Jesus Submitted to Authority

In this church we seek to emphasize that Jesus is our example. We don't just believe in him but we seek to follow him and I would say that should be the one distinguishing feature of our church compared to most other churches where they emphasize believe in him. Believe in him because you can be forgiven or believe in him and you can be healed.

Believe in him and you'll be filled with the Holy Spirit. Believe in him and he'll take you to heaven. All these things are true and we preach that also but do you know that Jesus never hardly ever said believe in me.

You read the Gospels, take a concordance and check. He hardly ever said believe in me but so often he said follow me, follow me, follow me. So from that I conclude that the real evidence of my faith is that I'm following him.

If I'm not following him my faith is probably a intellectual faith that does not produce any change in my life. So we looked just now at Jesus' example in Luke chapter 2. We saw how in his younger days we can start following Jesus from the time he was young because there are many things there. We saw that he was discussing the scripture at the age of 12.

What an example with the great scholars and he could discuss that because he had spent all those years maybe from the age of 5 to 12 to get to know the Bible. So that is the first thing written about Jesus as he was growing up that he was discussing the Bible with older people. So before a lot of people want to follow Jesus and healing the sick and doing so many things and preaching.

They like to preach like Jesus and I say to all such people, brother, sister, let's begin in the kindergarten. Let's not try to jump to standard 8 or 9 in grade 8 or 9. Start in the kindergarten. What are the first thing we read about Jesus? He knew the Bible enough to discuss with people who were scholars in the Bible.

Now he was not born with all that stuff or the Bible stuffed in his knowledge. He took trouble and remember those days there was no printed Bible like this. As I've said, he had to go to the synagogue, ask the rabbi, please read something and he would memorize that, meditate on it, go back the next day and that's how at the age of 12 he knew enough to discuss the Bible with scholars.

So when we talk about following Jesus, where should we begin? Don't begin in grade 8 in the kindergarten. What's the first thing we read about Jesus? He knew the scriptures. So that's the first thing I want to ask all of you dear brothers and sisters, those who are part of this church.

I don't have any responsibility for others. Do you seek to begin here knowing the scriptures? If you fail here, it's like trying to go to seventh or eighth grade without learning ABC and elementary mathematics. The second thing I want you to see here is, right at the beginning of Jesus' life, when he was 12 years old, Luke chapter 2 again, verse 51, he went down with his parents, earthly parents, and came to Nazareth and listen to this, he continued in subjection to them and the next thing we read about Jesus is in Luke chapter 3 at the age of 30.

From the age of 12 to 30, nothing else is written. The next is in chapter 3, 21, he goes to get baptized. That's his 30 years old.

So what was he doing between the age of 12 and 30? That's more important for us to know because after the age of 30, most of the things he did, most of us can never do. He can't heal the sick, we can't raise the dead, we can't cleanse the lepers, and 99.9% of believers cannot even preach like him. So what are we going to do reading the rest of what Jesus did from the age of 30 onwards? We must humble ourselves and say, Lord, I don't want to do what you did at the age of 30, let me start doing what you did at the age of 12.

First of all, at the age of five, to know the scriptures by the age of 12, that's one. Once he got to the age of 12, what did he do? Verse 51, he continued in subjection to his earthly parents. One sentence that describes 18 years of his life from 12 to 30.

Those are the first footsteps of Jesus. So if you really want to follow Jesus and you don't want to just talk about it as a theory, you're serious about it, this is where you begin. Subjection to authority.

And that's why the Bible says, children obey your parents. That's why the most important thing you must teach your children is obedience. Don't take disobedience lightly.

You will lose your child, I can prophesy that, because I've seen enough people in the last 50 years of my life who never took the exhortation to discipline their children, to bring up their children in the fear of God, bring up their children to obey their parents. And I've seen the result of it years later. So those of you who've got young children, please learn now.

This is the most important thing to teach them. It's no use sending them to school and teaching them all that if you don't teach them the most important thing. Children, obey your parents, because that is the first commandment with a promise.

