Deliverance Through Discipline (Slavic Youth Conference)

Introduction

I want to talk to you today about Deliverance through Discipline

Discipline meaning training ourselves for Godliness.

Today’s sermon is not so much about the types of disciplines we should have in our lives

We all know plenty of those

Spiritual disciplines

Reading Scripture

Prayer

Fasting

Generosity

Silence and solitude

Practical disciplines

Avoiding temptations

Eating Healthy

Setting boundaries

Being consistently responsible

We are all familiar with good disciplines

I want to talk to you more about our mindset in how we engage disciplines, and to show you how disciplines paired with the Biblical mindset is a form of deliverance

When you became a Christian did you stop sinning altogether?

We still sin, we still fall short, we still experience temptations, and one of the ways God’s works deliverance into our lives is through discipline.

Just so that we are on the same page when I say “deliverance,” let me clarify what I am talking about.

The two types of deliverance are:

Deliverance from the Penalty of Sin

Deliverance from the Problem of Sin

The penalty of is sin is taken care of by justification, and the problem of sin is taken care of by sanctification

So what do I mean by that?

Penalty of Sin

Sin has many consequences, but the ultimate penalty of sin is that it separated us from a Holy God, with no way back

It promised us everything, but brought destruction to our lives, and burned our bridges in the process.

The penalty of sin, is eternal separation from a Holy God

We are bound for an eternity in Hell

Jesus took care of the penalty of sin through justification

Justification is a legal declaration in which God pardons the sinner and accepts the sinner as righteous in his sight because of what Jesus did on the cross.

Gospel - Jesus paid the penalty for our sin on the cross, so that our relationship with God could be restored by placing our faith in Jesus

Justification is a declarative act of God…its a moment...it is not a process.

So if you are a Christian, the ultimate penalty of sin has been taken care of

1 John 1:9 (ESV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God

So…Christians have been delivered from the penalty of sin by grace through faith.

That is kind of what we talked about yesterday.....deliverance from the penalty of sin is not a battle we have to fight, it is a blessing we accept through faith.

Problem of Sin

Galatians 5 sums up the problem of sin really well

Galatians 5:16-24 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 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. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Although we have been saved from the penalty of sin, we still live plagued by the problem of sin.

Meaning....even as Christians we have bad habits, temptations, sinful desires…we still have a sinful flesh

My legal standing before God is that I’m holy and accepted, but my current condition is I’m still a sinner in pursuit of Holiness.

Jesus took care of the penalty of sin through justification, The Holy Spirit takes care of the problem of sin through sanctification

Sanctification is the process by which the Holy Spirit is making us Holy

Ok, so what I’m specifically talking about this morning is Deliverance from the problem of sin through discipline

The process of becoming like Jesus.

So with that

Misconception

Let me tell you, having worked at a Bible school 10 years now, how I see people engage with deliverance from the problem of sin

Many people when they think of being delivered from a sinful habit or act, strictly think of a miraculous experience.

Group of people around you praying for deliverance

Coming to an altar, and God touches you in a mighty way

You were in prayer and God shows up

After this experience, all of a sudden, by a miracle you are completely delivered from the struggle of whatever sin you were dealing with

God does do that…I’ve seen and heard testimonies of God doing that in people’s lives

Grandpa was delivered from alcoholism even before he got saved

We can believe God for these miraculous deliverances…we can pray for them, celebrate them.

However, there is another way the Holy Spirit works deliverance from the problem of sin in our lives ....

Through Godly discipline

Miraculous deliverance experiences are not meant to replace the day to day Godly disciplines in our lives.

I say that, not because there is anything wrong with experiencing a miracle, but because we have to understand the importance of Godly discipline

I think that if we aren’t careful, the enemy can get us caught up in a deliverance prosperity Gospel.

We are familiar with the prosperity gospel of money, but what about the prosperity Gospel of deliverance

The prosperity Gospel of money is all you have to do is send in a donation, and God will bless you with finances, a nice house, and fancy car.

