If you'll take your Bibles now
and turn with me to Ephesians chapter 5. In each of the epistles, not
only by Paul, but by John and Peter both, they lay up front
the doctrines, the basis of what we believe. those things which
constitute true saving faith. And then they move on to the
behavior and conduct of the believer. And we've been working on that
for the past couple of weeks, talking about that walk. We walk
as children of light and so on. And now this morning, I want
to begin to talk a little bit about the walk of submission.
We walk as children of light. And then Paul moves on and he
begins to talk about our walk of submission. Now let's begin
in verse 20 of Ephesians chapter 5, and I'll just kind of do a
verse by verse through here. Verse 20, giving thanks always
for all things unto God and the Father in the name of the Lord
Jesus. As we have understanding and
light concerning who God is, what his true character is, who
he is, some understanding of that we have through the knowledge
of that manifestation of Jesus Christ on this earth, what he's
talking about in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know,
it's through him that we know God at all. Apart from him, you
don't know anything about God. It's all just speculation and
imagination. But in Christ, God establishes
his true name. And so that's what he's talking
about here. Now, one of the results of genuine saving faith is gratitude. You cannot be saved by the grace
of God. There's a process involved in
our calling that leaves us with gratitude. It leaves us thankful. And you cannot have experienced
that and be unthankful. It's an impossibility. And it's
very easy to make professions of faith and professions of religion.
But God's sheep are called. They're called out of darkness.
They're called out of sin. They're called out of slavery
and bondage. And they're made to understand
that. They're made to understand that. all of them to different
degrees. But they're made to understand
that. And that calling of grace is what I'm referring to as an
experience of grace. And the first result of that
saving faith is gratitude. The man who has nothing, but
who has received everything. He has nothing. He has no claim
to righteousness. He's a sinner, guilty under the
law and justice of God. He has nothing. He has nothing
in His nature. He has nothing in His potential.
He has nothing. And yet, by the grace of God,
He has received everything. He's an heir of God and a joint
heir of Christ. God has predestinated us unto
the adoption of children. You see what I'm saying? He's
nothing. Now, you're not going to come to Him and Him not make
you to see what you are. That's the first part of this
submission. You see what I'm saying? He brings the sinner
down to see what he is. And He lifts his eyes up to see
who he is. And He submits. He submits. Paul writes to the church at
Thessalonica and he tells them in I Thessalonians 5.16 to rejoice
evermore Pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks."
Isn't that what he said? For this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you. In everything give thanks. Giving
thanks always, he says here in Ephesians, for all things. What does this sinner, this sinner
who's been enlightened and brought to Christ, what does his heart
rejoice in and when he prays and gives thanks to God. What
is it he thanks God for? What is it he thanks God for?
Because prayer is revealing. Oh yes, it is. It's revealing.
It reveals what's out of the heart, the mouth speaking. When
you pray to God, it's a revealing thing. It's a revealing thing. Well, what do we thank God for?
All things. You see, it's not just, we're
not just talking about a ceremony here. We're not just talking
about an isolated act. We're not just talking here about,
for instance, praying before a meal. It's good to give thanks
always for all things. It's good to do that, but not
in a pretense and not in show, but from your heart. But that's
not what I'm talking about here and it's not what the Apostle's
talking about. What he's talking about here is the attitude. He's
talking about the attitude. The believer lives his whole
life thankful. He's thankful for everything.
People think he's about half nuts because he, you know, that
tree fell the other day. That tree could have fallen over
on our front porch and just taken the whole front porch and the
front doors out. But it didn't. The Lord saw fit to set it straight
down and crumbled the heavy part of it on the ground and then
laid it over with nothing but the limbs at the point. I was
thankful. You see what I'm saying? I'm
thankful. They gave me a check this morning. That pays for my groceries. I'm
thankful. I sit down to eat. I'm thankful.
