The Christian and Self Control in a Morally Loose Society
The Christian living in the world. • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewThis message deals with the spiritual warfare that rages in every Christian and the battle over sanctification.
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Basic needs must be tended to.
Basic needs must be tended to.
It has been said that a human being’s three basic needs are food, water and oxygen. One can survive without food for a month or two. One can survive without water 3-5 days. One can survive oxygen just a few minutes. Sleep could be added to the list. One can go three to five nights without rest before they start to hallucinate.
Then there is that handy mechanism on your car’s dashboard that tells you how many miles you have before you run out of gas. In most cars or trucks, you can go 300-350 miles in between fill ups.
But try to live without the Holy Spirit in your life is futile. One of the critical elements to your faith is His presence and help.
One of the core beliefs that we have at Central is the belief that the Holy Spirit is your Sustainer. That means that He keeps you going. If it were not for Him, you would surely fall away. You would not and could not abide in the Lord.
We have talked about the Holy Spirit over the last number of weeks, centering on attention on John chapters 15 and 16.
Today, we start a new sermon series on the Christian and culture. We will be looking at different passages that teach on the necessity of spiritual health has we live in our present spiritual environment.
Let us first recognize that...
Living in today’s world, The Holy Spirit's influence on your spiritual health results in your love or preferences.
Living in today’s world, The Holy Spirit's influence on your spiritual health results in your love or preferences.
1 John 2:15–16 (ESV)
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
How is “world” defined in John’s epistles? It is the Greek term κοσμος, which means:
“...the world, and everything that belongs to it, appears as that which is hostile to God, i.e. lost in sin, wholly at odds w. anything divine, ruined and depraved.” (William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 562.)
John gives us the content of the term, “world”. It consists of three things:
The desires of the flesh; (inner cravings)
The desires of the eyes; (attractive things)
And the pride of life. (thinking too much of oneself)
The Greek word used for desire is ἐπιθυμία which is
“...a desire for something forbidden or simply inordinate, craving, lust.” (William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 372.)
We have to constantly put to death our unhealthy desires or else they will put us to death. It can be anything that seeks to control you.
I do not celebrate “pride month,” for I think it centers around an unhealthy desire, according to Romans 1. And there are many unhealthy desires, but I am forbidden to be proud of a desire that contributes to the spiritual destruction and demise of many.
Regarding the pride of life, Jeremiah 45 was read earlier. This instruction to the prophet’s secretary Baruch. As the exile is announced, Jeremiah instructs Baruch on his and others’ survival during these difficult times under an foreign power’s rule. Jeremiah 45:4-5
Jeremiah 45:4–5 (ESV)
4 Thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord: Behold, what I have built I am breaking down, and what I have planted I am plucking up—that is, the whole land. 5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the Lord.”
And so one of the tactics to endure a time of difficulty is humility. And oh how we need to be more humble before the Lord. We must keep ourselves in check. There is an old Greek proverb that says:
“Self control makes the man. A man without discipline is a boy full of reactions, rather than a man of good actions.”
The origin of evil and worldly desires is from an unpleasant and temporary source.
The origin of evil and worldly desires is from an unpleasant and temporary source.
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Notice verse 16: “These are not from the Father, but is from the world.” This is a genitive of origin or a genitive of influence. Where do these things originate? Where are they birthed? Where do they come from?
And John gives the prognosis of such things. “The world is passing away along with its desires.” There is an endgame in mind. These are things that distract Christians from their focus. They contribute to our contamination. They lessen our influence and render us ineffective.
Old Testament scholar David Hubbard said: “Pleasures’s advertising agency is much more effective than its manufacturing department.”
In other words, temptation presents itself as more promising that it actually is. In contrast: “…whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
There is a war that wages within us. There is the desire to do what the Lord wants… to follow Him, trust Him and obey Him. Then there is the pull to do what your sinful desire wants- to satisfy your carnal urges. The Christian life consists in saying no to one’s self, by the enablement of the Holy Spirit.
One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is self control. You remember those qualities that are evident in every genuine Christian’s life:
“Love, Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.” They are the product of walking by the Spirit. Paul would write about this in Galatians 5:16-17
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
And so what do we do? I think three valuable things are in order:
Recognize the battle;
Stay above it. Be on the defense through prayer and recalling Scripture.
Watch over your soul with patience. Proverbs 4:23
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Someone with diabetes has to monitor the sugars in their blood. They must be meticulous about it, for its a matter of life and death.
Lastly, we must cling to the Lord. Time spent with Him in His word and in prayer is a refuge. Scripture memory is a refuge. Psalm 119:9
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
Jonathan Edwards said: “Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life.”
The only way you can abide in the Lord is because of His love.
The only way you can abide in the Lord is because of His love.
Julian of Norwich was a Christian woman who lived in the 14th century. She is known for her faith, but also known as the first woman to have written a book in English.
After coming through a time of severe illness, she encountered a spiritual awakening as she witnessed sixteen showings of God’s love. The theme of her revelations was the compassionate love of God as universally manifested in creation and in the passion of Jesus.
She wrote these words, which answer the question, how you and I can abide in the Christian faith:
“he showed me a little thing
the size of a hazelnut,
lying in the palm of my hand,
and to my understanding
it was as round as a ball.
I looked at it and thought, ‘what may this be?’
and I was answered generally thus,
‘it is all that is made’.
I marveled at how it might last, for
I thought it might suddenly fall into nothing
for its littleness and
I was answered in my understanding
‘it lasts and ever shall, for God loves it’.
The only way you and I can abide in the Christian faith is through the love of God.