All right. Well, I was glad that I preached the book of Lamentations, but I'm glad to be on to a different subject, amen? I preached five chapters of Lamentations, but it was an encouragement to me. I pray it's good to look at new things or look at things in a different way sometimes. The Lord's been burdening me for this series of messages that I'll be preaching on Wednesday night for a while. And I want to talk about women in the Bible. It's just a subject that the Lord's put on my heart. And I was trying to think of my motivations. I don't know. I have a mom. I have a wife. And I have three daughters and two daughters-in-law, amen? That ought to be enough reason, amen? I'll give you the best reason, because they're in the Word of God. And so we're going to look at that here tonight. I want you to go to a verse of Scripture. Be quite honest with you. I think a lot of times we don't, you know, we're supposed to preach the whole counsel of God. And sometimes there are portions of Scripture that are inconvenient, and sometimes they're hard to understand where they are. And that's what we're going to look at here tonight is 1 Corinthians 11. 1 Corinthians 11. Verses 1 through 16. I'll be quite honest with you, we preach from this chapter quite often, but most often we take and we preach from this chapter, verses 17 and following, talking about the Lord's Supper. And verses 1 through 16, if we're gonna be honest, we usually use it to teach that men shouldn't wear long hair. And to be quite honest with you, I've used that verse the most out of the Bible there, that it's a shame for a man to have long hair. Amen? And so we're going to see what that means here in this context. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 11, verse 1, the Bible says, even as I also am of Christ." Is he trying to be a leader here? Is he suggesting that he's doing it the right way and they aren't? Okay. And so he said, and be followers of me. He says, and I already praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things. Can you all say the next part with me? And keep the ordinances as I deliver them unto you. Now, folks, he talks about ordinances here and then he immediately starts talking about men and women and families and long hair. And so, you say, well, ordinances. And then, of course, in the second part of that, he's talking about the Lord's Supper. Now, we acknowledge, we recognize that the Lord's Supper is an ordinance, is it not? Amen? The two ordinances of the churches are the Lord's Baptism, Believer's Baptism, by the way. Amen? and then the Lord's Supper. And so quite often we do come to this portion of scripture, but even in verse two here it tells you that the whole chapter is about ordinances. We'll see what that means here in a little bit. He said, but I would have you to know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoreth his head, But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoreth her head, for that is even all one as if she were shaven." Meaning they would shave prostitutes to shame them, to identify them as prostitutes. And so if the Bible talks about a woman having a shaved head, she's equating herself with that shameful position. Y'all understand that? Is this a hard message tonight, amen? Okay, so we're all... That's what that means, verse six. Verse seven, it says, for a man indeed ought not to cover his head for as much as he is the image and the glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman, but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. Nevertheless, neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man in the Lord. It says, for as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman, but all things of God. Judging yourself, is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? Doth not even nature itself teach you that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her. for her hair is given for a covering. But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God." Let's pray. Father, we love you. We thank you for the privilege to open your Word tonight. And Lord, this could be a difficult subject. It ought not be, but it could be. But Father, we just pray that we would preach your Bible true. Father, that your Holy Spirit would give us understanding. And Father, that you would help encourage us and strengthen us because of the topic of this week and those following. Father, forgive us for our sins. And Father, please be with those who are apart from us. Father, do continue to keep us healthy. And Father, help us to continue to serve you for your glory and for your honor and for your praise. Father, we ask this now in Jesus' precious name, amen. All right. I've said this already, but let me say it again. It says, if you were to have a quick review of this chapter, you would report that we use it to teach men should not have long hair and the proper way to celebrate the Lord's Supper. However, the text tells us it is about keeping the ordinances. That's what the context is in verse 2 there. It says it's about keeping ordinances, okay? Now, obviously, we don't have an ordinance for how