The local assembly, Headship

Now, as I said last night, I want to finish up with the subject of fellowship, but I also want to look a little bit, a lot actually, at the subject of headship, too. So let's go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 14, 1 Corinthians chapter 14. And we're going to look back, because we didn't comment on this, but the assembly has been gathered together, and so we're going to look at verse 16 of chapter 14.

Else, when thou shalt bless with the Spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified. I thank my God I speak with tongues more than ye all, yet in the church, or maybe another translation would be yet in assembly, I had rather speak five words with my understanding that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue, in an unknown tongue. Brethren, be not children in understanding, howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

In the law it is written, with men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people, yet for all that they will not, will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not, but prophesy, serveth not for them that believe not, but for them that believe, which believe. If therefore, now here's the assembly gathering again, if therefore the whole church be come together, and the tense of that word is interesting too, it's an aorist, and what that simply means is that it's a point tense verb.

In other words, this is not an ongoing process, and it's not something when they came together they came in drips and drabs and so on, and some stole in and some came in. This is an orderly assembly of believers that have come together for a specific purpose at a specific time. So if therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that you're mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all, and thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest.

And so falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is in you of a truth. Now we looked at other verses in terms of fellowship yesterday, we had quoted and read from Acts 2.42, they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' Doctrine, and that the breaking of bread and fellowship and prayers was part of that consistent gathering of the Christians. But we gave you four headings for fellowship, we spoke about the realization of the fellowship, of the fellowship, not just fellowship in general, this is not just coming and going of the saints that are in agreement, but it is the fellowship, that is, it is a specific entity, it is the assembly of Christians, the fellowship, it is those that gather to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in specific locations in assembly capacity, that is, the fellowship.

Let me just say this, that it is God's intention, and God's desire, for every single person that he saves to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that's what he desires. Some may not be fit for the assembly fellowship at that moment, and some may not know what that assembly fellowship exists, and that's why the seat of the unlearned exists. But God's desire is, that's the reason why he saves individuals.

And we should do all that we can to encourage believers so that they will be brought along. That is one of the reasons why the assembly exists, too. The seat of the unlearned is not a distinct and separate aspect of the assembly, as if there were layers in between.

The seat of the unlearned exists, as it were, by the assembly, for those who look on, so that they will graduate from that school, and they will come into the assembly. They will see, and they will be convinced and convicted. But it's a wonderful thing when God uses the assembly, and members of it, to encourage such people to see that truth.

So we have the realization of the assembly, and in the realization of the assembly fellowship, it's something that can be seen. We mentioned that there were several aspects of it that were visible aspects associated with the fellowship. The head covering, for example, and the uncover heads of the men.

The bread and the cup is another expression, a visible, tangible expression of the fellowship, and I'm going to get into that right now. Because in the realization of the fellowship, there is the fact that when we receive to that fellowship, it's something that people can see. This man, obvious in chapter 14, saw the reality of it, and he wanted to be received to it.

But it doesn't say that he wanted to be received to the breaking of bread. See, there are places that receive to the breaking of bread. That's not what this man is asking for.

And that's not taught in the Bible. There are places that receive Christians on the basis of the one body. And so, if you are a believer, then they will receive you, and they will let you break bread with them, and so they receive on the basis of the one body, and they receive to the breaking of bread because they say, this is a family privilege.

It's the Lord's Supper, and we're all Christians, and we're all entitled to that because we're all in the same family. I think it is very, very significant that you never have an example of that in the New Testament, and when you do have an example of individuals who want to be received to the fellowship, it is to the assembly. So that when you come to this passage, here's a man who sees this, and he says, God is among you of a truth.

He wants to be part of what they are in its entirety. Not pick and choose, not a little part here and something there, and when you go to Acts chapter 9, we read that yesterday as well, that Saul assayed to join himself to the disciples that were at Jerusalem. He wanted to glue himself to that company.

Now, you don't glue part of yourself, he wanted to glue himself. So he wanted to be part of the whole company. And what they were doing, he wanted to do.

What they were, he wanted to be, and it was a two-way street. They were receiving him. So that the fellowship is a solid, whole, entire partnership.

We do not receive, and the Bible does not teach, that we receive to the breaking of bread, nor does it teach that we receive on the basis of the one body. Now I'm going to go on that for a moment. If you receive on the basis of the one body, you are actually saying, we're doing nothing.

Because a person becomes a member of the body of Christ, the wide aspect of the church, the moment they're saved. They had to do absolutely nothing, they didn't even know what happened. The moment you were saved, you had no idea you became part of something that is eternal, of other believers all over the world, some who are in heaven right now, you had no idea that you became part of the body of Christ.

