Submitted for Unity
Wired For Connection • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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The pursuit of Ephesians is to correct a church that is out of line in the area of Unity. They have allowed themselves to become disjointed. As we see in chapter 5 is that God has a will and the church is unified in the pursuit of God’s will. A unified church is not just a group of people that sit in the same chairs. Rather they are unified which are committed to knowing, understanding, and doing the will of God.
You can tape two cats together and you will have union but you will not have unity.
The Church has always had at its core …
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
The “Will of GOD” has an ominous sound to it, doesn’t it. But to some it is an illusive figment. Some claim that everything they do is the will of God. Some wear it as a badge of honor and others just run headlong thinking God’s will is going to catch up with them.
There are a couple of certainties that we can acknowledge from this passage.
First, God has a Will
God has not planted himself some eternal distance away from us.
Second, It is an indicator of wisdom when you understand it.
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Instructs us to walk in his will as a demonstration that we are not fools.
What this passage discusses is what is called the general will of God. There is a will that he calls for each of us to Do. A will for our lives spelled out in Scripture that we claim and pursue as believers. Not because these are natural or even what we want to do. But for the simple reason that it is God’s will.
Emerson Eggrich points out that there are four places in Scipture where God’s will is spelled out expressly. Even to the point where Scripture says “this is the will of God”
These four wills are:
Believe on Jesus Christ.
Believe on Jesus Christ.
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Abstain from Sexual Sin.
Abstain from Sexual Sin.
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
Give Thanks for everything.
Give Thanks for everything.
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Submit in doing right.
Submit in doing right.
For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
Please consider with me the issue of Submission.
I will say that will of God on the need for submission is not very popular today. In fact many pastors have approached command of Paul to women to submit themselves to their husbands. They get all kinds of passive, “well you know he doesn’t mean that you have to do what he says.” “you only have to follow him if its a tuesday and the sun is shining from the north. And before long we have talked our way out of what of is rather clear instruction.
It is not popular to preach
Wives you should submit.
Truthfully, it is because we hate to submit.
It is part of being sinners.
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
Genesis 2. God’s Curse upon the Woman (16)
d. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you: The idea is to contrast the woman’s desire and the husband’s rule over her. This speaks of an inherent challenge in embracing the husband’s role as leader of the home and family.
i. This same word for desire is used in Genesis 4:7 of the desire of sin to master over Cain. Because of the curse, Eve would have to fight a desire to master her husband, a desire that works against God’s ordained order for the home.
ii. The principle of Adam’s headship as a husband was established before the fall (see Genesis 2:18 and 2:22). Now the curse on Eve makes it much harder for her to submit and flow with God’s institution of male headship in the home.
iii. “As a result of the fall, man no longer rules easily; he must fight from his headship. Sin has corrupted both the willing submission of the wife and the loving headship of the husband. The woman’s desire is to control her husband (to usurp his divinely appointed headship), and he must master her, if he can. So the rule of love founded in paradise is replaced by struggle, tyranny and domination.” (Susan T. Foh, cited in Boice)
Our fallen condition makes us hate submission.
Understand though please that the work of Ephesians is not to put women back under their husband but rather to allow for us to understand how God uses submission to bring about his greater plan.
To do this he will introduce submission from various angles.
But he starts with the church...
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Erroneously there are those that claim that this is written to husbands… “Husbands you need to submit to the wife also” Which I probably don’t need to explain that the nature of Pauls message is hampered if not all together change if the Husband is required to submit as well to his wife.
Instead this is written to the church…
This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Remember the issue is protecting that Holy Spirit produced Union.
Church we all submit.
We submit to one another.
We submit to Christ our Groom.
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
This is not some new doctrine. Jesus stated from the beginning of his teaching.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
this is the same attitude Christ expects from the wife
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.
Children should submit.
Now hold on don’t start “amening” when we get to children’s obedience if you were all squeemish about wives submission. Same God inspired both verses.
Here children are commanded to OBEY and HONOR.
Now were are tightening in on the point of the word submit. This ideal of submission does have a description.
Servant’s Should submit.
Wait a second this starts to really kind of put us all under submission doesn’t it.
Now the expectation of your employer starts to weigh in on what you are hoping to do with the hours of your day.
