Submission to Authority

Numbers, Chapter 12, and I want to speak so that you can take the passage, the text that I want to interpret. I want to speak about authority, about life under authority, and this sermon is a continuation of last Sunday’s sermon on obedience. You can actually see—you can see the connection.

Many times you preach things and half the sermon is left over, because you do not want to be excessive in what you are going to preach, but this is actually a continuation of the message I delivered last Sunday. So it is closely tied to the concept of obedience, and I have titled this message “Submission to Authority.”

“Submission to authority,” that’s what I want to speak about this morning, as well as the concept of authority, of spiritual authority, and our need to move, flow, and live under authority.

This idea that we must live, move, and flow under authority. It seems like a somewhat subtle concept, but I hope to make it clearer through this message, and that is precisely what I intend to do.

Numbers, Chapter 12, says there: “...Miriam and Aaron”—Aaron was Moses’ brother, by the way, and Miriam was his sister as well. They were Moses’ siblings. “...Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses.” Look there at the beginning of the violation of an authority. Moses had been placed in authority over Israel, and although Miriam and Aaron were Moses’ siblings, they were under his spiritual authority, which God had assigned to him.

Then, “...they spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had taken... for he had taken a Cushite woman.” What is a Cushite woman? Well, she belonged to a tribe that was not Israelite. Imagine: the Hebrews are in the wilderness, they have left Egypt, they are in the midst of their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, and Moses marries a woman who is not from a tribe of Israel; she is from another tribe. I do not know whether it is the tribe of Cush and that is why they call her a Cushite. The fact is that we are not sure—I am not sure whether Moses had committed a sin by doing that. It does not appear that he had. God had indeed forbidden the Israelites to marry pagan people, but there seems to be disagreement among the commentaries I have read. The commentators are not sure about it. Some say no, that there was nothing wrong with what he did. Others say that perhaps he stretched things a little there by taking a woman who was not from a tribe of Israel.

The fact is that there is an action here, perhaps a somewhat questionable one that lends itself to being challenged. Perhaps Aaron and Miriam were offended that he did not marry someone from a tribe of Israel; they were upset about it. Perhaps they thought, hey, he should set the example; he is the leader and should marry a woman from Israel so as not to set a bad example. And I am taking a moment to speak about this because it seems there was a little uncertainty about it. But even so, look at what happens. This makes the need to live under authority and to respect the authorities God has established even more dramatic, because this is important, and I want to develop that clearly.

“...and then they said, ‘Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?’...”

In other words, what are they saying here? They are saying, hey, he is not the only one God uses; God can use us too. They are questioning him; they are saying something like, this man is subverting authority, this man is monopolizing authority, and we also have God’s anointing, we also have the Holy Spirit, so why can’t we do things in Israel too? What happens many times? We question. I deeply believe in the priesthood of every believer, brothers and sisters—more so every day. I believe the Holy Spirit uses His people; even the least of them has God’s anointing. What is more, I believe that the health of a church depends on the people being given authority to speak, minister, evangelize, preach, and teach, and that we pastors are blessed to the extent that we share authority with others. How many can say amen to that? Every day I become more and more convinced of it.

But I believe the problem here was not so much that principle; it was the hearts of Miriam and Aaron. There was a little rebellion in them. You know that Israel was a rebellious people. Look up the word cervix, which means neck—a horse’s neck—in the concordance, and you will see how many times God calls Israel a stiff-necked people; that is, their neck is rigid, they will not let themselves be turned in any direction, they hold it very stiff, and no one can bring them under submission. And in the course of Israel’s history in the wilderness, many times when the Hebrews rebelled against Moses, they rebelled against God—against Moses’ authority and, above all, God’s—with disastrous, terrible consequences. And this is one of those cases. As I tell you, I could have chosen many other cases like it, because the entire Bible is filled with this concept of submitting ourselves to the higher authorities.

Again, I want to qualify that very carefully—I want to qualify it very carefully—because this is a very delicate matter.

