August 8, 2010

Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Galatians: A Grace-full Life

A basket of fruit: Self Control  a gift of the Spirit (Part 10)

Sermon Series: Galatians: A Grace-full Life

Title: : A basket of fruit: Self Control a gift of the Spirit (Part 10)  Text: Galatians 5:22-24

 

Introduction: During his term as President, Lyndon Johnson was somewhat overweight. One day his wife challenged him with this blunt assertion ‘You can’t run the country if you can’t run yourself.’ Listening to his wife, as all wise men do, he lost 23 lbs. (Jeff Armbrester)

 

Self control is hard...I know! But a life w/o self-control brings with it many more troubles.

 

ILL: Admiral Phipps was commander of the British fleet in 1750  when the British and French were fighting in Canada.  He was commanded to anchor outside of Quebec and given orders to wait for the British land forces to arrive. Then he was to support them when they attacked the city. Phipps’ navy arrived early. As the admiral waited, he became annoyed by the statues of the saints that adorned the towers of a nearby cathedral. So, he commanded his men to shoot at them with the ships’ cannons. No one knows how many rounds were fired or how many statues were knocked out, but when the land forces arrived and the signal was given to attack, the admiral was of no help. He had used up all his ammunition shooting at the "saints." (Jeff Armbrester)

 

That’s one of the problems with a lack of self-control. We allow the tyranny of the urgent or the desire of the moment to hinder our ability to fulfill our responsibilities later.

 

A lack of self-control can lead to a life out of control.

 

Transition: Open your Bibles to Galatians 5:22 (pg 889 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you.) For it’s there we’ll find Self-Control: the 9th fruit the Holy Spirit places in our spiritual baskets.

 

Galatians 5:22-24                Self-Control

Read: Galatians 5:22-24

 

A. Understanding the fruit

What is self-control?

 

The word most often used by the Apostle Paul  is ‘ekrateia’ which is translated as self-control or temperance. It means to be strong or masterful with something.

 

There are two aspects to understanding self-control:

·       Saying no

·       Saying yes

Let me explain.

Saying No

Self control means to master saying no to yourself.

 

ILL: M. Scott Peck writes in his book "The Road Less Traveled: ‘I spent much of my ninth summer on a bicycle. About a mile from our house the road went down a steep hill and turned sharply at the bottom. Coasting down the hill one morning, I felt my gathering speed to be ecstatic. To give up this ecstasy by applying brakes seemed an absurd self-punishment. So I resolved to simultaneously retain my speed and negotiate the corner. My ecstasy ended seconds later when I was propelled a dozen feet off the road into the woods. I was badly scratched and bleeding, and the front wheel of my new bike was twisted beyond use from its impact against a tree. I had been unwilling to suffer the pain of giving up my ecstatic speed in the interest of maintaining my balance around the corner. I learned, however, that the loss of balance is ultimately more painful than the giving up required to maintain balance.’

 

Bottom line...we don’t want to give up the immediate gratification of enjoyment or pleasure.

 

 

Rather then tell ourselves to slow down, to successfully navigate the turns in life, we head into them, traveling too fast, and end up bruised and hurt.

 

Living without hurt, regret, and pain is so much better than experiencing a fleeing moment of pleasure. God want us to choose wisely...between ‘yes’ and ‘no’ and that’s the basis of self-control.

 

Saying Yes

Self control means to master saying yes to God.

 

Read: 1 Corinthians 10:23 “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive.’

 

Paul isn’t saying we can do anything...we can’t kill, commit adultery or anything else God has forbidden. But we are free to choose between many things that are good and others things that are better. Paul’s point is say yes to the better and do it.

 

Self control is not just expressed in the negative in our lives...in what we say no to. It’s also displayed in what we choose to do, what we say yes to. And what we say yes to should be beneficial, and constructive for our lives and honoring to God.

It’s saying yes to things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness. It is saying yes to walk every day in and by the Holy Spirit.

