7 Transformational Habits, Part VII - Submission

So good morning.

Seven transformational habits.

Today is number seven.

It's submission.

So I appreciate, brayden, putting together that little review of our last six weeks together and thank you for being here.

My name is Randy and I'm just so glad to see we've got some first timers in the room, and we're always glad to have you, glad that you're with us today, whether it's like this is your only time or whether you might find your way back here next Sunday.

We believe that there's a divine purpose that we're all in the room or that you're watching out there.

Thank you for tuning in too.

There's a monitor out there to help you with your experience and to help steer you toward a way to do some prayer requests with us or make some decisions that you might need to make spiritually also.

So we're just glad that you all are here with us today.

So how you doing?

Biggest week of the whole year if you're a Christ follower, right?

This is the kickoff of what they used to call Passion Week, where Jesus' triumphal entry.

He comes into the city of Jerusalem.

He knows what's going to transpire.

He knows this is his last trip in in that capacity, until one day when he's coming back the second time, right, he'll go into town that day too, but it'll be a different reason, different purpose altogether.

So the whole week hugely dramatic, hugely important to us of the Christian faith, and we'll celebrate next week in a big way, the Easter, the resurrection day, with some stuff in the middle there too.

So I'm glad you're here.

So you may want to pull your Bible out and turn to Matthew 26.

We'll start there today, but we're going to look at a lot of other scripture too that will illustrate some points that we're making about why submission is so important and all but Matthew 26, 36 through 42 is not the triumphal entry.

That was what we celebrate on today, but this is toward the end of the week, on the Thursday night that we'll talk a little bit more about at our upper room service on Wednesday and Thursday night, and that is the prayer in the garden.

I don't think there is a better indication example of submission than to study the prayer of Jesus right before all of that happens.

So let me tell you a quick story from my earlier days, kind of set all this up.

I grew up in a rural area of the upstate.

We were on a little farm and we had somewhere around 30, 35 head of cattle all the time.

My dad liked to keep them around, and so a lot of my chores had to do with those cows.

And at one stretch, for several years, he had this bull and he was a monster.

He was huge and he was sort of the.

My dad was the envy of a lot of the neighbors down the road because they would come and just look at that bull.

He was that impressive, you know, and he was just docile and gentle, but anyway he had, if you know anything about that life.

He had two jobs.

His name was Henry, by the way.

Henry had two jobs.

His name was Henry, by the way.

Henry had two jobs.

One was to eat all the time, and the other was to have a lot of wives and have some babies.

Right, and he did both very well.

What a job.

How do you get a job like that, you think so anyway, it came to be, though, that we started after he'd been with us about five, ten years, a few little problems.

For instance, back in those days you had something called a cattle guard.

It was a great invention, so you wouldn't have to get out and open and close the gate in your driveway every time you left the house or came back in A cattle guard was a little trench that was dug, and there would be pipes welded parallel to each other across in this frame and the cow.

It wouldn't hurt the cow, but he would see the gaps in between those pipes and he would be afraid to walk across it for fear he would he or she would fall into it, and it was great it would keep them within your boundaries of your property.

Without that, you know, you'd go across it, and it just became what you did.

So one day, though, my dad goes out to check on the cows and Henry was not in the pasture.

What happened to Henry?

It must be a bad place to fence.

Went all the way around the fence.

Fence was perfect, no problem with the fence, no gates to be left open.

Really, how in the world did Henry get out?

We go down, find him way down the road, which is a real safety issue 1,800-pound bull standing in somebody else's yard or standing in traffic, you know.

So we finally get him back into the gate.

Two weeks later it happens again.

The third time Henry got out, I happened to be in that general area, and I saw him come up to the cattle guard and just like a deer, he just jumped it and walked out.

My dad said that's impossible.

They don't jump that far.

They're not going to jump six and a half feet when they weigh 1,800 pounds.

Well, he was wrong.

Henry decided he didn't want to stay within the boundaries of the property.

He had it made.

He had all the grass he could eat, he had plenty of wives, he had a family that loved him.

I guess you know if cows love each other.

He had all the convenience, but he had decided he had a better plan, and that better plan was to explore the countryside around him.

With that my dad made the announcement Henry's got to go.

