Submission
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1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Introduction
Introduction
ὑποτάσσω (lit. I put in a lower rank, I rank under, a military term), I subject, I put into subjection: mid. (and pass.) I subordinate myself, I put myself into subjection, I submit.
(Illustrate: Generals Patton and Eisenhower)
Submission by definition is voluntary.
Paul says that the Jews have not submitted to the righteousness of God:
3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
We are to submit to God, and those who God is using.
15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)
16 That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth.
We are to submit to the law of the land:
13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
14 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.
15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
A man who will not submit himself to the law will not submit himself to the Word.
Bro. Branham speaking about fire marshall laws:
And if we will not obey Caesar, it’s doubtful that we’d obey God. And as long as Caesar’s laws doesn’t interfere with God’s, we must obey God first. 63-1117 - "Once More"
Bro. Branham dealt with this in relation to game laws:
So this certain person said, “I got nine.” Christian boy, fine kid. I said, “You done wrong. You did wrong!”
Bro. Branham took 6 and left five sitting in one tree.
I said, “If I come to this country, preaching to you boys, and you people here, the thing that’s right, I’ve got to live that example.” Christianity ain’t what you say, it’s what you live, what you do; it’s an example. You’re the salt of the earth.
I said, “Then, the law says…Jesus said, ‘You give Caesar them things that belong to Caesar.’ You break that speed law out there, what are you doing? You’re doing wrong; you sin. Give Caesar what’s Caesar’s, and God’s what’s God’s.”
Say, “Well, the law’s wrong.” I can’t help what wrong it is; it’s wrong to break Jesus’ commandment. And if you don’t give Caesar the things that’s Caesar’s, then you did what Jesus told you not to do, and the transgression of the law is sin. That right?
We’re all guilty; we do it. But when you see yourself wrong, stop it! People are watching you; people won’t go to church, but they’ll read you, see what you do. 64-0830M - "Questions And Answers #3"
1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4 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.
5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
Paul tells Titus to preach on this:
1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
Wives are to submit to husbands:
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 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.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
A man’s not supposed to use that authority over a woman just because he’s her ruler. God is her ruler above you, brother.
And if your wife is doing something wrong, then don’t…then you got a right to tell her, and she’s supposed to listen to you. But you haven’t got no right to beat her, or drag her around, or do those things. No!
God made men a helpmate, not a doormat. Remember, she’s…She was your sweetheart; she should always be that. 64-0830E - "Questions And Answers #4"
Servants to masters:
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
Younger to elder, and each to the other:
5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
The Church.
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
“Submit yourself.” Congregation, submit yourself to your pastor. Pastor, submit yourself to your congregation. If a little clique rises up, don’t be on either side, submit yourself to the whole congregation. Congregation, if you start in a clique, submit yourself to your pastor in the fear of God. 61-0108 - "Revelation, Chapter Four Part III"
Prophets submit to prophets:
32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
I don’t go to Bro. Wendall’s to promote my ministry or ny church, I submit myself to him as a pastor.
Jesus submitted to His earthly parents:
51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
He is our perfect example.
28 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, that God may be all in all.
We must submit ourselves to God.
How?
By subordinating our thoughts to His thoughts.
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Georgie Carter:
Some of them said, “How did she walk, Brother Branham?” I said, “The power of the living God held her up.” She just come submitted to the power of God.
That’s what’s the trouble, friends. At nighttime when you see me, your brother under vision, that’s nothing else in the world but submitting myself to the Holy Spirit. You that’s sick can submit yourself to the Holy Spirit so completely that you’ll forget your sickness.
You can completely submit yourself to the Holy Ghost, and no affliction can hold you. You walk by the power of the Holy Ghost. You are well; you give your testimony, everything else. You’re healed by the power of the Holy Ghost.
You that’s sinful, that maybe drink and smoke and gamble and do things like that, you’d say, “I can’t give them up, Brother Branham.”
Yes, you can. You just submit yourself to God one time, and just yield your whole self to God and watch what takes place. That’s the whole thing. There’s no secret in it. It’s not a hocus-pocus. The only thing it is is submit yourself to God. 54-0720A - "The Maniac Of Gadara"
And listen, friends, don’t come, saying, “Well, now, if I feel real cold, and if I get It way sister got It…” That way sister got It, don’t you look for It that way.
You just come with a pure heart, believing that Jesus Christ is the Saviour, and you’ve accepted Him, and you believe God will keep His Word, and you’re looking to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and He’ll give It to you.
Say, “Lord, I’ll…Just any way You pour It into me, just so I get the Holy Ghost. That’s all I want, is the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Give me Something that will take this selfishness away. Give me Something will take all this fear and doubting away.