long your hair should be, all right? I mean, when we think about the Lord's Supper and we think about baptism, those are ordinances that we usually talk about. So what does it mean? It literally means the order of things, okay? He has taken these laid things out here. In verse 2 again, it says, I know, praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep thee, say it? the ordinances, okay? Well, ordinances here in this context literally means this, the transmission of precepts or the transmission of God's Word. Literally this, He has preached them the gospel. He has preached them the truth. He's preached them how they should practice the faith. Y'all understand that? And so when He's talking about ordinances here, He's talking about that which He has transmitted unto them, the precepts or the truths that He has taught unto them. And so I've committed these truths unto you. And he's saying, I wish you would follow me as I follow Christ. He's saying, I'm trying to be an exemplar of these things. I'm trying to show you the way to follow the path of God. And so the things that I've delivered unto you, I wish that you would follow me in them. Not only he says that they were ordinances, but they were delivered. Do you realize this? In business school, they teach this a lot. If you have a business degree, you get this in about every other class. But by and large, in business, if you're an employee of a business or an officer of a business, you have a fiduciary responsibility. Meaning this, is that your employers need to be able to trust you to do your job and not steal from the company. Y'all understand that? And so God is saying this, you have been entrusted with these truths. You've been entrusted with the Word of God. You've been entrusted on how you should behave yourselves, on the things that you should believe, amen? And can I just tell you this? If they've been trusted to us, the whole job for us is then to pass them on to a next generation whereby they can be entrusted with those things. Can we be transparent for a minute? Any of y'all worry about the next generation keeping that which we've been entrusted with? I will tell you this, the generation that preceded us probably worried about the same thing. And we know this, that in us and through us, there is no good thing, we're not trustworthy, but I tell you what, we got a great God that can do great things through people, amen? And so I just want you to see this, God says this, look, I've trusted you with this book. I want you to be faithful with this book. I want you to pass this book down to your children and their children's children, amen? And how many of y'all are encouraged by the promise that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church until the Lord comes again? He says, that's gonna happen if you keep passing down these principles. I'm following God, you follow me, they'll follow you, follow you, follow you, follow you, you all understand? And so if you will, the order of things is talking about ordinances, precepts that they've been entrusted with and committed to their care. And now I wanna ask you a question, I want you to be honest with me, okay? But if I were to ask you to tell me about women in the Bible, What would most people say that we believe as good Bible-believing Baptists? Nothing, nobody's gonna say anything. Now, I'm up here preaching with courage here. You guys gotta answer with courage, amen? Okay. How about anybody? They know that women are to submit. Very good. What are women supposed to do in church? They're supposed to keep silence. That's why nobody's answering these questions. Man, speak up. No, I'm just joking. I want you to turn there, because I want you to see it. Go to 1 Timothy chapter two. If you were to ask people, especially people of a conservative stripe, I know women who have been terrified to speak in church because of these verses, and I think that we're supposed to We're supposed to rightly divide the word of truth, are we not? It doesn't mean women aren't supposed to use their voice boxes in church. Everybody understand that? Notice what it says here in 1 Timothy 2, look at verse nine. The Bible says, in like manner also, the women adore themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with broided hair or gold or pearls or costly array. but which becometh women professing godliness with good works. Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor assert authority over the man, but to be in silence. And Adam was first formed, then Eve, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was into transgression. And so a lot of times people take and they look that, and I'm not saying churches, now there have been churches that have treated women as second-class citizens because they take these and they apply them literally, and they can say, women, don't you say anything, men are in charge around here, if you wanna learn something, go home and ask your husband, amen. But can I just tell you this? I think women have far more to contribute in the world than to just sit in church and not talk. Amen. And so if you will, I want to talk about two things here when it comes to women here. Now the Bible does say that they're supposed to be in submission. They're supposed to be in subjection to their husbands. And they should be in submission unto God. They should be submission into church, okay, having said all that. By the way, anytime I ever do a wedding, anytime somebody asks me, I have a couple things that They're either in the wedding, or they get another preacher to do the wedding. You guys know what I'm talking about? And one of the things I do is I ask them about the vows. And I say, I promise to honor, cherish, obey, blah, blah, blah, blah. And the woman has to say, and to submit to my husband. OK? And if the woman says, I'm not saying that, I say, well, you get yourself another preacher. And it's not because I'm trying to take and to diminish the importance of the role of the woman. It's because that's what the Bible says the woman should take a vow about. Y'all understand that? I'm just trying to take and keep the word of God, okay? Now, I wanna talk about, when it comes to men and women, the first thing I wanna talk about is the equality of men and women, okay? The equality of men and women. So to do that, let's start off in Deuteronomy chapter six, if you will. Deuteronomy chapter six. Isn't it amazing how often we have to go back to Genesis to Deuteronomy somewhere? At the beginning of a sermon. Okay? But when it comes to God, is God unified? Come on, is the Godhead equal? Okay, that's the word I want to ask. The Bible says, here, O Israel, the Lord our God is... Come on, say it. The Lord our God is... So how many gods do we have? One. And yet he manifests himself as God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that in 1 John 5 and verse 7, okay? God the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. The Word is Jesus Christ, of course, God the Son. Go to John 10, look at verse 30. John 10 and verse 30. And the Bible says this when it comes to God the Father and God the Son, he says, I and my Father are, what does the Bible say? Is God the Father and God the Son equal? Okay, very good. Go to Matthew chapter 28. Matthew chapter 28. And look at verse 19. The Bible tells us when we go into all the world, we're supposed to go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of God. It doesn't say that, does it? The Bible says we're supposed to baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. And so these three are one. These three are equal. God the Father is equal to God the Son. God the Son is equal to God the Holy Spirit. These three are one. You all understand that? Now what happens when a husband and wife get married? They become what? One flesh. Isn't that interesting? Okay, just something to think about. We'll get to that more here in a minute. And so we see when it comes to God, there are three persons in the Godhead, but they are all equal. Okay, they were all equal. So when it comes to mankind, are men and women equal? I had to stop just to see if anybody would amen. Amen? Are men and women equal? Okay, well hopefully we'll have more rousing ovation, not ovation, you know what I mean. Genesis chapter one, we'll see something here. Men and women equal. Do words mean things? And we're supposed to rightly divide the word of truth, okay? And so the Bible says in Genesis chapter one, look at verse 26. And the Bible says, now by the way, read this carefully. Remember on Sunday when I said that Jesus turned himself around, and you wanna think it was the centurion. No, the centurion's still in his house. Jesus turned himself around. Was it important to pay attention to the context to know who turned around? Okay, it's the same thing in here. So pay attention very closely here, verse 26. And God said, let us make, come on, say it with me. Can I let us make? By the way, when it says let us, how many gods are there? And why does it say us? Because even back then, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Amen. Okay, by the way, all three were active in creation. All three take credit for creation. Amen. The Bible says, let us make man after our image, after our likeness, and let them Let's say that again. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the catter, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, and in the image of God created he him. Can you all say the next part with me? Male and female created he. You might want to stop and pause and see law and meditate on that one for a second, folks. Because when God created man, he created mankind, and he always intended for the woman to be created. The Bible says when he created man, he created them male and what? Clearly equal. Come on now. clearly equal. And the Bible says further here, it says, He created them male and female. Created He them, and God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And so we see, oh, two more verses. