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The Call To Obedient Submission
12 Plays11 days ago
Eph. 6:1-9
Recommended
Transcript
Difference Between Serving and Being a Servant
00:00:01
Speaker
I struggle with this question all week long. What is the difference between serving and being a servant? Because there's ah there's a vast difference between the two. What's the difference between serving and being a servant?
00:00:17
Speaker
You see, when when the volunteer sheet that we have right outside here for this upcoming Saturday SHU event, when it's passed around, somebody who enjoys serving will look at that sign-up sheet and they'll say, up I'd like to be in the Welcome Center in the AC, sitting down right next to the donuts and the coffee.
00:00:40
Speaker
where a servant would say, put my name down wherever I can best be used. Do you see the difference?
00:00:51
Speaker
Serving, if you like to serve, there's still some element of control that you have. You get to choose when you serve or where you serve or, for some of you, how long to serve.
00:01:07
Speaker
But friends, a true servant is somebody who's given up that control altogether. They've submitted themselves or they've placed themselves under the authority of someone else and they're allowing that person to dictate how long they serve, where they serve, and what they do while they serve.
Submission in Western Culture vs. Christianity
00:01:28
Speaker
Submitting ourselves, placing ourselves under somebody, it's just not popular.
00:01:37
Speaker
It's In the West, if I can put it this way, it's got a pretty negative connotation. When was the last time you went and hung out with your friend said, boy, I can't wait to be a true servant?
00:01:49
Speaker
Boy, I can't wait to submit.
00:01:55
Speaker
no we see this as something negative or less than or inferior if we submit. The same is true in the workplace when you go to your job.
00:02:06
Speaker
Your boss is in a position of authority over you. For some of you, you struggle with that.
00:02:16
Speaker
I put down just as ah as a real world example, any of you growing up who were wrestlers, not the WWE w wrestling, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about real wrestling when you were in school.
00:02:27
Speaker
right There was somebody who had a position of authority. That was the person who was on top. That was the strong person. And they pinned you or they submitted the weaker, inferior person.
00:02:40
Speaker
That's what the world would say about submission. You're weak. You're inferior. You're less than.
Study of Ephesians 6: Submission and Rewards
00:02:46
Speaker
But brothers and sisters, what makes Christianity so radical, so different, so counter-cultural,
00:02:55
Speaker
Because it takes that worldview of submission, flips it upside down.
00:03:01
Speaker
It says if you were a true servant, if you submit yourself under somebody, you're the one who really has the position of authority. You're the one who has the superior position. And on top of it, brothers and sisters, it says if you are obedient in that call of submission, there are rewards.
00:03:20
Speaker
Who doesn't love rewards?
00:03:23
Speaker
That's what we're looking at today, Ephesians chapter 6, as we begin. If you're somebody who's looking through your Bible and you're saying, but pastor, there's only Ephesians 6. This is it. We're landing the plane. Well, today will be the first nine verses.
00:03:36
Speaker
Next week will be the the final rest of the chapter. And then we will jump into Judges right after that. So I know all of you who are super excited to be in the New Testament and you're like, I can't wait to get back to the Hebrew and the Old Testament.
00:03:49
Speaker
Don't worry, that's where we're going next.
Marital Roles and Divine Order
00:03:52
Speaker
You'll remember if you were here last week or the last couple of weeks. By the way, i'm um you know very rarely do I keep track of who's here on Sunday. I just look out and I just see a number. I don't really see who particularly are here.
00:04:06
Speaker
But I did notice last week on the the sermon on marriages, there were a lot of wives that were absent that that week. So I thought I'd just reteach last week's sermon.
00:04:18
Speaker
I'm joking. You'll know if you sat here or if you watched, somebody told me, hey, i watched it on video. That's a tough message to hear. You bet it is. It really is. It's a tough message to hear both for husbands and wives.
