Good song and good singing and they did a great job. Just got to work on the walking. I tell you, after service, if you haven’t talked to Mr. Jed, you have him smile at you real big, okay? And I know what he wants for Christmas. It’s exciting. I remember a long time ago, boy, it seems like a long time now when I was that age, losing teeth. And it’s an exciting time. It makes Daddy feel old, though. And I guess that’s what kids do, right? All right, first Corinthians eleven, head coverings tonight. One corinthians eleven. Have a good time in the Lord tonight. In his word, we’ll learn some things, more than just head covers, but that’ll be the title of the message tonight. Amen. So we’ll get into this as we know, as we’ve been going through. First Corinthians, god has been using the apostle Paul to deal with certain things that have come in the church, certain questions that have come in the church, and dealing with the carnal things so he could get past that and move to the spiritual things. And sometimes many times we get caught up in this. The DayToday, the things that trip us up the most are the day today functions, the day to day living. And so we’ll look at this, see what the Lord has to say, and they’ll take some application from and learn from it. I believe there’s some application for us all and some of us don’t have to worry about head coverings too much amen. Until we go out in the rain. But let’s, let’s get into this and let’s pray and ask Lord to help us tonight. Heavenly Father, lord, we love you. And Lord, we thank you for the reminder that you will hold us fast even when we fail, when we falter and we don’t feel like we can go on anymore, you’re still holding on to us. You’ll never let us go. And the Lord. Thank you for that reminder. That assurance help us to trust you through that what I prayed you to help us tonight as we deal with this topic and look in your word that you’d help us to take some application from it and apply it to our heart and our life and be better Christians for it. Be conscious of what our testimony shows on the outside to others around us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Verse one says, be you followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brother, that you remember me and all things and keep the ordinances as I delivered them to you. But I would have you 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, dishonorth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesied with her head uncovered dishonorth her head for that is even all one, as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to COVID his head for as much as he is the image and 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 calls 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. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman. But all things of God judging yourselves, is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? Does 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 her for a covering? But if any man seemed to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. And we’ll stop right there for now. Here’s the outline tonight. Okay? One, two and three. The principle of God’s divine order. We’ll see in verse number three. Then we’ll see the order that’s to be observed when we come together and worship in the house of God. Verses four through 15. And then verse 16, the test of the heart attitude. I said, if any man seemed to be contentious. And that’s where the trouble often arises from all of us. We see what God says about a matter and we see what God’s order is. And then we decided their own thing. And that just shows us where our heart condition is. But there’s a reason why God has lit this in the word of God. A little bit of background on the local custom here. You realize that where this church was located was in the midst of a wicked and immoral society, immoral city. And the women of this city be careful. I’m going to be careful what I say. But they were very loose in their morals and as a matter of fact, a part of their religious practices were to engage in some immoral activity. And you could tell by the attire that they wore. Sounds familiar today’s time you can tell by the attire that people wear what business they’re engaged in. But it wasn’t just the attire. It would be how they would cover their head or not cover their head. And so for a Christian to come out of that, they might look and say, well, I’ve been freed from all that. There’s no custom. There’s no something I absolutely have to do. But then for somebody else to look at that Christian lady walking down the street without a covering on her head. We might give them the wrong impression. And so the apostle Paul, through inspiration of the Spirit of God, no doubt is telling them we ought to be careful of our testimony in public. And so he starts with a principle in verse number three. And it’s not popular today, but this is God’s divine order. It’s not because the preacher says so. It’s because God says so. The head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man and the head of Christ is God. Now I know we automatically like to jump to the middle part of verse three. The head of the woman is the man and the men will say amen. Hallelujah. Glory to God. Before we get to that point, let’s spend some time at the first part of verse three says the head of every man is Christ. And I believe, as we’ve mentioned many times before, if a man has his heart right, his relationship right with God, that