Conduct of Women in the House of God

In this part of the sermon: Martin expounds 1 Timothy 2:11, stating that a woman's duty in the house of God is to learn. He emphasizes the manner of this learning: 'in quietness' (defined as the opposite of…

Illustrates 'quietness' (Acts 11:1-18) as the cessation of heated verbal contention when Peter explained God's work among the Gentiles, showing a posture of silence and submission to truth.

Verse 1 says, The apostles and brethren that were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had received the word of God. That is, Cornelius and his household have received the word. Well, the apostles and brethren in Judea, in the area where you had Jewish Christians, heard of this marvelous event. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, saying, You went into men uncircumcised, and you ate with them.

13:16 - 13:47 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin expounds 1 Timothy 2:11, stating that a woman's duty in the house of God is to learn. He emphasizes the manner of this learning: 'in quietness' (defined as the opposite of…

Illustrates 'quietness' (Acts 22:2) as the intensified silence of a mob when Paul spoke in Hebrew, demonstrating a cessation of noise and verbal aggression.

for his mighty work of grace. Well, in its form as we find it here, it's the same word used in Acts chapter 22 and verse 2. And here again, it's a very helpful illustration of its meaning. At the end of Acts chapter 21,

14:56 - 15:17 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin expounds 1 Timothy 2:11, stating that a woman's duty in the house of God is to learn. He emphasizes the manner of this learning: 'in quietness' (defined as the opposite of…

Martin uses the example of teaching at the academy, where sufficient volume is an 'unforgivable sin' if absent, to highlight the impossibility of teaching in 'quietness' and thus reinforce the meaning of the word.

Now it's very difficult to teach in quietness. One of the unforgivable sins among the men at the academy is we forgive a lot of things, but I tell them if you don't speak with sufficient volume so as to be heard, that's an unforgivable sin.

17:18 - 17:34 Read in full sermon

Driving home: That is, the spirit of submissiveness is to permeate her entire attitude to the God-ordained structure in the house of God.

Illustrates the difference between external compliance and 'all submissiveness' by telling the story of a Quaker child who 'sitteth on the outside but standeth on the inside,' showing a lack of true heart submission.

You see, she is not simply to learn in quietness like the little Quaker child who, upon being reminded by his mother in the Quaker meeting that he should say sit and not stand in the pew said, Mother, me sitteth on the outside but me standeth on the inside.

23:14 - 23:37 Read in full sermon

Driving home: That is, the spirit of submissiveness is to permeate her entire attitude to the God-ordained structure in the house of God.

Martin shares an anecdote about his own children trying to keep the letter of a new house rule (no standing on chairs) while breaking its spirit (kneeling or putting things under their feet), further illustrating the concept of external versus internal submission.

And the little Quaker child was saying, I'm doing what you say but not with all submissiveness. If I could have my way, my feet would be where my heart is on top of the chair or the pew. Now one of our kids tried something like that. One of our youngsters here when the prohibitionist prohibition went out with the new house rules we couldn't stand in the chairs they wondered if they could kneel in the chairs or if there could be put something under their feet.

23:39 - 24:06 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin then addresses 1 Timothy 2:12, explaining the prohibition against women teaching or having dominion over a man. He identifies the source as apostolic authority, the…

Illustrates the meaning of 'permit' (Matthew 8:21) as giving someone leave to do something, emphasizing that permission is requested from an authority.

In Matthew 8 and verse 21 we find this word used. Matthew 8 and verse 21. And another of the disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me, permit me, give me leave, give me permission to go and bury my father. That's the word.

26:56 - 27:17 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He could not, he would not permit because to do so would have been to violate the canons of authority and the roles established by the living God.

Uses the common experience of children asking a teacher for permission to go to the restroom or get water to clarify that 'I permit not' signifies an authoritative refusal from one in charge.

It's the same word you kids use when in the middle of a class you don't particularly like what's going on and so you go to the teacher and say, Teacher, may I have permission to go to the boys' room or the girls' room? When you say to the teacher, may I have permission, what are you asking? Well, you're requesting that the person in authority will exercise that authority in approving a given course of action in which you dare not engage without their permission. Teacher, may I have permission to go get a drink of water?

27:18 - 27:51 Read in full sermon

The point: Beware of all so-called attempts at liberation from the clear norms of Scripture, recognizing that such liberation leads to bondage.

Martin uses the 'sexual liberation movement' as an analogy to show how movements promising freedom from biblical norms (virginity, marital fidelity, heterosexuality) actually lead to 'miserable self-destructive bondage,' preparing the audience for the same argument regarding women's roles.

