Submit To One Another

“Sir, Yes Sir!”  When I think of the military the image that comes to mind is a superior officer standing nose to nose with a lower ranking officer and screaming orders.  Before a command is even given, a lower ranking officer already has their response memorized and ready, “Sir, yes Sir!”  Whether this stereotypical image is true in the military or not, it definitely represents an attitude necessary in the military where the demands of someone in higher rank are unconditionally carried out by someone of lower rank.  Lower ranking officers by default have an attitude of submission toward higher ranking officers because of their rank.  Submission of lower ranking officers is necessary on the battlefield in order to keep troops organized and working together as a unit.  Without troops’ submission, a battle would quickly deteriorate into chaos and disorder.  

READ:  Ephesians 5:15-21

In verse 21 Paul tells us who are to be our “superior officers”, Godly Relational Characteristic #6: SUBMIT to one another! The word submit comes from the combination of a preposition and a verb which together mean, “to arrange under”, or “to order under”. This word is used in the military to describe the role of a lower ranking officer in relation to a superior officer. In the context of Ephesians 5 submission is, “willingly placing ourselves under the authority of another”. God has established “rank” in a number of relational contexts.  For example, in marriage, “wives (are to) submit to (their) husbands” (Col. 3:18; 1 Pet. 3:1), in an organized country, “every person (is) to be subject to the governing authorities” (Rom. 13:1; 1 Pet. 2:13-14), in a work context, “servants (are to) be subject to (their) masters” (1 Pet. 2:18), and in a church those who are, “younger (are to) be subject to the elders” (1 Pet. 5:8). While submission designates the lower ranking persons’ role as the follower, it also designates the role of the superior ranking person as the leader.  In relationship, we are not to designate ourselves as the leader. We are to willingly defer the role of leadership to others! This means we do not demand or insist on our will or wants, but rather submit to the will and wants of others. Relationship can truly be enjoyed when submission is mutually shared with one another! Why are we to submit to others?

Submission is a WORTHY way to LIVE our lives (Eph. 4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15) – Four times, starting in Ephesians 4:1 through Ephesians 5:8, Paul emphasizes the importance of the “worthy manner” a believer in Christ is to walk (lives their life).  In Ephesians 5:15, after already listing multiple ways to live in a worthy manner, he reinforces with them for a fifth time to, “look carefully how you walk”.  In this concluding section, Paul includes, “submitting to one another” as one of the primary ways we can live in a worthy manner.  Paul could not have emphasized any stronger, . . . submission is a worthy way to live life as a believer in Christ!

Submission is an act of WISDOM and not FOOLISHNESS (Eph. 5:15-17) – In the past I’ve defined wisdom as “knowing and living life according to God’s ways”.  How we live our lives is important.  In the evil times that we live in it is especially important for us to be wise and not foolishly ignorant of the way(s) God wants us to live life.  Very simply, being submissive to others is wise (living according to God’s way) and demanding others follow us is foolish.  Submitting to one another is one subtle, yet worthy way we can shine the light of the gospel with our lives!

Submission is act of REVERENCE for Christ (Eph. 5:21) – We do not submit ourselves to others because they have earned it.  We do not submit ourselves to others because we know they will not abuse it.  We submit to others out of a deep respect and awe of Jesus Christ!  No one is ultimately deserving of our submission, but Jesus Christ is.  While we are submitting to others, we must not focus on our “superior’s” treatment of us, but on Jesus Christ and how deserving He is of our full allegiance and obedience.

CONCLUSION

Who is the leader in your life?  James 4:7 says, “submit yourselves therefore to God”.  Submission to others starts with a life submitted completely to God.  Without an attitude of “Sir, Yes Sir” toward God, we will never understand what it means to submit ourselves to others.  

Encourage One Another

Derek Redmond ran the 400m dash in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics Games. Derek is known for the semi-final race where only 175m from the finish line his hamstring snapped. He hobbled to a halt and fell to the ground in pain. Stretcher bearers made their way over to him, but Redmond decided he wanted to finish the race. He began to hobble along the track. The most inspirational part of the race was when his father Jim, who had come from the top row of the stadium, barged past security onto the track to help his son. Derek finished the race with the help of his father while leaning on his shoulder for support and saying “I’m here son, we’ll finish together”. In a moment of deep physical pain and sorrow, Jim encouraged His son on to the finish line!

READ:  1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; Hebrews 10:19-25

In these passages we are given a way to inspire one another during times of difficulty and pain, Godly Relational Characteristic #5: ENCOURAGE to one another!  The word encourage is a compound word meaning, “to calling alongside” or “to call near”.  An encourager is someone who, “comes alongside another to inspire HOPE or offer COMFORT”.  Encouragement is helping others see beyond their circumstances and providing strength when they have none of their own.  What are some ways that we can encourage one another?

Encourage one another with the future HOPE of the COMING of CHRIST (1 Thes. 4:13-18) – Life is a grueling marathon that is full of many blessings and joys but also many trials and difficulties, and at the end of the marathon . . . death.  Sounds dismal, but it is true.  For many this reality is crushing to their spirit.  And yet, for a believer, death is not the end and does not have to empty us of joy and hope.  In his crescendo for the hope of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:55-56 Paul says, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? . . . thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”.  Why does Paul say this?  Because death is not the end, Jesus “died and rose again” and we too will rise to “meet the Lord” and “always be with (Him)”.  It is this fact that the Thessalonians to encourage one another with.  Death is not the end, the reality of the resurrection and the return of Christ must be victorious over the sadness associated with death!

