Women Used Greatly By God

names who inspire all of us to want to say god I’m going to pray that and live it I’m going to make room for you every day in every way you show me that it’s you that I live for only you and I love you for that lord thank you we’re safe with you thank you amen amen good morning church go ahead and have a seat this morning and I want to welcome you in who are joining us live stream this morning from different places and

kids are making their way to the back they’ve already got the drill down they know what’s up I am so glad to be here today I can see some not new faces but newly or freshly returned folks and maybe it’s because soup and bread the the word got out today is a great annual celebration I’ve I’ve enjoyed 29 of them with my family where we gather annually and we do something that’s harder and harder to do in this world we want bigger and faster and more

complex and more and soup and bread decidedly reverses all of that and says let’s just get back to I think of first thessalonians 5 this is not my sermon this morning but verses 16 to 18 that are great verses if you want to memorize them you can do it right now with me rejoice always say it with me pray without ceasing so you those are two verses already 16 17 verse 18 is a little tougher in everything give thanks so you got three verses down baby

down and and they’re really good in everything not for everything you notice it says that in everything because there’s some things that I just am not really happy about and you are too right don’t get grumpy on me or teary or anything right now but it’s true there are some things that just don’t fit don’t I don’t like them they’re result of something that happened in the garden long time ago and they’re still with us right but somehow the holy spirit says you can find in

everything a reason to give thanks so that means a lot and it means a lot to us and our family these days I’m always asked what’s the update or what’s the latest and I will just tell you a very magical trip we took on friday some of you already know it but if you’re from oregon or you were from oregon and you know the layout here about 18 miles exactly from the coast is a on highway 26 it’s a beautiful drive it’s two hours from portland

to the coast roughly unless you’re in a corvette or something fast but and mile 18 is also known as camp 18 and it’s a lumber camp and I’m just fascinated by lumber those were the last real men in my opinion but I wanted to be a my I am a lumber man in my heart so anyway there’s this beautiful outdoor museum and there’s a wonderful restaurant am I giving them a plug or what they they got they’ve got cinnamon rolls yeah thank you right there jim

show your hands they’re that big they’re exactly that big pick the biggest family you know and one cinnamon roll will work for them all right and so I decided if my wife would join me I would love to drive out there with her and she’s beginning her numbers are starting to decline as predicted and the next two or three weeks are very challenging ahead for us and I thought well she still has energy and you’re watching and I love you debbie and we we just said

let’s go and let’s get dad and so I reached out to my dad and so dad and debbie are agreeable to go to the coast and we went to camp 18 and it’s a it’s a wonderful feast and we did bring home a cinnamon roll because we had no room for it after eating there and and here’s the grabber personally they were awake the whole time both of them and I’ll just say what some of you are thinking it’s probably your driving pastor steve that keeps

that might be true that might be true anyway it was really fun I was thinking about mary in my prayer this morning the mother of jesus and let me broaden that a little bit and I would say this of jesus christ the way he treated people really has always not just is but has always been the gold standard you think about some people some some situations that we sometimes think of ask ask the poor ask the broken ask the judged the sinful I mean I could

mention others the oppressed and even ask someone that doesn’t feel very loved how they wish people would see them saw a commercial about some athlete and he was holding his baby a brand new baby boy and the tagline was something like I I hope the world comes to see you as I do what a cool thing right but ask any of those other people how they wish the world around them would see them and if they know anything at all about the gospels matthew mark luke

john they’re very likely to say I would love for the world to see me just like jesus wouldn’t that be a great world to live in wouldn’t that be really amazing so in his book jesus the jesus I never knew philip yancey who I’ve said for years is one of my favorite authors I have no hesitation recommending any book he’s ever written and even when he doesn’t have it all down he’ll admit it and say no I don’t quite have this all wired but here’s what

I’m thinking anyway in his book the jesus I never knew he writes it as a mature walk follower of jesus and he says he states a searching truth I think jesus was the friend of sinners right yancey they liked being around him and they actually longed for his company and yancey then spins it on a question what was jesus secret that we seem to have lost now maybe not everyone has lost it in fact I’m looking at a whole sea of faces right now and and

