The Place of Women in Redemption History

Father, we are living in some very dark days today in which There is now Even great confusion over what a woman is. And who can rightly claim to be a woman. We live in a state that is. On the leading edge of this darkness and yet here we are as a church in this place called by you to be a light in the darkness.

Thank you for the opportunity that you have given to us to be here and to be a light in this dark place. Father, we thank you and we praise you for the moms who are represented in this church body. Who are a part of this light. We thank you for all the work they do in caring for their children and in molding.

The children who are in their home, some of these moms, Lord, are young and others are older. Some have young children in the home and some have older children who are out of the home. Some of these moms have grandchildren and. Yes, there are some with great grandchildren.

Many of these moms, Lord, have husbands by their sides. In their role. Some of our moms, Lord, are single moms who must labor alone in many ways. Father, we ask this morning that you would bless.

These moms in a very special way and we ask that you would help them to understand how important their ministry is. How loaded with eternal significance their labor is from day to day. I pray, Lord, that you would give to each mom exactly the grace that she needs to be the mother that her children need for her to be at whatever stage of life. Those children are at Some of our moms, even this morning, Lord, are plagued by guilt over failures.

And sends. Sins of omission and sins of commission, I pray, Lord, that they would know that. Your blood shed at the cross provides full atonement for their every sin. And that your grace would serve as wind beneath their wings to give them lift in being the woman and mom that they long to be.

Help all of our moms, Lord, to mirror your image to their children. Help them by the lives that they lead and the example they set by the things that they do and the ways that they go about relating to their children. Lord, help them through all of these means to show their children what you are like. I pray that you would use these moms, Lord, together with the dads to bring up a godly generation of men and women who will be sent forth.

As sharp arrows in your cause and as champions of the faith. Who will shine his lights in an increasingly darkened culture. In a generation. That so desperately needs to see the beauty of your image.

Help us to raise a godly generation of men and women. Who will know their God and who will stand firm and do great exploits in the name of Jesus. We pray for those women in this room, Lord, who have a mother's heart. That you have given to them but they have no children.

With this mother's heart, these women are praying that you would give to them children so that they might raise these children to love you and to serve your cause in the days to come. We trust your good providence and all things, Lord, but we ask that you would hear the lament. Of these sisters. Together with their husbands and that she would honor their burden and that she would give to them the children that they are praying for.

We thank you, Lord, for The spiritual mothers in this room who make our church so much the richer. Bless these women as they continue to share your love and your truth with. All those whose lives they touch. And I pray now that you would help me.

To be a good brother to my sisters and to serve them well. In the sermon this morning, we ask all of these things in the name of Jesus. And all God's people said, Amen. Well, let me invite you to turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 3.

Genesis chapter 3 for our time of study and the word this morning. We're going to be looking at, a number of passages of scripture, this morning, but we'll begin in Genesis 3 and the title of the message is the Place of Women in redemption History. The place of women in redemption history. And by the way, ladies, I have another Mother's Day gift for you.

A PowerPoint. So, just for you, all right. But I want to begin the sermon today by just reading from Genesis chapter 3. And these words describe for us the fall of mankind into sin.

And as I read this narrative, I want you to notice the prominent role that the first woman plays in the drama. And I don't say this to beat you sisters down, but to set things up for you to appreciate how wonderful God's plan of redemption is. Beginning in verse one, the text says now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made, and he said to the woman, indeed has God said, you shall not eat from any tree of the garden. The woman said to the serpent, from the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat from it or touch it or you will die.

The serpent said to the woman, you surely will not die, for God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate, and she gave also to her husband with her, and he. 8. In the account I just read to you, there are 8 references to the first woman.

4 times she is referred to as the woman, twice she is referred to as she. And twice she is referred to as her. In these verses, and there are only two explicit references to the man in this account, and in one of those references, he is described as her husband with her. This is the tragic story of the fall of mankind into the sin, and what follows in Genesis 3, if you were to read the following verses, is God confronting Adam and Eve about their sin and letting them know what life will now be like in a fallen world.

