The windows of the temple of truth : self-control

Beloved, I am glad to share with you today on the important subject of self-control. To be a master of oneself is to be in control of one’s body and especially one’s tongue and desires. In this way we would have a better life. That’s why it’s our job to control ourselves.

First we have the duty of self-control on :

-the spirit : Prov 16.32 “He who is slow to anger is better than a hero, and he who is master of himself, than he who takes cities.”

-life : Act 24.25 “But as Paul discoursed on righteousness, on temperance, and on judgment to come, Felix, frightened, said, “For the moment withdraw; when I get the chance, I’ll call you back.”

-The lusts of the flesh: Rom 6.12 “Let no sin reign in your mortal body, nor obey its lusts.” ; 1 Cor 6.12 “All things are permitted to me, but all is not useful; all things are permitted to me, but I will not be enslaved by anything.”

-is an essential virtue: 2 P 1.5-7 “because of that very thing, make every effort to add to your faith virtue, to virtue science, 6 to science temperance, to temperance patience, to patience piety, 7 to piety fraternal love, to fraternal love charity.”

Then, the abstinence of strong drinks is recommended:
*the precept of the wise man: Pro 23.31 “Do not look at the wine that looks beautiful red, which makes pearls in the cup, and that flows easily.”

*the rule concerning the law: Pro 31.4 “It is not for kings, Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes to look for strong liquors,”

*Daniel’s principles of temperance: Dan 1.8 “Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king’s food and the wine of which the king drank, and he asked the chief of the eunuchs not to force him to defile himself.” ; (Dan 10.3 “I did not eat any delicacies, he did not put meat or wine in my mouth, and I did not go away until the three weeks were fulfilled” ; Mat 11:18 “For John came, not eating, neither drinking, and they say: He has a demon.”)

1. John the Baptist a total abstinent: Luke 1.15 “For he will be great before the Lord. He will not drink wine or intoxicating liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb”;
2. brotherly love requires abstinence: Rom 14:21 “It is good not to eat meat, not to drink wine, and to abstain from what may be your brother’s fall, scandal or weakness.”

(1 Cor 8.13 “Therefore, if a food scandalizes my brother, I will never eat meat, so as not to offend my brother.”)

Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ attaches great importance to temperance and especially what we can say. Hence the verses concerning us today from Mat 5.21-22: “You have heard that it was said to the elders, Thou shalt not kill; the one who will kill deserves to be punished by the judges. 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother deserves to be punished by the judges; whoever will say to his brother, Raca! deserves to be punished by the Sanhedrin; and whoever says to him, Fool! deserves to be punished by the fire of Gehenna. “

He recalls what had happened with the elders, that is, all the generations that preceded Moses and the teachers who taught the Law. And whoever killed was to be tried before the court established in the district where he resided. But he has given them a new and stronger commandment according to which anger, hate, or contempt are violations that deserve in the eyes of divine justice the same feeling as murder itself. Thus, anger against a brother who should be loved or words of hatred or contempt are serious transgressions in the same way as murder.

This is what made Apostle John say that whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Because to love means that we have passed from death to life, and the one who loves “is born of God”, from the God who is Love. To dislike therefore is to remain in spiritual and moral death. And since hatred wants evil from the neighbor, it led Cain to kill his brother.

Now, God looks to the heart, seat of the feelings, he does not look only at the hand which is the instrument. So whoever hates his brother is really in the eyes of the eternal God a murderer. This is why the Lord Jesus expressed the same truth in another form: He sees in hatred a violation of the sixth commandment.

That’s why it’s essential to guarantee self-denial by the following actions:
*by subjugating carnal lusts: Mat 5.29 “If your right eye is for you an occasion of falling, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and your whole body not be thrown into hell.” ; Rom 6,6 “Knowing that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that we should no longer be slaves of sin”; Rom 13.14 “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not take care of the flesh to satisfy its lusts.” ; Ga 5.16 “And I say, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the desires of the flesh.”

Col 3.5 “And let those who are on the earth die, fornication, unchastity, passions, evil desires, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” 1 P 2.11 “Beloved, I exhort you, as strangers and travelers on the earth, to abstain from carnal lusts that make war on the soul.” ; 1 P 4,2 “to live, no longer according to the lusts of men, but according to the will of God, during the time that remains for him to live in the flesh.”
*The tongue must be restrained: Ps 34.14 “Preserve your tongue from evil, and your lips from deceitful words”; Pro 13.3 “He who watches over his mouth keeps his soul; He who opens great lips runs to ruin.” ; Prov 21.23 “He who watches over his mouth and his tongue Preserves his soul from anguish.” ; James 1:26 “If anyone thinks he is religious, but does not hold his tongue, but deceives his heart, that man’s religion is vain.” ; 1 P 3.10 “And if any man desire to love life, and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil, and his lips from deceitful speeches.”