You just knew you were saved. Because God did that. You didn't do that.

It was absolutely and totally on His part. But when it comes to the assembly, yes, the Spirit of God does convict, yes, the Spirit of God does awaken, does show. But you make that commitment to be part of that company.

And you can be put away from that company. And there's a time when you join that company, that's separate and distinct from your day of salvation. But when it comes to the body, that will never end.

And you can never be put away from it. And it doesn't matter on your agreement or disagreement. It doesn't matter if you believe that where you go must have a pastor.

It doesn't matter, in fact, if where you go you believe that women can preach. That's not taught in the Scriptures. But I'm saying that that membership in the body is independent of that.

But fellowship in the local assembly is dependent on doctrine. And it is dependent on agreement. And it can cease.

And it can end. And it has a beginning of commitment and decision. You know what it's like? It's like a marriage.

It's like when someone comes into the assembly, you know what you're saying? I do to this company. And just like a man and woman get married before a crowd of people, there is the public acknowledgement and the witness of that marriage, that lifelong commitment. When two become one, you are saying the same thing when you want to come into the assembly and when you are brought into that fellowship.

You are becoming literally, as it were, a oneness with those believers. And you are stating it publicly. And it's a public declaration.

And you make that commitment before all. So that when you go out into the town, you bear the testimony of that assembly. You are linked with those Christians.

What you do as an individual has an effect on the testimony. And what you take part in, you are part of. That's important to remember in all that you do.

So that a believer, for example, who has come into the fellowship of a local assembly, gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, then therefore rejects all denominational ties. Because a denominational system, no denominational system, doesn't matter how far out they are and how close they are to the truth. But every single denomination, there is not a one that has a scriptural right to exist.

Not a one. They are condemned by the word of God. They are a denial of really the singular sovereignty and sufficiency of the name of the Lord Jesus.

That name, that name says it all. Gathered to His name says it all. All the authority is in that name.

All the intent is in that name. So what you take part in, you are part of. And based on that, even there are some questions.

People ask, well, why can't someone who's saved and sound in doctrine and life be received to the breaking of bread then? I have a friend. I would like them to come. I think they would learn a lot if they came.

And why don't we just receive them to the breaking of bread? I mean, they're good living Christians. They are sound as far as I know. I know they're saved.

They've even been baptized. So why can't we let them break bread at least? Because the Bible does not teach receiving an individual to the breaking of bread. What the Bible does teach is that the fellowship is expressed through the breaking of bread.

And the breaking of bread is under the umbrella of the entirety of a New Testament assembly. In other words, it's one feature and function of the assembly. It can only be done by an assembly.

And it can only be carried out by members of an assembly. Because the breaking of bread is expressing fellowship. And that fellowship is based on what? Doctrine.

Agreement. And as every member takes their piece from that bread, drinks their sip from that cup, they are expressing a unity with one another. That's why we use, the Bible tells us, one loaf, one cup.

And we are expressing unity. It's not my intention to get into the breaking of bread meeting. But the very fact of how individuals in other churches or other groups conduct the breaking of bread itself is a denial of the unity of that company.

Individual cups, for example. Pieces of bread. Now think about it.

An individual cup. The cups come around. There's the members of the congregation.

And each person is taking their little cup. This is my little cup. And by me taking my little cup and 30 other people taking their little cups, you know what we're doing? We're all expressing we're one.

That doesn't even make sense. No, you're not expressing you're one. You're expressing you're 30 different people drinking out of 30 different cups.

And when you take your little piece of bread, and Mr. Smith over there takes his little piece of bread, and Mr. Jones over there takes his little piece of bread, you're not expressing oneness. You're expressing individuality. And you don't know what that member is doing.

If you just receive to the breaking of bread, and you just receive on the basis of the one body, then there's no accountability. It's every man for himself. In fact, there are places that teach that.

They say, let a man examine himself, and they take the verse of 1 Corinthians 11 out of context. Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread. In other words, it's your problem.

We don't want to know. We don't want to be responsible. If you're living wrong, and you're eating and drinking, that's your issue.

No, it's clear it affects the entire assembly. And Paul is writing to an assembly of believers. He's not writing to individuals that are all spread throughout, with different associations and different backgrounds in Corinth.

He is clearly writing, when you come together, when the assembly comes together, if therefore the whole church, this church, comes together, he's writing to that company. So the breaking of bread expresses the fellowship of that assembly. And it's one part of the assembly.

It's one feature of the assembly, one function. What about on a one-time basis? What about if they just did it on a one-time basis? We read in Acts 2.42 that they continued steadfastly. So a one-time basis is not continuing steadfastly.