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb-bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree which is in the fruit, is the fruit of the tree yielding seed. To you it shall be for meat. To every beast of the earth and every fowl there and to everything that creepeth upon the earth wherein is life, I have given every herb for meat." And it was so, folks, what he said is this, I've given you stewardship over all of this. And by the way, He gave it to mankind, and mankind He created male and female. Y'all with me? And so we see, if you will, when it comes to mankind, mankind is men and women, male and female, okay? Go to Genesis 2, look at verse 7. The Bible says in God's form, "...man of the dust of the ground, who breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." Notice how he uses the word man and mankind interchangeably, okay? Because, if you will, not only was Adam man, but Adam was mankind. Let me ask you this, was Eve in Adam when he was created? He had to be because God reached in, took a rib, and turned it into a woman. You all understand that? And I was doing a study on this a little bit, and one of the commentators said this. It was very good to me. Eve is the only being in creation that was not made from matter, but was made from living flesh. I mean, you're going to see here in a little bit that God has a high priority and a high value for women in his Bible. Amen. And so go to look at verse 18. Verse 18, the Bible says, and the Lord God says, it is not good that man should be alone, and I will make and help meet for him. A lot of times people just say help meet, help meet for him. We laugh about this a little bit in our family. Have you guys ever taken those different personality tests? The first one I ever took was lion, otter, beaver, golden retriever. And you guys, you ever took that one? Yeah. And I was a lion, my wife's a beaver. By the way, it works out good because I'm a leader and she's a worker. By the way, sometimes leaders aren't the best workers. Okay, I thought that would hit more. My whole point is this, is we're well-matched. We're well-mated. Where I'm strong, she's weak. And where she's strong, I'm weak. And I gotta tell you, I couldn't do all that I do without my wife. Amen, amen. She's in the nursery. Did you hear that, hon? I just said. Amen. Go, if you will, now to verse 21. In verse 21, the Bible says this. It says, and the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept. And he took one of his ribs, and he closed up the flesh thereof. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man made he a woman, and he brought her unto the man." By the way, how long did it take for this to happen? Folks, maybe I read over it already, or we're going to read it here in a second. Folks, the Bible says the day he created them. This happened on the first day, folks. This is on the sixth day. You all understand that? The Bible says here that, it says, he ribbed the Lord God had taken from the man, he made a woman and he brought her unto the man. And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, and she shall be called woman because she was, say the next part with me, was taken out of man. Now folks, think about this, Adam representing all of mankind, and God says he needs a help that's meat for him. perfectly matched. And God said, I'm going to take a rib out. I'm going to fashion a war man, taken out of man. That's what war man means, taken out of man. Folks, get a hold of this. If it's taken out, it's necessary. Now, I don't want to make a little joke here. I was looking the other day. Some people have been posting pictures and sending them to me. I'm not real big on preacher pictures where the preacher's like this. But people have caught me a couple times in a couple of those poses. That's kind of funny. But anyhow, why did I tell you that? Why did I tell you that? Huh? Necessary. Yes, thank you very much. Yes. Taken out. Oh, that's what it was. It's my finger. That was one of the pictures. Are you all with me again? OK. Folks, I can live without the tip of my finger. But I'll tell you this, I'd like to have it back. Now I want you to think about this, when it come to mankind, when it came to Adam, God took something out of him that he has only fully completed when they become one flesh. You guys see it? And so God is teaching us here the value, if you will, of the woman. Go to Genesis chapter three, look at verse 20. In Genesis chapter three and verse 20, And Adam called his wife Eve because she was the mother of all living. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins and clothe them. And the Lord God said, behold, the man has become as one of us to know good and evil. And now lest he put forth his hand and take of the tree of life and eat and live forever. Therefore, the Lord sent him forth from the garden to till the ground from whence he was taken." Folks, have you noticed this? How many of y'all know that Eve got thrown out too? but it just keeps talking about Adam, Adam, Adam, the man, the man, the man. But folks, the thing we need to get our mind around is that when God looked at Adam and Eve, He was looking at the man. Y'all understand that? I'm not saying Eve was a man. Did I lose you? Okay, it's very important that we see the equality of men and women. But then the Bible talks about submission. Well, let's talk about that thing. Please go to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians 15, look at verse 24. