Would you turn back to Colossians
chapter 3 verse 18? I've entitled this message. Biblical
submission. I'd like to learn something about
that, wouldn't you? Do I know what it is to submit
to the Lord? What do I understand about submission? Biblical submission. I've been looking at this passage
of scripture for several weeks for wives, husbands, children,
fathers, parents, servants, employers, employees, all the things he
says in this passage of scripture, but I couldn't get past this
word submit. Wives, submit yourselves unto
your own husbands as it is fit. in the Lord." The word fit is
also translated in the New Testament, befitting. Appropriate, it combines duty
and appropriateness, this thing of wives submitting themselves
to their own husbands. Now, if you brought this into
the workplace with other women, and said something about submitting
to your husband, you would probably be berated or at least strongly
disagreed with. The response would be something
like this. A marriage is a partnership. To submit would be an admission
of inferiority or a show of weakness. And that's the way submission
is generally looked upon. weakness. The weak person submits
to the stronger person or the more powerful person and it's
not looked upon as a good thing but a weak thing to submit. Now while that is obviously what
takes place when we submit ourselves to the Lord, He is all powerful
and we are all weakness. And that's exactly what takes
place when we submit ourselves to the Lord. But that doesn't
really set forth biblical submission. And I want us to consider this
concept from the scriptures of biblical submission. Now, the
Greek word is a compound of two words under and arrange are the
two words combined to make this word submit. It's a military term which means
to rank under, to be subject to, and to obey. Submission is subordination to
authority. It's the opposite of insubordination. And on a human level, people
who do not respect authority generally don't do very well
in life, do they? I mean, if there's no authority in your
home, there's going to be disrespect, there's going to be chaos, there's
going to be all kinds of problems. If a child in school doesn't
respect authority, they're going to do poorly. They're going to
have the teachers mad at them. They're not going to do well
in school. If someone is on the job and they have problems with
authority, they're going to have problems. They're not going to
do well. You know, one of the best things
you can do as a parent is to teach your children to respect authority.
Very, very important. I think it's interesting the
way Paul, when he speaks of honoring your mother and father, which
has something to do with the respect for authority, he says
that it may be well with thee and that you may live your days
long on the earth. It's the first commandment with
promise. Someone who respects authority. I'm not even talking
about necessarily a believer now. Someone who's taught to
respect authority is going to succeed in life. They're going
to do well on the job. They're going to have a good
marriage. They're going to be good parents. They're going to be good kids.
This is very important, this concept. of respecting authority. Now, a wife's submission to her
husband is a beautiful picture of what biblical submission is. Now, if a woman submits herself
to her husband, she does it because she wants to. You see, there's no such thing
as forced submission. If you're forced to submit, that's not
submission. That's just being, doing what
you're made to do. And there's no virtue in that
at all. If a woman submits herself to
her husband, it's because that's what she wants to do. And she really believes it's
the right thing to do. And she submits herself to her
husband because she trusts him. And because she loves him. And
because she really believes that he has her best interests at
heart. And that is why she willingly
submits herself to her husband. Now to submit, you first have
to believe it's the right thing to do. Because God says it in
his word. Now this is God's word. This is what God's word says.
We're not concerned about what the world thinks. This is what
God's word says. It's the right thing to do. You want to do it
and you have to trust that one you're willingly submitting yourself
to. You certainly can't regard that
one with suspicion. If you submit yourself to them,
you won't submit yourself to them. If you regard them with
suspicion and lack of trust, you love this person you submit
yourself to. You believe in them and you submit
yourself to them. Now the gospel. The gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel of God's grace is a thing of
submission. And the first thing I thought
of. Was the submission of the Lord Jesus Christ. He thought it not robbery to
be equal with God. It wasn't a thing to be grasped
for. He really was equal with God. And you know, when a woman
submits herself to her husband, it's not because she's inferior
to him in any way. This is God's way. It's not that
he is superior to her. Not at all. God, the son was
equal is equal with God, the father, but you look how he submitted
himself to his father's will. That is just a remarkable thing
to think about how he said, not my will, but thine be done. and He submitted Himself to all
the Father's will, the death of the cross, the agonies of
the cross, all the things that He did. I love to think about
the way He submitted Himself to His parents. He became subject
to them. You can read about that in Luke
chapter 2. He actually became subject to Joseph and Mary, sinful
men and women, but because they were His parents, He submitted
Himself to them. To think of the submission of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Where would you and I be? If
the Lord failed to submit himself to his father, we wouldn't be
saved. And you think of how beautiful
the submission of Jesus Christ is, his willing submission to
his father, the way he willingly placed himself under the law.
