Self - Control, A Matter of the Heart

Good Morning FE, my name is Josue Aguilar I am one of the Elders here at FE. Welcome, we are glad you are hear this morning lifting up the name of Jesus together with us.

David Mathis recounts the story of a professor known as the “Marshmallow man” Walter Mischel is an Ivy League professor known for his experiments in self-control. Nearly 50 years ago, he created a test to see how various five-year-olds would respond to being left alone with a marshmallow for 15 minutes with instructions not to eat it — and with the promises that if they didn’t, they would be given two. The New York Times reports,

Famously, preschoolers who waited longest for the marshmallow went on to have higher SAT scores than the ones who couldn’t wait. In later years they were thinner, earned more advanced degrees, used less cocaine, and coped better with stress. As these first marshmallow kids now enter their 50s, Mr. Mischel and colleagues are investigating whether the good delayers are richer, too.

Now Mischel is in his 80’s and freshly wants to make sure that the nervous parents of self-indulgent children don’t miss his key finding: “Whether you eat the marshmallow at age 5 isn’t your destiny. Self-control can be taught.”

Self-control, a word that is straight to the point. It needs no definition, its a word that defines it self, simple to understand, but difficult to apply, at times it may even seem impossible. Here is what the wisdom of Proverbs imparts to us this morning;

Proverbs 25:28 (ESV)

A man without self-control

is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Como ciudad invadida y sin murallas es el hombre que no domina su espíritu.

PRAY

This morning we will examine the importance of self-control, how self control is a matter of the heart, and how it points to our need for Jesus.

We must realize we must Exercise self-control or there will be consequences…

In ancient near east, the cities were fortified by strong walls which surrounded the whole city. If you remember Joshua and Jericho, what was the challenge? The city was fortified by walls. What about Nehemiah, his desire was to go back to rebuild the wall, why?Because the walls around a city was necessary for its people to live in freedom from outside oppressive forces. They provided security, stability, protection. Without the walls, the people lived in fear, without protection.

The wisdom of Proverbs tells us, without self control, we are like a city that has been invaded and has no protection. It is very interesting, because our culture believes that freedom is living a life without boundaries, living a life without restrictions, let me live my life, just leave me alone. Yet the Bible, and what this Proverb tells us, what self control implies is

There is something inside of us that needs to be harnessed, it needs to controlled because left on its own, it will ruin our lives.

There is the possibility to draw from some source of power to restrain it.

This is why God gave us the law, the world thinks God’s law is simply out there to restrict our freedom, to take the joy out of life. One of the reasons God gave us the law was to restrain us from destroying our selves. The law, every single one of God’s commands is given to us for two reasons, to protect us and provide for us. We need the commands given to us in this book, because they protect us from living destructive lives and they give us direction on how to live the good life, a life of wisdom they teach us the way to live in freedom free from the bondage of sin.

Some of the ways we exhibit Self-control in our life is when

We are slow to anger, do you remember the life of Cain, whose lack of self control led him to kill his brother, The Lord told Cain sin is crouching at the door but you must control it and he didn’t, yet we see David, show extreme self control when he had the opportunity to take the life of King Saul, who was rejected by God and hunting down David, but David doesn’t, he refrains from taking the life of Saul.

We exhibit Self-control in our life is when

we are slow to speak.

When we guard our eyes and take our thoughts captive… Think of the Adam and Eve in the Garden and the serpent comes and tempts them to sin, what does the Bible say it was a delight to the eyes and it would make them wise. Guarding our eyes and taking our thoughts captive are vital aspects of self-control, if you don’t they can ruin you and those around you.

We exhibit Self-control in our life is when

we stop ourselves from watching pornography on our phone.

When we take care of our bodies through diet and exercise

we do not participate in gossip.

We exhibit Self-control in our life is when we are being intentional about following Christ and not allowing the comforts of this world hinder us from living much of Christ.

Living a life without self control has consequences in this life, but it also has eternal consequences. What did Jesus say on the sermon on the mount;

Matthew 5:29–30 (ESV)

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

29 Y si tu ojo derecho te es ocasión de pecar, arráncalo y échalo de ti; porque te es mejor que se pierda uno de tus miembros, y no que todo tu cuerpo sea arrojado al infierno[t]. 30 Y si tu mano derecha te es ocasión de pecar, córtala y échala de ti; porque te es mejor que se pierda uno de tus miembros, y no que todo tu cuerpo vaya al infierno.

Jesus is using hyperbole to demonstrate a point, that it is more important to be a person who is self controlled than to be person that lives a reckless life and ends up in hell. Living a life of sin will have consequences in this world but more importantly it will have eternal consequences, a life of eternal punishment in hell.

Which leads us to our problem,

Romans 8:13a (ESV)

For if you live according to the flesh you will die,

porque si vivís conforme a la carne, habréis de morir

The flesh in this passage is referring to our sin nature, we all are all born with a sin nature and what we discover is

The flesh cannot exercise Spirit Empowered self-control…

because those who live in the flesh are dead in sin, they do not have the power of the Spirit living inside of them. We need the power of the Spirit to put to death our sin nature, we need the spirit to live.

