Introduction:
How to Get self:Controlled (1 Cor 9:24-27):
- You must Choose to be self-controlled. (1 Cor 9:24)
- You must be committed to self-control in Every Area . (1 Cor 9:25a)
2 Peter 1:5-6 - For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control...
Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...
- You must keep your eyes on the Prize . (1 Cor 9:25b)
- You must have a Plan to win. (1 Cor 9:26)
- You must have a healthy fear of being Disqualified . (1 Cor 9:27)
Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!
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00:40-00:43
Open up your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 9.
00:46-00:56
As we conclude our series, 1 Corinthians 9, and as the analogy goes as we're talking about sex, sex is like fire.
00:58-01:04
Fire in the fireplace is beautiful, and it's warm, and it's appropriate.
01:06-01:12
The fire in the middle of the floor is destructive, right?
01:13-01:15
In its right place, it's beautiful.
01:15-01:17
In its wrong place, it's destructive.
01:17-01:23
And as we talk about issues of sexuality, it's the exact same story.
01:26-01:29
Because sex in the right place is beautiful and appropriate.
01:32-01:36
but in the wrong place, it is destructive.
01:39-01:42
And over these past few weeks, we started talking about David.
01:44-01:47
We saw how we too fall into sin and temptation.
01:48-01:55
And also from David's life, we saw the terrible and permanent consequences that we're going to face.
01:57-02:08
And last week, we sought God's Word for a holy motivation, and we saw that intimacy is for those in the covenant, right?
02:10-02:26
Just as God desires a close relationship with us, which has been provided through the covenant of Jesus Christ's blood, He calls us into covenant with our spouse, and it is in that context that we are to share intimacy.
02:28-02:35
So in 1 Corinthians 9, We're getting to a very familiar analogy to the Corinthians.
02:37-02:39
We're talking about running a race.
02:41-02:46
And for the Corinthians, the "iths, meansn" games - I've been practicing always saying this.
02:47-02:50
"Iths, meann." Hang on, let me take another run at that.
02:59-03:02
"Iths, meann." "Do you have to say it with that accent?
03:02-03:10
"I think I do." The It's Mean Games, okay, it was like the Olympics, all right, all that practicing for nothing.
03:11-03:20
Every three years, they had their Olympic games, and these athletes had to take an oath that for 10 months, they were gonna train.
03:23-03:29
An oath to do this, and also during that time, they were going to abstain from eating anything that they were not supposed to eat.
03:30-03:31
Alright?
03:31-03:36
So, Paul uses this analogy to say our life is like that race.
03:37-03:42
We need to run in such a way that we are going to be useful to God.
03:46-03:54
Specifically here, the application point Paul makes is we need to be willing to be self-controlled and give up anything that might hinder your race.
03:56-03:57
Hear me church.
03:58-04:02
Nothing will hinder your race like sexual sin.
04:05-04:09
Sexual sin will sap your spiritual vitality.
04:10-04:12
Sexual sin will destroy families.
04:14-04:16
And sexual sin will ruin your testimony.
04:16-04:21
So as we talk about self-control, this is top of the pile.
04:22-04:24
Areas where we need self-control.
04:24-04:28
So using the race metaphor, we have some principles here.
04:28-04:38
So on your outline, if you're taking notes, and I always encourage you to do so, this is how to get self-controlled.
04:39-04:41
Number one, jot this down.
04:42-04:44
You must choose to be self-controlled.
04:45-04:46
Look at verse 24.
04:48-04:57
Paul says, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "Do you not know that in a race, All the runners run, but only one receives the prize.
04:58-05:00
So run that you may obtain it.
05:03-05:13
Now the Greek race had one winner, but Paul is pointing out here that this prize is open to everyone because it's your own race.
05:13-05:14
You're not competing with anyone here.
05:16-05:24
Your race for your walk with Christ and your purity and your self-control, you're not competing.
05:28-05:28
This is your own race.
05:29-05:37
Then Paul says, "Run that you may obtain it." That seems kind of obvious, doesn't it?
05:37-06:10
He says you have to run, wrap your brain around this profound truth, you have to run like you're trying to win and you're like okay hang on a second hang on to who who shows up at the race day of event competition who shows up to compete and doesn't even try and the answer is a lot of people You're like, "What do I mean?" Here's what I mean.
06:13-06:14
We're going to be brutally honest.
06:17-06:19
I hear people use this phrase a lot.
