of elder is male only. So we have seen so far the New Testament requires that an elder be a man, the New Testament requires that they be apt to teach, which is a task given to the men, that they be the head of their household, which means they're a man, and it prohibits women from having authority over a man, so it must be men who are elders. Number five, another thing that we see about male headship in the church, and it is this. The New Testament requires that women must be silent in church, which disqualifies a woman from the office of elder. The Bible says women are to be silent in church. So there's no way they can serve as an elder in the church. That seems pretty obvious. This, of course, is exactly what we see here in 1 Timothy 2. Look there again at verse 11. Let the women learn in silence with all submission. There's that idea of the women being in submission to the elders. But they are to learn in Silence, they are not to speak. Notice, if you will, turn with me over to 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul speaks to this issue, and he does so with very striking language. 1 Corinthians 14, verses 33 through 35. 1 Corinthians 14, verse 33. Paul writes and he says, for God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. Verse 34, let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak. but they are to be submissive. There's that idea of submitting to the elders again. As the law also says, verse 35, and if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is shameful for women to speak in church. Here is a blanket prohibition of public speaking in the assembly. Well, if the office of elder has as its primary duty feeding the flock by teaching the Word of God, of giving themselves to the Word and doctrine, and women are to be silent in the church, then there's no way a woman can be an elder because the very office calls for that teaching and laboring in the word. This is pretty simple and straightforward, but congregation, we must realize there are many today that challenge all of this. And they say, no, that's not really, well, it can be interpreted different ways. It can mean different things. No, the Bible is sufficiently clear, amen? The office of elder is reserved to men that he is given to the church. Now, one place, and we don't have to take the time today to go into all of the things that people say, but there is a passage I wanna point out. If you're still in 1 Corinthians, turn back to chapter 11. 1 Corinthians 11 and verse five, Because you have this statement by Paul as it relates to head coverings. And we're not going to get into all the ins and outs about head coverings. But I do want to read this verse because usually feminists in the church will quote this verse to try to undermine what we've said today. Paul writes and he says, but every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. Here the statement of the Apostle Paul is that there are women praying and prophesying And he says they need to have their head covered or that would be shameful. Does this therefore justify that a woman can prophesy and pray in the church? Is that what Paul is saying here? Well, we would say absolutely not. That is not at all what he's dealing with here. We would say that this verse here is very likely, possibly, Paul is making a distinction between public and private prayer and prophecy. This idea here is qualified. She is to have her head covered whenever she prays or prophesies. But then when you get to 1 Corinthians 14, he makes a very emphatic statement, they're to be silent in the church when the assembly is gathered publicly. They're to be silent. And if they even have a question, they need to ask their husband whenever they get home. So that's the public assembly. So, yes, privately, perhaps, there's this idea of private worship, of praying or prophesying, and so, yes, her head is to be covered. So there's this public-private worship distinction that could be going on here. Secondly, it could be that Paul is bringing this up, but he is later going to condemn the whole practice when he gets to chapter 14. The idea here is that Paul mentions the practice of women publicly prophesying for the sake of argument, and then he waits until chapter 14 to completely condemn the practice altogether. That could very well be the case. Listen to what Robert L. Dabney said in his works, Discussions, Volume 2, page 98. He says, quote, the apostle is about to prepare the way for his categorical exclusion of women from public discourse. He does so by alluding to the intrusion which had probably begun along with many other disorders in the Corinthian churches. and by pointing to this obvious unnaturalness." That is, Dabney looked at this verse and he said, Paul is, of course, addressing a whole lot of errors that are going on in the church at Corinth. I mean, the book of 1 Corinthians is a list of all of the problems in that church. And this was another one. And he is going to deal with all of it very emphatically, exhaustively, when he gets to chapter 14 and says, they're to be silent in the public assembly. And so he's setting it up for that very blanketed, exhaustive statement. Listen to the words of John Calvin on this text here, verse 5 of 1 Corinthians 11. He says, quote, it may seem, however, to be superfluous for Paul to forbid a woman to prophesy with her head uncovered, while elsewhere he wholly prohibits women from speaking in the church, 1 Timothy 2.12. It would not therefore be allowable for them to prophesy even with a covering up on their head, and hence it follows that it is to no purpose that he argues here as to a covering. It may be implied that the apostle, by here condemning the one, does not commend the other. For when he reproves them for prophesying with their head uncovered, he at the same time does not give them permission to prophesy in some other way, but rather delays his condemnation of that vice to another passage. Namely, chapter 14. So that's that idea of he brings up this thing they're doing that's wrong, and then he condemns it completely in chapter 14. Listen to what Charles Hodge says in his commentary, and many of you are familiar with the name Charles Hodge, and he has an excellent commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians. He also takes this view of a delayed condemnation. He says of 1 Corinthians 11 5, it was Paul's matter to attend to one thing at a time. He is here speaking of the propriety of women speaking in public unveiled, and therefore he says nothing about the propriety of their speaking in public in itself. When that subject comes up, he addresses his