In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of genuine worship and living out our faith in practical ways. He encourages believers to have a heart of adoration and praise for God, not out of obligation but out of love. The speaker also highlights the need for a true relationship with God, rather than just going through religious motions. He then introduces the topic of a woman's head covering, stating that it is a principle that is often overlooked but holds great significance. The sermon is based on the book of 1 Corinthians, specifically chapter 4, verse 17.

Hello, this is Brother Denny. Welcome to Charity Ministries. Our desire is that your life would be blessed and changed by this message. This message is not copyrighted and is not to be bought or sold. You are welcome to make copies for your friends and neighbors. If you would like additional messages, please go to our website for a complete listing at www.charityministries.org. If you would like a catalog of other sermons, please call 1-800-227-7902 or write to Charity Ministries, 400 West Main Street, Suite 1, Africa, 17522. These messages are offered to all without charge by the freewill offerings of God's people. A special thank you to all who support this ministry. I also greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus. What a joy to be here and worship together our God, our Lord, and our Savior. I was greatly challenged by the family worship and songs, and what a joy it is to know the Lord in such a way. When we fully realize all that Christ is to us, there should be nothing but adoration and praise and worship ascending out of our lips continually in praise to our God. And then, if that's the reality in our life, we will walk and be practical. We'll live it out. It will be a practical thing in our life every day. Not because we have to do it, but because we want to. We don't obey God because we have to. We obey Him out of our pure heart of love. There is such a difference. And you know, most of us, quite a few of us, grew up in a setting where we were taught to do the right things, but because the heart was not right with God, it just became a form, and therefore was empty and was not a testimony to the world around us. I want to share this morning a message that God has been laying on my heart for several months. I only know of it being taught in principle here one time in the last 11 years that I've been here. And it's a principle that we all hold to very tightly. The title of the message is, The Principles Behind a Woman's Head Covering. The principles behind a woman's head covering. Well, some might ask, what is a woman's head covering? And we'll go into the Bible, the Word of God, to find out what that is or what it says about that. The Bible has quite a bit to say about that. In the past number of years, I have been watching closely a few things concerning this. Something happens in the spirit realm when a godly woman puts on that symbol of authority on her head. Something happens in the spirit realm. You know it. I know it. I think of a family testifying how they saw in the Word of God the principle of the woman's head covering and they decided to practice it. They went to the local assembly the next Sunday morning. His wife, for the first time, had a piece of cloth on her head. Well, something happened there that morning which astonished them. The men, they responded to this woman in honor. They had a spirit of honor and reverence about this woman. Somehow, it was almost like they bowed down to her but they honored her. The men did. The women, they got angry and hated her for it. Now, why could one piece of cloth on the top of a woman's head create such a different expression from men and from women? Why? I want to find out why. I also think of our background. I was raised in the, quote, plain church where this was practiced. All the women would wear a head covering. All the, even the young girls would wear a head covering in going to church. Little baby girls would come to church with a little head covering on. And it was a principle that we knew was in the Bible but we didn't quite understand it. So we knew it was to be done and we practiced it but the spirit and the heart behind it was not there. Many plain folks who leave the plain community or church, they go out into the world and they live like the world. And one thing that I've noticed that about the same time that a couple like that goes out into the world, about the same time that they get the television into their home, her head covering goes off. And then I've noticed remnant families especially coming from the worldly type settings and they come to the word of God and they look at this thing seriously and about the same time that that woman puts on a head covering, the television goes out the door. And there's more things like that. There's a lot more behind the head covering than meets the natural eye. There are principles of submission under authority there. There are principles of rebellion that come when a woman doesn't wear that. And again, this is not law. There are some who would say we are under grace, therefore we don't have to do this. Well, I only say that if you love Jesus and you're following Jesus, you will do as Jesus did and He said, I do always please my Father. He didn't say I do always obey my Father, He did that too. But to please His Father is going beyond what His Father has required and obey Him willingly out of a pure heart. Because of the work of the grace of God, we want to please God. I've had several questions about this for many years. I've had doubts in my heart about it for many years. I believe that if I would have a raise of hands here this morning, on the sister's side, asking for those who are convinced deep in their heart about this principle. Without any question. If I would ask them to raise their hand, I believe there's not very many that would do it. We have been taught the principle. Many of us don't fully understand what it is. We only know to do it. I would to God that we could find the principle deep in our hearts. A principle of submission to authority and out of that worship God. And out of that, follow the example, put on the symbol of submission. One of my questions has been, as I looked at many Christian women who don't wear a head covering. I believe they're Christians. I believe they're born again by the Spirit of God. I don't doubt that. My question has been, if the head covering is so important, why then does God answer their prayers when they pray uncovered? That's been one of my questions. Or does God answer their prayers? And as I've studied their lives, I have to say yes. He does answer their prayers when they don't wear a head covering. The question I had was, why? And then if God does answer their prayers, why then do we need to wear it? That's been a question on my heart many years. Let's turn now to 1 Corinthians chapter 11, which is where we'll read about this. There are other places in the Bible where we could read about the head covering, but this is the main one, so we'll read these verses. 