And I remember who this is. He's the one who made the law.
And yet he put himself under the law. He willingly submitted
himself to his father. He willingly submitted himself
to the death of the cross. And none of us understands what
all that means. The fact that he was made sin and all the things
he had to go through in order to save folks like me and you.
But oh, the submission of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who
is able to subdue all things unto himself, subjects himself. 1 Corinthians 15, 28 says, And
when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son
also himself be subject unto him that put all things under
him. I love to think of the subjection
and the submission of the Lord Jesus Christ. Beautiful, isn't
it? Now, if he submits himself, shouldn't
you and I submit ourselves? He's the great example of submission
and you and I wouldn't be saved without his submission to his
father's will. Now we submit ourselves. I hope I know something about
this. I keep asking myself if I do. I hope I do. We submit
ourselves to God. We know it's the right thing
to do. We want to do it, and we trust Him. We trust whatever
He does. We really do. Do you believe that whatever
He does with you is right? And you trust Him. Whatever He
does is right. He's too wise to err. He's too kind to be cruel. And whatever He does is right.
And we submit ourselves to Him. He's the Lord. It's the Lord. Let Him do what seemeth Him good. As the church is subject to Christ
in everything, I love that statement. The church is subject to Christ
in everything. It really is. I'm subject to
His will. This is the prayer of my heart.
Not my will, but Thine be done. I don't want my will to be done.
I really don't. I want His will to be done. And
I want only His will to be done. And I want His will to reign
in me and conquer my will. I don't want my will to be done.
I want His will to be done in all things, whatever it is. I
don't have enough sense to have any confidence in anything that
I will. I want His will to be done. We submit to His good providence. Whatever He brings our way, it's
best. It's right. We say with Eli,
it's the Lord. Whatever it is, it's the Lord. Let Him do what seemeth Him good. Whatever He does is right. And we believe that. Aren't you
glad for God's providence? He controls everything. The good things, the bad things,
the indifferent things, everything is providential. And He controls
everything. I love that scripture, the King's
heart. Whoever that King is, if he's on the other side of
the world, the King's heart is in the hand of the Lord. As the
rivers of water, He turneth it, whithersoever He will. And we
submit to His way of salvation. And we do so willingly. You know,
I love being saved by grace, don't you? I love being saved
in a way that Christ gets all the glory and all the honor and
none goes to me. I love it that way. I want it
to be that way. I want him to get all the glory
and I want me to get none. We submit to his way of salvation. We submit to the way of salvation
by Christ. God resists the proud and gives
grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to
God. That's what James said. In other
words, humble yourself. Humble yourself under his mighty
hand. Now submitting ourselves to God
is seen when we submit to his righteousness. Would you turn
with me to Romans 10. Verse one, Brethren, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be
saved. Now, this is a pattern for me
and you. May God give us this attitude, this thought of heart
where we consider these people who are not saved our hearts
desire and prayer to God for them is that God would save them. You know, I was thinking about
Gene Rutledge. I look at him back there where
he's not sitting there now, and I love the man so much, but I
remember him saying, I want everybody to be saved. And what a blessed
attitude. I want everybody to be saved.
And I love what Paul says here. He says, Brother, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be
saved. For I bear them record. That they have a zeal of God.
They're very religious, but not according to knowledge. I said this a couple of weeks
ago. A Christian is somebody who knows something. They've
got some knowledge that the unbeliever does not have. They have some
understanding. God has taught them something.
They know someone that the unbeliever doesn't. Now, if I don't have
this knowledge, I'm not saved. Notice he doesn't say these people
are saved. He says, I want them to be saved.
And I'm praying for them. I bear record they have a zeal
for God, but not according to knowledge, for they being ignorant
of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not, what's that word? Submitted themselves. unto the righteousness of God. Now, the only thing that will
cause a man to establish or seek to establish his own righteousness
before God is when he is ignorant of God's righteousness. And that's
seen in several ways. First, ignorant of God's righteous
character. If I have any idea of God's righteous
character, I wouldn't dare come to Him on the footing of my own
works. I'd know that they're filthy rags if I see His character. The only way I'll see that, though,
is if I see His righteousness. They're ignorant of God's righteousness
and their condemnation. Now listen real carefully. When
someone submits to God's righteousness, it's not just a doctrine they're
submitting to. They submit to He's righteous if he damns me.
Whatever he does is right. All this arguing about God's
fairness and how could it be fair for God to elect one? How
could it be fair for Christ to only die if he's elected? All
those things say, I don't understand anything about his righteousness.
