Series Summary: A lot of us struggle to trust the authority figures in our lives—even God! But as we see at various points throughout the gospel narrative, God is trustworthy, and we have plenty of reason to submit to His authority in our lives even when it feels difficult!

Video Messages Included

Week 1 (Genesis 2:15-17; 3:2-5 ESV)

Intro: Most of us don’t love hearing the words “because I said so” from an authority figure. But when it comes down to it, what we’re really considering when deciding whether we’re going to submit to authority (whether God or an adult) is whether or not they’re trustworthy.

Truth: God demonstrated Himself to be trustworthy to Adam and Eve, but they eventually still chose to trust in their own wisdom and understanding instead of submitting to His. As a result, we’re all living in a broken world. We hate the things that have come as a result of Adam and Eve’s no. So why would we continually make the same mistake they did?

The Point: We say yes because Adam and Eve said no

Week 2 (Genesis 22:1-3, 16-18 ESV)

Intro: One of the hardest parts about submitting to “because I said so” is that sometimes the thing you’re being told to do just doesn’t seem to make any sense. That’s true in human relationships and with God.

Truth: Abraham experienced a moment exactly like that when God told him to sacrifice his long-awaited son, Isaac. But Abraham submitted to God’s “because I said so,” and it resulted in the establishment of the bloodline that Jesus would eventually be born into.

The Point: God’s uncommon sense > your common sense

Week 3 (Genesis 26:1-5, 24 ESV)

Intro: Over the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring the tension of why we sometimes hesitate to submit to authority figures in our life—especially God.

Truth: Isaac had to endure difficulties of his own as a result of saying yes to God. Having Abraham as his dad wasn’t enough. Isaac had to choose for himself as he grew older. And, because he chose over and over to submit to God’s authority even when things were difficult, the promise of God continued through him and on to the next generation.

The Point: It’s about Who you know, not who you know

Week 4 (Luke 5:1-11 ESV)

Intro: Another difficult part of saying yes to God is that you don’t always have any idea how your decision is going to influence your future.

Truth: That was definitely the case for the disciples—who dropped everything in order to follow Jesus. They didn’t just say yes to Jesus that one time. They wound up continuing to face the challenge of trusting and submitting every day as their lives got more and more difficult.

The Point: “Yes” is a daily decision

Week 5 (Matthew 26:36-44 ESV)

Intro: If, after the last month of talking about all of this, you’re still not convinced it’s worth saying yes to God, that’s okay! You have a lifetime ahead of you of God inviting you to follow Him, and no one has it all totally figured out.

Truth: In fact, even Jesus Himself struggled with submission when He was about to go to the cross. Jesus knew that the plan was for Him to die, but when the moment came, He tried asking God for a way out. Ultimately, Jesus chose to trust and submit, though. And that’s because He knew that His pain would lead to our redemption.

The Point: We say yes because Jesus said yes for our sake