sermon 3/29/26

Submission

“The Freedom of Submission”

Primary Text:

Philippians 2:5–11 Optional Gospel tie-in: Luke 22:42 (“Not my will, but yours be done”)

Philippians 2:5–11 NIV

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Big Idea:

Submission is not weakness or loss—it is the pathway to freedom, Christlikeness, and true life in God.

Sermon Outline

1. The Misunderstanding of Submission

Culture hears submission and thinks:

Loss of control

Inferiority

Being taken advantage of

But biblically, submission is voluntary and rooted in trust

Foster: submission is choosing to lay down our will for the sake of love and obedience

Pastoral angle: We resist submission because we want control—but control often leads to anxiety, not freedom.

2. Jesus as the Model of Submission

Philippians 2: Jesus “made himself nothing”

Luke 22:42: submission in the garden is deeply personal and costly

His submission was:

Not forced

Not passive

Fully surrendered to the Father

Key line you could use: “Jesus didn’t lose His life—He gave it.”

3. Submission as an Inner Posture

Foster emphasizes this: submission starts in the heart, not just behavior

It’s not about:

Being silent

Being weak

Avoiding conflict

It is about:

Letting go of the need to win

Trusting God with outcomes

Surrendering rights and preferences

Examples you can bring in:

In relationships: choosing peace over being right

You can either be right or you can be happy

In ministry: releasing control of results

The Nike approach “Just Do It”

In daily life: yielding our schedule, interruptions, inconveniences

Divine appointments can start as inconveniences.

4. The Freedom Found in Submission

When we release control, we also release:

Anxiety

The burden of always being right

The need to prove ourselves

Submission leads to:

Peace

Joy

Deeper trust in God

Tie to Lent: The cross is the ultimate picture—submission leads to resurrection.

5. Practicing Submission (Foster’s Practical Emphasis)

Give your people something tangible:

Submit to God daily (prayer: “Your will be done”)

Practice small acts of surrender:

Let someone else go first

Listen instead of correcting

Accept interruptions as divine appointments

Submit in community:

Accountability

Mutual submission (Ephesians 5:21)

Closing Movement

Take it to Jesus in the garden

Luke 22:42 NIV

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

Invitation: “Where is God asking you to say, ‘Not my will, but yours’ this week?”

First Reading

Psalm 131 NIV

A song of ascents. Of David. My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.