A. The story is told of a college senior who took his girlfriend to a football game.
1. They found seats in the crowded stadium and were watching the action.
2. The coach sent a substitute into the game and as he was running onto the field to take his position, the boy said to his girlfriend, “Take a good look at that fellow. I expect him to be our best man next year.”
3. Well, his girlfriend snuggled closer to him and said, “That’s the strangest marriage proposal I’ve ever heard, but, I accept!”
B. Hopefully I will be able to communicate clearly today, so that there will be no doubt about what I am saying or what kind of proposal I might be making for you to accept.
C. Let me state right up front, that I don’t expect this to be a very popular truth to many people.
1. There’s a cartoon that I wish I could have found to show you, but I couldn’t find it on the web.
a. The cartoon shows the front platform of a church, and instead of there being a traditional pulpit, there was a tank-like box with only a narrow opening on the front.
b. Through slit of an opening, you can see the preacher’s fearful eyes widen with apprehension as he announces that today’s sermon is about “submission.”
2. I thought about giving this sermon the title, “Submission isn’t a Four-Letter Word.”
3. Submission is not a very popular concept in American culture.
4. All of us want to think of ourselves as being “in charge,” that we don’t have to submit to or obey anyone.
5. Can you think of a popular song, movie or book on the subject of submission? I can’t.
6. But think of the opposite of submission – things like defiance, or self-assertion, I think you will find those to be prominent themes of American music, movies and books.
D. And even when you consider the way the Christian message is often packaged in contemporary America, you notice that the message of submission is not on the radar screen.
1. For instance, consider the immensely popular, smiling preacher, Joel Osteen of the Lakewood Church in Houston, TX.
2. Joel’s preaching and books promote what is called the “prosperity gospel” which basically says, “God wants you to be healthy and wealthy.”
a. As you can imagine that’s an appealing message – that’s what most people want, right?
3. His best selling first book, “Your Best Life Now: Seven Steps to Living at Your Full Potential” contains section headings and chapter headings like this:
a. Enlarge Your Vision
b. God Has More in Store for You
c. Developing a Healthy Self-Image
d. Developing a Prosperous Mind-Set
e. Discover the Power of Your Thoughts and Words
4. He dishes up more of the same in his second book, “Becoming a Better You: Seven Keys to Improving Your Everyday Life.” Again, listen to some headings:
a. Give Your Dreams a New Beginning
b. Have Confidence in Yourself
E. Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that everything Joel Osteen says and does is bad.
1. I’m just saying that there are some very important things missing and other things are distorted in his teaching.
2. For me, the bottom line to all of this is that it gets everything backwards and upside-down.
3. Rather than God being on His throne and in charge, with us being His humble servants, this approach to Christianity puts God at our disposal.
4. Rather than us submitting to God’s will, in this approach, God does what we tell Him to do, or what we believe Him into doing.
F. In truth, God is in charge, and God has given us wonderful promises, beyond our imagination, but many of those promises have to do with the next world, the world of heaven.
1. What we call eternal life.
2. In reality, things might not go so well for us in this world, even while we faithfully serve God.
3. God has not promised us a life free from difficulty, disease and death.
4. God has promised to carry us through any and all experiences that we might face.
G. How many of you saw the movie Bruce Almighty?
1. As with most films from Hollywood, there is good and bad in them, and this one is no exception – but probably more good than bad.
2. The comedian Jim Carrey stars in the movie, and plays a TV reporter who thinks he is being overlooked for promotions and various other misfortunes mean that God doesn’t care, or at least has let him down.
3. When God, played by Morgan Freeman, shows up to offer Bruce His own power for a season to see if he can do any better with it, Bruce accepts the deal.
4. Soon Bruce is indulging himself in the fulfillment of his fantasies.
a. He sabotages a colleague named Evan and takes the coveted anchor position.
b. He takes revenge on a street gang who badly beat him up earlier in the film.
c. He transforms his car from a Datsun 240Z to a Saleen S7.
d. He allows his favorite hockey team, the Buffalo Sabres, to win the Stanley Cup.
e. And he uses his power to, in his mind, improve his girlfriend.
5. Bruce discovers that a part of God’s job is answering prayers, and there are billions of them.
a. Lacking God’s wisdom, he grants a blanket “Yes” to all requests, and trouble begins.
b. Because he can’t violate human free will, he finds he is losing his girlfriend, Grace, and all the power in heaven and earth cannot make her come back to him.
6. His ambition, coupled with great power, has resulted in his life being a bigger mess than ever.
7. In one of the best scenes of submission to God’s will ever put on film, Bruce realizes he has much to be thankful for, and that someone else can run his life better than himself.
8. Bruce kneels to pray and says to God, “You win. I’m done. Please, I don’t wanna do this anymore. I don’t wanna be God. I want you to decide what’s right for me. I surrender to your will.”
9. Neither you nor I could pray a better prayer.
H. I am not God, and you are not God.
1. We are not suited to try to be God, not for ourselves nor for anyone else.
2. The Bible says, “I know, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23)
3. We must stop trying to be God.
4. We must tell God that He wins and that we want Him to decide what’s right for us, and that we will surrender to His will.
I. There are a couple of great examples in the Bible of people coming to this point of surrendering themselves to God.
1. The most famous of those examples is the story of Job.
J. Job was a man who had everything going for him.
1. God had blessed him with a great family and riches untold.
2. But when Satan accused Job of serving God only because of the blessings, God decided to allow Satan to take everything away from Job.
3. And oh, how Job suffered.
4. In a single day he lost all his children – seven sons and three daughters – I can’t imagine that!
5. In a single day he lost all his livestock – 7 thousand sheep, 3 thousand camels, 5 hundred yoke of oxen, and 5 hundred donkeys.
