Sermon for 10/22/06

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Sermon for 10/22/06
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So you want to be like Christ? - SELF CONTROL: Holding Back

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN

Main Theme: This series is designed to take us past the good news of God’s grace! Grace is amazing but it is completely God driven. AFTER salvation comes the task that includes our participation: Becoming more and more Christ-like; the purpose of a Christian’s life! How we grow deeper in love with Jesus requires an intentional lifestyle aimed at becoming godly, not religious! We will look at 8 essential disciplines that will help our relationship with Jesus grow! Today, in our 7^th week, we explore how the lack of self-control leads to painful consequences. We all have an inner “civil war” inside us, that we are not fight alone. To be self-controlled is to be Spirit-controlled. The problem is our self-centered nature (flesh) that only God (living within us) can control. (Based on Chuck Swindoll’s book “So, you want to be like Christ?” and other research.)

1) SELF-CONTROL! In "The Road Less Traveled”, Scott Peck once wrote how he spent much of his 9th summer on a bicycle. One day he was headed down a steep hill that had a sharp curve at the bottom. As his speed increased, so did his pleasure! His brain quickly convinced him that to give up this “ecstasy” by applying brakes amounted to absurd self-punishment. So he chose to retain his speed AND negotiate the corner. Naturally, both his body and bike ended up busted. Unable to control his “need for speed”, he experienced the pain of loosing one’s balance in life! Scott Peck was discussing the need for self-control. And as a kid he discovered this truth: the person we have the hardest time saying “no” to, is ourself! Why? Maybe we selfishly fear impeding life’s pleasures! So, rather than tell ourselves to slow down, we head into life’s curves traveling too fast, (lacking self-control), and in total denial of the inevitable and painful consequences.

2) ALL! We ALL lack it! Anyone here NOT “crashed and burned” because of a lack of self-control? Am I the only one who opened the ice cream container with the intention of having a couple of spoonfuls, and ended up scraping the bottom of the container? Am I the only one who has ever meddled where I had no business meddling, or spoke when I should have remained silent? Of course not! Because let’s face it; the lack of self-control is a universal issue. If there were no self-control issues, we’d have no 12 steps programs, no unwanted pregnancies, no billion dollar pornography industry, no diet commercials, or need for counselors! Fact is, we’ve ALL been created with a multitude of moods, passions, and desires. And they all need managing! They must be “under control” or they will end up controlling us. And …sometimes, destroying us. Therefore, because we have “ALL” exceeded the bounds of wisdom by failing to restrain ourselves, we ALL need self-control.

3) CIVIL WAR! No one understood this dilemma more than the Apostle Paul. And he admitted, (Romans 7:15) “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do.” This great apostle confesses to not being able to follow God’s commands by himself. He knows the “theory”, but often fails to execute it in his daily living. In fact, later he says, (Romans 7:18) “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” Well, he’s honest! He admits that every time he decides to do good, his sin is there to trip him up! Oh sure, parts of him delight in God’s commands, but he recognizes that not all parts of him join in that delight! Parts of him actually rebel, and sometimes… they take charge! He wants to choose obedience, but he selects sin instead. Fritz Ridenour once wrote, “Sometimes you’d almost swear you were a split personality, a regular ‘walking civil war’”. Yep that’s Paul, you, and me; walking civil wars!

4) ALONE? So let me ask you; how do you fight this inescapable fight? Most likely you make the mistake all of us do – you fight this inner civil war… alone! Richard Foster describes it this way: “Our ordinary method of dealing with ingrained sin is to launch a frontal attack. We rely on our willpower and determination. Whatever may be the issue for us – anger, fear, bitterness, gluttony, pride, lust, substance abuse –we determine never to do it again; we pray against it, fight against it, and set our will against it. But the struggle is all in vain, and we find ourselves once again morally bankrupt…” Doing it alone is like trying to chase down a rainbow. I walked away from God once as a young man, because I promised Him I would clean up my act in one very specific area of my life, and when I failed again and again, I couldn’t look God in the face. I tried! Boy, did I try. But I tried to do it alone, and failed. I wrongly assumed that God would be disgusted with me, and I didn’t want to face the rejection, so I walked away. What I failed to realize, is that God never intended me to fight that inner civil war for control alone!

