Today, we come to the ninth and final fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23, self-control. I hope that you have found this sermon series as fruitful as I have, pun intended.
Now, most of us, I think have a pretty good idea about what self-control is. Even if we don’t have a formal definition of self-control, we have heard stories like the following: During the early years of aviation, a stunt pilot was selling rides in his single engine airplane. One day, he got into an argument with an old farmer who asked to take his wife along for the ride at no extra charge. The pilot finally said, “Fine, I’ll take you both up for the price of one if you promise me not to say one word during the entire flight. If you make even one sound, the price is doubled.” The farmer agreed, and they flew off.
The pilot flew upside down, making twists and turns that would scare most people. However, the farmer didn’t make a sound. The pilot finally landed his plane. As the farmer climbed out, the pilot said, “I made moves up there that frightened even me, but you never said a word! You fear nothing!” The old farmer said, “Well, thank you. But I must admit you almost got me when my wife fell out!”
That, my brothers and sisters, is self-control, but for those of us who like specific definitions, self-control is the ability to have mastery over one’s self to the point that there is no desire that can distract you from your ultimate desire. Again, self-control is the ability to have mastery over one’s self to the point that there is no desire that can distract you from your ultimate desire.
You know, when I first started researching self-control, I was confronted with the early Greek philosophical definition of self-control. It was similar to the one I just gave you, but in one important way: the ancient philosophical definition of self-control was a complete mastery over any desire. In other words, if you had self-control, no desire would impact you at all. You were free from desire and want. Now, believe it or not, there is actually one religion that has this as its basis for belief: Buddhism. Buddhism strives for a complete and total lack of desire. But as I thought about this, and reflected upon things that I have learned and heard, I realized that this is an impossible definition to adhere to. Why? Well, think about it. If you try to practice self-control, you desire to have no desire. Let that sink in for just a minute. :-)
And so, as I reflected on the Christian faith and I thought about how this word is used in the New Testament–it is rarely used, by the way, I came to the conclusion that self-control isn’t simply a lack of desire. Self-control is making sure that nothing distracts us from our ultimate desire. So, let’s contemplate this fruit by seeing how Paul talks about self-control and then by talking about what our ultimate desire is as Christians.
First, let’s look at what St. Paul says about self-control in the book of 1 Corinthians. We have this passage in our second lesson. It’s short, so I will read it again. “24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable garland, but we an imperishable one. 26So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.”
When I was studying this passage, I found out some very interesting things about what Paul was saying here. You might not find them so interesting, but I really did because they showed how Paul was using the context surrounding this community to bring home his point about self-control in the Christian life. You see, the city of Corinth was a major sponsor of the Isthmian games. These games were one of four major sporting events in Greece, the other three being the Olympics, the Pythian, and the Nemean games. Thousands of people would travel to and through Corinth to go to these games, so they were a very, very big deal.
With this as the background, Paul uses a sports analogy regarding athletes. What he says about athletes then is true of them today as well. “Athletes exercise self-control in all things.” We know this about dedicated athletes. They eat special diets. They train year round. They do all the little things which make them excel at their sport. They do not slack off lest they lose their competitive edge. They walk right past the Coke, Sprite, and Dr. Pepper. They avoid donuts, pizza, and hamburgers. You know, all the stuff that tastes good. They may be tempted. Their mouths may begin to water when they see or smell such goodies, but their discipline kicks in. They remember what they are training for, and they exercise self-control.
And Paul reminds the Corinthians about that. “They do it to receive a perishable garland.” When I heard the background on this one, I actually chuckled a little bit. Do you know what this garland was in the Isthmian games? It was wilted celery shaped into a crown. Yes, you heard right. Wilted celery shaped into a crown. Paul brings home his point by finishing with these words, “But we, an imperishable one.” Sometimes, you find a quote by a biblical scholar that you absolutely have to share, and I thought the following one was priceless. This scholar wrote, St. Paul is basically saying “If these athletes push themselves to the limit in training to win that pathetic crown of withered vegetables, how much more should we maintain self-discipline for the sake of an imperishable crown.” I thought that comment was priceless.
And it makes the point that I was trying to say earlier. Self-control isn’t a freedom of all desire. No. Self-control is the ability to stay laser focused on your ultimate desire so that anything that will distract you or lead you away from it will be left in the dust.
Three pastors went fishing together in northern Canada. As they began to get to know each other better, they shared their innermost thoughts. One confessed certain sins he was guilty of. He named them and then asked the other two to confess their weaknesses. The second pastor confessed his sins in detail. The third pastor, however, remained silent for quite a while. Finally, when asked to reveal his weaknesses, he said, “Friends, I don’t think you want to know my weaknesses, but since you’ve asked, I am going to tell you. I just love to gossip, and I can’t wait to get home!”
