SPIRIT-EMPOWERED SUBMISSIVENESS

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on October 8, 2023 under 2023 |

Bethany Bible Church Sermon Message from October 8, 2023 from Ephesians 5:21

Theme: We’re to submit to one another, out of reverence to our Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

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Over the past several weeks, we’ve been looking together at Ephesians 5 … and at a passage that teaches us about experiencing true happiness through the Holy Spirit.

In Ephesians 5:18, the apostle Paul wrote to his believing friends and told them;

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit … (Ephesians 5:18).

Many people try to achieve a temporary kind of happiness through an external substance. But as we’ve seen, the apostle warned that such false efforts toward happiness will only lead—in the end—to wastefulness and loss. That’s not for the believer. Instead, as followers of Jesus, we’ve been given the immeasurable gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. And as we are ‘filled’ with the Spirit—that is, as we yield ourselves to His prevailing and pervasive influence, and allow Him to completely empower us and guide us—He produces true, lasting, enduring, overcoming happiness and joy in us.

And as we’ve also seen, the apostle Paul went on to describe the ways that the work of the Holy Spirit is demonstrated in us. He describes how it shows itself in at least three ways. First, in verse 19, he wrote that it shows itself through expressive and edifying worship:

speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord (v. 19).

And second, in verse 20, it expresses itself through a prevailing thankfulness for all things:

giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 20).

And so far, we’ve looked at each of these first two manifestations in detail. And now, we come this morning to the third way that this joyful work of the Holy Spirit shows itself. And it may come as a surprise to some—or perhaps even as a bit of a shock. In verse 21, he wrote;

submitting to one another in the fear of God (v. 21).

* * * * * * * * * *

‘Submitting’? Is that a pathway to happiness? Really?

For some people today, the whole idea of ‘submission’ or ‘submissiveness’ has become an offensive one—and certainly not a pathway to happiness. It carries the connotation of the suppression of one human being under the will of another. In an age such as ours—an age that values independence, self-expressiveness, and autonomy as among the highest values possible; an age that equates ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’ with the idea of being unfettered by any other human being’s rules; an age that tends to view ‘submission’ from within the grid of ‘the oppressor’ and ‘the oppressed’, or ‘the abuser’ and ‘the abused’—then ‘submission’ has become something close to a dirty word. How can that be a path to happiness?

I think that, if we’re being honest about it, there are some good reasons why some people automatically recoil when they hear the word ‘submission’. For one thing, the word ‘submission’—and even the command in the Bible to be submissive in certain relationships—has been used as a tool to beat other people down and to treat them in a disrespectful or dehumanizing way. I have heard from many women who have told me about how their ex-husbands abused them … or how parents have abused their children … while using the Bible’s command to ‘submit’ as a justification for even physical abuse.

As a follower of Jesus, such stories grieve me down to the very core of my being. And I would say that if such abuse is happening, it must be made to stop. But I say this with—I hope—genuine compassion and care: Those stories—terrible as they are—are about a misuse of what the Bible teaches, and not are not based on a true understanding of God’s command. Those stories do not negate or invalidate what the Bible actually teaches us about a real, Christ-like attitude of submissiveness. And let’s make it clear at the very start: A truly submissive spirit has nothing whatsoever to do with putting up with abuse.

But another reason why I suspect people recoil from the word ‘submission’—not quite because of the same kind of thing as the previous reason, but still very painful—is because they associate it with the concepts of ‘value’ and ‘worth’. This, I think, may be especially true in American culture. Many folks have grown to believe that if one person is in a relationship of submission to another, then the one who is submitting is being made out to be an inferior human being and the one being submitted to is being made out to be a superior human being.

But Jesus took all that away; didn’t He? He reversed the order of things. He said;

“The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves” (Luke 22:25-26).

So; in Jesus’ kingdom, no one ever becomes ‘less’ of a person by becoming rightly ‘submitted’ to others. A truly submissive spirit has nothing whatsoever to do with someone’s value or worth.

I suspect that another reason why people pull away from the idea of ‘submission’ is the fear of a loss of personal autonomy. This, I believe, comes from a mistaken belief that very much characterizes our time. It’s the idea that our identity—that our very life, in fact—is defined by ourselves. It’s the idea that our definition of ourselves is wrapped up in the external things that we can control—things like what we’re able to possess, or what we are free to do, or whether or not we are free to identify ourselves in whatever way we wish. Such people are afraid that if they become ‘submitted’ to someone else, then their own identity will be sucked away and lost. They will cease to be who they really are. They would lose ‘life’ as they get to define it for themselves.

But Jesus also spoke to us about that whole idea. He said;

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26).

We are not our own property. We belong to the God who made us. And so, when it comes to following and obeying Jesus, no one ever loses their true self by being ‘submitted’ according to His will. A truly submissive attitude of heart has nothing whatsoever with losing one’s true self.