Number two, a one-time basis does not express conviction to the fellowship. A one-time basis does not express the fact that this man, who is in the seat of the unlearned, has learned anything. He's just trying it out.

What has he learned? He hasn't learned. It's going to go on a trial basis. A person becomes a member of the assembly because he is convicted, like that man of chapter 14.

This is where God is. This is where the Lord is. And I want to be part of that.

And what I have seen other places, no, this is it. This is according to the word of God. This is where the name of the Lord Jesus is honored.

This is where doctrine is upheld. It's vital. And for a person now, think about this.

For a person to break bread one time, and then go to a system, go back to a denomination, go back to a company. Do you know what that is? That's literally what he has actually done then, is he has denied the significance of what he has done the week before. If he has broken bread.

So we do not, the Bible does not teach receiving to the breaking of bread. It does not teach reception on the basis of the one body. We do read about the seat of the unlearned.

And that is a real thing. The seat of the unlearned. How shall he that occupies the place or the room of the unlearned, and there are assemblies even now, sadly, that are seeking individuals, not assemblies, individuals in those assemblies that are seeking to do away with the seat of the unlearned.

And you know what they'll say? They'll say, well, it's a mental perspective. It's just the perspective of the individual. It's not an actual place or position.

It's a spiritual perception. And there are companies and there are places where individuals, for example, sit together and so on, and I will address that in a moment too. And the breaking of bread, they will either pass the bread around individuals or they will say, well, that's the seat of the unlearned.

That man is in it himself. He is the seat of the unlearned because of the way he thinks. The big problem with that is the word room of the unlearned.

That's number one. There are several problems with that view. The first one is, how shall he that occupieth the room or the place of the unlearned say amen? The word there for place or room is found 92 times in our New Testament.

It's the Greek word topos. And of the 92 times it's used, almost every single reference, almost every single reference, almost 100 references are used to a physical, geographical place. And some of them are very, very powerful.

To argue against that it is a state of mental understanding. I'll give you three of them. I mean, it is used of the borders of the coasts of Asia.

It's used of a place where a sword is put into a sheath. But it's used also of, well, the Lord Jesus used it when he was leaving his disciples. And he says, I go to prepare a place for you.

Heaven. Is heaven just a state of mind? Or is it a real place? It's a real place. And just the opposite is true because the Lord Jesus used the same word for hell when he was describing the words of a man who is in hell.

In Luke 16, the rich man says he has five brothers. And he says, send Lazarus. He said, lest they also come into this place of torment.

Is hell a real place? It's just as real as heaven. There's another time. Luke chapter 23.

And Luke brings us to the place of all places. And he says, and when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him. Is Calvary, was it a real place? Thank God it was a real place.

A real place that he was in. The place of the unlearned is a real place. And this man, interestingly, did you read carefully? Read your Bible carefully.

That's a good thing. You will pick up so much more if you read it carefully. When the man in chapter 14, in the seat of the unlearned, when he is convicted and realizes this great truth, what does he say? God, did you catch it? God is among us of a truth.

No, he didn't say that. You see, if he were right there, he might say that. But he didn't say that.

He said, God is among you of a truth. He is recognizing that in that company, that he is not part of, that God resides. There's something else.

So someone will ask, well, if that's the case, and the seat or the place of the unlearned exists, why is it that we only really practice that during the breaking of bread? Why is it that the seat of the unlearned doesn't exist, for example, in the prayer meeting or the gospel meeting? Actually, it does exist. It does. But it's not visibly manifested.

But people are still in the place of the unlearned. But why is it visibly expressed in the breaking of bread? Because the breaking of bread meeting is the only meeting where every single member of the fellowship, regardless of men, a male or a female, an elder, a deacon, a person who's doing that work, it doesn't matter who they are, all the believers in entirety, as members of that fellowship, are visibly and proactively displaying the truth of that fellowship as the bread is passed from member to member, the cup is passed from member to member, and each individual together now is doing the exact same thing, taking of the same bread, drinking of the same cup, and they are visibly expressing the truth of not only the Lord's death until He come, but they are visibly displaying the truth of that fellowship, of that local company. And they are saying, we are one bread, one body.

That's chapter 10. And an individual who is not in the fellowship has no part of that. Cannot express that.

Cannot be part of that. It's orderly. It's just orderly, too, as well.

So we have these expressions. People say, another person says, well, the seat of the unlearned, though, you know, I think that people that sit back, aren't we afraid that they're going to feel like they're second class? Well, if you'll allow me to use a very homey illustration, I don't know about you, but if you want to fly first class, you've got to pay. There's first class in airplanes.