Because if I understand anything about his righteousness, I won't
be saying things like that. I won't even be thinking things like
that. They're ignorant of His righteousness and salvation.
Aren't you thankful for the righteousness of Jesus Christ that makes us
the very righteousness of God in Him? We submit, every believer,
now in this thing of submission, we submit willingly, lovingly
to His righteousness. Don't you love being saved by
the righteousness of Jesus Christ? I love that, and it's, you know,
like, you know, in this thing of submitting to Christ, ladies,
wouldn't it be easy to submit to your husbands if they were
perfect? Well, we have a husband that is perfect, and I'm so thankful
for him, and we submit to his righteousness. Turn with me to
2 Corinthians chapter 9. And the way I'm dealing with
this message, I'm just trying to look at all the scriptures
that deal with submission. Verse 13, whilst by the experiment
of this ministration, for the last two chapters, he'd been
talking about giving, giving, giving as unto the Lord, what
you give. And he talked about the administration
of this service, not only supplies the want to the saints, but it's
abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God, whilst by the experiment
of this ministration, they glorify God for your professed subjection,
unto the gospel." That's the same word, submission, subjection,
and for your liberal distribution unto them and to all men. Do
you know submission to God can be seen in how I handle my money? It speaks volumes. I think of
what Paul said in 2 Corinthians chapter 8, verse Seven, therefore, as you abound
in everything in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all diligence
and in your love to us, see that you abound in this grace also. I speak not by commandment, but
by occasion of the affordedness of others and to prove the sincerity
of your love. Now, that's what giving does.
It proves the sincerity of my love. It's not what we say, but
what we give that proves the sincerity of our love. And he
calls giving, subjection, submission to the gospel. It says so much
about whether I really am in my heart submitted to the Lord.
Some would say they love much, but give little. Some say little,
but give much. Which do you think is the most
accurate barometer? First Corinthians 14. Paul had been talking about prophesying
or preaching and men preaching. And then he says in verse 31,
for you may all prophesy one by one that all may learn and
all may be comforted, all those who have the gift of preaching.
But look what he says in verse 32, and the spirits of the prophets
are subject to the prophets. And he's talking about the scriptures.
The spirit of the prophets are subject to the prophets. Whatever I say must be subject
to the written word. And let me say this, how we really
submit to the Lord himself is seen in how we submit to this
word. This is the Bible. This is God's
Holy Word. And I bow, by the grace of God,
I bow to whatever it says regarding all things. And if I don't do
that, I'm not bowing to God Himself. How I respond to the Lord God
is seen in how I submit to His Word. And whatever I preach,
I don't say believe it simply because I'm saying it. See if
it's what the word teaches. You look and see if I'm giving
what the scriptures teach. You see, the spirit of the prophets
are subject to the prophets. That's why Paul said to Timothy,
preach the word. God's word is authoritative.
You believe that? God's word is absolutely authoritative
of whatever he says regarding every subject, whatever subject.
That's exactly the way we believe it. The spirit of the prophets
are subject to the prophets. Turn with me to second Peter
for just a moment. Let me read this passage of scripture
regarding the word of God. Verse 16, for we have not followed
cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power,
2 Peter 1, 16, when we made known unto you the power and coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received from God the Father honor and glory when there
came such a voice to him from that excellent glory. This is
my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. He's talking about the
man of transfiguration. James, Peter and John were there. The other nine weren't. And if
I was one of the other nine, I would wish I would have been
one of those three, wouldn't you? How I would love to see
the Lord Jesus in that light where his divinity burst through
his humanity, his face shine like the sun. What an experience. Verse 18, and this voice which
came from heaven, we heard when we were with him in the holy
mouth, we have also a more sure word of prophecy. This is more
sure than any experience you've ever had. And I've, I've had
in my mind some experiences. some experiences of the Lord
when I felt Him, when I tasted Him, when I saw Him, when I knew
He was mine, when I knew He was speaking to me and that His favor
was toward me. I can remember times where, particularly
when I was ill or when I was sick, when I just had this experience
of His, but you know what? I'm a whole lot more sure about
the scriptures than I'm any experience I had. As a matter of fact, the
best thing I can do with any experience I have is forget it. Just forget it and look to what
God says in his word. This is that more sure word of
prophecy. Aren't you thankful for that?