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 24. The Bible says, then come at the end when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the, so this is talking about Jesus gonna turn the kingdom over to God the Father. And when he shall have put down all rule and authority and power, he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet, and the last enemy that should be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet, but when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is accepted, which did put all things under him." Okay, meaning God the Father, okay? He says, and when all things shall be subdued unto him, Jesus, then also shall the Son also himself the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all." Folks, are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, are they equal? But the Bible says that they have a relationship within that Godhead whereby the Son is submissive to the Father. I wanna say amen and we'll move on. Does that make sense? The Bible says the son is submissive to the father. Go to John chapter 14, look at verse 28. John chapter 14, verse 28. The Bible says this, it says, how I said unto you, I go away and come again unto you. If you love me, you would rejoice because I said, I go unto the Father, say it with me, for my Father is greater than I. Now please take this the right way, but the Bible says there's none under heaven among men whereby we must be saved. You realize there's no greater name in all the universe than the name of Jesus Christ. And the Bible says he is submissive to God the Father. And folks, I think that ought to show us something here that by being submissive doesn't make you any less of a person. Amen. It's just a role that God has created in the Godhead and it's a role that God has created in mankind, okay? And so we see when it comes to submission, even the son is submissive to the father. And by the way, the Holy Spirit is sent by the father and the son, okay? And so in a sense, he's submissive to both. And so when you think of man, okay, go back to 1 Corinthians 11. 1 Corinthians 11. And look at verse seven. The Bible says, for a man indeed ought not to cover his head for as much as he is the image and the glory of God, But the woman is the glory of the man. And then it starts talking about hair. But the hair is a picture of the relationship that you have. And the Bible says you ought not cover your head. Can you all please look at what the hair covering for the woman is given for? What's it say? Her glory. Well, folks, what are you going to do with your crown when you get it? You're going to throw it at Jesus' feet. How many of y'all are going to wear a crown when you're in Jesus' presence? Get a hold of this. What that's teaching right there is he says, man, your crown is God. Don't wear a crown because putting anything else on would be a shame to God. Got it? And women? You are the crown of the man, and your hair is a symbol of that glory. Folks, that's what the word glory there means. It essentially means a crowning achievement, okay? And so, what was the very last thing that God created after six days of creation? What was the very last thing he created? Man. What was the very last thing he created? Man, how many of y'all think you save your best for last? That's exactly what God did. And his crowning achievement, he said, I made man to be in charge of the garden, amen? My crowning achievement, look what I did there, amen? But then the Bible says God put him in a deep sleep, he removed that rib, and he turned it into woman, and he says, now there's your crown of glory, look what you just made. Folks, get a hold of this. God is saying from the beginning the value of a woman. The hair is a wonderful picture of the glory of mankind is the woman. Do you all understand that? The glory of God's creation is the man, and the glory of man is the woman. woman. Do y'all see it? And folks, anytime somebody takes and diminishes femininity or womanhood or anything like that, they don't understand how important a picture it paints when it comes to how God has created us and made us. Amen? He made us to be equal. But even in that equality, there is a certain submission. God first, then the man, And then the woman, and by the way, the Bible says she fell and was deceived and everything like that. That's not why she's in submission. Okay, we'll see that. Why? Well, I tell you why. Because you can't have two people in charge, not even in the Godhead. