Submission to God

This is the last “Foundation” Sermon. Next week we will move into the structure of the Church.

So far we have discussed:

The Gospel

Biblical Authority

This weeks concept of Submission to God ties all of these things together.

It is a remarkably simple concept, but it cannot be missed.

John 14:15–17 CSB

“If you love me, you will keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.

What Is Submission?

What is Submission?

One real life example of this word being used is in fighting. Someone can win by submission.

“the action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person.”

There are all sorts of ways that we have to submit on a regular basis.

As people, we do not like to submit.

You won’t tell me what to do!

Submission and Surrender are similar.

The first thing we must do is to submit or surrender our life to Christ.

We make Him our LORD and SAVIOR

It can be easy to focus on the Savior part and ignore the Lord part.

The question in salvation is not whether Jesus is Lord, but whether we are submissive to His lordship.

-John MacArthur

LORD means he is in control.

This means that....

Submission Means We Are to Be Obedient

“If you love me, you will keep my commands.”

Examples through Scripture.

James 1:22 CSB

But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Deuteronomy 5:33 CSB

Follow the whole instruction the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live, prosper, and have a long life in the land you will possess.

Joshua 1:8 CSB

This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.

God wants us to be obedient. When God commands us to do something, God expects us to do it.

This is a primary focus throughout the entire Bible! The first sin was an act of disobedience from their one command.

It was a refusal to submit to the authority of God.

This DOES NOT equal salvation.

Ephesians 2:8–9 CSB

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.

Salvation comes is by grace through faith. NOT because of what we do.

However, our works are the PROOF of our salvation.

James 2:18 CSB

But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.

It is not the root of our salvation, but it is the fruit of our salvation.

Goes further, like fruit, our good works plant seeds.

Faith without obedience is hypocrisy

Submission is Motivated By Love

“If you love me...”

Obedience is not motived by fear.

Obedience is not motivated by obligation.

Submission is motivated by Love.

Our walk with Christ is based upon love.

John 3:16 CSB

For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

The idea of how we limit ourselves because of love. (I.E. Marriage)

We submit ourselves to various regulations because of our love.

Marriage.

If we love someone. It is not a burden to submit to them.

Submission is Empowered by The Holy Spirit

Upon explaining his departure and explaining the need for obedience, Jesus tells them he will give them another Counselor (The Holy Spirit).

Paraclete- The “helper” like a pair of cleats help you have traction.

Often the most ignored aspect of the Trinity.

Or abused.

Romans 8:12–17 CSB

So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Without the power of the Holy Spirit, we are powerless to overcome sin.

God did not call us to something he did not give us the ability to do.

Like trying to do a task with and without the right tool.

With the help of the Holy Spirit we are enabled to walk free from the power of sin in our lives.

We still struggle with the flesh and will fail.

Submission Glorifies God

Submission is in all things because God is worth it.

Philippians 3:8–11 CSB

More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

Lives will be changed and transformed.

Not only will people be saved from their sins, but they will be transformed to look like Christ!

The Church will do Gospel ministry that will change the community.

People will make decisions based upon obedience to God, rather than selfish ambition.

We become people who have not only heard the word, but have done what it says.