Submitting as Jesus Submitted!. Luke 2:51 “Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things

Submitting as Jesus

Submitted!

Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

Luke 2:51“Then He went down with them and

came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these

things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour

with God and men.”

Jesus' authority is extraordinary.


• We read of the wind and the water obeying His command: "So the men marvelled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?" (Mark 8:27).


We read of the demonic realm being subject to His word - "For with

authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."

(Mark 1:27).


We also read of people obeying His commands over and above the

commands and customs of that day - "But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.“

(Acts 5:29).


• Let us consider this important principle in Jesus' life:

• 1. Jesus submitted to His natural father

• 2. Jesus submitted to His "spiritual" father

• 3. Jesus submitted to His heavenly Father


1. Jesus submitted to His natural father


• We catch a glimpse into Jesus' childhood with the amazing account of His visit to the temple at Jerusalem at the age of twelve (Luke 2).


Here Jesus is clearly stating His priorities: that God is His real Father and that God's business is His real

business. This is a lesson that every parent should understand: our

children belong to the Lord, not to us, and we will need to present

them back to Him.


• Even though God was His "true" Father, He still submitted to Joseph and Mary.

• The Fifth Commandment is to "Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you." (Ex 20:12).

• Paul later explains that "this is the first commandment with promise: "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." Now this is favour worth having!


2. Jesus submitted to His "spiritual" father


The Bible is full of ‘Spiritual Father’s’ - Elisha submitted to Elijah, Timothy submitted to Paul,

Apollos to Aquila and Priscilla, to name but a few.


John the Baptist could have been said to have been the "senior" prophet at the time

of our Lord's upbringing.


Jesus was a far "superior" prophet and yet He submitted to John. When He went to be baptised by John at the river Jordan,

John said to Him that it should have been the other way around. Jesus should be

baptising John.


Yet how many believers (and leaders sadly) submit to no one?


3. Jesus submitted to His heavenly Father


Finally we know that Jesus subjected Himself to His Father. His delight was to

do God's Will (Psalm 40:8). This is seen in His words at

Gethsemane: "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me;

nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." (Matt 26:39).


Yet even in the face of physical and spiritual suffering to a degree that we can hardly imagine, He subjected Himself to God's best for His life: "Into your hands I

commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46).


In Conclusion:How many of us resist submitting our

lives to God?Let everyone of us consider this

morning whether we are resisting God or submitting to Him.


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Submitting as Jesus Submitted!. Luke 2:51 “Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things