HEADSHIP IS MALE
1. DO YOU HAVE EARS TO HEAR?
· Mk.4:23-24 If any man has ears to hear … more shall be given.
· The Word of God is like a seed - it grows within and has power to change your life.
· You must receive and respond (yield) to the Word of God for it to benefit you.
· There is much confusion and emotion about issues of authority, government, submission.
· God’s Word sets out clearly the principles of authority and how we are to respond to it.
· Rejection of truth is not always open - often it is a quiet resistance and holding your own thoughts.
· Clinging to your own thoughts that resist God’s truth make you unable to hear.
· You must overcome the tendency to reject what you don’t want to hear.
· When you accept, embrace and agree to act on God’s Word - the power of God is released.
2. THE MAN IS THE HEAD OF THE WOMAN
· 1 Cor. 11:3 The head of every man is Christ - the head of the woman is the man.
· Eph. 5:23 The husband is the head of the wife - as Christ is the head of the church.
· Questions arise: What is headship? How is this applied? What about …?
a) The Problem Of Extreme
· There are two equal but opposite extremes or errors related to this verse:
i) Domination and oppression of women.
ii) Denying or opposing the truth of headship.
· Prayer understanding and applying this truth releases God’s power and blessing.
b) God is a God of Order
· Col. 1:16 - 18 …visible and invisible…
· God has constructed the universe to operate according to laws and principles.
· God upholds or sustains these laws with His power.
· The natural world operates according to laws and principles e.g. gravity, sowing and reaping.
· The Spirit world operates according to laws and principles.
· God has set authority structures in place in the natural world and in the spirit world.
· All spirit beings (angels and demons) are required to recognise these structures.
c) Authority originates from God
Ro. 13:1-2 Let every soul be subject to the higher powers, there is no power but of God, the powers that be are ordered by God.
· Power = exousia = legal or lawful right to act, delegated right to act.
· Higher = one positioned above another or at a higher level.
· The source of authority is God himself.
· God has established four distinct authority structures in the earth. All exist by God’s design to fulfill a purpose He has planned.
i) Government (1Pet. 2:13-14) - this includes various levels of local authority.
ii) The Church (Heb. 13:17) - This includes leadership and various ministries.
iii) The Family (1 Cor. 11:3) - this involves authority of both husband and wife.
iv) The Individual (Ro. 14:12) - this includes various gifts and talents entrusted.
· Each of these authority structures have clear God given responsibilities.
· They also have boundaries or limits beyond which they have no authority to act.
· Each of these authority structures is recognised in the spirit realm and upheld by God.
· The violation of one authority or the boundaries of another unleashes evil spiritual forces.
Note: The word of God states our responsibilities in relating to authority:
i) “Every Soul” - God’s laws of authority apply to every individual.
ii) “Subject” - 5293 = Hupotasso = subordinate; arrange and position self underneath i.e. we are responsible to recognise and position ourselves into right relationship and attitude.
iii) “Whoever resists” = 498 = Antitassomau = to arrange and position oneself against.
§ Whenever a person positions themselves to resist or oppose God’s ordered authority they are resisting what God has set in place and are resisting God himself.
§ God requires that we position ourselves with right attitude to this authority whether it is directed or delegated.
§ Authorities themselves are accountable to God directly.
d) Headship is a Role Relationship
1Cor 11:3 “Christ is the head of the man, the man is the head of the woman”
§ The Bible simply states the relationships that exist e.g. The sky is blue.
§ The Bible does not tell us to force this relationship into being – it reports the fact.
§ God has established the order or role of the man in relationship to the woman.
§ The order is unbreakable – either flow with it or rebel against it.
§ The man does not have to try to become the head (results in a mess!)
§ The man is the head of the woman i.e. he has a role in the relationship.
§ Gods plan is for the woman’s work and home management to be bought into line and harmony with the direction and course the husband is going (“help meet”)
e) Headship is Part of Gods Design in Creation
1Cor 11:7 – 10
i) Wrong concepts
· Women are inferior (male chauvinism) - godly women extremely capable (Prov. 31).
· Women are less spiritually gifted - men and women both gifted (Gal. 3:28).
· Women are less valuable - each person is of equal value.
· Society male dominated in the bible - this is not the reason for headship.
ii) God created “Headship is Male” 1 Cor. 11:7-10
· Man is the head because God created it that way in the beginning.
· God gave man clear responsibilities and authority in relation to his wife and family.
· Greater authority - greater responsibilities - greater accountability.
· The spirit realm recognises the authority structures God has set in place.
iii) What Headship is:
· It is a position of spiritual authority.
· It is a position of responsibility
· It is a role of leadership in relationship.
· It is a manifestation of the headship of Christ.
Response: Recognise and embrace.