Fulfilling Our Mission Through Biblical Submission

How can I fulfill the mission that God has for my life?

We’ve seen that we must take seriously the Great Commission in our church and personal life.

We’ve seen the importance of developing the habit of intercessory prayer.

This morning we are doing a “concept study” of one of the important concepts we find in Ephesians 5-6

This concept is really a major driving force behind us fulfilling God’s mission in the first place.

Overview of Ephesians 5:15-21

Because time is short and the days are evil, walk in the wisdom that comes when we seek the will of the Lord in all things.

Seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Spirit-filled living will effect the way we:

Speak to one another.

Sing praises to our Lord.

Give thanks to God regardless of our circumstances.

Treat one another in the various relationships we have.

Focal Concept: Submission

Big Idea: In order to fulfill the mission that God has for our lives we must learn to practice biblical submission.

The popular topic of submission!

Biblical Submission:

Biblical submission is a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Filled with the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean that a person will exhibit the charismata that we see in the book of Acts.

The idea here is to contradict being filled with booze to being filled with the Spirit.

Those filled with booze will make poor decisions, will be quick to practice immorality, and open themselves up to a multitude of other sins.

Someone who is filled with the Spirit is more likely to make wise decisions (because they are both Spirit-led and immersed in God’s Word), will have greater power to fight against the temptation to sin because they will experience the Holy Spirit’s guiding influence, and is more apt to submit biblically to the purposes of God.

When we talk about being filled with the Spirit it is important to note that we have a part to play in it.

Otherwise Paul would not tell them to be filled with the Spirit. Spirit filling is a work of God, but we can resist the working of the Spirit just as much as we can make our heart and mind a place where the Spirit is overflowing.

This is really a call then to continually seek the Holy Spirit’s filling of our lives.

Biblical submission means putting the will of God in front of our own will.

The term “submitting” comes from the Greek word: ὑποτάσσω (he po toss o)

A verb that means to be or become inclined or willing to submit to orders or wishes of others.

It’s a military term that refers to the subordination of soldiers to those of superior rank.

Tony Merida: “Good soldiers surrender control. They turn loose of their selfish agendas and live in submission and for the good of others.”

The book of Ephesians’ purpose is to remind believers of God’s eternal plan for both Jews and Gentiles alike, made known through the completed work of Jesus.

Thus, Paul focuses on what Christians should believe (the primacy of the grace of God personified in the person of Jesus Christ) and the implications of God’s grace for the church, for individuals and for families.

It’s putting God’s will before our own for our will.

And this is often the rub!

It is very easy to agree about the need for biblical submission within the life of a believer, it’s a lot harder to practice.

This is why it is so vital to examine ourselves, our words and our motives often.

Biblical submission puts others in front of ourselves out of profound respect for Christ.

Submission within the church, the family, and at work begins with a deep respect or awe for Jesus Christ.

Philippians 2:3 ESV

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Mark 10:42–45 ESV

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Tony Merida: “You can be sure that if a person is acting brashly, arrogantly, or in a self-assertive way, they are not walking in the Spirit.”

Why? Because they don’t really recognize Jesus authority over all.

Biblical submission means having the right attitude about all of our relationships.

In the next passage Paul will show in greater specificity how this submission is to be lived out in the various relationships we have with one another (marriage, family, and work).

But, one must first understand the importance of putting aside our pride and self-centered pursuits.

If we don’t read this carefully, we may think that this call to mutual submission undercuts what Paul is about to say about the hierarchical submission in the next verses. But, bear a few things in mind:

First, in the ANE, most commands to ethical standards of living were aimed at men. Women, children and slaves were not seen as being able to conform to these, and maybe not even being able to understand their purpose.

Here, Paul gives ethical instructions to all groups, speaking to them as equal partakers in the grace of God found in Christ Jesus.

Second, Paul isn’t attacking the social norms, but emphasizing the unity believers have in Christ.

Thus, we each should understand our God-ordained roles within our relationships because this is beneficial to the social structures, but mores o because of the unity we have as Christ’s people.

The church benefits when a godly husband and father or a godly wife and mother fulfills their unique roles within the household and the church.

When families submit to Christ and God’s structuring of the Christian home.

When we work in such a way to honor our employer by doing our best work because we honor God.

Mutual submission is important for all Christian relationships.

The one in authority has a greater authority, Christ Jesus Himself.

The one in authority is submissive to the needs of those God has put under them.

Those under the one in authority are to be subject to the person God has given authority over them for the sake of Christ.

In fact, this could probably be stated in even simpler terms: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Frankly this is missing in many of our relationships, even inside the church.

How would I feel if I was in this person’s shoes?

Big Idea: In order to fulfill the mission that God has for our lives we must learn to practice biblical submission.

What hinders your submission?