And there's a cost to that first class. It's not a matter of a person feeling like they're second class. But it's a matter of recognizing this, that if I'm going to be a part of that company, there's a cost.

There is a cost. There will be a cost of commitment. There will be a cost of my convictions.

There will be a cost of my time. Yes, it will affect where I go and where I do not go. It will affect what I do and what I do not do.

And when I become a member of that fellowship, then what I have become part of is larger than me. It's bigger than me. You see, believers don't get a hold of that necessarily.

That when you came into the fellowship of this assembly, you came into something that was bigger than you. And ultimately, it's bigger than all of us put together. Because it really is the lordship of Christ.

But what you do, where you go, what I do, has an impact, an effect on other believers. The example you set, even the love you show, or the lack of love that you show, the lack of concern. When one member suffers, we all suffer.

When one member rejoices, we all rejoice. There is a unity that is expressed through the fellowship of the local assembly that is beyond anything man-made. A oneness.

And that is tremendous. Some may ask, and this is being pushed. I've heard actually another man say this.

Isn't the local church all believers of that locality? Some have actually said that. That the local church, for example, the local church in Stout, it really consists of all true believers in that locality. That is absolutely foreign to the New Testament.

How you can read the church epistles and say that is beyond me. If, therefore, the whole church become together and there come in one among you that is unlearned or unbeliever. The unlearned man is not unsaved, he's just unlearned.

And he is not part of that local church. It's clear from the context. You have to be received to it.

And when you are received to it, you become a member of it then. But only until that point. So some will ask, well, okay, this pattern that we're given here.

I mean, we really don't have to follow this pattern. I mean, that was 2,000 years ago. I mean, what you're preaching on is antiquated.

It's Elizabethan. That's 2,000 years ago. Man, this is the 21st century.

We've got satellites. We've sent men to the moon. We aren't walking around here like these people.

I mean, we don't need that pattern. So you have a better pattern than God? God gave us this pattern. It's in the Word of God.

You know what? It's just as powerful as the truth of salvation. How many ways are there to get saved? There's only one way to get saved. There's only one way to go to heaven.

So why all of a sudden is it a game changer? If I can use that expression. Now that people are saved, oh, now it takes all of a sudden, well, you know what? You can worship the way you want. What about these people? What about those? It's what does God say? Why do we assume that all of a sudden, once there's salvation, then there's so many more allowances.

No, there's one way of salvation. There's one way to worship that God. Because they that worship him, the Lord Jesus said it himself, must, must.

I think that is so interesting. That that is found in John chapter 4. And you must be born again is found in John chapter 3. Did you ever think about that? Oh, you didn't. Okay, well, being born again.

Is that an option? Absolutely not. You must be born again. And like bookends, the Lord brings the truth of worship and the truth of salvation together.

Because that is the whole reason why God saved you to make you a worshiper. It is the one thing that you will be doing forever. You won't witness forever.

But you will worship forever. And God wants us to get it right. Because he's the one being worshipped.

They that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. How many ways are there to be baptized? I said how many ways are there to be saved? Well, there's one way to be saved. How many ways are there to be baptized? Well, you could have pouring.

You could have sprinkling. No, you can't. We know that.

There's only one way of baptism. But, you know what, if a person wants that, as long as they're sincere, no, that is unacceptable as far as the word of God is concerned. And as much as we would long for these individuals to see that, it's wrong.

And when we join in with them, we are partaking with them. Then we are expressing fellowship and agreement with them. And we can't.

You can't. Come out from among them. Be ye separate, sayeth the Lord.

2 Corinthians 6 So, these are a number of things that we need to realize. How serious the assembly is. The gatherings of God's people.

And there is a cost. There is a cost. I remember a woman in New Jersey.

I grew up in New Jersey. There was an old black lady. Her name was Ma Fleming.

She was an older lady and she had an unsaved husband. We were talking about people with unsaved family members and how difficult it is and so on today. And this woman, well, her husband got tired of her going to meeting.

He was a rough critter, I'll tell you that. He was tough. And one night, she's getting ready to go to a meeting and he just stood up and he pulled a gun on her.

He took a gun out and pointed at her. He had been so fed up with her going to a meeting, he said, you're not going to a meeting tonight. You're staying right there.

And she looked at him and she said, honey, she says, if you pull that trigger, I'm going to heaven. And if you don't pull that trigger, I'm going to a meeting. Out of my way.

So she did. And she went. You know what? That man got saved.

Not then and there, but he did get saved later on. Because here was a woman, the reality, spoke to that man of what spiritual things meant. And as much as she loved him, she loved the Lord more.

