Sermon Tone Analysis

March 16, 2012

By John Barnett

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Jesus reduced life to one simple goal—seeking God’s rule over each day of my life.

Do you remember Christ's simple yet powerful words?

Please open there with me:

Matthew 6:33/ “But seek* first *the *kingdom of Go*d and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."/

NKJV

Ever since the Garden of Eden, and mankind’s fall into sin—we humans have wanted our own way.

Submission in Biblical terms is when we submit to wanting God’s way.

When sin entered the world, the woman desired to rule over the man; the man desired to rule over the woman, and both departed from their God-ordained roles in life.

The fall has impacted every part of life, including marriage--as husbands and wives compete for first place.

Now, instead of being the Christ-like leader of his home, as the biblical head over his wife, the typical man has become either dominant and forceful—or passive and uncaring; in reaction, the typical woman has either resisted his control or had to become the leader she was never designed by God to be.

And that whole distortion began

way back in the Garden!

Biblical submission in marriage can only be understood and practiced when seen in the wider context of God’s plan.

First and before all other commands--God commands each of us that we first submit to Him (James 4.7).

We surrender to God and seek first His rule over our lives on a daily basis (Mt.

6:33).

Then, after submission to Him, God also commands that we each submit to others He has established in His Divine plan:

• Congregations are to submit to their elders (Heb.

13:17);

• Citizens are to submit to their rulers (I Peter 2:13);

• Younger believers are to submit to older (mature) believers (I Peter 5:5; Titus 2), and so on.

Because:

*Mutual Submission is Part of God’s Plan*

The whole “Spirit-filled” life is described in Ephesians 5:1-20.

Do you remember how it culminates with the great imperative of Ephesians 5:18?

Ephesians 5:18 /"And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; *but be filled with the Spirit*,"/ NKJV

And then, what comes next?

God applies this Spirit-filled walk with an explanation how the Holy Spirit graciously fills our hearts with a submission that overflows into every aspect of life.

That means that our topic this morning—grace-energized submission for wives fits as just one piece of a much larger plan.

The clearest statement of submission for a wife comes in the middle of this much larger teaching about Spirit-prompted submission.

If you trace the word and concept of submission in Ephesians 5:21-6:9, it is actually stated or implied seven times.

Let’s turn there and note these truths.

It is, in other words, a complete (as in the meaning of number 7) guide to the work of God’s Spirit empowering us to be like Jesus.

Here is the larger context of a wife’s submission:

• We all are to submit to each other (5:21).

• Wives are to submit to their husbands (5:22).

• Husbands are to submit to the picture of Christ and the church (5:23-33).

• Children are to obey (submit to) their parents (6:1-4).

• Bondservants are to submit to their masters, as in an employee-to-employer relationship today (6:5-8).

• Masters (business owners and managers of today) are to submit to their heavenly Master (6:9a).

• Everyone is to submit to their Master in heaven (6:9b).

*Wives Energized By God Will Submit to Their Husbands*

God’s final lesson for younger women in the church is submission as we see in Titus 2. Unfortunately, the KJV and NJKV obscure the complete message Paul gave to Titus.

Titus 2:5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, *obedient to their own husbands*, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

NKJV

Listen to how the NIV and NASB render this word correctly, as it is translated everywhere else it shows up in the New Testament:

Titus 2:5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, *and to be subject to their husbands*, so that no one will malign the word of God.

NIV

Titus 2:5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, *being subject to their own husbands*, that the word of God may not be dishonored.

NASB

God’s Spirit led Paul to use a word (hupotassumenas) translated “be subject to” because it does not mean ‘obey’.

God does not say wives (like He does to children) “obey your husbands”.

Rather it means that a grace-energized woman accepts the relationship of marriage that God has designed, and willingly subjects herself to God’s order for her marriage, because:

*Submission is Biblical*

No teaching of Christ's church is more disliked within and without than this doctrine.

However, God blesses those who honor what He values.

Biblical submission is vital for godly living.

Biblical submission is only understood in context of all that God has said.

Submission is not just for women, nor just for wives—it is commanded at every level among all believers.

Submission is an attitude of humbly living out what God has called us to be and to do.

Among believers submission is always a two-way subjection and never one-way.

God has established roles for the church and the home.

Men are to fulfill the place of the leader as fathers and husbands.

When a wife willingly follows her husband she is acknowledging to God her husband’s role as planned and directed by God's Word.

In the church, the husband to whom v.2 was written was to have repented of any behavior that would be seen as impatient, unfaithful, unloving, or tyrannical.

The wife has already been instructed that God expects her to never be rebellious, undermining her husband’s authority or contradicting his leadership.

This grace-energized submission is part of spiritual maturity.

This grace-energized wife fulfills the responsibilities in her marriage and home that God gave her, in God’s power, for God’s glory—and only in God’s gracious power.

This submission described in God's Word never means or implies any inferiority (Gal.

3:28; Eph.

5:24; Col. 3:18; I Peter 3:1, 5), because:

*Submission is Mutual*

God designed marriage so that husbands and wives see their roles in the context of a spiritual partnership, godly love, and a Biblical covenant.

In God’s plan husbands are not to make every decision in the marriage, nor does the role as leader make every decision a correct one.

Thus in mutual submission a husband should always consider his wife’s opinion or he is foolish.

Paul wrote to husbands in Eph.

5:26, and described a leadership that involved sacrificial love for the ones being led.

A husband who misuses his role as leader is just as sinful as a wife who refuses to follow.

Believers who consider marriage should always come to an understanding of the implications of Biblical submission for their lives together.

It is impossible for a man and woman to marry and remain independent.

There are some decisions that a couple will eventually face that no matter how long they discuss them—they will not agree.

It is at that point that the godly wife submits to her husband’s role—and he leads as best he can with his understanding of God’s will.

This means that a godly woman must come to the place of practical submission as revealed by the following questions.

You may wish to answer these silently in your mind if you are married to see how you are doing in the realm of Biblical submission as a husband and wife.

Biblical submission means a positive response should be made by both husbands and wives on these two questions.

• Husband: Am I ready to answer to the Lord for the decisions I make in which I have overruled my wife’s opinions and gone forward with what I thought best in the situation?

• Wife: Can I voluntarily submit to my husband’s decision after I have shared my heart, and yet we still differ on this decision?

When both marriage partners are believers and want to honor the Lord, submission is not a problem.

• Biblical husbands energized by grace are servant-leaders who lead and serve in Christ's love as we see in John 13:1-7 as Jesus washed His dispels feet.

• Biblical wives are energized by grace to submit and resist fearing or despising their husbands as they lead by loving servanthood.

Paul describes this amazing partnership in I Cor.

7:1-40 and Eph.

5:22-33.

But why is this grace-energized submission so important?

Because Paul said when grace-energized submission or any of the other six elements of Titus 2:4-5 are lacking God is not glorified and His Word is discredited.

Look back at those words that conclude v. 5.

Titus 2:5 …/"that the* word of God may not be blasphemed*."/

NKJV

As we live out our marriages and personal lives before a watching world we either point them to an Awesome God or we give them ammunition to use against us and God.

When we don’t live the way God asks us to live we are denying not only God's Word but also Him who gave us His Word to live for the glory of our Redeemer and Savior who died to purchase us.