Submission

Which are exercised to grow ourselves in the faith. To Grow closer to God. To Become better Christians. As we talk about Spiritual Disciplines we are focus on Growth. not death, not malice, not hate, not shame, not legalism

This Spiritual Discipline very well may be the most abused discipline. It seems we have a knack for taking the best teaching and turning it to the worst ends

Nothing can put people into bondage like religion and nothing in religion has done more to manipulate and destroy than a lack of Godly teaching on Submission. If we are not careful or you only half listen today this can be a deadly discipline. I relate a lot to exercises. this is like squats. One of the best exercises you can do if done right. However done wrong you are going to hurt yourself

Today I want to look at a passage that talks about what it means to be filled by the Spirit of God

Ephesians 5:15-21

Ephesians 5:15–21 CSB

15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you live—not as unwise people but as wise— 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.

This Passage will continue on saying that Wives are to Submit to their Husbands, Husbands are to Submit to Christ, Church is to submit to Christ, Children to your parents and even slaves to the mastor

Using words like Husband Love your Wives, Wives Respect your Husbands, Children Obey your parents, Slaves obey your master, Masters be with Goodwill or benevolence to your slave

What is Submission

Submission is one equal voluntarily placing himself under another equal, that God may be glorified

Adrian Rogers, “Godless Government, Bad Bosses, and Mean Mates,” in Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust, 2017), 1 Pe 2:11–3:2.

This is the ability to lay down the terrible burden of always needing to get our own way

The obsession to demand that things go the way we want them to go is one of the greatest bondage in human society today - Roger Foster

People will spend weeks, moths or even years stewing because something didn’t go as they wished

The Discipline of Submission allows us to drop the matter and move forward

it has been noted that almost all church fights and splits occur because people do not have the freedom to give in to each other

Martin Luther

A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all. subject to all.

The biblical teaching on submission focuses primary on the spirit with which we view others. Not a a hierarchical but with a inner attitude of mutual subordination

But what we think of when we think of Submission in not mutual

We often think about abuse, and slavery, and forced subjugation, instead of loving yourself enough to say I can put others first

Instead of saying you scratch my back, I’ll Scratch yours; you bloody my nose, I’ll bloody your nose. It frees us to follow Matthew 5:44

Matthew 5:44

Matthew 5:44 LEB

44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

This mutual Submission is a center in the words of Jesus Chrsit

Mark 8:34 LEB

34 And summoning the crowd together with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

But that’s not what we think about. we think about groveling and self-hatred, Abuse, and Slavery, rejection of self. But Self denial is simply a way of coming to understand that we do not have to have our own way. Our Happiness is not dependent upon getting what we want.

The blind hymn writer George Matheson said in Make me a captive:

Make me a captive, Lord. And then I shall be free; Force me to render up my sword, And I shall conqueror be. I sink in life’s alarms When by myself I stand, Imprison me within Thine arms, And strong shall be my hand.

There is freedom in submission. Not slavery. The most radical social teaching of Jesus was his total reversal of the notion of greatness. Leadership is found in becoming the servant of all . Jesus rejected the earthly power he had. With his followers. He took women seriously and let the children come. all things that went against the social norm. He submitted as he died on the cross. Not mine but thine.

Isn’t that the very essence of becoming a christian. I admit that I need a saviour. and I ask you to be my LORD. which means to summit to his authority

Summit to one another

Let’s talk about what many of you are think ing about. That is of man and wife. Right off I need to put in context it’s not men and women, it’s man and wife.

IF we are all to submit to God this frees us to value people and man is supposed to submit to God. As Paul is writing these words the first century wife, child, or slave would not need to change at all. These were the social norms. it was the husband and master that needed to change.

The Teaching here is if a husband loves his wife, he will live in consideration of her needs. The teaching is Husband Agapate her. Which is a love beyond sexual, beyond brotherly, beyond ...

This is the love that is used of Jesus’ Love for us in his willingness to die for us. Agape is the love that puts others needs first.

Wives Respect His decision (even if it’s wrong).

Children submit to parents

Limits of Submission

Acts 5:29 LEB

29 But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “It is necessary to obey God rather than men!

This sums it up really well.

Don’t stay in abusive situations. That’s not God’s will. Don’t Allow yourself to be hurt. Don’t believe lies. You are wonderfully and amazingly made, for a purpose.

7 Acts of Submission

Submit to the Triune God

this is our first act of submission

Submit to the scriptures

We submit ourselves to the Word fo God living that is Jesus and his word

which means we obey the word

Submit to our family

Look to the interest of your family

make allowances for each other

Commit to listen to each other

Submit to our neighbors

those we meet in the course of our daily lives

we help those who need help we are kind, we visit

Submit to our community

that is the body of believers

the church

Your can’t do everything but you can do somthing

Submit to the broken and despised

Be among those who are downtrodden and rejected

Submit to the world

We can’t live in Isolation

we have to think about the big questions. Environment, politics, starving people, racism. Pic a cause. You will know because its what gets you the most Holy anger.

anger not bad pushes you to act. Why angry is the question. Human trafficking

In all this submission is not self hatred. Set healthy boundaries. Thats biblical too.

Next Steps

Do you agree, disagree - Go to the Scriptures and find out

How has the world around you influence your idea of submission. what you saw in your own family

Where do you need to be more submissive

where do you need to set healthy boundaries so you can biblically submit

Write down your fears and anxieties about this take it to God

How does this interact with the other spiritual disciplines we have talked about?

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