Last Sunday I asked you to be ready to share ways that we demonstrate the Fruits of the Spirit as a church. That will take place in a few minutes, as we first need to address the final fruit - self-control.
There have been a few “experiments” if you will during this series as a way to try to illustrate some of these fruits. This morning I want to use a bicycle to demonstrate/illustrate self-control. (Video clip)
As I reviewed this clip after I made it, I recalled this past July 4th. Daniel still had training wheels on his bike but Jonathon noticed that they were not touching the ground like they used to and basically said to Daniel, “Daniel I think that you can ride without training wheels. Try riding my bike. (Now the new red one in the video, the old one that he has outgrown.)
And wouldn’t you know it, Daniel took off like he had been riding without wheels for a while. I thought about the balance issue that has to take place as we learn to ride. Momentum helps us balance.
I suggest this morning that we consider self-control as the balancing fruit because it brings balance and control to our lives and also because it requires us to have balance and control in our lives, specifically the balance and control that comes as we let the Holy Spirit operate and direct our lives as we let go and surrender to God and His purposes for us.
I would also suggest that self-control is a greater possibility in our lives as we allow these other fruits to take root and grow as well. By doing so, they make possible the ability and the willingness to live a self-controlled life in the Spirit.
Two places of scripture are our Biblical guides as we consider this fruit called self-control. One, as always, has been read this morning - it is I Corinthians 6:12 and its parallel passage, I Corinthians 10:23 which basically says the same thing. I also want us to keep in mind the stories of Joseph and Daniel who are 21st century examples of self-control and who illustrate the balance and control of the Corinthian passages.
Before we examine these passages however, I would like for us to look at the following list of persons and as I read through the list I want you to pick one, just one, category of person that you believe fit the criteria. Then I am going to ask for your response.
The criterion is this: Which category of people requires the most self-control? (Overhead 1)
A person on a diet
A recovering alcoholic
A person facing an unpleasant task with a tight deadline
An unmarried person
A person with a long list of chores on a warm, sunny, weekend day
A person who wants to break a bad habit
An athlete
A child learning to play a musical instrument
A person with diabetes
A child in a candy store
Now we are going back through the list and I am going to ask for a show of hands (remember only one selection) as I read each category. Here we go. (Read back through the list)
Thank you!
When we think of self-control, there are two main areas of life that come to most people’s mind: sex and food. And it is very important and interesting to notice that the repeative verses of I Corinthians 6:12 and 10:23 appear in the segments of the book that deal with the issue of sexual purity and eating. Scripture of course speaks about the control of our temper and of our tongue as well as living a life that demonstrates self-control that Joseph and Daniel illustrate.
In looking at 6:12 we must first go back to 6:10 where Paul asks, “Don’t you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God?” And then he goes on to list kinds of persons that will be left out of the kingdom.
He lists six kinds of people but expands on only one - “those who indulge in sexual sin” as he states it in the text. And he lists idol worshippers, adulterers, male prostitutes, and homosexuals as examples of sexual sin.
Corinth was a place of many pagan faiths that included sexual rituals as part of their worship. So Corinthian Christians came out of an environment that was very sexualized and it was a challenge to their commitment to and faith in Christ because that commitment and faith required sexual purity as Paul states in verse 11.
But, questions remain and attitudes and assumptions from their pagan pasts still influence their thinking. And verse 12 is an example of this thinking, (thinking that still exists today).
“Hey,” Paul hears, “I am allowed to do anything.” Notice that Paul does not deny this. We are allowed to do anything. We have the ability to kill and heal. We have the ability to love and hate. We have the ability to get involved and do nothing.
Instead, Paul says, “Not everything is good for you?” Why? Well, compared to some faiths, the salvation offered by Christianity is not based on works. Salvation is a free gift. But, when we accept this salvation and are saved by faith through Christ, certain things no longer should be a part of our lives because they will inhibit the Holy Spirit from helping us to truly live and enjoy the new life God has given us. These things are not good for us. And one of them is sexual immorality.