06:19-06:26
They say, "You know, I'm struggling with pornography." I'm struggling with pornography.
06:26-06:30
And that phrase isn't exactly true.
06:32-06:36
struggling implies that there's an actual fight going on.
06:39-06:45
The truth is, for many people, there isn't really a struggle.
06:49-06:58
In other words, you come to my office and you're like, "Well, Pastor Jeff, I'm struggling with pornography." And I'm like, "Alright, we're going to be completely honest.
06:58-07:00
I want you to sit down and I want you to break it down for me.
07:01-07:05
be exactly what is going on between you and pornography.
07:06-07:09
Like I watch it every day.
07:11-07:12
That's not a struggle.
07:14-07:18
Just doing it in no way suggests there's any effort for self-control.
07:20-07:25
And that's why as Paul talks about self-control, that's why it has to start here.
07:25-07:26
You have to make the choice.
07:27-07:49
He says, "So run that you may obtain it." up trying. So many people who are struggling with saying you're not struggling, you're losing is what you're doing. You're not putting forth any kind of effort. And if you're going to have self-control, it has to start here, where you say, you know, I'm going to win.
07:49-08:32
I am not okay with living in defeat anymore. This ends right now. I'm showing up to this race, then I'm going to win the race. That's where you have to start. Secondly, you must be committed to self-control in every area. Look at his analogy. Look at the first sentence in verse 25. It says, "Every athlete exercises self-control in all things." Underline in In other words, when it comes to self-control, church, this isn't for some Christians and not others.
08:33-08:34
Like, "Yeah, we talk about self-control.
08:34-08:44
It's really important that preachers and missionaries get this stuff down." No. All athletes, all Christians need self-control.
08:45-08:48
You're like, "Okay, in what area?" Well, he tells us. Do you see this?
08:49-08:51
Exercise of self-control in what things?
08:52-08:53
Say it. Come on, come on, say it.
08:54-08:58
All things, every area, every area.
09:00-09:01
Like take the athlete analogy.
09:03-09:10
If you're going to be an effective athlete, you need to be effective top three areas for sure.
09:12-09:18
And that is diet and training and practicing, right?
09:20-09:21
You have to be eating right.
09:22-09:29
You have to make sure your body is physically fit and you have to practice the sport in which you compete.
09:29-09:31
And if that athlete says, you know what?
09:34-09:36
I'm kind of with meatloaf on this, rest in peace.
09:36-09:38
I'm with meatloaf, the two out of three ain't bad.
09:38-09:44
I'm gonna work on diet and I'm gonna work on training, but I'm never gonna show up to practice.
09:45-09:46
Is that athlete gonna be very effective?
09:47-09:47
No.
09:49-09:49
No.
09:50-09:57
"Well, I train real hard and I never miss practice." I'm gonna be honest with you, I eat garbage all the time.
09:57-09:58
Is that athlete gonna be effective?
09:59-10:04
No, he has to be disciplined in every area.
10:04-10:05
And it's the same with Christians.
10:06-10:07
Two out of three is not gonna work.
10:09-10:15
Every area of life, he gets, "Well, I don't drink "and I don't cuss, but I do look at pornography sometimes.
10:16-10:19
"So two out of three ain't bad." He says all areas.
10:20-10:23
Exercise self-control in all things.
10:26-10:29
When we talk about self-control, here's a question we have to answer.
10:32-10:36
Is self-control something that I'm responsible for, or is it something that the Lord empowers?
10:38-10:43
Is self-control something that I'm responsible for, or is it something that the Lord empowers?
10:44-10:45
And the answer is yes.
10:46-10:46
Write this down.
10:49-10:50
Self-control is a team effort.
10:54-10:56
And I can show you both of these truths biblically.
10:56-10:59
First of all, self-control is a command to be obeyed.
11:01-11:03
2 Peter 1.
11:05-11:16
"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control." He says, and I studied this, "Make every effort" in the Greek means to make every effort.
11:16-11:26
for the maximum effort to supplement your faith with, and he gives a list of things, but one of them is self-control.
11:26-11:37
You have to do everything in your power to go after self-control, but it doesn't happen solely by your power.
11:37-11:39
The Bible says it's the fruit of the Spirit, right?
11:39-11:48
Galatians 5.22 and 23 says, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
11:48-11:54
Not last and least, okay, but it is a fruit of the Spirit.
11:56-11:58
You're called to partner with God on this.
11:59-12:02
He calls you to it and empowers you to do it.