6. In the face of all this news, Job tore his robe, shaved his head and fell to the ground worshiping, saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job. 1:21)
7. Satan then asked for permission to afflict Job’s body, and God granted him permission.
8. So Satan afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
9. Job sat among the ashes and his wife said, “Curse God and die.”
10. Job replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10)
11. But as Job sat on his bed of suffering and endured the accusations of his friends, he struggled with many questions about God.
12. He felt like he deserved and explanation from God.
13. At the end of the book, God did give Job an answer – probably not the one Job was expecting.
14. In response to God’s answer, Job declared,
“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.
You asked, ’Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.
You said, ’Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’
My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:2-6)
15. In the end, Job learned the lesson we all have to learn – God is God, and our job is to submit to God and His will.
16. The story of Job has a happy ending:
a. The Bible says that the Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first.
b. God gave him twice as much livestock and the same number of children.
c. Job lived 140 years and saw his children and their children to the 4th generation.
K. The second Biblical example comes from the life of a man named Nebuchadnezzar.
1. He was the king of the powerful nation of Babylon.
2. The bottom line of the story is that Nebuchadnezzar had gotten too big for his britches, as we say.
3. He had become extremely prideful, and there was no place in his heart for God.
4. The Bible says, “Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, ‘Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?’ The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, ‘This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.’
Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.
At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.
His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’
At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” (Daniel 4:29-37)
5. How about that! God is God – and everything He does is right and just.
6. Our job is to humbly submit our lives to God.
7. If we will not humbly and willingly submit ourselves to God, then God is surely able to humble everyone who walks in pride.
L. James, the writer of the book of James in the New Testament said it well when he wrote, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:4-10)
M. The God of heaven and earth has made us for Himself and for eternity, but he has given us free will.
1. We can choose to serve God or we can choose to love the world.
2. When we love the world and live for ourselves and our pleasures, then we are in rebellion to God, we are therefore, spiritual adulterers.
3. We were made by God and for God, and He wants us. In that sense, He is a jealous God.
4. God will allow us to be as bad as we want to be.
5. Several years back, the NBA’s bad boy, Dennis Rodman wrote a book called, Bad As I Wanna Be, and that pretty well describes his approach to life. (I couldn’t show the book cover)
a. At one of his book signings, Rodman walked in with his 6-foot, 8-inch frame covered with tattoos, decked in a lacy white wedding gown, with a blond wig on his head, and two nose rings.(I couldn’t show that picture either, because it is inappropriate.)
b. The message he sent throughout his career is “I can do whatever I want to do.”
6. Well, as I said, God will allow us to be as bad as we wanna be, but we can be sure of this – there will be consequences for that decision.
7. Friendship with the world is hatred toward God. Being a friend of the world makes us an enemy of God.
8. When we come up against God there will either be total surrender, or there will be total destruction – and it will be according to God’s terms.
N. Jesus spoke these words, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:25-33)
1. God is not someone to be trifled with.
2. He is the Lord Almighty. We cannot win against Him.
3. Our choices are surrender or destruction.
4. A relationship with God is an all or nothing affair.
4. The smart thing for us to do is to accept and welcome God’s terms of peace.
O. The Good New is that because of the sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus, there is forgiveness of sins and eternal life available to us.
1. If we will believe in Jesus and surrender our lives to Him, God will give us His grace and we will become a child of God and receive an inheritance in heaven.
2. You might be wondering, is it worth it? And what will my life be like if I surrender to God?
3. Will I be a fanatic? Will my life be boring? Who will I be if I do this?
4. The answer to those questions is: Yes it will be worth it.
5. And you will be more yourself than you have ever been. You will be a better you.
6. You will be exactly who God wants you to be, and you will be at peace.
7. Doesn’t that sound good? Isn’t that what all of us want?
8. A secret to the victorious life, to the abundant life is submission to God.
P. How many of you are Bob Dylan fans?
1. I’ve never been a big fan, but I do recognize that he has made an impact on our culture.
2. His lyrics are laced with edgy social commentary, and philosophical and religious themes.
3. He was included in Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.
4. He is hailed as the #2 recording artist of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine.
5. Just this year, Bob Dylan was awarded a Pulizer Prize.
6. In 1979, he released an insightful song called, “Gotta Serve Somebody.” Look at some of the lyrics:
You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.
You might be a rock ’n’ roll addict prancing on the stage,
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a business man or some high degree thief,
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.
You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride,
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,
You may be workin’ in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair,
You may be somebody’s mistress, may be somebody’s heir
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk,
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk,
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread,
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Q. Bob Dylan is right, “You’ve gotta serve somebody.”
1. If the only choice is between serving God and serving the Devil, then most of us would quickly choose God.
2. But Satan, the great deceiver and the father of lies, has convinced many of us that we don’t have to serve anyone, that we can do as we please.
3. But make no mistake about it, if we don’t chose to serve God, then we are serving Satan.
4. If we are self-serving, then we are ultimately Satan-serving.
5. Are you ready to let God be God and serve Him on His terms?
6. Are you ready to give your life to God and submit yourself to His will and His ways?
R. Let me end with this prayer from Pocket Pearls by Nelson Mink.
“Lord, I am willing
To receive what You give
To lack what You withhold
To relinquish what You take
To suffer what You inflict
To be what You require.
And, Lord, if others are to be
Your messengers to me,
I am willing to hear and heed
What they have to say. Amen.”
S. It is our desire to help everyone to learn to submit their lives to God.
1. If that is something that you want to learn how to do, then please let us know.
Resources:
Sermon: “I Choose to Submit” by Steve Ely
Sermon: “Submitting to God” by Rodney Buchanan
Sermon: “You’re Gonna Have to Serve Somebody” by Mark Christian
