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True submission – The Jesus attitude Philippians 2 : l :11 A. Introduction Once again, l desperately wanted to kill myself. Here l was trapped in this canvas cocoon. l could not move anything except my head. Physically, l was little more than a corpse. l had no hope of ever walking again. l could never lead a normal life and marry Dick. In fact, he might even be walking out of my life forever. l concluded. l had absolutely no idea of how l could find purpose or meaning in just existing day after day waking, eating, watching TV, sleeping. Why on earth should a person be forced to live out such a dreary existence? How I prayed for some accident or miracle to kill me. The mental and spiritual anguish was as unbearable as the physical torture. But once again there was no way to commit suicide. This frustration was also unbearable. l was despondent but l was also angry, because of my helplessness ... December 1967 from the book 'Joni'.
The story continues in another book ‘A step further’ ... As l sit on our porch balcony overlooking the surrounding hills of our horse farm and take in all the smells and sounds of this pretty summer day, its hard to believe l ever had thoughts like that. In fact, l almost cannot remember what feeling that way was like. Oh, l am still paralyzed‑still cannot walk, still need to be bathed and dressed. But l am no longer depressed. And to be honest, l can even say that l am actually glad for the things which has happened to me. (page 13).
What has happened? Joni herself supplies the answer. ‘My heartfelt gratitude l have for this life in a wheel chair could only come from God and His word ... and that the paralysis was inspired by His love. l was not a rat in a maze nor the subject of a cruel divine joke. God had reasons behind it all and that was enough for me.’ What has happened? Joni was able to see life's circumstances from above. If we imagine our life as being woven in a loom then Joni saw the woven material of life as from the weaver's point of view. She had the perspective of God and submitted to His will.
Today in our meditation we are going to catch a glimpse of the attitude that would enable us to see life from the view point of the weaver. And in doing so help us to go into acceptance and to be challenged to live life in the way that God would like us to live. Our portion of scripture is taken from Philippians 2 : l :11. This portion of scripture helps us to understand one important key to successful living in the Lord. It deals with an important value that all Christians should have. This is the value of submission. Joni submitted to God's will and in the strength of the Lord overcame her paralysis. 0' that we may have such a submission as to make our lives pure and righteous in the Lord.
Paul in his letters to the Philippians was sharing the qualities of true submission and how it should develop in the Church. Let me suggest that we study this portion of scripture from three perspectives. We shall begin by first looking at the environment in which submission operates. Then we shall look at the supreme example where submission is practised and finally we shall look at 7 areas where our submission is expressed. So the three areas are the environment in which submission develops, the example of submission par excellence and we shall then conclude with the expression of submission in 7 areas.
B. Environment. The environment in which submission develops. Philippians 2:1-4 Let me read ... If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also to the interest of others. i. The elements of corporate living essential for submission
Here in this passage Paul gives us the environment in which submission would operate on a corporate level. He prefaces the great passage on the submission of the Lord found in verses 6 to 11 by these four sentences. Paul begins by pointing to the Philippians that their relationships with one another should rightly be centred in Christ, here in verse l we see three phrases describing the Christ centred life. These are being united in Christ, his love, and fellowship with the Spirit. What Paul is telling us is that the basis from which submission develops is found in being united in Christ, being in the love of Christ and being in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. This is the basis where submission and all other virtues and values must begin. Although we may have natural equivalents to these values as found among the non-Christian, the Christian must have values which must be consecrated and rooted in Christ. So unity, love and fellowship in Christ should form the basis.
Then Paul goes on to say in verse 1, that if we are linked to Christ in such a way, then encouragement, comfort, tenderness and compassion should be present whenever we are gathered in unity and fellowship in Him. This is a picture of a community of believers linked together with Christ and experiencing the joy of fellowship that is full of encouragement, comfort, tenderness and compassion. In other words, the environment in which true submission develops is first rooted in the love and unity of Christ with the accompanying fellowship of the Holy Spirit and then when these are expressed in encouragement, in comfort, in compassion and in tenderness in all our dealings with one another, submission will have an excellent soil to grow.
Before we move on, let us pause for a moment and reflect upon this. Perhaps we should start with our families. Do we have within our families that basis of unity and love in Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit for the development of true submission? What about our assembly here. Is the unity and love and fellowship of Christ and His Spirit the basis on which we can develop true submission. We cannot force submission on ourselves if we do not have within us the experience of his love, encouragement, comfort and fellowship. Rather, having true submission in the absence of these elements will make us resentful, bitter and angry with one another whether in our families or within our community here. It is only when Christ is in our midst, when we experience His Spirit's fellowship and when we continue to encourage, edify, building one another up in love with tender compassion can we then see that submission becomes as natural as breathing. Do we despair that we do not have submission within our families, our Church and within our workplaces? Let us put these in place and see submission taking place.
ii. The individual elements that are essential for submission From a corporate level we now move on to the individual level. Lest we think that the corporate is more important than the individual, let us be reminded that the individual is also very important. CS Lewis in his book Christian Behavior has this to say, 'if individuals live seventy years, then a nation, or state or a civilization which may last a thousand years is more important than an individual. But if Christianity is true, then the individual is not only important but comparably more important for he is everlasting and the life of a state or a civilization compared with his is only a moment.' The life of the individual matters. What Paul is saying to the individual if submission is to develop is this. Verse 3...do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also to the interest of others.
