What the Word of God Teaches about Submission and Authority

Podcast: Light on Life Season Ten Episode One

What the Word of God Teaches about Submission and Authority

We are in Ephesians five, talking today about the subject of submission and its connection to authority. Submission and authority are vitally essential truths God established both in heaven and on earth. Much disharmony has come because of a lack of understanding of what it means to voluntarily submit to one another in a spirit of humility and love. Jim Lamb prayed the following prayer and it’s a good lesson in this area. Jim prayed these words: I seem to have not one Master, but hundreds – an army of people streaming through my life, demanding my time, my strength, my mental attention. They all want me to do something for them. But as I listen to a song of our Savior, I begin to understand the true power that comes in submission, even when it is painful: The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back. I offered my back to those who beat me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame (Isaiah 50:4–7). I hear your song, Lord Jesus. Teach me how to follow your example as a humble servant of all, and yet also be a leader in confidence and strength, just as you were. You are the submissive Lamb of God, without resentment but also the Lion of Judah, courageous and powerful. Teach me these qualities. Help me always to bend willingly, but also to shamelessly take the lead with my face set like flint whenever I must. And thank you for never rebelling or drawing back-earning salvation for us, and endless glory for yourself. That’s quite a prayer. Maybe you can relate to part or all of this. Thank God that Jesus moved into the realm of submission and because He did, he now has ultimate authority. What the Word of God Teaches about Submission and Authority, that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life1. Ephesians 5:21–24 (ESV): 21 — submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

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How Do I Find My Place in God?

[Tweet “The Bible didn’t say, ‘Husbands, make your wives submit.’”]

The Value of Humility and Consecration in the Miracles of God

The Value of Humility and Consecration in the Miracles of God

Becoming a disciple of Jesus means becoming a committed follower. It is a learning position as Matthew 11:29 states. There is so much to learn and know about the Lord. One area where we need to go to school is the miracles of God. Yes, it’s a school, and the Holy Spirit is the teacher. Jesus said, ‘The works that I do, you will also do and greater works than these shall you do because I go unto the Father’ — John 14:12. As an aspiring disciple, it is necessary to learn about the miracles of God.

R.W. Schambach [Video]

[Tweet “You cannot find the miracles of God, and His anointing’s at the local five and dime.”]

#S4-030: How to Locate Your God Ordained Place [Encore Podcast]

You Can Know God's Place For Your Life

Josh McDowell told this great story. An executive hirer, a “headhunter” who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, “When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, “What’s your purpose in life?” It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. “Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career, I was speechless.” What about you? Do you know what your place is in God? Do you know how to find it?

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[Tweet “If God promotes you from little to much, it is obvious that little was not your place.”]

#S4-020: Humility: How to Put On God’s Glory Suit [Podcast]

Developing the Fruit of the Spirit

How to Put On Humility

Some people think of themselves as God’s gift to the world. However, a meek person is not this way at all. Listen carefully to this story about an American general. General Grant was stricken with a fatal illness. As he approached the end of his life, he felt his need of the Saviour and His sustaining presence. He called for a minister. Simply the minister presented the gospel to him. “General,” he said, “God in love sent the Saviour to seek and to save that which was lost. If you will sincerely call upon Him from your heart, you will receive from Him mercy and abundant pardon!” When the minister knelt and prayed, God opened the heart of the general and he was joyfully converted. God cleansed his heart from sin. The minister was elated. “God’s kingdom has gained a great acquisition in your conversion, General,” said the minister. Immediately General Grant protested, saying, “God does not need great men, but great men need God! There is just one thing that I now greatly desire since Christ’s great peace has come to me …” “What’s that, General?” asked the minister. “I would like to live one year more so that I might tell others of this wonderful gift of God’s love!” Strength is always found in true meekness. Meekness is not weakness; rather it is the proper way to demonstrate strength and resolve.1 But how do you develop in humility? How do you put it on?

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[Tweet “Humility is a right evaluation of yourself. The right value to possess is the ‘real truth about you.'”]

#S4-019: Why Humility is Part of An Excellent Life [Podcast]

Humility is PArt of Living An Excellent Life

A minister, a Boy Scout, and a computer expert were the only passengers on a small plane. The pilot came back to the cabin and said that the plane was going down but there were only three parachutes and four people. The pilot added, “I should have one of the parachutes because I have a wife and three small children.” So he took one and jumped. The computer whiz said, “I should have one of the parachutes because I am the smartest man in the world and everyone needs me.” So he took one and jumped. The minister turned to the Boy Scout and with a sad smile said, “You are young and I have lived a rich life, so you take the remaining parachute, and I’ll go down with the plane.” The Boy Scout said, “Relax, Reverend, the smartest man in the world just picked up my knapsack and jumped out!”1 Have you met people in your world who make themselves out to be candidates for the title “Smartest Man in the World?” People, who possess an innate overestimation of themselves? What you will find as you study the truth of God’s Word is that pride is an absolute downer. Overrunning pride always leads to a severe fall. In the case of this illustration, it was a several thousand foot fall. The way of humility is the right way, the normal Christian life. How do you diminish the pride of natural life while increasing in the fruit of humility?

