Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20011216.htm

GOD'S ANGELIC CONFLICT CRISIS GUIDANCE GIFTS
Part III: God's Use Of Overseers For Crisis Angelic Conflict Guidance
(Matthew 1:18-2:23 with Genesis 1-3)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

On several car bumpers I have read the intriguing sticker, "Rebel Against Authoriy." Usually this sticker is accompanied by other kinds of bumper stickers dealing with environmental protection or nuclear energy or women's rights, etc.

But the issue of authority is a big one even in Churches!

(1) Increasingly, even Evangelical Churches are promoting the belief that since Paul taught we are neither male nor female in Christ in Galatians 3:28, we should not make the distinction between women and men in leadership roles in the Church. Thus, more and more churches are ordaining women to be ministers and more and more seminaries are opening up degree programs for women which were at one time limited only to men.

Well, IS it important for the "old establishment" rules of male headship to be followed, or should women be allowed to lead MEN in Church or business and other endeavors?

(2) Whose in charge in the family -- the parent or the child -- seems in many cases to be "debatable." Turn on the typical afternoon television shows on small claims courts and you run into children who are either suing their parents for small issues, or parents who are desperately turning to the judge to take control of their teens who are either getting into gangs or hard drugs or crime. The teen may be so disrespectful that he or she openly sasses the judge!

Often, such juveniles are assigned by the court to "tough love" kinds of "boot camps" where sergeants yell at them until the kids break down tearfully into submission.

But, how important is it -- or IS it UNimportant -- for minors living in their parents' homes to OBEY them?

(3) As a boy, I was told that if I was ever "spanked" by a teacher at school, I would be sure to get another spanking from by parents at home! However, were a teacher to "spank" a child today in a public school, he would be forced out of his job!

SHOULD a student obey his TEACHER? WHY?



In OUR era, is it IMPORTANT to heed some kind of "overseer order"or "chain of command"? WHY?!

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "When bumper stickers tell us to Rebel Against Authority,' IS it important to pay attention to overseers? IF so, WHY?!"
  1. We've learned Satan tried to kill Jesus at birth (Rev. 12:4), so God used JOSEPH, Mary's "overseer" husband, to LEAD HER so the INFANT, JESUS would be protected from harm, Matt. 1:1-2:23.
    1. Though God sent the angel, Gabriel to Mary directly to inform her of her role in Christ's birth (Luke 1:26-38), after that, God kept on BYPASSING Mary to speak to JOSEPH FOR the welfare of Mary and Jesus, compare Matthew 1:20-21; 2:13-14; 2:19-21 and 2:22-23.
    2. Why God bypassed her is seen in 1 Cor. 11:3: Joseph was Mary's rightful overseer, so God spoke to Joseph for her and her baby!
  2. To know WHY God stays so STRICTLY to His oversight ORDER to counter SATAN'S HARMFUL angelic conflict efforts, we view man's FIRST ANGELIC CONFLICT CRISIS in Genesis 1-3:
    1. First, God made man to rule over the animal kingdom, Gen. 1:27-28.
    2. Then, God made the woman to be overseen by the man (as follows):
      1. AFTER God made ADAM but BEFORE He made EVE, God told Adam not eat of the tree of the forbidden tree:
        1. God is recorded as having created Adam in Genesis 2:7 and of having put him in the Garden of Eden to care for it in Gen. 2:15.
        2. God later is presented creating the first woman, Adam's wife, Eve from Adam's rib in Genesis 2:20-25.
        3. Then, BETWEEN Adam's and Eve's creations, God told Adam not to eat of the forbidden tree lest he die, and that at Gen. 2:16-17: (a) The Hebrew verb in Gen. 2:17 translated "thou shalt not eat" (KJV) ["you must not eat" (NIV)] is written in the 2nd person masculine singular form, cf. Kittel, Biblia Hebraica, p. 3; Zondervan's Analytical Heb. and Chaldee Lexicon, p. 744. (b) Thus, God did not directly tell EVE to abstain from the tree, but He gave the command to Adam!
      2. From the context and Ancient Near Eastern culture, we know God expected EVE to hear through ADAM, her overseer about God's word to her regarding God's lifesaving prohibition:
        1. Ancient Near Eastern culture dictated the party naming another was sovereign over the named one, cf. Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, v. Four, s. v. "Name," p. 363.
        2. Adam thus expressed sovereignty over Eve (Ibid.), and that in God's will, for Scripture shows God presented Eve to Adam to see what he would name her in sovereignty over her just as he named the animals in a sovereign act, Gen. 2:19-20 with 2:22!
        3. Thus, EVE was to get her information about not eating from the forbidden tree from her God-prescribed overseer, Adam!
    3. Well, in the fall, Satan was more able to tempt man to sin to his HARM by REVERSING God's OVERSIGHT ORDER for man:
      1. Instead of starting either with Adam or Eve, Satan began to tempt using the most subordinate party, an animal, the serpent, to deceive its superior, Eve to sin, Genesis 3:1 with Revelation 12:9.
      2. Well, Paul tells us Eve was more prone to being deceived by Satan if tempted apart from her God-ordained overseer, Adam, 1 Tim. 2:14 (see Hendriksen, I-II Tim.-Titus, p. 109-110).
      3. Thus, after being deceived, EVE ate of the forbidden tree and in turn violated God's order by urging Adam to eat, Genesis 3:6a.
      4. Since Adam probably shunned being left "alone" without Eve's fellowship (cf. Gen. 2:18, 20b), he intentionally submitted to Eve and sinfully ate of the tree to stay together with her, Genesis 3:6b.
    4. Thus, God's judgments COUNTER Satan's death-influencing violation of God's oversight order to inhibit future Satanic works:
      1. God put enmity between the serpent and man to hinder further Satanic deception of man by way of the serpent, cf. Genesis 3:15.
      2. God caused the woman more deeply to desire her husband so as to influence her to be more subordinate to him, Genesis 3:16b.
      3. As Adam had errantly heeded EVE, God forced him to work to live so he would be assertive versus submitting to her, 3:17-19.
Application: For protection from Satanic harm in the angelic conflict, (1) we must believe in Christ to transfer from Satan's rule to Christ's kingdom, John 3:16; Col. 1:13-14. (2) Then [along with the other signals in this sermon series], we HEED the Biblical overseer(s)' Biblical directives God provides for us in their Biblical roles (namely, (a) government officials and ordinances, 1 Peter 2:13-17; Rom. 13:1-7; (b) business overseers, Eph. 6:5; (c) parents [if living at home], Eph. 6:1-3; (d) husbands, Eph. 5:22 and (e) church leaders, Hebrews 13:17).