There's food on the table. I seen a time when there wasn't
much on the table. I'm thankful for it. But that's the attitude
of the believer. He's thankful. He's thankful
for all things. He's thankful for God's watch
care over him. In everything give thanks. Give
him thanks always. We're thankful for his good will
and his eternal counsels and decrees. Suppose God had not
determined to save anyone. Suppose God created man, set
him on the earth, and turned him loose, said, you're on your
own. Live or die. Live or die. Adam had a free
will. He didn't. He was the only man
ever on this earth who had a free will was Adam. And he exercised
it. But what did he do? He sinned.
That's what he did with his free will. And in that sin, he plunged
the whole race into sin. And that would have been it.
That would have wound things up right there. There would have
been no children. There would have been no children's
children. There would have been no generations. That would have
been the end of it. By one man, sin entered into
the world, and death by sin. And so death passed upon all
men, the evidence all of sin. all of sin. There'd be no hope
because when sin entered into the world, death came through.
And sin reigned, Paul said over in Romans chapter 5, upon all
those from Adam to Moses whom we're studying right now. But
he said, where there is no law, sin's not charged. And that was
it. So how come it reigned from Adam
to Moses? How come God killed folks between
Adam and Moses? How come babies died, and young
people died, and old people died? How come that death, that death
reigned, even from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin
the same way that Adam did? God gave Adam a law. He said,
don't do this. You can do all these other things,
but he gave him one thing he couldn't do. And that's what
Adam did. He transgressed that law. But there was a bunch of
them died between Adam and Moses who didn't have any law. How
come? Well, it tells you over there
in Romans 2, verse 15. It said, these Gentiles which
have not the law are a law unto themselves. Romans 2, verse 15. Which show the work of the law
written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing them
witness. God gave them a conscience. And
He testified of His law in their minds. He wrote it in their minds,
in their conscience. And they sinned against conscience.
And He testified of His eternal Godhead and Lordship in creation. And they sinned against that.
They sinned against that. Without the eternal appointment
of a representative man, a covenant surety, There would have been
no sacrifice in the garden and no coming of God in the cool
of the day. Those things wouldn't have happened
apart from God's eternal counsels and decrees. You see what I'm
saying? I'm thankful for it. You can get upset if you want
to. I'm not upset. I'm not upset. God determined. He's the only one who could.
He's the only one who can. He's the only one who has the
right to do it and the power to back it up. And he's determined
to save a people for the glory of his name. I'm happy about
that. Ain't you happy it ain't in your hands or my hands or
pick a church out? I'm glad it ain't in any of their
hands. I'm glad it's not in our hands. It's in his hands. I'm
thankful for that. Ain't you? I've seen in my own
experience what I would have done, what I did do. Oh, I'm
happy about that. And then I'm thankful for his
word. Ain't you? I'm thankful God give us a book. I tell you, I remember when God
began to deal with me. Not men and not God began to
deal with me. I don't know any other way to
say that. If you ever experience it, you'll know exactly what
I'm talking about. when God begins to deal with you. Wasn't you
glad he had a book? Boy, I'm telling you I was. I
was never so confused in all my life as when I got sincere
about this thing and began to listen and to look what men were
saying. Because I wasn't playing games
anymore. God showed me a little bit about
my guilt before him and I was searching for truth and couldn't
find any. This one said that. That one said this. This one
over here said something else. Who are you going to believe?
How am I going to know the difference? God gave us a book. He gave us
a book. And it's His Word. It's inspired
of God. That's what Paul told Timothy.
Preach the Word. Now you stand up and preach and
have a great oratory and great illustrations and be able to
communicate and identify with men and all those things. But
I'm telling you this, unless you preach the Word, nothing's
going to happen to that hard heart. It takes the Word of God. And nothing's going to solve
them mysteries except the Word of God. And when that man preaches
it and quotes it and shows you in the Word of God what it says,
your heart's raised up and you start to rejoice and you thank
Thankful for the Word of God. I Thessalonians 5.21, he says,
Prove all things, and hold fast that which is good. Prove it.
Prove it. Preachers don't believe what
you're saying. Prove it. Prove it. Show me in the Word of God. I'll
change. I'll change. The Holy Scriptures, he said,
is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in
righteousness for the man of God. For the man of God. And in preaching, I'm thankful
for that. Preaching. God called a man,
gifted him, gave him his presence and power. and met with us and taught me
the truth. Preaching. I'm thankful. Thankful. Thankful for the assembling of
the saints. Where you going to go if this place blows up? Huh? You going to go back to religion?
