THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS

S E L F-C ONTROL

Lesson 10 for the 6th of March, 2010

Temperance, self-discipline, SELF-CONTROL
strength of mind, willpower.
 Using self-
I STOP DOING
control… I DO AND THINK OF
(Philippians, 4: 8)

AND Whatever is true.

THINKING OF
(1 John, 2: 16)
Whatever is noble.

The lust of
Whatever is right.
the flesh.
Whatever is pure.
The lust of
the eyes. Whatever is lovely.

Whatever is admirable.
The pride
of life. Whatever is excellent.

Whatever is praiseworthy.
But…
“I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot
carry it out”
(Romans, 7: 18)

Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit and only

with His help we can have it.

“There is therefore now

no condemnation to those
who are in Christ Jesus,
who do not walk according
to the flesh, but
according to the Spirit”
(Romans, 8: 1)
 SAMSON
Vs.
JOSEPH

With everything against

CONTRASTE him, he determined to do
right with God’s help.
With everything in his favour, he
didn’t want to suppress his passions. D
EXAMPLES
ADAM
Vs.
JESUS
 “He [Jesus] was passing
over the ground where
Adam fell. Adam had
everything that his wants
required. But fierce hunger
was upon Christ, and what
He wanted was food. The
devil was foiled in this
temptation”

E.G.W. (Temperance, appendix B, page 285)

 HOW TO OBTAIN SELF-CONTROL

God’s part:

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act

according to his good purpose” (Philippians, 2: 13)

Man’s part:

“Do you not know that in a race all the

runners run, but only one gets the prize?
Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes
into strictThey do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to
training.
get a crown that will last for ever. Therefore I do not run like a man
running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I
beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to
others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians, 9: 24-27)
 GROWING IN SELF-CONTROL
1 st step: Leaving sin and denying the old man.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let

us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles,
and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews, 12: 1)

“Put to death, therefore, whatever

belongs to your earthly nature: sexual
immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires
and greed, which is idolatry… But now
you must rid yourselves of all such
things as these: anger, rage, malice,
slander and filthy language from your
lips. Do not lie to each other, since
you have taken off your old self with
its practices” (Colossians, 3: 5-9)
 GROWING IN SELF-CONTROL
2nd step: Seeking celestial things, letting the Holy Spirit to work His
fruit in us.
“Since, then, you have been
raised with Christ, set your
hearts on things above, where
Christ is seated at the right
hand of God. Set your minds on
things above, not on earthly
things” (Colossians, 3: 1-2)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no
law” (Galatians, 5: 22-23)
 GROWING IN SELF-CONTR
3er step: Practicing self-control daily and
getting away from temptation.

“Not that I have already

obtained all this, or have already
been made perfect, but I press
on to take hold of that for which
Christ Jesus took hold of me”
(Philippians, 3: 12)

“Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in

orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality
and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus
Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the
desires of the sinful nature” (Romans, 13: 13-14)
 E.G.W. (Fundamentals of Christian Education, cp. 16, pp. 134)

“Every besetting sin must be put away. Warfare

must be waged against it until it is overcome. The
Lord will work with your efforts. As finite, sinful
man works out his own salvation with fear and
trembling, it is God who works in him, to will and to
do of His own good pleasure. But God will not work
without the co-operation of man. He must exercise
his powers to the very utmost; he must place himself
as an apt, willing student in the school of Christ;
and as he accepts the grace that is freely offered
to him, the presence of Christ in the thought and in
the heart will give him decision of purpose to lay
aside every weight of sin, that the heart may be
filled with all the fullness of God, and of His love”