To submit simply means to yield your way to someone else or someone who is ranked above you. God holds the highest authority in the lives of the Old Testament and New Testament believers. We are to yield and submit to Him. This submission is in every aspect of our lives. It covers ethics, moral values, and our character through walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh.
In the Old Testament, Jonah disobeyed God’s Word, followed his flesh and suffered a great deal.
Jonah 1:5b,9,12 (NKJV) But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep…..So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”…And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.”
Jonah had an attitude problem. He heard from God but refused to act on what he had heard. We can conclude that he knew God enough to have the conviction that he would not be killed in the whole process. He was so self-assured to ask the sailors to throw him overboard so that the sea would be calm for them. He knew that he was the cause of their problem. The fact that he was able to sleep amid the storm showed that he knew God is truly merciful, gracious, and slow to anger. He was also aware that God is the maker of heaven and earth. Nonetheless, He was an outright rebellious Hebrew whom God needed to deal with.
The lesson we need to learn from Jonah is one will never outwit God. If we refuse to submit and be obedient, then we will have to face the consequences and even the onslaught of the evil one. We must all learn to obey God to yield good fruits and results. Jonah eventually learned to submit to God’s will, and God saved him by bringing him back on dry land (Jonah 2:9-10), but Jonah had to learn the hard way.
All of us would like our jobs, businesses, and investments to be blessed by God. God is a faithful covenant partner, but He also has certain expectations of us even though He loves us unconditionally. God has done His part and will continue to do so, but we should also be faithful in carrying out the challenge of reaching the lost and to walk in His will. Reaching the lost is a great concern in the heart of God. Therefore, His last command—the Great Commission—should be our first concern. If we are in partnership with Him and walking in the perfect will of God, we will have more smooth sailing, even though there may be the occasional rough sea experiences, with His presence in our lives.
Sermon Series: Smooth Sailing
学会顺服上帝，行过砰訇翻腾的大海
顺服纯粹就是指屈服于别人或你的上级。 神在旧约和新约的信徒生命中有拥有最高的权柄。我们要依靠和顺服祂。这种信靠和顺服体现在我们生命的方方面面。它涵盖了伦理、道德价值观和我们的性格，藉着顺从圣灵而不是顺从血气。
在《旧约》中，约拿违背了 神的话，随从自己的血气，遭受了巨大的痛苦。
约拿书 1:5b, 9,12 约拿已下到底舱，躺卧沉睡。 他说：「我是希伯来人。我敬畏耶和华—那创造沧海旱地之天上的神。」 他对他们说：「你们将我抬起来，抛在海中，海就平静了；我知道你们遭这大风是因我的缘故。」
约拿的态度有问题。他听到 神的话但拒绝按照神的吩咐行动。我们可以得出结论–他足够了解 神，以致他坚信自己不会在整个 过程中死掉。他太自负了，要求水手们把自己扔到船外，这样大海就会平静下来。他知道自己是他们问题的根源。他能够在风暴中入睡也表明他是知道 神是真正的仁慈、 充满恩典的和宽容的。他知道 神是天地的创造者。尽管如此，他是一个彻头彻尾的叛逆的希伯 来人， 神需要对付他。
我们需要从约拿那里学到的教训是，没有人能智取上帝。如果我们拒绝屈服和顺从，那么我们将不得不面对后果，甚至是那恶者的猛烈攻击。
我们每一个人都希望我们的工作、生意和投资能得到 神的祝福。 神是一位信实的盟约伙伴，虽然祂无条件地爱我们，但祂对我们有一定的期望。 神已经做了祂分内的事，并将继续这样做，但我们必须信实地接受挑战，帮助迷失的人，并 行在神的旨意中。在 神的心中，找到失丧的人是一件大事。因此，祂最后的命令–也就是大使命–应该也是我们首要的心事。如果我们与 神同工并行在祂完美的旨意中，因着祂的同在，即便偶遇风浪，我们仍将拥有更平顺的航程。
讲章系列：一帆风顺
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