We can't have Henry walking around just wherever he wants to walk.

So they came one day to get him and take him to the sale and as the trailer pulled off I noticed my dad was nowhere to be seen.

He had grown so attached to Henry that he was in the basement.

He couldn't stand to watch him go.

But the point I bring to all of that is we're a little bit like Henry, aren't we?

We're compared Now.

Cows are not the smartest animal in the world.

Cows are pretty high on the dumb range the fact of life.

I've spent enough time to know that there is one animal though I know, who's even dumber than a cow, and that is a sheep.

And guess who?

Jesus compares us to Sheep.

We're worse than a cow.

We have a notion.

We'll leave a great situation.

We will turn down what's clearly best for us because we have a better idea.

And in this day and time oh, my goodness, that's facing us everywhere we go.

You're an individual.

It's your rights that matter.

You need to do what makes you happy.

You need to do what pleases you, and if somebody gets in the way of that, then they're a bad person.

They're morally bankrupt.

Who are they to tell you what to do with your life?

So, when it comes to being a Christ follower, there's a lot of unlearning.

We have to do the incredible thing about all of us.

We all share two things in common today.

Even if you don't know hardly anybody else in the room hardly anybody else in the room we're all bound.

We're all identical in two areas.

We all are broken people.

Can I get an amen?

We're all busted.

We're all bankrupt when it comes to inside of us.

And you know better than anybody because you're you right, and I'm me.

Here's the good thing, though.

We all have this in common we all are redeemable.

We're all busted, but we all can be redeemed.

But it's going to take submission.

It is going to take me giving up my rights and my privileges and always pushing the button toward happiness and doing what he wants.

So let's pray about that.

Lord, thank you for just loving us.

We are sheep.

We're going to do the opposite of what's best for us.

We're going to be good one day and terrible the next.

We're going to forfeit the greatest gifts and blessings imaginable just to have it our way.

So, god, over the next several minutes, will you teach us by your Word and by your Spirit to be better Christ followers, to become Christ followers for the first time and to prove it not just with our words, but our lifestyles, our demeanor?

We give this time to you.

Please come, holy Spirit, amen, all right, are you there to Matthew 26?

Let's read that, and then we're going to jump into the more weighty areas of that.

Then Jesus went, starting in verse 36,.

Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane and he said to them Sit here while I go over there and pray.

He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and touched.

And then he said to them my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.

Stay here and keep watch with me.

Going a little further, he fell with his face to the ground and he prayed my father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.

Yet not as I will, but as you will, 40,.

Then he returned to his disciples and he found them sleeping.

Could you not keep watch with me one more hour?

He asked Peter, watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.

The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

He went away a second time and he prayed my father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.

Many of you know this.

Three different times he goes to God asking for a way out.

If somehow this can be averted, we'll talk in a minute a little bit more about, maybe, why he is, as he said himself, sorrowful unto death.

That is really troubled.

That is really troubled.

So with that, let's depart.

Keep your Bibles open, though, because we're going to look at some other scripture.

Why is submission so important?

Why is it an essential, a transformational habit, a go-to that we have to have, that we have to build into our lives in order to really enforce all the other disciplines we do?

Hey, if you do the other six but you don't do them with a submissive, obedient heart temperament toward Christ, those other six won't really get you what you're looking for.

That's how important this really is.

So with first, let's look at John.

Same place, john, chapter 15, verse 10, and that is the result has to be the love of Father.

John 15:10

Now, I didn't give you the big goal we're getting at here, because it's simply this Submission is the highest form of fellowship.

Henry lost his relationship with his family, earthly family, his human family, because he decided to have it his own way.

He lost his relationship with the other cow family too, because he decided he had a better plan.

Our relationship with God and our relationship with each other will be greatly influenced by how well we can submit to Him and one to another.

That's in verse 10 that you see on the screen.

But now the result of that is love in verse 10.

I'm sorry, the other was verse 14.

Verse 10 says Jesus speaking.

He says You'll remain in my love, just as I've kept my Father's commands.

And remain in His love.

That word remain in your translation may say abide same word.

It means stay there, find it, stay there, live there, live in His love there, live in His love, remain in His love, and this all will happen.

Now, jesus, his main motive was love.