You going to go back down there where they're surrounded with statues and superstition
and all that kind? You going back to that? Where
you going to go? I tell you, look on the map.
There are few and far between. I am thankful for it. Thankful
for the coming of Christ as a man, His death, His burial, His resurrection,
His ascension, His reign and His intercession. Give thanks,
Paul said, in all things. Give thanks. Verse 21, submitting. How are you going to give thanks?
Submitting. Submitting. Because you're not
going to be a partaker of it unless you submit. And you can't
give thanks apart from submission. Submitting yourselves one to
another in the fear of God. I believe it's fitting for submission
to follow thanksgiving. Obedience in the kingdom of God
is the result. That's what it is. It's the result
of gratitude. Those who have been and are being
delivered out of the bondage of the law and sin, they're thankful. They're thankful for a willing
heart. They're thankful for the reality of truth. And they're
thankful for a sober mind. And they're thankful for the
unhumbling of grace. Grace humbles a man. He's proud. A man's proud. You don't think
he's proud. Talk to him about the Lord someday. You'll find
out just how proud he is. Man who's barely opened this
book, probably the last time he's ever in church when he was
12 or 13. Now he's 46 or 56 or 76 and you sit down to talk to
him, boy, I just believe and he'll start out on this big long
yarn and don't have a clue what this book has to say about God.
That's pride. That's what that is. You don't
tell me what to do. You don't tell me what the Bible
says. No, I can't tell you anything.
You're too proud. I have to wait on God to bring
you down. Pride. Oh, I'm thankful for a sober
mind and thankful for the reality of truth and thankful for the
humbling of grace and I'm thankful for the love of God. God loved me while I was an enemy. fitting and cursing and shaking
my fist in his face. He loved me. He loved me. And I'm thankful. And then the
second thing I see here in this verse is that little word fear.
You see that? Fear. We're to submit ourselves
one to another in the fear of God. Now what on earth is he
talking about that? He says, over and over, the fear
of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Well, turn with me
over to 1 Peter 2, and I'll see if I can show you what this word
means. The closest thing we have to
understanding this fear is a loving, godly father. A father and son
relationship. That's the closest thing we have
on this earth to compare this to. He rules his house, yet he
doesn't rule it as a heathen dictator, but in love and for
the good of all concerned, he runs that house. I'm not trying
to run my wife off. I'm not trying to run my children
off. And I don't stand up there with a gun saying, do this or
else. You see what I'm saying? There's
a difference. If my children and my wife don't fear me in
that sense, they don't run around cowered down and do this, afraid
I'm going to take a switch to them or something. That's not
why they do that. I try to rule my house in love
and for their good. For their good. Now sometimes
I have to make them mad. Sometimes I have to chastise
them. But it's for their good. In 1
Peter chapter 2 and verse 13. Now watch this. He's talking the same subject.
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake. Whether it be to the king as
supreme or unto governors as unto them that are sent by him
for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of them that
do well. And I believe the king supreme
there is talking about Christ. He's the king supreme, isn't
he? The only supreme king I know anything about. And his purpose in civil authority
is to punish rebels and criminals and reward those who obey with
a peaceful and trouble-free life. Now, if you're taking notes,
you can add Romans chapter 13 to this. But here in 1 Peter
2 verse 15, for so is the will of God that with well-doing you
may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Now here's what
he's talking about there. Men who say grace is just an
excuse to sin. That's what he's talking about.
That's what men say. Well, if I believed what you
believe, I'd just sin all I wanted to. You probably would, because
you don't know anything about grace. They say that it's a covering
for sin, just an excuse to continue in sin. Look here at verse 16.
As free, we are free. I'm free from the law, John.
I've got a perfect righteousness. I'm free from that law. That
law has nothing to do with me. That law has been honored and
lifted as high as it can be in my Savior. I'm free from it.