1 Corinthians chapter 11. Let's bow our heads for prayer. Heavenly Father, we do come in Jesus Christ's name. Our blessed and only potentate, our Lord and our Savior. Your only begotten Son, in whom we believe and have life. And Father, it's because we believe in Him and because we have life that we come to You with a heart. Our hearts washed with pure water. Our bodies washed with pure water. Our hearts sanctified by the blood of Jesus and desiring to serve You with our full ability all the days of our life. Father, now as we read Your Word, I ask You to anoint Your Word, anoint Your servant, and anoint the ears of all those that hear this Word. Father, we thank You and give it to You. For Your glory and Your honor, in Jesus' name, Amen. Reading in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, the Apostle Paul is writing to the Corinth Church, and it's basically a letter of correction, reproof, and direction. And evidently there must have been a question that he wrote this to them. There must have been a question from the Corinth Church to Paul about this situation. I'm not sure what the question said, but we can see the answer. And perhaps if we fully understand the answer, we'll be able to understand the question also. Verse 1, Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the ordinances as I delivered them to you. 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. 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, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God. But the woman is the glory of the man. 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 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 in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman. But all things of God. Judge in yourselves. Is it common 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 is given her for a covering. But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. Several years ago, I remember Brother Denny preaching a message, maybe it was Brother Moe's, on the practical side of the Christian life. I think Brother Moe's titled his message, The Other Half of the Christian Life. It was a good message, and I enjoyed that, but I did not fully understand what he was talking about. Until this past spring, we went to a Hard Craft Revival type meeting here in Lancaster. And there was a lot of different churches represented there, and basically they were not the plain background churches. This was a meeting held for pastors and their wives, which we attended. And we were basically the only ones that were dressed plain, or I might say our wives were about the only ones that wore a head covering. They stood out like sore thumbs in the crowd. It was talked about over the pulpit, about these people who have gone too far. But I sat there and I looked and I listened and I watched, and I had a question about the head covering. Is it important? Does it really matter? So I began to study this principle. I knew that I had never done a real deep study on it. I just believed what others told me. So I decided I'm going to do a deep study, and I did. I've been studying it for months, actually. God has shown me a few things, and my heart is to share with you what God has shown me. I do not have the all-inclusive answers, but I do believe that God has given me clear direction and clear vision on this subject. One thing I saw in that Heartcraft Revival meeting was that the gospel there is a good gospel, but the practical outworking of the Word of God is missing. So it began to make sense to me when I thought about the second half of the Christian life being a practical Christian life. And you all, probably most of you, have read the book, The Secret of the Strength, which gives a history of the Anabaptist background, starting back with Martin Luther, Swingly, and Calvin, and how those three men came to a reformation. I believe it seemed like they got born again. They had the Word of God with them, and God used them to open the doors to a new enlightenment for that age, where the Anabaptists took from those three men which were teaching, they took the Word of God literally and began to practice it literally. And that practicing the Word of God literally made a great division between those three men and the Anabaptists. And there is still a great division between those type of churches and the churches that practice the Christian life. There's a difference there. And I saw this difference. I know some would say it's legalism, but obedience to Christ is never legalism. Never. Legalism. Obedience to Christ. Out of a heart that is thankful and grateful, we obey God. We please God. We go beyond obedience and please God in every area of our lives. Let's look again at verse 1 and 2. Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the ordinances as I deliver them to you. Turn to 1 Corinthians 4, verse 17. We'll read a verse there. Verse 16. Actually, Paul writes, Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. He is begging the people, be ye followers of me. For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son in faith with the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways, which be in Christ as I teach everywhere in every church. Some have a question whether this means today. This means the church back there, some would say. But if you turn to verse 1 in the first chapter of Corinthians, or verse 2, you will see that Paul is writing, Unto the church of God, which is at Corinth. To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. So we see this epistle is written to the church at Corinth and to all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. And Paul is beseeching us to remember the ordinances as he delivered them and to keep them and do them. Now it seems that there was a question and Paul takes this question and he answers the question. And I think the question had to do with some women in a church service who were praying or prophesying uncovered. Some history might tell us or some documentation would say that the Corinth church was in a place where there was much ungodliness and heathenism, much idol worship. We would learn that from the Bible. And some of these idol worshipping women, when they went to worship at their idols, at the temples of their idols, they would go into those temples and bow down in front of those idols and when they worshipped there, they would uncover their heads. The heathen women were doing that. Now you have some of these heathen women, they're hearing the gospel, they're getting saved and they started coming to church now at Corinth and as was their practice, when they went to pray or to worship or to prophesy, they would uncover their heads. Maybe that is the question that was brought to Paul. What should we do with these women? Or Paul, can you teach us something about this? Their custom was to pray or prophesy uncovered. If you look at verse 16, the last verse in this teaching here, it says, But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom. What custom? Is it the custom of praying or prophesying uncovered? It seems like it might be. Some would dare to say that after Paul teaches this very clearly, he ends it with, in the last verse, saying, We don't have such a custom anymore. That's not what he's saying. Verse 3, let's go to verse 3. But I would have you know... Now he's answering the question. He's not only going to answer the question, he's going to give them a principle so they can understand clearly why the women need to have their heads covered when they pray or prophesy. Now he's going to give the principle for that. 