00:04:31
Speaker
We said last week that in the divine model, in the context of marriage, men are to love their wives sacrificially. That means to put them first. That means to put yourself second. And it says, women, you are to align yourselves. You are to submit yourselves under your husband's headship because that headship is given to him by God.
00:04:50
Speaker
Now, ladies, if you felt like perhaps your husbands were left out on the submission talk last week, don't worry. This Sunday is all about submission. And Paul's real clear today. it's It's about everybody. It's about all believers.
Submission in Relationships and Authority
00:05:05
Speaker
He says all believers are to lead a life of submission.
00:05:10
Speaker
It's a hard word for many of us to swallow, so I want to practice saying it together. On the count of three, we're all going to say submission. One, two, three, four. submission. Again, one, two, three.
00:05:21
Speaker
Why do I make such a big point of this word submission? Because just like I cannot say you are a Christ follower and say in the same sentence that you don't have the Holy Spirit in you, they don't go hand in hand. If you are a Christ follower, you have the Holy Spirit.
00:05:39
Speaker
Brothers and sisters, I'm telling you today, if you are a Christ follower, you are somebody who leads a life of submission. And if you're not, this message is for you today.
00:05:49
Speaker
Paul's real clear. We have to be obedient to this call of submission. But if we do, and we do it well, there's rewards. Ephesians chapter 6, just the first nine verses, if you will. I'm reading from the New Living Translation.
00:06:06
Speaker
Paul starts saying, "'Children, obey your parents, because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise.'" If you honor your father and your mother, things will go well for you and you will have a long life on the earth.
00:06:25
Speaker
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up in the discipline and the instruction that comes from the Lord. Slaves, obey your earthly master with deep respect and fear.
00:06:39
Speaker
Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all of your heart.
00:06:53
Speaker
Work with enthusiasm. Although you were working for the Lord rather than for people, remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good work we do, whether we are slaves or free.
00:07:06
Speaker
Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don't threaten them. However, remember you both have the same master in heaven. And he has no favorites. I like that in the New Living Translation. There's there's no impartiality.
00:07:20
Speaker
He treats both alike. We see these two pictures right here off the bat. Two examples. The first is a child-parent relationship. And the second is a slave-master relationship.
00:07:34
Speaker
And I'll just... Tell you right now, you everybody's eyes up here for just a second. oh We really get hung up here in the United States on this word slave, right? Because because of the past and what we have encountered here in the U.S. It may be better as you read this, a better interpretation would be an employer-employee type of relationship. That's just how Paul is expecting you to understand this. Because in Jesus' time...
00:08:00
Speaker
slavery was not like it is in modern times here in the U.S. Completely different. Matter of fact, during Jesus' time ah in Rome, it was taught told or counted that at least one out of every three people were a slave.
00:08:13
Speaker
right Very infrequently were they um involuntarily put into slavery. It was almost always voluntary. They always went into slavery to pay off a debt, something like that.
00:08:26
Speaker
And they were very rarely treated harshly. Matter of fact, many slaves... owned slaves. So when you hear Paul talk about this relationship, the first one is child and parent. It's a child relationship, somebody who has an inferior position, to a parent, somebody who has a superior position. Same thing with an employee and employer. So as as Paul is saying here, children, you are to obey your parents.
00:08:52
Speaker
Matter of fact, when we hear the word children today, I want you to know those of you who have grown parents, he's still talking to you today too. It's not just little kids he's talking about. He's saying, you've grown you grown folks who still have your parents.
00:09:04
Speaker
He says, children, obey your parents as to the Lord. Verse 5 says, similarly, slaves, obey your masters as to Christ.
00:09:15
Speaker
You'll remember last week we talked about this word submit right in the Greek, hupotasso. Hupo meaning under, tasso meaning alignment, to go under. The same word for submit we see today is very similar to the word obey, which hupoakeo.
00:09:32
Speaker
Hupo meaning under, oakeo meaning to listen. So he's saying, children, you are to place yourself under the listening or the hearing of your parents, the instruction of your parents. Likewise, he's saying, employees, you are to place yourself under the authority, under the listening of your employer.