My, Lord, don’t make me…If You make me shout; I’ve seen others shout, and didn’t live it. Don’t make me speak with tongues; Lord, I’ve seen others speak with tongues and didn’t live it. But, Lord, put Something in me that’ll live in me, that’ll make me walk every day as a Christian.
That’ll make me love my enemies. That’ll make me speak good of those who speak evil of me. That’ll make me ready to repent of anything that I do wrong, come right up and confess it. I’ll say, ‘I’m wrong. Forgive me, God.’”
That’s the kind of spirit you want, isn’t it? Yes, sir. “Make me humble. When my pastor sees something wrong in me, he walks around and says, ‘Now, brother, or sister, you ought not to do these things.’
Make me humble, say, ‘Yes, my brother, you help me now to pray. I don’t want that kind of spirit on me. I don’t…’” You don’t want that kind of a spirit, do you?
You don’t want to go around with a puffed up, saying, “Well, huh, he had no business telling me. I know where I’m standing.” Oh, when you do that, friends, you can see right then that you’re out of the will of God. You can see you’re wrong, to begin with.
Why not be humble, and submit yourself to the Holy Spirit, say, “Yes, I’m going to lock arms with the whole church of the living God. I’m going to move on. 54-1024 - "The Unpardonable Sin"
And God could ever get a man and women today, in this tabernacle, anywhere else, that’ll pay no attention to what’s going on around them, but submit themselves to the Lord, as an individual unit, God will lead the same man today, that He led then.
He proves that He’s with us. What we need today is a humble, submitted life. Submit yourself. Don’t squeeze yourself back. Don’t do nothing but lead straight with the Holy Spirit. What the Spirit says do, do quickly. Don’t say, “Well, I’ll wait and find out what this is, and that is.” What the Holy Spirit says do, go do it!
What if I hadn’t went to Finland when the Holy Spirit called me over there? What if I hadn’t went to the hospital yesterday, where that little baby was laying there dying; hadn’t went?
(Beyond the curtain of time they said “if you had not went, we would not be here”)
It’s, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” Do what the Holy Spirit says do. 54-1231 - "Everlasting Life And How To Receive It"
Do you want peace? Submit yourself.
What a peaceful day it’ll be for the Branham Tabernacle, or any other church or any individual, when they’ll forfeit their rights, to become a lamb.
Come back to a lamb, come back to be gentle, come back to know nothing, come back to just submit yourself to Christ. Don’t try, don’t try to know nothing. Just walk meekly, quietly, humbly, gently, and the Dove will lead you.
But whenever you see…go to listening to that gossip, whenever you go to getting that temper up, whenever you go to thinking you got a right to do this and do that, the Dove just takes Her flight and goes on away.
Then you don’t have It anymore. Now, she’s not very far from you this morning, church. She’s sitting right out there on the limb of peace, waiting for your nature to be changed. Amen.
What you need today is to submit all your rights, is to let God lay you down and shave all your rights off of you. Amen.
Could you imagine how a little old lamb, all fleece hanging over him? That’s his rights. Yeah. “Pant, pant, pant.” Burning up, and then just lay up on the shearing table. They know what’s best for him. Take all of his rights away from him and shear it all off, how cool and light he runs.
My, my, he’s happy, and jumps around and has a big time. Yes, sir. If you’ll forfeit your rights, that’s what you get. But you got to forfeit your rights and let the Word of God shave all the world off of you, take all the habits of the world away, and you become a new creature in Christ. 56-0805 - "The Church And Its Condition"
To know the Word’s not Life, but to know Him is Life: to know Him. You don’t have to be a scholar; you have to be a submitted person. And when you submit yourself to Christ, Christ is obligated to fill that vacancy that you’ve poured out on the altar to Him. He’s obligated to His Word to do it, and He will not fail you. 57-0516 - "We Would See Jesus"
The greatest thing that I’ve ever seen in my life is just submit yourself to God and walk in the Spirit, see, just day after day, how He will lead you and do things. 60-0716 - "From That Time"
He wants to partner with you, but He can’t do that intellectually.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
How did Noah please God? By faith. How did Abraham please God? By Faith.
But, Abraham, if you can catch it, he had faith in God, which united the Spirit of God with the flesh of man. There is where the faith come. There is why He could be the Abraham Seed, not all flesh, but the uniting of Spirit and flesh together.
God, making Himself…tearing out, rooting out all evil, bringing into submission the flesh, the dust that He created, and live with you as a partner. 59-1227M - "A Super Sign"
Conclusion
Conclusion
In 1873 a lady by the name of Phoebe Knapp played a tune for Fanny Crosby and asked “What does this music say to you?”
She was so submitted to the Holy Spirit, she replied:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest;
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
Chorus
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.