This results from the fact that self-denial is one of the characteristics of the believer because:

*his absence is condemned: Pro 25.28 “Like a city that is forced and without walls, so is the man who is not master of himself.” ; 2 Tim 3.2-3 “For men shall be selfish, friends of money, braggart, haughty, blasphemers, rebellious to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, 3 insensitive, disloyal, slanderers, intemperate, cruel, enemies of the good,”

1. this quality is recommended: 1 Tim 3.2 “The bishop must therefore be irreproachable, husband of one woman, sober, moderate, regulated in his behavior, hospitable, fit for teaching. ; Tt 2.2, 5-6, 12 “Say that old men must be sober, honest, moderate, healthy in faith, in charity, in patience. 5 to be restrained, chaste, cared for, good, submissive to their husbands, that the word of God should not be blasphemed. 6 Likewise urges young people to be moderate”;

2 P 1.6 “to science temperance, temperance patience, patience piety”,
*it is an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit: Gal 5.22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, sweetness, temperance; 23 the law is not against these things.”

Therefore, self-control is necessary :
*to control anger: Pro 16.32 “He who is slow to anger is better than a hero, and he who is master of himself, than he who takes cities.” ; Pro 29:11 “The fool puts out all his passion, but the wise contains it.”

*to master sexuality: 1 Cor 7.3-5 “Let the husband give his wife what he owes him, and let the woman do the same to her husband. 4 The woman has no authority over her own body, but it is the husband; and likewise, the husband has no authority over his own body, but it is the woman. 5 Do not deprive yourself of one another, except by common consent for a time, to go to prayer; then return together, lest Satan tempt you with your incontinence.” ; 1 Thessalonians 4.3-4 “What God wants is your sanctification; it is that you abstain from fornication; 4 that each one of you know how to possess your body in holiness and honesty,”

*to prepare the coming of Jesus Christ: 1 Thessalonians 5.6-8 “Let us not sleep like the rest of us, but watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep sleep in the night, and those who are drunk are drunk at night. 8 But we who are of the day, be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and charity, and having for a helmet the hope of salvation.”

1. to pray adequately: 1 P 4.7 “The end of all things is near. Be wise and sober, to go to prayer.”
2. to resist evil: 1 P 5.8-9 “Be sober, watch. Your adversary, the devil, roams like a roaring lion, seeking who he will devour. 9 Resist him with firm faith, knowing that the same sufferings are imposed on your brethren in the world.”

Believers who have ‘all had to drink of the Spirit’ are regarded as outsiders because they are not drunk with wine, but filled with zeal for the Christian fight. It is a sober discipline to imitate the Savior whose life has been a mirror of temperance. We learn this in 1 Cor 12.13: “We have all been baptized into one Spirit to form one body, whether Jews or Greeks, either slaves or free, and we have all been watered by one. Mind.”

Examples of self-control:
*Jeremiah 35.6 “But they said, We do not drink wine; For Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, You shall never drink wine, neither you, nor your sons”;

*Daniel 1,8 “Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king’s food and the wine of which the king drank, and he asked the chief of the eunuchs not to force him to defile himself”;

*1 Corinthians 9:27 “But I treat my body severely, and hold him captive, lest I be rejected, having preached to others”.

Of all the above, we note the importance of self-control and especially its impact on our salvation. Let’s remain sober and vigilant, being filled with zeal for spiritual combat, with firm faith every day, and knowing how to possess our body in holiness and honesty. This is our prayer for all of you.

PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS ​​CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR

I now invite anyone who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me as follows :

Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and ask forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as my Lord and personal Savior. I acknowledge that you died on the cross of Calvary and that you rose from the dead for me.

I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me each day to eternal life you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal to me and strengthen my heart and my faith so that your light may shine in my life right now.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me in your divine family so that I too can contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.

I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

To you all worship, power, and glory, now and forever and ever. Amen!

I would be glad to respond to your questions and comments as necessary, before sharing with you next week on reconciliation.

May the Almighty God bless you profusely.

David Feze, Servant of the Lord Almighty.