Self Control | November 12th, 2023

Call To Worship: From Psalm 111

Praise the Lord! I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people. How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them. Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. All he does is just and good, and all his commandments are trustworthy. They are forever true, to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity. He has paid a full ransom for his people. He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has! Reverence of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever!____________________________

Holy Harvest: Fruits of the Spirit

Self Control

Titus 2:11-15

CPCC 11.12.2023

Big Idea: Self-Control is God transforming our sinful desires into Godly desires. 

INTRO. SHOW PIC: He Greater than I

Maybe you have seen these bumper stickers around town: 

At first I thought it said was a creative way of spelling out Heidi, but I knew that was wrong because there is an “I” missing, besides, who is Heidi and why is she so popular?

I asked my son Carey him what Heidi meant, thinking it may have been a surf brand. He laughed and said, “Dad, it’s not Heidi, it is HE is Greater Than I.” That’s not a fancy D, rather, it is the mathematical symbol for “Greater Than.” The last time I used that symbol was in third grade and there were fractions attached to it like-3/4 is Greater Than> 1/4. 

Turns out, HE>I is a popular clothing brand from Honolulu that uses John 3:30; “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less,” as their name and logo. Their idea was people would see the logo and ask about it, giving the wearer an opportunity to share about Jesus in the conversation.

He is Greater than I is also good way to remember today’s main point, that through the power of God’s Holy Spirt, we are given the power to control our words and actions.  

Today, we look at Self-Control, which on the surface is probably as popular as me sharing a sermon on dieting. It’s one of those things we know we need to do, but we are usually so bad at it that we ignore it. A sermon on self-control often serves to remind us how often we fail to keep our lives in control.

But what if I was to tell you this is not that sermon? 

What if self-control is really a gift from God to help us live a life of fullness and freedom filled with the godly attributes we have been exploring in this series: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?

READ: Titus 2:11-15

11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

15 You must teach these things and encourage the believers to do them. You have the authority to correct them when necessary, so don’t let anyone disregard what you say.

Usually when people think of self-control they think of it in negative terms: like not eating dessert, or conjuring up enough will power to overcome the temptation to do something that you know you shouldn’t do. Self Control becomes more about what I should or shouldn’t do instead of learning to live in such a way that you naturally live under God’s influence.

ILLUS: For many people, Self control ends up being an internal debate of Should I or Should I Not do it? It’s like having Jiminy Cricket on your shoulder, the little insect conscience who follows Pinocchio around in the Disney version of the story. When Pinocchio wants to go with the other boys to Pleasure Island, Jiminy Cricket urges him not to go. Of course, Pinocchio doesn’t listen and he turns into a donkey, which is fitting for the way he was acting.

I think if we had little crickets on our shoulder warning us not to do harmful things, we would do more than ignore them. “Oh look pizza!” Then Jiminy pops up: “Now, now Tony, you know too much bread and cheese late at night goes is not good for you.” Anne would come in the kitchen the next morning asking why there was a smashed cricket on the floor…and what happened to the pizza?

Thankfully, as followers of Jesus Christ, we have access to something infinitely more powerful and persuasive than a cricket. We have been given the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, and His Spirit comes bearing gifts.

In today’s passage, Paul is writing to Titus, a Greek convert to Jesus. Paul has been mentoring Titus and sends him to the Island of Crete to lead the churches there. In his instruction, Paul reminds Titus to live empowered by Jesus, instead of godless living and sinful pleasures. Then in verse 11 Paul gives Titus the foundation for living the God-filled life: Live in God’s Grace which brings salvation to all people.

We can sum up this passage in this way: Because of God’s Grace, Jesus came and exchanged our sin for salvation, reconciling us with God. 

So, for those who follow Jesus, we are to turn from God-Less living and embrace God-filled living.

How do we do this?

Think of the LOGO: HE is GREATER than I

Because we belong to Jesus Christ and Christ’s spirit is given to us when we believe, we are set free to live and pursue the abundant life God desires for us to live.

Jesus’ death on the cross equals Freedom from every kind of sin. Verse 14: He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

But here is the problem: Too often we give up our freedom in Christ by falling back into old habits and not exercising the gift of self-control given to us by the Holy Spirit. 

Paul has an answer for this as well. We have read this before in this series, but hear it one last to make sure we all understand this: 

Galatians 5.16-25

16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

And this takes us back to HE is greater than I

Many Christians try to get by with Sin Management. If you just try hard enough, or pray more often, or be good, maybe you can manage the temptation, or avoid behavior that is destructive. Maybe that’s you this morning.

