Sermon Quotes: "The Fierce Fruit of Self-Control"
“To men of prodigious jaw it may seem a hardship to be confined to time, but a broad charity will judge it to be better that one man should suffer than that a whole congregation should be tormented.” Charles Spurgeon
“Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” Titus 1:12
“We are surrounded by a world that says ‘no’ to nothing…We have a society that holds back from nothing…Any concept of a real ‘no’ is avoided as much as possible…Of course, this environment of not saying ‘no’-fits exactly our natural disposition, because, since the fall of man, we do not want to deny ourselves.” Francis Schaeffer
“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Proverbs 25:28
“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is an easy prey to the invader. He yields himself to the first assault of his ungoverned passions, offering no resistance; ‘like a city broken down and without walls.’ Having no discipline over himself, temptation becomes the occasion of sin, and hurries him on to fearful lengths that he had not contemplated.” Charles Bridges
“Among evangelical Christians, self-control is suspect…Our sense is that if change feels like self-effort and hard work, then it is probably legalistic and not animated by the Holy Spirit. Self-control, of course can feel like hard work. But we would be wise to revisit teaching on self-control.” Ed Welch
“It is a governance or prudent control of one’s desires, cravings, impulses, emotions, and passions. It is saying no when we should say no. It is moderation in legitimate desires and activities, and absolute restraint in areas that are clearly sinful…Biblical self-control covers every area of life and requires an unceasing conflict with the passions of the flesh that wage war against our souls (1 Peter 2:11).” Jerry Bridges
“Men may talk of self-control, as if the reins were in his own hand. But he who has been ‘born of the Spirit,’ and taught ‘to know the plague of his own heart,’ is made to feel, that effective self-control is divine grace, not his own native power…Have not repeated defeats taught us the need of calling in better strength than our own?” Charles Bridges
“[Self-control] is tested when we are alone or we feel unsatisfied. What do we do when no one is looking, and what do we do when cravings feel so strong that they hurt? Who or what will rule us then? Our desires or our God? Self-control is the skill of saying ‘no’ to sinful desires, even when it hurts.” Ed Welch
“This passage changes everything. It takes the simple command-saying ‘No’-and surrounds it with Jesus Christ. Scripture never expects us to hear God’s commands to us in isolation from the serious contemplation of God’s work for us in Christ…Self-control is possible because of the grace of God given us in Christ Jesus. It is this ever-present grace that teaches us to say ‘No.’” Ed Welch
“Self-control is saying no to sinful desires, even when it hurts. But the Christian way of self-control is not ‘Just say no!’ The problem is with the word ‘just.’ You don’t just say no. You say no in a certain way: you say no by faith in the superior power and pleasure of Christ. The ‘No!’ is just as ruthless. And maybe just as painful. But the difference between worldly self-control and godly self-control is crucial. Who will get the glory for victory? That’s the issue. Will we get the glory? Or will Christ get the glory? If we exercise self-control by faith in the Christ’s superior power and pleasure, Christ will get the glory…And how does the Spirit produce this fruit of self-control in us? By instructing us in the superior preciousness of grace, and enabling us to see and savor all that God is for us in Jesus.” John Piper
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