12:04-12:13
And I have to emphasize this because this is where Christians get all messed up when it comes to discipline and it comes to dependence.
12:14-12:17
We have this tendency to emphasize one over the other.
12:18-12:20
And when you do that, you will not have self-control.
12:23-12:24
You're like, what do you mean?
12:24-12:24
Here's what I mean.
12:25-12:29
Some Christians only emphasize the discipline, the my responsibility part.
12:30-12:33
They try to run and regulate every single thing in their lives.
12:34-12:35
Like military, right?
12:35-12:42
Like I'm gonna be so disciplined in every single area, every minute accounted for, every penny accounted for.
12:42-12:48
I'm gonna be so disciplined and I'm going to run everything, and they have no dependence on God's Holy Spirit.
12:48-12:50
You know what happens to those people?
12:50-12:56
They end up discouraged, because you cannot keep up that level of discipline indefinitely.
12:57-13:04
You're going to fail, and your failure is going to reflect on you, and you're going to feel like, I can't do it, I never could do it.
13:05-13:05
You're going to be discouraged.
13:07-13:12
But some, just go entirely on dependence.
13:12-13:14
You let go and you let God.
13:15-13:17
I'm sort of on autopilot.
13:17-13:19
God does everything.
13:19-13:22
I don't need to worry about spiritual disciplines.
13:22-13:24
You know what ends up to those people?
13:24-13:25
They end up defeated.
13:27-13:28
They end up defeated.
13:29-13:32
So when it comes to, is it man's choice or is it God's empowerment?
13:33-13:35
It's not either or, it's both and.
13:37-13:43
You know, it would be like, You know, last week we got that big dump of snow, right?
13:44-13:54
Well, imagine you go out to clean your driveway and somebody dropped off for you the biggest, best, state-of-the-art snowblower on the market.
13:55-14:09
You're like, "It's yours, enjoy." If you decide that you're not going to use the snowblower, but you're gonna dig out your driveway by hand, you're gonna get frustrated.
14:11-14:12
And you're going to get worn out.
14:13-14:15
And you're going to see how ineffective you are.
14:16-14:22
And that thing, though it has all the power in the world, it's not doing you any good just sitting there not being used.
14:24-14:32
So when you take the thing and use it, you see it's providing the power, but you're making the choice to use the power it's been giving you.
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You see?
14:34-14:35
You understand the picture.
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Because when you do, you understand how all this works with self-control.
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You see, God has given you the resource.
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God says, "I'm giving you self-control, now it's up to you to use the gift that I have given you.
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It's not going to be effective unless you use it." In every area.
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In every area.
14:59-15:00
That's what Paul points out here.
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Self-control in all things.
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You're never going to succeed anywhere in life.
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Not in your marriage, not at work, not at school.
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Definitely not in the area of sexuality.
15:14-15:21
You're never going to succeed without going after self-control the way God has provided.
15:24-15:26
Number three, how to get self-controlled.
15:27-15:28
You have to choose to be self-controlled.
15:28-15:30
You must be committed to self-control in every area.
15:30-15:33
Number three, write this down, you must keep your eyes on the prize.
15:36-15:37
Look at the rest of verse 25.
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He says, "Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.
15:42-15:50
They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable." Stop there.
15:51-16:00
The Greeks, they exercised all that self-control, and they restricted their diet, and they went through all that training.
16:00-16:01
Do you know what they won?
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You know what they won?
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They won a pine wreath to wear on their heads.
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That was the prize.
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Yay!
16:14-16:21
You go home and you put that thing on your mantel and you better show it to your friends quick because it's going to crumble into dust in a week.
16:22-16:22
You know what I'm talking about?
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And that's Paul's point.
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He said they did all this work and all this effort to get this thing that's going to crumble.
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He says, "But we do it for an unfading crown, an imperishable crown." You're like, "Well, what's the crown?
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What is the crown?" Well, according to 2 Timothy 4.8, it's a crown of righteousness.
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According to Revelation 2.10, it's the crown of life.
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According to 1 Peter 5.4, it's a crown of glory.
16:56-16:58
And you're like, "Well, what does that mean, Pastor Jeff?
16:58-17:01
Is it like a stack of crowns on your head?
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Or is it like one crown with all these facets?
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And I'm going to be honest with you, I didn't think that far about it because I couldn't get over the fact that the Bible says that the King of Heaven is going to put a crown on me.
17:18-17:20
I can't wrap my brain around that.