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[Tweet “Mark this down, you don’t want any of Satan’s ‘I will’ business. You want God’s will, not yours.”]

#S3-051: How to Locate Your God Ordained Place [Encore Podcast]

Josh McDowell told this great story. An executive hirer, a “headhunter” who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, “When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, “What’s your purpose in life?” It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. “Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career, I was speechless.” What about you? Do you know what your place is in God? Do you know how to find it?

Listen to the Audio

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[Tweet “If God promotes you from little to much, it is obvious that little was not your place.”]

Why You Should Absolutely Be A Student of Miracles [Encore]

Becoming a disciple of Jesus means becoming a committed follower. It is a life-long learning position (Matthew 11:29). There’s much to know about God and His ways. One potentially huge area is the subject of miracles. Jesus said, ‘The works that I do, you will do also and greater works than these shall you do because I go unto the Father’ (John 14:12). As an aspiring disciple, it is necessary that we become students of the miraculous in order that we might flow in the greater works of Jesus.

[Tweet “God uses miracles to train us how to see differently. A miracle is a school.”]

#S3:031: How to Ask Questions and Stay in Humility [Podcast]

How to Increase the Presence of God in Your Everyday Life

Today, we are picking back up with the series on increasing the Presence of God in your everyday life. The series is about adjustments, adjustments you can make in your heart. We’ve spent some time looking at this prayer adjustment as we look at the believer’s role in praying for kings and presidents and God-ordained authority. We left off talking about a second king, Nebuchadnezzar whom God set-up but then brought down because he refused to acknowledge that it was God who sets men up and takes them down when they don’t act right. Nebuchadnezzar, as we saw, was not acting right. he got over into pride and God took his mind from him for a seven-year period. We looked at Job who also got over into some areas he shouldn’t have gotten into over the trial he experienced. We saw how God mercifully positioned Job into a place of humility so the grace of God could resurrect him from his tragedy. We’re going to pick up right where we left off, with Job, Nebuchadnezzar, and a new king that you would never have guessed that God would anoint to be king. All this and more on this week’s Light on Life.

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[Tweet “God dealing with pride in the world of men is a more common issue than we realize.”]

#S3-029: Why God Sets Up the Lowest of Men as Authority [Podcast]

How to Increase the Presence of God in Your Everyday Life

In the last podcast in this series, ‘How Do You Pray for A President You Don’t Agree With?‘ we referenced Cyrus, an ungodly leader, whom God allowed to ascend the throne. Cyrus was a man full of pride. He was a false god worshiper. He was not a lover of the only true Father God in heaven. He treated Him just like any of the other gods of the nations he conquered. God used his religious tolerance policies to His own advantage bringing Israel back to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity. In this week’s podcast, we begin to take a look at a second king whom God allowed to come to power, Nebuchadnezzar.

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[Tweet “The best candidate for President may be the most inferior as far as God is concerned.”]

What is the Reality of Real Humility?

The Bible admonishes us to adjust our lifestyle and to walk in a certain way, to walk worthy. Howard was a most talented church choir director. His life was filled with humble service to the Lord and to His church. He was truly a “glory-deflector”—one who was always careful to give God the glory. One afternoon before the Christmas cantata, a choir member approached Howard and said, “Tonight, all of the men are going to wear colorful bow-ties to celebrate the season. Do you want to wear one also”? 1 In a very loving but direct response, Howard said, “I do not want to do anything that would distract others from clearly hearing our message of the gospel.” Howard was demonstrating what walking worthy  means? Are you walking worthy? Is your humility helping others to clearly hear the gospel?

#S2-007: How to Locate Your God Ordained Place [Podcast]

Josh McDowell told this great story. An executive hirer, a “headhunter” who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, “When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, “What’s your purpose in life?” It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. “Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career I was speechless.” What about you? Do you know what your place is in God? Do you know how to find it?

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in iTunes

How Do I Find My Place in God?

Josh McDowell told this great story. An executive hirer, a “headhunter” who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, “When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, “What’s your purpose in life?” It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. “Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career I was speechless.” What about you? Do you know what your place is in God? Do you know how to find it?