And I'm free from the justice of God. I'm justified. He was delivered for our offenses
and raised again for our justification. And by faith, I'm justified before
God. What's that mean? Just as though
I had never sinned. That's what that means. Justified. I'm free. Free from those things. Free from that terror of eternal
judgment. As free and not using this liberty
for a cloak of maliciousness. The man who sees and understands
this, he don't go around doing everything that everybody else
does because he can. He don't do that. using this, not using your liberty
for a cloak of maliciousness, but as servants of God. Honor
all men. That is, wherever God has established
this authority, honor it. If it's in the presidency or
the governorship or the state patrol or wherever it is, wherever
he's put this, wherever God has delegated this authority, this
civil government, Whether it be in the home or wherever it
is, he said, submit to it because he'll give it to you for your
good. Submit to it. And honor it. Honor it. Love
the brotherhood. All those born of God, love them. Fear God. Fear God. And honor the king. Servants,
be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good
and the gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy,
if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if when
you be buffeted for your faults, you shall take it patiently?
But if when you do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently,
this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were you called
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example
that you should follow his steps, who did no sin." You and I sin,
don't we? And we still get buffeted for
things that we didn't do and falsely accused. Christ did no
sin and they accused him. Neither was Gael found in his
mouth, who when he was reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered,
he threatened not." Now watch this. Here's the whole point
to this whole thing over here in Peter and in Ephesians chapter
5. But, here's what the Lord did. "...committed himself to him
who judgeth righteously." Huh? Now this is what it means to
fear the Lord. It's to recognize in Him the
supreme authority over all things with the intent of love and goodwill
to His own. We see that. We know that. We
submit to it. And John, we take our hands off.
Take our hands off. We quit trying to justify ourselves. The Pharisees, He said, you are
they that justify themselves. Believers don't do that. Beavers
don't do that. They take your hands and put
them behind their back. That's right. Well, who's going to set
this thing straight? Who's going to make this thing
good? He that judges righteously. That's right. You see what I'm
saying? You submit yourself to Him and
take your hands off. Take your hands off. My representative under the law
of God, my Lord did not retaliate when he was reviled, but committed
all retaliation and judgment, all vengeance unto him that judges
righteously, who his own self, Christ, bear our sins in his
own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin should live
unto righteousness by whose stripes we are healed. Ye were a sheep
going astray, but are now returned unto the shepherd and bishop
of your souls. And he sits at the right hand
of God. You know the scripture says,
be careful, be careful how you treat a believer. Be careful
what you say, for they're angels. Did you know that God's redeemed
has angels appointed to him? You can read about it over in
Ephesians 1. These angels are ministering spirits sent forth
to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. And they
stand before the Father, looking Him in the face, waiting for
His direction to defend those little ones. And He said, you
better be careful what you say and what you do and your character
and attitude and conduct toward believers. You better be careful.
For their angels stand before God. He who judges righteously
commands his angels. You see what I'm saying? Now
just submit there. That's where submission rests.
It rests in this one who sits at the right hand of God, who
has my good in mind. That's why he's sitting there.
There's a man in glory. Now Christ, the second person
of the Godhead, he thought it not robbery to be equal with
God. He's always been God. But he came down and became a
man. And as a representative man,
for my good and by his love, suffered these things. And God
raised him up. And now he rules all powers in
his hand. I'm going to submit to him. You
see what I'm saying? Let him work it out. I don't have to
sit and argue with you. You won't come in here with all
these questions and answers and retaliations and I preach you
don't know what it is. I'll let God work it out. Let
him work it out. I'm going to fight with you.