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The day is going to come that the Lord of everything, The One who is sovereign and almighty over everything is going to crown His people?
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I don't get it.
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I mean, I believe it.
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You know, anticipating that glorious day, that motivates me to self-control today.
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Paul's using the athlete analogy.
17:58-18:00
Every athlete gets this, right?
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Everybody that's in the NHL right now, when they were a kid, what did they imagine?
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What did they imagine?
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What were they thinking about?
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What were they dreaming?
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Someday, right?
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Lifting up the cup.
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That's all they thought.
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That's what drove them.
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I can't wait.
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Someday I'm going to lift up the Stanley Cup, right?
18:23-18:26
Every football player, "Someday I'm going to get that Lombardi.
18:28-18:42
Going to get that Lombardi." Everybody that plays for the Pirates, "Someday I'm going to win a game." I'm sorry, that wasn't in my notes, nor was it nice.
18:43-18:46
Every boxer, "I'm going to get the belt, right?
18:46-18:48
I'm going to get the belt.
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I'm going to be heavyweight champion.
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All of the training, all of the hard work, all of the self-control to bask in that moment of glory.
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And on that day, on that day, you're going to be crowned by the king.
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on that day you're fully going to realize it was all worth it. It was all worth it.
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Jesus, you were worth it. Every time I said no to sin, every time I used the self-control that you gave me in order that I might be an imitator of Christ as as the Bible called me to be.
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Every time I used self-control, and there were a lot of times my flesh didn't want it, but every time I said no to sin, it was all worth it.
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The victory celebration is coming soon.
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Keep your eyes on the prize.
20:00-20:01
Keep control of yourself.
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And fourthly, write this down, have a plan to win. You must have a plan to win.
20:15-21:28
He says, "So I do not run aimlessly. I do not box as one beating the air." Stop there for a second. He says, "I do not run aimlessly." in a race you have to have a clear track and you have to have a clear finish line and in order to win you have to stay on track and he says I do not run aimlessly I mean it's obvious right you don't show up at the day of the track meet you get your little track shoes on your track shoes you get your little track shorts you're ready to run and you just start running like through the concession area you're like this is where I run like no I'm gonna run through the stands like what are you doing like the track is down here if there's no track and there's no finish line you're not really gonna put forth any kind of effort and you're never going to have victory that's why That's why he says you've got to have a plan to win.
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Now listen, because when we talk about self-control, I think our minds immediately go someplace.
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This is what self-control is, but you've got to hear this.
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Self-control isn't just being ready to do the right thing in the moment of temptation.
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That's what some people think self-control is.
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When the moment of temptation appears before me, God's Holy Spirit is going to give me the power of self-control.
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And listen, it can't be just that.
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Here's what I mean.
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mostly happens before the moment of temptation. I want you to think about this.
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Self-control happens, mostly happens, before the moment of temptation, not just at the moment of temptation.
22:51-22:58
You're like, "What do you mean by that?" I mean, by using the athlete analogy here, athletes train ahead of time, don't they?
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You know, the athlete didn't show up to the race going, "Boy, I can't wait to run this race today, because I'm going to be honest with you, I'm a little out of shape, and I think running this race today is going to get me in shape." He doesn't have that mindset.
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If he has that mindset, he's already lost.
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The training happens before.
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The hard work, the discipline, the self-control, all of that happens before game time.
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And in the same way, self-control, when it comes to the area of sexual sin, self-control must be done before temptation shows up.
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I mean decisions must be made ahead of time.
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I'm not going to go to that place.
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I know I'm weak when I go to that place, and I'm not going to go to that place.
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I'm not going to allow myself to have any idle time online where I might be tempted to look at something that I shouldn't be looking at online.
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You're making decisions ahead of time.
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Fences must be built ahead of time.
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I'm not going to allow myself to be alone with that woman.
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I'm just not going to put myself in the position where I might possibly be tempted.
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I gotta build that fence ahead of time.
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That's self-control.
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Disciplines must be honed ahead of time.
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I'm making prayer the priority today.
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I'm making the meditation on the word of God the absolute thing that I'm focusing on today.
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First thing in the morning, not trying to recall a verse at the right time.
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ahead of time.
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Ahead of time.
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It's like the analogy I've shared with you before if we can get away from athletics for a minute. Let's talk about dogs. I've shared this with you before.
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But the man that had the two dogs, right?
24:59-25:02
He had a white dog and he had a black dog. Don't make this about race. Okay?