What a voice it was. Now let's look at the subject of headship very quickly. There's a lot more that can be said about that, but perhaps we'll discuss that tomorrow night, Lord willing.

Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 11. Actually, before we go there, let's go to Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1 also discusses and brings in the truth of headship, but in a wider sphere and scope. There is a future as well as a present aspect to the truth of headship in Ephesians 1. So Ephesians 1 and verse 9. Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together or head up in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him.

Now let's go to verse 19. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward, who believe according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world or in this age, but also in that which is to come. And hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.

So we have earlier in the chapter in the dispensation to come that he might head up in him all things and God is looking now, or the Spirit of God is telling us there now in that kingdom age, in the millennial age, he's going to head up all things. He's telling us at the end of the chapter now at the church age, he's the head of the body. So headship.

Now let's go to 1 Corinthians 11. 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 2. Now I praise you, brethren. So notice he's not criticizing them right now.

He's commending them. I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the ordinances as I deliver them to you. This is one of the things that tells us that we are on church ground, on assembly ground.

They are keeping the traditions, the ordinances as he delivered them. But I would have you know and what he's making that statement, he is simply saying this, you don't know fully and I'm going to inform you, I'm going to teach you because what you're doing is obviously showing that you do not know the full truth of this headship. But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man and the head of Christ is God.

Notice he did not say the head of Christ is the father. That would be wrong. The head of Christ is God.

Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoreth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered, dishonoreth her head. For that is even all one, as if she were shaven.

For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head.

Now right there, right there, it's clear that he's not talking about the hair as the covering. Because I'd be okay. I have no hair.

But all the men would have to cut off their hair. So that's not what that means. He's talking about a secondary covering.

For a man indeed ought not to cover his head forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man. Notice the image is dropped there. While the man is the image and glory of God, the woman is the glory of the man.

So that the man is given specifically the place of being in the image of God, representing the authority of God, leadership. Both are glory, but only the man is the image. And it says here, for the man is not... In fact, this word for, one of the things, if you want to do something, a little study, every time you read the word for, circle it in this section.

I believe it occurs about 12 times in this whole section. And it always leads to the next point. For, for, for.

So it's like a chain that links the truth together. It says, for a man, sorry, for the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman, but the woman for the man.

For this cause, for this cause, ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. Nevertheless, neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, and you can circle this expression, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman.

And you can circle this expression because it stands in contrast to the Lord, but all things of God. So the one expression is in the Lord. The other expression is of God.

Of God takes us back to creation. In the Lord, takes us to the truth of submission and the congregation. There are two spheres, one complementing the other.

The creatorial sphere, the congregational sphere. There is a thing called progressive doctrine. And as our Bible unfolds, the truth that God is giving to us unfolds.

And it goes higher and higher and higher. God doesn't go backwards. He takes us higher because he's taking us from the Old Testament, he's taking us to Christ.

And you can't get any higher than Christ. And so what we are seeing here is the truth of Christ as head. And he is displayed as such by the covered heads of the sisters and the uncovered heads of the men.

Let's finish the rest. Judge in yourselves, is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? Did you notice now the difference there? The beginning of the chapter, if a woman praying or prophesying, but at the end it's only praying. It's only prophesying has been dropped.

Because prophesying, not only was it limited in its scope, but it was limited in its duration. Prophesying would not continue, but praying would continue. And there's other reasons for this too.

But he says, Judge in yourselves, is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? Doth not even nature itself teach you that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her. For her hair, and that's actually the same word as long hair, just right before it, her long hair is given her for a covering. That's a different word than covering earlier in the chapter.

This word, one word means to be down upon. The other word means to be down around. One is an artificial covering, the other is a natural covering.

But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. Headship. This headship is a truth that goes right back to the beginning of time.

And it stretches forth to the future. But what is happening here is that God is giving to the local assembly, gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the inestimable privilege and honor of displaying that truth locally. That will be displayed universally one day in relation to Christ.

We have three things that are seen in this section of the Corinthian epistle. We have headship, we have lordship, we have fellowship. We've already gone into fellowship, but for the sake of unfolding the truth, I'm going to go backwards for a moment.

I'm going to actually bring it out the way it's expressed here. Headship is something that is true regardless if people believe it or not. The head of every man is Christ.

Every man, save Anansi. The head of all men is Christ. And the head of the woman is the man.

And the head of Christ is God. Now whether you believe that or not is immaterial, it's a fact. God has established that.

That is absolute truth. Headship. But when an individual recognizes that truth and bows to that truth, that's lordship.