 

OK, how have others defined define self-control:

·       Self control is the ability to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands--and then eat just one of the pieces. Self restraint, discipline.

·       Self-control in the OT means to ‘get a hold of’ or ‘to get a grip on’ something. To get your hands on something until you are in control of it.

·       Self control is the power to keep oneself in check. Discretion.

 

My take on self control: Self-control is the strength to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’, which comes from waking daily with the Holy Spirit, that enables us to live in the world and not get dirty.

 

Transition: OK...how do we cultivate/grow the fruit of Self-control in our lives?

 

B. Growing the fruit

Is it possible to display self-control in an overindulgent culture?

 

Most of us need and want the fruit of self-control to ripen in our lives.

·       But perhaps there are some who feel that ship has sailed.

·       Perhaps you feel you have struck out so many times trying to control a certain behavior that you feel like just giving up.

 

Before you throw in the towel, please turn with me to what may be the principle passage in the NT on self-control, Titus chapter 2

 

Titus was the pastor in Crete, a city notorious as a ‘party place’. Here is how Paul describes it:

 

Read: Titus 1:12b ‘... Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.’

 

Wow, that pretty much says it. Self control was definatley not a strong point in Crete. But there was a new church growing in Crete and these new Christians, came out of that kind of, out-of-control lifestyle.

 

So it’s no surprise that the Apostle Paul, writing to Pastor Titus, would stress self-control.

 

Read: Titus 2:11-14 ‘For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.’

 

The emphasis in this passage and the key to allowing the fruit of self-control to ripen in our lives... is God’s grace, God’s lavish, extravagant favor poured out on us, the undeserving.

 

According to the text, God’s grace not only saves us...but purifies us...to do what is good...to say yes to God and no to sin. That’s self-control and it ripens by God’s grace.

 

You see, it’s not a matter of getting self-control, you already have it by the Holy Spirits presence in your life. The question is, will you take hold of it,

·       will you avail yourself of the strength you already have by walking/living in the Spirit?

·       And by asking God to give you the grace to ripen the fruit of self-control in your life.

 

OK, briefly lets get specific. How will self-control be displayed in our lives?

 

1.    Self control is cultivated when we set positive goals. We have goals for almost every area of our lives...financial, physical, recreation...why not spiritual goals for your marriage, your business, finances? In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul says ‘Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.’ Self control is cultivated when we set spiritual goals for our lives.

 

2.    Self control is cultivated when we live disciplined lives. Once we set our spiritual goals, we then need to prepare and train to achieve our goals. That’s discipline. Every choice you make will determine how quickly and successfully you reach your goals. You will never reach your spiritual goals if you are not disciplined.

 

3.    Self control is cultivated when we start small. What you are going to be tomorrow, you are becoming today. It’s essential to begin to cultivate self-control in a small way today, in order to be disciplined in a big way tomorrow. Make sense? Start small, gain small victories and God will grow and ripen the fruit of self control in your life.

4.    Self control is cultivated when we start strategically. What I mean by that, is to be organized. Look at the areas in your life that are out of control. You can’t tackle them all at once or in one day. So, look at your three weakest areas. If you aren’t sure what they are, just ask your spouse. Then ask yourself which one you struggle with the most. That’s where you begin. One step, one out of control area at a time.

 

5.    Self control is cultivated when we start now. Don’t put it off. Don’t wait till a more convenient time. Don’t rationalize that you’ll start when you get your life together....hey, it’s not together and never will be if you don’t start now!

 

Conclusion

Self-control is hard. But the only thing that’s hindering the ripening and display of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, is our resistance to the leading of the Holy Spirit...in other words.

What can we do?

 

 

 

 

·       Admit to God that you have a problem with self-control.

·       Ask Him to give you the strength to yield to His leading in your life.

·       Set spiritual goals

·       Develop a disciplined mind and life

·       And Start today

·       Most importantly, trust in God’s grace, to make you...can I say it..fruity.