Nov 10, 2024
GRAND PARKWAY BAPTIST CHURCH
Components of Biblical Faith- Part 2
Self-Control
Galatians 5:16-25
Introductory thoughts…
1. There is a difference in self-control and self-discipline.
2. Thinking about this should cause us to think deeper about our salvation.
3. Self-control requires a power greater then self.
1. Walk by the Spirit, v. 16
To walk by the Spirit is what happens when the desires produced by the Spirit are stronger than the desires produced by the flesh. The Holy Spirit produces desires in us that are in keeping with God’s word and lead us into the experience of God’s will.
“I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
- Ezekiel 36:24-27
2. Be led by the Spirit, v. 18
This means two things…
a) not under the laws condemnation
b) not under the laws constraint
Progression in our posture towards the Holy Spirit… knowing…..understanding….trusting….enjoying
1
3. Crucify your flesh, v. 24
Crucifying the sinful nature is really the identification and dismantling of idols. Crucifying the flesh is about strangling sin at the motivation level, rather than simply setting ourselves against sin at the behavioral level. Real changes in our lives cannot proceed without us discerning the idols and desires that come from our individual sinful nature.
- Tim Keller
Four root idols that drive our behavior:
a) Power: a longing for influence or recognition
b) Control: a longing to have everything go according to my plan
c) Comfort: a longing for pleasure
d) Approval: a longing to be accepted or desired
“The evil in our desire typically does not lie in what we want, but that we want it too much.”
-John Calvin
4. Keep in step with the Spirit, v. 25
This means you...
Live from the inside out in a world full of people who are living from the outside in.
It is to live in bondage to the invisible in a world full of people who live in bondage to the visible.
No longer fear getting caught, you fear missing out.
Understand that Deep calls out to Deep and you got tired of that producing an echo in you.
Don’t need external rules because you are now governed by an internal Reality.
Mental Worship
1. How often do you think about the Holy Spirit?
2. Can you feel how the Holy Spirit leads you to be careful when it comes to obedience?
3. Where are you in the progression towards the Holy Spirit? Knowing…understanding…trusting…enjoying?
4. How well do you relate to the cycle of stopping, starting and quitting?
5. Of the four root idols of power, control, comfort and approval, which one do you deal with the most?