Encourage one another that our SALVATION prepares us for the coming of Christ (1 Thes. 5:1-11) – If we were aware that a thief was going to break into our house sometime in the next week we would do whatever was necessary to prepare.  Although the timing of our death or Christ’s coming are uncertain, we can be prepared because He has told us it was coming.  It is our salvation that prepares us for death or the coming of Christ!  Jesus “died for us” that we might be prepared for our death.  Our salvation is like leaving the light on the front porch of our lives waiting expectantly for Christ to come.  Is the light of salvation on in your life?

Encourage one another to be CONFIDENT in the blood of Jesus (Heb. 10:19-25) – Giving in to the temptation of sin, not having our prayers answered, enduring trials or suffering,  it doesn’t take much for us to doubt our salvation or to waver in our faith.  Our source of “confidence”, our “full assurance”, the “confession of hope that we hold fast to” can only be found in in one place . . . the “blood of Jesus”.  In spite of our unfaithfulness toward God, He is faithful to us.  When others are hobbling through life, questioning whether they will cross the finish line, we must encourage them that Jesus’ sacrifice for their sins is their only hope.   

CONCLUSION

We all need someone to encourage us in life.  Someone who, when we are going through a difficult time, will come alongside of us and inspire hope and offer comfort.  In John 16:7 Jesus said, “if I do not go away, the Helper (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you”.  Jesus calls the Holy Spirit a Helper.  The word translated “Helper” is the noun form of the verb Paul uses to instruct believers to “encourage” one another.  Therefore, the Holy Spirit is ultimately the One comes alongside and encourages us!  Like Jim Redmond encouraged His son across the finish line in a moment of pain and sadness, the Holy Spirit encourages us as we run the race of life . . . giving us the perfect example of how we should encourage one another. 

Do Good To One Another

We’ve all seen a movie where the villain plants a “time bomb” and the hero must find it and disarm it before it blows up.  Ticking time bombs are dangerous.  Ticking time bombs need to be defused before they explode and do immense damage and destruction.  Whether we realize it or not we deal with ticking time bombs in relationships every day.  Time bombs are planted in relationships when we do something evil to another person or another person does something evil to us.  Evil in relationships manifests itself in varying degrees of being selfish, rude, unkind, malicious, showing favoritism, jealous, or hateful etc.  Unless these relational “time bombs” are defused they are going to explode and cause serious damage or permanently destroy a relationship.  So, how are we to defuse hostility and restore peace in relationships?

READ:  1 Thessalonians 5:12-22

Paul gives us a way to defuse relational “time bombs” in vs 15, Godly Relational Characteristic #4: Do GOOD to one another!  The word good means that which is, “excellent, fine, or good.”  To do good is to, “treat others in a way that is for their BENEFIT”.  In Luke 18:19 Jesus gives us the standard of goodness saying, “why do you call me good?  No one is good except God alone”.  God’s relational character is to be our standard of goodness.  God is our example of treating others in a way that is for their benefit including being selfless, kind, merciful, and loving, etc. Why is doing good an important relational characteristic?  When are we to do good to others?

Doing good is an act that promotes PEACE (1 Thes. 5:13) – Rather than planting “time bombs” of evil in relationships with others, Paul commands the Thessalonians to, “be at peace” among one another.  Peace is a relational attitude between two individuals which is absent of hostility or animosity.  Paul said something similar in Romans 12:18, “if possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all”.  Therefore, one of our highest relational goals as believers should be to behave in ways which uphold and maintain peace in each and every relationship that we are in!

Doing good is to be our RESPONSE toward those who have done EVIL to us (1 Thes. 5:15a) – Whether intentionally or unintentionally, it is inevitable that others will plant evil “time bombs” in their relationship with us (just like it is inevitable that we will plant evil “time bombs” in our relationships with others).  Our response to the evil done to us will determine whether we experience peace or hostility.  If we return evil for the evil done to us, we detonate the relational “time bomb” and peace in the relationship will be lost causing it to explode into greater hostility.  Whereas, doing good is a godly alternative to “repaying . . . evil for evil” and will quickly defuse hostility in the relationship and bring about peace.  In Romans 12:17, 21 Paul says, “repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable . . . overcome evil with good” (cf Lk 6:35).  Vengeance in relationships only increases hostility, whereas doing good increases peace!

Doing good is what we should ALWAYS seek in our relationship with EVERYONE (1 Thes. 5:15b) – Since doing good is such an evil defuser, Paul says that it is something that we should pursue all the time with all people!  Doing good is something we are to seek diligently and pursue with intense effort.  Doing good is something we are to do “always” toward “everyone”.  So, no matter what evil anyone ever says or does to us, “as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone” (Gal. 6:10).  This supernatural amount of goodness is only possible with the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through our lives (Galatians 5:22-23).

CONCLUSION
Jesus Christ defused the hostility that our sin caused between us and God by dying on the cross for our sins.  Jesus Christ chose to do something for our benefit in spite of the evil we did toward Him.  If we have been the recipients of the goodness of God through Jesus Christ, then we should know how to treat others in a way that is for their benefit whether we feel like they deserve it or not!