Part 25: Living the Extraordinarily Blessed Life!

Transcription

1 Part 25: Living the Extraordinarily Blessed Life! Texts: Psalm 1:1-4 (NKJV) - Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; [2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. [3] He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. [4] The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Psalm 92:13-15 (NKJV) - Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. [14] They shall bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, [15] To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV) - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Proverbs 25:28 (NLT) - A person without self-control is like a city with brokendown walls. Proverbs 25:28 (MSG) - A person without self-control is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out.

2 Part 3 Flourishing! Because God is Teaching Me Self-Control A. The Bible tells us why God's people are perishing. It's not a lack of prayer, worship, fasting or fellowship but a lack of knowledge. 1. Our nation has witnessed the decline of quality education. If our children are unable to read or write properly, the enemy knows they will lose their potential to succeed. 2. Self-control involves more than saying no to things that should be refused. It's also about saying yes to what you should do. a. Our text in Proverbs describes the person who has no self-control as a city without walls. In Eugene Peterson's "The Message," a person without self-control is like a house with no windows or doors. b. A house without windows or doors is not only defenseless against enemy attacks, it no longer contains anything of value. c. Without self-control, a person will never experience the extraordinarily blessed life, accumulate wealth, or enjoy prosperity. The enemy has stolen their right to be blessed. 3. The idea of saying yes to doing what's right is an important part of selfcontrol. a. This fruit of the Spirit requires so much more than just saying no to temptation. The church has often damaged its image by presenting the teachings of the Bible from the perspective of what we must not do. b. It s true that we should be temperate in our spending, eating, indulging in favorite activities, etc. But to correctly exercise selfcontrol, there are certain things we should be doing. c. Just as we should say no to anything that would destroy our life and destiny, we must say yes to what builds our lives and establishes our destiny.

3 d. As I've said so often, God wants you to become everything He created you to be. As our Creator, He receives glory when we succeed. Our prosperity brings Him joy! e. Psalm 35:27 (NKJV) - Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. f. As difficult as it is to say no to things that destroy, it s equally challenging to say yes to what will bring promotion, blessings, and celebration. B. Doing the right thing can be just as difficult as resisting the temptation to do the wrong thing. 1. Take music, for example. At birth, no one know how to play an instrument. You must practice! a. Pablo Casals, considered to be the greatest cellist of all time, began playing the cello at the age of 12. b. While still 12, he played for Queen Victoria of Great Britain. At the age of 86, he played for President Kennedy. In between those years, he played for nearly every important figure in the world and participated in almost every great venue. c. Until age 96, Casals was still practicing three hours a day. When asked why, he said, "I'm beginning to see some improvement." d. Can you imagine practicing at least three hours a day for 84 years? That's 100,000 hours of practice! 2. The challenge of practicing 100,000 hours would be too formidable for most of us. Self-control includes doing the right things even when your flesh rebels against it. 3. From a scene in the movie Troy, Achilles tells a young boy, That is why no one will remember your name! a. Bogarius, the huge champion of the Thessalonians appears ( b. The young boy sent to bring Achilles to the contest expresses his fear (

4 c. The mighty Bogarius shows his disdain for Achilles ( d. The scene closes with Achilles defeating Bogarius ( 4. To be all that God created you to be, get ready to face your Bogarius. You can t avoid the contest just because he s so big or tough. C. How will you face your giant when it s time to fight? 1. You must not only have the courage to say no, you must also exercise the self-discipline of doing the right thing every day! 2. We live in a culture that will celebrate 15 minutes of fame; but God honors a lifetime of faithfulness. a. 2 Peter 1:5-9 (NIV) - For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; [6] and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; [7] and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. [8] For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 3. Notice three things in the above verses: first, we are instructed to develop godly qualities and to make every effort to add to your faith.selfcontrol. The development of self-control will require much effort. 4. Second, God wants us to possess these qualities in "increasing measure" not as a static force. Self-control will never be mastered in a day; it takes a lifetime to develop. But as you continue practicing the small things, day after day, it will become easier. 5. Third, if we make every effort to develop self-control, our lives will become more effective and productive. D. To develop self-control, you must learn to say no.

5 1. Saying no will require new coping and response skills to stress, temptation, weakness, pride, anger, jealousy and all that we humans struggle with. a. Philippians 4:4-9 (NKJV) - Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! [5] Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. [6] Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; [7] and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. [8] Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. [9] The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. 2. Self-control is determined by your thoughts not situations or circumstances. Changing your thoughts will change your life. 3. Verse 4: make up your mind to always rejoice in the Lord! 4. Verse 5: learn to put away anger and treat people with gentleness. a. People become angry when they feel trapped, impotent, powerless, depressed, overlooked, or that life has passed them by. b. The result of anger is projection and transference. Before exercising self-control, you must first deal with these issues. c. Proverbs 29:11 (New American Standard Bible) - A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back. 5. Verse 6: for some people, self-control means learning to live in the moment, when your thoughts are going crazy and you re stressed out about things that will never happen. a. Matthew 6:34 (MSG) - "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may

6 not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." 6. Verse 6: learn to pray and fast. 7. Verse 7: practice having peace of mind each day by controlling your thoughts and your speech. a. Proverbs 21:23 (NASB) - He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles. b. Proverbs 13:3 (NASB) - The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. 8. Verse 8: learn to say no by removing yourself from situations that may cause or inflame temptation. Think on things that are pure. a. Joseph fled from Potiphar's wife when she attempted to seduce him. But what if he had thought, "I know that she s inside that room and is scantily clad and she wants me I think I'll go inside, but I won't give in." It would have been his downfall. b. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 (NASB) - For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God. c. Job 31:1 (NLT) - I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman. d. Be willing to forsake so-called friends who want to encourage your weaknesses and damage your resolve. e. 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NASB) - Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals." f. Proverbs 13:20 (NASB) - He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm. 9. For other people, self-control is learning to connect the dots with the result of your actions and how it will affect yourself and others.

7 a. Learn to think about the future and to resist wrong impulses. If you ll choose the right friends, they will warn you about the consequences of your decisions. b. Proverbs 27:6 (NASB) - Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. E. Learn to say yes. 1. To experience personal transformation, reposition yourself. a. Develop self-control by refusing to do what you ve always done and being willing to try something new. Repositioning yourself can change the outcome of your life. b. Be accountable to someone. Seek counseling to explore which buttons trigger you and how to reposition yourself. c. What books are you reading? Which classes are you attending? 2. To say yes, realize that you need more, rather than less of God s Word. a. Psalm 119:11 (NKJV) - Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. b. Do you have a daily Bible reading program? c. Do you attend church regularly? Are you always there or only when your team isn t playing or when your favorite speaker is preaching or if you don t have anything else to do? 3. To say yes, make every effort to change your input so that your thinking reflects the Word of God. a. That could mean finding new friends who model obedience to God and desire to please Him. b. Philippians 4:9 (NKJV) - The things which you learned and received and heard and seen in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. 4. To be obedient to God's Word, do as Nike has advertised for years: Just Do It! That should be true, even if you haven't fully bought into it. Adjust your attitude so that whatever the Word says, you re going to do it!

8 5. To say yes, determine your purpose and stay focused on your destiny. It's not about what s happening right now; it s about what He created you to do and why you re here. 6. Develop priorities. a. Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) - But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. b. James 1:22 (NKJV) - But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 7. After saying yes, wait patiently for the results of your efforts. a. James 5:7-8 (KJV) - Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. [8] Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. b. Galatians 6:9 (NKJV) - And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. c. Galatians 6:9 (AMP) - Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap, if we do not give in."