I want to be around you not as much as jesus but I really do like you I really love you and I and there are many of you that will write me and we we have this like online community now and it’s true out there too and I I but when I say we want we want to be the kind of people that that people want to be around like jesus was I want you to imagine this who could forget this extreme scene that jesus handled

with such grace it’s not hard to imagine so picture this room that we’re in and there’s a middle aisle and some side aisles and side doors and such all right and the story is told in the fourth gospel don’t don’t turn that I just want to capture it quickly to make a point fourth gospel john chapter eight of his gospel when this scene unfolds when the con conduct cops which are known as pharisees in the day they’re the conduct cops they have it down about you

they’ve got a lot of detail and they bring somebody it turns out it’s a woman into the gathering and the text makes a point of saying they brought this woman before him caught in the very act of adultery it just makes you want to wince right like tmi we would say in our world today do I need to know that detail evidently the holy spirit wants you to know it so you’re bothered by it like I am they bring her into this gathering and she has

been caught and accused of adultery they have videotape if I may say and it was a crime that was punishable in case you didn’t know by the death penalty this is not a shame moment it’s way bigger than that what would jesus do they wondered hoping to trap him actually in a conflict between well morality and mercy and he didn’t fall for their trap he didn’t instead he said to her accusers as she stood or maybe sort of hid behind him as much as she could

if any of you presumably the ones that brought her in is without sin then let’s get this thing going let him be the first to throw a stone and carry out the prescribed execution then after a while all of them had filed out and jesus turned to the cringing woman and he asked a couple of questions where are they has has no one condemned you and then he asked well actually said neither do I condemn you now go and leave your life of sin scenes like

that leave little wonder at all why women found the company of jesus so incredibly safe if asked how would you like people to treat you as a woman a ready answer has always been just like jesus that’d be okay with me philippians has noted this as well about the day in which the gospels were written in which jesus lived on this earth I’m quoting jesus attitude toward women was revolutionary it was not just forward-looking or progressive it was ridiculously revolutionary he goes on to some details

indeed in those days at every synagogue service jewish men prayed blessed art thou o lord who has not made me a woman I know your chuckle is there’s some it’s absurd right he’s not done he’s just getting started women sat in a separate section were not even counted in quorums and rarely taught the torah not sure the fear there but they weren’t in social life few women talked to men outside of their families and a woman was to touch no man but her spouse which means

when we hug on sunday morning we’re in a bad place if it’s first century and you’re a woman hugging someone other than your husband yet jesus associated freely with women and taught some as his disciples a samaritan woman who had been through five husbands that story is in john four jesus actually tapped to lead a spiritual revival remember samaria changed her life and said hey you’ve got a story to tell I want you to be the leader of this effort and she followed through a prostitute’s

anointing jesus accepted with gratitude women traveled with his band of followers no doubt stirred up much gossip have you seen who he hangs out with some of them are women some of them are women none of us should hang out with that that kind of chatter women populated jesus parables and illustrations and frequently he did miracles on their behalf indeed according to biblical scholar walter wink that a perfect stage name or what right jesus violated the mores of his time in every single encounter with women

recorded in the four gospels end quote it’s true another observer of jesus has said it’s no wonder that the women were first at the cross and last let’s excuse me first at the cradle and last at the cross they had never known a man like this man and they had never they had never there had never been such another as jesus those words got me thinking in preparation for this message this morning about women in the bible who’ve played a prominent role turns out there are

a lot of them it was not a short list at all so it’s a a bunch like lists of prominent men that we could make and should make this is an honest mix of both virtue and vice these are not just women that made the cut to be talked about in a gathering like this because they’re such amazing exemplary people they’re just like men there’s a mix the good the bad the ugly we could say let me just give you a couple on my list that