judgment in the clearest terms. chapter 14, verse 34. In here, disapproving of the one says Calvin, he does not approve of the other. So Calvin and Charles Hodge, they're on the same page with this. He brings up another one of their errors, and then when he gets to chapter 14, he condemns the practice completely and totally and absolutely. Here, notice turning back to chapter 14, let's just read that again, because it is a very emphatic statement. Chapter 14 of 1 Corinthians, verse 34, let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak. but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is shameful for women to speak in church." A congregation, that's about as clear as you can find in the New Testament, amen? I mean, that is straightforward. There's no equivocation, there's no yeah, but, there's no well, well, there's these other, except, no. This is the clear statement. And so we always, by way of hermeneutics, we do what? We interpret the unclear with the clear. And right here, it doesn't get any clearer as to God's teaching instruction for the church. So congregation, whenever we think about male hierarchy and headship, We are asserting in our lessons, these sermons in the last few weeks, that male hierarchy, headship, rule, and authority is the will of God in the home, in the church, and in society. In the church, God has revealed His will on this matter, and it has not been made unclear. The office of elder is reserved to men. Elder is the office of leading and ruling and authority in the church, and only men can serve in that capacity. The New Testament explicitly declares that women must be silent in church. and be submissive in church. We've read all of those verses about their submission. If they have a question, they are to ask their husbands at home. Paul says that it is shameful for women to speak in church. Also, we see that the New Testament prohibits a woman from having authority over a man, 1 Timothy 2 and verse 12. prohibiting her to the office of elder and having any authority in the church. Why is this? Well, the New Testament reveals that it all goes back to creation. It goes back to that divine design that God did when He made the different natures of men and women at the very beginning. Congregation, this is not my opinion. That is the authoritative statement of the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy chapter 2. Amen? It's not just me sharing what I think about the matter. I'm just the messenger. I'm just allowing the Word of God to speak on the matter without any reservation, hesitation, or trying to kind of hone off the rough edges. We want the Word of God with all the rough edges. Amen? And God has said here that as it relates to this issue, God has designed men and women differently. He has given them different callings. They are equally honorable and dignified, and they are both created in the image of God, but they are not to have the same roles in the church, in the home, or in society. And the reason is not cultural. The reason is creational at the very beginning. Congregation, as we conclude, let us consider three lines of application. First of all, let us rejoice in the clarity of Scripture. Isn't it a wonderful thing that the Scriptures are crystal clear? Amen? We need that clarity because the devil is running around and he is the author of confusion. And he whispers in people's ears, hath God really said that elders are to be male only? Hath God really said that there to have authority in the church. That's the very nature of the devil. That's what the devil does. And so let us rejoice that God has given us a clear revelation that we can turn to and embrace without any equivocation whatsoever. Secondly, let us repent of any worldly thinking that can so easily creep into our hearts on these subjects. I realize that we have lived in a culture that for the last hundred years has been roasting and baking in all out feminism. And so it is inevitable because of the very nature that we're in this country and in this culture That the assumptions and belief systems of our Christless culture can make subtle inroads into our thinking. And our assumptions can be guided by a Christless culture. Let us take to heart the words of the Apostle Paul, Romans 12 and verse 2, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. Let us not be conformed, congregation. Let us be transformed. Amen? And that transformation is through the acquaintance and reception of that revelation of the word of almighty God. Thirdly, not only let us rejoice in the clarity of scripture, repent of our worldly thinking, but let us resolve that we will allow King Jesus and his will to rule and regulate our homes, the church, and society. The Word of God is clear, and He has called us to follow King Jesus. Let Him be our sovereign. Not the opinions of men, not the suggestions of Satan, not the assumptions of the effeminates, but let us follow King Jesus. And let us say, we will have Christ ruling in His church. We will have Christ ruling in our homes. And by the grace of God, we will see increasingly Christ ruling in this world as we testify to the good news of Jesus Christ. May that be our prayer. May that be our desire. And my friend, if Christ is not king in your own life, then the call to you is a call to turn and trust in Jesus Christ. Receive him. and he will become the king ruling over you. Let's bow together in prayer. Oh Father, we thank you that you have given us a clear word of scripture. And we, oh God, rejoice in this day of lies and deception and false teaching that your word is crystal clear. Help us, Father, that we would seek to follow it and allow you to rule and regulate in all spheres of our existence. May our desire be that we simply want to bow our knee and bend our will to what your Word has declared that is true. Father, it is our prayer that you would Help us that we would turn and repent of any worldly thinking that may have crept into our hearts on these subjects, and that we would, as your people, turn and trust in your eternal, everlasting word. Lord, I pray that you would draw sinners to yourself, that they would find Christ as their Savior, that they would know the wonder of that liberation, that forgiveness, that can be found only in Jesus Christ. Oh God, grant this according to your sovereign pleasure and for the glory of your name. And we pray this all in Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Let's all stand together now as we prepare to be dismissed. Again, with the words of Holy Scripture, the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. And all of God's people said, amen, amen.