He's acknowledging Christ as Lord. He's acknowledging the place that God has given Christ, the place that is his. But when others agree on that truth together, that's fellowship.

So you have headship, regardless if people believe it or not, it's a fact. Lordship, when an individual agrees with that, agrees with God and believes it. And fellowship, when we all believe it together.

That's the unity of the fellowship. That's why it's important that there's agreement. Because that's expressing fellowship.

Now headship is rank, order. It's the order that God has established. It's the rank that God has established.

It's not saying that these individuals, these entities are inferior one to another. Christ is not inferior to God. And woman is not inferior to man.

But there is an order. But it's more than just order and rank. Headship also expresses the capability of that individual to be put into that position.

So that it's beyond simply order. There are people that can put order in place, and you realize later on that, oh, I shouldn't have done that, because that man was not able to do that. I put him in that place, and I have sadly found out that he is not able to do that.

That is not the case with God. God has established the rank and the order, because He knows who is perfectly capable. And so He puts His Son, the head of all men, so that He is the perfect man.

Not only that, He stands in contrast to the first head. That's the other part of this headship equation. That's why He goes back to creation as well.

And so what we have here is, first of all, as we unfold this passage, and I'm going to try to do this fairly quickly, but we have a commendable exhortation. A commendable exhortation. He is commending the believers.

He says, I commend you. He says, you're keeping the ordinances as I deliver them to you. He's not criticizing them.

I don't think he's doing a psychological ploy. Some people, they always say, if you're going to correct someone, always butter them up a little bit before you hit them. But I don't think that's what Paul is doing here.

Paul is giving absolute truth. He says, you are. The sisters there are wearing head coverings.

But I think there was something else going on. There was an undercurrent. And there were women that were speaking.

Or at least trying to. And he is going to address that in chapter 14. Let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted for them to speak, but to be under obedience, as also saith the law.

But here he's going to bring the truth of headship. And don't forget, in this section, we have questions that were asked by the assembly to Paul. From chapter 7 to chapter 15, we have questions.

So where does this fall in with the line of questions that were asked? We don't have the question. We only have the answers. So possibly, I wouldn't be dogmatic, but possibly the question could have been, Paul, we have some exercise sisters here.

So when they take part, when they speak, do they leave their hats on or do they take them off? And Paul is saying, no. He says, it's a good thing they have their hats on. But I would have you know.

And now he's going to give them, as he goes into headship, and it will establish the foundation for what he is going to bring in later in the truth of gift, in the truth of the roles of men and women. That's how Paul works. And so he gives them a commendable exhortation here.

To not understand what you're doing doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. That's very important. I hear people say, I am not going to do that until I understand.

Well, if that's the case for some of us, we would never be doing anything. But you know what God does? When it comes to spiritual truth, it's different than natural truth. What I mean by that is this.

There are things in the world that you will figure out on your own. And you'll do them. A puzzle, a task, building something, how pieces go together.

But when it comes to spiritual truth, you know what God does? He rewards obedience with knowledge. Let me make that clear. The more you obey God, simply because He is God and He tells you to do it, the more He will give you knowledge of what you're doing.

And when a person makes the statement and bristles up and says, I am not going to do that until I understand it, you know what? You will never understand it. Because that's not submission. That's not obedience.

If you only obeyed, if you only did something when you understood it, that's just common sense. That's not obedience. And especially when it comes to the things of God, because God makes no mistakes.

God is good. God is perfect. So if I'm only going to do what this perfect, holy, loving God in His infinite wisdom tells me to do if I understand it, that's just common sense.

That's not obedience. So He's telling them, He says that you're doing a good thing, you're actually doing, but you don't know why you're doing it fully. So He says, I'm going to answer your question and I'm going to give you teaching along the line on this.

You know what this also tells me? That while things were coming in, the best ministry that an assembly can be given is preventive ministry. Dear brethren that teach here, overseers, don't wait until a problem happens. To teach on it.

Because the whole thing becomes emotionally charged. Sides can become biased. Teach consistently all things.

Don't have favorites. Don't toot just one note. Teach the whole counsel of the Word of God.

Teach it consistently. Teach it all the time. And dear brethren, do not teach it.

Never teach the Word of God in a duplicitous manner. And what I mean by that is this. Don't tell people to do something that you're not doing yourself.

And don't make allowances for family to do things that you expect other people to do. That's just wrong. That's not of God.

And the saints know it. And you will be written off for your ministry. They won't listen to you.

Paul can speak this way to these people because they knew him. They knew his manner of life. In fact, I didn't read the first verse.

But he actually uses that to present this truth. He says, Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ. And then he launches into the truth of it.

