Church Family Submission

1 Peter 3:8-12

How To Conduct Ourselves in Submission to Christ and Church Family

Christ is the Foundation. Christ is the Example and Cornerstone.

Submit to Christ. And for the Lord’s Sake… Submit to Government leaders, Employers, and to Spouses.

Church… we as the Body of Christ, are also called to submit to one another. We are called by Christ, our Master and Commander of the Faith… to Be of one mind and one heart, submitting to one another in the fear of the Lord.

Ephesians 4-5 speaks more to this: “Endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace… Put on the new man, who you are in Christ Jesus, and be One People.

Do not grieve the Spirit by hating one another, speaking ill of one another, tearing down one another, being bitter and unforgiving...”

Be imitators of God/Christ. Be subject to one another in the Fear of Christ.

Everyone is under the Authority of God. Everyone is under the Authority of God’s Word. *God is the Authority, the Foundation, the Cornerstone, and the Example for Submission. Everyone must look at all of their brothers and sisters in the faith… through Christ’s eyes and see them as Christ sees them...

What are we to see? They are image bearers of God, called and loved by God. They are born of the Spirit, new creatures who love Christ like you do, but are struggling with doubts and fears, sins and the pressures of this world. Some of them are young in the faith; some are struggling with pride and pain...

So what do we do… through the Gospel… through Christ’s love and compassion for us?

Verse 8 - We… Live out of the Gospel before one another. We live out of the love we have received… and we... Who have received much love, mercy and compassion from Christ… We reflect that same love to one another.

We become gentle. Be become courteous and tenderhearted with one another… not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling… no, no, no. This is not Christian.

James 4 - Draws a picture of a church group that is not doing this. They are quarrelling and backbiting, allowing pride, selfish ambitions, and the their lusts control them.

This is not Christian. This is a picture of a person or a group that is not submitted to God or their church family.

Listen: To “submit to one another” is not based on the merits of the other person—believers aren’t to submit to one another because others deserve it; rather, they are to submit to one another in the fear of Christ.

What you do to them, you to to Christ. What you don’t do to them, you don’t do to Christ. “Saul, Saul,. why are you persecuting Me?” When you serve them or hate the church family member… you are acting this out on Christ Himself.

Why do we see this inside the church fellowship?

a. There are Christians who are babies in the faith and much is still about them.

b. There are Christians who have allowed sin to wedge relationships and the devil is using this to produce more problems.

c. There are also vipers and wolves in the church who are not first submitted to Christ and are driven and ruled by sin. And we, as the church, may exercise wise discernment by the Word of God… and ask these divisive folks to leave if they will not repent.

But as Christians, how do we respond to all of them when they are use by devils and treat us with evil?

Take away the devil’s tools: Bless one another. Conquer hate by showing love. Show kindness, grace, compassion, gentleness, and forgiveness and watch God work. Watch Satan leave when he has no tools to work with.

We give Satan and his devils too many tools to work with. Take away his tools by submitting to God and to one another… and Satan will run away… when we do it God’s way.

Take away Satan’s tools by submitting to one another.

As a Christian - One great question to ask on a daily basis: How can I bless someone today? How can I show them the love of Christ today? How can I represent Jesus through my life today? I want to be the greatest servant in the kingdom.

a. It will not be done by hating. It will not be done by yelling and putting others down. It will not be done by showing impatience and a lack of self-control.

b. I will not be a blessing or receive a blessing if I do all the talking and will not listen to others, and I will not be a blessing if I have to win all the arguments, always get the last word, and talk down to my family member in the faith.

How can I show Jesus and be a blessing to someone?

2. Submit your life, lay down your life and Exercise self-control. Listen well and Control your tongue/mouth. Two ears and one tongue guarded by two gates (teeth and lips).

Listening takes time. Lay down your life and listen. What they have to say matters too.

Be slow to speak and quick to listen. Sticks and stones may break your bones but words will destroy you both.

Avoid and strive to keep evil from your life and lips. Seek peace and pursue after it.

Seek to find common ground and draw conversations to Christ, where you both are founded on and ground in.

a. “Well, if I think it, I might as well say it.” You are not looking for peace, but for trouble. And God will judge you for every idle word you say.

We are never told to speak and or do every thought; we are told to exercise self-control.

b. Take captive those thoughts. Take captive the lusts of the flesh, die to sin, and the desires to do harm.

Submit to Christ and to one another and Satan will flee. If you give in to your pride and to your need to win… Satan will have tools to work with… And he will use them...

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The great American cowboy prophet John Wayne once said, “Give the American people a good cause, and there is nothing they can’t lick.”

Give the Christian the Cause of Christ, and there is nothing they can’t lick. Give the Christian God’s mission, and there is nothing they can’t endure.

Show me the Cross. Tell me the Gospel and remind me of that Great Commission again. Tell me that He is the only Way, the Truth, and the Life, and remind me that I am His ambassador and worker of reconciliation… I will endure…

*Give me the Cause of Christ today: Love God and Love People. Win the Lost and Build up His Church.

Your words can give life or give death. Your words can build up and or tear down. Your words can bring light in the darkness and set people free in Jesus Name, or help to keep them in bondage.

Your gentle words can calm down fires within, crush bitter bones, and put an end to anger.

d. Is there time to debate? Yes. Is there time to discuss and to reason together? Absolutely, with an open Bible and open hearts...

e. But remember, they are either family members or the mission field. We are not called to hate either one.

The perishing are watching, the devils are watching to work in and through our pride and sin… and they will take our weaknesses, our thirst for power, and our need to be right… and will make a mess out of the whole thing.

Evil breeds more evil. Hate breeds more hate. Yelling breeds more yelling… What are we to do?

f. Humble yourselves before God and your fellow man. And do life with one another God’s way.

Keep your life and tongue from evil, seek peace and pursue it.

And… lastly...

3. Remember, God is watching. God is watching your behavior. God is watching your attitude. God is watching your responses.

This is a great motivation for us all. The day of testing comes and our Audience of One watches over us.

a. The Lord takes personal notice toward the righteous

b. The Lord hears the righteous.

c. The Lord is personally against the wicked. They should not expect the Lord to answer their prayers and to bless them. They are rebels and their lives are about them.

God is going to do what is right. God is going to vindicate. He will exalt the humble; the meek shall inherit the earth. Everyone will answer to God one day.

5. And His eyes and ears will be towards the righteous. He will hear and answer those prayers. But His face will be set against those who do evil.

Really, my prayers can be or will be hindered?

James 1:6-8 - Unbelief and doubt will certainly do it.

Isaiah 59:2 - Your sins have separated you from your God and He will not hear you.

Psalm 66:18 - If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

Selfishness - James 4:3

1 Peter 3 Verse 7 - When husbands and wives are not loving one another as they should.

Unbelief, sin, selfishness, unforgiveness, and discord is a great prayer barrier for us all today.

And that is why we are missing out on so much of God’s blessed life. You are miserable. Relationships are miserable. And Satan is laughing.

What do we need to do? Look to Christ. Submit to God and to One another.

Read Philippians 2:2-7

1 John 1:9 - Confess our sins, repent, turn to Christ, forgive one another… and God will forgive us, purify us, and restore fellowship, and cleanse the conscience.

Devils are working in every church, using you and me. Are you giving them tools to work with?

Look to Christ: Have this attitude that Christ has.

Submit to God and submit to one another today. God is watching.

Start today and receive the blessing that comes from the Lord.