The prosperity Gospel of deliverance is all you have to do is come to an altar, and God will take away your struggle with sin

Porn addiction for 10 years and it is gone in a moment

Drug addiction and all of a sudden all desire and temptation is gone in a moment

Marriage problems, and there is restoration in a moment

Problem of pride and it is gone in a moment

Problem of lust and it is gone in a moment

Now once again, there are moments where God has done that for people, and that is awesome, and I’m not belittling that fact

But if the enemy can convince you that freedom from sin can only be found in a moment at an altar

you are missing out on the freedom God wants to bring into your life through Godly discipline

As a Christian, you are not a helpless, strengthless bystander just waiting for a miraculous deliverance

God has equipped you to walk in freedom and deliverance through Godly discipline

That doesn’t place responsibility on us....it’s not like we are making ourselves holy through our own strength.

The same God who saves, is the same God who sanctifies

The Holy Spirit initiates sanctification in our lives, and Godly discipline is one of His processes.

Pastor Nik - Discipline is a response to what has already been deposited in us

But people can approach discipline with very different mindsets.

Discipline - There are three types of mindsets

The first two are done the wrong way, and the last one is the kind the Bible talks about.

The difference between the 3 is a matter of faith

The Three Types of People In Discipline

Legalist - (Puts their faith in the law)

We read this in our passage in Galatians 5...verse 18 says:

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Definition of legalism - the direct or indirect attachment of behaviors, disciplines, and practices to the belief that one can achieve salvation and right standing before God

Legalism depends on moral law rather than on personal faith…it puts the law above the gospel

Since the foundation of faith is misplaced, every act of discipline built on that misplaced foundation becomes itself misplaced

Prayer is a good thing.

When it is done with the intention of earning acceptance with God....it crosses over into the realm of legalism.

Good works, abstaining from sin, doing the right things are good things.

When it is done with the hope of achieving salvation it crosses over into the realm of legalism

Which means this

Legalism is not simply defined by what you do, it’s defined in why you do it

A Christian who has their foundation built on their faith in Jesus Christ can do all the exact same things as the legalist, and it’s not producing legalism in their life it’s producing sanctification.

It’s a matter of where your faith is

Self-Help Guru (Puts their faith in themselves)

The self help guru has it’s focus on self-discipline for the sake of self-betterment

Someone illustrated an example of this perfectly when they said it’s like climbing the ladder of success

Those who put their faith in themsleves, and pursue self-betterment in their own strength will climb the ladder of success, only to find the ladder was leaning against the wrong building

Or their faith was in the wrong place

Rather than leaning on Jesus, they relied on themselves

And so once again, since the foundation of faith is misplaced, every act of discipline built on that misplaced foundation becomes itself misplaced

I can get rid of all my bad habits, deepen my integrity and character all I want, but when my faith is in myself, it doesn’t get me any closer to heaven.

This type of discipline can be very sublte, because it looks a lot like the fruit of the Spirit.

People will ask, can an unbeliever have the fruit of the Spirit?

The answer is no

Doing good deeds is not the same thing as bearing fruit. Fruit can only come from the Spirit.

Theologian Warren Weirsbe said this - Fruit is the result of a living union; Even the Law produces works, but God calls them dead works

Walking in your own strength puts it’s focus on self-discipline for the sake of self-betterment.

Self discipline apart from the foundation of faith in Jesus only makes you a moral person…it’s behavior modification.

It’s behavior change without heart change

Mere behavior change is not what we are after as Christians

Spirit Led Disciple (Puts your faith in Jesus)

Godly discipline is not about striving to earn acceptance from God (legalism)

It’s not about striving to simply better yourself (self-help)

A Spirit-led disciple is all about becoming like Jesus

It has two parts

First, it is something supernatural that happens within

Christian character is a transformation from within, by the power of the Holy Spirit

2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

It’s God initiated!

Paul said in Philippians 2:13 - it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Secondly, it manifests outwardly through striving and discipline

The Bible tells us to strive for holiness. Listen to some of these verses.

2 Peter 1:5–7 (ESV) For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

Hebrews 12:14 (ESV) Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

1 Timothy 4:7 - Train/discipline yourself for godliness;

Warren Weirsbe - “Walking in the Spirit” is not some emotional experience, detached from everyday life. It is the daily experience of the believer who feeds on the Word, prays, and obeys what the Bible says.

We strive, we discipline ourselves to live godly lives because God has put that desire in our hearts, to love him with all of our mind, soul, and strength.