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. I'm going to draw on the board here just a little diagram, if I may. We put a place up here we should call God. And then here we have Jesus. Or I should put in there Christ, maybe. And then down here we have a little stick figure of a woman. Here we have a stick figure of a man. Here you have God, here you have Christ, here you have man, here you have woman. Now it says that the head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is the man. I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. So we have an authority structure here. We actually have four levels here of an authority structure. And he's going to teach us something about authority. Why does he want to teach us something about authority? Because the head covering has a lot to do with authority, or you might say submission and rebellion. Now he says, every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered dishonors his head. Now if this man here prays to God, or prophesies, having his head covered, which means having a head covering on, he dishonors his head. And the word head there, it's the same word but it means differently. The first word, head, means if he has his head covered, which is his physical head, when his physical head is covered when he prays or prophesies, then he dishonors his head, which is Lord. Okay? So when he prays or prophesies with his head covered, he dishonors his head, which is Christ, in the verse before that. Okay? And the word pray, when this man prays, he's making connection with his father that way. Okay? When he prophesies, he's making connection from God this way. So it's both ways, praying, making our supplication to God, or prophesying, speaking the mind and will of God. Okay? That's what verse 5 says. Verse 4 says that. Then it says in verse 5, But every woman that prayeth or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors 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. Every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered, it is even one as if she were shaven, it says. So if you have a woman here praying or prophesying uncovered, she dishonors her head, which is man, because man is next in authority. So she dishonors her authority above her, which she prays or prophesies, with her head uncovered. We all understand the principle of our workplace. We have the boss who gives direction on the job. Then we have a foreman, which under the foreman we have what you might say workers. Or the worker, let's say the worker there. And this principle is what I see here. When the boss wants some work done, he gives direction to whom? He gives direction to his foreman and his foreman takes that direction and gives it to his worker. We understand that very clearly. Now if the foreman wants something from his boss, he goes to his boss and he makes his request known. Or he prays to his boss. Even in the Bible you sometimes see how they prayed to someone. I pray you please give me this. So the word here, if the foreman needs something, he prays his boss to give him something. If the worker needs something, he goes to his foreman, because he's next in authority there, and he asks the foreman for something. He prays to the foreman and says, Foreman, please give me this. This is what I need to do the work. And the foreman likewise gives it to the worker. Or if the foreman doesn't have it, he goes to his boss who then gives it to him and then gives it to the worker. Now we would think it strange indeed if the worker, when he needs something, if he would bypass his authority and go straight to the boss for something. Wouldn't we? It's a breach of authority. And the worker, he dishonors the foreman when he bypasses the foreman and goes to his boss for something. He dishonors the foreman. If the foreman, if the owner is up here and the foreman dishonors his authority or his head and goes around his head to the owner, he dishonors the boss. Is that clear? Very clear, right? Okay, so now we have the picture here. You and I know that when we pray, especially look at us men, when you and I pray, we lift up our voice to God and we make our prayer to God. We intercede to God in heaven and we go up this way through Christ to God because Jesus said, Whatsoever you ask in my name of my Father, I will give it you. So our prayer is not to Jesus, but it's to God in Jesus' name. When we go to God, we go to God in Christ's name, with the full authority of Christ to ask something of God. And when God gives us something, He comes right down through Christ, we receive it through Christ, back down to the man. Now when a woman goes to pray, what does she do? She goes to pray and she goes out around her authority, which is man, and goes directly to God. How? How can she do that? And when she prophesies, she gets something from God. In fact, God even sends it out around the man. This, I believe, is the principle that Paul wants to teach us. Now how can a woman go out around her authority and it says, in verse 10 it says, for this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. Because of the angels. Why is that? Why should she have something on her head because of the angels? Maybe we'll get to that a little bit later. Let's look at verse 7. Actually, I should finish up in verse 5 and 6 about shaven. If she prays or prophesies uncovered, that is the same as if she were shaven. And I looked up the word shaven and I found a reference in Deuteronomy 21.12 which says that it talks about a man going forth to war and taking captive women. And if he finds a woman that he likes, he can take her to wife. Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house and she shall shave her head and pair her nails. Why should she shave her head and pair her nails? I believe it's because it's a shame for her to be taken captive and brought home that way. So we have this reference here from 1 Corinthians 5 and 6 about a woman praying uncovered. She dishonors her head. And what she does when she does that is even as if she were shaven or shorn or shameful. Uncovered. Adam and Eve in the garden, they were uncovered. And they had no shame. But after sin came, they were ashamed when they were uncovered. Likewise, a woman needs to be ashamed if she is uncovered. 