Living in Submission: Reflecting Christ's Humility and Love

The spirit always has the effect of making people meek and ready to surrender and to abase themselves for the sake of others now we looked at all that both negatively and positively and the two elements must always be born in mind they are not to be like those Gentiles filled with wine wherein is excess they mustn't do the things they do but on the contrary they must be as people who are thus filled with the spirit. [00:01:54]

The Christian doesn't merely do things because they're good and right and because it's wrong to do certain other things anybody can do that the differentiating mark of the Christian is this one that he does everything as unto the Lord in the fear of Christ because Christ is his Lord this of course is something that revolutionizes thought. [00:10:58]

The Christian always knows why he does a thing he always knows what he's doing you see we've already already been reminded that he's not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is we saw that in verse 17 that's the difference the other man doesn't know why he why he does things he conforms the pattern he imitates others he watches what they do and he does them he doesn't know why he hasn't really got the philosophy of the thing he just does it he's always conforming but here's a man who thinks and who reasons he's got wisdom he knows exactly what he's doing and the reason always is in the fear of Christ. [00:17:18]

There was one in the 20th chapter of Matthew's gospel which illustrates and illumines this whole subject once and forever Matthew 20 beginning at verse 20 then came to him the mother of zebedee's children with her sons worshiping him and Desiring a certain thing of him and he said unto her What wilt thou and she said grant that these my two sons May sit the one on my right hand and the other on the left in thy kingdom but Jesus answered and said you know not what you ask are you able to drink of the cup that I drink of Etc and then he goes on and makes this vital statement. [00:18:19]

Here is our Lord on the very Eve of his death we are told that having loved his own which were in the world he loved them unto the end and then this remarkable thing happened verse 12 so after he had washed their feet and had taken his garments and was set down again he said unto them you remember what had happened don't you Jesus know knowing that the father had given all things into his hands and that he was come from God and went to God knowing that he riseth from supper and laid aside his garments and took a towel and GED himself after that he porth water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was GED and they couldn't understand it. [00:20:32]

The Christian is a man who's always remembering this he doesn't ask what do I want to do what would I like to do what pleases me no no he has lost himself in his love for Christ his gratitude to him his desire is I say to show his gratitude he's got a Zeal for the name of the Lord he wants others to believe in him well now the way to do that of course is primarily to live it's no use talking to people If you deny it in your practice it's no use preaching if I deny it in my life people look at us and what we are and what we do well therefore he says submit yourselves one to the other in the fear of Christ this is your governing and overruling motive. [00:27:02]

The scripture tells us that Christ says behold me and the children that thou has given me we are his possession we are his people his name is upon us we are his Representatives we are the people whom he has bought and whom he has purchased and the relationship is one I say of love so that the Christian is a man who is governed by thoughts of that he is looking down upon us his reputation as it were is in our hands I am glorified in them he says I am the light of the world you are the light of the world the world doesn't see him it sees us and we are the light the only light that it's got. [00:28:15]

The Christian is a profound and a deep motive and it is the fear of Christ this is the thing that governs him this is the thing that always rules him and then let me give you one other negative I wonder whether this will shock you we are to submit ourselves one to the other and in the matter of wives and husbands and children and parents and servants and Masters not even for the sake of keeping the law even the law of God that is not the Christian's primary motive the motive of the Christian is always in the fear of Christ. [00:15:00]

The Apostle therefore goes on repeating this in order to impress that upon us and of course it is essential for this reason that it is only as we are governed by this motive that we shall be able to do this and of course a men who is filled with the spirit he is a man who is filled with the Lord Jesus Christ the spirit points to him the spirit glorifies him the spirit always leads to him and so the men filled with the spirit will ever be looking at him and this is his one grand motive in the fear of Christ and having this he is enabled to do these various things. [00:16:36]

The Christian is a man who lives and walks and does all he does in the light of that are we disappointing him that's how love thinks isn't it that is the kind of fear that comes into the realm of love it's all together higher than law this is the fear of hurting or of grieving or of disappointing someone who loves you and who's got faith in you who trusts you who admires you who's fond of you who's done so much for you and this is The Marvelous thing about it that's why love is the greatest power and the greatest Mighty force in the whole world. [00:29:31]

The day shall declare it let me give you some other examples of this before we draw the doctrine out of it take again what he says at the end of chapter n in this first epistle to the Corinthians let me read from verse 24 know ye not that they which run in a race run all but one receiveth the prize so run that he may obtain and every man that striveth for the Mastery is temperate in all things now they do it to obtain a corruptible Crown but we an Incorruptible I therefore so run not as uncertainly so fight I not as one that beateth the air but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection why lest that by any means when I have preached to others I myself should be a Cast Away. [00:32:58]

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ go on to The Second Epistle to the Corinthians to chapter 5 and let's begin to read at verse 9 wherefore we labor that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him for we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in the body according to that he ha done whether it be good or bad knowing therefore the terror of the lord we persuade men but we are made manifest to God and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences knowing the terror of the law I persuade men submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ The Terror of the Lord. [00:33:34]