Now I recognize that there is a difference between the master/ servant relationship is different than we would describe it. But please understand this is not the kind of slavery that you and I hear when we think of the history of slaver in America. This is not a chattel slavery like we had in our history.
It is probably closer to a contract for hire that subjects its participants to a certain number of years of provision in trade for service.
Our closest application is the employer/employee relationship. Pauls word - be obedient. Don’t be obstinant, don’t be hard to get along with. Trade an honest days work for an honest days pay. DO right with your employer.
It is here that Paul begins to describe what he means when he says, SUBMIT, HONOR, OBEY.
Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
Fear and Trembling
Singleness of heart
Not with eyeservice
As a Servant of Christ
With Good Will
What could these points mean?
This is what the daily active life of a submitted person.
Fear and Trembling - These are the words of worship… God is looking at your heart the same way as he is in the time of Worship. He can see what is for you and what is for him. For the believer what I do in this temple is for the glory of God whether I am singing hymns or I am shoveling a ditch. It is to the glory of God.
This is the language of singleness of heart. He is saying serve with a pure heart. Keep your eye on pleasing Jesus not on the employer. Remember what Jesus promised for the one with a pure heart… They shall see God. IF you find your workplace hostile it may be that you have your eyes on the wrong person.
NOT WITH EYE SERVICE
Truth be told if the only time a boss can trust his employees to do right is when he is watching that is not a leadership issue that is a heart problem on the follower. You as a born again child of God are called to remember that your ministry to this employer may not be seen by him but it is seen by God. So serve with the attitude that God’s estimation of your ministry is what matters most.
As a Servant of Christ.
Ephesians 3. How Employees Walk in the Light: Working as Servants of Jesus (5–8)
In Greek culture manual work was despised and the goal of being successful was getting to the point where you never had to do any work. This isn’t how it is in God’s kingdom, where hard work and manual labor are honorable.
i. It should be said of every Christian that he is a hard worker and gives his employer a full day’s work for his pay; to do anything less is to steal from your employer.
With Good WIll
It is easy to find the flaws in our earthly leaders. It is easy to see their failures and messups just as easily take those failures personally. Paul was instructing the servants of the congregation to submit to what is best for their employer.
BY THE WAY
This same application goes to the wives.
OBEY, HONOR, SUBMIT
Because in some spiritual super natural way God is counting as if it for him. Do what is best for your husband as if God is the one receiving the gift.
Children the same...
Fear and Trembling
Singleness of heart
Not with eyeservice
As a Servant of Christ
With Good Will
WHY? HOW could God Ask you to submit?
Because of the blessings...
Submission is the state of the believer.
I will say that the believer does not submit to husbands, parents, or employers. The church is made up of those that submit themselves to God. They submit to Christ and a demonstration of this is seen in their submission to husband parent or employer. Wife if you do not submit to husband you are not submitted to Christ.
Let me go further. If you are in the local church Can I remind you that you are to submit to each other.
Fear and Trembling
Singleness of heart
Not with eyeservice
As a Servant of Christ
With Good Will
Your to Submit to your pastor
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
We submit to Christ.
His word is our command
His praise is our language
His mission is our joy
His Sacrifice is our hope.
This is because we belong to Him...
Submission is God’s tool for Sanctification.
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
God is using the position of submission to transform our pride filled hearts to humble hearts that he can bless. He uses the submitted heart as permission to bless, protect, and give grace to its bearer. This work is a purifying work.
Because there is a corresponding promise.
The submitted wife looks to the present love of her husband.
The obedient child looks for things to go well with him.
The obeying servant looks for the opportunity to honor his master.
All of them can layhold of this one certain promise.
Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
Preacher surely you don’t expect me to follow my husband who wants me to dishonor our vows… or my parents who abuse me… or my boss who requires I break the law?
Consider the example of the Apostles...
But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
Recognize the position of the apostles when they were commanded to deny Christ.
The issue in this passage is not...
Condition of the authorities heart.
Salvation status
Virtue
The issue was the action required violated the witness of Christ.
The fact that your authority is self serving isn’t the consideration...
The fact that your boss or spouse or parent is unsaved is not a consideration...
The fact that they have demonstrated a lack of values is not a consideration...
We do find precedent for the believer to object to the ungodly requests of authorities… all else is submission unto the Lord.