Eve and women after her will experience pain. In the biological processes that make conception and childbirth possible. Her desire will be for her husband in a way that is tainted by sin, and he will rule over her in a way that is also tainted by sin. As for Adam, he and all men after him will have to work by the sweat of their brow and deal with thorns and thistles until they return to the dust in death.

From Romans 5, we learned that it was from Adam and Eve's fall. Here in Genesis chapter 3 that death entered the world and came to all of their descendants, which is all of us. But as sad as all of these consequences are, they are not without hope and comfort. We are told that after Adam and Eve confessed their sin, God clothed them in the skins of a slain animal, essentially dressing them in the atonement that the death of that animal pointed to.

From that point forward, whenever Adam and Eve would be plagued with guilt over their failure on this day or tempted to hold a grudge against the other for their failure, they would be able to look at their atoning garb. That God had clothed them with and know that there is grace to receive and grace to give. But there was another comfort that Eve could take solace in also. And that is the promise that God speaks in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15 that we will look at in just a moment, a promise that assures her that she will be a vital player in God's plan of redemption.

Going forward, a plan of redemption that will one day lead to God's provision of a savior. Who will prevail over the serpent once and for all. Which brings up the old joke that you all have heard, right? Where would man be?

If it were not for The woman. I remember as a kid hearing men ask that question. And they would always follow that question with the answer, man would still be in the garden. If you read the full sweep of the Bible, you would realize that God loves the question.

Of that joke But he changes the punchline into something beautiful. Where would man be if it were not for the woman? God asks, and his answer. Man would be without a savior.

So ladies, what I wanna do with the time that we have. This morning is to run through the broad sweep of scripture and to show how amazingly true that punch line is. And in doing this review, I want you, my sisters in Christ, to be encouraged with the prominent role. That women Play in the gospel story as it unfolds throughout scripture.

And I also want you to know that the story of redemption continues. And that God wants you to play a vital role in the further unfolding of God's plan of redemption going forward. My hope is that this message will cause you to look at yourself. In a brighter light.

And that it will cause your brothers in Christ to look at you in a brighter light as well, as you and as they, your brothers in Christ, see the role that God intends for womankind to play in the unfolding of God's redemptive program. And so the way we'll break down what we're gonna be observing this morning is we'll observe 7 facts, 7 facts about the place or regarding the place of women in redemption history. 7 facts. Regarding the place of women in redemption history, and the first fact we can state in this way, the first woman figures prominently in God's first promise regarding Christ's victory over Satan.

The first woman figures prominently in God's first promise regarding Christ's victory over the serpent or over Satan. As I alluded to earlier, after Adam and Eve confessed their sin, God immediately speaks, and he speaks to the serpent first, and he makes this promise to the serpent in Genesis 3:15. He says, I will put enmity between you and the woman. And between your seed and her seed.

He shall bruise you on the head. And you shall bruise him. On the heel This is the first declaration of the gospel that we find in the Bible, and it comes from the mouth of God when speaking to the serpent on the day that Adam and Eve fell into sin. And just from this statement alone, Eve has heard enough to know that she evidently is not gonna die right away.

She will live and she will have children. And one of her descendants will rise up and deliver a fatal wound to the head of this serpent. It soon becomes obvious that Adam. Heard what God says about his wife in Genesis 3:15 because Adam's first official act after God finishes all of his pronouncements is that Adam gives to his wife a name that enshrines the promise that God had spoken to her.

In Genesis 3:20, we are told. That Adam names his wife Hava. Which we pronounce as Eve. Because he saw that she would be the mother of all the living.

This is the first mention of the word mother in the Bible, and it was a title of destiny given to Eve on her day of greatest failure. Before she even had any children. It meant that God would not be casting Eve aside because of her sin. It meant that he is leaving her in the game, and he will be populating the earth through her.