He was crystal clear on that.

He would do things and then he would refer to love.

John, who was, we believe, to be the closest of all the twelve disciples, apostles of Jesus, is known as the apostle of love, and if you want to know why, read the Gospel of John and read 1, 2, and 3 John, those letters.

That's really all he's talking about is the love of Jesus, from the love of God through him onto us, and how we should live in that mode.

Also, dallas Willard, one of those spiritual giants of a few years ago, wrote this once you've come to know the love of Jesus, nothing else in the world will seem as beautiful as that.

I think that sums it up right.

If you've ever had a really personal experience where you knew it's the love of Jesus that is being poured into your life, then when you go out and you want to experiment, when you want to jump the cattle guard of your life and get out there and explore, you'll realize this is not near as good as what I had back home.

The love of Jesus is that important and it is that motivational, I think, for all of us.

In chapter 14, verse 15, jesus is talking to his disciples and says if you love me, you'll keep my commands.

That's the evidence of love, is to obey.

Submission comes into that arena saying Lord, I just need to tell you today I'm going to to the best of my abilities.

Whatever you produce in me or show me, I'm going to do it or I'm not going to do it, based on your telling me that Now, can I give you a little encouragement?

The Christian life is not an easy life, but there is a high level of joy that comes with it.

Some of you know what I'm talking about.

Obedience will later always produce joy, even tough obedience.

Jesus received joy from going through the experience that we're going to observe this week, believe it or not.

If you don't believe me, it's in Hebrews.

The book of Hebrews says for the joy put before him, jesus endured the cross.

Obedience on the backside of it will always make you more content and more joyful and more positive in your demeanor, and it's one of those.

You just have to do it to realize it.

And that's a key reason why we say submission has to be there in order for fellowship.

You're going to be a better wife, a better husband, if you can submit to your spouse.

You'll be a better employee.

You'll be a better Christ follower.

You'll be a better church member also.

So the second thing, the reason it's such a high thing with fellowship is it's a relational necessity.

Number two it's a relational necessity.

How about look at Matthew 12, 50.

Matthew 12, 50, for whoever does the will of my Father in heaven it's Jesus.

Speaking is my brother and sister and mother.

Whoever does my will is my brother, sister and mother.

The context of that is Jesus is speaking in this house to His followers and some other people and somebody interrupts Him, him and they said Jesus, it's been great, you know, we appreciate this, but your family is outside waiting to see you.

Your mom is out there and your brothers, and he says this hey, let me tell you, you're my family.

Now you read that and I'm thinking, oh, that's a little cold, isn't it?

Jesus?

That's a little hard.

I thought you're supposed to honor.

Well, that's right, and he's not doing that.

He's not diminishing his biological family there or what we thought was biological family.

What he's saying is I'm expanding, I'm growing the family.

When you obey my, when you submit to who I am, the authority of who I am, you become family members, not biological but spiritual.

That's why we refer to people around here as brothers and sisters in the faith you really are, in the faith you really are.

Why is he kind of making such a big deal about this Grow in his family?

Because that's for evangelistic reasons, no-transcript in what we believe and who we believe in.

The more our opportunities to teach, to show that love to other people you know, people I don't know and vice versa and when we're encouraging each other and we have this good fellowship in the body of Christ together, our witness will be much more effective.

For one reason there's a little bit more of a level of accountability, because we've all had experiences where we see somebody and we know somebody who talks a good game, but when we follow them around they're not living it right.

That actually does more harm to the kingdom of God than good.

Their witness is not effective.

It's false because they are not brothers or sisters, at least at that moment when that is going on.

So there's this network that needs to happen.

Proverbs 18.24, you've probably heard it.

Proverbs 18.24 says there is one who is closer to you than a brother or a sister.

Well, what's that mean?

It means that you have people probably in your life and I do too that when the truth be known about some issues, whether it's geographically or just because we're so close, I feel like I can share more with him than I can my siblings.

That's not a condemnation of my siblings.

It doesn't mean that I don't have a great family and we love each other, because we really do.

But you know the process.

There are some people, but you know the process.

There are some people that God will put in your life and that bond is so close that the fellowship is so good that it actually makes the gospel more full in our lives.

So, randy, what are you saying here?

