Luke 2:49, 51 (NKJV) And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”…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.
Submission means to yield oneself voluntarily to the authority or control of another; to surrender. Jesus demonstrated that He submitted to both the instructions of the Heavenly Father and those of His earthly parents in this passage. It is truly a sign of humility. One must lay down their rights and privileges to submit. While we may share our opinions and views with those to whom we are to submit, we should still submit to them even when their decision differs from ours, because submission is necessary only when there is a disagreement. No submission is required when we fully agree.
As disciples of Christ, we should submit to the Lordship of Christ in His will for our lives— in the consecrated life of godliness, and in obeying the governing authorities.
John 4:34 (NKJV) Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”
Jesus is our perfect example of submitting to God’s will and resisting the flesh’s desires that go against God’s plan. Jesus understood His mission on earth and God’s will for His life. Everything He did aligned with what God had planned for Him. Jesus, being 100% man and 100% God, was overwhelmed with sorrow over what He had to endure. The pain was so intense that He shed blood. Nonetheless, Jesus remained submissive to God by praying to the Father about God’s will. He was following God’s plan, which involved paying a price. Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane with two conflicting wills but left with only one—the will of the Father.
Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
God uniquely and wonderfully makes us. We have gifts and talents that God has given us since He is the master craftsman. Are we walking in obedience and submitting to God’s will for our lives, or are we still carnal and self-centred, living according to our desires and preferences? Are we telling God how we want Him to bless us based on our own plans, or do we take time to seek God’s face to understand His purpose and guidance for our lives?
Are we guiding our children as young as age 12 to understand God’s calling for their lives, or are we only preparing them to succeed academically, in sports, or in music, without considering their walk with God and His plan for them?
Jesus knew that His purpose on earth was to reveal God to us, and He submitted to His Father’s business. Do you know what your purpose is in life? We should prioritise as Jesus did and align our lives with the Father’s business of redemption, love, and service.
Sermon Series: Christmas 2025
不是照我的意思，乃是照你的意思
路加福音 2: 49，51 耶稣说：“为什么找我呢？岂不知我应当以我父的事为念吗?”他就同他们下去，回到拿撒勒，并且顺从他们。他母亲把这一切的事都存在心里。
顺服的意思，是甘心乐意地将自己交在他人的权柄或管理之下，是一种主动的降服。在这段经文中，耶稣向我们显明，祂既顺服天父的旨意，也顺服地上的父母，这是何等真实的谦卑。顺服意味着放下自己的权利与特权。即便我们可以向所顺服的人表达自己的意见与看法，当他们的决定与我们的想法不同，我们仍然选择顺服，因为真正需要顺服，正是在意见不一致的时候；若完全同意，就谈不上顺服了。
作为基督的门徒，我们当在生命中顺服基督的主权——活出分别为圣、敬虔的生活，并且顺服神所设立的掌权者。
约翰福音4:34 耶稣说：“我的食物就是遵行差我来者的旨意，做成他的工。
耶稣是顺服神旨意、抵挡肉体私欲的完全榜样。祂清楚自己在地上的使命，也明白父神对祂生命的计划。祂所行的一切，都与神为祂预备的旨意完全一致。耶稣既是完全的神，也是完全的人，在面对即将承受的苦难时，内心充满极深的忧伤，甚至汗如血点；然而，祂仍然藉着祷告完全顺服父神的旨意。祂明白，遵行神的计划必然要付代价。耶稣进入客西马尼园时，心中有两个意愿；但离开时，只剩下一个——父的旨意。
以弗所书2:10 我们原是他的工作，在基督耶稣里造成的，为要叫我们行善，就是神所预备叫我们行的。
神以独特而奇妙的方式创造了我们，赐下各样的恩赐与才能，因为祂是最伟大的工匠。那么，我们是否正在顺服神为我们生命所预备的旨意，还是仍然属肉体、以自我为中心，照着自己的喜好与计划而活？我们是在告诉神要如何按我们的蓝图来祝福我们，还是愿意安静寻求神的面，明白祂对我们生命的心意与引导？
我们是否从孩子十二岁开始，就引导他们认识神对他们生命的呼召？还是只专注于为他们预备学业、运动或音乐上的成功，却忽略了他们与神的关系，以及神对他们生命的计划？
耶稣深知自己来到世上的目的，是要向人启示神，因此祂全然顺服父的事工。你是否也清楚自己人生的使命呢？让我们像耶稣一样，重新调整生命的优先次序，使我们的生活与天父救赎、爱与服事的计划对齐。
讲章系列：2025 圣诞节