It meant that he would be entrusting children to her so that she could love them and train them and raise them. And it meant that ultimately, God will use Eve to be the one from whom the Messiah would come. Making her the ancestral mother of a champion, who would arise and crush the head of the serpent. And according to Genesis 3:15, when that champion arrives, he will be called her seed, not Adam's seed, but her seed.

Given this fact, we're not surprised at the second fact regarding the meaningful role that women play in the unfolding story of redemption. Fact number 2, women figure prominently in the incarnation of Christ. Women figure prominently in the incarnation of Christ. We see this on the very first page of our New Testaments which begin with the genealogy of the Messiah, wherein we find four women mentioned.

Listen to the 1st 6 verses of the New Testament, beginning in Matthew chapter 1 verse 1. Where we read the record of the genealogy of Jesus, the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac, the father of Jacob, and Jacob, the father of Judah, and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zara by.

Tamar. Perez was the father of Hezron and Hezron the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amenedab. Amenedab, the father of Neon.

Nashon, the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth. And Obed, the father of Jesse, Jesse was the father of David the king.

David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba. Who had been the wife of Uriah. In the 1st 6 verses of the New Testament, 4 women. are mentioned and look at who they are.

Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. Most genealogies back in this day featured only men. But this one includes 4 women, and what is striking about these 4 women. Who are mentioned is that all of them had reputations that had been stained by sin and by shame.

Tamar was the twice widowed daughter-in-law of Judah. Whom Judah came to view as bad luck for his boys. Because Judah would not give her his third son as he had promised her that he would do, she played the harlot and got her father-in-law, Judah to sleep with her. And she conceived twins by him, one of whom was Perez, who is in the lineage of the Messiah.

As for Rahab, she was a Canaanite woman from the city of Jericho. She was a harlot by trade, yet she came to trust in Jehovah, and she sided with the Israelites when they came against Jericho. And then there's Ruth. Who was a down on her luck Moabitis.

And being a Moabite means that she descended from an incestuous union. Between Lot and his oldest daughter. Yet this Moabite woman decided to cast her lot with the people of God. And then there's Bathsheba with whom David committed adultery, a woman who then experienced the unspeakable tragedy of having her husband killed by the man who committed adultery with her.

All 4 of these women experienced painful brokenness in their lives. None of them would have ever been considered candidates for the messianic line. None of them would have ever imagined that one day they would be forever enshrined in the genealogy of the Messiah. In the very first chapter of our New Testaments.

But that's what happens and that's. So, God to do. What this shows us is that God has no problem using broken women to serve his purposes and it also shows that God is not embarrassed to use them. In fact, God seems to find a particular relish in pointing out the role that broken women play in carrying out his gospel purposes like bringing forth the Messiah into the world.

As for the incarnation itself, the whole story is a wonderful tribute to womankind, even in the initial announcement of it. Think about it, the most phenomenal announcement. Or the most phenomenal event in human history up to this point in time was the incarnation of Jesus Christ. When God became a man.

This is a staggering event of such magnitude that God wanted Gabriel to be the one making The announcement And to whom did Gabriel make this announcement? To a teenage girl named Mary. In Luke chapter 1, verses 32 to 35, we see the account of Gabriel coming to Mary and making this announcement to her. It's noteworthy that Gabriel did not appear to Mary's father first, nor to her fiance first.

He appeared to Mary first and tells her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and cause her to miraculously conceive the Messiah in her womb and that this conception will happen without the aid of any man. And that's what happened. The Holy Spirit came upon Mary and she conceived miraculously in her womb, ultimately giving birth to the Messiah of the world. And when Paul speaks.

The apostle Paul speaks of Christ's coming. Into the world in Galatians chapter 4, verse 4, he says, when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his son. Born of a what? A birthing person, right?

