7. What is Manhood and What is Womanhood?
June 18, 2023 • David Schrock • Numbers 30, Proverbs 31
What is a woman? Answering this question is not difficult, unless you live in America, where over the last decade common sense has become all too uncommon. Except for those who hold fast to the realities of biology and the Bible, the simple question, “What is a woman?” has https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3a%2f%2fobc.us14.list-manage.com%2ftrack%2fclick%3fu%3ddd23918991ea6f542a8065bed%26id%3da8099fa282%26e%3df5b57025e0&data=05%7c01%7c%7ce87412df703a4c548e0e08db6eaa80a0%7c84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7c1%7c0%7c638225450811219338%7cunknown%7ctwfpbgzsb3d8eyjwijoimc4wljawmdailcjqijoiv2lumziilcjbtii6ik1hawwilcjxvci6mn0%3d%7c3000%7c%7c%7c&sdata=uehsa%2fzwdwdt30m%2bnxluphuieavsj31lysbmqjnbrby%3d&reserved=0, https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3a%2f%2fobc.us14.list-manage.com%2ftrack%2fclick%3fu%3ddd23918991ea6f542a8065bed%26id%3d4c0e863c1e%26e%3df5b57025e0&data=05%7c01%7c%7ce87412df703a4c548e0e08db6eaa80a0%7c84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7c1%7c0%7c638225450811219338%7cunknown%7ctwfpbgzsb3d8eyjwijoimc4wljawmdailcjqijoiv2lumziilcjbtii6ik1hawwilcjxvci6mn0%3d%7c3000%7c%7c%7c&sdata=rjbi%2bpw0sxldqi7tqdd3wyz7ompuumfqwuv%2bjpvdn8w%3d&reserved=0, and countless others who were interviewed by Matt Walsh in his recent documentary, https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3a%2f%2fobc.us14.list-manage.com%2ftrack%2fclick%3fu%3ddd23918991ea6f542a8065bed%26id%3d18ec1a3e53%26e%3df5b57025e0&data=05%7c01%7c%7ce87412df703a4c548e0e08db6eaa80a0%7c84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7c1%7c0%7c638225450811219338%7cunknown%7ctwfpbgzsb3d8eyjwijoimc4wljawmdailcjqijoiv2lumziilcjbtii6ik1hawwilcjxvci6mn0%3d%7c3000%7c%7c%7c&sdata=tuvivh85brjfbh1ipdl3ouzt5gjun5thrvivjetwhn4%3d&reserved=0 (If you haven’t seen it yet, you should). On Sunday, we will take time to answer this question and we will go one step further. We will also answer the question, What is a man? While our culture teaches us to think in parts and pieces, tidbits and talking points, we will attempt to look at something bigger—namely, what the whole Bible and nature itself says about men and women. Critically, we will see that women cannot be defined without men, nor men without women. Just read 1 Corinthians 11:8–9. 8 For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9 Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. When God made mankind in his image, he made them male and female (Gen. 1:27). And in that creation, he gave humanity one nature in two forms. And only in relationship to one another can the nature of each be fully understood. So, while it is appropriate to ask, What is a woman? Any answer that ignores men, will be shortsighted. And the same is true in reverse. Sadly, our world has become so atomized, we don’t think like this. Even Matt Walsh’s eye-opening documentary doesn’t think like this. But by God’s grace, when we open up God’s Word, we will see men and women from the perspective of God himself. And I will warn you, what you may find may challenge how you think about men and women. As we saw last week, God did not create individuals as individuals, he created image-bearers who are born into families. This means, the basic building block of society is not the single man or woman, it is the family. And individual men and women learn who they are not by looking within, but by looking without—at the mothers who nurse them and the fathers who discipline them. This is how God designed it. And actually, the absence of family only proves the point. While the sins of abortion, divorce, and abandonment have often fractured these family bonds, they haven’t change the way God ordered his world. They have only marred that order. Likewise, as mad scientists are trying to create life without human parents, they are not changing the nature of humanity, they are only attempting to kill, steal, and destroy that nature—all in the name of research and design. Still, these experiments will end, but God’s nature created order remains. And so does God’s message of redemption. Therefore, as we stand in the gap to pray for and plead that our neighbors would repent of their sins and to submit to their Maker, we must be able to confidently answer the question: What are men and women? What makes them similar? What makes them different? And why does this matter? Those are some of the questions