25:04-25:14
White represents light. Black represents darkness, dogs don't have races. Do I need to start over? Some of you look confused.
25:16-25:38
Some of you are very uncomfortable. We're not talking about races, we're talking about fur color. All right? So this guy had two dogs and every time he fed them the black dog overpowered the white dog and got all of the food and over time the white dog, because it wasn't eating, was getting weaker and weaker and weaker and the black dog who was getting food was getting stronger and stronger and stronger.
25:38-25:41
So the fight was more and more and more lopsided.
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And the owner of the dog says, "I gotta do something about this." So what he did was he leashed both dogs.
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And for a season, he only fed the white dog.
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And he gave the black dog just enough food to get by.
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Don't call PETA, it's not a real story, it's an analogy.
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All right, so he fed the white dog the best and healthiest and most nutritious food, the black dog just enough to get by.
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And over time, the white dog got stronger and stronger and then the black dog got weaker and weaker.
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And then when he let them off the leash and set the food down, the white dog at this point was able to overpower the black dog and get the food.
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And the point of that analogy is simple, right?
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The dog that you feed is going to be the dominant dog.
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Meaning this, if you're constantly feeding lust, looking at images online, watching movies that incite that, having conversations about that subject matter. Do you know what you do every time you do that? Is you're feeding the black dog and you're making it stronger and stronger and then you wonder why does lust have such control over my life?
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Because that's the dog you've been feeding all this time. That's why it has such dominance in your life. But if you will be self-controlled and just feed Feed the white dog.
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Going after God's Word, memorizing and meditating the applicable and appropriate Scriptures, and spending time with God's people in prayer, accountability, going after the things that lead to Christ's likeness.
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That's feeding the white dog.
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And you're going to find over time that that's going to be the dog that's stronger.
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Self-control is feeding the white dog.
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That's the plan.
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Self-control must happen before you encounter temptation.
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He says, "So I do not run aimlessly.
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I do not box as one beating the air." Same principle, right?
27:51-28:01
A boxer doesn't show up, ding, ding, and he's over swinging in the corner at nothing while all his opponents standing behind him going, "What is he doing?
28:03-28:10
You're not gonna win many fights that way, are you?" When the boxer goes in, he says, "I have a plan.
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I stick to the plan and I stay focused." You're like, "Wait, wait, wait, wait.
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Are we mixing metaphors here?
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You know, I thought we were talking about racing and now all of a sudden we're talking about boxing.
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Like, which is it?
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And it sounds like a really fun sport because in Paul's analogy, it's kind of a hybrid of both.
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In other words, I'm running the race, but I have this opponent that wants to get me off track.
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And he like jumps on the track and tries to shove me off the track.
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And what I need to do is knock him out.
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Like, well, who's this opponent?
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Who's this guy getting on the track with you and trying to shove you off track and get you distracted?
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Who is that guy that you have to knock his teeth down his throat?
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Who is it?
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It's me.
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I am my own worst enemy.
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And so are you.
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I don't mean you're my worst enemy.
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I mean, you are your own worst enemy.
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because it is your lack of self-control that is going to ruin you harder and faster than anything anybody else can do to you.
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That's why number five, finally, you must have a healthy fear of being disqualified.
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You must have a healthy fear of being disqualified.
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You can see the determination here in what Paul wrote.
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He says, "But I discipline my body, and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified." Paul says, "I control my body." Not vice versa.
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Alright?
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I have this body that God's given me, it's fallen flesh that I'm currently living in, but listen, it doesn't tell me what to do.
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I tell it what to do.
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I'm in charge.
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It's not leading me around by the leash and telling me what to do.
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I'm telling it what to do.
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I'm beating my body into submission.
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Like, why are you so fired up about this?
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He tells you right here why he's so fired up.
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He says, "Because I don't want to be disqualified." That's why.
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I don't want to be disqualified.
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Like, well, okay, in this analogy, what is disqualification?
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Well, he's not talking about losing your salvation.
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He is not talking about that.
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Biblically, if you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, if you have been born again, nothing can take that away from you.
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The Bible never uses any language that talks about, You're adopted by God, but then you're unadopted by God.
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You're born again, but then you're unborn again.
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You're sealed with the Holy Spirit, and then the Holy Spirit's seal is removed.
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The Bible never talks about that.
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When you're a child of God, you are a child of God for eternity.
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He's not talking about losing your salvation.
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Because you can't.
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you can lose your ministry.