No, born of a woman. And Jesus was not just born of a woman in the sense that all people are born of a woman. He was born of a woman who had never been with a man. In the case of Christ's birth, God uses the woman alone and she gives birth to the Messiah.

That's astounding. I love what John Stott says on this point. Saying we must never forget what we owe to a woman. If Mary had not given birth to the Christ child, there would have been no salvation for anybody.

No greater honor has ever been given to woman than in the calling of Mary to be the mother and the savior of the world, unquote. To add one more element to this, when Jesus was brought to the temple when he was 40 days old, Joseph and Mary encountered an 84-year-old widow named Anna. When Anna heard Simeon speaking to Mary about Jesus, Luke chapter 2 verse 38 says, she came up and began giving thanks to God and then continued to speak of him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Israel, thus making her one of the earliest heralds of Christ's birth to others.

And the story of redemption continues from there.

Jesus is born and he grows up and he begins his public ministry and we see even more deeply the place of women in God's redemptive plan. Fact number 3, women figure meaningfully in the life and ministry of Christ. Women figure meaningfully in the life in the ministry of Christ. Throughout his ministry, we see Jesus being good to women at every turn.

The very first healing that Mark records is Jesus healing of Peter's mother-in-law in Mark chapter one. In Mark 5, Jesus healed the woman with the flow of blood. This woman had suffered for 12 years with a condition that had something to do with her reproductive cycle. Which means that she suffered miserable pains associated with the fall, yet Jesus heals this woman of her condition.

She reaches out, if you recall the story, and touches his garment in a crowd of people and she experiences privately healing. For understandable reasons, she wanted to keep her condition and her healing private. But Jesus stops what he's doing and says, who touched me? Forcing her to speak up and confess.

What she had done. Jesus drew her out. On this occasion in this way, not to shame her, but because he wanted everyone to know that he deemed this woman. To be a fitting recipient of his healing power.

This is the way Jesus was with women on other occasions too. As one writer says, though many women in Jesus' day were viewed as negligible entities destined to exist on the fringes of life, Jesus takes note of them, and in one gloriously wrenching moment, he thrust them onto center stage in the drama of redemption. With the spotlights of eternity beaming down on them, and he immortalizes them in sacred history, unquote. That's what Jesus did with this woman, and she's not the only one.

In Mark 5, Jesus raises raises Jairus's little daughter from the dead. In Matthew 15, Jesus heals the Canaanite woman's daughter. In John 4, Jesus talks face to face with the Samaritan woman at the well, something that no Jewish rabbi would ever do. In Luke 7:11 through 17, Jesus sees a widowed woman weeping over her only son who had died, and Jesus, we're told, felt compassion for her and said to her, Do not weep.

And then Jesus raises her son from the dead, and then according to Luke chapter 7, verse 15, And I quote, Jesus gave him back to his mother. In Luke 7, Jesus is reclining at the home of Simon, the Pharisee, and a woman of shady reputation. Comes in and begins to anoint Jesus with Or to anoint his feet with her hair and with her tears. And amazingly, Jesus does not push this woman away but receives her expression of gratitude and affection, and Simon and the others in the room are critical of Jesus, thinking that if Jesus knew the real truth about this woman, He would not let her even so much as touch him.

But Jesus defends the woman's right to express her love for him in this way, and speaks kindly to her. In Luke 10, Jesus allowed Mary to sit at his feet with the men and listen to his teaching. He defended her right to do so even when Martha tried to tell Mary that her place. was not at Jesus' feet, but in the kitchen.

In Luke chapter 13 verses 10 through 17, Jesus sees a woman who had been crippled by a spirit for 18 years and he called out to the woman and said, Woman, you are freed from your sickness. And the Jews criticized Jesus for healing this woman on the Sabbath day, but Jesus says in verse 16, this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day? Throughout his ministry, Jesus allowed Women to travel with him. Which again is something that no other rabbi would ever do.