“...Then they said, ‘Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?’—and what happened? It says—‘...and the Lord heard it.’” In other words, God became aware of that rebellious attitude in Aaron and Miriam and took note of it. God—brothers and sisters, let me tell you something—wherever there is a rebellious heart, wherever there is a heart that is not submitted to authority, wherever there is a heart enraged against authority—whether civil authority, the police, political or civil government; whether fathers and mothers, a child vis-à-vis his father and mother; whether a worker vis-à-vis the authority of the people who are over them in a workplace; whether the wife in relation to her husband, or the husband who abuses his authority—wherever the concept of authority is violated, because the husband must submit to God, yes or no? And if the husband is violating, if he is abusing his authority, then he is violating the authority over him, which is the authority of God and of the Word. Do you see? Authority is something that goes from the top down, descending. Everyone is under authority. I was looking for a passage in Scripture that says precisely that: even over the king there is someone above him. Do you see? The only one who has no authority above Him is whom? God the Father, because the Son submits to the Father.

And there is a very beautiful passage that perhaps I will have an opportunity to share with you concerning this. But when it comes to authority, everyone has an authority, and God takes it very seriously when a person rebels against that principle of authority.

Then it says, “...the Lord heard it.” Interestingly, it says here in verse 3, “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all the men who were on the face of the earth...”

Why does the Holy Spirit put that there? Because I believe God blesses meekness, while He judges rebellion and arrogance. What is more, I believe that no one can be a true leader—and this applies a little to all of us—except to the extent that we submit to authority and are meek. The meeker and humbler we are, the more God can use us. Meekness is blessed; meekness, humility, and submission are regarded very positively by God. I do not want to get ahead of the sermon, so I will leave it there, but I will return to that point. I believe Moses’ meekness is highlighted here because it contrasts with the rebellion and arrogance of Aaron and Miriam.

God chose Moses for a reason. Now, look, many times the people’s disobedience led Moses to do certain things, because rebellion sometimes harms leaders. Once in Scripture we see that Moses angrily struck a rock that God had told him merely to speak to, because he was already fed up with the people’s rebellion. And that act of exasperation on Moses’ part, which he was driven to by the people’s rebellion, cost Moses his entry into the Promised Land.

Let us be careful, brothers and sisters, not to drive our leaders, our authorities, to the point of exasperation. Likewise, those of us who are in authority should be careful not to exasperate those under our authority. The Bible says, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children.” You see that this is a chain; it is a circle in which each person has a part to play in submitting to something or someone.

The fact is that Moses was a meek and humble man at heart, and God looked upon that with favor and pleasure. Then it says here:

“...Then the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, ‘Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting.’” He summoned all three of them to account. He said, “Moses, come here, and Aaron and Miriam, come here too. All three of you report in. Let’s go outside, because I want to speak with you.”

“...So the three of them came out. Verse 5: Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud...” Rather, His Spirit came down—perhaps not His voice, but His presence. It is not as though God came down there wearing jeans to speak with them, no. That is, they heard the voice of God; they heard the Spirit of God.

“...and He stood at the entrance of the tabernacle and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. And He said to them, ‘Hear now My words...’”

When God says that to you, you had better pay attention, right? “...Hear now My words: If there is a prophet of the Lord among you, I will appear to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream...”

In other words, I will speak to him indirectly, in a vision or in a dream. “...Not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. I will speak with him face to face and clearly, not in figures...”

In other words, this man you have there—I speak directly to this man. I respect him and value his leadership so much that I speak to him face to face. Do not ask me to explain it fully, because I cannot conceive of God speaking to him, but the Bible says Moses was in the very presence of God and saw God when He passed by him like this, although it says that he saw only His back. I believe that when God says “face to face” here, He means, in other words, “I speak directly to him.” I do not have to go through a dream in his psyche, in his mind, or through a symbolic vision. No, I speak to him clearly and directly, with words he can understand.

“...and he sees the form of the Lord. Why, then, were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”...

In other words, given the value I place on this man, on this leader, why did you show no respect and start talking behind his back?

“...Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and He departed, and the cloud moved away from the tabernacle. And behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow...” Instantly, Miriam became completely leprous; she was covered with leprosy.

Now, do not ask me why poor Miriam was the only one who paid the price for this, and not Aaron too—poor women, always. I believe that what... That is why people often have difficulty interpreting the Word of God and assign other kinds of values to the Bible so they can explain it according to their own frameworks.

I believe Miriam was the ringleader; I suspect that is why God judged her—not because she was a woman, but because she was Miriam. Why do I think that? First, because she is the one left in that condition, and God is very clear and very just in these matters. But how interesting that the chapter says, “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses.” Why might it not have said “Aaron and Miriam” instead? Aaron had much more authority than Miriam; he was a priest. I suspect Miriam had something to do with this and was perhaps the instigator of it all. Again, not because she was a woman, but because in that case she was the one who led the... and she bore...