Romans 8:13b (ESV)

but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

pero si por el Espíritu hacéis morir las obras de la carne, viviréis.

What we need to understand is that self-control is never self-produced.

The Greek philosophers believed, to exhibit self-control in our lives we need to master the mind. We need to control the mind. We know this as will power. According to the Greeks we need to exhibit will power to control the mind and bring it in submission, this is where the idea of the Nike slogan comes from “Just Do It.”Guess what…? YOU cannot “do” it… The flesh cannot do it.

While self control involves the mind, self control is really a matter of the heart. You may ask what do I mean?

The 2024 Olympics is about to start in a few days, the best athletes from around the world are gathering in Paris to compete for the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for their country. These athletes have worked their whole lives to compete in the olympic games, they have maintained a strict diet, an exercise plan, their lives are consumed with attaining the prize so they exhibit self-control in their lives, why? They didn’t just wake up one morning and subject their bodies to the rigorous diet and exercise for nothing or just for fun, they are doing it to win the prize, that is their desire, their heart is set on winning, their self control is empowered by the desire to win the Gold.

Paul says this,

1 Corinthians 9:25–27 ESV

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Self control is not self produced, we exhibit self control when our hearts are governed to pursue something external, whether that is a better job, a college degree, a gold medal. Paul explains for the believer, our desire is to attain the imperishable wreath, the crown of life, for the believer the joy of living for Christ, pleasing Christ, bringing glory to Christ is our desire which produces self control

The problem is that the desire to bring glory to Christ is not self produced

Romans 8:14–16 (ESV)

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

14 Porque todos los que son guiados por el Espíritu de Dios, los tales son hijos de Dios.15 Pues no habéis recibido un espíritu de esclavitud para volver otra vez al temor, sino que habéis recibido un espíritu de adopción como hijos, por el cual clamamos: ¡Abba, Padre! 16 El Espíritu mismo da testimonio a nuestro espíritu de que somos hijos de Dios,

The Spirit produces the desire to bring glory to Christ, The Spirit produces in us the desire to call out to our Father in heaven, the Spirit transforms us and bears witness with our spirt that we are children of God and produces in us the desire to follow after Christ and to live for Christ. Notice Paul says for all who are led by the Spirit, they are transformed by the power of Christ, are empowered by the Spirit to live a life which honors God by living the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22–24 (ESV)

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.

22 Mas el fruto del Espíritu es amor, gozo, paz, paciencia, benignidad, bondad, fidelidad, 23 mansedumbre, dominio propio; contra tales cosas no hay ley. 24 Pues los que son de Cristo Jesús han crucificado la carne con sus pasiones y deseos.

The Holy Spirit crucifies our sinful flesh along with its passions and desires and gives us new passion and new desire to glorify Christ by living the fruit of the Spirit, which includes self-control. The Bible tells us that the grace that saves us also trains us

Titus 2:11–13 (ESV)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Porque la gracia de Dios se ha manifestado, trayendo salvación a todos los hombres, 12 enseñándonos, que negando la impiedad y los deseos mundanos, vivamos en este mundo sobria, justa y piadosamente,13 aguardando la esperanza bienaventurada y la manifestación de la gloria de nuestro gran Dios y Salvador Cristo Jesús,

The Spirit enables us to put to death our sinful desires and live a self controlled life for the glory of Christ. The grace of God, through the power of the Spirit is training us to reject sin and live self-controlled lives led by the Spirit. The Spirit provides us the ability to live lives led by the Spirit, the Spirit also provides the motive, the love of Christ

2 Corinthians 5:14–16 (ESV)

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Pues el amor de Cristo nos apremia, habiendo llegado a esta conclusión: que uno murió por todos, por consiguiente, todos murieron; 15 y por todos murió, para que los que viven, ya no vivan para sí, sino para aquel que murió y resucitó por ellos.

Self-control is all about being controlled by the love of Christ.

We know longer live for ourselves we live for a greater person, Christ, a greater passion, the glory of Christ, a greater mission , to spread the good news of the Gospel of Christ to all, a greater reward, which is imperishable, spending forever with Christ, because we love Christ and what he has done for us, we are forever grateful to him.

Resting in Christ and yielding our hearts to the Spirit is the only way we can experience true freedom and the only way to live a Spirit empowered self control life.

Without Christ, we will be left to our own sin and eternal destruction.

OUR GOAL — to do what is pleasing to Him.

2 Corinthians 5:9–10 (ESV)

So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Por eso, ya sea presentes o ausentes, ambicionamos serle agradables. 10 Porque todos nosotros debemos comparecer ante el tribunal de Cristo, para que cada uno sea recompensado por sus hechos estando en el cuerpo[g], de acuerdo con lo que hizo, sea bueno o sea malo.

TIME OF CONFESSION & REPENTANCE…

Give people 3-4 minutes (maybe with just piano in the background) to confess to the Lord, and to one another, their lack of self control…

{There’s space in the bulletin for people to write things down as well…}

COMMUNION