It's a more sure word. Wherein to, Peter says, you do
well that you take heed as unto a light that shines in a dark
place into the day dawn and the day star rise in your hearts,
knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scriptures of any private
interpretation. How many times have you heard
people say, well, that's your interpretation? No, it's not. It's what God says.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man,
but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Ephesians 5. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18. And be not drunk with wine wherein
is excess, profligacy, But be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians
5, 18. Speaking to yourselves in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing and making melody in
your heart to the Lord. Giving thanks always for all
things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of
God. What do people do who are filled
with the Spirit of God? They submit themselves to one
another. That's what they do. They're
not seeking to have their way. They're submitting themselves
to one another. This is a work of God, the Holy
Spirit in a man when he submits himself to the wishes, the desires
of somebody else. May God give us grace to submit
ourselves to one another. If I'm not submissive, I don't
have the Holy Spirit. Turn to Romans 13. Verse one, let every soul be subject. And that's the same word, submissive.
Let every soul be subject under the higher powers. For there
is no power but of God. The powers that be are ordained
of God. Now, whoever's in authority from
the president right down to your employer or your mom and dad
or your. Whoever's in authority, that
authority is of God. The powers that be, I don't care
what they are, the powers that be are ordained of God. That includes whoever's in the office of president,
respect him. He's the one God put there. You
may not agree with everything he does, but you respect him. Whether it's Republican, whether
it's Democrat, whoever's in authority, God has placed them there and
they are to be treated with respect. As a matter of fact, respect
is such a, oh, I want to be respectful to everybody. I don't want to
treat, I don't want to treat anybody with disrespect. The powers that
be. are ordained of God. Verse 2. Whosoever therefore
resisteth the power, resists the ordinance of God. And they
that resist shall receive to themselves damnation, condemnation. You break the law, you will be
judged by the law. For rumors are not a terror to
good works, but to evil. And wilt thou then not be afraid
of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise
of the same. For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But
if thou do that which is evil, be afraid. For he beareth not
the sword in vain. For he is the minister of God,
a revenger, to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore
you must needs be subject, submit, not only for wrath, not only
because of the trouble you'll get into, but for conscience
sake, because it's the right thing to do. Submit to authority,
submit to the authority of the government, whether you agree
with it or not. It's the place God has put you.
God has placed you there. And what a blessing it is to
live in the country we live in. I'm thankful for that. I wouldn't
want to be anywhere else, would you? I'm thankful to be here
and I want to submit to all the authority he brings our way. First Peter chapter three. Here's something to the wives
again. Likewise, you wives, be in subjection
to your own husbands, be submissive to them. Why? That if any obey not the word,
they may also without the word be won by the conversation of
the wives. You see, that's a very loud sermon.
That's a very loud sermon. What you say to your husband
is you really believe what you say you do. When you submit yourself
to him, even though you don't think he necessarily deserves
it, and he doesn't believe the gospel, but you become submissive
anyway. What a sermon that is preached. If any obey not the word, they
may also without the word be won by the conversation, the
conduct of the wives, while they behold your chaste conversation
coupled with fear, the fear of God. That's why you do what you
do. Who's adorning? Let it not be the outward adorning
of plaiting the hair and of wearing of gold or putting on of apparel,
but let it be the hidden man of the heart in which is not
corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. which
is in the sight of God of great price. What a sermon submission
is. Turn to first Peter chapter five. Verse one, the elders, which
are among you, This is a general epistle, not directed to any
one church, but was circulated to many churches. And he's speaking
of the elders, that is the pastor. I think the word elder has something
to do with spiritual maturity and a pastor should have spiritual
maturity, but he's talking to the pastors at this time. He
says, the elders, which are among you, I exhort who am also an
elder. and a witness of the sufferings
of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.
Feed the flock of God, which is among you." Now that word
feed is be a shepherd to the flock of God that's among you.
The word pastor and shepherd are the exact same word in the
Greek. And he says, be a shepherd. Now, what does a shepherd do?
First of all, he leads the sheep. That's what a shepherd does.
Secondly, he feeds the sheep. Feeds them with the Word of God.