It says that when God departed, she was completely covered with leprosy. “...And Aaron said to Moses, ‘Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, for we have acted foolishly and have sinned. Please do not let her be like a stillborn child whose flesh is half consumed when it comes out of its mother’s womb.’ Then Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, ‘I beg You, O God, heal her now...’”

Look here at Moses’ goodness. Instead of saying, “Well, she had it coming.” Sometimes you feel like praying an imprecatory psalm right then and hurling it at the people who harass you, right? But no, no. Moses goes—and Moses did that several times. Moses interceded for the people several times when God was going to destroy them because of their rebellion, and Moses said, “Lord, do not do it; please give them one more little chance,” and so on. And here it says:

“Moses goes and cries out, saying, ‘I beg You, O God, heal her now.’ And the Lord answered Moses, ‘If her father had spit in her face, would she not be ashamed for seven days? Let her be put outside the camp for seven days, and afterward she may return to the congregation...’”

Why? Because a leprous person could never remain among the people; that person was cast outside. So He said, if she had offended her father and her father had spit on her... These are—remember, brothers and sisters—we are talking about biblical frameworks. One of the things that impresses me about the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, is this idea of authority—the authority of parents, for example. It is one of those things that—well, I am getting a little ahead of myself, but brothers and sisters, let me tell you: every day God places within me a weightier sense of concern for the young generation and its lack of respect for its parents. And I believe God’s judgment is upon that generation unless it repents of its attitude toward its parents.

And if you will allow me to speak as a prophet at this moment, I speak to you this way because part of what I have to say is in a prophetic spirit, as I also did last Sunday. And I believe that God’s heart is offended by this generation because of its lack of respect for father and mother. And if they want to be healed, they will have to learn to submit to their fathers and their mothers. The first Father is the heavenly Father, and from there on down. What I am saying is something terrible; I ask the Lord to examine my heart and keep me from speaking a single word in this sermon that has any kind of root of bitterness, but I know what I am talking about. And I am preaching this sermon in the same spirit in which I preached last Sunday, because I know that God has something in these matters and that, for God to use His church and for God to bless the nations, we must first set the matter of authority straight. The curse of this generation and of this society is its rebelliousness, its inability to submit to anything, and its questioning of everything having to do with authority.

Then God says to Moses, well, if she had offended her father and her father had spat on her, would she not have to remain outside the congregation in shame for seven days? So I am going to listen to you, but she will remain leprous for seven days. And afterward she will return to the congregation. Miriam was put out of the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam rejoined them. She held up the Hebrew people.

You know that they were wandering around in the wilderness; they would stop, go somewhere else, and so on. They had to wait for seven days while poor Miriam was out there recovering, and after seven days God healed her and then, after disciplining her, brought her back into fellowship with His people.

“...And afterward the people departed from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran...”

Do you see, brothers and sisters, the seriousness of submission to authority? But I want to elaborate on this a little more. Now then, the first point I want to make here is this: the universe is governed by principles of authority. The physical world—the cosmos, the planets, the seas, matter itself—is governed by principles of authority. The human body is governed by a principle of authority. These are called the laws of nature, the laws of biology, chemistry, and physics, but it is the same thing: authority.

Look at Psalm 104 so that you may understand this, because this idea that the universe itself is governed by principles of authority is something new. I want to move from the physical to other aspects. Look at what Psalm 104 says, beginning in verse 5. Speaking of God, it says: You founded the earth upon its foundations; it shall never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At Your rebuke they fled; at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away.

The psalmist is anthropomorphizing; it is a simile, a comparison of nature to a man submitting to the authority of the One who created it.

At Your rebuke they fled; at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away. Look at what it says here in verse 8—this is the most important one, along with verse 9: The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place You founded for them. You set a boundary that they shall not cross, nor shall they return to cover the earth.

God set boundaries for them; He set limits for the sea and the valleys, and He tells them, you must abide by what I establish for you, by the laws to which I subject and submit you.

You see, the planets travel around in their orbits because there is a law called the law of gravity that confines the planets to an elliptical motion, not a circular one. The planets want to break free and fly away, but the attraction of other things, other bodies, holds them; and that desire to break free, together with the attraction, interestingly enough, keeps them revolving continually.