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. And why is that? For the 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. I preached a message a little while ago on the glory of God, which is man. I'm sure most of you probably remember that. But man is made in the image and glory of God. In the beginning when God created heaven and earth, He made all those beautiful things, all the animals, the birds, the sea, the trees, everything out there that has life in it. And then He made something which brought God more glory than anything else. And it was man which was created, which God created man, in the image and glory of God. The word image comes from the word icon. Icon. We use that quite a bit in this computer world. We have icons on our computer screen. The Catholics have icons which they bow down and worship to. An icon is an image of something. Brothers, you and I are icons of God. We are the image of God and the glory of God. I see part of the principle behind this whole thing is of the angels. The angels, the good and bad, see the image and glory of God in you and I as men. And you and I have an opportunity to bring great glory and honor to God by worshiping Him. And it says, But the woman is the glory of man. The woman is the glory of men. The word glory simply means, let me say it this way, that which draws attention to a thing. Or that which makes a certain thing beautiful. That which makes a certain thing stand out and be noticed. One of the first things you would notice if you would see Jesus, is you would see the glory. As we read in Revelations, the Apostle John when he saw the Lord, he saw the glory of God. Ezekiel, what did he see? He saw the glory of God. That's one of the first things they saw was the glory of God. And I believe that if you would get the vision of God, you'd see the glory of God. That's something that would stand out to you. It's something that would draw your attention to God. It is the glory that surrounds Him. And now if a husband or a man has a beautiful wife, she brings glory to him. And I see that when God created Adam, then He took from Adam a rib and He made the woman. He made her to be a glory for Adam. And I notice that God spoke to Adam in the garden, not necessarily to Eve. Because He followed the chain of command there. However, God did curse Eve after the fall. But before that, you don't see that God talks to her. He talked with Adam. Eve was the glory of man. She was the glory of the man. The woman was. She still is the glory of man. If a man has a beautiful wife standing beside him, most people will see the glory of the man first. They'll look at the man and they'll look at his glory, which is his wife, and they will agree he has a beautiful wife. So the beautiful wife brings glory to the man. If your wife is beautiful, she will glorify you. And I don't think we should care much for outward beauty, but the inward beauty, the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, that is the ornament of grace that is upon a woman which truly glorifies her husband. The woman is the glory of the man. Since the woman's head is the representation of man, and to have her glory exposed is to expose the glory of man. Let me say that again. The woman's head is a representation of the man, which is her head. Her physical head is a representation of her Lord, or her leader, her next authority, which is man. And if this woman reveals her own glory to the world around her, she dishonors the man. Because man is not fit to have his own glory. But man, he has his head uncovered because his physical head represents his head, which is Christ. And if Christ represents the head or equals this, you don't cover that glory. Because Christ's glory should not be covered. Therefore when man prays or prophesies having his head covered, he dishonors his head, which is Christ. Am I confusing you? And why is this? Why is this woman below the man? Why is the woman not equal with the man? Verse 8 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. So we see very clearly that this woman was created for the man, not the man for the woman. And there's a principle in that that I see very clearly. If a woman is created for the man, what should her purpose in life be? What should her sole purpose in life be? It's very simple. She's created for him. She should live for him. She should work for him. She should serve him. She should make his priorities her priorities. She should make his goals her goals. She needs to make his dreams her dreams, because she's created for him. Sisters, do you realize you are created for your husband? You've been created to help your husband succeed and fulfill his dreams and his goals in every area that he goes into. If you look at verse 15, we look at the glory of the woman. The glory of the woman is her hair. And her hair is given her for a covering. And I believe and the question I have is when was her hair given her for a covering? When did God make woman? God made the woman in the Garden of Eden. He made her out of the man. And I believe he made her with long hair, which was a natural covering, which showed that she was under her husband. Her natural covering of her head shows that she's under her husband. Why then do we need to put a covering on the hair nowadays? In the Garden of Eden, very clearly, they didn't have any clothes on. And they were naked but they were not ashamed. Because I believe the glory of God covered them. But the woman had a natural covering and this word here in verse 15, the word covering there is a different word than the word further up in verse 5. The word covering in verse 15 is parabolaio, which means thrown about. Meaning simply that when the woman was made, her hair was given for her to throw about her. You know, cast around her and cover her. The word cover up in verse 5, verse 6, is the word katakalupta, which means to cover or to hide. When, what is one of the first things that a woman will do to draw attention to herself? She will flaunt her glory. She'll puff it, she'll comb it, she'll roll it, she'll curl it, she'll do anything she can to flaunt or to show or to make seen or to show her glory, which is her hair. And the purpose for that is to bring glory to herself. Right? That's to draw attention to herself. Should a woman be drawing attention to herself? No. Because she's created for Him. She's created for the man. She is created to bring attention to the man. She's created that all would be able to look at the man and honor and reverence him. She doesn't draw attention to herself. If you would look at 1 Peter 3, we can look at a few verses there. 