Now, what is the so-called sexual liberation movement? Well, it's an effort to say that people who live by the norms of the Bible, who believe that virginity is a virtue until marriage, that it is not only the will of God, but in the best interest of a man or woman to keep, himself or herself pure until his or her wedding night, people are being told that's a terribly binding and restricting concept. We want to liberate you from the bondage of virginity this side of marriage.

38:57 - 39:36 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that any person, male or female, who tries to liberate you from a biblical norm is not your friend, but acts like Satan.

Compares those who promise liberation from biblical norms to Satan, who promised Eve liberation from God's command regarding the tree, which ultimately led to her bondage and the fall.

He's coming to you as a Satan who tried to liberate Adam and Eve from God's norms in the Bible.

43:39 - 43:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Remember that your liberty is within the boundaries of the will of God; anything outside of it is death and bondage.

Martin shares his personal testimony of 25 years of faithful marriage to one woman, stating he found it 'blessed liberty' not bondage, to reinforce the idea that God's norms bring true freedom and happiness.

I have people look at me in amazement when I have opportunity to tell them that I've been married to one woman for 25 years this summer. And by the grace of God I've been true to that one woman. Been one woman in my eyes, in my heart and in my bed. And they look at me like I'm some kind of a weirdo when I tell them I'm glad of that.

46:26 - 46:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Beware of all clever manipulation of Scripture which neutralizes its clear and obvious teaching.

Uses a specific example from an 'evangelical Christian feminist movement' publication, 'Daughters of Sarah,' to illustrate how Scripture is cleverly manipulated to neutralize clear norms, specifically reinterpreting 'let a woman learn' as a radical feminist statement.

Now, I will not weary you with some of the stuff I've read on this very passage. I'll just give you one example. You know I'm not just making something up. I'll hold it up in front of you.

48:35 - 48:45 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He cautions against clever manipulation of Scripture that neutralizes clear teachings, citing an example from a 'Daughters of Sarah' publication that reinterprets 'let a woman…

The feminist interpretation of 'let a woman learn' is described as Paul forming a 'snowball of total liberation' that subsequent generations were meant to push down the hill, growing bigger until women could teach and rule, illustrating a manipulative reinterpretation.

Women can't learn. Well, you're never going to say, let the women teach and rule until they first become learners. And they become intelligent enough and well-instructed enough to teach and learn. So when Paul said, let a woman learn, he was, as it were, taking the little bit of the snowball at the top of the hill.

50:04 - 50:20 Read in full sermon

Driving home: They put the Scriptures on a torture rack and stretch it out of shape. They take every one of these passages setting forth the relative roles of men and women and they put them on a torture rack and they stretch them unt…

Illustrates clever manipulation of Scripture by recalling how the devil quoted Psalms to tempt Jesus, but Jesus countered by showing the devil missed the 'whole point of Scripture,' warning against misapplying biblical texts.

But you beware. You beware of all clever manipulation of Scripture which neutralizes which neutralizes its clear and its obvious teaching. This is no new thing. The devil attempted it with our Lord himself when he was foiled in his first two attempts in the temptation.

51:03 - 51:22 Read in full sermon

Driving home: They put the Scriptures on a torture rack and stretch it out of shape. They take every one of these passages setting forth the relative roles of men and women and they put them on a torture rack and they stretch them unt…

Uses the metaphor of putting Scriptures on a 'torture rack' and stretching them out of shape to describe how the ignorant and unstable twist passages like Ephesians 5 to deny clear teachings like male headship.

And that word rest means to put on a torture rack and to stretch it out of shape. That's the etymology of that word in the original. They put the Scriptures on a torture rack and stretch it out of shape. They take every one of these passages setting forth the relative roles of men and women and they put them on a torture rack and they stretch them until they're completely out of the shape in which God gave them to us.

51:59 - 52:22 Read in full sermon

The point: If you find yourself angry with the clear teaching of God's Word, ask yourself why, and consider if your basic controversy with God (as an impenitent sinner) has never been resolved.

To those who might run away from the truth, Martin uses the metaphor of being on a 'little island out in the middle of the Pacific' with only a Bible, to emphasize that God's Word will not change regardless of personal anger or disagreement.

perhaps some females who say if that's what I have to believe to come to this place is the last time I'll ever show my face within these walls my friend may I speak to you gently what are you going to accomplish by running away from the truth God isn't going to come down from heaven and scrub those words out of my Bible or your Bible and every time you open the first Timothy 2 it's going to say the same thing you will find yourself a little island out in the middle of the Pacific nothing but you and a palm tree and a couple of armadillos and if you happen to slip your Bible out of your pocketb...

59:43 - 61:11 Read in full sermon