But the physical universe is governed by laws, by authority that God has established. Now, the spiritual world—my second point—is also governed by a principle of authority. In Scripture we see that there are angels, archangels, and seraphim. The Bible speaks of elders, twenty-four elders before the throne of God. The Bible speaks of principalities and powers; there are rulers of darkness. The demonic world has different levels. There are extremely powerful demons that rule nations, regions, and cities. There are other demons that are simply demons of wickedness, very localized and very small, and sometimes even stupid and foolish, but they are demons too, and they have their own specialty. But there are demons that rule over great numbers of other demons.

What are they called? When Christ asks the demons in the man from the country of the Gadarenes, “What is your name?” it says, “Legion, because we are many.” A Roman legion was a group governed by very, very carefully laid-out rules. So the spiritual world is governed by hierarchies, by levels of authority. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself says that He submits to the Father. Christ says, I do nothing except what I hear from My Father. And the Lord was always, and is, subject to the Father.

Look at what First Corinthians, chapter 15, says. I am speaking now about the spiritual world; I spoke about the physical world, and now I want to speak about the spiritual world, which is also governed by principles of authority. Chapter 15, verse 22, says:

“...For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his proper order—God is a God of order—Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming; then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He has put an end to all rule and all authority and power...”

In other words, God will not rest from His redemptive work until the smallest demon and the greatest one are subject to His authority, until all presidents acknowledge that He is God, until all nations submit at His feet, until matter itself, which is in rebellion against God, also submits to God. Everything—until every principle of authority and every thought is brought captive to the Father, God will not rest; He will not be at ease.

Then it says here, “...and the last enemy that will be destroyed is death.” Verse 27 says, “For He has put all things under His feet.” And when it says that all things have been subjected to Him, it is clear that He who subjected all things to Him is excepted. In other words, God stands outside that chain of authority because He is the One who subjects all things.

Look at what verse 28 says—a beautiful verse. It says, “...But when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all...”

What a beautiful passage. When the Lord has completed His executive work of bringing everything under His lordship, He will take His crown, hand it to the Father, and say, You reign now; I have already done My part, and now I submit to You as well. What a beautiful image.

Brothers and sisters, why? Because the principle of authority is something very, very powerful, and it reigns. That is why knowing how to function according to the principles that govern the universe and the spiritual world is so important. And in many ways, this generation—people have forgotten to teach their children; this society has forgotten to teach submission to authority. Quite the opposite: nowadays the idea of questioning authority is exalted. Is that true or not? All the time, as I am driving along the highway, I come across one of those bumper stickers that says, “Question authority.” Question authority. Nowadays that, instead, is what is preached: questioning authority. Nowadays, questioning authority is seen as a virtue and as a sign of sophistication, strength, and emotional vigor, is it not? Go to any university in the United States and you will see that the principle of questioning authority is continually emphasized. Schools emphasize questioning authority, and that is why, many times, when our children come home, how can we expect them to submit to their parents?

Do you know something, brothers and sisters? Throughout the centuries, cultures have depended on an entire system of reinforcement so that children would submit to their parents. Unfortunately, nowadays only a few small groups of institutions remain that preach submission to parental authority, and generally we are fighting against an entire cultural system that tears down with its feet what we try to build with our hands. That is why it is often so difficult, because in the past the whole system cooperated: the child heard the same thing at school, at church, on the street, in the neighborhood, and in whatever means of communication there were. Everything said, respect your father; honor your parents. Children’s literature, adult literature—everything emphasized that principle: respect for authority. That has changed radically, especially here in the United States and then, with all its repercussions, in Europe, particularly since the 1960s, with all this rebelliousness and rebellion that came to spread throughout modern culture.

Rebelliousness has come to be exalted as a governing principle of society. And our children drink that milk. One of the things I appreciate about the Catholic Church is its understanding of authority. It may have many errors and many other things, but there is a concept of authority that I believe has enabled that institution to remain in existence for two thousand years. There is respect for the authority of the priest, the bishop, the cardinal, and the pope. And I have seen that a person who is a good Catholic generally becomes a good evangelical—an even better evangelical—because they learn what the principle of authority is.

Many times in the churches, Protestantism, with its exaltation of the priesthood of every believer, has thrown the baby out with the bathwater, as we say, and has simply pursued questioning and fragmentation. Everyone has authority; each church is an authority unto itself; no one respects anyone; there is no direction in the church; and all of us are as though each one had gone his own way—we are scattered.