So he gives them a commendable exhortation. Next there he tells them about a creatorial endowment. And he's talking here now, the emphasis is creation.

This is not cultural. People who... I've read commentaries that say that this is a cultural thing. There was a pagan temple.

There were the temple prostitutes and so on. He doesn't mention anything about that. This is nothing.

With the meat, yes. Not with this. He bypasses every single nation and he goes right back to the beginning, to the Garden of Eden, before there were any nations, before there were any cultures.

This is not a cultural thing. This is a creatorial truth. And so as he goes back to that, he is emphasizing creation.

He's talking about men and women and what God made the man to be and what God made the woman to be. And he says here that he made man with short hair and he made a woman with long hair. And this is the aspect of distinction between the sexes.

The idea of the long hair of the sister is actually a mantle. He made her with a mantle. A mantle of beauty.

A mantle of glory that it would be distinguished from the male. The man doesn't have that. The man is made in the image and glory of God.

The woman is made in the glory of the man, but the woman is reflecting that glory too. By her long hair, she is actually in a position that God has put her into to acknowledge the leadership of man. It is the plan and design of God.

We talk about intelligent design. This is intelligent design. It is purpose.

It is the way God intended it. So for the sake of time, I'm just going to go very quickly down this. Because when he says, does not even nature itself teach you? He's not talking about the realm of nature now.

He's not talking about now, just look around and naturally speaking, women have long hair, men have short hair. No, that's not what he's saying. When he says, does not even nature itself teach you? He's actually saying, nature as God intended it.

The creation. There are several teachers in this letter. The apostle Paul is a teacher.

The word of God, of course, teaches. The assembly teaches. We teach angels.

Here, nature teaches. It's creation as God intended it. It's a deliberate truth that is displayed.

And so God gives the woman long hair. How long is long? It's not a matter of length. For some, this can be long hair.

For others, this will be long hair. You say, oh, then I can make my hair this long if I want it to be this long. There you go.

I was looking for that. No. I hope you're not looking for that.

If God made Eve that way, with long hair, because it says here, if a woman have long hair, and the idea is literally to cause to grow. The Greek word komal has the idea to nourish, to cause to grow. In fact, it stands in opposition to the man having short hair.

So the man does what he can to maintain short hair. The woman does what she can to have longer hair. Long hair.

She longs her hair. So the idea simply is this. How long is long? As long as God will allow it to grow.

God gave you that. He gave you that. Obviously He didn't give me that.

But He didn't give men that either. He gave you a unique position to display something that I cannot display. He made you to do that.

Now the thing is this. It's too bad that we don't balance these truths together because we seem to put a lot of emphasis on the head covering, but we put hardly any emphasis on the length of the hair. The fact that the hair and the head covering complement one another.

So if a sister came into the assembly without a head covering on, I can imagine all of a sudden, she doesn't have a head covering. Doesn't she know? Doesn't her husband tell her? What's the matter? Doesn't he know? And you can see the Christians, one like that talking, and then she puts the head covering. We would react that way.

But when sisters come in with their hair cut to the lengths that they want, to the styles that they want, when they are really moving out of the sphere that God has created them to occupy, nothing said about that. It doesn't really matter. Oh, that's just what she wants.

That's not what God wants. Just as much as God has brought you into the congregation to display Christ, he has made you in creation to display truth as well. And these truths are complementary.

What the hair is to you as a natural covering, the head covering is to the assembly and representation in this realm. And so we have a congregational enhancement, if I could say that. A congregational enhancement.

So that there's the order of the outward. People say, oh, it doesn't matter about the outward. Oh, yes it does.

Absolutely it does. Your hair, that's outward. It matters.

If a woman has long hair, it's a glory to her. So if people ask and have to ask how long is long, you know what you're doing? You're drawing lines in the sand. And you're saying, you know what, I can be this much, but I'm not going to go any further.

How much do you want to obey him? How much do you want to please him? I'll never forget on the back of a door when I stayed at one of the Christians' homes, I shut the door and there was this sign on the back of this door. What will please him? You say, that's good. No, that wasn't what it said.

There's one more word. What will please him? There's a lot of things that will please him. But the next verse, the next word was so important.

Most. What will please him? Most. How much do you want to please him? How much do you want to bring joy to his heart? After all he did for you? And so we have this, now this enhancement, this order of the outward.

Both coverings are outward. Your hair, the long hair, is an outward covering. The head covering is an outward covering.

And they complement one another. And what they mean is this, as I move on to the end of this. We are making a statement together.

The men and the women are needed together. This is a congregational statement. The creatorial statement can be made by individuals, but the congregational statement, you need both.