We learned in Mark chapter 15 verses 40 and 41 that when Jesus was in Galilee, some women, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, the last, and Joseph and Salome used to follow him and minister to him. And we learned in Mark 15:41 that when Jesus made his final trek to Jerusalem, there were many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem. Jesus loved women and the noblest and the best of ways, and he did good to them at every turn and perhaps even more notably, he received ministry from them.

And considered their ministry valuable.

We see how this is also true as Jesus approaches his death, which leads us to the 4th fact about the place of women in God's unfolding drama of redemption. Fact number 4, women figure meaningfully in the story of Christ's death. Women figure meaningfully in the story of Christ's death. In Mark 14, we learned that shortly before his death, Jesus is in Bethany at a home, and a woman comes in with an expensive ointment and she anoints Jesus' head, and this woman is scolded for being so wasteful in doing this.

With such a valuable ointment, but Jesus defends her and tells everyone that she is anointing his body for his burial. And he not only defends her, but he intentionally immortalizes her act in gospel history, saying in Mark 14:9, truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, that also which this woman has done shall be spoken in memory of her. How beautiful is that? Jesus never speaks about any service that anyone else rendered to him in this way, but he speaks this way about this woman's act of service, thereby honoring her.

In Luke chapter 23 verse 27, we see Jesus on his way to the place of crucifixion. And we're told that following him was a large crowd of women who were mourning and lamenting him, and it is to these women that Jesus speaks and says, daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. Additionally, we are told in the gospel accounts that women were present at the crucifixion of Jesus. In Matthew 27, the text says, and I quote, and many women were there looking on from a distance.

Among whom was Mary Magdalene along with Mary, the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. And when we read that we should ask why is this detail included in the story? What does this information add to the narrative? This list is included, guys, as a way.

Of honoring these women who stayed with Jesus to the very end. When most of Jesus' other disciples had what? They had bailed. And fled We also know from John chapter 19, verses 26 and 27 that Jesus' own mother was there at the scene of his death.

And while hanging on the cross, Jesus speaks to John, who was with her and tells John to essentially look after his mother. In the process, Jesus was honoring and taking care of his mother even while he was hanging on the cross. That's amazing. Maybe you say, man, I, I'd love to take better care of my mom right now, but my job is killing me.

Well, Jesus' job was killing him too. Literally, yet even while dying on the cross, he still looked after his mother. After Jesus dies, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus prepared his body for burial, and they put his body in the tomb and rolled the stone into place. However, the Bible is careful to Tell us that these two men were not the only ones at the tomb.

Of Jesus and Mark 15:47 were told that when they had buried Jesus in the tomb, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joseph, were looking on to see where he was laid. Nothing is said about anything that these women did. But they were there. And they looked on to see where he was laid.

God wants us to know that these women were there. And he wants you to know their names. This sets us up for the next fact that we observed regarding the prominent role that women play in the unfolding drama of redemption. Number 5, women figure prominently in the story of Christ's resurrection.

Women figure prominently in the story of Christ's resurrection, and we all know the story, right? It was women who were the first to arrive at the tomb on resurrection Sunday. We're told in Mark 16:1 that it was Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Salome, who showed up at the tomb, and they were the first ones to notice that the tomb was empty. Not only that, they were the only ones to see an angel at the tomb, who spoke to them and told them that Jesus had risen from the dead.

It was to the women that the angel spoke and said in verse 6, he has risen, he is not here. So these women were the first to hear the most earth shattering announcement in the history of the world. It was also these women who were the first to see with their own eyes, the resurrected Christ. In Matthew chapter 28 verse 9, we're told that as the women left the tomb, Jesus met them and greeted them, and they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped Him.

So women were the first ones to see. And to touch. And to worship the resurrected Christ. We also see in the resurrection narrative that women We're actually the first officially commissioned messengers of the resurrection to others.