And what was Jesus symbolizing there? That in the home, the first thing that our children must recognize is God has instituted authority everywhere in society, beginning in the home. And children don't like authority. You know that, you've got little children.

From the age of one itself, they start disobeying. They don't like authority. And if you don't teach them to respect authority when they are at home, they'll grow up as rebels to authority.

That's what Jesus demonstrated. And if you allow the Holy Spirit to teach you what all Jesus did from the age of 12 to 30, you can put yourself in different situations you find from your own home. Where do your children disobey you? In what sort of things? Then picture Jesus in a similar situation in his home.

How did he react? Many times the children don't want to do something because they are planning to do something else. And I can imagine Jesus in such situations where his mother told him to do something and he had planned to do something else. What did he do? He didn't say, hang on mother, mom, I'll come later.

He continued in subjection to them. Why is God so interested in teaching people to be subject to authority? Because most people don't know that is how sin originated in this perfect universe. Sin did not originate with Adam and Eve.

The one who came to tempt Adam and Eve, Satan, it originated with him. And God never created him as Satan. God created him as the highest of angels with authority over so many angels.

And God said to him, I am the only one who has authority over you. And this clever angel said, I don't want anybody to have authority over me. I want to be the uppermost authority.

You read that story in Isaiah chapter 14. This is why we need to teach children to obey their parents. That's what I'm trying to explain to you.

And many of you are parents. And the Lord says to this highest angel, he was not the devil then, he was the most beautiful of all the angels. And he says to him, he was called the star of the morning, Isaiah 14 verse 12.

How have you fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, O sun of the dawn? What a title he had, the star of the morning. The most beautiful of all of God's created angels. Because you said in your heart, even though he was the highest, he was not happy with it.

I will go still higher. Imagine the stupidity here. You know, sin makes people stupid.

I will raise my throne above the stars of God. And not only the stars of God, verse 14, the last part, I will make myself like God. You remember the temptation with which the serpent spoke to Eve? If you eat this, you will be like God.

That's what he tempted him with, the same temptation that he wanted. He wanted to be like God. God in what way? Not God in a way of loving, compassionate, good, sacrificial like Jesus.

No, no, no. Not God like that. But God in having authority.

Obey me. And the angels jumped to obey. So that's what he wanted.

He didn't want to be loving and compassionate and humble like God was manifested in the life of Jesus. And we see that same spirit in every child that is born. The desire to rebel and to push other people down, to go and grab the biggest piece of cake from the plate.

Always, I must be on top of others. I must be on top of others. And you find that spirit in the world.

Rebellion against authority all over the world. People don't like it. But the thing is, in the world, if you rebel against authority, you're punished.

There's authority God has placed in the home. There's authority God has placed in society. And there's authority God's placed in the church, in the home, parents.

It's only in the church. I find that people question the authority. Who made you an authority over me? What is the chain of command? Where do you come in the chain of command? It's only in the church.

If the policeman stops you on the road because you go speeding and he comes, you don't ask him, where's the chain of command? Where do you stand in it? You'll never dare to say that because you're afraid of handcuffs. You will not say that in your office because you'll be fired the next day. You say that in the church.

Who made you an authority over me? What is the chain of command? Who put you over me over here? There you see the spirit of rebellion in so-called believers. I've seen it in many places and those are the believers I've seen years later. They never grow.

God's curse is on them. They suffer. Their children suffer and many other things happen just because rebellion against authority.

That's what Jesus demonstrated for 18 years. That's the only thing written about him. I'm sure he conquered many other sins like a lusting as a young man and he conquered many, many other things, love of money, but the only thing written about him is he conquered the spirit of rebellion against authority by submitting completely.

Okay, I'll show you one more verse before I sit down. 1 Samuel chapter 15. The sin of Lucifer comes right into the home and tries to come right into the church and Jesus exposed that by a life of humility by never, never questioning authority.

1 Samuel 15 verse 23. Rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft. Rebellion against authority in the church is like practicing witchcraft and insubordination to authority is the same as idolatries like bowing down before an idol.

I would encourage you if you're serious to meditate on that.