Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
What it means to be initiated into the secret of the mystery. Part 83. The final fruit of the Spirit is self-control.
Friday, August 19, 2005
1. Personal love for God and then impersonal love for all mankind.
2. Joy or inner happiness.
3. Peace or overt prosperity.
4. Patience as well as longsuffering.
5. Kindness and-or graciousness.
6. Goodness or the production of divine good.
7. Pistis or faithfulness.
8. “Gentleness” = gentleness, humility, but most of all forgiveness.
9. “Self-control” - nominative singular feminine noun - egkrateia - e*gkravteia = self-discipline or self-control.
Egkrateia = an “organized life.”
a. Having the right priorities = a “time” for everything.
A time for God.
A time for doctrine.
A time for family.
A time for friends.
A time for business, etc.
b. An organized life is also based upon Bible doctrine which will give you the capacity to organize your life and have inner happiness with the right priorities.
If you are always late then obviously you are either a person with bad manners or a person who is disorganized.
The believer must have organization in his use of time and in his use of energy and have the right priorities in life.
An individual who can triumph over himself is greater than an individual who captures an entire city in battle.
PRO 25:28 A city that is broken into without walls is like a man who has no control over his spirit.
Egkrateia [self-control] = good manners when you are sitting in Bible class; you refrain from talking, moving around, etc.
When you hear something which you violently disagree with, you have self-control!
As a result of self-control you maintain your poise.
From your poise you will eventually develop a phenomenal ability for learning.
Every athlete went through identical training no matter what his event.
This is analogous to every believer having the identical equal privilege and equal opportunity inside the PPOG as the place in which we train and compete.
Only the believer inside the PPOG is living the Christian way of life, and therefore is qualified to compete in the angelic conflict.
There was a group called the Agonistai who were people who just worked out to stay in shape, which is just sheer agony.
The Athletai or the athletes were the ones who trained under the rules of the national gymnasium for ten months.
You were not allowed to leave the large walled area of the gymnasium for ten months, and you had to exercise under the authority of the Gumnasiarch, the ruler of the gym (analogous to the pastor).
a. You could not leave for any reason.
b. You were on a strict diet which everyone ate (other foods being analogous to distractions of the cosmic system).
c. Everyone participated in group exercise naked outdoors, regardless of the weather (analogous to everyone getting the same doctrinal teaching).
d. Daily trumpet calls had to be met each day at various times; if you missed one you were disqualified.
e. Everyone had equal privilege and opportunity to compete.
a. He received a crown of ivy leaves, which represented the rewards he would receive when he returned home.
b. He had a special entrance cut into the wall of his hometown city which he passed through when he returned home.
REV 3:12a The winner, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God.
He rode in the best chariot through the city in a parade.
He received a lifetime pass to all future games.
He received a great amount of money.
An ode was written to him by a poet.
A statue of him was put up in the public square.
His children were fed and educated at public expense.
He was exempt from all income taxes for life.
Much to say = the adjective polus + noun logos = much doctrine.
It is difficult to explain because his congregation had become un-disciplined and slow and did not think under thought testing.
Somebody’s got to pick them up!
Somebody’s got to feed them!
Somebody’s got to burp them!
Somebody’s got to walk them!
What characterizes these types of believers is the fact that they have horizontal dependencies which they have cultivated; they are more interested in fellowship with other believers than fellowshipping in the Word or learning doctrine.
These horizontal believers never had or they lost the ability to counsel themselves through doctrine in their souls, so they are constantly looking for advice and counsel from others.
Habits speak of routine.
The baby wants the spectacular while the adult cultivates habits.
Just like the marching around Jericho for seven days resulted in the falling down of the walls because God said it would work.
HEB 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the habit of some, but gathering together for the purpose of encouragement.
Self-discipline is a very vital function of your authority over your own life.
Self-discipline = you have authority over your life and you are going to honor that authority.
“Old women” seem to take a beating in the Bible.