Theme: Fruit of Self Control
Text: 1 Peter 5:8-9
Greetings
The Lord is good; his love endures forever. I greet you all in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Introduction
“Fruit of the Spirit” is ONE fruit (not multiple) and that all 9-traits were happening in a person who is of the Spirit. This is not a list to work on, but a guide for self-examination of oneself, to see if I truly have the Spirit or not. These traits are not put in order but they are multifaceted of one fruit.
Peter wrote to the disciples who were scattered all over the province or the entire readers that “Be Self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him and stand firm in the faith…” (1 Peter 5:8-9).
This self-control refers to the control of words, control of deeds or actions. These are under the influence of the Spirit of God.
I would like to share with you three important controls, Control of your body, control of your spirit and your mind/soul.
1. Self-controlled Body:
Bible says, ‘A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls (Proverbs 25:28). ‘Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. (Proverbs 16:32).
Paul, after doing the self-examination said: ‘But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified (2 Corinthians 9:27). “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body (1 Corinthians 6:12-13).
Paul told Titus to “urge the younger men to be self-controlled” (Titus 2:6) and ‘Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness’ (Titus 2:2). 2 Samuel 13:7-14 Amnon did a foolish vile thing. Went to lie with his stepsister. God hated this foolish act. So, God rejected him from the throne to succeed King David. Acts 24:25 Paul spoke the relationship between justice righteousness and self-control with Governor Felix. John the Baptist warned King Herod, so he was beheaded the Prophet rather than repenting of his sin.
Romans 1:24-28 God gave them up in the list of their hearts to impurity to the degrading of their bodies. Degrading passions. Consumed with passions. Committed shameless acts. God gave them up to debased minds. 1 Corinthians 7:5 aimed at those who thought that abstaining from sexual relations in marriage was spiritual (1 Corinthians 7:9, Colossians 2:23). They talk trickly and bring them under their trap of fornication and adultery. They love the pleasure of a day and are thrown off the permanent grace of God (2 Peter 2:12-14,18-19). Jude 4
Joseph controlled himself and proved his integrity in work pressure, he never yielded to and suffered from the sexual harassment. His guiding principle was the Omniscient of God (Genesis 39:7-12 ). Job boldly told his friends that he made a covenant with his eyes not to Roaming around the opposite sex (Job 31:1,30). Jesus Christ has proved himself at various occasions of his pure love to the people (Isaiah 53:7, Mark 14:61, Matthew 27:27-30)
2. Self-Controlled Tongue:
For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison (James 3:2, 6-8).
Moses was such a wonderful man of God. He was a fiery prophet. A Man of God, who walked with God, talked to God's face to face. But, Moses failed to control his words by the waters of Meribah. The rash words came from the lips of Moses. So he lost the entry to Canaan (Psalm 106:32-33).
Controlled speech is needed to make a person Wise and graceful. David professes that he has set a guard over his mouth and he kept watch over his lips (Psalm 141:3). He further says that his mouth never transgressed (Psalm 17:3, James 1:19)
Solomon warns not to give guarantees to anyone. Words will bind you and will kill you (Proverbs 6:1-3), prophecy warns and builds people (Proverbs 29:18), The mind of the wise makes their speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to their lips. Pleasant words are like a honeycomb (Proverbs 16:23-24), watching over mouth and tongue Keeps a person out of trouble (Proverbs 21:23).
Preacher says in his writings “never be rash with your mouth, and let your words be few (Ecclesiastes 5:2), James says control your tongue, don’t hastily utter words and don’t give advice with putting into practice in your own life (James 3:1-12).
3. Self-controlled Soul/mind:
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).
A mental discipline - prepare your minds for action discipline yourselves (1 Peter 1:13, 1 Peter 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8). Paul says that ‘Every athlete exercises self-control in all things (1 Corinthians 9:25).
Self-control has been defined as the ability to control one’s emotions and behaviour in the face of temptations and impulses. Self-control is willing ourselves to be obedient to the Spirit of God and avoid sinful practices. We need a lot of help in fighting our three-fold enemies, namely the Devil, the World, and the Flesh and we can’t do this by ourselves (Ref: whatchristianswanttoknow.com).
“Don’t love the world - the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes and pride of the Riches. All these are passing away” (1 John 2:15-17).
Being a product or fruit of the Holy Spirit means having the Holy Spirit is a prerequisite. Self-control comes from the indwelling and transformation by the Holy Spirit. Biblical self-control means choosing to give up trying to control things on our own, surrendering to God for help, and working alongside Him for real change. (gentlechristianparenting.com).
Benefits of Self-Control: Self-control brings godliness, it makes us participate in the divine nature, keeps us from being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of Lord Jesus Christ, and we will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:3-11).
Are you struggling with your self-control? What are the areas you were not in control of?
Are you eating out of proportion?
Are you sleeping as a sluggard? (1 Thessalonians 5:6-8).
Are you sunk in the entertainment?
There are dangers of a loss of self-control. Today is a day of repentance and time to resurgence. Make use of the opportunity to bounce back and run the race.