If we are ultimately obedient to God and we're submissive, then that makes us good people and God is going to do, he's going to answer our prayers and we'll go to heaven.

Wrong and wrong, now I think a lot of you are going to heaven.

That's not my job to know that, but that's not what he's saying in here.

What he's saying is this is, more than ever, an evidence of grace.

Grace says he loves you just because you're you.

Grace says, if you're going to go to heaven, it's because you believe in him.

You don't do a lot of stuff for him.

It's because you believe in Him, you don't do a lot of stuff for Him.

It's because you believe in Him.

You do the stuff because you believe in Him.

You following me.

I want to be clear here.

This is not a doctrine of I work my way or if I obey God, he owes me.

We're back to the older, the elder brother in the prodigal son story, aren't we In the end of the story?

He's hot, he's mad, although his brother has come back.

He's mad because he stayed and he's a better guy, he's a better family member than his brother.

Why are you doting over him?

I'm the one that stayed and was faithful.

You owe me Dad, and in the end, who's out of fellowship though with the father?

It is the elder son, it's not the younger son, and we don't want to fall into that same trap of saying, oh, I'm going to do.

That's not the motive.

The motive is love.

I love Him.

The more I love Him, the more I just want to naturally do what he says or not do what he says.

I don't do.

But grace says, if we ever understand fully the grace of he saved me and you just because we were willing to believe in Him.

As broken and as disobedient as we are, that ups the scale of wanting to be submissive and wanting to be obedient.

I believe Richard Foster, another great giant of the faith, said this every discipline has its corresponding freedom.

In this case, one lays down the burden of needing to have it our own way.

Do you hear what he says there?

Every one of these disciplines we've looked at has freedom to it.

The freedom of this is hey, the pressure's off, you can choose to do it your way, but you know what you're accepting.

You're accepting the responsibilities that go with it, accepting.

You're accepting the responsibilities that go with it.

When Henry left the farm, henry now had to be responsible for what happened next, whether a car hit him or some neighbor shot him or something like that.

That's on Henry.

At that point, if we stay where we're supposed to be, if we stay where we're supposed to be.

He takes care of the results.

We don't have to worry so much about that.

And in Matthew, when Matthew says whoever does the will of my Father, that word will comes from a Greek word that was only referred to when God is the subject, and it basically meant the will of God, which means he has a better plan, he's worked it out, he's sovereign, he's holy.

He created me and you.

He brought us into this world for a purpose, so he ought to be the one that knows best for us, and so he lays that out for us.

When we start to understand what we do say yes to, or what we say no to, it's because he has a better plan and because of number one.

Furthermore, he loves you, whether it looks like it or not, and when those get together, that's a good life.

It's not an easy life, but it's a good life.

The pressure's off.

See, I don't have to produce the results he does.

If I follow him, he'll take care of business.

You know a lot of people become basketball fans this time of year because of good old March Madness.

You know we all like to win, don't we?

This is the plan to win.

We get to the end of our life.

We're winners and we didn't have a thing to do with it.

We're just following the one who has the winning solution.

But it's a great life.

It's actually liberating.

So you want to be great.

I don't care what age you are, you want your life to be great.

You want to be called great when your days are up.

Here's the plan Just do what Jesus did in Philippians 2, verse 8.

Philippians 2:8

Jesus did in Philippians 2, verse 8.

Philippians 2:8

In Philippians 2, verse 8, it says Jesus humbled Himself and he became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:8

That's it.

That's it.

His definition of greatness was go to the back of the line rather than the front of the line.

Don't look for the place of honor.

Sit where the humble people sit.

Don't ask to be served.

You just get the towel and basin and you just serve other people.

You look for people to bless rather than waiting on somebody to come and bless you.

Did he do that?

Absolutely?

He did that.

Mark 10, 45,.

He said son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

But I'll caution you the beginning of that process is he had to go die.

It's the same process we have.

We have to go die thankfully not physically, but we have to die to ourself and die to his plans so that we can live by his plans.

Also.

I read somewhere about these a few years ago.

These college co-eds that had this standing thing spring break week.

Every year that they were in college they would meet some friends from some other schools and they'd go somewhere, like at Lauderdale or something, and they would have a high old time all week.