Sin Management is a plan doomed to fail because it flips the equation:

HE is greater than I becomes I am greater than HE

If you could manage your sin on your own, you wouldn’t need Jesus. Sadly, that’s how many people choose to live. 

We can’t control nor over come sin on our own.

At some point our will gives way to our desires, and if our desires are not reshaped by Jesus Christ, then we fail. 

I have met with people over the years who battle addiction on a daily basis. For those who are successful, letting go of the notion that they can control the habit on their own is the first step towards recovery. We have talked bout this before. In 12-Step Recovery programs, participants learn to let go and trust in a higher power, something or someone greater than themselves. Then they rely on others to keep them accountable.

For Christians, our higher power is the highest power, the one who made the Heavens and the Earth. The one who knows us more intimately than we know ourselves, and provides a way to over come sin that doesn’t rely on how much strength or faith you can muster up.

So when we are tempted, we need to acknowledge our weakness and plug-in to the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the temptation.

1 Corinthians 10.12-13

12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 

Self-Control is not about trying harder, it is about letting go and following God’s way over your own.

Do you want to experience God’s freedom from sin? Then choose to follow Jesus every day through humility, submission, and repentance. The great news is when we do this, we actually break the strangle hold sin has on our lives, and allow God to fill us with His grace, peace, Joy, and love and all the other fruits of the Spirit. These fruits are gifts given to us when we join with Jesus, to become like Jesus. They are godly signing bonuses.

The gift of Self-Control happens when we allow God to transform our sinful desires into Godly desires. 

ILLUS: Dada & Smoking.

When I was in High School my Grandfather took me with him to the doctor to get his results about his health. Dr. Tenyke was sitting on the other side of his desk reading off all the findings from a series of tests he put my Grandfather through. Dr. Tenyke and my Grandfather knew each other well, and I was friends with Dr. Tenyke’s son, so it was a casual atmosphere. At some point he looked at my Grandfather and said, “Rudy, you are going to have to give up cigarettes if you want to survive.” The irony was that both of them were smoking! Dr. Tenyke had a big glass ashtray on his desk and the two of them were smoking away like people did in the 70’s.

Afterwards, we got back into my Grandfather’s car. He had a beautiful 1965 Jaguar Mark 2 Sedan with a burled walnut console and the softest leather seats I’ve ever sat in. It was a beautiful car. On the center console my Grandfather had a custom made leather-covered ashtray with leather sandbags to hold it in place. On the top was a steel bowl that split in half when he pushed a button dumping his ashes into the metal container.

So we sat in that car and my Grandfather pulled out a cigarette. And proclaimed, “This is the last cigarette I will ever smoke.” Then he lit up. Technically that was also the last cigarette I would be involuntarily forced to smoke. Second-hand smoke was not a shameful thing in the mid-70’s.

And that really was his last cigarette. 

When we got back to the house, he gathered up all the fancy ash trays that were about the house and put them in a box in the garage.

He never smoked again.

BUT…

He would tell all the time, “I wish I had a cigarette.” He once told me that when he dreamed, he always had a cigarette in his hand.”

To me, my Grandfather had amazing self-control. As I reflect on him more, it was probably a combination of stubbornness and fear of dying that got him to stop smoking. He still wanted to light up every day.

His had changed his habit, but not his heart. 

Transforming our hearts, meaning our thoughts and desires, is the difference Jesus’ gift of self control brings. 

It is a change of heart that changes our desires. 

Self-Control becomes less about sin management and all about freedom in Christ. 

Freedom in Christ allows us to say yes to the things that embrace a God-filled life, and reject everything else. Our Self Control involves partnering with God in every aspect of our lives: Body, mind, and soul.

Self-Control starts with knowing which side of the GREATER THAN> symbol you belong.

Jesus is Greater than I Jesus>I is the equation that results in a life of freedom.

So this week, don’t try to be good. Instead, give your desires and habits to God.

Each day this week spend time with God, and in your prayers, give God control of your thoughts, actions, and temptations. 

Claim the promise of 1 Corinthians 10.13 God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

If you looking for a logo to describe your life, consider this one:

SHOW PIC: Cross Greater than I

Remember: Jesus is greater than I. 

That’s the source of our self-control. It’s how we live a God-filled life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Pray

BENEDICTION: Psalm 37.5-6

Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. 6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noon day sun.

Opening Hymns:

#87 Come Christians, Join to Sing v.1-3

#348 Softly and Tenderly v.1-3

Closing Hymn:

# Have Thine Own Way Lord v.1-3