1 Peter 3, Likewise ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives. While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear, whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, or of wearing of gold, or putting on apparel, but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. The ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, let it be the hidden man of the heart. So we see that that's what a woman should be dressed like. Also we have the scripture in 1 Timothy 2.9 It says in like manner also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel with shame, facedness and sobriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly array, but which become as women professing godliness with good works. Let all, let the women learn in silence with all subjection, but I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. Just a few verses there to help us understand that a woman should not adorn herself to draw attention to herself, but she should be solely for the man. Now we look at verse 10 again. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. That's a scripture that has fascinated me for many days because of the angels. What do the angels have to do with this thing? If we study the angels we'll see. If you look in Genesis 28 verse 12, don't turn there, that's when Jacob was sleeping out there at night. He had just left home, was on his way up to his uncle Laban and he fell asleep there and he had a dream. In his dream he saw a ladder going up to heaven and he saw angels descending and ascending on this stairway or ladder and at the very top of the ladder he saw the almighty God. So there you have a picture of the angels coming down and going up. Psalm 91 says verse 11, for he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. It seems like God if you look at that chapter 91 there, he's speaking about those who love God. He's speaking to those who are Christians and he's saying that he gives his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. So evidently from that I believe God has given his angels charge over us. I would tend to believe he has given each one of us who is a Christian a specific angel to watch over us. Matthew 18.10 says, take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones, talking about small children or talking about newborn babes in Christ. And he says, take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones, for I say unto you that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. So we see that be careful what you say or do to some little child or to some young Christian babed in Christ. Why? Because their angel is always watching the Father's face in heaven. Why is he doing that? What's that angel doing? I believe that angel is given it says their angel individual their angel, this child's angel is watching the face of the Father in heaven in case you would tend to do something to him that's wrong this angel is watching. Okay? Let us beware, brethren, lest we displease the angels. Hebrews 1.14 says, are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation? There you have it again. They are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who are heirs of salvation. Hebrews 12.22 says, but ye are come unto Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heaven of Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. If you're a Christian, this is what you've come to. You have come to an innumerable company of angels. 1 Peter 1.12 makes a statement there, it says talks about the gospel being preached and then it says, which things the angels desire to look into. The angels desire to look into these things that are happening down here on the earth. So I see the angels of God are watching us and they are intently desiring to look into the things that happen here on the earth. Now let's look at this verse again. Verse 10, for this cause ought a woman to have power on her head because of the angels. That word power means symbol of submission. For this cause, because the woman is created for the man and is created from the man for that cause, for that reason, a woman needs to have on her head a symbol of submission because of the angels. Now, let's look at this principle here again. Well, let me share this with you yet. When I think of the angels, I think of the angels, the holy angels of God, and I think of the angels of the devil, the demons. Likewise, I believe that even as God has given us each one of us at least one holy angel to watch over us, according to Matthew 18, verse 10, I believe Satan has also assigned one of his demons to watch over us. And the evil angels are continually also designed to watch what's happening here in the earth and to stop the work of God. There's something happens to us when we learn a lesson. If I could give you an illustration of, if you would take a dog or something like that and set a trap there and bait the trap and that dog would get his foot caught in that trap, he would learn from there on to be careful of traps and to never again step in a trap. And I think of my own life and how as a young Christian I thought I knew it all pretty much and I fell into rebellion not really realizing it, but I began to rebel against authority and it took a year or two until I finally came around to that and I repented of that rebellion and then I saw very clearly that I had been deceived and had fallen into rebellion against authority. Since that time I have been very keenly watching carefully lest I fall again into rebellion. So that lesson I learned has made me very keen about rebellion and submission. Okay? Now look at the angels who were all angels around the throne of God when Lucifer rose up there and usurped that authority and said, I will be like God, I will be like the Most High and he rebelled against the Most High God and he drew one third of the angels with him down and they were cast into hell. They were cast down to the earth in chains of darkness it says. So I believe the holy angels of God today that are left up there they are carefully watching and analyzing watching and desiring into you and I's lives, our lives, and they're studying and the number one principle of their watching is what? Rebellion and submission. They have learned through that lesson, if I may say it that way, very keenly are they aware of any spirit of rebellion that comes out of any one of us and they also I believe they get excited when they see someone with a spirit of submission. Amen? Because of the angels. Now we have here this graph on the board, we see very clearly this worker situation, he goes to the foreman, the foreman goes to the boss. If this foreman goes around the boss to the owner, he dishonors his authority. If the worker goes around the foreman to his boss, he dishonors his authority. But God is teaching you and I, God wants a personal relationship with all the men. So all the men, they get to pray to God through Christ and God speaks to the man through Christ. Praying, upward, prophesying, coming down. Now you have this woman who is