5) SPIRIT-CONTROLLED! Now it’s true, the Bible teaches us to “be” self-controlled, but not to “do” self-control. If that is confusing at first, think about this: Self-control is intended to be an outgrowth of the Spirit’s working in us. In other words, “To be self-controlled is to be Spirit-controlled.” If it were possible for us to be self-controlled through our own will power, we could control our sinful desires and resist temptation. In fact, if we could control our passions and moods and desires, Jesus would have never had to die on the cross for our sins! But what was humanly impossible then, is still impossible today, and will be impossible tomorrow. Alone, our goose is cooked! But God never calls us to do something without first giving us what we need to get the job done! And so He asks us to be self-controlled, by sending His Holy Spirit to come live within us, and do what we cannot do for ourselves! I say it again, “To be self-controlled is to be Spirit controlled!”

6) THE PROBLEM! See, we tend to fight the inner civil war alone, because we have not assessed the true problem. Chinese general Sun Tzu once wrote in “The Art of War” – “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.” The bible assesses the problem pretty clearly. The enemy IS IN us! In fact, in the book of Galatians, the problem is boiled down to what we call the “sinful nature”. Other versions may use the word, “flesh”. But the truth remains, (Galatians 5:17-21) “For the sinful nature (flesh) desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit is what is contrary to the sinful nature (flesh). They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the sinful nature (flesh) are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witch-craft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” The problem is clear: it’s our sinful, self-centered nature!

7) THE FLESH! See, in the bible, the “flesh” is the self-serving, non-believing, godless mindset that lives by animal instincts. It naturally turns away from God. It’s number one priority is the preservation of “self”. The “flesh” yearns to be self-centered, NOT God-centered! It is the attitude we were born with. For who of us were born caring about our parents or anything else but our own needs? Who of us went through the “terrible twos” without cherishing these words; “I want”, “give to me”, “mine”! Being self-centered is as natural to us as breathing! Luther wanted us to know that in as much as that self-centered Adam or Eve within us are drown in our baptism every time we pray for forgiveness, they continue to raise themselves up everyday, in an effort to possess us again. Even though Christ has moved into our hearts, old habits never die. The “flesh” knows sin, like you know how to ride a bike. It never forgets. Have you ever tried to unlearn or retrain your body so that you can no longer ride a bike? That’s why the flesh can never conquer itself or choose not to sin when given a chance – and Satan and the world are going give our natural sin-full nature all the opportunities to ride again!

8) WITHIN US! The good news is that while we are broken people living in a broken world, Jesus loves us enough to keep “breaking in” and placing His Spirit within us! As we discover in Galatians, the only hope we have to win this inner civil war for control, is having the Spirit of God living within us! He gives us the chance to let Him have His way instead! Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:16, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” This amazing statement is the foundation of the Christian faith. While we are walking in the Spirit we cannot possibly carry out the desires of the flesh. It’s like the tide, which is either flowing in or it’s flowing out. We are either operating from the realm of the Spirit and under His control, or we’re under operating in the realm of the flesh and under its control. Remember what was said earlier, “To be self-controlled is to be Spirit-controlled.” …having God within us!

9) BODIES EVIL? I think one of the reasons the NIV scholars chose to use the word “sinful nature” rather than “flesh”, is that many people mistakenly interpreted flesh to mean that anything that had to do with our bodies was evil. When God made our bodies in Genesis – He said it was good. Our bodies are a precious gift from God. But given the opportunities, our “bodily drives” will rule us. For example; God made us with sexual drives, and physical intimacy was designed to be pleasurable – WITHIN the confines of a committed relationship between a husband and wife! But those same drives, separated from God’s will, can lead to evil; to rape, unwanted pregnancy, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, self-serving perversions, pornography, sexual addictions, and the list goes on and on… See, our bodies and bodily drives are a gift from God and are not evil when controlled by God’s will.

10) GOD! But make no mistake about it: Christians are not immune to sin just because we’re baptized or come to church. Temptations never go away! The old nature never improves or disappears. So we must continually throw up our hands and say to God, “Get this stuff out of me! I can’t conquer it!” It’s only after He takes over that the battle is won and can walk in the light! What a difference God makes; living within us! No, good and evil are NOT equally matched! As corrupting as sin is, His Spirit is all that much more cleansing. And it brings us sweet fruit; spiritual fruit! For in Galatians 5:22-23 we read “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” So what looks like self-control is actually the result of letting someone else take control. GOD! Self-control, biblically speaking, means walking by the Spirit, under the Lordship of Christ. Remember, “To be self-controlled is to be Spirit-controlled.” Self-control comes from God!

