Encountering Self-Discipline

Encounter Series June 12/13 2021 Self-Discipline Intro / Pastoral Announcements / Fathers Day / India Update Reminder - Fathers Day next weekend - great opportunity to bring Dads and the men - food, root beer India Still struggling with COVID but improving. Picture of Pastor Abraham performing funeral for the leader of the engineering school they have. While we visited India, we met him... sad... We've been able to help as a church - Over $85,000! From Ranjit & Pastor Abraham We have been able to help many pastors and Families.. to sustain them in this time. Thanks so much for what u did.. we would have Never been able to help all these people without your support.. You guys have truly gone above and beyond.. Out of that money also we will be sending the pastors money for groceries this month.. thanks to vineyard Pray for India and Pray for offering Galatians Chapter 5 Want to watch this video to begin... no sound... maybe obvious reasons - I'll try to commentate so it makes sense? Title is "Minor League Manager Goes Nuts" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGZUKHtW7vg) [if we can't use that video I have the following pictures...[same slide for 1st 2 and then separate for last picture] Anyone ever lose it? ok...maybe not to that level, but lose self-control? How many of you have ever said something you shouldn't have? [this morning?] Just a confession / transparent / every now and again I say dumb things. * 25 years ago - interviewing for a critical position - person I would be working for asked me what I wanted to be doing in 5 years - I told him that I wanted his job..... maybe not the best thing I've said. :) needed a little more self-control * Just this week - my youngest son was driving this week, learners permit, - criticized his driving in a joking manner - DUMB!! Dig a little deeper - not just self-control with what we say - excess in: * Eating We have an area in the office where leftovers get put - call it the trough... struggle with excess * Others it might be in some area other than eating - spending $, drinking, exercising.... Self Control / Self Discipline - Mastery over one's desires and passions. To behave in a sensible manner. ---- without it, things go bad... When I was thinking about this it immediately reminded me of several (quickly thought of 3) people I knew throughout my career (I'm sure there were more) that were highly talented - brilliant in what they did, spent YEARS [decades] honing their skills and in a moment when times where challenging they all ended up in a mess due to a lack of self-discipline - ended up impacting their careers significantly and relationships because the fleshly desires got in the way. Bible describes desires and passions this way 'acts of the flesh'.... Galatians 5:19-21 19 The acts [some translations DESIRES] of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. Can we pause... Some of these we might have a handle on, but others? ... I'd venture not only to me but for some listening - hatred, jealousy, selfish ambition... envy... when we think about those items - those items tug at our self-control and we struggle to master those desires.... Has an impact! Proverbs 25:28 - Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. Lack of self-control / self-discipline is like a city whose walls are broken and now you are unguarded and it's easily attacked.... Such a great picture...and description of what the lack of self control feels like... constantly on defense and worried.... Other implications... Mt 12:36-37 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." YIKES! Let's go back to the list of those acts of the flesh again.... See what the fruit of those acts are.... Galatians 5:21 - I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Should be a wake up call - Question for all of us (including me) - What area of life could I use more self-control? (write it down).. [Put up slide of Galatians 5:19 - acts of flesh] While you are considering that - I'm finishing a series called Encounter [Series Slide] where we are exploring this verse 2Tim 1:7 - For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline - each week we have reviewed importance of encountering God in areas of our life and when we encounter God He gives us power, love self-discipline. I'm going to finish with Self-discipline and my hope is that we all could use more self-discipline to overcome the desires of the flesh that lead us to problems in our life. From eating too much, to relationship problems, to financial and business problems. My goal is to get us to understand how important it is for the areas we need help with, that we would have a God encounter in those areas, which is the best solution for the challenge. Galatians 5 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. In those few verse I see some really important things that can help us all with self-control / self-discipline.... Key is 'lasting self-control' - not just self-control that lasts through a conversation or for a week.... [PRAY] Lasting Self-Control comes from: 1) A deeper understanding of the battle 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. Pause for a second just for clarity - notice the scripture doesn't say the battle is between you and the world or you and the person that made you angry, or you and your kids -- it's deeper than that ... Eph 6:12 - 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. The text is not talking about the battle with your boss, or the president... the battle for self-control is a spiritual battle. There is an enemy - and he's at work - Just for clarity, because I think it's important, maybe we don't think of this rightly - if we go back a seemingly silly example - bear claw - there is a spiritual component at play - I want to be doing great ministry when I'm well in my 60's - on my game - and the enemy of my soul would love nothing more than to highlight how good that bear claw looks...regularly - eat unhealthy and struggle with health in my 60's. the battle is with my flesh and dealing with temptation... the battle isn't with dainty-maid doughnuts, or the person who put them in the box...or my wife that bought them... Self-control means I master that desire.... Or what about this... * God wants you to have a relationship with your family & friends - enemy would love nothing more than nick-picking fights that cause division that lasts decades.... * Teacher / nurse / business leader in the room - we need Christians in the marketplace that have Christian self-control and leadership, enemy would love nothing more than to tempt you with sexual temptation or selfish-ambition tug at you We just can't do what we want - dismiss self-control - because it can turn out bad! Look at what our text says... Galatians 5.... 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. Isn't scripture clear?!?! If we begin to recognize the deeper battle between flesh and Spirit, and if the text states we shouldn't do what we want. Biblical Example in Acts chapter 5 - church as it was growing... says that none of the believers claimed any of their possessions as their own - shared everything they had..... husband and wife (annanias and saphira) sold property to do the same but kept back part of the money for themselves - selfish ambition.... Peter.. Acts 5:3-5 "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God." 