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The Power of a good Woman. Sermon #8 in the book of Acts. Dorcas i.e. Tabitha. “She opened her eyes and seeing Peter she sat up.” (Acts 9:40). Dorcas i.e. Tabitha.
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The Power of a good Woman Sermon #8 in the book of Acts
Dorcas i.e. Tabitha “She opened her eyes and seeing Peter she sat up.” (Acts 9:40).
Dorcas i.e. Tabitha • Ellen White, “Tabitha had been of great service to the church, and God saw fit to bring her back from the land of the enemy, that her skill and energy might still be a blessing to others, and also that by this manifestation of His power the cause of Christ might be strengthened” (AA 132).
Lydia • Acts 16 – Lydia is a business woman. • Her heart is opened by the Lord to Paul’s message. • She invites the disciples to her house and “they were persuaded.”
Priscilla • Acts 18 – Married to Aquilla • Together they taught Apollos in a more adequate way. • A woman teaching a man.
Prominent women • Acts 17 – Refers twice to prominent women that were supporting the early church.
Jesus and Women • “Women had a very low status in ancient Greece and Rome, as they do today in many cultures, notably in the Muslim world. Aristotle expressed the view of many when he wrote that in men reason finds its full expression.
Jesus and Women • In children, according to Aristotle, reason is present but undeveloped. In women, he wrote, reason is present but unused. Such views were common in patriarchal cultures. And of course, they were prevalent in the Jewish society in which Jesus lived. But Jesus broke the taboos.
Jesus and Women • From society’s point of view and even from some of his male disciples’ point of view, Jesus scandalously permitted women (even of low social status) to travel with him and be part of his circle of friends and confidantes” What’s so great about Christianity – by Dinesh D’Souza.
God’s relational ideal… • Genesis 1:27 – “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
God’s relational ideal… • Genesis 2:20-22 – “But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.”
God’s relational idea… • “Eve was created from a rib taken from the side of Adam, signifying that she was not to control him as the head, nor to be trampled under his feet as an inferior, but to stand by his side as an equal…” (Ellen White Patriarchs & Prophets 46).
God’s relational ideal… • I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. • Martin Luther King, Jr.
Shift in human relationships • “To the woman he said, ‘I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16).
Transition back to God’s ideal… • Deuteronomy 22:28, “If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.”
Transition back to God’s ideal… • “Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.” Romans 5:18.
Transition back to God’s ideal… • “By one sacrifice Jesus has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Hebrews 10:14. • “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’ He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” Galatians 3:13, 14.
Power over the curse… • Is this what Jesus was demonstrating when He welcomed women into His world? • Is this what the early church discovered, that all are equal when freed from the curse? • Is this how Paul could say, “There is neither male or female, for you are ALL one in Christ Jesus.”
Joy to the World… • “No more let sin and sorrow grow, nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found.”