I thought of and I I kind of did it chrono chronologically so you don’t have to go past genesis 2 to come to the first woman that grabbed my attention eve okay that was an easy one because she’s the first female she’s a lot of firsts first female first wife first mother and one more first first sinner see what I said virtue she’s the first woman first first wife first mother and first sinner okay now adam followed quickly he liked that direction anyway so the next

one comes to mind is sarah a little bit later same book genesis at the beginning and she’s abraham’s wife he was a big deal she also was a big deal she was mother she was a mother at 90. So that changes a lot right you just can take that in and first woman by the way listed in that spiritual hall of fame that we talked about last week in hebrews chapter 11 verse 11 is her story sarah then we come from sarah to rahab her name

appears of course in the book of judges or joshua and rahab actually was a great risk taker she actually hid a couple of spies and saved their lives who came into jericho to check it out and assess the strategy for taking this city and etc she’s in the spiritual hall of fame as well another woman there rahab was verse 31 in hebrews chapter 11. And let’s see what else can I say oh she’s commended for her great faith and I don’t know too many people that

can say this but she’s commended for being in the lineage of jesus and the bible does not hide one ounce of what I’m going to tell you next rahab the harlot a noted prostitute we come from there to hannah and there’s a place in israel that a bunch of us were at a couple years ago and it was a wonderful shiloh was a a place that her name’s associated with and she was childless she said stands as a sort of a an icon of strength and

perseverance when for for infertile we would say today infertile couples infertile women and hannah was this persevering woman wanted a baby was on was was unable to have a baby and and god said you know what I’m gonna answer your prayer in fact she stands out as somebody that’s a go-to example of persevering in prayer hannah was and she became a mom a year later and her son really amazing standout guy he’s got two books in the bible named after him samuel pretty cool stuff right

I mean this list could go on and on I get to the mary’s and it’s a whole list of mary’s right I mean you and I think of mother of jesus and and rightly so she stands at the top of that list she birthed god into our world as a human and then and then you come to another mary whose brother lazarus was one jesus raised from the dead in john 11 and she also had a sister named martha and mary and martha are showcased in

luke 10 and there’s it’s kind of interesting there’s a there’s mary sitting at the feet of jesus there well the same mary was also at the feet of jesus clear near the end of the gospel in matthew 26 and she’s the one anointing jesus preparing him for burial still seated at his feet that brings me to mary magdalene I read something that said she’s the most talked about mary in the bible I don’t know I thought his mother was more talked about but still she’s a

real standout and we know this about her she had seven demons she was a very conflicted person had a real spiritual struggle and jesus cast out those demons all seven of them and no surprise that mary magdalene was was one that that actually was at the crucifixion and days later at the resurrection of jesus that’s kind of my list oh there’s one more it takes you into acts lydia do you know that name she was actually a very successful businesswoman and that has relevance for this

reason in acts 16 she was the first european convert so the gospel went from middle east israel and it spread out and it went west and the city of philippi is somewhat west and north and she lived there and bowed her knee to jesus and the gospel that’s presented to us in matthew mark luke john and get this she became the ardent I would say supporter of the first two missionaries had a heart for getting that news further out than even philippi those missionaries paul and

silas amazing so this morning I want us to stop off for a thoughtful consideration just for a few moments in judges chapter four there’s a consideration of not one but two women in the story of judges chapter four so turn there if you would just last week I mentioned actually we looked in detail at the four of judges that are mentioned in hebrews chapter 11. They are gideon barack or barack sampson and jephthah I said of barack that he’s almost never mentioned apart from the only

female judge which is deborah and and she’s the one I want us to think about so judges chapter four let’s just say a couple things that are fairly standoutish one is that deborah as a judge was part of an esteemed group of people there were 12 of them in total and she’s the only female judge which means she’s unique among them not only has the only she’s a judge which says a lot about you but she’s a female judge and that fact gets a little more