relationship between husband and wife will go a whole lot smoother and be a lot more pleasant. And I believe the wife will be a lot more willing to submit herself. It also took to the man. It also represents a beautiful picture. And we’re going to look at that. This is God’s divine order. The head of the household is to be the man. I’ll hold your place here. Ephesians five, verse number 22, ephesians 522. Now, I don’t think anyone in here tonight has an issue with this. I wouldn’t think so. I don’t want to know if you do because this is the word of God. Amen. But verse number 22 submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church and he is the savior of the body. Let’s talk about Christ being the savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject to Christ to let the wives be to their own husbands and everything, husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. So when we talk about the man being the head of the woman, the head means authority. So though he has authority in the home, he’s also got responsibility. We’ll talk about that he is to love his wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. And that’s a sacrificial love. That’s a neverending love. That’s a love that loves even if someone is not loved back. Think about that. Jesus loved the world. The world doesn’t love him back. Matter of fact, there are plenty of instances in scripture where Jesus loved a group of people where someone Bible says so, but they did not in turn return that love. Think about the rich young ruler. Jesus knew that he would reject him and yet still beholding him. The Bible say he loved him, right? So to love as Christ loved means you love unconditionally and you love sacrificially. He says, husband loves your wife. Jesus Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself. A glorious church not having spotted a wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish. So I mean to love their wives as their own bodies. So I guess that means husbands. If the football game is on and your wife needs help with laundry you probably ought to stop the football game and help her with laundry. Is that what that means? I’m not sure about that. We have to get back with that one on that one, but yeah, probably not. So I’m in the love. Otherwise as our own body he loveth his wife, loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh. But nourished it and cherished it even as the Lord of church. We are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joining his wife and they too shall be one place. You see, men ought to love their wives greater than they love themselves. There ought to be a special love between husband and wife that exceeds the love that a man has for his parents. Because they are now one flesh. They are going through this life together. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church nevertheless. Does every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself? And the wife see that she reverents her husband? So we started with that because that is how they say, the elephant in the room. Amen. That is the most controversial in today’s time. Being the man being the man being the husband best controversial, but being shouldn’t be. But being the head of the household and the wife being its objection to the authority of the head of the household. That’s God’s divine order. But notice the Bible doesn’t start out that way in our passage description. Our verse doesn’t say start out that way. How does it start out? It says the head of every man, the authority that man has that over him is who? Christ. So he’s got to submit himself to Christ first. Can I tell you that is the key to the whole puzzle. If you and I as men would submit ourselves to Jesus Christ things would often fall into plan place a lot easier, a lot better. Let’s see. Let’s keep going. I don’t want to get hung up here. This is just the divine order that God sets as a principle here that trickles over. It flows over into how we approach God and worship god is the underlying principle behind it. The head of every man is Christ. The man is to be in subjection unto Jesus Christ. In other words, my Lord and Savior has the authority to tell me what to do. Now, that’s true for every person that’s been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. No doubt that’s true of all of us. And ladies as well as men have direct access unto God the Father through Jesus Christ our Savior. Now, you don’t have to go through your husband to pray to your heavenly Father. You go straight to the throne room of God. And nothing has done more to elevate the status of ladies than Jesus Christ in his teaching and preaching. I know people say that’s not true, that’s not the case. But you look at every other society, every other civilization, and women are treated as slaves, treated as less than human, treated every which way as a possession. But God has lifted up ladies to the status where they need to be. I like what one writer said, and you’ve heard it mentioned many times before, that when God made Eve, he took out of Adam a rib from his side. Not from his feet, where Adam could step all over her, not from his head, where she would rule over him, but from his side, where they two could walk in companionship together through this life. I think there’s a lot of truth to that. But know this, old man. God has put you as the accountable leader for the home, for the family. So your role is to be subject unto Christ and everything. What would Jesus do in every