* * * * * * * * * *

Now; I’ve tried to say all this in order to clear away the mistaken and false ideas that keep us from hearing what God’s word tells us about true submission. Not understanding what God is telling us in this one verse will keep us from truly submitting as He wants us to—and from experiencing true happiness as a result.

So then; what does the command of this one verse mean? Let’s be clear, by the way: It is a command—just as surely as the call to “be filled with the Spirit” is a command. What then does it mean to be “submitting to one another in the fear of God”?

The Greek word for ‘submit’ as it’s being translated in Ephesians 5:21 is made by putting two Greek words together. Tassō is a word that means ‘to arrange’ things, or ‘to set them in order’. And hupo is a preposition that means ‘under’. So, this Greek word hupotassō means ‘to be arranged under’ or ‘to be set in order under’ someone or something else. It’s a word that has a kind of ‘military’ significance to it; as when a soldier is ‘set in order under’ the authority of his or her superior officers. And in this case, the word is put in a form that describes it as something we are to do to ourselves. We are to willingly hupotassō ourselves—or place ourselves and arrange ourselves—or literally ‘sub-ordinate’ ourselves—under someone else. The New American Standard Version translated it this way: “subject yourselves to one another”.

There’s a story in the Gospel of Matthew that helps us to understand this. It’s a story about a military leader who asked Jesus for help. This man was a high-ranking soldier—a Roman centurion who was responsible for a troop of 100 other soldiers under his command. But he had a paralyzed servant that he cared very much for—and the servant was dreadfully tormented. So; he sent and asked Jesus to heal this servant; and Jesus said He would come.

But the centurion stopped Him from personally coming. He told Jesus;

“Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (Matthew 8:8-9).

As an officer in the Roman army, this man knew precisely how submission worked. He was a soldier who was ‘arranged under’ his superiors—and he did what they told him. He also had soldiers who were ‘arranged under’ him—and they did what he told them. It wasn’t a matter of anyone’s value or worth. It was simply that everyone knew their proper place, according to their rank, and did what they were supposed to do willingly. And he also knew that Jesus had the power and authority over sickness and illnesses. Sickness and illness were ‘arranged under’ Him—and they did what He told them. Jesus was deeply impressed with this centurion’s faith—and He healed the man’s servant with just a command.

And that soldier’s faith also illustrates to us what ‘submission’ means.

So understand, dear brothers and sisters; the keeping of this command in Ephesians 5:21 is—in no way—a matter of subjecting ourselves to the harm and abuse of others. Nor is it about becoming less of a person. And it doesn’t mean forsaking life and a sense of self. Rather, it’s about being like Jesus. He Himself once told His disciples:

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love” (John 15:9-10).

Jesus—the Son of God—is our great example of what it means to be “submitting to one another in the fear of God”.

* * * * * * * * * *

So then; let’s look closer at what this one verse tells us.

First—if we look at the larger context—we can see …

1. WHERE SUCH SUBMISSIVENESS IS TO COME FROM.

And for this, we must go back to verse 18. The whole idea of ‘submitting’—the whole idea of ‘arranging ourselves under’ in the relationships of life—is not to be done in the power of our own abilities. We aren’t to try to ‘work-up’ an attitude of submissiveness. Instead, we are to obey the command in verse 18 to ‘be filled with the Spirit’; and then—in the power and enabling of the Holy Spirit—obey the command to be submitted.

In fact, if we really want to understand this as we should, I believe a good place to go would be 1 Corinthians 12. In that passage, the apostle Paul wrote about how we have all been baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. He places us in the church where He wants us to be—for the functions He wants us to fulfill. And how does this work out? Verses 15-26 tell us;

If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it (1 Corinthians 12:15-26).

Can you see from this how essential it is that we are filled with the Holy Spirit—allowing Him to empower us to be submitted in the roles He places us? The Holy Spirit is the One who has placed us in the Body of Christ. He’s the One who has put the body together according to His perfect wisdom and will. If any of us refuses to yield ourselves to His enabling power and submit in the ways He calls us to, then we can’t function in the body of Christ as we are meant to.

So, dear brothers and sisters; let’s learn to yield ourselves more and more to the Holy Spirit. He’s the one from whom the whole power and enabling to ‘be submissive’ comes from.

* * * * * * * * * *

And that leads us, next, to notice …

2. WHO WE’RE TO BE SUBMITTED TO.

Paul wrote that we’re to be “submitting to one another …”

Now; “one another” would obviously be speaking of our various relationships within the context of the body of Christ. We’re to be mutually submitting ourselves to each other with respect to the various roles within the church family. But I believe Paul meant for it to go far beyond that alone. And we can tell this by the fact that he then goes on to describe how this works out in various relationships within the context of the whole of life.