Feeds them with the Gospel. When you come here, you come
here to be fed the Word of God. You come here to be fed the Gospel. And that's what the pastor's
job is to do. It's to feed the sheep. And it's
to protect the sheep from wolves. If God has called a man to pastor,
he's got some wisdom you don't have. And he can see some things
you don't see. If God's called me to pastor, that's the way
it is. If He's called any man to pastor, that's the way it
is. Now, He says, feed the flock of God which is among you, taking
the oversight thereof. Looking out is what all that
means. Being on the guard, looking out. Not by constraint, not because
you are forced to, but willingly, because you want to. Not for
filthy lucre, not for a paycheck, but of a ready mind. Neither
is being lords over God's heritage. Trying to be some kind of dictator,
and that's what a lot of particularly in the quote, reformed movement. The preacher's a dictator, and
he's a lord over God's heritage, and don't dare do anything like
that. I love what Hebrews chapter 13,
verse 17 says when it says, obey them that have the rule over
you. That could more accurately be translated, be persuaded by
them that are your guides. That doesn't mean he tells you
to do this and you do it. That has nothing to do with what being
a pastor is. Be persuaded by the gospel they
preach. Be persuaded by them that are
your guides. Neither is being lords over God's
heritage, but being examples to the flock. And oh, may the
Lord enable me. Pray for me. Pray for me, that
the Lord would enable me to be an example to the flock, an example
in faith, an example in faithfulness, an example in humility, an example
in zeal, an example in a forgiving spirit. Oh, and so may the Lord
enable, pray for me. I need the prayers of God's people. I think of the responsibility
of being a pastor. I'm a man. Am I going to make
mistakes? Sure I am. Am I going to make
wrong decisions? Sure I will. But pray for me,
love me, be loyal to me, forgive me. May the Lord enable me to
be a pastor after God's own heart. You're the one that benefits
from it. May God give me grace. You pray for me that he'll enable
me to be a pastor after his own heart. That's what he speaks
of in the Old Testament. I'll provide them pastors after
my own heart. And when the chief shepherd shall
appear, he says, you shall receive a crown of glory that fades not
away. Likewise, you younger, submit
yourselves unto the elder. You know in that scripture in
Hebrews chapter 13 verse 17, it says, obey them that have
the rule over you and submit yourselves unto such. Submit
yourselves willingly. Now, if you believe, if you believe
God has called me to preach, you can do it. And if you don't
believe that, I'd go somewhere where you found somebody that
you did believe that God had called to preach. But I mean,
this is something you can do willingly if you believe God
has placed me here. Likewise, you younger, submit
yourselves unto the elder." And I love this next thing he says,
"'Yea, all of you, elder and younger, all of you, be subject
one to another and be clothed with humility. For God resists
the proud and gives grace to the humble.'" All of you, pastor,
members, Everybody, submit yourselves one to another. I want to be
submissive to you. I better be. That's what submission
is. It isn't just one, you know,
submit yourselves one to another. And I couldn't help but thinking
where he said, be clothed with humility. I'm going to bring
up Gene again, Brad. I'm sorry, I can't help it. But was there
ever a man you knew that was more clothed with humility than
Gene? I just love that so much in that man. Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you
in due time. Now, one other scripture, 1 Corinthians
16. Claire, you brought this passage
up to me a few weeks ago and I told you the wrong book it
was in. I said, I think it's in Colossians, but no, it's in
1 Corinthians 16. Verse 15. I beseech you, brethren, you
know the house of Stephanus, that is the first fruits of Achaia,
that they have addicted themselves to the ministry, to the service
of the saints. Well, that's a good addiction,
isn't it? They've addicted themselves. May every one of us in here have
this addiction. They've addicted themselves to
the ministry of the saints. And what does Paul say to do
in verse 16? That you submit yourselves unto such. And to
everyone that helpeth with us and labors. You know, it's easy
to submit yourself to somebody like that, isn't it? Submit yourself
to those who have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.
Now, in closing, Brother Mahan preached a message many years
ago entitled, and I mean, this is an old one, this is 35 or
40 years old, but it was entitled, Submission, The Key to Happiness. I don't remember what the text
was, but I remember the gist of the message. Submission, the
key to happiness. If I am submissive to the Lord,
and if I am submissive to all that he calls me to be submissive
to, I'm going to be a happy person. If I'm not submissive, I'm going
to be unhappy. I'm going to be miserable. Submission is so befitting. You know, if I submit to the
Lord, I'm happy. What a place to be. Wouldn't
want to be anywhere else. That's the only place I am happy. I
submit to his way of salvation. I submit to his righteousness.
It makes me happy. When I submit to authority, What
a blessing it is to me to do so. I'm happy when I do so. I'm
not mad. I'm not upset. I'm not thinking
this is not right. The only time I'm happy, when
I don't submit, that's when I get miserable. That's when I become
unhappy. If you have a bunch of people submitting to one another,
you're going to have a bunch of happy people, won't you? Now
may the Lord give us this spirit of submission. Wives, submit
yourselves to your own husbands as it's fit in the Lord. Submission's a beautiful thing,
isn't it? And I go back to the submission
of the Lord Jesus Christ. You ever find it hard to submit
to someone? Can you imagine how hard it must
have been for him to submit himself in some respects? He's God. He's altogether glorious, but
it was never hard for him to submit to his father. And it
was never hard for him to submit for the salvation of his people.
May you and I be truly submissive in the spirit of the gospel. Let's pray.