under the man and she has the audacity she takes, she is so bold in her prayer life, she goes right around her authority of the man and goes to God directly. It appears from all from these scriptures here it appears as though the woman would be in rebellion to pray to God without first going to the man. We know that Paul says in the churches, let the woman go to the man, to the husband and ask him at home. But yet God invites the woman to come and pray to him directly without going to the man. Now she can do that but his verse says because of the angels she ought to have this covering on. Now we have the angels watching this scene and the angels are always beholding the face of their father in heaven and they are watching you and what do the angels do? The angels are the ones that take the commands of God and they go and do them, they bring them the pass they fulfill God's will and if you go to pray if the man goes to pray right, the angels are there watching and then they are watching God's face, they see this man praying they are watching God at the same time and they hear this prayer being prayed and they look up in the face of God and maybe God just you know, nods to them a little bit or gives them a command and they go and fulfill do what God tells them and they bring the answer for the prayer back to the man. Now when a woman goes to pray, you again have the angels watching this whole scene and the angels know the principle rebellion authority very well and when they see a woman praying they know she's bypassed her authority but if she has this symbol of submission on her head then they can see that the woman is under authority So you have a woman who is praying here with a head covering on, as the Bible says and the angels are watching and they see this woman pray, they see her go right around her authority and come straight to God in Jesus name and they are watching the face of the Father in Heaven and the angels see this woman praying she's got a head covering on which is covering her glory and the angels know she's in her place, they know she's under her husband, they know she is submissive because they can see the symbol of submission Now, if a woman prays uncovered what do you suppose the angels will do? Can you imagine the holy angel of God standing there around the throne of God and they're watching the face of God and they see a woman praying uncovered Can you imagine the reaction of the angels when they see this woman uncovered showing her glory, drawing attention to herself, dishonoring her husband because they just suppose she's not under authority she's in rebellion It seems to me like the angels go by signs and symbols you can go down to Haiti and see what the devil worshippers do, they set up symbols and signs, they set up altars dedicated to the devil, they put icons set icons there outside their door, you can go over to Benin and see all the icons set right outside the door they represent their gods and their evil gods, evil spirits, they see that and that's a sign to them of the dedication of those people to them Now you have the holy angels when they see a woman wearing this sign of submission they know it's a dedication of submission to their husband which ultimately is to God. If she's uncovered I don't know what the angels do but I only can surmise. You know how we're sometimes just awestruck when we see something awesome happening and there you have those angels seeing that woman praying and they don't know if she's under authority or not because they don't see a symbol or sign of submission and then that woman who's praying is asking God a petition and then they're watching God to see what God will say and God tells them to take the answer of prayer to that woman. It's awesome Why would God do that? I'm not sure why all my question was does God answer the prayers of women who are uncovered? The answer is yes. The foundation for prayer the foundation for answered prayer is not a head covering right? What is the foundation for answered prayer? A heart issue? Well, sinners can get their prayers answered too when they cry out to God for salvation even though their heart's not clear. When they place their trust and faith in Christ God answers prayer. The basis for answered prayer is not the head covering but the basis for answered prayer is faith in God. Whoever comes to God must believe that God is and that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. So God does answer prayers of those who believe, those who ask in faith. The Bible says, ask and it shall be given you. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh shall receive and everyone that seeks shall find and everyone that knocketh it shall be opened unto him. So do we need a head covering? If God answers our prayer without a head covering, do we need it? I believe so. Very clearly. What happens when women pray uncovered? If her prayers are answered, whether she has a covering on or not. My question was what happens when women pray uncovered? Again, I'll go back to that heart crab revival meeting that I was at and I saw the women there uncovered. I believe they were Christians. I believe God answers their prayer. But there's a principle behind this whole thing which I was, I knew was there but I did not clearly see. There's a principle behind this whole thing which God in His grace opened up to me. Someone asked me that question when I was doing a little teaching on this one time and this sister said and she was wearing a head covering and she said, well if God answers the prayer of those who don't wear a head covering, then what happens when women pray uncovered? And all of a sudden God did this. He just opened the window of heaven and showed me the picture of what happens when women pray uncovered. And all that you and I need to do is to look in the worldly Christian home and church of the day and you will see the results of women praying uncovered. You have women who are in rebellion to their husbands. Women who are not submitted to their husbands, even as Eve. She was under her husband but when she stepped out from underneath her husband there and decided on her own, made her own choice, went her own way and ate of that fruit, she sinned. Even I noticed in Genesis, when God cursed the woman, he cursed her for two reasons. And the first reason was not because she ate the apple. I mean, excuse me, God cursed Adam for two reasons. He said in verse 17, unto Adam he said, because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy of the woman, of thy wife. This is why God cursed him. Because you have hearkened to the voice of thy wife. And because you have eaten of the fruit of the tree that I told you not to eat thereof. The one, was the one equal to the other? I don't know but it was certainly there. Because thou hast hearkened to the one under you and have eaten of the tree. The result of women praying uncovered is women going off to fulfill