11) RUN! So, since we all struggle with self-control issues, how do we exercise this discipline of self-control? The Apostle Paul says, if we are to find the path to true freedom, if we are to win the civil war within us, we might want to compare ourselves with an athlete – like a runner or boxer. In Paul’s day there competitive athletic events held every other year that included running and boxing - and were similar to today’s Olympics. The winners were treated like heroes, given tax-exemptions for life, and all kinds of other rewards! So to share in God’s blessings, Paul suggests… (1st Corinthians 9:24-27) “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. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No I beat my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

12) FOCUS! Paul is suggesting that athletes have a specific focus, a goal in mind, and a strategy to get there! Self-control and discipline are key ingredients that allow them exercise restraint over their impulses and emotions and desires. A Christian’s goal is to be Christ-like, and the rewards we long to receive are not only for now, but are eternal in nature. So Paul says that running aimlessly and boxing wildly is foolish. His focus is on Christ. Christ only, Christ alone! He’s the goal and the prize for which we run! So Paul suggests that through self-control we discipline our bodies and desires and make them our slaves rather than the other way around! Anyone who has ever been or seen “an addict”, knows what it means to be controlled and enslaved by a desire for a substance that slowly destroys us. Only by changing their focus to a “higher power” can an addict be freed from the slavery they are in. And if we are to win the race – we need to focus on Christ and open our hearts to the greater power that can lead us to self-control.

13) FOUR THINGS! The fact is, we are in a winnable civil war! But a winnable civil war requires four things in order that we might be prepared:

1) Appreciating the nature of the battle is essential. Our inner civil war goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden and includes every human being since! Fact is, since sin came into existence we have craved to be our own gods, and rebelliously desire all the things God hates! And until we enter heaven, and get “eternally perfected”, the age-old inner civil war goes on. We must never forget – the flesh – that is, the sinful nature – never takes a holiday!

2) Knowing we are powerless to win the war against our sinful nature without the Spirit of God! Every time temptation pulls at our heart we need to consciously engage the Holy Spirit to come and help us resist what we cannot resist on our own. Recognizing our powerless condition and turning the battle over to Him, is the only thing that can enable us to win the battle.

3) Seeing that “Developing the discipline of self-control” is a personal matter. Paul stated clearly that “I” box, “I” run, “I” am responsible for turning the battle over to Christ! Asking the people you live with to restrain you during temptation …that’s NOT self-control. Making your spouse or friend responsible for your self-control will fail. It’s up to you to turn the battle over to Christ!

4) Acknowledging that “Ignoring the consequences” invites disaster. Lack of self-control will embarrass us and our loved ones! People get hurt when we deal with things we know are wrong! And it negatively affects our spiritual life!

14) DISQUALIFIED! Now, when Paul suggested that we run the race lest we get “disqualified,” he wasn’t referring to salvation. You will not lose your salvation if you don’t learn to “control yourself”! But …your ability to reflect God’s love, serve Him faithfully, and receive the joy, inner peace, and other heavenly blessings NOW – will be severely affected! I believe my father knew Jesus Christ, but in hindsight I see that his life was sadly wasted in terms of serving God and receiving numerous blessings because he did not choose to exercise the spiritual disciplines. I expect to see him in heaven. But I personally do not want to get to the gates and discover I wasted my life by giving into my desires, moods, and emotions, rather than surrendering my life to Christ and receiving the Spirit’s blessing of “self-control.” My father’s life was filled with unfortunate events because he ignored the consequences of running the race alone and without the Spirit’s strength and guidance. We can disqualify ourselves from “running the race” faithfully according to God’s will, but never disqualify ourselves from the gracious gift of salvation!

