Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz19970316.htm

GOD'S RENEWAL FOR HOUSEHOLDS
"Part III: Renewing Household Adults - Renewing Womanhood"

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

(1) Many women today face abuse in their lives:

(a) According to the U. S. Surgeon General's office, 20% to 30% of emergency room visits by women result from domestic assaults. As many as 1,400 women are murdered by a husband or boyfriend every year. ("Domestic violence affects bottom line," by Lisa G enasci, AP, The Hartford Courant, Dec. 27, 1994)

(b) According to the February 28, 1997 Boston Globe, a survey of 6,159 college students enrolled in 32 institutions in the United States revealed that over 25% of college-age women surveyed "had been the victim of rape." (Statistics from the American Medical Association in the paper's "Ann Landers" column.)

(c) Unless we think this matter is not relevant in our area, in 1991 the Torrington Register-Citizen staff writer, Rebecca Thomas ran a series of stories on this issue, putting a seven step suggestion by Torrington's Susan B. Anthony's counselor, Timi Paccioretti on "What to do if sexually assaulted."

(2) Besides trauma, the role of women is confusing:

(a) On the back of one of a series of articles by Rebecca Thomas in Torrington's July 18, 1991 Register-Citizen about the vice of rape in our area ran a story by Beth Harpaz about the August 1991 issue of Vanity Fair. Actress Demi Moore's naked and pregnant magazine cover photo was too much for seven major grocery store chains to be willing to carry. Well, what is the role of women in relation to men -- are women supposed to be objects of unbridled male lust, or something else?! If something ELSE, then WHAT, and HOW?! The MEDIA is dreadfully contradictory here!!

(b) Fifty-nine percent of married women work according to the Labor Department (Ibid, The Hartford Courant). That means that over half of married women are not staying at home raising their children during some or all of the working day -- a big shift from former agricultural America's "traditional motherhood" role for women. Well, should women "develop themselves" and take the lead with men in the marketplace or cater to their maternal instincts and stay home?! Can they do both?! If so, How?!

