True Love Through Submission by Brother Duke Hansen

         Good morning. I would like you to turn your bibles to the book of Ephesians. We will be reading from chapter 5 and start at verse 17.

        17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

        There are many scriptures about the will of the Lord or the perfect will of the Lord. God is all about direction in life. He takes you and I, the believer, and sets us in a direction towards him. There are things listed in scripture which will lead you into damnation. This is where wisdom should be used! You should avoid such things and keep your mind locked on what God looks for and what he despises. He is of specificity and not vague statements. There's a reason why different prophets, apostles, speakers of the word will list the things God loves and hates throughout both old and New Testament. It's because his people are hard headed, stiffed necked, and goldfish brained in keeping God's commandments.

        18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

        19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

        There's deceit in the public showing of being blessed. You lean into it too much, it becomes more about you and not about God. Paul is writing to the church saying don't be drunken on wine but be filled in the spirit. You don't go around running your mouth and tearing one another down but lift yourself up with hymns and psalms! Let's move to verse 21. Our message this morning is about submission. This subject is painful and hard to hear for both men and women because we all want to be the boss of ourselves and each other. 

        21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

        Now, when you google the word submission by what the world defines it, the word is defined as "the action or fact or accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person." That's painful to accept in the world, let alone your relationship with God. Many of us can be submitted, very reluctantly and grumble every moment of every day. We miss out on the true power of submission because our flesh sees humility as a sign of weakness. In order to fully operate our walk in submission is to show not only humility but also weakness to one another. When you don't look at one another with that mindset, you're thinking in a superiority mindset. Obedience is the act of submission, especially in the scripture. Now, I'm going to hit a little harder on your flesh. Submission is a display of love.

        22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord.

        Before we go further, let's understand the hierarchy or marriage in the Bible. At the top you have God. Below God is man. Below man is woman. Below woman in child. These connections working in proper order is a conduit for power on high. 

        23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.

        When we talk about marriage, it isn't a limited contract, nor a lease for a period of time. The world has had 50 plus years in chipping away at the institution of marriage where it holds no more value than a vehicle or electronic device. Sure, you love your I Phone now, but 4 years later when the latest and greatest comes out? You will take a loan with high interest rate to buy one without a second thought. Many people have the same mindset with marriage. You like your partner only until you get bored or some new shiny and usually younger thing comes along that has you looking to "trade up". Marriage is a holy matrimony. It is a living, breathing, and growing thing. A lot of people abuse and shake the relationship while it's still in its infancy. The relationship you have with God is one of servant and master. You need to be in sync, in tune with God. Many of us fool ourself when thinking about patience as merely waiting on something. Patience is beyond your flesh and it's in the spirit.

        The perfect will of God is not what you want. It's not broken down into what your ambitions are or financial security. It is what God wants to use you for in your life!

        24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

        25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

        26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.

        27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

        Now, turn to the book of James and go to chapter 4. We are going to read verse 7. The brother of Jesus, James wrote a book that many modern churches avoid because there are patterns and behaviors shown which are to be broken.

        7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

        If you are merely trying to resist life's temptation, you aren't submitted to God. Search yourself and find the aspects of life where you may not be submitted to God. God is not moved by your outbursts nor by what situation you may be in at the present moment. Quit treating him like he's a superhero and you're a damsel in distress! He should hear from you often and daily! Now, we are going to go to the book of John chapter 14. We will read starting at verse 15. Jesus is breaking down what is to come to his disciples in this chapter, aggravated at their spiritual blindness to who he is, and tells them a statement that many of us don't want to submit to.

        15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

        Now from the perspective of the Jews back in this time, they had a hard time following this because the very command contradicts what they grew up with in the old law. This statement isn't anchored in emotion. If you are submitted, this statement is easier to follow. It isn't about control in this relationship, it's about obedience.

        16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.

        17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but ye know him; for he that dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

        The spirit of truth is at odds with the spirit of the world. The Holy Ghost wants to lead and to guide you, possess you through your submission. For a lot of people though, they are content to be possessed by the world, and to give God a little talk once in a while.

        18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

        Here in this scripture Jesus explains that he and God are the same.

        19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

        20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

        When you truly submit to God, when you obey his word, keep his commandments, God takes residence within you. The devil? He knows to hit the road! He's not gone for good though! He will abide for a season and then he will return. Turn now to the book of 1 John. We will read from chapter 4 and verse 12.

        12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

        Now, let's drop down to verse 18.

        18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

        19 We love him, because he first loved us.

        20 If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

        There are different types of love. If you give your fleshly fears any quarter of your life, it will set into your very being, into the bones. Once it has set in, it will kill your faith. Faith will kill your flesh. When we go to God dripping in fear and anxiety knowing faith, the size of a mustard seed, can move mountains, apply that faith. When all else fails, you go back to the act of submission. Fear is a very prevalent issue. It comes between us and God. The emotion of pride comes to this internal pity party to beat your faith down, Before you know it, you are low in the spirit, beat up and tossed on the trash heap of life. The deceit we hold on to is we say we are submitted to God, when we really aren't. There's a payment and judgement in our life, and there are times we need to exercise judgement over ourselves honestly. The act of patience is the guard against self loathing and pity parties we put ourselves in. Now, one final spot to turn to this morning. The book of Galatians chapter 5. We will read verse 16.

        16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

        Now, because we are lazy in the flesh and hate to study we mistake walk in the spirit as being filled in the spirit. They are two different things. The phrase walking in the spirit is operating in submission. 90% of our time is working in iniquity and proclaiming it is in love. Faith in the world in a tool of last resort. No one in the world lives in faith first.

        How do we walk in the spirit? We have obedience, faith, submission in the spirit of love. Suffer for it if you love someone. If you suffer, you are walking in the spirit.

        When God shows you something, reveals something to you, he's giving you the hint to dig deeper within and find it out. God wants you to not only walk in the spirit, but to live in the spirit. You can't just merely pray yourself into the spirit. You should already be there. If there is a lack of something in your life, it's because you are lacking on submission. It is on us to act and move in submission daily.