They would go to spring break, they would party like there was no tomorrow and they would come home.

Well, that took a little logistics, so there would be emails flying around like you know, what time are you going to get there where we're staying doing all this?

And one year the other school friends noticed that these two girls were not emailing, it was just silent.

They'd gone dark and they started reaching out to them like what's wrong?

Are you not coming?

Are you going to be with us?

This year?

What they did not know that both of these girls, sometime that year in school, had come to Christ.

They'd come to be Jesus followers.

And when they finally responded, it was like this formal-looking email and it said.

We must tell you, announce to you this year, that Julie and Paula will not be joining you at Fort Lauderdale.

Fortunately, they have both died, have a great time.

Regards.

They had died to their sins and to their lives and now they lived with Jesus.

What a great announcement, right?

Sorry, can't make it.

I died, I died, so I'm living.

A better plan now.

That's all submission really is, and that's why communities are so important Communities within a community.

This is a community of faith.

This is the, as Bonhoeffer called it, the visible church.

The invisible church is the kingdom of God that incorporates all churches.

But the visible church here has smaller sub-communities.

They're called life groups and in two weeks you know we've been talking about this, been around a while we're going to three morning worship services here downtown and that means we've got three different hours that we have that you can choose from to be in a life group.

If you're not in a life group, I'm not trying to boss you around, I'm just telling you you need to be in one because we all are wired like that.

We all have this need for it.

This is one of those things.

You don't want to do it.

You don't want to do it.

You don't want to do it?

Oh, I'm so glad I did it, changed my life once I did it.

If you're in one, just communicate with your leaders, of which you know what that looks like.

Now.

Some of our classes are the heroes around here with us because they have chosen what's best for the body is to multiply out into two groups over, in some cases, two different hours.

Reason being we know that we'll have a spread of our folks attending to give us more space here than we had, and our parking will be a little bit better too.

If it doesn't address our needs, then why would we even go to it this hour?

We'll meet at 11 o'clock.

Come next Sunday, which is Easter, we won't have groups, but come next Sunday this group will meet at 11 rather than 1030.

So good news for a lot of you.

You get to sleep in 30 more minutes, right, and have a leisurely breakfast and everything, but if you're in a group, you can sleep in before you group too, which will be at the hour opposite of that Point being.

That's where the relationships get tighter and more important, and you've heard regularly from people all spring who have come up here and said look, the biggest thing that has improved my walk with the Lord probably has been my group, that I'm in that fellowship where we're submitting, mutually submitting to each other.

The thing I have appreciated so much as pastor is through this process of gearing up for the three morning worship services.

I've seen a lot of our group leaders and a lot of our life groups take that same process in order to be prepared for 2030.

We're going to multiply ourselves out just like we have.

We're one church, five services, two locations right now.

Reason for that, primarily, is 2030.

Well, what's so big about 2030?

Because in 2030, there'll be 100,000 people living here that don't live here now, that have absolutely no connection to any religious organization.

That's by the US Census Bureau and its projection.

That's by the US Census Bureau and its projection.

That's on top of all who are already here, who do not have that.

If we're not in position to still be a player in that, what are we doing?

We're not being submissive.

That's it.

I know that, so let's move on.

It reveals deeper knowledge too.

That's another reason that it's supported with fellowship Number three.

It reveals deeper knowledge too.

That's another reason that it's important with fellowship Number three, it reveals deeper knowledge.

John 7, 17,.

If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I'm speaking of my own authority.

He's always getting challenged.

Jesus is always getting a challenge.

Who gave you the right?

Who made you the boss?

Who told you that you could say that?

And you know I've noticed in the Gospels, maybe you have too Jesus never felt the need to apologize for anything he said.

Have you noticed that?

He never did a sermon.

He never said blessed are the meek, blessed are the more.

And then he'd come back later and say you know what I overspoke there.

I'm so sorry.

Let me back up a little bit.

I didn't quite mean it.

That was a little harsh, don't you think?

When I called all of you hypocrites and vipers, I didn't really mean yes, he did.

And no, he never apologized for that because he's son of God.

He knew exactly what he's saying.

He planted it how?

How did he know?

I know he's Jesus, but how did he know to be so sure and so confident of what he was saying?