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Have you ever noticed we very seldom, if ever, I can't imagine anybody saying this, God the Holy Spirit, God the Son, God the Father. We would never say it like that, would we? Because it wouldn't be proper to put it in that order. It's God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. And when it comes to the home and when it comes to humanity, it is God, it is man, and it is woman. Is there anything diminishing about that? Well, ask the Holy Spirit, because He's still God. Y'all understand that? And so women, if you wanna take and feel put upon or have society make you feel like you're less than you are, you gotta say, no, no, no. Listen, I might be in a submissive place, but we're all equal in the eyes of God. We're all equal in His creation, okay? And so we see that, if you will. We see the order of things. The second thing I wanna talk about is the importance of a woman's contribution. Go to Proverbs chapter 31. No doubt we'll come across this a number of times. Anybody know who wrote Proverbs chapter 31? Well, Solomon wrote it, but who did he learn it from? Solomon's mom. And lest you don't believe that, let's just read what Solomon said, okay? In verse 1 of chapter 31, the Bible says, the words of King Lemuel, by the way, Solomon is Lemuel, all right? It says, the prophecy that his mother taught him. Who's Solomon's mom? What do you think of when you think of Bathsheba? Talk to me, please. An adulteress. It's not what Solomon thought of her. I get chills thinking about that. You know, I don't think he, I'm sure they didn't talk about it around the table. By the way, son, you know how your mom and I came together? No, I'm sure that wasn't a big deal. Folks, listen to me now. Anybody here without sin? Anybody here without a past? How many of y'all are glad that God not only forgives, but he forgets? And a God who can't forget still chooses to forget. Next time somebody says, well, I can forgive him, but I can't forget. Well, that's a choice you've made. That's a choice you've made. Because if God, who can't forget anything, can forget our sins, then I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me. And folks, I just want you to meditate on that for a second here. I don't want to blaze through that. But Solomon's talking about his mom. I don't know if he was a fighter. I don't think he was. I think his daddy was the fighter. But how many of y'all think he let anybody say anything bad about his mama? He had the highest regard for her. How do I know that? Read verses 11 to the end. He had the highest regard for his mother, okay? Notice first off what he says here in verse one. He said, Mom taught me this, okay? My mom taught me these things I'm about to tell you. I'm trusting that you know a little bit about Proverbs chapter 31. It's the chapter that talks about a virtuous woman, amen? Can I just say this? I think Solomon thought his mom was a virtuous woman. Say that again. Solomon thought his mom was a virtuous woman. By the way, if we can forget our past, we can be virtuous too, if God can forgive us. And by the way, God can forgive us. Aren't you glad we can put it in the past? Amen, all right. So, mom taught me this. Know what he says in verse two? Look at it, please, just read it for yourself. I'll tell you how I paraphrase verse two. I should have listened. Verse two, the Bible says this, it says, what my son, and what the son of my womb, and what the son of my vows, give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. How many of y'all think he wish he would listen to his mama? Because he violated that counsel 999 times. Amen. Who is wiser, Solomon or his mom? Just asking. Amen. Look at verse 10 to 31. He says, let me tell you about my mom. And in verse 10, the Bible says this, he says, he says, who can find a virtuous woman for her price is far above rubies. And he goes through that list and he talks about how hard she worked and what good character that she had and how that she was praised in the gates of the city. And listen, I'm just telling you, he had nothing but great things to say about his mom. Folks, Solomon was the most powerful king in the world. He might have been the richest king of all time. And when Bathsheba came into his presence, he bowed the knee and worshiped her." That is not figurative language. If I could remember the verse, that's a fact. Whenever she came into his presence, he bowed down to her. Can I just tell you this? If women are to be viewed as chattel property, and mistreated and told to keep silence in the church, then the wisest man on earth didn't understand what he was talking about. I just don't think women are supposed to be treated like that. Amen. And so we see here, I've already asked this, so let me move on. Let me give you the verse for what I just talked about though. Go to Philippians chapter three, Philippians chapter three. Aren't you glad for Solomon's selective memory here? You know what he's saying in that verse? He said, my mom's my hero. That's what he said in that verse, or that chapter. Aren't you thankful for grace, forgiveness, and forgetfulness? I want you to see how that we should live our lives. I think it's important for us to note this before we move on. Philippians chapter 3, look at verse 8. Bible says this, it says, unto me who am less than the least of all saints is this grace given that I may preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. By the way, he said that he was one of the most wicked sinners. Why? Because he had persecuted the church. Y'all understand that? But he said grace had been given unto him. How many of y'all have received grace from