Last week we discussed how Christian teens seem to leave the church as soon as they hit their college years. We did discuss that having a strong foundation for your faith is the strongest defense against falling away from the Gospel.
1Ti 4:1 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.”
First of all, what are some things that lead us astray? Why are we tempted to run after sin? We tend to get caught up in the idea that living in sin is the way to live freely. But is that really true? When people are addicted to drugs, drinking, video games or whatever it might be, they are enslaved to those things. You may laugh at the video game thing, but how many people have talked about doing things in moderation? Eating in moderation is self control, otherwise it is gluttony. Gaming in moderation is self control, otherwise it could very well be a sin. How much entertainment is too much? I will be honest, there has been a time or two that I have gotten caught up in a game and played for a few hours. Or maybe a good TV show and watched several episodes in a row. But what is that time good for? I accomplished killing a fictional beast after three hours! Yesss! Just something to think about. If we are to be in control living our lives for the glory of God, then we have to be able to moderate our activities to be giving glory to Him. Games are not bad, but when it gets to the point that it is all you think about or want to do, you have built yourself an idol that distracts from your first love, God. There was a man in the news a while back that actually sued a game company for ruining his life. He couldn't function like a normal person because he was so caught up in the fake world of the game. This is not healthy and is NOT how God wants us to use our time. What are you putting above your relationship with God? So far we have just discovered why it is important for self control, but what other spiritual disciplines are there?
Reading the Word, Prayer, Worship, evangelism, Serving, Stewardship, Fasting, Silence and Solitude, Journaling, Learning, Perseverance in the Disciplines. And these are just a few of them!
Why do you think we should study these and pursue them in our daily lives?
1Ti 4:7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;
1Ti 4:8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
1Ti 4:9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.
1Ti 4:10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
1Ti 4:11 Command and teach these things.
1Ti 4:12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
1Ti 4:13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
1Ti 4:14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.
1Ti 4:15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.
1Ti 4:16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
We are commanded to train ourselves for godliness. God called us to be holy as He is Holy in 1 Peter 1:16; Lev 11:44 For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.
(Read excerpt from Spiritual Disciplines Chapter 1, pgs 15-16. Discipline without direction is drudgery.)
We do not train ourselves for just a blanket reason of “He told me so”, we train ourselves to become more like Christ. We have to have in mind where we are going so we can actually get there. This is why we need to devote ourselves to these things and really pursue God. Like I said last week, what does it take to be in front of heavens gates and hear “Well done, good and faithful servant.”? If we do not devote ourselves to getting to know God and really grow in a relationship with Him, are we even truly saved? Shouldn't that be our one and only aim in this life?
Rom 8:29 “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”
Just like in the story from “Disciplines”, Kevin sees himself in the future as a great guitarist, we are going to be like Christ in the future. That is our end goal. Here is the deal guys and gals, people who are disciplined and who pursue holiness are able to be mightily used by God. There are no limits! But we first have to be holy as He is holy. You can think of it this way.
We try to validate our sin and say, “It doesn't affect anyone else but me.” The truth is that sin in the body of Christ is like a virus that makes certain parts useless. We cannot work together or be united in Christ if sin is present. How could God bless this? It is almost like when a muddy child runs to their parents. He wants to be picked up and held, but you would make yourself dirty if you did. This is a similar situation to our sin and God’s care (In a very inadequate analogy), He loves us and wants to lead us, but when we are involved in sin, He cannot bless us. He cannot be intimately involved in our lives.
So what does it mean to be “Holy”? The term “holy” means to be set apart or completely righteous. How are we to achieve this lofty of a goal with our sinful hearts? That is the glorious thing about our Savior! He is capable to make us holy through the blood of His sacrifice! We must continually deal with the sin that enters our lives and ask for His forgiveness, but it is possible to have holiness through Him.
So what are some things that God uses in our lives to push us to holiness?
1) People. He uses good Godly influences in our lives as well as people that may drive us crazy.
2) He also uses circumstances, Rom 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
3) Discipline is one more example of what He can use to make us holy.
We do not have any control over the people that are brought into our lives or those that we work with, or even the circumstances of where we live or what happens to us, but we do have the ability to choose whether or not we will read our Bible today, or if we will spend time in prayer.
Being excited about God and actually disciplining yourself for Him are two completely different things. Donald Whitney says this, “I have seen Christians who are faithful to the church of God, who frequently demonstrate genuine enthusiasm for the things of God, and who dearly love the Word of God, trivialize their effectiveness for the Kingdom of God through lack of discipline. Spiritually they are a mile wide and an inch deep.”
Now we know that the fruit of a Christian is laid out in Galatians 5:22,
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gal 5:23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Gal 5:24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Gal 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
If we do not practice these disciplines we risk not bearing fruit in our walk with Christ and becoming a nominal Christian that is barely able to be used by Him. That is not where I want to be. How about you?
Excerpt and some references used from Donald S. Whitney’s “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life”
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