Here in the individual environment which encompass individual decisions and issues, Paul reminds us that in order for submission to develop, a number of elements are involved. There are first the negative elements of selfish ambition, vain conceit and self interest. In these Paul exhorts us to have nothing to do with them. These should be expunged from deep within us. The roots on which these negative elements draw from are lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life and these should all be destroyed. The Christian has no business in indulging in these. Paul tells us to do nothing if we have these within us because selfish ambition and vain conceit will destroy true submission within ourselves and in others. True submission becomes an impossible value for us to own.
However the individual is called to have positive elements and in these submission will grow. What are these positive elements? Paul tells us in verse 3 that these are humility, considering others better than us and in verse 4 to look also to the interest of others above that of our own. Now, the words consider others better than yourselves has the meaning of considering others more important than yourselves (John Stott, 'The imitation for Christ'). It is the height of hypocrisy if we try to see ourselves as always not as good as others even when we know that the other person has had a moral lapse. We may even be suffering from a psychological problem if we always feel worse, or inferior to others. No this is not what Paul meant. What Paul is trying to tell us is that for submission to take place, we must have the positive attitude of esteeming others more important than us. We must see them in the light of how Jesus saw them. People as Jesus saw them were creatures who were valued enough for Him to die for. Jesus sees us as infinitely more important than nations or civilizations because He wants to confer upon us the privilege of eternal fellowship. Brothers and Sisters in Christ when we see others in that light, then putting their interest before our own becomes a privilege and not a burden. Denying ourselves for the sake of others become for us something that leads to freedom. As Richard Forster in his book 'Celebration of Discipline' puts it ... In holding others interest above our own, we deny ourselves. And in denying ourselves we release ourselves from self pity. Holding, others interest above our own frees us from the idea that happiness is dependent upon getting what we want. In submission we are at last free to value other people. Their dreams and plans become important to us. We can love people unconditionally. We have given up the right to be loved in return. We rejoice in their success. We feel genuine sorrow for their failures. It is of little consequence that our plans are frustrated if their plans succeed. We discover that it is far better to serve our neighbor than to have our way.'
This is the environment in which submission can begin to develop. There is the corporate elements which we must share in order that true submission can develop. Then there is also the individual element which provides the nutrition from which submission can grow. Only when the ground is prepared with Christ as the unifying and loving force with the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and where the appropriate nutrients of encouragement, edification, compassion and tenderness with the individual element of counting others better than ourselves will true submission develops.
However true submission will further be strengthened if our eyes turn to the example of Jesus. Again using the picture of a plant where the soil of unity, love and fellowship in Christ with the other elements form the basis where submission can grow then the upward progress of the plant towards the sun (or son) forms another powerful aspect towards the development of true submission. And here we move on to the second part of our meditation where we fix our eyes upon the example of our Lord who serves for us a model of excellence where submission is concerned.
C. The example of submission par excellence (l Philippians 2:5-11) Let us read ... Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ: 6 Who being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped 7 but made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man He humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above ever name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. here in this passage Paul gives us two reasons whereby Christ demonstrates true submission.
i. By reason of His example The first reason why true submission can be cultivated in our lives is in observing how true submission operates in the life of Jesus. After all, in order for us to learn something we need something tangible for an abstract concept like this to fasten our minds upon. Submission cannot be taught but caught. Only by seeing or observing how it is practised and then by practising it ourselves can we catch and learn true submission. And in this aspect of the model par excellence, Jesus stands supreme. Here in verses 6 to 8 we see the steps Jesus took to humble himself There is the first step of emptying himself from the nature of God to the nature of man. He was truly God and submitted by laying aside his glory and became truly man. Here is observed the awesome God becoming not only any man but a servant. He could have been a King holding on to at least the highest position attainable for a man. He could have been a very wise man but He chose to become an artisan, a carpenter who would serve the community with his skills. No, the Lord descended to become an ordinary man like you and me and forsook the glory, power, pomp, honor and majesty that was His.
Note in verse 6 that He did not cling to being God even as He became incarnated to man. He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped or clung to but made himself nothing. That is the extent to which our Lord forsook his divine right and became man.