00:09:53
Speaker
Just like we said last week, wives, you're to place yourself under your husband. It's the same thing. It's the same structure that he's saying. And he's saying, you do that just as you would
Voluntary Obedience and Christian Teachings
00:10:03
Speaker
submit to Christ. So just as you would submit yourself to Christ, he's saying, as a Christian, you're to go out and submit yourself and obey your parents if you're a child or your employer if you're an employee.
00:10:15
Speaker
Why do we submit? This is the first question that we have today. Why do I submit? Well, other than the Bible tells you to, which by the way is 99% of the commands. When he gives them to you, you simply obey him because that's God's word. And if you don't, you don't have a problem with me at the pulpit, you have a problem with God's word.
00:10:32
Speaker
Why do we submit? Particularly, Paul says, because verse 1 says it's the right thing to do. it's It's right. The same word is is the root of righteousness. He's saying if you want to do what God requires you to do as a believer, you're going to submit. You're going to obey in the Lord.
00:10:52
Speaker
You're going to obey your parents just as you would obey God.
00:10:57
Speaker
This obedience, just like the submission for wives unto their husband, is not forced. It's a voluntary position that you're taking. If you're a kid, you may think, man, my parents are making me obey.
00:11:11
Speaker
No, it's not the case. It's a voluntary act. You really have a choice. And parents are like, don't say that right now.
00:11:19
Speaker
If you've parented unruly kids for any number of years, you know this to be true. They have their own minds. They're going to obey whether or not you tell them to obey. But he says here, if you place yourself under your parents' kids,
00:11:34
Speaker
You're doing the right thing.
00:11:37
Speaker
Employees, if you place yourself under your employer, you're doing the right thing. How do we submit? Well, just look verse 2. He says, Obey your mother and your father. Honor them if you're a kid.
00:11:54
Speaker
You bring honor to both your mother and your father when you submit. Likewise, he says, for your employee-to-employer relationship, you are to do what?
00:12:08
Speaker
You're not to pay them. i like The New Living Translation, by the way, I'm going to change one little verse here because it smooths this over. The ESV does a little bit better. listen Listen to this translation. This is a more literal translation. He says, if you're an employee, don't go into work and and pay your employer eye service.
00:12:28
Speaker
Right? Don't just do good when they're watching. Go in with the right motivation. Don't go in to be a people pleaser. Go in with a servant's heart to serve your employer with all that you do.
00:12:43
Speaker
I put down for me a note to you. This is a matter of heart. This a matter of the soul. This a soul issue. have a problem submitting, it's not an it's not an authority issue.
00:12:55
Speaker
It's not because you think your boss deserves it or he's over you. Or kids, if you think you have a problem submitting, grown adults, if you have a problem submitting to your grown parents, it's not an an issue of authority. it's It's an issue of the heart.
00:13:11
Speaker
He says, children, obey your parents. Employees, obey your employers. Now, if you're head over your house, If you're the father, verse 4 says here.
00:13:23
Speaker
Your translation may say parents, which is probably true, is probably applicable here. But Paul's making a point. He's saying the fathers who are head over the family, you have a job, a responsibility.
00:13:39
Speaker
Don't provoke your kids to, everybody say anger. What does he mean by that, by the way? To provoke your kids to anger?
00:13:51
Speaker
Well, Dr. Caravilla that I studied under, he he makes a great observation. He says, parents, this is any type of excessive, severe discipline. This is any unreasonably harsh demands.
00:14:07
Speaker
This is any abuse of authority. This is any amount of unfairness or constant nagging or condemnation or subjecting your kids to humiliation.
00:14:20
Speaker
And all the parents you are saying right now, of course we don't do that. But brothers and sisters, I knew many kids growing up that their parents did just this. We called it having a heavy thumb over them.
00:14:33
Speaker
Right? Constantly on them. Constantly belittling them. Constantly aggravating them. Paul's saying this is not the job of the parent. This is not the job of the husband. Even though you are in a position of authority, even though you have a position of superiority, he says in this parent-child relationship, don't be like that.