I’m sure the other two pastors were tempted to dump that last one in the lake! But I told that joke to ask, “What would self-control entail there? What would the ultimate goal be?” Of course, confidentiality in the confessional. Mutual understanding in helping one another overcome sin. If that is the ultimate goal in building Christian relationships through confession and forgiveness, then this pastor who loved gossip, would not commit it for the sake of his relationships with his friends! Do you see how that works?
And that now brings us to the important question. What is our ultimate goal as Christians? This is not such an easy question to answer because there are a lot, and I mean a lot of important things that Christianity teaches. Christianity teaches that we should love our neighbor. Christianity teaches that we should care for creation. Christianity teaches that we should live a moral and upright life. Christianity teaches that we should be generous with our time, talent, and treasure. Christianity teaches that we should work for peace and justice in the world. Christianity teaches that we should make disciples of all nations. Christianity teaches that we must pass down the faith to another generation. These are all important and worthy goals. But what is the ultimate goal? What is the priority above all priorities?
Perhaps Jesus can give us the answer. For Jesus was once asked which commandment was the most important. Does anyone remember which commandment he said was the most important? Does anyone remember which command Jesus listed above all others? “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” That is the most important commandment of all. That is the most important goal of all. Loving God is the ultimate desire we Christians are called to have.
And, of course that love is based upon what Jesus has done for us on the cross. As God incarnate, he lived the blameless life. He was completely righteous and deserved salvation and glory. But instead, he chose the cross. He chose pain and suffering in an act of sheer grace. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but they are now justified by grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God set forward as a sacrifice of atonement effective through faith.” Christ took our sins upon himself and put them to death, and he then gave to us his righteousness. He took our filthy, dirty rags of sin, and gave us garments of pure white. When we are moved by this love; when we encounter this love; we cannot help but long to love Him in return. We cannot help but want to live for him in return. We cry out, “Jesus gave all for me, so I give all to Jesus.”
Ah, but how easy is it for us to get distracted? How easy is it for other wants and desires to encroach upon us? We live in a society that encourages self-indulgence. We live in a society that encourages us to live our lives to the fullest–to experience everything. We hear over and over again that we should push our limits. We should test the boundaries. Our kids these days are over-extended. They have a toe hold in ten activities at once, and we parents are rushing all over the place trying to hold down our jobs, get to our kids’ activities, spend time with our spouses, and have a moment or two of fun along the way. Over extended kids lead to over extended parents. And those of you who are retired aren’t immune either. You know it. Do you know how many times I have heard retirees say, “I’m busier now than when I was working.” Have you heard that too? We feel like we have to do this and we have to do that. We want to do this. We want to do that. And we work ourselves to a frazzle because we want to do everything.
Self-control means we limit ourselves. Self-control means we focus on the main thing, and we orient our lives around the main thing. So, let me ask you this: if God is supposed to be the main thing for Christians, then what would that look like. I mean, let’s push that athletic imagery that most of us are familiar with. If an athlete avoids certain drinks and certain foods to keep his or her health: what things do we need to avoid to keep our spiritual health in shape? If an athlete takes time to train his or her body on a weekly basis: what things do we need to do as Christians to train ourselves to live lives for God? If an athlete studies his or her sport, learning the nuances of his or her position and studying his or her opponent to best find out how to win: what things to we as Christians need to study to learn the nuances of our faith and learn how to live it out in the world? If serious athletes eat, sleep, and breathe their sport, can anyone say that about those of us who are Christians? Can anyone point to us as having such self-control that we are not distracted by all the things of this world and that we focus on our relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
My purpose in sharing this is not to put us on any guilt trips. If you are convicted and shown that, like me, you are not exercising the self-control that you should; if you are convicted, like me, that we are way too distracted and that we allow all sorts of other things to draw us away from our ultimate desire; then let me suggest that changing things is not a matter of trying harder. You know what that is like just like I do. If you’ve ever had to lose a few pounds, you know how easy it is to give in and eat that last slice of pizza. You know how easy it is to drink that can of soda. If you’ve ever decided you needed to cut back on your use of curse words, you know how easy they slip off the tongue. If you’ve ever tried to tell yourself you need to attend church more, you know how easy it is to snuggle under the covers or give in when someone close to you says, “Let’s go do this together on Sunday.” Exercising self-control is no easy task. It’s downright impossible at times. This is why it is a fruit of the Spirit.
And like those other fruits, they do not emerge because we try to make them grow. They do not emerge because we say, “I will produce those fruits myself.” They emerge out of our trust in God. They emerge when our hearts are captured by the love of God in Christ Jesus. They emerge when we come to grasp what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross and in his resurrection. If you desire self-control in your life; if you desire an end to the hectic pace; if you desire things to be more simple but you dread saying no; turn to Jesus. Turn to the cross. Ask God to reveal to you the reality of grace. He will, and when He does, you will find yourself longing to love Him more. You will find yourself longing to serve Him more. You will find yourself setting Him as your ultimate desire, and you will produce the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Amen.
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