their dreams instead of their husbands dreams or visions. This brings contention in the home when the man is around. The husband and wife they argue because she is rebellious. She's not submissive. And we can make it sound a little nicer by saying she's insubmissive, but it's rebellion. It is rebellion. She has her own career in mind. She puts the children in daycare centers so she can go and fulfill her dream. Her career. Her children are raised by the daycare center and then are sent off to public school and raised by the government. They end up hating their father and mother because their father and mother never had time to raise them. They go to hate their parents because they were too busy to tend to them. You have the women taking the lead in the home. You have women taking responsibility which does not belong to them. You have women who are flaunting their glory and drawing the attention of other men because they're not covered. They're not in submission to their husband and that expresses itself in flaunting the glory which she wants to do in a natural fleshly way and draw attention to herself which is flesh and not the spirit. Therefore you end up with divorce. You end up with remarriage. When the woman wants to go out and have her own career, she doesn't want to have children. She'll go to the abortion clinic and take the life of her young children in her womb. It's the result of a woman in rebellion. It's what it is. Children are unwanted if she allows it to be born. The child grows up rejected. The men are reduced to wimps who find it easier to comply to the woman's whims and dreams. And the men cannot rise above it, I tell you. When a woman is in the saddle, a man cannot rise above it in spirit. I've never yet seen a man do it. I've never seen a man who had a wife who was in the lead in the home. I have never seen a man rise above that and take his rightful place unless the woman first takes her rightful place of submission under the husband. The woman was made for the man, not man for the woman. The man has divided affection. He goes after other women. And he divorces his wife and remarries. And that is why. That is a picture that I see is there because women are praying without their heads covered, without their glory being hidden. That's the result that I see in the churches today. Broken homes, rebellious teenagers, and then a falling away from the faith. On this example here, an example of when the woman dishonors her head, she is very clearly dishonoring his head. I think of an example of wartime like maybe when World War II was in its stages there and the Germans, they torpedoed a U.S. ship and sank it in about a half an hour. I think it might have been Louisiana or something like that. The Germans destroyed that American ship which was a representation of America, of U.S. If this woman destroys or dishonors her husband, she automatically dishonors Christ. When those Germans dishonored that U.S. ship, they very clearly dishonored U.S. and they paid for it. It's not just that the woman dishonors her husband when she prays or prophesies uncovered, she dishonors her husband which is her head and that which he represents which is Christ. Verse 11, nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman but all things of God. He's simply saying man cannot survive alone without the woman. Man needs the woman because woman is what gives birth to men. So he's saying the man is not without the woman, neither can a woman survive if the man is not around. You can't have just men or just women. You must have men and women to keep this human race going. Verse 13, judging yourselves, is it common 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? Yes, nature does teach us that. There is something that turns us off when we see a man with long flowing hair and nature will teach us there in verse 15 that if a woman have long hair it's a glory to her for her hair is given her for a covering. There again, we see that her hair is given her for a covering back in the garden of Eden. When sin entered into the garden they were ashamed of their nakedness because they were not covered and they felt like they were uncovered. They felt like they were naked and it says they made themselves fig leaves to cover themselves and it says later on God made them coats of the skins of animals to cover them. And I believe that when the man and woman were made in the garden she had long hair which was given for a covering for her but when sin came she was uncovered so she needed to put something on her head which represented her husband. And she needed to cover that glory. It does say clearly the hair is her glory. The hair is the glory of a woman. Woman is the glory of man. If she doesn't cover her glory, she's drawing glory to herself and honoring herself and lifting up herself. Verse 16, but if any man seem to be contentious we have no such custom, neither the church of God. And what custom is that? Well it may be the custom of those heathen women coming to worship and uncovering their heads when they're prayed or prophesied. It might also be a custom of, I'm not sure I had enough thought there but I'm not sure what that was. Well what is a head covering? A head covering is simply something that a woman puts on as a symbol of submission. Submission to her authority is of great price. I see our time is far gone. I just wanted to share what God has taught me. There is no longer a question in my mind whether or not a woman needs to cover her head when she prays or prophesies. It'd be good to have some time for discussion maybe or questions. And I'll let that up to Aaron. Lord willing. But we can bow our heads for prayer. Heavenly Father we come in Jesus name. Lord it's a delight to honor your word. I confess Father I don't understand it all thoroughly or clearly but I have taught that which you've given me Father and I pray that it would be a blessing to everyone here and to everyone who hears the word of God. Father now I pray that you'll bless the service that you would get glory and honor and that we might give glory to you Father and not to draw glory to ourselves. In Jesus name. Amen. I've asked a brother to share a testimony concerning this situation. If you would bring a mic up here. We were traveling together one time and this brother shared a testimony of the victory in their home in this area. So may God bless you brothers you've come to share. This principle of submission is a very important one and Brother Emmanuel mentioned just a little while ago in his message about how something happens in the spiritual realm when a woman takes her place in submission in the home. And I shared a testimony with him one day about that and by God's grace I would like to share that again this morning. About 7 or 8 years ago I recall an incident that happened. My wife and I had both been Christians at that time probably about 5 years maybe 6 and the Lord had