colorful when you realize that in the 12th century bc that was unheard of it was a very man’s world in those days but she stands out deborah not just because she’s got a great name but she played a very amazing role in this day which was very dark and very difficult in israel’s history as as with other seasons of struggle that are captured 325 years of them in the book of judges israel had rebelled against god and then was overrun or overcome by her enemies and

then delivered by god-fearing rescuer after god-fearing rescuer that went on 12-time 12 different rescuers the spiritual mood at the time of of deborah is described so we don’t have to guess it verse one again the israelites did evil in the eyes of the lord now that ehud the previous deliverer was dead so the habit was when a deliverer came he kicked out vanquished the enemy and there was calm and peace and prosperity for the season of time until that judge died in this case e hood

died and all heck broke loose verse two so the lord sold them into the hands of jaben please don’t see that as a financial transaction turn them over he maybe a little bit out of the romans one idea look you want it that way you you don’t want me in the program okay see how that works for you that’s the spirit of verse two sold them into the hands of jabin king of canaan who reigned in hazor cesara the commander of jabin’s army was based in

herisheth hogaim you owe me a latte for pronouncing that correctly okay which is just think of mount carmel where elijah the prophet hung out that’s the same location very nearby local call all right because he had 900 chariots fitted with iron he had cruelly oppressed the israelites for 20 years so they cried out to the lord for help let me just say it but you’re thinking that was a heck of a long time a harsh beat down these people were living with 20 years two decades

of this king jabin and his cesara commander that had all these chariots and military men under his command you talk about good words to describe it verse 3 says he had cruelly oppressed the israelites for 20 years cruelly oppressed put those together in any context and you go that is not where I want to live and so god in that setting taps next verse 4 deborah a prophet the wife of labadoth was leading israel at that time she held court under the palm of deborah between

rhema and bethel so it’s way down south just outside of jerusalem that we’re talking about in the hill country of ephraim and the israelites went up to deborah to have their disputes decided she sent for barack son of ammonom from kadesh in naphtali and said to him the lord this is way up north of galilee the lord the god of israel commands you go take with you ten thousand men of naftali and zebulun northern tribes and lead them up to mount tabor I will lead sisera

the commander of jabin’s army with his chariots and his troops to the kishon river and give him into your hands all right remember last week we discussed the fact that barack had a real hesitation he was really hung up over the assignment to do what we just read and so hung up was he that he refused to do his part of delivering god’s people without the promise of deborah verse 8 says so barack said to her if you go with me I’ll go if you don’t

I won’t you get it so it’s just one verse that says my watch broke so anyway there we go means I can preach longer here we go all right let’s get going right so here’s the deal his reasons were likely a mix of reasons there were reasons that said probably some fear there and probably on the positive side he realized I need to stay close to her for a reason she’s got game we would say today she’s solid as a rock how else do you read

words like verse four she held court that means she’s smart judges are supposed to be those there’s a impartial people the first kings three idea the wisdom of solomon well here’s debra she had that so he says no I’m not to go maybe my knees are knocking a bit but I need you you’re you’re I’ve got brute on my side you’ve got you’ve got wisdom and depth and character and I need that if I’m going to go forward with confidence that’s my assessment of why the

hold back so deborah gives the ghost signal if you look down at verse what is it 14. Deborah said to barack go this day is the day the lord has given sisera into your hands has not the lord gone ahead of you so he went down to tabor with ten thousand men following him at barack’s advance the lord look at this routed sisera and all his chariots in armor by the sword and sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot so barack advances and

routes them it’s the same word in hebrew by the way remember when the egyptians went into the red sea chasing the israelites and it says that they were routed that day it’s it’s they were con they were thrown into great confusion this is happening to jabin and his aunt is his people under sisera and his soldiers under his command that’s what’s going on here but we’re told in verse 15 that cicera runs for his life fleeing as far and as fast as he could from the

from the battleground we’re looking at before collapsing in utter exhaustion at which time a relatively sec unknown second woman steps onto the scene jael j a e l and she invites the army commander cesara to take cover in his tent he probably staggered up toward his her tent and it unfolds in a way that I I want you to see it and take it in there is a warning a caveat I need to give you this is gruesome reading verse 18 jail went to meet caesarea