Look at how he shows us this. First, he showed us this in terms of the marriage relationship. In verses 22-24, he wrote;

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything (vv. 22-24).

She’s not to be submitted to all men. Rather, she’s to be submitted under the rule of Christ to one man only—that is, to her husband. But she’s to be submitted to Him as unto the Lord. And notice that her husband is also to be submitted under Christ to His God-given role to her. He’s to submit to the pattern of Jesus’ love for His church. Paul goes on to write;

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband (vv. 25-33).

Paul also shows us that mutual submission is also to occur in the broader sense of family relationships. He wrote these words to children beginning in Chapter 6;

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth” (6:1-3).

But children aren’t the only ones who are to be submitted. He went on to write;

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord (v. 5).

And this is to even extend beyond the family circle and on out into our daily work. Paul put this in the frame of a servant/master relationship and wrote;

Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free (vv. 6-8).

But the servant—or the employee—isn’t the only one who’s to be submitted. Paul went on to write about the master—or the employer …

And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him (v. 9).

And so; you can see that this command to be ‘submitting to one another’ really does extend—in some way—to every relationship we can be in. I have duties to perform in my role toward you; and you have your duties to perform in your role to me. We’re to understand those roles rightly—and be ‘arranged under’ them in the power of the Holy Spirit.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Now; we may not feel a direct, personal obligation to a particular human being in this way. It may be that—under the providence of God—we are in a relationship with someone else that would require our submission; but in which we may say to ourselves, “Why should I submit to them? I’m more competent than they are. I’m more skilled than they are. I’m better than them in so many ways. What makes it necessary for me to have to subject myself to them?” And it may even be that you’d be correct and truthful in how you perceive the nature and limitations of those to whom you are called upon to submit.

But that leads us to one more thing that we need to notice from this verse; and that’s …

3. WHY SUCH SUBMISSIVENESS CAN HAPPEN.

As Paul puts it in Ephesians 5:18, we’re to be “submitted to one another in the fear of God”; or as it’s put in some translations, “in the fear of Christ”. In the end, it’s not a matter of what I owe to that other person. Rather, it’s a matter of what I owe to my Lord and Master. That explains why we’re told that a husband is also to be submitted with respect to his wife, or that a father is to be submitted with respect to his children, or that a master is to be submitted with respect to his servant.

What does it mean to be submitted “in the fear of God” … or “in the fear of Christ”? It doesn’t necessarily mean a negative kind of phobia—as if our obedience to this command is fear-based. Rather, it mainly speaks of an attitude of reverence and respect to our Lord and Master. We do it in honor of Him.

You can see this all the way through the things that Paul mentioned when he described those various relationships. Wives are to submit “as to the Lord”. Husbands are to love their wives “just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her”. Children are to obey their parents “in the Lord”. Fathers are to bring them up “in the training and admonition of the Lord”. Bondservants are to be obedient “as to Christ”. And masters are to remember that their own Master “is in heaven”.

I’ll never forget how one of my cousins got her pre-teenage son to clean his room. She told me that she kept nagging him to do it; but he kept resisting. He said, “But Mom; I just don’t want to. I don’t like cleaning my room.” So; she wisely said, “Well; you love me don’t you?”

And suspecting that something was up, he very cautiously said, “Well … yes …”

“Okay, then. Let me give you a choice. You can pick whichever you want to do. You can either clean your room—which you don’t wan to do; or you can do something very sweet for me instead that would honor me and make me happy. Which of those two would you like to do?”

He said, “Let me do something sweet for you that would honor you and make you happy.”

“Good,” she said. “Clean your room.” And believe it or not, it worked! It only worked once—as I recall hearing about it. But he cleaned his room … no longer as a grudging duty, but as an act of love that honored his mom. And in a sense, I think that’s what it means that we’re to be ‘submitting to one another in the fear of God’. We may not want to in the power of our flesh. We may want to fight against the whole idea. But I appreciate what John Calvin wrote about this. He said that “the fear of God” is the ‘sauce’ that gives us a ‘taste’ for the doctrine of submission to one another. It’s what gives us the kind of patient, forbearing attitude toward one another, and the willingness that enables us to be submitted to one another for His glory.

We do it too because we love Him, and want to honor and please Him.

* * * * * * * * * *

So, dear brothers and sisters; this really is a pathway to happiness. By mutually submitting to one another in the reverent fear of God—and in the various relationships in which He has providentially placed us—we view one another other as we should, and we see ourselves in a Holy Spirit-arranged relationship with one another as we should, and we see our Lord’s hand at work in us through the relationships in which He has placed us, and we grow to appreciate the service that He means for us to provide for one another in those relationships. As Paul put it in Ephesians 4:13-16, it’s

… till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; … from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love (Ephesians 4:13, 16).

This can only happen as it should as a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit in our relationship of submission to one another. So; let’s yield ourselves to Him!

AE