situation? Then we come to verse number two, or the second part of verse number three. The head of the woman is the man. Now notice it does not say every man. The woman is not to be subject unto every man. And let me make sure we understand this ephesians, chapter number five, verse 24, I believe, will clear this up. So let the wives be to their own husbands and everything. So, ladies, I think you know this, but just so we’re clear, you’re to be in submission and subjection to your own husband, not somebody else’s husband. Does that make sense? So there’s a order in the home. That’s the basic unit of society. What God established first. Before there was a church, before there was a government, god established the home, and he starts there with that order. There is something and take this the right way, but there is something beautiful and graceful about a lady that takes her role that God has given her, and she fulfills that role. She’s not trying to overrule or overpower her husband. She’s have a meek and quiet spirit. Amen. I like my wife, but she in all reality, my wife is a wonderful example of a Godly lady and the Godly wife. And you’re welcome. I’m just kidding. You really are. There’s something beautiful about a lady that just walks in step with God’s role for her life. You realize that solves a lot of family issues. There would be a lot of heartache resolved if men would lead as men should lead in submission to Jesus Christ and ladies would fall in step with that as well. Now, the Bible does not hold the lady responsible for dumb decisions made by the husband. But what the Bible does hold us responsible, the Bible hold the man responsible for that. But the Bible, God will hold the lady responsible for how she’s been in subjection submission to her husband, to that authority. Okay, so one commentator called it this. He called this portion the jewel in the lovely setting of two other relationships. I like that you think of an engagement ring and how there’s a jewel normally set in that setting and there’s prongs on either side of that holding that together. Look at the relationship before man is to be subject unto Christ. But look at the next relationship. And this one is a great mystery and the head of Christ is God. Talking about God the Father. The context will show you that’s what I was talking about is God the Father. Now, how could Jesus Christ, being God the Son, the subject unto God the Father? Now this is a beautiful picture here and I think it carries over into our human relationships. Look at this. Let me turn the page here so I don’t mess up here. In John, chapter ten, verse 30, Jesus said, I and my Father are one. Right? Christ is equal with God the Father in character in deity. God the Father. God the Son, god the Holy Spirit. They were equal in power, in authority, in deity. John 1632 says, I am not alone because the Father is with me. Christ and the Father were one in cooperation, working together in service, one, in ministry, one. Christ voluntarily submitted himself to the Father when he humbled himself and stooped to the death of the cross for us all. He said, my father is greater than I. Philippians, chapter number two. Just read this real quick, says verse number five. Let this mind, being you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God because he was God. He is God, but made himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. So mystery of mystery, that’s a great mystery. You and I can’t hardly wrap our heads around that, our minds around that. But God the Son voluntarily submitted himself to God the Father. Now think about this. How does that carry over into the relationship between husband and wife? Well, husband and wife are one flesh, right? They are joined together in Christ. They are working together. They are side by side in perfect harmony. That’s the way it should be, walking through this life together, serving God. One does not have more value than the other. The wife does not have more value than the husband. The husband doesn’t have more value in the sight of God than the wife. But the way God’s role is laid out, the wife is to voluntarily submit herself to her husband. And in so doing, she is portraying what Jesus Christ is doing in submission to God the Father. Isn’t that a beautiful picture of what God is laid out? The two are equal in value, yet the wife says, I’m willing to be like Christ in submitting myself to my husband. The husband likewise recognizes his responsibility to love his wife as Christ loved the church and also to submit himself to Jesus Christ. So who’s the head of the home where really Christ is, and then the man, and then the wife. As a matter of fact, the children should listen to both the husband and the wife, the father and the mother. And the father and mother should work together. So one is not working against each other. I think we know that too. But what a beautiful picture of God working with God and God committing himself to God. I don’t understand all that. The great mystery. We can’t understand that. But God left us a picture for that. So that is God’s divine order. How does that carry out in our worship? Well, we read it. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonored his head. A lot of the old customs that we have grown up with have a basis in the Bible. Why is it proper to remove our hat when we go in the church house? Why is it proper to remove our hat when we pray or when we open the Bible? Because of these verses here that says we are dishonouring our head. Not this noggin up here that’s attached to this Naga swivel, but our authority. We’re dishonoring Christ if we cover our head while we pray, while we read the Scripture. It would be disrespectful for me to be up here in a ball cap preaching to you. I would be dishonoring to Christ. Now, it’s not dishonoring for a lady to walk in with a hat. It used to be an old custom, didn’t it? I used to see ladies everywhere walking in with hats. And I think it’s a beautiful thing. I don’t know where you get hats like that anymore, but I think it’s a wonderful thing. If you got a hat, lady, you are more than welcome to wear it. But everyone that prayeth or prophesied with her head uncovered dishonest her head. For that is even all one, as if she were shaven. Now the question then comes, well, do we need a hat to COVID our head. And I think the answer to that is in verse 15. But if a woman have long hair, there’s a glory to her, for her hair is given her for covering. And in verse 16, if any man seemed to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. God has given hair to those of you that are blessed with hair for covering of the head. Your head is warmer than my head in certain cold nights, but I believe that answers the question. I don’t think a lady has to wear a hat. It would be fine to wear a hat, but I think your hair is given to you for a covering to COVID your head. There is a reason. There is a reason why in certain relationships that are against God, same sex relationships, where one of them dresses and looks like a man, there’s a reason they do that. And here’s the crux of the whole matter. You say, Why are we even getting into this? Well, here’s the heart of the whole matter. What’s on the heart will portray itself on the outside. And what we do, our actions, what we wear, what we say, our mannerisms speak a lot more about what’s on the inside than we often realize. And that’s what God was trying to get these individuals to say, hey, listen, it’s more than just rules and regulations for worship. It goes far beyond that. So why are you doing what you’re doing? It goes to the heart. Said you realize that where you are in that city, that what you wear tells a lot about a person. It may not say this, too. What we wear, especially to our young people, don’t get caught up in all the fashions of the world, because what you wear says more about your heart than it does about the fashion sense that someone has or doesn’t have. And we won’t go there. Although some of the fashions today look like you can, I don’t know, buy a new clothes and just throw it in the dryer and run it over with a Mac truck and put it on and you’re good to go, right? You’re fashioned crazy, I guess. Anyway, forth a woman being not covered, letter also be short, but it would be a shame for a woman to be shortened or shaven. Let her be covered. For man indeed ought not to be covered, he said, for as much as he is the image and glory of God, he represents the authority of God in the home, okay? That is his representation. So he needs to leave his head uncovered. So he represents Jesus Christ, the verse of rape. For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man in creation. Verse nine says the same thing. God made the man first, and then he made the woman. So that’s that’s God’s order, not that one is less than the other. We know that many of you ladies are far more spiritual than your pastor and I hope you pray for him. Your prayers probably get further with the Lord than your pastor’s prayers and I know farther than your husband’s prayers. So you keep praying. Amen. We need your prayers and there is plenty of room and plenty of opportunity for you to have your influence in the things that God allows to happen in his work. But this is God’s order. This causes out the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. And I’ll admit that is a strange verse. There are a couple of different schools of thoughts on that and I think we’ll just touch it and move on. But one school of thought is when we gather together and worship the Lord, could there not be angels that gather with us and minister with us and worship the Lord with us together? I don’t think that’s far fetched because they are sent to be ministering spirits and to those that will be saved. So we could have a whole host of angels. I know the devil comes and sit down beside me sometimes at least one of his demons do and tries to distract us from the church. So why couldn’t angels of God be present? Thinking about this also, there is certain angels or certain heavenly creatures I don’t know if the Bible even calls them angels, but certain heavenly creatures that cover themselves with their wings when they’re in the presence of God and showing respect and honor unto the God of glory. Amen. And he said, just in like manner, we should do the same. We want to do everything indecently and in order, not because tradition says it not because that’s the way we’ve always done it, or it’s not because of the way that the pastor says it because the way God wants it. I want my life to be ordered by God. Don’t you listen? Whether it creates a firestorm in the world today, it doesn’t matter. If that’s the way God says it, that’s the way I want it, and I hope that’s the way you want it nevertheless. Then he goes again into this verse eleven. Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, he said. So men don’t think that you’re far more superior. Women don’t think that you’re far more superior. He says, everyone has their place and in the Lord equal value. And thank the Lord for what God is doing if he’s giving you a wife man and pray that God will give you grace if he’s giving you a husband woman. Amen. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman, but all things of God. Then we go down to verse number. Let’s just finish judging yourself. Is it coming that a woman pray unto God uncovered talking about the head covering because remember what it represented during this time as if they were rebelling against the authority that was upon them. And so here goes back to the heart matter again. When our clothing, our attire, our outward actions and expressions, it speaks more of what’s in our heart than we realize. As we walk through this life, we can see people walking by us. And we’re not judging just by what they’re speaking, what we’re receiving them to say as they’re speaking it in a nonverbal manner. Through their clothing, we can see that people are walking a rebellious against God. People are walking around without their clothes on. People are walking around without any sense whatsoever just being in rebellion. You know, just throw this out there. Long hair on a man used to mean that they were in rebellion against the authority of God. I think it still means that. And so we ought to be careful how we portray ourselves to a lost and dying world. Everything that I do, it doesn’t. But everything that I do, I want to uplift the name of Jesus Christ. I want people to say, hey, that person is different. They might seem a little extreme, but there’s something different about them. You remember the power that these old saints of God had? The old men, the old ladies, the powers they had with the Lord, they walk with the Lord. People may have thought they were a little strange, but they had power with God. Their prayers reached heaven. That’s what I want on my life. See, it doesn’t matter so much what this world thinks of me, but it sure doesn’t matter what God thinks of me. But if a woman has long hair, there’s a glory to her, for her hair is given her for covering. Then verse 16 here’s the heart of the matter. It’s a testimony of modesty. It’s an outward expression of the heart, then the test of the heart. But if any man seemed to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. We’re not going to throw anyone out for somebody that doesn’t abide by this. But for you and I that are wanting to follow God with our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole strength, I think this applies to us. I think we ought to submit to this. My life ought to be reflection to the glory of God. Amen. And having the right relationship takes commitment. So we went from the unpopular notion of the man being the head of the home and the wife being a trajection to the husband to the unpopular notion of men ought to look like men and women ought to look like women. Amen. You know what? All things are done decently in order. And here’s the reason why we do it. Not to say, hey, look at me, but to say, I’m serving God. Whatever you want to think, I’m serving God. That’s his design. He did that way for a reason. Some. Things are right because they just make sense. And some things are right just because they’re right because God says so. This is one of those things that God says so. We have a divine order. I want to approach God when I approach God. We ought to approach God reverently, holy, and do everything in our power to approach Him in the way that he wants to be approached. His order set up. Okay? All right. Let’s stand with head bowed and eyes closed. Amen.
I tell you, as a husband and a father preaching this message and studying this message, I feel the responsibility upon my shoulders to be the husband and the father I should be. And I don’t know, speaking to the men now. I don’t know of any lady that would not submit to their husband or any children would not submit to their father with proper training if their father and that husband walked in subjection of submission to Jesus Christ and loved as Christ loved the Church. So I tell you, men, we’ve got a great responsibility. Listen, I know we’re all in different phases. I have young children. You may have children that are grown, have children out of the house, may not yet be married. But God’s role doesn’t change.
I think God still needs spiritual men to be leaders in the Church as well be examples in their extended family. However, God spoke to your heart. Why don’t you take Tom and pray to Him this evening? Thank you for your spouse. Thank you for the home that he’s given you, for His Word that helps us.
Heavenly Father, we love you Lord, I thank you for Your Word that teaches me, even though it’s unpopular with the world, I believe the world wants to rebel against all the authority that you have that’s just in them. It’s in human nature. And, Lord, help me not to walk that way. Help me to walk far from it. Be so far from it that I’m walking pleasing to You, Lord. I want Your power to rest upon my life. I don’t want any hindrance to be between Me and you. I want that for our church, Lord, to help us to walk in a way that’s pleasing to you. Help us to be careful of what we say by our clothing when we leave this place. Go to work tomorrow, go to the marketplace tomorrow. What words we use, what things we say unspoken. Help us to do all things for the glory of Jesus Christ. We love you, Lord. Help me to walk in submission to you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.