And let me tell you something—listen to it whether you want to believe it or not—I know that God will not do what He wants to do on this earth until the Church of Jesus Christ is united under authority, until the Church flows under principles of apostolic authority. I do not know how that is going to happen, but it will have to happen, because that is the only way God can work through His people: one Church speaking one thing under a definite authority, directed, blessed, and enlightened by God; and the people have to submit. The churches have to submit to spiritual authority.

And again, I qualify that very carefully, and I will do so at some point, but again, I do not want to get ahead of many things. This is profound. As I speak, I realize that it might take a couple of sermons to explain all of this, but I am giving you something very important; I am giving you spiritual steak, brothers and sisters—not because it comes from me, but because the Word of God says it.

If you listen to it, you will be blessed; if you rebel against what I am telling you, you will be judged. I tell you this with all the affection and love of a father. God knows my heart: there is not the slightest bitterness in what I am saying at this moment, but rather a great desire to bless each one of you, and my own life as well.

So this is important—how beautiful: the Son submits to the Father after taking everything that was in rebellion against God and delivering it to the Father; and then He includes Himself in the whole order as well, submits, and salutes the Father.

The universe is governed by a principle of authority; the spiritual world is governed by a principle of authority. Third, all the sin and tragedy in the world arise from rebellion and disobedience. All your headaches, brothers and sisters; the collision you had when you were parking and slammed into the steel post in front of you; the time you stubbed your big toe at night while walking in the dark—all of that is due to a sin that took place thousands of years ago. All the evil in the world comes from acts of rebellion and disobedience.

The first one—do you know what it is? You will say, Adam and Eve. Do you know what the first one was, before that? Who knows how many thousands of years earlier, when Lucifer, the morning star, the most powerful and greatest archangel God had created, rebelled against his Creator.

Turn with me for a moment to Isaiah 14. Am I boring you yet, brothers and sisters? Okay, let us go to Isaiah chapter 14, beginning with verse 12. These are very important things. I do not know whether I will finish all of it, but that is all right; I will cover what I can, and we will see whether God allows me to continue later.

Isaiah chapter 14, verse 12. Many scholars of Scripture, with great spiritual understanding, affirm that this passage definitely refers to Satan, to the origins of the devil himself. Look at what it says here, chapter 14, verse 12:

“...How you have fallen from heaven, O Morning Star, son of the morning—there is no man to whom this could refer—...you were cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations, you who said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; high above, beside the stars of God, I will raise my throne, and on the mount of assembly I will sit, on the sides of the north; above the heights of the clouds I will ascend, and I will be like the Most High. Yet you are brought down to Sheol, to the sides of the abyss. Those who see you will lean toward you; they will gaze at you, saying, Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a wilderness, who devastated its cities, who never opened the prison for his prisoners?

The passage is long, and there are other passages in Scripture that complement this one and speak clearly of that marvelous being who rebels against his Creator, wants to make himself equal to Him, and whom God overthrows and casts down. And that rebellious being whom God casts down drags other angels along with him too, Scripture says, because we do not have the whole drama clearly laid out in the Bible, but we do know a little bit here and there: that some kind of rebellion took place, instigated by that exalted creature whom God created, and that those are the demons who today do so much harm to humanity, those preternatural beings who contaminate the world and human life with their wickedness and with their nature, corrupted and damaged by their distance from God; and so they transfer their corruption to humanity when they touch it, manipulate it, tempt it, and cause it to stumble, because there is wickedness in them, because they are completely separated from the grace of God.

And that being whom God knocks down and overthrows because of his arrogance and his desire to subvert the Father’s authority is the being who then whispers to Adam and Eve, who appears in the Garden of Eden and says to them, You are believing that gloomy old man who is telling you that if you eat from that tree, you are going to die. What He wants is to spoil your fun; what He does not want is for you to enjoy yourselves and have a good time. Eat, and you will see that everything is fine. And Adam and Eve allow themselves to be guided by what that evil being tells them; they fall, disobey God, and wickedness comes into the world—sin, death, suffering, separation from God.

You see, my brothers and sisters, that rebellion, the violation of that principle of authority, is what causes corruption to come into the world. Can you understand, then, why God looks with such displeasure, wrath, and indignation when He sees rebellion in a human being, in the individual? Because He knows that all the evil in the cosmos, in human reality, comes from rebellious hearts, from acts of rebellion and disobedience.