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That's what he's talking about.
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He says, "Lest after preaching to others..." That's so convicting.
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After preaching, I knew better.
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You know, I stood in front of a group of people and I taught them, this is what God This is how to control yourself.
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This is how you guard sexual purity.
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This is how you maintain intimacy in the covenant." And I stood up, and I told him exactly what God said, but I didn't do it myself.
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I'm a hypocrite.
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And I just proved that I have no business in ministry.
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And if you're a believer, you know that that's one of the greatest losses that you can experience in this life.
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It's one of the greatest losses.
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This isn't just for preachers and missionaries.
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Whether you're a small group leader, or you work in Harvest Kids, or you lead a ladies' Bible study, or you're leading the men's discipleship group, or whatever area of ministry that you've been entrusted To lose that?
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That's one of the biggest losses you will ever experience in this life.
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Because what you're saying is, "I was partnering with the living God.
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I was doing things that matter for eternity.
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Lives were being saved.
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I saw people being changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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I saw people being healed.
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I saw people making major life decisions because of and empowered by Jesus Christ.
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I was on the front line of seeing the supernatural happen.
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And it's over.
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I'm no longer able to do that.
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And I really don't have anybody to blame but me, Because I couldn't control myself.
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I got myself disqualified.
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I've seen it happen to so many people in ministry, so many people who served the Lord so faithfully.
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Now they're on the outside looking in.
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They're watching other people do what used to give them so much purpose and joy.
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Disqualified.
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And that can happen to you.
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You choose to not be self-controlled, but choose to indulge in sexual sin, you will ruin your testimony.
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You're going to shatter people's trust in you.
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And you're no longer qualified to serve Jesus in a ministry capacity.
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That's why I say you need to have a healthy fear.
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You know, we promote at our church, "I will not fear." We spend a whole year on that.
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Having our confidence in the Lord, and not being afraid, absolutely.
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But I do think there's a true aspect of having a healthy fear that I always keep in the back of my mind, "What's at stake if I refuse to exercise the gift of self-control that God's given me?" What's at stake? I could lose everything.
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In ministry that God has entrusted to me, you must have a healthy fear of being disqualified.
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Self-controlled.
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Failure to do so can damage not only you, but everyone around you.
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your family, your church, co-workers, permanent irreparable damage.
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Sex is one of the greatest gifts that God has given mankind.
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And we have a responsibility to use it as God intended.
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Because when we do, we will reap the blessings that come when we do.
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So what's going to prevent its terrible misuse?
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What's going to protect you from making a choice that you're going to forever regret?
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It's partnering with God and using another incredible gift that He's given you.
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And that's self-control.
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Let's pray.
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Father in heaven, we've spent the last four weeks talking about sexual sin and self-control.
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Father, You know the struggles and temptations that are in front of us, living in this fallen flesh living in a culture that is constantly promoting sins of a sensual nature.
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And someday we will be out of this fallen flesh.
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Someday, this culture is going to be completely changed into a culture of righteousness.
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We know these days are coming soon.
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In the meantime, Father, I just ask for this church, that You would give us self-control.
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That we would truly understand why You created us to be sexual beings in the first place.
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And the resources that You've given us to guard that beautiful gift.
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I thank You, Father, for those who have stepped up in repentance, who have stepped up confessing, for those who are no longer able to keep things secret, or no longer want to keep anything secret.
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I thank You for all of those who stepped up.
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And already for the healing that's coming through repentance of the mind.
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And Father, I just pray if there's anyone else in here who's watching this stream, or downloads this later, Father, I pray for that person, or those people that Your Spirit would bring conviction that's going to lead to true repentance.
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Whatever's happening around us, Father, as a people who stand alone on the Word of God.
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Your name is glorified in the way we conduct ourselves.
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We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
Small Group Discussion
Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
What was your big “take-away” from this passage / message?
Self-control is both a command and a fruit of the Spirit. What are the dangers of only believing one or the other? How do these work together? In other words, how specifically does a believer rightly balance these truths by going after both?
How does the promise of receiving an imperishable crown (v25) motivate us to self-control today?
“Self-control mostly happens before the moment of temptation.” Explain what this means. How do we exercise self-control before we are in a temptation situation?
What does it mean to be disqualified (1 Cor 9:27)? Why is a person who lacks self-control not fit to be in ministry?
Breakout
Is there any area where you are not self-controlled (1 Cor 9:25)?
Pray for one another to do the business of self-control today.