He goes on to say in verse 13, “Our bodies were not made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies.”
Speaking of bodies, let’s go to the repeat of verse 12 - chapter 10 verse 23. Here the context is different but the principle is the same.
The practice of idol worship was a major point of challenge for early Christianity. From its Jewish roots our faith has affirmed the first and second commandments - you are to worship no other gods and you are to not make other gods (idols).
Again Corinth’s numerous pagan shrines and temples offered a chance to worship various gods and goddesses. And their practices shaped not just sexual habits but also eating habits.
The issue of eating meat offered to idols becomes a point of contention. “Should we eat meat from idols?” becomes the question.
Paul repeats himself when he says in verse 23, “You say, “I am allowed to do anything”-but not everything is helpful. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”-but not everything is beneficial.” Why does he say this? Food is food, isn’t it? Does it matter where it comes from?
In verse 20 Paul says, “What I am saying is that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want any of you to be partners with demons.”
What is Paul so worried about? Getting hooked back into idol worship. He can see a progression of compromise that causes believers to ever so slowly to walk away from the faith.
This is where self-control comes in: “Not everything is helpful, not everything is beneficial, not everything is good for us, nor must we become a slave to anything.” This is self-control. Letting only the Spirit lead us and guide us and control us.
Daniel could have had the best food in the land. (Read about in Daniel 1.) Instead, he chose to eat only vegetables and water in a test to prove that self-control paid off. And it did! After 10 days, Daniel and his friends were healthier than the others who ate the rich food offered by the King.
Joseph could have had an affair with his boss’s wife. (Read about it in Genesis 39 and following.) But, he refused and ran from her. Though he paid for that choice (and sometimes being self-controlled has a price) he ended up in a higher position of leadership than his old boss, Potipher did because his commitment to be self-controlled made it possible for God to place him in a place of authority and influence to help his family. (And talk about self-control when his brothers showed up looking for food! Can you imagine the emotions that ran through Joseph when he came face to face with those who had hurt him?)
Both men honored God and their commitment to God with their choice of self-control.
One of the things about self-control is that means that we have to say “NO!” from time to time. But, it also means that we have to say “Yes!” as well.
Yes to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness! Yes to the Spirit! A self-controlled life is balanced between the yes and the no.
Bill Hybels has written, “The rewards of discipline are great” (I think that we could substitute ‘self-control’ for ‘discipline.’) but they are seldom immediate. When the world clamors for instant gratification and easy solutions, it is hard to choose the way of discipline instead. But you will never build a walk with God, a marriage, a body, or a bank account by obeying the world’s law of instant gratification. Payday will come in it’s own time, if you endure the pain and put your nose to the grindstone now.”
If you want to develop the fruit of self-control, you have to: (Overheads 2 and 3)
A. Honestly answer these questions,
1. What am I a slave to? Food? Lust? Power? Money? The Past? Drugs? Alcohol? Bitterness? Jealousy? Anger? Fill in the blank?
2. What do I have to say “no” to right now?
3. What do I have to say “yes” to right now?
4. Where/how do I better incorporate the fruits into my life?
B. Then we need to confess what we need to confess to the Lord and ask for forgiveness and help in light of these questions.
C. Then we need to find one other person that we trust to help us begin to make these changes.
D. Finally, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to truly come into our lives and change us the way we need to be changed.
(Overhead 4) Our vision as a church is to be a fully following and faithfully functioning church. One of the ways that we do both is to be both a person of God and the people of God who give a clear and credible testimony of having these qualities in our lives. How are we doing?
We are now going to spend a few moments hearing how we are exhibiting the Fruits of the Spirit. As we listen, I want to challenge us to think on how we can improve our testimony in each area so that we can give a clearer witness in the future.
(Volunteers came forward to share.)
Let us continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ as we allow the fruits of the spirit to grow and develop within us. Amen.
(Overheads for this sermon is available by contacting me at pastorjim46755@yahoo.com Ask for 111603svgs. List of persons requiring self-control is found in Tasting The Fruits published by Group Publishing)