and said to him come my lord come right in don’t be afraid so he entered her tent and she covered him with a blanket I’m thirsty he said please give me some water so she opened a skin of milk likely goat milk gave him a drink and covered him up stand in the doorway of the tent he told jail if someone comes by and asks you is anyone in there just say no but jail heber’s wife picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went

quietly to him while he was laying fast asleep exhausted and she drove the tent peg through his temple into the ground and he died every so often you see words in the bible that don’t need to be there I don’t know a lot of people that get a tent peg through their temple and live right so he died hold on we’re not done then barack came by in pursuit of cesara and jail went out to meet him come he said she said I will show you

the man you’re looking for pretty sure he’s still there so he went in with her and there lay cesaro with the tent peg through his temple dead again the the words not necessary but verse 23 and on that day god subdued jabin king of canaan before the israelites and the hand of the israelites pressed harder and harder against jabin king of canaan until they destroyed him what do you say about this I can’t believe I read that in church there’s some other scriptures I promised the

lord I would never read I know they’re in his bible but I can’t talk about them but this this was not on that list well we could say she made her point right I’m sorry no doubt no doubt two standout women right my title today is women used greatly by god these two were used greatly by god deborah and jail and they live by the way 3 3200 years ago did you catch that long time ago so the pastor in me the shepherd in me wants

to say okay so ladies listen up and what’s coming next is some form of an application so based on this story here’s the application got a hammer know how to use it I don’t know weird things happen to me sometimes when I’m preparing a message I started singing the song I got a hammer and I’ll hammer in the morning I’ll hammer in the evening all over this land that would make you a mass murderer right if you did it like like we’re reading about some of

you are going wow pastor you’re way out today okay let’s just call it a little violence humor okay so here’s my exact prayer god what’s the clear application of such a story that’s what I asked the lord and he gave me an answer and I’m thirsty remember the last prominent woman I the it was a it wasn’t the last it was second second or third on the second on the list sarah remember her I mentioned her a moment ago I I thought of sarah she was

on my list of course and she’s in hebrews 11 that makes her a real standout in another way another place sarah is mentioned in the bible is in the new testament by the apostle peter and it’s in first peter chapter 3 and it’s really important at least let’s have everybody not just ladies let’s all turn to first peter three and it’s really an important place to land for the rest of this really application that’s where we’re at right now okay first peter chapter three and you’ll

know if you’re a student of peter but if not I can tell you this we come to a place in his letter first of two letters chapter three is counsel given by peter about marriage and peter is has in mind not a beautiful holy harmonious husband-wife relationship if you want that kind of counsel go to ephesians chapter 5 there is a passage that gives you the vision of what it can be but first peter 3 is just the opposite he’s describing a conflicted contentious marriage listen

now where a wife is in a marriage whose husband does not walk with god this important this detail is important we’re not sure whether he’s not a christian or whether he is a christian and just not living it but whoever he is he’s not fun to live with before I continue I want you to hear me clearly peter is not describing an abusive violent or dangerous marriage you’re not hearing me now and I’ll remind you again in a moment that this council is for women in

such a marriage that is not the counsel the bible gives and in such cases where you’re in a marriage or you know somebody in amer in a marriage where it’s abusive or violent or or a dangerous marriage don’t follow this advice that’s not what’s being said here let me go a step further because I know in such marriages it’s so traumatic that it’s difficult to even know what you’re in okay so if you are unsure about whether you’re in an abusive violent or dangerous relationship if

you’re unsure call me text me stop me and say I need your help and you will have somebody with great compassion and nearby resources to help you in that situation because in that situation your listen to me now your safety is paramount so and I stand ready to help but if your marriage is more like the p the one peter’s describing a challenging marriage a difficult marriage a stretching marriage and boy do I know I’m involved in a lot of them over the years then this