Well, let me tell you a secret.

It's in John 12, verse 49.

John 12:49

In John 12, 49, jesus says what I say and how I say it I want to be, to want to glorify God.

Oh, he's the Son of God.

He's got all the power in the universe.

He can call down millions of angels to take care of any problem he has on this earth.

But yet he's saying my authority and my effectiveness comes from God, who gives me that ability?

So even how I say things and what I say needs to be, therefore, translation.

When Jesus spoke, you didn't have to worry about it being true, and when Jesus spoke, he had a deeper knowledge than anybody else.

That's what got him.

That's what got all the people who listened to him.

They said how is this guy speaking at a level we've never heard?

He's not like any of the rabbis.

They've got all their degrees on the wall and they've got all the.

He doesn't, and that's another thing that makes me grin.

Sometimes.

The guys who had all the degrees were constantly criticizing Jesus for being what Uneducated.

Who is he?

He's just a carpenter.

I saw his mom walking down the street.

There's nothing much to her either.

How does he get off telling me what to do?

Well, he's like the son of God.

He created the world.

That gives him pretty good authority.

They just couldn't get over that.

And so, of course, logically, when he goes back, ascends to heaven and Peter and John start giving the same message of the good news the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Guess what?

Same criticism.

Who are these guys?

They're uneducated, and you can check one out Acts, chapter 4.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

In Acts, chapter 4, the Christ followers have moved to another town.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

They're telling everybody about Jesus, which is what they were commissioned to do.

They get in trouble, they bring them into court, they start plot.

You know, they have one of these executive meetings to determine what to do with them.

Now that we got them, what do we do with them?

And one of them says this I love this.

He says these uneducated men who have stirred up things everywhere else are now at our door.

That's what they're saying, and if you look at the Greek, the word for uneducated was pronounced idiots.

What does that sound like?

Yeah, you got it.

These idiots that have stirred up trouble all over creation are now here at our town.

What are we going to do about this?

They just could not figure out that they had this deeper revelation.

They had this discernment and this wisdom.

What's the difference between knowledge and wisdom?

Knowledge in and of itself knowing facts or knowing things as they are doesn't change anybody's life.

It's good.

I'm pro-education.

But when you take the knowledge and you know what to do with it, that's called wisdom.

And when you add to that discernment that comes only through the Holy Spirit of God, that means you begin to know truth from error, you know good from bad, you know man's will versus God's will.

That's why the response to those disciples, when they round them up and they haul them in front of the magistrate, is and tell them to cease and desist, or it won't go well with them, they said well, let me think about this.

Should we please man or should we please God?

I think that's an easy one.

That didn't come from them, that came from the one who loved them and gave his life for them and that made it an easy decision there.

So back to the garden.

Jesus is praying.

His turmoil is so great.

This is just Randy, but I believe by what he's saying in the verses we read, he fears he may not survive that night to even get to the cross, because he knows he's going to experience something he has never experienced in all of eternity he's going to spend all afternoon separated from fellowship with His Father.

He will be cut off from God, the Father, when he has to bear all the sin of me and you, and that is what he is terrified of.

He's no coward.

This was a man.

This was a strong man.

He was like whatever you do to me physically, you bring it on.

But what absolutely had him on his face before God was the thought that I don't have access to you.

I think that explains the three hours of darkness, and he had the deeper knowledge to know that that was coming.

Thankfully, he went through with it anyway.

The last thing is there's this rule of life that we should all live by.

It's very easy and it's very simple.

You want to know what the rule of life is after this deeper revelation and the motivation of love and relational.

It's James 4.15.

James 4.15 says instead he's talking to business.

He's talking to merchants here, business people.

He's given some greatas, a matter of fact, the book of James.

If you want toif you're in HR or if you're running a company or if you have anybody reporting to you, I recommend the book of James as a great manual to live by.

But anyway, james 4, 15 basically says this instead you should say if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.

He says don't be so presumptuous.

Don't assume on God because you're successful and you got things going, that you had so much to do with that that you're just going to make your own plans now and just say oh, you know, we're going to expand our business here, we're going to do this and do that.

You better say if God wills, we're going to do that.