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died The battle wasn't between Peter and the disciples and Annanias... the battle was deeper than that - satan filled their heart and they were trying to do what THEY wanted to do.... If we do what we want to do, who is our leader? - we are - that's a scary place to be in a spiritual battle... better approach... Jesus tempted by the satan. Jesus, in Luke chapter 4, fasting for 40 days - tempted by fleshly desires - food, with power, with control - to which Jesus never caved. Ultimate test of self-control, and he succeeded - fully human.... What was a key to Jesus' self-control? Luke 4: 1-2 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. Jesus was 'led by the spirit' to the wilderness. Don't miss this point, he relied on the Holy Spirit, and was LED by the Holy Spirit. In a battle of self-control we get a choice who our leader is - to do what we want to do, or to be led by the spirit into an encounter where God is able to help, and get our fleshly desires and lack of self-control out of the way. Too often in battles I end up wanting to lead and do it on my own - but we don't have to do it alone when we understand that the battle at a deeper level! It is not those who are led by their own strength, it's those who are led by the Spirit of God that have self-control. Question for us all: In the battle, who is my leader? Go back to that area of your life that you need more self-control in and let's honestly ask ourselves who has been in the lead in that battle? Lasting Self-Control comes from: 1) A deeper understanding of the battle Other thing I see in the text... Lasting self control comes from.... 2) Being in step with the Spirit 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Keep in step with the Spirit - when I read things like that in scripture it's easy to just blow through them, but if we pause and think about it there is a deeper context. How do you keep in step with things? This is where my head went.... If you look really closely I'm in that picture - I was in marching band... anyone else? Here's the deal in marching band you kept in step with the leader up front - drum major, there was a leader who had the entire program in mind - at times would point to get people to get in step - my point is - we kept in step with the leader or the program was a mess. Marching to the beat of our own drum doesn't work - isolates us.... Need to keep in step with the leader... Not dissimilar to the way Paul writes this is like a military term "to draw up in line" - it's following and being obedient AS YOU GO. (it's discipleship) Do you see the nuance? You can determine that someone is your leader (Accept Jesus as your savior) but never fall in step with what the Holy Spirit is guiding you to, what scripture says - you can march to your own drum and not follow the leader - self-control out the window! This is Christian discipleship.... If Jesus is Lord, I'm going to FOLLOW him.... It's like we need more clear instructions... If I can sum our text from Galatians today it would be: For best results: God leads, I closely follow. Challenging - even the disciples missed it - Jesus was there leader, they had resolved that - they walking to Jerusalem with the disciples and people were not recognizing or welcoming Jesus - When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" [next slide has v55 in it] 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. OK - so the disciples weren't perfect - NEITHER ARE WE - so what are we supposed to do about it? How do we keep more in step with the Spirit of God? - dig in deeper in Galatians... Galatians 5:24 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus [who have made Jesus the leader] have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. So if Jesus is my leader and I keep in step with Him then of those acts of the flesh and fleshly desires are supposed to be crucified / they are supposed to die... BUT WHY AM I STILL TEMPTED BY THEM...? Paul writes it this way in another letter to the church.... 2Cor 10:5 - take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ Break this down / asking you to go deep - there are two important things in this verse we should be doing.... Some of you need to take lots of notes on these... :) 1. Take captive every thought.... You know what this means? Before you do it, before you lose your cool and start the verbal tyrade stop, pause. Think of it this way - If you say it, you never have to deal with it with God do you? You might have to deal with the consequences, but if you just let things fly you never get God into the root of why those things come out in the first place - we need to pause. Before you think you need to spend $ on the next thing you really don't need, or drink another glass of wine to relax, or work out to escape the pain you're not dealing with inside you should STOP and take those thoughts captive.... Pause... don't say it, don't do it. If we miss this step we never get an encounter with God and we never get lasting self control. 2. Second part - make it obedient to Christ - that's the part we (I) miss and if we miss this step the only thing we do is stuff our thoughts and THAT'S BAD. You can only stuff things for so long until they come out worse later. Instead look at what the verse says - If I take my thoughts / words / desires and make those thought obedient to Christ - I bring them into an encounter with the Spirit of God then God can do something with them! Practically how to make them obedient to Christ... Phil 4:6-7 - 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And look what he does - This is the good news!!! -> 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. We don't have to understand it - that's what the scripture says, but when we bring our thoughts into an encounter with the living God we get HIS peace and our hearts and minds will be guarded. That's the greatness of walking in step with the Spirit of God - we actually get the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is SELF-CONTROL. It's beyond any level of control we can muster up out of our own strength and it's way better than stuff those thoughts for them only to come up later. Felt like we needed to get a little more practical... Good 'in step with the Spirit' questions : [one at a time on the slides] * Why do I have that desire? Recognize the desire, take thought captive - ask God - Remove that desire Lord... * What's the truth in this situation? In confusing situations this is a gem! I don't want live in a lie, I want the truth! God will reveal the truth * Is this a good opportunity or a future mess? job / quit my old job / get a job / date this person / get married / get this car? * I'm hurt, how should I respond? o FYI - Jesus didn't respond at times - sometimes you don't need to say anything [Take a picture of the screen?] Those questions are invitations to encounter God, and to take those things we lack self control in and make them obedient to Christ. Without questions like that we end up marching to the beat of our own drum and realizing that the song we're on frequently is not the one God is on - and we lose our ability to control everything out of our own strength. Our greatest encounters with God, and our best solution for lasting self control comes only when we are closely in step with Him.....and are recipients of the fruit he gives us - lasting self-control. If Jesus is my leader, how closely am I following? Are your following closely enough to ask those questions and hear from Him? Lasting Self-Control comes from: 1- Recognizing the real battle 2- Being in step with the Spirit --- Handout Scripture : Galatians 5:16-26 Lasting Self-Control comes from: 1 A deeper understanding of the battle In the battle, who is my leader? 2 Being in step with the Spirit For best results: God leads, I closely follow. If Jesus is my leader, how closely am I following? 1