council’s for you of course if you’re in any of those kinds of marriages a stretching challenging difficult marriage our world’s got its own counsel for you you know that it’s it’s it’s actually simpler it doesn’t take long as long to listen to a message get out that’s what our world would say it’s it’s lost it’s thrilled get out divorce oh here’s one get a hammer right why not but in startling contrast god’s counsel involves things of the holy spirit a humble walk with god if you’re

in that kind of marriage difficult stretching challenging a humble walk with god gentleness quietness purity inner beauty these are his words wives in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that if any of them do not believe the word they may be won over without words by the behavior that you’re practicing of you their wife when they see the purity and reverence of your lives your beauty should not come from outward adornment such as elaborate hairstyles and wearing of gold jewelry or fine

clothes rather it should be that of the inner self the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of notice great worth in god’s sight for this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in god used to adorn themselves they submitted themselves to their own husbands like sarah who obeyed abraham and called him her lord you are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give away give way to fear powerful counsel wouldn’t you say

and it’s it’s it’s counsel that is possible to follow with the help of the holy spirit who wrote these words please don’t take the road that says oh peter had it in for women some have said that not only about peter but the apostle paul and that’s really a that’s a road without pavement it’s a very difficult place to go because where do you end you either believe everything in this book is intended for life and godliness and counsel to have fullness like jesus said I

came to give life and give it abundantly or or where do you draw the line it’s all from god not easy to hear in a difficult stretching challenging marriage the stuff of quietness and inner beauty the things that we just read in verses two and and four here inner woman unfading beauty actually of a gentle and quiet spirit and I had us think about how god views that when I said it’s precious in his sight I always think of holding a baby for the first time

my three there’s a moment that we have me holding our babies and I wasn’t aware that I was being you know a picture was being taken or a film but I it was just a precious moment that’s the word we’re being just that’s being described of of how god views such spirit-filled response in a difficult marriage these holy women were told verse five and verse six sarah they had a they had a beauty secret didn’t they they lovingly submitted to their husband’s headship those are words

that are really filled with vinegar today they’re onerous in our world some of it deserved much of it not but but those are words that says it twice lovingly submit and it finds great favor with god what could possibly get in the way of a woman wanting to be used greatly by god in their marriage I think it’s at the end of verse six why else would he say do what is right and don’t give way to what wells up inside when you hear stuff like

this fear I I have to look up at the top of the page and finish this message with these words that describe jesus he was in a very bad spot not of his own making at all but in verse 21 20 actually if you suffer for doing good and you endure it I’m not talking remember we made it clear we’re not talking violent we’re not talking unsafe but if you jesus had both of those things happen look verse 21 to this you were called because christ

suffered for you leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps I’ve had a whole bunch of women use the word that’s a difficult marriage to stay in and we have to walk through it together but he committed no sin verse 22 no deceit was found in his mouth when they hurled their insults at him he did not retaliate when he suffered he made no threats instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly he himself bore our sins in his body on the

cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness by his wounds you have been healed I’ll repeat myself if you’re if you’re in a hard marriage a tough marriage but you’re not sure whether it’s in the category of dangerous and risky and unsafe don’t try to guess call me I’ll I’ll find the resource to help you but in the spirit of deborah jail and sarah and other godly women of old who did great things for god the path may not be easy in

fact often is very hard but god goes with you let’s bow together and talk to the god who’s the fortress anybody needs when their circumstances are fearful you’re the mighty fortress god I thank you that you have words that are relevant and kind and connect deeply with women this room and those watching and joining today want a filled with women that want to walk with you and be used greatly by you that may be like a famous missionary or do something amazing out in far away

places but it also may be lord that you had this message in mind for somebody hearing these words that’s in a hard day-to-day life thank you for sarah and her example and god that’s a hard thing to do today but it’s not impossible I pray that you would empower women and and men in tough spots to walk with you the mighty fortress and to to walk in such a way that it’s said of us they overcame the fear an

Transcript machine-generated from the sermon audio, so it may contain errors. 6,203 words.