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Submission

Wayne Galloway
10/25/20 - Sunday Evening Worship

Submission

Deut. 26:16-19

 

Introduction:

 

1.  In a society where people demand their rights, submission is not a popular topic.

2.  In a world marred by sin where people take advantage of the vulnerable, submission is looked upon as a weakness.

3.  In this lesson on submission we are NOT talking about becoming a doormat.  We are NOT validating, nor giving permission to be taken advantage of.  We are NOT commending the further diminishing of the vulnerable.

4.  All such views of submission are typical of the world.  The biblical view of submission is something quite different.

5.  In the world people take advantage of one another.  In the kingdom of God people support, encourage and build one another up.

6.  It is our purpose in this lesson to show how this works and to answer such questions as:  What is the biblical theology of submission?  What does the Bible say about submission?  How are we to submit to one another?  What are the results of being submissive?

 

Discussion:

 

I.  The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible defines obedience as:  “An act or instance of submitting to the restraint or command of an authority; compliance with the demands or requests of someone or something over us.  The general words for obedience in both Hebrew and Greek refer to hearing or hearkening to a superior authority.  Another major Greek word includes the idea of submission to authority in the sense of arranging or ordering oneself under someone in a place of command.  A third Greek word suggests obedience that is a result more of persuasion than submission.

 

     A.  Submission is defined by setting it over against authority.

     B.  It is here that the worldly view makes a mistake.

          1.  It assumes authority involves selfish motives.  “If I am in authority I get what I want.  I

               tell others what to do to satisfy myself.”

          2.  No one wants to be taken advantage of.  As a matter of fact all biblical revelation

               runs counter to this direction.  Biblical revelation protects the disadvantaged and

               cares for all equally without partiality.

 

II.  The text of Scripture presents God as the ultimate authority, but as one who uses His power for the benefit of others.

 

     A.  From the creation God uses His power for the benefit of man.

          1.  The 6 days of creation are for the benefit of man.

          2.  The man’s placement in the Garden of Eden was for his benefit.  The command to

               not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was for the benefit of

               man (Gen. 2:15-17).

       B.  After the fall (Gen. 3), God continues to use His authority for the benefit of man—He

            initiated a remedial plan so that repairs could be made in light of man’s sin.

       C.  People question God’s goodness.

             1.  They ask, “Why did God give us the power to choose wrong in the first place?”

                  This effectively shifts the blame for man’s wrong decision on to God, who made

                   man and gave him the choice.

             2.   Some see it as unfair for God to cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden, even

                   though it was outside the Garden that God’s plan for redemption was executed.

             3.   But such questions by their very existence are testimony to a recognition of God’s

                   goodness.

             4.   It buys into the same lie that Satan perpetuated on Eve (Gen. 3:4-5) namely, that

                   God is not good.  He is not trustworthy.

        D.  God’s revelation of Himself is that He is seeking our good.  Ultimately He gave His

              Son for us (Rom. 8:31-32), which should prove it to us beyond the shadow of a

               doubt.

        E.   This is the ultimate question, “Is God for us or against us?”  “Is God for me or

              against me?”

              1.  Moses tried to make it clear to Israel (Deut. 6:1-3, 24).

              2.  He tried to persuade Israel of God’s graciousness to them so that they would trust

                   Him and therefore keep His commandments (Deut. 8:1-10).

              3.  It is not rational to submit to someone that you believe is against you.

              4.  The whole of the biblical message is God’s attempt to persuade us to believe that

                   He is gracious and good and kind and that we can trust Him with our well-being. 

                   The devil tries to convince us otherwise.

              5.  Even after God did all He did in delivering Israel from Egypt they tested His

                   goodness and questioned, “Is the Lord among us or not?”  (Ex. 17:1-7).  What

                   does it mean to test the Lord?  It means to demand that He prove His goodness

                   by responding to our demands.

 

III.  Before we condemn Israel too harshly we need to understand that they had good reasons to question God’s goodness and therefore His trustworthiness.

 

      A.  They had been in Egyptian bondage for nearly 400 years.

            1.  Stephen in Acts 7:19 said that Pharaoh “took shrewd advantage of our race and

                 mistreated our fathers, so that they would expose their infants and they would not

                 survive.”

            2.  Even God said, “I have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt” (Acts

                 7:34).

            3.  “If God was good and trustworthy why allow this?”