That's the rule of life, becauseand here's the gold of it the rule of life says, when you have a tough decision to make, whether it's professionally or family or just personally, you're going to do the right thing because, as submissive to Jesus, you're asking Him to make the decision.

If you do God's will, you're basically doing what he has already decided right.

If he's already decided it, it's the right choice.

So pressure's off.

I'm not going to be presumptuous.

I'm going to say what is your will, what is your will, what is your will, and when I hear from you, when I'm pretty clear on it, I will move out.

In other words, god made that decision for me.

That's a statement of faith.

So, as we close down are there limits?

Like you've talked, randy, about submission this entire time, we're going to submit to other people.

We're going to submit to our spouse.

We're going to submit to our church members.

We're going to submit to the Holy Spirit.

Of course we're going to submit to neighbors.

Just that's how you grow close.

Are there not limits to it?

Oh, yes, there are limits.

There are times that clearly this is man and not God, and those are limits.

In the counseling world, many times they call that enablement.

You ever been involved with that?

Yes, but that's a topic for another day, like a series, probably post-Easter, we'll get into that.

We really are.

We're going to talk about what Jesus had to say about politics and we're going to talk about what Jesus had to say in others.

Paul had to say about sexuality and different things like that.

So I'll be on a month-long vacation.

Pastor Bert's going to be teaching every one of those.

So let me close out with a story.

A few years ago there was this fellow, a citizen of New Zealand.

A few years ago, there's this fellow, a citizen of New Zealand.

He got arrested 32 times over about a three-year period.

I kid you not.

Thirty-two times he got arrested.

Why Failure to buckle his seatbelt Thirty-two times?

At some point you get the impression he's saying I'm not going to do it.

I haven't done it and I'm not going to do it.

I haven't done it and I don't plan to do it.

That attitude of you can stop me.

As many times I'll pay the fine, I'm not going to buckle my seatbelt, but finally, in 2009, all that came to an end.

He passed away.

You know how he died Automobile accident.

He really did.

So.

The learning for me, and maybe you can I be upfront with you how long are you going to be stubborn?

How long are you going to be prideful?

How long are you going to be resistant to the love and the purposes and the revelation of God in your life that will free you from what you're doing contrary to his will right now and will make sure that, when your days are up, from what you're doing contrary to his will right now, and we'll make sure that when your days are up, oh, in the kingdom, you'll be great, no question.

How long are you going to turn that down?

I one time was pretty good expert on that.

I did for quite a while and I'll have to say, on this side of finally submitting and being obedient, I wasn't even really living back then, but until I died, until Randy died.

Randy was not alive anyway.

So if you've been putting off coming to Jesus, what in the world could be more important than doing that?

If you've come to Jesus and you're considering doing what seems to be fashionable in social media these days and that is walking away from Jesus, I would love to spendI'm not being sarcastic here I'd love to spend about five minutes with you at the tent seeing your plan that you do have.

You've got to have a plan in place, I'm assuming, and if you can demonstrate that your plan is better than the Creator of the universe's plan, that's a pretty good plan.

If you've kind of been wandering around and you are a Christ follower but you're not identifying with any church but you feel like God's led you here by the power of the Holy Spirit, what could possibly be a reason to wait?

Led you here by the power of the Holy Spirit.

What could possibly be a reason to wait If you are a Christ follower, whether it's just like the other day or for years, and you've never been baptized by water baptism, that's like the first step of obedience that Jesus taught.

Why would you not take advantage of that?

Next Sunday, on Easter, the biggest day of a Christ follower.

Why wouldn't you do that?

So our guys are going to.

We get the awesome privilege of worshiping one more time.

So Brayden, I think, is already in place.

No wonder I couldn't find you out here in the audience.

He's already here.

So I'd love for you to stand.

Let me pray for you.

I'd love for you to come forward now and just tell us how we can help you to do that next act of submission that we're all called to do.

Father Lord, just remove me, remove us out of the way.

The problem it's not, it's not the, it's not Satan, it's not um dumb neighbors, it's not our boss, it's not our spouse, it's not unruly children.

They're not the problem.

The problem is me.

The problem is our pride, our egos, our desire to do what we think is easier and more happy for us than for the good of your kingdom.

So, god, help us to repent from that now and to do the next thing that you've been telling us to do.

In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.