I'm going to stand here and tell you the truth. I'm going to commit
it into his hands and submit it to your own conscience. I'll
let him do it. Let him do it. We become partakers
of the election of God, as God called us to it. By His sovereign
authority and just decree, He arranged all the means to bring
us to Christ, to give us saving faith, to seal us with the Holy
Spirit of promise, give us the earnest of our inheritance, all
that we should ever hope for. And His Spirit through the means
of preaching has given us a good and true understanding of who
He is and what we are and why we are where we are and how we're
preserved. You reckon you can trust Him
then to work out these differences? Then submit. I'm not going to
submit to you because of you. I'm going to submit to you as
unto the Lord. You see what I'm saying? Now,
there's a big difference. If I'm looking in you for some quality
to make me submit, I ain't going to find it anymore, and you're
going to find it concerning me. But I'm going to submit as unto
the Lord. We submit to pastor's authority
as unto the Lord. This is the Lord's will. This
is the Lord's decree. This is the Lord's design. I'll tell you, it's hard for
me to look at a man sometimes, even preachers, true preachers,
called of God's grace. It's hard for me to look at them
and find submission. Because some of them are smart
alecks. It's just the way it is. But I'm going to submit as
unto the Lord. Unto the Lord. That kind of fear
causes a commitment of soul and service to Him. We fear Him knowing
His power. I've done run out of time. I
haven't even gotten to my subject. Verse 21, Submitting yourselves
one to another in the fear of God. Verse 22, Wives, submit
yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord. What's the
key to this verse? As unto the Lord. As unto the
Lord. Christ is the head of the church.
He rules and reigns over all its affairs, and he'll take care
of and enforce all that he commands to be done. All right? Bud. There's always a bud, isn't
there? I'm just going to suppose myself
to be in your shoes this morning, in the wives' shoes. What if my husband abuses his
office? They all do. What if he doesn't treat me as
a wife ought to be treated? What if our whole relationship
is one-sided? What if he won't work and support
me? What if he shows no affection for me? then your subjection
hasn't changed. It hasn't changed. You subject
yourself to Him as unto the Lord. The Lord will work it out. The
Lord will work it out. If I've got a right understanding
of this thing of submission, and I'm convinced that I do,
it's a godly submission that is called for in the fear of
God not having anything to do with the husband. That's a great
blessing if the husband loves his wife. That's a double blessing.
You need to be thankful for that. But the submission here is to
the Lord, as unto the Lord. Let me say this, and as a husband,
I'm counseling myself. God ordained this place I occupy
as a figure of Christ and His church. That's right. Any man who abuses this office
will be held accountable before God. Yes, he will, because there's
only one relationship in this world that he compares this thing
of salvation to, and that's Christ and the church is the husband
and his bride. Now, men, I'm telling you, the
greater responsibility here is on the man. The man's always
got his finger in his wife's face. You know what the scripture
says, pointing that finger at her. Maybe she needs to point
that finger back at you and say, you know what the scripture says,
don't you? You standing in the place of
Christ. Do you love me like Christ loved his church? I'm telling
you, the greater responsibility is on the man. But whether he
realizes it or not, or whether he submits to it or not, has
nothing to do with her submission. Her submission and his submission,
same blood, unto the Lord. You see what I'm saying? And
you're going to have to take your hand. See, this thing of
submission, it goes all the way across the board. We submit as
unto Him who judges righteously. But this relationship, as it
stands in the world, You can't serve Christ and be a cutthroat. You can't do it. You can't do
it. And I tell you, you cheat yourself,
wives, if you've got an ungodly husband, you cheat yourselves
out of a blessing by rebelling against him. Just fold your hands,
commit it unto the Lord, and do what you know you need to
be doing. Do it. Cook his dinner. Clean
his clothes. Do that work. Do it without gumbo. And the Lord will take care of
this other thing. He'll take care of this other thing. And
same way with you husbands that have ungodly wives. Same thing
applies. Your position, not stand there
with a whip and beat her to death. She can't see anymore than you
can see. Unless God gives her eyes. Just do your job. Do what you're called to do.
Do what this position pictures for you to do. What it illustrates
for you to do. And fold your hands. Lord, take
care of this thing. If you make things right, she
will. You make them right. Brother Mahan said this in his
Bible commentary on this verse. He said, as the church is dependent
on Christ, resign to it. Receiving from him protection,
provision, comfort, and happiness in a voluntary, sincere, and
hearty obedience arising from a principle of love, so let the
wives be subject to their own husbands in all things political,
domestic, and ecclesiastical. Submit. Submit. In all of our submission, we
submit as unto the Lord, resting in His righteous vindication
of all things. He's either Lord of all, or He's
not Lord at all. You see what this is all about.
May the Lord give you some understanding, and me too, of what these things
mean.