Then it is clear to me that this is why God... and you remember the passage I examined last Sunday: Samuel says to Saul, Saul, do you not understand that rebellion, to God, is like witchcraft; disobedience to the Lord is as if you were committing an act of witchcraft, of divination, which is something God abhors, one of the things He abhors most, because that principle of rebellion and disobedience has caused humanity so much harm throughout the centuries, and that is why we must continually examine ourselves, brothers and sisters.

Lord, is there rebellion in my heart? Is there rebellion in my spirit against my authorities? Is there rebellion in my spirit against...? Because we all have authorities—against anything that challenges me. You see, there are many people who have been psychologically wounded by a father who abused them, by a mother who gave them no affection, by an employer who exploited them, by a police officer who slapped them one day, or by a neighbor who abused them in some way when they were children; and they grow up with a certain feeling, there is a root of bitterness in them, they cannot submit to anyone, they have rebellion in their heart, and then they walk around carrying that, and it harms them.

They cannot submit to a pastor, they cannot submit to a police officer, they cannot submit to a politician, to a governor, because in their heart there is a little machine telling them, No, rebel, question, do not let yourself be controlled. They are acting under a harmful psychological energy that, until it is resolved, will cause that person to stumble continually.

And that is why it is so important, man, woman, that we always ask ourselves, Is there in me any root of bitterness against authority? Because that principle, that energy, always causes harm in human life. How many young people, brothers and sisters, are rebelling against their parents and harbor resentment toward their parents? And perhaps many times, do you know what? The parents have behaved inappropriately, or perhaps it is simply that they are human, because I believe that parents have always been parents and that we have always been human throughout the centuries.

Nowadays, it is simply this idea that if the father is imperfect or the mother is imperfect, then I do not have to obey them. Look, throughout thousands of years of existence on earth, parents have always made mistakes, and they have always caused harm, because that is how it is. The Bible says it clearly; that is not enough. Now, of course, if there is sexual abuse, if there is physical abuse, and other things, then definitely, look, child, flee your home. But if it is a well-intentioned father or mother who is doing everything possible to raise their children and makes mistakes, child, bless your father, obey, submit, because I see many children, even adults, wandering around the earth who have not resolved their resentment toward their parents, and judgment hangs over their heads.

There is something there; there is a mystery. God cannot bless a person who is angry with his father or mother and who lives in rebellion and resentment. Set things right with your father or mother, because it is in your own best interest. That is a biblical principle.

That is why, parents, let us make it as easy as possible for our children to submit, so that we do not put them in situations where they find themselves fighting against a universal principle that will harm them. I believe that the worst sin a father or mother can commit is to abuse their children, to exasperate them to the point that their children become rebellious, because they are cursing them twice over. They are causing them psychological and emotional wounds, and they are setting them against the God they serve, who wants—and who says—obey your father, honor your father and your mother, and if not... Forgive; forgiving does not mean that by doing so you are justifying what they may have done to you, but get out from under that cloud of judgment as soon as you can. Set things right. You do not have to be one hundred percent devoted; if your father was not worthy of active honor, or your mother, or whatever, all right, but at least accept authority, reconcile with them, submit.

The same applies, let us say, in the pastorate, brothers and sisters. Look, throughout more than twenty years of ministry, I have rarely seen a person prosper spiritually while rebelling against his pastor or his authorities—not because it is me or whoever it may be—and again, I am not saying this for my own sake. I assure you, brothers and sisters, I thank the Lord that I preach this in a church that I love and that I know loves and respects me. There is no issue here; I am not trying to heal from something or anything of the sort. I feel that I have the respect of the vast, vast majority of my brothers and sisters. I am speaking purely in a very neutral way, so do not think that my wife did not give me breakfast this morning and that I am upset. No, no, this is something very general: universal principles that I feel I am preaching under God’s anointing for your blessing.

There are people who are engaged in struggle and conflict with their pastors, and I fear that they do not understand that there is a shadow over their lives. It would be better—look, brother or sister—if you cannot submit to your pastor or respect his spiritual authority, my advice as a spiritual father is that you find another church, not for the church’s sake or for mine, but for your own, so that you do not live in spiritual conflict and under judgment before God. Leave in a healthy way and find a church where you can feel at ease and respect your pastor, so that God’s blessing may flow over your life, because God has called us to peace, not to strife, because this is a spiritual principle.

