Our Beliefs : Sermons : Sermon Archive - 2005 : August 21, 2005

Theme: The Fruit of the Spirit -- Self-Control

Church year occasion: Pentecost 14

Today we come to the end of our sermons on the fruits of the Spirit: the fruit of the spirit is self-control. The world's concept of self-control is a simple matter of the will, like mind over matter, or mind over emotion. A good example is President Bush's response to Cindy Sheehan over the past several weeks -- while he sympathizes with her in losing her son in Iraq, he also understands that pulling out of Iraq immediately would be counter-productive and give Islamic fundamentalists a moral victory, so he takes emotion out of the equation and focuses on the end goal, the big picture, of taking the fight to the terrorists instead of letting them choose the battleground. But the Biblical concept of self-control is much more than mind over matter or mind over emotion. It's more than the world's concept of being a stoic, like the Clint Eastwood character who grits his teeth, steels his will and endures anything that the world can throw at him because he can't control what happens to him anyway.

Secondly, the term itself might mislead us a bit. Self-control does not mean that self does the controlling, but that self needs to be controlled. Dr. Phil would say the opposite -- if something bad happened to you as a child, for instance, living as a victim is the same as letting that thing control you. Instead, you need to make a decision to control it by not letting it control you. But Jesus says that the key to self-control is being controlled. That's what Jesus meant when he said, "Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24) That's not easy. Because there is a battle going on inside of every Christian. Every Christian is made up of two selves. One self is called the old self, the Old Adam, in the Bible. The other self is called the New Man. These two selves in every Christian are deadly enemies. They fight constantly. In the same chapter which lists the fruits of the Spirit, St. Paul also describes the relationship between our two selves: "For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other" (Galatians 5:17).

What is involved in this daily struggle is nothing less than total control of the whole person eventually. Who is going to dominate in the end is of vital importance -- because if the flesh dominates, the consequences are horrible. Paul says, "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, 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" (Galatians 5:19-21). My self, your self, all our selves are capable of any and every one of those evils mentioned. But God has used His Word to influence us with his love and forgiveness. He has placed in us another self which he guides and directs and motivates, one that is appalled by the actions and attitudes of our other self. But God activates our new self only through his Word. If we don't expose ourselves to the Word or we don't listen when we are exposed to it, the old self is going to win battle after battle, and eventually, the whole war.

That's why Jesus says, "Deny yourself." Say 'no' to your old self. Your self is looking for worldly pleasures. But God doesn't want those worldly things to control us, because in the end those things can only lead to pain and misery in this world, and eternal damnation in the next. Instead, God wants us to understand how a life touched by God has changed. Instead of letting the things of this world control us, a Christian wants to be controlled by the Spirit of God. That's why Paul says, "Live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature" (Galatians 5:16). The key to victory is not so much self-control, but Spirit control, the Holy Spirit.

Remember how Jesus constantly showed he was under divine control. He didn't come to do his will, but his Father's will. What he spoke were not his Words, but his Father's words. He was always supremely under Spirit-control.

"That's great for him," you say. He had one big advantage of being controlled by the Spirit -- he was the Son of God so he didn't have a sinful nature like I have. I'm like the Apostle Paul who said, "What I want to do, I don't do; but what I hate, I do." (Romans 7:15) You're right in one way. You and I can never even come close to living the way God wants us to live all the time. Because we have a sinful nature, we end up doing a lot of those things that were mentioned earlier like being sexually immoral, getting drunk, getting angry with others or jealous because of others. And because of those things that we fall into, we deserve the wrath of God to fall on us. Being controlled by the Spirit seems so far away to us. But don't forget the end of that story of Jesus' life of self-control. The sinless, self-controlled life of Jesus was snuffed out. It wasn't a twist of cruel fate. It was the end of God's plan to save and bless us. Isaiah said, "He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities...by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5) Because Jesus was self-controlled in every way, he was sinless in every way. Jesus' life was the sole, single payment which God accepted in our behalf as payment for the times we've lacked self-control. Because of Jesus Christ, the truth of the matter is we are purified from all our sins. Trusting in Jesus, we don't have to fear God's anger and punishment against our undisciplined, ungodly life. Trusting in Jesus, God does not throw us away in disgust, or deal with us as our sins deserve. Instead, because of Jesus offering of a perfect life of self-control, or Spirit-control, God throws our sins away instead of us and drowns them in the depths of the sea, never to condemn us again.

Our new self knows that and believes that. But our old self is still on the scene, still armed and still extremely dangerous. To protect us, Jesus still pleads, "Deny yourself; practice self-control."

Our old self just bristles at the mention of control. We don't like controls. Children don't like parent control; employees don't like employer control; teams don't like coach control; student's don't like teacher control. Quite frankly, humans don't like God control. It's too restrictive, too refining. We want to be free, liberated. What most people fail to realize is that, shaking off inhibitions and refusing to listen to the voice of their God and conscience, is inviting the control of someone else, a real tyrant. Jesus names the tyrant: "Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin."

Jesus desires our freedom also, our freedom not from control, but from sin-control. He says, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32). Then we will be free to serve our God as slaves of righteousness. So, moved by your Maker, saturated with your Savior's forgiveness, gripped with gratitude toward him, practice self-control.

What does that mean in practical, everyday terms?

When we are confronted with being alone with our boyfriend or girlfriend, or with someone who isn't our husband or wife, what will guide us -- our sinful nature or our Spirit-controlled faith? We can always think that Jesus is always there with us, in the back seat of the car or at the foot of the bed, and that might scare us into not committing adultery. But what should convince us not to allow our sinful flesh to control us is seeing Jesus with outstretched arms, bleeding and dying for us. Then we will say 'no' to sexual immorality and 'yes' to being controlled by the Spirit, as Joseph was when he said, "How can I do this wicked thing and sin against God?"

When our sinful nature wants us to have greed and selfish ambition of making all kinds of money and spending on ourselves instead of giving to the Lord of our firstfruits and giving generously, what will guide us -- our sinful nature or our Spirit-controlled faith? We need to remember the passage: "Though [Jesus] was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, so that we, through his poverty, might become rich." Then we will strive to let the Spirit of God control us in a proper understanding of money and the blessings he has given us.

When someone treats us in an unchristian manner, will we respond with hatred and discord and a fit of rage and do everything we can to show that person they shouldn't have messed with us -- or will we be controlled by the Spirit? Instead of looking to get even, we look at Jesus taking the punches and the ridicule and the pain and the nails and the crown of thorns -- and of course taking our sins -- and not retaliating even once, so that our sins of hurting others would be forgiven. Then we will see that getting angry and even isn't what we want to do -- instead, practicing self-control, or Spirit-control, we will forgive, just as in Christ God forgave us.

In looking at these fruits of the Spirit, I'm sure you've realized that they are not as much actions on our part as they are an attitude of a Christian. There isn't a lot of fanfare, publicity and noise as they grow quietly in God's people. And, just like apples and oranges, they don't grow overnight. Be fed with God's Word and love and the fruit of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control -- will grow quietly but consistently in you. Amen.