And then in a further second step downwards He not only became a servant or an ordinary man but the lowest of men, a common criminal fit only for the punishment of the cross. What a tremendous God. Moving in a step by step fashion into the very heart of human existence. Forsaking all for the sake of us. Moving from the highest infinity He descends to the limits of human existence. Yes let us observe and learn what true submission to the will of God meant. Let us gaze at our Lord to gain strength for this task.
As someone has said of the life of -our Lord ... His life had no pride of birth and rank because He came as a carpenter (Mark 6:3). His life had no pride of wealth because the son of Man had no place to even lay his head (Matt 8:20). His life had no pride of respectability because He was a Nazarene. Can any good thing come out of Nazareth sneered one in John 1:46. His life had no pride of personal appearance because He had no form nor comeliness (Isaiah 53:2). His life had no pride of reputation because He was a fiend of publicans and sinners and called gluttonous and a wine-bibber (Matthew 11: 19). His life had no pride of independence because many ministered to Him with their substance (Luke 8:3). His life had no pride of learning because many questioned in their hearts, how knoweth this man letters having never learned (John 7:15). His life had no pride of superiority because He was among us as one who served (Luke 22:27). His life had no pride of success because He came unto his own and his own received Him not (John 1: l 1). His life had no pride of ability because He can of his own do nothing (John 5:19). His life had no pride of intellect because as His father had taught Him so He spoke these things (John 8:28). And finally His life had no pride of sanctity because it was said of Him that this man received sinners and ate with them (Luke 15:2).
No pride and forsaking all, our Lord yielded to the will of the Father and then even descended yet again to hell. Indeed what an awesome Lord. What an example of submission.
At this juncture let me pause and ask ourselves this question, can a disciple be above his master? If our Lord was humbled in this way and submitted himself to His will for our welfare, can we continue to live in the way of arrogance and an unsubmitted lifestyle? Can we continue our way of living as if our image and status and our way of doing things is all that matter in life? Can we continue to live lives that is totally in opposition to the life that our Lord demonstrated?
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor all for love's sake becamest poor. Thrones for a manger didst surrender Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.
Indeed our God is the submissive Lord who submitted and gave up all for love's sake.
ii. By reason of His exaltation (Philippians 2:9-11) If He served as an example that we should grow towards as a plant would grow towards light, there is as yet another dimension whereby we are enabled to grow into true submission.
Let me read verses 9 to 1. l ... therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Here in these verses we read the Lord exalted him to the highest place because of his willingness to submit to God's will. With this exaltation the Lord now has the power and the authority to help each and every one of us who acknowledge Him as our Lord and savior. Note in verse 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Our Lord has the power and the might and at his name all bow in reverent submission. Here we submit to Him because He is the exalted Lord. What has taken place? First we see Him submitting and we begin to understand what submission is. Then He is exalted and we submit to Him when we first came to know Him. For many of us this is the first step whereby we begin to move from observing submission to practising it. But the Lord does not want us to stop there. He wants us to continue to submit to His commands, His Father and to one another.
Have we learnt true submission by first submitting to Him. Those of us who came to Him one day and loved Him and took Him as our Lord and Savior will remember our submission to Him. Indeed this is wonderful. But then the Lord wants us to move on from there. Continuing to submit and bow to Him we must extend this submission into all areas of our lives. Submission is not taught but caught. Only by seeing how it is done and by practising it can we catch submission. We have seen the Lord submitting to the Father and now He calls us to submit to Him. And if we take this two things seriously that is looking at his submission and then submitting to Him as Lord of our lives, we can then begin the lifelong habit of practising submission in all aspects of life. There is no other effective way whereby people like us can understand and practise submission except by looking to Jesus example and then through his exaltation submit to Him. And when we do this we will find submitting to one another is so much more easier.
D. The practical expression of submission in some critical areas of life Thirdly we move on to the expression of submission in some critical areas of life. But before l do this let me draw your attention to the area of the limits of submission. What is the limit to submission? The limit of submission are at the points where submission becomes destructive, when it negates submitting to our Lord. By submitting beyond the limits we deny the law of love and violates genuine biblical submission. What are the limits? Perhaps an illustration of the experience of Peter would be helpful. Peter calls us to submission to the civil authorities in l Peter 2:13 and 14. Yet when the government of the day commanded the Church to stop proclaiming Jesus, Peter then stood up and said in Acts 5:29... We must obey God rather than man. Was Peter wrong to oppose his own principle of submission? No, he simply understood that submission ends when it becomes destructive to the cause of Christ.