In Matthew 28:7, the angel says to the women, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead. When Jesus meets up with them as they are on their way in Matthew 28:10, Jesus tells them, go and take word. To my brethren to leave for Galilee and there they will see me. He entrust them with his word to deliver to them.

So these women were doubly commissioned by the angel and by Jesus to be the messengers of his resurrection to Jesus' disciples. The symmetry of all of this in connection with Genesis 3 is staggering to imagine. Thousands of years earlier, a woman was in. The garden, and she heard the serpent say, yeah, has God said?

And here thousands of years later in another garden, these women here an angels say he is not here, but he has risen just as he said. Thousands of years earlier, a woman was in a garden and she heard a serpent say, you surely shall not die. And here thousands of years later, in another garden, these women here an angels say, Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here.

But he has risen. Thousands of years earlier, a woman in a garden was influenced to go and tell her husband lies about a forbidden fruit, and she prevailed and got him to eat of this fruit. He was all too ready. To follow her and eat it.

And now here thousands of years later, these women are being told to go and tell the truth that Jesus had risen from the dead and when they do share that truth with Jesus' disciples. The men refused to believe the truth. And in fact, viewed the words of these women as nonsense. This actually raises another point.

That apologists often speak about if the story of the resurrection were made up. If it were a fabrication, no one would have ever written the story this way, right? If people in the first century wanted to make up a story about a resurrected savior and they really wanted people to believe their story, they would never make up a story in which women were the first eyewitnesses to that event. And especially have one of those female eyewitnesses be someone who was once possessed by 7 demons.

That's Mary Magdalene In the first century, women were not even eligible to testify in a Jewish court of law. Josephus, the Jewish historian, said even if multiple women give testimony to something, you cannot trust their testimony. Even Jesus' disciples didn't believe what the women. We're sharing with them.

This was seized upon by ancient critics of Christianity. Celsus was a 2nd century philosopher who argued strenuously against Christianity, and he made several arguments against the truthfulness of the Christian faith, and one of his arguments was that one of the supposed witnesses of the resurrection was Mary Magdalene, whom he describes as a hysterical female. So, why did God Set it up this way. In such a way that women are the first eye witnesses and messengers of the resurrection.

Well, part of the reason is obviously that God is He wants women involved in his story, but part of the reason is that God is providing a counterpoint to the stigma on womankind that goes back to Genesis 3. In fact, listen to what Gregory of Nissa. Said on this point, he was a bishop of Cappadocia who lived in the late 300s AD. These are very ancient words from a church father, and he says this, and I quote, for since, as the apostle tells us, the woman being deceived fell into transgression and was by her disobedience foremost in the revolt against God for this reason.

She is the first to witness the resurrection. Indeed, by making herself at the beginning a minister, an advocate to her husband of the counsels of the serpent, she brought into human life the beginnings of evil and its train of consequences. Therefore, by ministering to Christ's disciples the words of Him who slew the rebel dragon, she might become to men the guide of faith, whereby the first proclamation of death is annulled. Unquote I love that.

Rather than leaving women on the bench because of Eve's failures, Jesus is handing the ball to these women. And Having them involved in a big play. Asking them to play a heroic role in delivering the news to the men about his resurrection from the dead. There's something else happening here that's connected to the promise of God in Genesis 3:15 where you'll recall God promised Eve that her seed would crush the head of the serpent, though the serpent would succeed in bruising his heel.

It turns out that the death of Christ on the cross is the serpent striking the heel. Of the Messiah and wounding him. But the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the crushing blow to the serpent's head. This means that it is now true that the seed of the woman has crushed the head of the serpent.

And Jesus wants the women. To be the first to see. What the seed of the woman has done and it's only appropriate that they be the first messengers of that victory to others. But this is not all there is to the story.

The role that women play in the further unfolding of God's plan continues even after Christ's resurrection. Which leads us to the 6th fact regarding the meaningful role that women play in the story of redemption. We'll look at this very briefly. Number 6, women figure meaningfully in the story of the birthday of the church.