00:14:56
Speaker
But rather, he says, and I like this, bring them up. The root of this word means nourish like you would a plant. How do you nourish a plant?
00:15:07
Speaker
You water it. You care for it. You prune it. You take your time with it. We have some houseplants there, the parsonage. A couple of them are doing phenomenal.
00:15:18
Speaker
And I wish I could take credit, but all I do is water them. And I spray them every once a while with some type of leaf protectant. That's all I do. but they're But they're taking off. And this is this picture that Paul's saying. He's saying, parents, don't don't be overly critical to your kids.
00:15:33
Speaker
Rather, build them up, encourage them, instruct them in the ways of the Lord. It's a loving discipleship relationship. Yes, that that from time to time will require discipline, just like the Lord disciplines you and I because he loves us. From time to time when we get off the track a little bit to the left or right, he lovingly nudges us back.
00:15:55
Speaker
It's the same he's saying with employee are with parents and children. Train them up in a loving way. Likewise, if you're an employer, I'm looking around, I'm trying to see if any of you guys have employees under you out here.
00:16:09
Speaker
I'm looking, maybe a few of you.
Employer and Employee Relationships
00:16:11
Speaker
Look with me, verse 9, he says, to you employers, you're to do this exact same thing with your employees, meaning that you're to demonstrate sincerity of heart when it comes to your employees.
00:16:24
Speaker
Just as you have this same sincere heart towards Christ, you're to have that same way about yourself with your employees. You're to do the will of God from the soul, serving as to the Lord.
00:16:36
Speaker
I like the translation, don't threaten them. Right? How many employers have you ever worked for that have been threatening? And they can do it in a very passive-aggressive way.
00:16:48
Speaker
You know, that decision is up to you, but boy, if you make that decision... You're going to consequences, right? Friends, that's the exact same way if your employer tells you, you better not do that or else, right?
00:17:05
Speaker
It's one and the same. It's the it' the exact same, one's passive, one's not passive. He's saying, don't be like that with your employees. Rather, and think about this, think how radical this is. Paul is preaching this to the Ephesian church, which has masters and slaves all together,
00:17:25
Speaker
right free people and and slaves all together. It would be like having the President of the United States and me all sitting here at the same place. Highest of high in society, lowest of low in society, all together.
00:17:40
Speaker
And he's saying, employers, treat your employees like you would with Christ. Treat them with respect. Honor them just like you would if you're a parent in your child relationship. He's saying it's one and the same. It's a radical concept.
00:17:56
Speaker
Now, as I say this to this morning, I put here as a note to myself, many of you may have an issue submitting to your boss.
00:18:09
Speaker
I know when I was younger, I had issues submitting to my boss.
00:18:15
Speaker
I thought they weren't worthy of me submitting. Matter of fact, they don't even know what they're doing. How are they even running this company? I'm so much smarter them. I should be the boss. And you chuckle because many of you have thought the same thing.
00:18:29
Speaker
I just put a note to myself that as we read this exhortation, this instruction from God's Word, he's saying it doesn't matter what you did in the past. It doesn't matter the struggles that you've had the past. doesn't matter how many times you've failed to submit to your boss in the past.
00:18:44
Speaker
Today is the day in which you are to start a life of, and everybody says it, submission. Today's that day. So tomorrow when you go to work on Monday, it's going to be in your head and it's going to be in your heart.
00:18:58
Speaker
I need to submit to my boss. It's not going to be easy, but this is God's word. It's not a suggestion. It's not optional. Matter of fact, it's who we are as Christians. I challenge you this week as you go back to your jobs that you think to yourself, I am a Christian. I am filled with the Holy Spirit. I am this new person and I am commanded to submit, to place myself under my boss.
00:19:21
Speaker
And if we're obedient, it says here in verse 3, look, there's a promise of rewards. He says, brothers and sisters, if you honor your parents, verse 3 says, there's this promise that it will go well with you and that you'll have long life on earth.