That's why the Apostle Paul says, Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man in the Lord. In other words, there's equality, but there's component equality. The two together form one component.

So that the man with his uncovered head, and the woman with her covered head, are both together needed to display this truth in the congregation. You cannot commence an assembly without sisters. So important are the women.

You can't continue an assembly without women, because you won't display headship. You are vital so that the headship and the rank ultimately to Christ himself can be displayed. You take away the sisters, that will not be displayed.

So what is being displayed? Who is your head as a sister? Your head as man. Who's my head as a man? Christ. I'm going to try to make this as simple as possible.

By me having my head uncovered, I am saying, Christ is on display. By you as a woman having your head covered, you are saying, the men here are not on display. The men are not on display.

Now, let's just separate them for one moment and see what happens. The women are only here, and you have your heads covered, and you're saying this, no man's on display. That's not what God wants.

He wants a little more than that. And if we're here, and we only say that my head is on display, then there's no contrast. So together, we are saying this.

The sisters are saying, the men are not on display. The men are here, but they're not on display. Because this is not about us.

And the man is saying, my head is on display. The men are not on display, but one man is on display. That's what's being stated.

The men are not on display here, but one man is on display. Christ. He is the one who's given place.

He's the one who's capable. He's the one now that God is going to establish all headship through in a day to come. Universally.

So what we are doing right now is we are making the visual statement to the world that we recognize what God's purpose is in that man. And we are making the statement that while he will be accepted universally as head and seen, he is seen right now as we bow Christ's head. That's the truth of the assembly.

That's why we do gather to give him his rights. It's not about my rights. It's not about your rights.

It's about his rights. He has no rights out there. They have rejected him.

But in here, among the assembly, we salute him. And we say, Lord, we recognize your claims. We recognize your rights.

This man is on display. Give this man place. That's what we are saying.

Now there's a contentious explanation that ends at the bottom. If any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. What he's actually saying is this.

If anyone teaches otherwise, he is contentious. We have no such custom. We have no other custom than this, than what I've taught you.

If someone says, well you know what, it really doesn't matter. I mean, you're just making a big issue of this, right? I mean, it really doesn't matter whether we wear hats or not. I mean, God just wants us to worship.

Well, first of all, you have to worship in spirit and in truth. Thy word is truth. So if you take this passage out of the Bible, you're taking truth away.

You're taking the word of God away. So you can't worship then, without truth. So worship is gone, if we don't keep this.

Second of all, just from a logical standpoint, this much of our Bible is the epistles, right? About. And in that little section, half of an entire chapter is devoted to this. Then to walk away and say, but you know what, it really doesn't matter.

That's ludicrous. To just cut it out. He put it here for a reason.

And you know what else? He put it here in front of the breaking of bread. That's the other side of it. I didn't even have time to go into that.

But they form bookends. The first half of this chapter is the truth of not only his incarnation, because the head of Christ is God. The head of Christ is God.

It doesn't say the head of Christ is the Father. Thou art my God from my mother's belly. There is a distinctive relationship between the Lord Jesus Christ coming into the world in incarnation to his God that never existed before.

So if you want me to simplify it, it's this. The first half of the chapter is the Lord Jesus coming into the world and what he will retain forever. The second half of the chapter? You do show the Lord's death till he comes.

You cannot have his death. You cannot have him going out of the world until he comes into the world. So they are like bookends.

The Spirit of God is telling us this too. When it comes to assembly testimony, the head covering and the truth of headship is just as important and vital as the breaking of bread. In fact, I would suggest to you, I'm not going to say it's more important, but I will tell you this, it's more long-lasting.

Because the breaking of bread is going to come to an end. And there's coming a day when we will never do it again. But the truth of headship will go on.

It's vital. It's essential. The role you sisters play is absolutely essential.

God bless you. Help you to realize it and take hold of it with appreciation for what God has given you. There's more I would like to say on this, but we'll look at that tomorrow.

Let's pray. Father, we give thanks for Thy Son, the Lord Jesus. We thank Thee for the teaching from the Word of God concerning these great subjects because they touch on Him.

They relate to Him. And He is altogether lovely. He is the fairest of 10,000.

Our Father, He is the one in whom all the promises of God are yea and amen. And we thank Thee that everything and in everything He might have the preeminence. And so we just pray that we might have a greater grasp upon these things.

And we ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Tomorrow, I'd like to tell you a little bit about how... We're not going to sing for the sake of time, but just a little bit of how I came into the assemblies because there are some things that I discovered that I think fit in well with this and will lend itself to the account of these things.

But we're also going to look a little bit further at the subject of some of the meetings of the assembly. So, good night.