Self Control
Pre: Self control is an awesome thing to behold. Perhaps this is because so few of us have obtained it. We respect those who demonstrate it.
Intro: Little boy selling a push lawnmower. Baptist preacher come
along and wanted to buy it and asked did it run. "Yes sir", said
the boy. The preacher pulled and pulled on the rope and said,
"Son, this thing won’t start." The boy said, "That’s ‘cause you
‘gotta’ cuss it." The preacher said, "Son, I’m a Baptist preacher,
and I haven’t cussed in 18 years." Boy said, "Keep pulling; it’ll
come back to you."
The Problem is that some times old habits "Come Back to You".
It Takes Self Control to keep it from coming back
Text: 22 But the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. There is no law that says these things are wrong. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their own sinful selves. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do. 25 We get our new life from the Spirit, so we should follow the Spirit. 26 We must not be proud or make trouble with each other or be jealous of each other.
I. WHAT IS SELF-CONTROL?
The closest Hebrew word is TUSHIYYA, which is translated, "discretion."
Prov. 3:21-23 "My son, let them not depart from your eyes-- Keep sound wisdom and discretion; So they will be life to your soul And grace to your neck. Then you will walk safely in your way, And your foot will not stumble."
The Greek word is EGKRATES, which means "self-restrained, disciplined, as an athlete in training."
Truths about a SELF-CONTROLED LIFE:
1. Has positive goals
2. Involves discipline
3. Includes every part of a person: body, mind,
emotions and will
4. Requires exercise
5. Means total submission to the coach and his
training rules
By these five principles, we can check our own "self-control
level:"
-1. Do we have spiritual goals and godly priorities, and are we planning to achieve these goals and objectives one step at a time?
-2. Do we discipline ourselves to do the things we know God wants us to do and not to do the things God has forbidden?
-3. Do we seek to control every part of our lives? Our bodies? Our minds and imaginations? Our emotions? Our wills?
-4. Do we keep up with our daily spiritual exercises - reading
God’s words, praying, witnessing, praising and worshiping God,
fellow shipping with other believers, etc.?
-5. Do we daily submit to the control of Christ and His Spirit following the rules He has laid out for us in His rule book, the Bible?
SELF-CONTROL is "Living a well-disciplined life - under the controlling influence of God the Spirit."
II. HOW IS SELF-CONTROL EXPRESSED?
A. Control of our bodies:
Moderation is the key - avoiding extremes, living a well-balanced physical life. This would include: eating, drinking, exercise, work, etc.
B. Control of Our Tongues:
James 3:7, 8 "Every kind of beast has been tamed by man, but
the tongue can no man control, it is an uncontrolled evil."
There are four main "sins of speech"
1. LYING
Ephesians 4:25 "Therefore, putting away lying, ’Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another."
2. FOUL LANGUAGE
Ephesians 4:29
"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is
good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the
hearers"
3. INSULTING OR ABUSIVE LANGUAGE
Proverbs 16:32
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who
rules his spirit than he who takes a city."
4. SLANDER (gossip, character assassination, etc.)
Prov. 10:18
"Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, And whoever spreads
slander is a fool."
The discipline of the tongue can be accomplished by following
three Biblical principles:
1. THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK
Psalm 141:3 "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips."
2. SPEAK ONLY THE TRUTH
Psalm 15:1&2 "LORD, who shall dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart;"
3. SPEAK THE TRUTH, ONLY IN LOVE
Ephesians 4:15
"but, speaking the truth in love, [you] may grow up in all things
into Him who is the head--Christ--"
C. Control of our Sexuality
How?
-1. Follow God’s standards
-2. Accept sex as a "gift of God" in marriage only
-3. Understand that control must begin in our thoughts and
imaginations
There are actually only six places in the NT where the word,
temperance or self-control is used. Let’s take time to look at
each:
-1. Acts 24:25 "Now as he [Paul] reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, ’Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.’"
Paul witnessed to Felix about three areas of his life that he
didn’t want to hear about: righteousness, self-control and
judgment to come.
-2. 1 Corinthians 9:25 "And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown." We need to give our all to be disciplined- in every area of our lives.
-3. Titus 1:8 [An Elder must be] "hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled." Spiritual leaders must be self- controlled, disciplined individuals.
-4. Titus 2:2 "that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience." Older men are to be examples to the younger men of "self-controlled disciplined lives."
-5. 2 Peter 1:5-8 "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." Self-control is an integral part of the balanced Christian life.
-6. Galatians 5:22&23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control. Against such there is no law." "Self -Control" is the final fruit of the Spirit which enables us to bear all the others. It takes self-disciplined, Spirit-controlled
living in order to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful and meek!
III. HOW CAN WE DEVELOP GREATER SELF-CONTROL?
A. We can set spiritual goals and
priorities and plan to achieve those goals one objective at a
time. Pick a fruit and ask God to show you how to practice it
each day until it becomes part of your life.
B. We can be faithful in our daily
"spiritual exercises." (Did you make a commitment to faithfully
read the Bible and pray 15 minutes a day?
C. We can yield the control of our
body, mind, emotions and will to God each day!
D. We can pray for grace not to yield
to the sinful desires of our body or tongue.
E. We can allow the Holy Spirit to
take control of our whole being every day by FAITH!
This is the KEY CONCEPT - Self-Control really isn’t self control; rather, it is the control of one’s self by the Holy Spirit!
Let’s not kid ourselves: Godliness is going to take discipline, it is
going to take hard work, it is going to take self-denial, it is going to take spiritual exercise - but ultimately, self-control can only be accomplished by total submission of our lives to the Coach, Jesus Christ and His Holy Trainer - the Spirit!
