Values and Disciplines of the Kingdom – 6
Jesus had the disciplines of prayer, fasting, thankfulness, sacrifice, giving, submission, service, stewardship, perseverance, self-control, worship, and love.
This week we will look at the disciplines of submission and service.
Submission:
In the Kingdom of God, submission is a choice. Without the option to submit, you have to force people into submission. The freedom of choice also allows the ability to rebel. The fact that we chose to submit is even more powerful in showing our love for God and His Word.
Israel struggled to submit to God. Anytime we seek our own righteousness, we refuse to submit to what God provides.
Rom 10:3 For being ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
What would make them so stubborn and rebellious?
Would you believe me if I told you it was how they were thinking? We are not different from them. Our biggest enemy is not the devil but our stinking thinking.
Rom 8:7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s Law.
God will never force us to submit to Him. Forced submission is slavery.
Paul clarifies that we were slaves to the world and our flesh when we served the world. Sin is a slavemaster. All it wants you to say is “yes.” It does not ask all from you but entices you little by little until you realize it is your master.
Gal 5:1 For freedom, Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
We are to submit one to another. Submission is the tool that keeps us humble and accountable. But, unfortunately, too many people are an island unto themselves, doing their own thing. Too prideful to admit they struggle, they continue on the road to self-destruction.
Wives submit to your husbands – Eph 5:21. Married couples submitting to one another is beautiful. When Rynette wants to go to the mall, I have no problem going with her. It is a way of honoring her feelings and needs. It is my way of planting a seed in her that will bring me a harvest. Many couples struggle with this.
Remember that submission also offers me the opportunity to rebel.
Submission is also the result of the curse. Before the fall of man, God gave man and women the same authority to rule and reign – Gen 1:26-28. After the fall, God tells Eve that her husband will rule over her. Please remember that God did not curse Adam and Eve. Instead, he cursed the Earth and satan. He told Adam and Eve what the consequences were because they sinned.
In Christ, we are set free because He became the curse for us. His death and atonement redeemed us from sin and the consequences of sin. In Christ, we are no longer male and female but fully restored with the same authority in Christ. Therefore, males and females can stand in the authority of Christ. So why then have we to submit?
It is the opportunity to kill the rebellion in our hearts and love each other unconditionally. The best way to deal with rebellion in any relationship is to do what Jesus did. He submitted to the Father, but He was also entirely in agreement with the Father. So when Rynette and myself agree about something, no one has to submit to the other one. We do it together. If we disagree, then we get to submit to each other.
We must submit to our leaders – Heb 13:17.
We submit to God and resist the devil – James 4:7.
Submission – what a great exercise in being in the Kingdom.
Service:
Jesus’ life was serving. He came to serve us who deserved it the least. In John chapter 13, we see Him serving the disciples by washing their feet. This task was usually reserved for the servant in the house. Jesus had no problem demonstrating to the disciples what this life in the Kingdom is about.
John 13:12-17 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
If you want to be great in the Kingdom, learn to serve each other. My friend Dr. Vorster says: “Serve your way up into the anointing.”
Someone with a servant’s heart will never do it for fame or ulterior motives. The disciples argued about who is the greatest in the Kingdom. Jesus took some children and said: “Unless you become like one of them.”
Moses served his father-in-law before God gave him his own sheep to Shephard. So likewise, David served his father before God gave him the Kingdom of Israel. Joshua served Moses before he became the new leader of Israel. Daniel served the king in Babylon. Elishah served Elijah before he became the next prophet.
The Bible is full of people that served first, and then God raised them up in their own right.
No one can serve two masters – Matt6:24.
Jesus came to serve, not to be served – Matt 20:28.
Leaders should serve their people – Luke 22:26.
God honors us when we serve Jesus – John 12:26.
Serving is a spiritual gift – Rom 12:7.
Serve through love – Gal 5:13.
Get in agreement with God for your life. Submit to Him and serve Him and serve his people. Do we serve everyone?
Everyone Jesus died for, qualified to be loved and served.
