Sermons

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2: 5 - 11

We will examine three gifts from God: repentance, submission, and service.

To a large segment of society the first two gifts - repentance and submission - sound so unnecessary as to be outdated. The thinking of much of our world questions why modern people should bother with such supposed self-effacing acts. Ours is the age of self-promotion. Humility in any of its forms seems dated and degrading. So why indeed would we concern ourselves with repentance and submission?

There are several reasons, the first being that the ministry of Christ began with the call to repentance. When we examine the Gospels we find that Christ's teaching centered on the offer of new life received through the act of repentance. What our Lord made clear is that repentance is the beginning of our journey to freedom. The purpose of repentance, submission and service is to lead individuals into the freedom which God has prepared for those who will live in submission to Christ.

Bible texts on repentance:

• Matthew 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance
• Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire
• Matthew 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
• Mark 1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
• Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
• Luke 3:3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins
• Luke 5:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
• Luke 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
• Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Now that truth brings us face-to-face with the fact that repentance is not a one-time experience. It is an ever expanding daily experience that strengthens us as we walk the path of holiness. The awesome power of this experience takes us to the Throne of God where we are lavished with grace upon grace - even with the grace to live submissively to the Person and teachings of Jesus.

John 1:15 - John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Without repentance there will be no desire to live in submission to Christ, no thought of wanting to please our Redeemer, and certainly no thought of glorifying Christ with our words and deeds.

Our problem with submission is that it has become a dirty word. Submission in the 21st century is regarded as degrading. And, of course, it can be. Submission to any form of evil is degrading and destructive. But in sharpest contrast, submission to the Person and teachings of Jesus leads to the most extraordinary freedom the soul can experience. If there is any doubt about this truth, remember the life of Jesus Himself. Jesus - the sinless Son of God - submitted to baptism by the hands of John the Baptist. Jesus then submitted to the rigors of a fast in the wilderness where He was mightily tempted. Despite repeated dangers, He submitted to the calling of His Father to preach the good news of saving grace. At the Passover dinner with His disciples, He humbly submitted to washing their feet. Then, in the Garden of Gethsemane, He submitted His will to the will of His Father, and through the agony of the cross became the atonement for our sins. But throughout His life of submission, He retained the perfect freedom which belongs to those whose life is centered in the will of God. And the result? We serve a risen Saviour - a Saviour who is sovereign over all that is seen and unseen!

Philippians 2:5 - Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

And what is the promised reward for those who live in submission to the will of God? You know the promise. It is that we will some day very soon be home with Jesus and reign with Him forever and ever.

“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” Revelation 21:3

That is why submission is at the center of the Christian life. It is the defining characteristic of anyone who claims Christ as Lord. That is why it is such a perversion for us to live in any manner other than in total submission to Jesus Christ. Now in plainest English that means we are to relinquish and bury all traces of arrogance, vanity, and pride. We are to abandon totally any form of snobbery, self-centeredness, and slothfulness. Our lives are to be a reflection of the goodness and humility of Jesus, the goodness by which Jesus ate with sinners and would not throw a stone at the adulterous woman; our lives are to convey the humility by which Jesus washed His disciples' feet and endured the mockery of a trial. It is He Whose name we bear, and by His grace and power, we are to reflect His goodness and humility.

There is nothing that hurts the Christian witness more than the absence of humility and the lack of compassion, patience, forgiveness, and submission. There is little wonder that the church of Jesus Christ withers whenever Christians cling to selfish and cynical attitudes. The Scriptures could not be clearer: As God's elect, holy and beloved, you are to clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. You are to bear with another, and if anyone has a complaint then forgive each other just as the Lord has forgiven you... by doing so, the peace of Christ will rule in your hearts. (Colossians 3:12-15)

My family in Christ, this is the Gospel: Through repentance we enter the only true freedom there is; the freedom to live in submission to God's priorities; the freedom to wear the mantle of humility; the freedom to forgive repeatedly; the freedom to convey compassion with no strings attached. That is why submission is God's high road to the treasury of grace.

Let us be sure we understand this point: Submission has nothing to do with false humility, nothing to do with self-contempt or groveling before the vanity of others. Submission is the road to freedom, the freedom to love unconditionally and to serve sacrificially.

Listen to these precious words:

Before the believer is held out the wonderful possibility of being like Christ, obedient to all the principles of the law. . . . The holiness that God's Word declares he must have before he can be saved is the result of the working of divine grace as he bows in submission to the discipline and restraining influences of the Spirit of truth. Man's obedience can be made perfect only by the incense of Christ's righteousness, which fills with divine fragrance every act of obedience. Reflecting Christ Pg. 314

Such things are not understood by modern pagans. They will tell you that submission and servanthood are disgusting. They will tell you that those who teach such things are tyrants. Those who are not in union with Christ say such things because they do not know Him Who gives freedom to the soul and redefines personhood. The Son of God says: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:44) The world says: You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. You bloody my nose, I'll bloody yours.

Jesus says: If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. Be perfect even as your Heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:39, 41-44, 48)

These are the commandments of Emmanuel, the God-with-us who by His humility gained for us eternal life. It is this God-made-flesh who has called every person to be a servant. Our true vocation was defined when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples and said: I have given you an example that you should do as I have done.

John 13:13-15 - 13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

The expectation is clear. The question is: Can we live up to it? No, of course, we can't if we attempt to do so on our own. The only way we can serve with true humility is through repentance and submission. That is why repentance and submission are gifts of incalculable value, all of them: prayer, fasting, the study of God's Word, simplicity, repentance, submission, service. They open our souls to the transforming power of Christ Jesus. They remove from us what is petty and catty and small minded. They rip out the cords of vanity and conceit so that our hearts are opened to receiving the righteousness of God. Repentance and submission are the gifts by which we become new people, people who long to convey the mercy, compassion, and love of God; people who are willing to serve sacrificially, people who are willing to love those who are not like themselves. Repentance and submission to Christ carry with them the power of God by which you are being re-made into the very image of Christ Jesus. They are the gifts of God by which you will embrace life abundant and life eternal.

“There is no . . . hope of the higher life, but through the submission of the soul to Christ. The Faith I Live By Pg. 58

The life which you possess as a Christian is of Him, and it is to Him, and every moment that you are here on earth, it must be through Him––––of Him, through Him, to Him, all things!

Choose to be a slave to Jesus Christ and nothing else!!

Thanks be to God!