we will answer on Sunday as we gather to worship. To prepare for Sunday, take time to read Numbers 30, Proverbs 31, and 1 Peter 3. On this Father’s Day, those will be just a few of the passages we consider. And to press you to think more closely on this subject, take time to consider how much our culture (and the church!) has changed since the 1950s or the 1850s, when the practices of Numbers 30 were largely still in effect. Ask yourself, has the dissolution of Numbers 30 really served the cause of families, churches, women, and children? Or has it opened the door to all sorts of harm to women, men, and the children of God? As the Lord allows, I will look forward to seeing you on Sunday. As a reminder, the Bristow Community Group is in overflow this Sunday. For His Glory and your joy, Pastor David --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discussion & Response Questions What are men and women? Where did confusion about this question come from? How did feminism contribute to the confusion? How have you seen confusion manifest itself? In what ways does individualism contribute to confusion about men and women? What about technology? Why should we start with the human body? What role does anatomy play in defining male and female? Is gender a social construct? Assigned by doctors or parents? Or is gender defined by God and the sex of the human? Why does this need to be addressed? Can we say that men and women have behaviors? Or is that being stereotypical? Are stereotypes wrong? How does the Bible speak? What evidence does the history of civilizations do to help answer the questions about men and women? Why must we define men and women in relation to one another? See Genesis 1:27; Numbers 30; Proverbs 31; 1 Corinthians 11:8–9. What direction does the Bible give to us? Is the Bible patriarchal (i.e., families led by and organized around the man)? Why or why not? What does Numbers 30 teach? Is this only for the Old Testament? Or does it give instruction for today (see 2 Timothy 3:16–17)? If it applies today, how so? Why is it important to recover a biblical understanding of manliness and womanliness? And how would you begin to do that?
5. The Shepherd-Lamb (John 10:1-30)
October 10, 2021 • Ben Purves • John 10:1–30, Ezekiel 34, Revelation 7:17, Numbers 27:16–17
Dear OBC Family, Over the past few weeks, we have turned our eyes to the cross as we look through the Scriptures to see how they point us to Jesus and his finished work. The ram substituted for Isaac in Genesis 22, the Passover lamb of Exodus 12-13, and the Day of Atonement of Leviticus 16 all point us forward to Christ’s cross. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the once-and-for all sacrifice, and the substitutionary atonement for our sins. This Sunday we will consider a variation on this theme, as we consider Christ our Shepherd. We know what it is to go astray, to be where we should not be, and be entangled or ensnared in sin. Some of us are hungry, for we have chosen poor pastures, which sicken instead of nourishing our souls with truth. You may feel lost, threatened, harassed, or helpless. Yet we have great hope, for God is our shepherd. This Sunday we will consider different moments in redemptive history throughout the Scriptures, and turn our eyes to Christ our Good Shepherd who laid down his life for his flock. He is our Shepherd-King, and he is the Shepherd-Lamb. I invite you to read John 10:1-30 in advance of this Sunday, and join us as we gather for worship at 8:30 and 11:00am. Blessings in Christ, Pastor Ben ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. How do you see God shepherding his covenant people throughout the Scriptures? 2. What are the responsibilities of a shepherd? 3. How do the shepherds of the Old Testament point forward to Christ (positively, and negatively)? 4. What does it mean that Jesus is the Good Shepherd? How is Jesus better than the shepherds who came before him? How is Jesus the true answer to Moses’ prayer in Numbers 27:17? 5. How does Jesus shepherd the church today? 6. What promises are true for Christ’s sheep? 7. How does Scripture instruct us in how to identify threats to the flock today? (False teachers, wolves, etc). What do they look like? 8. What are the means by which God shepherds his people today, and how have you seen the Lord shepherd you? 9. What is the significance of the change in language in Revelation (from shepherd to Lamb?) 10. As a sheep in Christ’s flock, how should we respond to Christ’s shepherding?