Sometimes the limits of submission are easy to see as when a person beats a child unreasonably or when a child is asked to aid an adult in an unlawful act. Yet sometimes the limits of submission are hard to discern. What about the marriage partner who feels stifled and kept from personal fulfillment because of the professional career of the spouse? Is this a legitimate self denial and submission or is it destructive and hence should be opposed? What about the teacher that unjustly grades a student. Does the student resist or submit? What about the employer who promotes his employees on the basis of favoritism and vested interest? What does the deprived employee do?
These are extremely complicated questions simply because human relationship are complicated. As Richard Forster puts it, 'There is no such thing as a law of submission that can be applied to every situation. We must become highly suspicious of such. Such ethics always fails. It is not an evasion of the issue to say that in defining the limits of submission we are thrown upon a deep dependence upon the Holy Spirit. After all if we had a book of rules to cover every circumstance in life we would not need dependence. The Spirit is an accurate discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, both theirs and ours. He will be to us a present Teacher and Prophet and instruct us what to do in every situation.
If we are thrown onto the Holy Spirit for discernment does it mean that we do not have clear guidelines in his book? The answer is that there are guidelines and we should consider well these guidelines. In the next few moments we shall deal with some of these guidelines in seven crucial areas of our lives. Let us keep in mind that there is an environment in which submission can develop. And that there is an example from which we draw our inspiration and strength as we practise submission. What are these critical areas where submission should be practised?
The first is in the area of our relationship to God. We should submit to God as in the words of Thomas Kempis, 'As thou wilt, what thou wilt and when thou wilt.' We yield our total selves body, mind and spirit for his purpose. We yield in submission in deeds of obedience with words of inward surrender constantly in our lips. Where situations assail us to disobey His calling, we surrender our wills and puny strengths to His Grace and humbly ask that His will be done in the current circumstance.
The second area is in the area of the scriptures. As we submit ourselves to the Word of God living (Jesus), so we submit ourselves to the word of God written (Scripture). We yield ourselves first to hear the Word, second to receive the Word and third to obey the Word. We look to the Spirit who inspired the scriptures to interpret and apply them to our condition. The word of scripture, animated by the Holy Spirit, lives with us throughout the day.
The third vital area is in our submission to the family. Here Philippians 2-4 comes alive when it exhorts us to ... look not only to his own interest, but also to the interest of others. Freely and graciously the members of the family make allowance for each other. We show submission when we commit ourselves to be listeners and the willingness to share ourselves and our concerns. We refuse to take each other for granted but rather to work at seeing the other person as more important than ourselves. We submit to each other because our basis is the unity in Christ and the shared love of Christ in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. We work so that the experience of tenderness, encouragement, love and compassion would be realized within our families.
Fourthly we submit ourselves to the believing community, the body of Christ. If there are jobs to be filled and tasks to be done, we look at them closely to see if they are God's invitation to the life of service and sacrifice. Perhaps it is a participation of the cross bearing life that the Lord is calling us. We cannot do everything but we can do some things. Sometimes there are matters of organization and management, frequently they are spontaneous opportunities for little tasks of servant hood. There may at times be the call to serve in the larger ministry of the universal Church like missions and the pastorate. If that is the case we can submit to it with assurance and reverence that this is indeed the Lord's plan for us.
Fifthly our submission can be realized in the neighbors who we meet in the course of our lives. Here in the simple lives of goodness lived before them, our little acts of encouragement, kindness and comfort and tenderness will speak volumes when joined with the verbal proclamation of our Lord Jesus. In performing small acts of kindness and neighborliness for example sharing our food, baby sitting children, mowing the lawn, visiting, and the sharing of our tools, our submission is used by God for His glory. No task is too small, or too trifling for each one is an opportunity to live in submission.
Sixthly our submission should be active to those who are broken and despised. In every culture there are the widows and the orphans that is the helpless and the defenseless. Our first responsibility is to be among them. Like Francis of Assisi in the 13th century and Kagawa of Japan in the 20th, we must discover genuine ways of identifying with the downtrodden, the rejected and the despised. In there, in the dirt and the squalor and the messiness of life we submit to the cross bearing life of Christ who reminds us that in reality we are ministering to Him.
And finally the seventh act of submission is to the world. We live in an international interdependent community. We cannot live in isolation. There is the responsibility to make Christ known in areas where He is not known. There is the environment in which we must be responsible. There is the starving and the traumatised in war areas. There are the bonded ones who live in deep darkness. Our act of submission is a determination to live responsibly in an increasingly irresponsible world.
E. Conclusion. There you have it. What kind of environment are we living and developing in our family, Church and the community? Is it conducive to the development of true submission? Are we just wrapped up in our own concerns to really care for His concerns? Who is our example? Is it the images of the television and the mass media or is it the bloodied Christ on the cross? Let us pray that the Lord will turn our eyes upon Him to perceive the world as He sees it. Amen |