begun working in our life in many different areas. We'd received some good teaching different tapes. We were looking into the word of God. We were diligently seeking God. We were asking questions. We were knocking and we wanted so much to serve God. And yet there were still some things that didn't seem to be working out quite right in the home. We had a good home life in many ways. There was much blessing. But I really didn't know what it was. I just didn't seem to be able to take my place in the home the way I knew I should. And I wasn't even sure why. My wife was cooperative. She was helpful. She prayed for me. We prayed for one another. But it didn't just seem to work out right and I was I guess lazy as men sometimes are. Passive spiritually about many things that I should not have been passive about. And I remember one day I came home from work. I actually came home from work a little bit early. Didn't have anything in particular in my mind. And I walked into our house and my wife was in the dining room area. She was dusting or cleaning. I don't recall exactly what she was doing. And I greeted her. She greeted me. And then she turned her back and kept working there. And as I was getting ready to go in the bedroom door something stopped me. And I said something is different about my wife. And I started to ask her what it was. She wasn't dressed any different. She didn't look any different. She didn't have a head curving on at this time by the way. But there was just something different. And I didn't know what it was. And it bothered me that I didn't know but I couldn't bring myself to ask either. So I went on. Well this thing, whatever it was I kept feeling it in our home. And I noticed a change in my wife's attitude toward me. And a change in her spirit toward me. And at first it was actually a little scary or frustrating. I didn't know what to do with it. Why is she relating to me this way? You know, I didn't really understand the principles of submission so I wasn't using all the right Bible words, but I knew things were going almost too smoothly. And she was being submissive although I didn't really understand what all that was. And what I found that it did in my life and in my heart, I began to feel conviction. And I began to see even more clearly where I was not rising up and taking my place in the home. And as she walked in this truth, even though I still wouldn't go to her and ask her what it was because the whole thing was a little bit new to me at that time, but I knew there was a change in her life. And finally after about three or four weeks I went to her and asked her. And by then God had been doing a work in my heart. I began repenting about many things. God was releasing me and changing me. Family devotions were getting more regular. Again, not a word passed about this between us. But I was just feeling more free in my spirit. All these things were happening in the spirit world in our home. So I finally went to her and asked her, you know, honey, what? I know something happened and I named the day. And she got a big smile and she said it was that day that God broke my heart and changed my life. And I decided that day I purposed in my heart. She told me that I was going to be submissive, that I was going to be. I guess we've had tapes here called the hidden woman that I was going to take my place in the home under you and allow you to be the head. And again, without a lot of teaching and without a lot of understanding, God started working those things out as I was able to be released and freed because of her taking her place to begin to take my place. And you know, there are many things that I could testify about that. But the truth of that I believe was one of the great things that the grace that God gave us because of that was one of the most transforming things in my life. As I said, I'd already been a Christian five or six years and I know it was true. And the life, the spiritual life in our home and it wasn't very many years. I think it was only about a year or two later that my wife began to wear a hood covering. And by the way, the TV did go about that same time too, brother. So there is something here. I don't fully understand it, but I would say amen to what Brother Emanuel preached this morning. It is true. There is something that happens that when a woman takes that place of submission, it frees the man. There is a release spiritually speaking in his heart and his life to rise up. And when that happens, it's a beautiful thing and it can totally change a home. I know it did ours and I give God the glory for that. Thank you, brother Rick. I was so blessed when he shared that with me. I just want to lift up that principle of husbands and wives. This principle of rebellion and submission to the husband is no little thing. What happens when a woman, and I believe Rick's wife probably was even very submissive before that, but us husbands, we can feel the spirit of resistance. The spirit of rebellion. Even though it is only in spirit, not in words. The husband knows it and it pulls him down. My plea is to you sisters. Can you release your husbands to become what they need to become? If your husband is not what you want him to be, I would encourage you to let him go and go to the Father, which is your husband's authority. And tell the Father in Heaven that your authority needs some grace. And you can do that. This principle will change many, many homes. Not only in this place, but everywhere this message would go. My cry is that this principle would be known. That homes could be changed. That husbands would then be able to rise up. Your husband will never rise up until you release him and let him go. God bless you. I say then this morning, thank you Brother Emmanuel for sharing. We should have a couple hours as Brother Emmanuel shared for discussion. I would like to just clarify one area which I'm sure Emmanuel and Rick would both agree with. We did look at it. The woman and the man. We also looked at it and it shows up very clearly in husband and wife. But what about the woman who is not married? Does the same principle supply? Yes, they do. I thank God for this teaching this morning. And I believe it's something we need to take home, meditate upon, let it become meat to our Christian experience. And I just thank God for the word this morning. I would have the thought in two weeks, Lord willing, we'll have a Wednesday night time for sharing here at the church. And we might be able to just pick up again and go on into some practical areas and testimonies and discussion. How many would appreciate that? Can I see a raise of hands? Yes, many hands. It's something to consider that we might do that. Alright, well may God bless His word to our hearts and our experience. It's 20 after 12. I don't think we'll open it up this morning. If you can just save it for next Wednesday night for the following, we can maybe share at that time.