15) PATH TO FREEDOM! Friends the mastery of “self-control” is an incredibly difficult discipline, but it is the path to freedom. Maxie Dunham once said, “The purpose of self-control is that we may be fit for God, fit for ourselves, and fit to be servants of others… It is not a rigid, religious practice – discipline for discipline’s sake. It’s not dull drudgery aimed at exterminating laughter and joy. It is the doorway to true joy, true liberation from the stifling slavery of self-interest and fear.” If you are a person on a diet, a recovering alcoholic, a person facing a stressful deadline, an unmarried person with strong sexual desires, a person who wants to break a bad habit, an athlete, a youth learning to play a musical instrument, a person with diabetes, or a child in a candy store… the Lord reveals the path to freedom, one of the secrets to a great life, is self control!

16) WHAT/WHO? So ask yourself this morning: What am I a slave to? Food? Lust? Power? Money? The Past? Drugs? Alcohol? Bitterness? Jealousy? Anger? You fill in the blank. But ask yourself: What do I have to say “no” to right now? And WHO do I have to say “yes” to in that and every part of my life?

17) LOVE! Some once said that “Self-control is ‘love’ holding the reins.” Friends, Christ is that love; the provider of the strength and power to resist the destructive consequences of selfish desires. And Christ is here, now, and every day, available in a second to provide the gift of self-discipline that comes from above and empowers us to win the civil war that rages within us. When faced with any and every decision or challenge - stop, consider the consequences of following self-centered desires, and surrender that decision to Him, ….prayerfully admitting your weaknesses, …and trusting in Him to provide the divine power to resist temptation and follow His live-giving will! Jesus offers Himself now, wanting you to know that to be self-controlled means to be Spirit-controlled. After all; Self-control is “love” holding the reins. Open your heart to that love now – and get prepared to receive the joy, inner peace, and other heavenly blessings that “self-control” brings, when Christ hold the reins!

Praise God!

AMEN!

Sermon/Confessional Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we confess that there are numerous places in our life where we lack self-control. And sadly we have tried to fix this by ourselves instead of turning to you. We have let our desires, moods, and emotions enslave us, and our ability to serve you faithfully has been damaged greatly. Forgive us, and help us to increasingly surrender our hearts to you. Come in, live within us, and empower us to be self-controlled.

Lord, we admit there is a constant civil war going on within us, and we are powerless to win that war alone. We have disqualified ourselves from running the race of faithful obedience because we cave in to our selfish passions and desires. When tempted, we rarely count the consequences or turn to you for the power and strength to follow your life-giving will. Forgive us, and change us! Take the reins from our hands and empower us to be Spirit-controlled!

And now Lord, although you know us better than we know ourselves, listen as we share in a moment of silence, those other parts of our lives that need to be forgiven, washed clean, healed, and recommitted to you! (made anew.)

(Silence)

Lord, if self-control is being Spirit-controlled, and if self-control is “love” holding the reins, then come! Come fill us! Come what we cannot; Bring us the gift of self-control as you enable us to surrender to the amazing love your Spirit brings, as you live within us! In Jesus Name We Pray. AMEN

Assurance of Forgiveness:

Friends, listen to the good news: The Lord, who offers you the life-giving discipline of self-control, …that Lord has mercifully heard your confession and eagerly forgives you all your sins. Go now, and remember: to be self-control is to be Spirit-control! Say nothing, do nothing, make no decisions without first counting the consequences and turning it over to the Spirit that lives within you! Let love hold the reins! Praise God! AMEN

Opening prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, every challenge, every crisis, every decision we made this week presented us with an opportunity to turn it all over to you. But had we done that faithfully, we would not have succumbed to selfish desires, and walked into this Holy Place with regrets and the burden of sin. Though we long for self-control, our actions and words this week make it clear we have a long way to go. Some of the broken relationships we have, some of the painful consequences we are dealing with, are proof that we are far from being who you desire us to be. And yet we walk boldly into your arms this morning knowing that your love for us is unconditional and eternal! We give you praise that we are free to honestly lay before you our brokenness and weaknesses, our failures and our sins. We come in anticipation of being washed clean, and renewed! We come in hope; confident that you can strengthen and empower us to grow in your grace! We come seeking your wisdom, guidance, and life-giving ways – knowing that you will feed all who hunger for the truth. Embrace us Lord, and empower us to surrender everything we are and have into your merciful and compassionate hands! Fill us with your Holy Spirit that we may reflect your awesome love in all we say and do! In Jesus Name We Pray! AMEN!

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