00:19:37
Speaker
And I put a question to myself, is this a promise or a principle? Because I've known a lot of really godly people who've been obedient to their parents who've died young. That's just the way it is.
00:19:49
Speaker
I would suggest that that this promise, if you will, is much like what we read in the Psalms. It's more of a principle. He's saying if you obey your parents, it's going to go well with you.
00:20:01
Speaker
I read an interesting commentary by this theologian. His last name is Colton. Colton says this. He said, in the Roman world, fathers had absolute control over their sons their entire life.
00:20:14
Speaker
So think about this grown man who still have your fathers alive right now. Your father, if he didn't like you and he was in his 80s or 90s, could make your life a living hell. He could take you out of work.
00:20:27
Speaker
He could put you into jail. This is the power fathers wielded. So it naturally plays out, as Paul is saying here, hey, honor your parents. Honor your mother and father. And if you do that, it's going to go well for you.
00:20:40
Speaker
And I can see how this plays out with potentially having long life.
00:20:50
Speaker
What is the ultimate reward I put here? Because he he does go on and say there is an actual reward. What is that reward? Well, your guess is as good as mine because the scriptures don't tell us exactly what it is.
00:21:03
Speaker
I suggest that the real world the real reward is a heart that's fully submitted to God. It's a heart that says, I'm willing to trust the Lord because I'm submitted to him to go out and submit to my husband, to go out and submit to my employer, to go out and submit to my parents.
00:21:22
Speaker
Now I'd like to think there's a real reward when we get to heaven as well. Matter of fact, I know there is. Paul doesn't tell us in this epistle, but I know there's a real reward for our obedience in this lifetime when we get to heaven.
00:21:35
Speaker
So what do we do with this passage today? this is This is where I want to land at today. I did some basic math just to let you know. and Just because I know sometimes you probably look at me and you think, all he does is study the Bible.
00:21:47
Speaker
I know how to use a calculator too, friends. I'm multi-talented. I want to let you know from the time that Paul wrote this letter to today has been 1,963 years ago.
00:22:00
Speaker
Can you believe that? He wrote to this church in Ephesus 1,963 years ago with this message today that we are to submit. So what does that look like for you and I today in 2025?
00:22:15
Speaker
If it is indeed in God's Word, and it is an instruction to you and as Christ followers, and God's Word has final authority in all matters of life, you and I, it's not
Historical and Modern Teachings on Submission
00:22:25
Speaker
optional. How do we submit? How do we do this well?
00:22:30
Speaker
Well, I just want to give two quick illustrations today, and then we'll be on our way. Oftentimes when we do a parent-child relationship type of message, it's often geared to the the young children, and we tell them, you better just...
00:22:45
Speaker
You know, listen to mommy and daddy when you're little. Put up your Legos when you're little, right? I'm looking out, there's not many kids here today that that's applicable to. so I want to talk to you grown folks who have parents that are still alive.
00:23:02
Speaker
Many of you are in the stage where your parents are elderly and struggling with possibly debilitating illness. Dementia's on the rise.
00:23:15
Speaker
What do we do when our mother or our father who has grown and has made it apparently clear that they don't want to go to a nursing home?
00:23:27
Speaker
They've expressed strong desire throughout their lifetime. They don't want to be there. They want to remain in their own home. How do we honor our mother and father in that scenario? How do we submit ourselves to their wishes that way?
00:23:41
Speaker
I'll just put... It's not going to be easy. I want you to know that. This application is not easy for you grown folks that are in this scenario right now.
00:23:54
Speaker
There's going to be a financial cost. There's going to be an emotional cost.
00:24:01
Speaker
There's going to be a rearranging of your schedules, your work schedule. You may have to hire part-time in-home care. You may have to enlist the help of your brothers and sisters who for some reason or or another want nothing to do with your parents when they get older.
