Mastering Self-Control Through the Spirit's Empowerment

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The need for self-control is clear secondly the nature of self-control we need to understand the nature of self-control we need to understand what is it that the Bible is talking about here it's not talking about external moral influences external moral influences like for example just say no can partially condition our Behavior but they cannot eradicate from our sinful Hearts the fundamental flaw in our moral makeup they may educate but they cannot eradicate. [00:02:37]

Self-control is the spirit enabled ability to avoid excesses and to stay within the god-given boundaries as a sort of random definition that it is it is Spirit enabled word guided if we might add that too to avoid excesses and to stay within the god-given boundaries so that we obey the Bible we're enabled by the spirit and then we cultivate the skill and yes I think it is in some measure a skill of living a thoughtful and a careful life. [00:03:30]

Guard your heart for it is the Wellspring of life life guard your heart he doesn't mean he doesn't mean a cardiological issue the heart is the center in the Bible of both your mind and your emotions it it's just the epicenter the the Unice of you so he says you you guard that because he realizes that every sin is an inside JW so if we manage to do all these different things externally and don't guard our heart then we will as be susceptible to Temptation. [00:04:55]

Self-control he writes is the exercise of inner strength under the direction of sound judgment so Inner Strength under the direction of sound judgment that enables us to think say and do things that are pleasing to God I think that is is actually very helpful and that instruction is given for all of us in all the different stages of Our Lives. [00:06:02]

Older men are to be what sober minded, dignified, self-controlled so he says I don't want a bunch of people I don't want a bunch of old men in your church they're a bunch of dirty old men I don't want a bunch of old flabby guys that never exercise and just grow fat and miserable you're supposed to be self-controlled now let me say about your older women they should be reverent in their behavior they shouldn't be slanderers or slaves, slaves to much wine in other words self-controlled. [00:06:58]

There's no stage of life where you where you get out of this class it's not like this is a great talk for the teenagers you know let's take him in a room all the boys in one room all the girls in another room and give them the talk you know no this runs through the entire operation two days before you die somebody will legitimately say to you hey beg get a hold of yourself be self-controlled stop doing that that's ridiculous. [00:07:57]

The beginning of self-mastery the beginning of our Lives being brought under control is being brought under the control of Christ the beginning of self-mastery is to be Mastered by Christ it is not asceticism uh throughout when Paul is writing these kind of letters there are all kind kinds of people around who are saying you can't do this and you you mustn't do that and if you do that there's no way that you could ever know or love God and so on. [00:11:50]

What it means is that in every dimension of Our Lives is brought under the Mastery of Jesus we would just say a word or two first of all our bodies right Romans 121 and2 present your bodies as a Living Sacrifice to God what does that mean self-control what is apply it to yourself remember James 1 14 or whatever it was we read everyone is is is uh is is is tempted and they are lured Away by their own desire. [00:13:24]

Self-control are you lazy are you lazy then it's an issue of self-control do you do you refuse to take rest and Recreation you're out of control are you and I prepared to eat and eat and eat it's a self-control deal or drink and drink and drink it's a self-control are we prepared to live within the bounds of biblical sexuality or are we going to embibe the spirit of the world. [00:13:54]

The spirit of God does within our hearts is in part to break the chain of self-indulgence to enable us to resist fleeting pleasures and we do so in the awareness of the fact that there's a direct flow through from what goes on between our ears and when you play golf people usually say the most the the most important 6 Ines in golf are the 6 Ines between your ears and there's a measure of Truth in that isn't there. [00:18:50]

When our affections are taken up with The Wonder of God's grace and goodness to us when those songs matter so much to us these songs really have no appeal for us when Christ is all in all then we understand how fleeting and how feeble and how futile are these things we're involved in a continual and irreconcilable War but it is a war where Victory is assured as we have have crucified our lives with Christ in The Wonder of his grace to us. [00:21:32]

The spirit of God cultivates within us solid Joys and lasting treasures and all the other stuff is a counterfeit it's all Vanity Fair it's all candy floss it all looks so attractive the entryway to most of these bad clubs is very very nice as soon as you go down the stairs as you often do you go into virtually a deep Darkness surely it's a metaphor and Christ shines his light in our. [00:22:48]

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