What should a woman BE -- what should she DO to be fulfilled?! (We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "Aside from the startling statistics of the unbearable abuse of women in our country, 'fulfilled womanhood' today is an elusive, confusing ideal for many. Where can we go for answers?!"
  1. In lesson one, we found that SIN caused women to be unfulfilled:
    1. SIN inclined women to be insubordinate to their husbands though they were created by God to help their husbands, Gen. 2:23; 3:6, 17.
    2. God then modified the woman to have an insatiable mental-emotional need for a man (Gn. 3:16b), keeping her subject to preserve families.
    3. Yet, sin natures led women either to (1) try meeting this craving via futile random sex with all men (Pr. 7) or (2) resist thus being abused in their vulnerability by avoiding all men, getting frustrated, Pr. 21:19.
  2. SPIRITUAL dynamics also ENHANCE such errant behaviors:
    1. Satan who tempted Eve in Gen. 3:1-5 tempts women to sin today:
      1. The Devil tempts women to replace homemaking with excessive interaction with other women, creating unrest, 1 Tim. 5:11-13, 15.
      2. The Evil One tempts a woman to resist letting her husband take the lead in their marriage relationship, Eph. 5:22 with 6:12 implied.
      3. Satan tempts her to fall in love with men other than her husband to meet her Gen. 3:16b insatiability need, Eph. 5:22 with 6:12 implied.
      4. The Devil tempts her into vice if her husband fails her, 1 Cor. 7:5.
      5. If a woman interprets her Gen. 3:16b insatiability to mean she is an inadequate person, Satan may tempt her with suicide, 2 Co. 2:10f.
    2. The world that appealed to Eve in the fall of Gen. 3:6 tempts women:
      1. Women are tempted by lures appealing to bodily appetites to commit immorality and try substance abuse, 1 John 2:15, 16a.
      2. Women are tempted by aesthetic lures to get proccupied with their appearance or possessions, 1 John 2:15,16b; 1 Peter 3:1, 3-4.
      3. Women are tempted by lures of pride toward intense anger if their God-made insatiable need of a husband is abused, 1 Jn. 2:15, 16c.
    3. Sin natures rising from the Gen. 3:6 sin (Rom. 5:12ff) create a bent in women NOT to will & do anything but such wrongs, Rom. 7:15-24!
  3. God offers renewal for women with such sin-caused behaviors:
    1. If women trust Christ for salvation, God creates a new nature to provide them the means to will and to do what is right, Rom. 8:3-5.
    2. God's Spirit indwells them to do the rest, Phil. 2:12-13; Ga. 5:16-23.
    3. God gives them the following insight to restore true womanhood:
      1. Scripture instructs women to adjust their self-view for renewal:
        1. The Bible tells women believers that God accepts them in Christ as equals with men, Eph. 1:3, 6 with Gal. 3:28. They thus can view their Gen. 3:16b need as a temporary state that is far below their eternal destiny, (2 Cor. 4:16-18; Mk. 12:25).
        2. Yet, Scripture rejects female pride in this acceptance, for they are accepted via Christ's borrowed righteousness, Gal. 2:20.
        3. Thus, women feel both humble yet valued as are justified men, and thus relate in their roles with a quiet spirit, 1 Pet. 3:4-6.
      2. This healthy new self-view produces a renewed family atmosphere:
        1. A quiet spirit comes by a woman's trusting God, (III,C,1 above)
        2. If this trust appeals to Christ's Rev. 3:21; Eph. 5:22 rule over her husband to address her Gen. 3:16b emotional-mental need, a lady stops both (1) random sexual vice and (2) being defensive to her husband. (3) This leaves him feeling like a king, (4) so he adores her, and airs his heart to meet her Gen. 3:16b need.
        3. Even if her man stays abusive, she can still help her family by continuing her godly demeanor from a distance, 2 T. 2:24-3:5.
      3. Scripture instructs women how to preserve this healthy self-view:
        1. Scripture teaches them to view lures to (a) replace homemaking with interaction with women, (b) to resist a husband's lead, (c) to cleave to men at random (d) or to be suicidal out of low esteem as Satanic, and to resist by obeying Eph. 6:12-18: they do so by (1) facing the truth, (2) leaning on God's power and Word, (3) being ready with the Gospel (4) and praying for help!
        2. They are taught that worldly lusts are deceptive as they do not fulfill, and to use God's "III,B" power to overcome these lures that fuel actions in sections "I" and "II,B" above, 1 Jn. 2:15-17.
        3. They are taught to apply Scripture regularly in God's power to keep their thinking clear and sustain godly acts, 2 Tim. 3:16-17.
      4. Scripture motivates thus-adjusted women with a fulfilling mission:
        1. Women must follow their husbands' lead, making homemaking their primary mission, 1 Tim. 2:9-15; 5:14; Tit. 2:3-5.
        2. Proverbs 31:10-31 motivates them to do so by showing how this will fulfill their original Gen. 2:8-15 design to help their husbands rule the earth: (a) as a lady respects God & obeys Him (31:30b), she (b) is praised and adored by her whole family (31:30c, 28), (c) sees her husband develop to be a leader (31:23) (d) though she ages and loses her youthful charms, Pr. 31:30a!
Application: Fulfilling womanhood arises when (1) women trust Christ for salvation (2) and use God's Biblical resources for living. (3) Then their INFLUENCE in marriage and family catapults their husbands and children to influence others in the world for Christ!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the lesson . . . )

 dating her -- when classes started, she just wasn't in the group of debutantes where guys lined up to take gals out for dinner.

guys were walking or just talking with her.

Curious over her unusual appeal, I eventually got into a conversation with her while on a class break in the student center.

.

I was taken back that she had spent enough time and attention noticing my activities and getting concerned over them as she was so active with other relationships. I shared with her that I was going to try to get a double major in theology and mus ic, but that if the work load was too great, I would opt out of music as God had led me to preach.

I believ e in you -- you can achieve your goals!"

woman, this rather plain young gal helped others, including the guys, head for their fullest development in Christ. That made her an easy person to like, one whom I knew would have no problem seeing someone fall madly in love with her and propose!



Beauty is vain, and charm is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised! The renewal of womanhood -- it is available for all women today through Jesus Christ!