God? Listen, I got the grace of salvation. I got the grace of forgiveness of sins. The Bible says, if I'll confess my sins, He's faithful and just to forgive my sins and cleanse me from what? All unrighteousness. How many of y'all are receptors of God's grace, not only in the past, but every day? Amen. And God says, knowing that, if you know this passage of Scripture, He says, I was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, circumcised the eighth day. I count all this but done, okay? He says, I just want you to know I've been a recipient of grace. And skip down to verse 13 for sake of time. He says, wherefore I desire that you faint not at my tribulations. That's not the right word. I waved my arm and my page turned. Please forgive me. Brethren, I count myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Christian, can I encourage you, let your past be your past, and let your focus be heaven, amen. You know what, I think that's exactly what Bathsheba did. I think Bathsheba took and she said, my past is my past, that's who I was. God's forgiven me for that. And I'm just gonna, for the rest of my days, be the best mom, best queen, the best virtuous woman that I can be. You know what I think? I think she pulled it off pretty good. I think she pulled it off pretty good. We see here, women in the Bible, we see the order of things. Men and women are equal, but women are to be in submission. By the way, men, you're supposed to be in submission to God. Amen. We talked about the importance of the woman's contribution. Listen, the greatest king in Israel, at least as far as riches and splendor, took and said, my mom is the one who gave me some good advice, I should have followed it. And then, I want you to think about God's faithfulness to give them their place, okay? Now, in the world that we live in, what is it, every March, we make sure to give all the moms a flower. We celebrate Mother's Day. Can I just tell you this? There are a lot of ways for women to make a contribution in this world. And motherhood is one of them, amen? But let's be honest. Who usually gets most of the credit for getting things done or things that get done? Nobody wants to say anything. Men or women, folks? And how often, I mean, how often do a husband and wife work really hard and everybody will thank the husband for getting it done? And you think about that. God is not unfaithful to remember what people have done for him. And where would you like to end up if you could end up there? How about the Hall of Fame of Faith, Hebrews chapter 11? and it's filled full of men, right? Well, no. Sarah's in there. Verse 11, I think it is. Who? Rahab is in there. There's going to be one you're going to have trouble remembering. Who? Deborah's not in there as far as I know. Is she in there? Look, if she is, I've missed her. That's my fault. There's another one in there. It's not by name, though. You guys know who Jacobet is? who's Moses' mom. And by the way, Miriam would also be in there also. And folks, of all those men and women in the Hall of Fame of Faith, do you realize the Bible says, for without faith it is impossible to please God, and God used four women to tell us what faith was. Praise God. Amen. And so God does not want to not appreciate, if you will, go, if you will, just so you can see it. Well, I'm running out of time. Go to Micah chapter six and verse four. I just want you to see this. Micah chapter six and verse four. Who led the children of Israel out of the wilderness? Say it loud. Who led the children of Israel out of the wilderness? Moses. Okay. Well, y'all didn't back me up on my point a minute ago, so I thought I'd show you this. Amen. The Bible says, for I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt and redeemed thee out of the house of the servants. And I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Miriam. Folks, aren't you glad that God knows the value of women, amen? We see here the order of things, the importance of woman's contribution. We see God's faithfulness to give them their place. And then, I just want to hit this and I'll be done, but God uses much figurative language in the Bible to explain things to us. And he talks about virtues and values that are only truly understood by femininity and womanhood, okay? We'll touch on this here in a little bit because I got way too much information. I don't want to throw it out. Do you realize that he teaches us about chastity by talking about virginity in the Bible? Talks about the virgins, usually he's talking about women there. Talks about wives, he talks about mothers, he talks about sisters. Come on now, amen? And he's using these metaphors to help shape our understanding of the importance of women in the family, in the nation, in society, and I'm gonna say it, in the church. Amen. Folks, we need to be thankful for our ladies, amen? And I'm glad, I'm glad. We're gonna take, we're gonna look at different people in the faith. We'll certainly get to Deborah, amen? If you guys can explain Deborah to me, it'll be easy. Help me out, amen? Because Deborah's a difficult one. But let's all stand if you would, all stand.