Now, let me add something else, because these matters are so complicated that one wishes one had ten mouths to speak at the same time and say everything all at once. Let me tell you something: pastors are not perfect, elders are not perfect, spiritual authorities are not perfect; many mistakes are made, and I believe that the principle of engaging in dialogue with one’s pastors is important. I benefit from having a diaconate made up of people before whom I know I have to walk very carefully. They love me, they respect me, but if they have to tell me something, they will tell me. I have never sought people who say yes, yes, yes to everything; on the contrary, I am afraid of that kind of person because I know it is not good for me. I like having people who are prepared to tell me the truth even if it bothers me. And in my church government, I like people with authority who will not go along with me in things that are not right, for my own protection.

So I believe—and, brothers and sisters, I also believe—that if a member of the congregation sees his pastor doing something improper or disagrees with something, he should feel free to go to his pastor with love, humility, and gentleness and say, Pastor, I see this and this and this. Explain to me what is happening, and so forth. And I encourage you, brothers and sisters, in the same way: if you want to give me advice, I will be grateful for that advice. If I get upset afterward, I will go home, take two aspirins, and think about what you told me. If you have something to say, say it, and then let the Lord take control and act. I believe I know how to listen to the truth, and although I bristle and it hurts, I listen to it, receive it, and submit to it in the vast majority of cases.

In other words, I am not saying here that we should say yes to everything, never question authority, or look upon the pastor as though he were God incarnate on earth. No. What I am saying is that we must govern ourselves according to that principle of submission to authorities; questioning authority should be a measure of last resort, not of first resort as it is in our time, because there is a blessing in that. I know our time is already gone; it has been long, there have been many things, and I am barely a third of the way through my message. There are so many things that must be pulled together, so many loose ends that must be tied up, that I am even afraid to leave things like this, like a mechanic who pulls all the wires out of the car and then has it sitting there and has to close the hood.

But I believe you have received enough to meditate on, and I will do everything possible to pick up the thread next Sunday. But may the Lord—I am going to ask the musicians and the worship team to come up here quickly—may the Lord, brothers and sisters, begin to work in our hearts concerning the importance of our flowing in gentleness, obedience, and submission to authorities. Brothers and sisters, I guarantee you one thing: being a gentle and humble person who submits to authority, rather than making you a doormat for people to walk on, will make you a man or woman who is more powerful in the spirit.

When a strong man or woman submits to authority on the basis of spiritual principle, God blesses them. Brothers and sisters, let me tell you that there is nothing more beautiful I have seen on earth than a young man in all his masculinity, or a young woman in all her feminine beauty and intellect, submitting to her father and mother; that is the most beautiful thing in the world. That immediately evokes my respect and my desire to bless that person. There is nothing more beautiful than a soldier in his uniform and wearing his medals saluting his superior; that is beautiful.

Authority and submission to authority, when displayed in all their beauty, are the most beautiful thing in the world. Never think that if you submit to authority, you will be a good-for-nothing, a puppet, a person unworthy of respect. Quite the contrary: a society, a family, a church governed by principles of authority, where male authority is submitted to God, to His Word, to the wisdom that comes from God, and to Christ’s love—the love that leads a man to love his wife as himself, love his children, and give everything for them—is precious. A woman who submits to a husband who lives under the authority of Christ and His Word is beautiful. Children who submit to their parents are beautiful. Workers who submit to their authorities, who in turn submit to God’s principles of not exploiting the worker and of treating him as a human being, with respect, are beautiful.

And God says, Children, live according to principles of authority. Lion of Judah, Lion of Judah congregation, My children, My family, flow according to principles of authority, and I will bless you. I will pour blessing upon your heads until it overflows. May the Lord bless His people, may He bless us all, and may He help us live according to principles of spiritual authority. Amen.

May the Lord bless His holy word. Glory to God. Glory to the Lord. Let us stand, brothers and sisters; let us give glory to God for His word. I hope that this week we can meditate on that, and with the Lord’s help, next Sunday we will continue meditating on these principles, which are life; they are life if we apply them. Thank You, Father; we submit to Your word, Lord. Help us to be humble, meek, and simple-hearted people. Help us to understand these principles, Father, and to govern ourselves by them. I bless the young people, and I bless the parents, and I bless this church, Father, and I ask You that it may be a church worthy, Lord, of Your blessing as it lives according to Your principles. Thank You, Jesus; in Your name we ask these things. Amen and amen. May the Lord continue to bless you.