00:24:23
Speaker
It may mean that you reach out to your church family and you say, I'm really struggling in this decision. I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to handle this. It's going to take sacrifice and comfort, convenience so that we can honor your grown parents.
00:24:40
Speaker
It's not easy, but it can be done. This is one example I put for grown folks that are in this situation. it's It's a tough decision that we have to make to submit ourselves unto our parents even as they are elderly, even as they have made their wishes known.
00:24:58
Speaker
It may not be easy. Matter of fact, most of the times it's not. But we can show them honor and we can honor Christ in the same way by but honoring their wishes. All right, second.
Handling Challenges with Submissive Attitude
00:25:10
Speaker
employee employers, as you go to work on Monday, I'm just going to go out on a limb and say there's going to be some of you who have conflict at work.
00:25:22
Speaker
Why? Well, because the workplace is filled with fallen, broken people that do fallen, broken things, and they do it to each other all the time. Sometimes it's your boss doing it to you.
00:25:35
Speaker
So I put, what happens on Monday when you show up to work and your boss comes in your office and he just throws down a whole bunch of new tasks and assignments for you? And you're thinking to yourself, I'm never going to finish this work on schedule.
00:25:49
Speaker
I'm never going to finish it on time. Matter of fact, it's going to make me work overtime. I don't want to work overtime. I want to go back home and I want to watch the Cowboys, which are on TV in a couple hours. But instead, I have to grade these papers. I've got to fix these lawnmowers.
00:26:03
Speaker
I've got to sit and do all these medical reports. This job is so unfair.
00:26:12
Speaker
How dare my boss do this to me, right? I know none of you have ever thought that. What if submitting to your employer looks like this? Instead of gathering around your co-workers and bickering and complaining, which Brother West did a great job of providing us a list of all the complaints the Israelites did today.
00:26:37
Speaker
And I thought, thank you, thank you, West, for showing us this list of complaints. I'm so glad that in 2025, as a people of God, we don't complain anymore.
00:26:51
Speaker
What if you go into work on Monday and instead of just saying, man, I'm tired of this boss, tired of this situation, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. What if you just said, you know, I'm going to respectfully accept this assignment.
00:27:06
Speaker
And I'm going to do the best i can. I'm going to be professional and I'm going to maintain a good attitude. I'm not going to feed into the workspace gossip and the workspace negativity because that's not what God has called me to do.
00:27:20
Speaker
what have i do What if i go home today after service and I immediately start praying for ah monday Monday morning and how that's going to turn out? Brothers and sisters, I will tell you what. I struggled with sending out an email to the Cameron superintendent all last week because I had to send her a message pleading for us to put the Ten Commandments back in the schools.
00:27:45
Speaker
All morning Sunday I prayed. Evening Sunday I prayed. I brought it to our men's prayer group on Tuesday morning. This is heavy on my heart. I've got to send this message. History has shown us we haven't had favor in the school districts.
00:28:00
Speaker
Brothers sisters, that afternoon I got an email. I wish I could read it. You let us know how many classrooms, and if you'll pay for it, First Baptist Church will take as many Ten Commandments as you can give us, and we'll put them in every classroom.
00:28:15
Speaker
Is that not God's favor?
00:28:19
Speaker
Brothers and sisters, I prayed all about that. Could I have went in with a ultra-aggressive attitude? You bet I could Could I have said, hey, SB10, it's state law. You have to put it up.
00:28:31
Speaker
Could I have done that? Yeah, but that's not what we're called to do. Matter of fact, I took a very submissive tone in my entire email to um to the superintendent and praise the Lord that it worked out the way it did.
00:28:46
Speaker
Brothers sisters, you and I as Christ followers, we must submit.
Conclusion: Embracing Submission as Service
00:28:50
Speaker
If we are to be true servants, we must submit. We must say this week as we step out into the workforce, as we step back into our family life, put my name down wherever it can be used best.
00:29:05
Speaker
And may we be fully and completely submitted to Christ and to one another. And all God's people said, Amen.