Women figure meaningfully in the story of the birthday of the church. In Acts chapter 1 verse 14, we learned that Jesus' disciples along with the 120 individuals were gathered in the upper room for prayer. The text tells us that these all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer along with the women. And Mary, the mother of Jesus.

God wants you to know that women were there. In Acts chapter 2 verse 1, we learned that the same people, which would include the women were all together on the day of Pentecost, and in Acts chapter 2, verse 4, the text tells us that the Spirit was poured out and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And began to miraculously speak in languages that they had never learned. This means that the women present were filled with the spirit, and they were speaking in languages right along with the men.

And this would include Mary. The mother of Jesus, which means that the last thing we see Mary doing on the pages of scripture. is miraculously speaking. In a human language that she had never learned.

On the day of Pentecost and thereby, as Acts 2 tells us, speaking of the mighty deeds of God. And she is doing this with other women as they spoke together with the men of the mighty deeds of God on that amazing day of the birthday of the church. If it's not already clear that women were speaking in these languages right along with the men on this occasion, Peter removes all doubt when he says to the crowd that was obviously confused by what they were seeing and in Acts chapter 2, beginning in verse 16.

Peter says this, what you're looking at, this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel, and it shall be in the last days, God says that I will pour forth of my spirit on all mankind.

Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams, even on my bond slaves, both men and women. I will in those days pour forth of my spirit. Let me throw one more point in regarding the place of women in God's plan of redemption. Some of these overlaps with what we have seen, but let's treat this separately.

Women figure prominently in the story of the early spread of the gospel. Women figure prominently in the story of the early spread of the gospel. Who was the first Samaritan convert to Christ? Recorded in the Gospels.

It was a woman, the Samaritan woman of John 4. Jesus engaged her in conversation at the well, and she believed in him, and then she went to the city and she told the people of the city, come see a man who told me all the things that I have done. And the people of the city came out. And many believed in Christ.

And it all started with a broken woman. With a history of failed marriages, Christ saved her and then picked her up. In his mighty hand and wielded her as a powerful instrument to reach others for him. Who was the first Gentile?

To place their faith. In Jesus, in the New Testament. Was it Cornelius? And Acts 10.

Was it the Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8? Nope, it was a Syro Phoenician woman. Who came to Jesus in Matthew 15. And she verbally sparred and wrestled with Jesus to heal her demon possessed daughter, and Jesus eventually grants her wish, but he marveled at her faith and he said to her in Matthew 15:28, 0 woman, your faith is great.

Who was the first known convert to Christ on the European continent beyond the Aegean Sea? It was a woman named Lydia. And the story of her conversion is actually amazing when you understand the context. When Paul and his companions were on the eastern side of the Aegean Sea in Troas, they were trying to figure out where does the Lord want us to go?

Next, and they didn't know, so they were there in Troaz waiting for direction. And it was during that time that Paul had a dream in which, in Acts 16:9, he saw a man of Macedonia. Saying to him, come over to Macedonia and help us. So Paul perceived that God wanted him to go into Macedonia to preach the gospel to them.

Meaning to this man and those whom this man was speaking for. And so Paul has this vision. He then leaves across the sea to go to Macedonia, and he probably went into Macedonia with his eyes peeled, looking for the man that he saw in the vision, right? That's what I would have done.

Where's this guy who showed up in this vision? However, Paul comes in Macedonia and guess what he finds? He doesn't find that man. Instead, he finds a group of women who had assembled by the riverside in Philippi.

And what Paul and his companions did. In Acts 16:13, Luke says, we sat down. And began speaking to the women. Who had assembled And then we learn of the very first convert in Acts 16:14 where we are told that a woman named Lydia was listening and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.

That's how the church in Macedonia got started. With the conversion. Of a woman And God saw to it that forever thereafter, whenever the story of the founding of This church Would be recounted the conversion of Lydia would always be enshrined in the telling of that story. We are out of time But if we had more time, we could have talked about a number of other women in the Old Testament.