I love what

Author Drew Dyck - When I know that God‘s power is available, it makes me more likely to strive not less. The promise of a supernatural assistance motivates me to participate!

Which means this: My discipline is not an attempt to do things myself, but rather it is an act of surrender.

It’s a heart and mind fully invested in becoming like the one who saved my soul!

It’s primary focus is not on doing or not doing, but on becoming....becoming like Jesus

James Clear in his bestseller book “Atomic Habits” said something really interesting about habits

In the book, he is taking research in brain science, sociology, psycology, etc..and explaining practical ways we can help change habits

Changing our habits is challenging because we try to change the wrong thing.

He describes three layers of behavior change

First layer has to do with changing your outcomes (what you get)

Second layer has to do with changing your process (what you do)

Third layer has to do with changing your identity (what you believe)

He explains that the problem is most people put their primary focus on the outcomes rather than on building an identity

Quote - The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity. It’s one thing to say “I’m the type of person who wants this.” It’s something very different to say “I’m the type of person who is this.”

Research shows that once a person believes in a particular aspect of of their identity, they are more likely to act in alignment with that belief

The first step is not what or how, but who

True behavior change is identity change

That’s what Jesus did!

Jesus didn’t come to us and demand we change before He saved us…no He said to come as you are

He changed our identity....we are children of God, most holy ones

As we strive for holiness, as we pursue victory over sinful habits, as we exercise discipline and self control, we do it from a place of a new identity

God has given us a new identity in Christ, and exercising Godly discipline is our way of latching on to that new identity in the power of the Holy Spirit and saying THIS IS WHO I AM!!

There is a Greek Epic called Argonautica

In the story the Argonauts need to sail past these mythical mermaids know as “The Sirens”

The Sirens were beautiful and seductive, but they were deceptive because they were murderous creatures

They would use their sweet singing to lure sailors in to their deaths

The Argonauts knowing this brought along the legendary musician and poet Orpheus who drew his lyre and drowned out the Sirens music by playing a louder and more beautiful song

And the sailors sailed past in safety as they listened and were taken captive to this “sweeter song”

As enticing as sin can be, Jesus is the sweeter song!

It is wise to use practical tools and methods to avoid temptation, and to take proactive steps to avoid falling prey to sin.

But the most powerful way is by listening to the sweeter song! Recalling your sonship, and your identity in Christ

Where’s you Faith

The primary difference between legalism, self-betterment, and Godly discipline is in where your faith is.

You can have 3 different people all doing the exact same thing, but one is legalism, the other is self-help, and the third is walking in the Spirit

ClosingSpiritual Warfare

I want to close by saying this

Don’t discount the work God can do in your life as a Christian through practical discipline.

Practical discipline sounds unspiritual, but it’s not....in fact

When you are exercising practical discipline in your life, you are engaging in spiritual warfare!

In his book “Live No Lies” John Mark Komer explains that the Christian is at war on three fronts: with the world (sinful society), the flesh (our disordered desires), and the devil (father of lies)…and they all work against us.

This is the strategy:

Deceptive ideas (the Devil) that play to disordered desires (the flesh) that are normalized in a sinful society (the world)

Godly discipline is so important in our fight against these three

The Devil spews deception so I need to make sure I am disciplined in

Spending adequate time in prayer

Reading the word, so I can discern lies

Memorizing Scripture, so I can fight the lies

My flesh is full of disordered desires, so I need to make sure I am disciplined in

Using practical tools and methods to avoid temptation

Proverbs 5:7-8 (in talking about avoiding the harlot) - And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house

There is nothing spiritual about going down a familiar path that leads to temptation, and saying “The Holy Spirit will give me strength to overcome!

That’s not spiritual, its just stupid

Maybe for you that means, putting boundaries around what you listen to, watch, where you go, what you have

To use an anology, Don’t keep cookies in the pantry, if you are wanting to go on a diet!

Finding accountability so that my temptations don’t strengthen in the darkness

The world wants to normalize sin, so I need to stay disciplined in:

Being part of a Godly community (going to church)

Monitoring my intake of entertainment, social media, news content…being careful about what I am letting shape my perspectives

Choosing friends wisely because bad company corrupts good morals

Don’t discount the work God can do in your life as a Christian through practical discipline.

Our faith is in Jesus, and our goal is becoming like Him

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