Lesson: God guarded the infant Jesus from death at Satan's hand by using His "oversight order" to direct Joseph to lead his wife, Mary and her infant son, Jesus out of harm's way! Thus, God still uses His "oversight order" to guard us from Satan's harm in the angelic conflict! >

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 A woman who attended our Church hoedown years ago at the Housatonic Meadows State Park heard us sing the song, "Nothing Is Impossible." When she heard it, she wondered if the song could ever become true regarding saving her troubled marriage!

She next attended our Church Ladies Retreat held at Trinita. A speaker at the meeting taught God's order was for the wife to be respectfully submissive to her husband even if the husband was very imperfect. Only if a man ordered his wife to disobey God was she to disobey her husband according to Acts 5:29. Yet, in the process, she was still to show respect toward him according to Ephesians 5:33b!

The speaker highlighted the fact that Ephesians 5:22-33 clarifies the WIFE should respectfully SUBMIT to her husband BEFORE it commands the HUSBAND to love his wife as he ought! In other words, there must be a FOLLOWER "attitude" in the WIFE before the husband can EFFECTIVELY LEAD her!

Well, this woman who wondered if anything good was possible for her troubled marriage came under conviction of sin regarding her own disrespectfulness to her husband! She realized she had actually contributed to her marriage problems by her sour attitude toward him!

So later, at home with her husband, she bravely got down on her knees before him, and, weeping, confessed her disrespect to him!

The husband was taken BACK by his wife's change of attitude, and IMMEDIATELY began to be more CONSIDERATE of HER! To THIS DAY, their MARRIAGE is not only JUST EXISTING, but it is actually THRIVING!

That song, "Nothing Is Impossible!" is a real favorite of this woman! Several times she has told me, "Pastor, it is unbelievable what God can do in a MARRIAGE when a WIFE starts to clear up her OWN errors in NOT being respectful and submissive toward her husband! Please use my testimony to help other marriages!"