We could have waded into the epistles of the New Testament and talked about Priscilla and Phoebe and Lois and Eunice and Yodia and Syndiki. We could have talked about 1 Peter 3 where Peter talks about husbands being one to faith by the behavior of their wives. Whose behavior is so powerful that they win their husbands without a word. We could have looked in 1 Peter 3 to see where husbands are called to honor their wives as fellow heirs of the grace of eternal life.

And there are other passages we could look at as well if we had the time. But I think for this morning we have seen enough. Sisters in Christ. Don't ever sell yourself short.

Don't ever think that God does not wanna fully lavish upon you the blessings of salvation. Don't ever think that God isn't interested in saving you and using you to accomplish mighty things in the unfolding story of redemption. And don't ever think that you're too broken to be saved by him. Too broken to be used by him.

If God can use Tamar. And Bathsheba And Rahab, and Ruth, he can use you if you would simply surrender to his love and let him use you. If God can use a Samaritan woman with a history of 5 failed marriages. He can use you.

Whether you are a single woman. Or a married woman, as you wield your power in your marriage through submission and love towards your husband, or as a mom as you raise your children for Christ, or as a sister in Christ to your brothers in the church, or as a spiritual mother to others in the church family, or as an older woman in the faith teaching younger women. And the faith how to walk in godliness and honor. Whatever your role.

God wants you to loom large in the unfolding drama. Of redemption, a drama that continues to this day. If you are a woman who has believed in Jesus, you are a daughter of Abraham. And a precious daughter of God.

And so I urge you to hold your chin high. Dear sisters and walk tall as the precious daughters of God that you are. And know that there are 1000 ways, both big and small, that God wants to use you. In his unfolding drama of redemption.

When the story of redemption reaches its culmination. Yes, Eve's failure in the garden will be remembered. But it will be remembered merely as the prelude. To a most amazing story of redemption and love and grace, a story in which women loom large as strategic players in the drama of redemption.

So freshly reminded of all that we have looked at this morning, ladies. We men who are here, we salute you. We honor you We celebrate you. With gratefulness toward God, we thank you, womankind, for giving us the Messiah.

And we thank you for all you do in serving Christ's purposes and making our lives so much richer than they would otherwise be. And may God help us as men, to love you. And to serve you. And to serve alongside of you.

In all the ways that you are entitled to. As daughters of Abraham. And precious daughters of God. Let's pray together.

Lord, the, the birth of Christ. And the Life and ministry of Christ. Is the best thing in human history that's ever happened to women. And it's no wonder that beginning in the first century.

As all the ramifications of Christian theology and the gospel narratives began to tease themselves out and apply themselves that women experienced a significant elevation. And the thoughts In the hearts of men. And in society. And in many ways, Lord, we're sad to confess that even in the church.

We have failed to. Honor And to treat Women with the dignity that they deserve. But we know to confess that because of the high bar that we see in scripture. That holds us in an unflinching way accountable.

To honor our sisters as fellow heirs of the grace of eternal life. I pray that if there's anyone here this morning, Lord, that has never put their trust in you, be they a man or a woman, that They would come running to you as they see. Your beautiful ways. And the beauty of your person as Lord and Savior to all people, including men and women.

Who've been broken by sin. No one in this room. is too broken for you. Draw them to yourself and save them and enable them to call upon your name for salvation and lavish your grace upon them.

And then help us as I prayed at the outset, Lord, as a church of men and women and brothers and sisters, spiritual fathers and mothers, boys and girls, a community of faith laboring together, learning together, serving together. Help us to be the light. That you have called us. To be And as people observe our unity.

As brothers and sisters. That they would know we are truly disciples of you. And they would know Lord God, that you sent your Son Jesus into the world. We ask.

All of these things, Lord. In the precious name of Jesus. In whose name we pray, and all God's people said, Amen.