1. Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

2. 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.”

3. Jesus' authority is extraordinary. Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

4. 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). Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

5. 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). Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

6. 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). Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

7. 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 Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

8. 1. Jesus submitted to His natural father Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

9. 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). Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

10. 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. Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

11. 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! Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

12. 2. Jesus submitted to His "spiritual" father Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

13. 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. Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

14. John the Baptist could have been said to have been the "senior" prophet at the time of our Lord's upbringing. Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

15. 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. Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

16. Yet how many believers (and leaders sadly) submit to no one? Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

17. 3. Jesus submitted to His heavenly Father Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

18. 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). Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

19. 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). Submitting as Jesus Submitted!

20. 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. Submitting as Jesus Submitted!