This morning we began a four-part series on Spiritual Fitness Training. In the first part, we looked at the importance of “Preparation”. Before we can become spiritually fit, we must prepare our hearts to seek God’s Word with a passion, do it, and to share it.

This evening I want us to consider the important part that “Self-control” plays in our Spiritual Fitness Training. In our text, the apostle Paul illustrates this point with athletics. (Read text). Anyone who wants to win an athletic event must be temperate or self-controlled.

When I was in Bible College for a brief time I was on the wrestling team. Our coach was Ben Peterson a Christian who won silver and gold in the world Olympics in wrestling. Practice was not much fun. It was a sweaty difficult workout. But the hardest part was losing weight. That took a LOT of self-control in the dining hall. I could not eat bread, potatoes, pasta or deserts. I was not fat, but I had to get down to a certain weight level to wrestle. That was hard. I needed self-control.

Transition

This evening we are going to see how important self-control is in our spiritual fitness training.

Self-control is Preventing Harmful Choices

  1. First, let’s define the word “temperate”
    1. The word means to exercise self-restraint or self-control. The root word means to have power over or dominance over self.
    2. Self-control or self-restraint then is ruling over the desires of our flesh. It is preventing your body from doing what it wants when God wants something else.
    3. Here is something God is teaching me. Self-control is not asking God to zap you with amazing strength to say “NO”. It is not expecting God to take away the wrong desires of your flesh. Self-control is ME overpowering and ruling my spirit. It is saying “no” to a powerful temptation. It is doing right when everyone else is doing wrong. Sometimes it is the sacrifice of something good to make room for the best. It is staying calm when your spouse upsets you. It is being kind when your brother or sister is mean to you.
    4. Character is doing right even when we don’t feel like it. Self-control is the restraint needed in character.
  2. Self-control is not popular
    1. The world’s philosophy is “If it feels good, do it.” The world says that there is no right or wrong. All is relative. Do whatever you desire. That is the opposite of self-control.
    2. Self-control is not popular with our flesh. Our flesh wants to eat what tastes good even if we know it is unhealthy. Our flesh wants to dress to be fashionable not to be modest. Our flesh wants to look at evil when we know it is not right. Our flesh wants to be selfish when we know God wants us to share.
    3. When we fail to rule our spirit, we are setting ourselves up for great spiritual danger. (Proverbs 25:28) “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.”
      1st self-control is preventing harmful choices. 2nd …

Self-control is a Requirement

  1. Everyone who wants to win must be self-controlled
    1. This is true in athletics. Every athlete who is working hard to win will be temperate. There are no exceptions. Physical fitness training ALWAYS requires self-control. Those who are unwilling to restrain themselves will not be winners.
    2. Every Christian who wants to win God’s prize must also restrain himself. Paul recognized that the principle of self-control is just as essential for spiritual fitness as it is for physical fitness.
    3. If you are going to become spiritual fit and run to win God’s prize, you MUST restrain your activities. You cannot do what careless Christians do and expect to be a winner in God’s race. It just will not happen.
  2. To be a winner one must be temperate in all things.
    1. The physical athlete restrains every area of his life. He restrains what he eats. He restrains what he does. He restrains how late he stays up. He is willing to prevent himself from doing things that he would like to do because he as a higher goal. He wants to win the prize.
    2. As a Christian runner in God’s race, we must do the same. We must control what we allow into our hearts. (Proverbs 4:23) “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” We must restrain our thoughts. (Philippians 4:8) “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” We must restrain our reactions. (James 1:19) “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” We must control all that we do. (1 Thessalonians 5:21) “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:22) “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
    3. Sometimes we must even prevent ourselves from doing good things to enable doing the best. You may want to read a good book, but if you have not yet read your Bible for the day, you must restrain yourself. You may feel like doing a hobby, but if you have not yet spent time with your children today, you must restrain your desire. You may want to buy yourself new clothes, but if you have not given God your tithe, you must restrain yourself.
    4. Self-control is a requirement not an option!
      1st self-control is preventing harmful choices. 2nd it is a requirement, 3rd

Self-control will Enable you to Win a Crown

  1. Athletes are temperate to win a corruptible crown
    1. Olympic athletes practice ridged self-control in order to win a prize that is temporal.
    2. They want to win a metal that will tarnish with time.
    3. They want to win glory that will eventually fade away. Often their glory causes pride that brings destruction.
    4. All that they win will be left behind when they die.
  2. Christians must be temperate to win an incorruptible crown
    1. Every Christian ought to live a self-controlled life with the goal of winning God’s incorruptible crown.
    2. Because the Christian’s crown will be received in heaven, it will never corrupt. It is one of the treasures you can lay up in heaven.
    3. The Christian’s crown may not be material. It may be the smile of God and to hear His prized words, “Well done!” Whatever the crown is, it will be very valuable.
    4. Revelation 4:10 indicates that any crowns a Christian may receive upon entering heaven, he will cast them before God’s throne to honour the Lord. A Christian with no crowns will have nothing to give the Lord.

Conclusion

Do you want to be spiritually fit? You should! To do so, you must prepare as we learned this morning. You must also be self-controlled as we learned just now.

We live among unsaved people who are typically overweight, lazy, time-wasters, addicted to social media, addicted to porn, drunken, immoral, foul-mouthed and abusive all because sin and lack of self-control. Sadly, many professing Christians are not much better.

Do not think that God is suddenly going to take away sinful desires and zap you with godliness. That will not happen this side of heaven. It is your duty and mine to be temperate. We must say “NO” to harmful choices. We must restrain ourselves from wrong actions. Self-control is the restraint needed in character. God requires self-control. God also promises to reward self-control. Determine tonight with God’s help to become self-controlled!

Song: Yield Not to Temptation – 364
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Spiritual Fitness Training “Self Control”
1 January 2017 PM – 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 – Fitness17 – Scott Childs