      B.  In the wilderness food and water was an issue.  If God was good and trustworthy why

           allow them to be hungry and thirsty?  Israel asked Moses, “Why have you brought us

           up from Egypt, to kill our children and our livestock with thirst?” (Ex. 17:3).

      C.  And you have good reason to question God’s goodness and trustworthiness.

           1.  If God is on my side why was I raised in an abusive home?

           2.  If God is on my side why does my little child have leukemia?

           3.  If God is trustworthy why all this evil and death?

            4.  Sounds like some of the questions Job asked.  He cried out against injustice (Job

                 24:2ff).

        D.  All of us have experienced the injustices, the evil, the hate, the sickness, and death of

             this world.  As professor D. Seamands explained it, we have “damaged love

             receptors.”  God is trying to communicate His love and kindness to us and we filter it

             through our experiences with people marred by sin.  For us this is the reality we know

             and we expect God to be like the people we experience.

             1.  We judge God to be untrustworthy because people are untrustworthy.

             2.  We may make broad generalizations that no one is trustworthy.

             3.  We are angry and distrustful believing that everyone is out to get us.

             4.  We are unwilling to submit to God or anyone else because “they are all out to get

                   us!”

             5.  Our conclusion is supported by the evidence of some who are indeed “out to get

                  us.”  We are miserable.  We are angry.  We complain and grumble because of the

                  injustices!  And then instead of blaming the devil we blame God. 

 

IV.  God’s response is to send us His Son.

 

      A.  It’s the ultimate manifestation of love (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:6-11; 8:31b-32).

           1.  Instead of taking advantage He gives Himself up (Eph. 5:25).  Instead of being

                served, He gives His life a ransom (Matt. 20:28).

           2.  Authority is viewed from a new perspective.  Submission results from our

                recognition of His trustworthiness.

           3.  We give ourselves into His control.  He loves us and so we love Him and keep His

                commandments (Jn. 14:15; 1 Jn. 4:15-21).

      B.  For those who can believe it it has a radical and transforming impact.

           1.  It is various described in Scripture as being saved; putting on the new self; as a

                death to life experience; from darkness to light; a new birth; et al.

           2.  The transformation is described in Titus 3:3-8.

      C.  Not only is it transforming to us personally, it is transforming to all our relationships.

           1.  Once we trust the Lord we learn to be trustworthy.

           2.  Like Christ we demonstrate it in serving others.

           3.  We manifest the spirit of God within us by submitting to His commandments (Ezek.

                11:19-20; 37:25-27).

            4.  We love others as we have been loved.  It was called to my attention the other day

                 from the parable of the sower (Lk. 8) that God loves so and His love is so abundant

                 He sows on all kinds of soil.  What farmer does that?   Farmers sow their seed in

                 good soil, cultivated soil, prepared soil.  Seed is too expensive to sow on stony

                 ground, on the road, among the thorns.  Not for the Lord.  His love is unlimited in

                 supply.  See Matt. 5:43ff.

            5.  Having received we freely give, good measure, pressed down and shaken together

                 (Lk. 6:38; 2 Cor. 9:6-15).

            6.  Others are transformed in that they learn to trust and so submit to the Lord and to

                 us (Eph. 5:21ff).

            7.  It is a dynamic process.  First, we are changed by the love of God.  Second, having

                    been changed we effect others toward change by loving like the Lord.

               8.  Each one learns submission by learning they are loved!  Cf. 1 Pet. 2:13-3:9.

 

V.  Such submission is often difficult.

 

     A.  It involves sowing seed in difficult places.

     B.  It involves doing good and loving our enemies (Matt. 5:43ff).

     C.  It means suffering and giving a blessing when the other person deserves a cursing

           (Rom. 12:14ff).

     D.  “But it doesn’t always work to produce soft hearts and hearts that trust,” some object. 

           That’s right.  Jesus was crucified.

     E.  But such actions do produce good results—Deut. 26:19; Phil. 2:5-11.

 

Conclusion:

 

1.  This is not the usual lesson about how wives are to submit to husbands, children to parents or slaves to their masters.

2.  It doesn’t remind Christians of their responsibility to the government.

3.  It doesn’t tell us that we are to submit to God or else.

4.  It does provide a theological framework for submission as a course of life modeled upon trusting a God who loves us and gave Himself up for us.