1 Corinthians 9:25 - Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath…
"If your whole life was about building up to one race, one performance, or one event, how does that sustain everything that comes afterward? …Eventually, for me at least, there was one question that hit me like a ton of bricks: Who was I outside of the swimming pool?" (Michael Phelps, “The Weight of Glory,” https://www.popsugar.com/fitne...\)
It is only when the Creator is rightly loved, that is, when He is loved for what He is, and when no creature is loved in place of Him, … if we want virtue by which we live … so it seems to me, the best brief definition of virtue is to say it is the ordering of love.
1 Corinthians 9:25 - Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
3 keys to develop the greatest delight in God that results in fruitful self-control
I. Understand the Picture of Self-Control – Foregoing Some Desires for the Sake of a Greater Desire
A. Forgoing the desire to use your position for benefitting self but instead use it for the benefit of others
B. Foregoing the desire for illicit pleasure but, instead, desire the beauty of God’s righteousness
Genesis 39:9 - There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?
C. Forego the desire to despair and instead desire to hope
II. Believe the Power of God’s Sovereign Exercise of Love for His People
A. To orchestrate the seemingly random details
B. To cause to prosper when appropriate
Genesis 39:2 - The Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand.
C. To cause to suffer when strategic
Genesis 39:12 - She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.
D. To be with His people
Genesis 39:2 - The Lord was with Joseph…
Genesis 39:21 - But the Lord was with Joseph…
Genesis 39:23 - …because the Lord was with him…
E. To keep His covenant with His people
Genesis 39:21 - But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness (Hebrew word “Hesed” - "Covenant Loyalty” - “grace”) to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.
III. Grasp the Pleasure of God’s Redemptive Plan – to Use an Innocent Suffering Servant for the Saving of Many
Genesis 41:39-44 - So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck. He had him ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, “Bow the knee!” And he set him over all the land of Egypt. Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
Genesis 50:20 - As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.
Most of you know of the most decorated Olympian in history-Michael Phelps.
Michael Phelps won 28 Olympic medals.
In order to accomplish that task the self-mastery that he exhibited was extreme.
In his own words, he would say his only activities that he did during his training were eat, sleep, and swim.
If you do research into his diet and exercise regime, it is truly amazing how much self-control and mastery over his body it took.
For any high performance athlete, they are example of self-mastery in regard to their bodies.
When you think of “self-control,” what is the first thing you think of?
- Conformity to limitations in your behavior
- Strict set of guidelines that you must adhere to.
- External controls that nobody wants to place on themselves
Self-Control however does not first come from external rules and regulations.
All forms of self-mastery driven by our desires.
Why is it that Michael Phelps or any athlete foregoes the temptation to sleep-in but awaken, eat a balanced meal, then go do rigorous training?
There is an overarching desire that supersedes the desire for sleep, pop tarts, and couch surfing.
So when we think about self-mastery/self-control, we often think that it is a form of rigorous behavior modification that is void of impulsive desires.
However, that is not the case at all, the self-control exhibited by athletes shows us that it is not devoid of desires.
The desires for junk-food, laziness are superseded by a greater desire—that of the prize at the end.
The self-control they exhibit is ordered by a greater desire…
The apostle Paul illustrated this when he said…
1 Cor 9: 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath
What is it that stimulated the self-control—desire for that perishable wreath that represented the accolades of mankind that says you’re the GOAT—Greatest of ALL TIME
Michael Phelps, THE GOAT, received 28 perishable wreaths.
GREATEST OF ALL TIME….GOAT
We should modify that acronym to be GOST—Greatest of Some Time.
Because the record will be beaten.
And then…What happened after all the glory? Or what happens when you stop competing?
Listen to Phelp’s words….
"If your whole life was about building up to one race, one performance, or one event, how does that sustain everything that comes afterward? . . . Eventually, for me at least, there was one question that hit me like a ton of bricks: Who was I outside of the swimming pool?" -Michael Phelps, “The Weight of Glory,” https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/olympic-athlete-quotes-from-hbo-the-weight-of-gold-47656076\
Did you hear his words….what sustains everything that comes afterwards?
What’s the point of self-control then?
What’s the point of forgoing the pleasure of droughts when you already achieved your ultimate delight.
Apparently, your ultimate delight was not ultimate!
If Michael Phelps achieved his greatest desire, what then would order his ongoing self-mastery, self-control?
A more significant question is, “What is the greatest desire that orders and fuels God’s people so as…
To enjoy sexual desire rightly ordered—without sexual immorality
To relish the variety of tasty foods or drink—without gluttony and drunkenness
To appreciate beauty of the human form—without jealousy
To pursue justice—without seeking revenge
To use possessions—without greed
Isn’t this the question…what is the ultimate delight that orders all of this and results in self-control?
And Self-Control is what we are speaking about this morning.
And I am not speaking to you about a form of stoicism that encourages you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and simply do-better
And, the opposite of that stoic philosophy is what we are seeing lived out in our culture today—which could rightly be described in terms of a total abandonment of self-control in all corners of our culture.
Today’s culture is emphasizing you must become attuned to your most innate desires and fully express them.
The problem with that is our desires are constantly changing
Living in accordance with ever changing desires results in a lack of self-mastery.
But the solution is not ignoring our desires…and becoming stoic
What is the solution?
The solution is a greater desire that orders all others and thus results in a freeing self-mastery
- A greater desire of an imperishable wreath,
- a non-fading inheritance,
- a delight so delightful that it fuels and fills the human heart resulting in appropriate mastery of all other desires.
Augustine said in his great work on “The City of God”
It is only when the Creator is rightly loved, that is, when He is loved for what He is, and when no creature is loved in place of Him, … if we want virtue by which we live … so it seems to me, the best brief definition of virtue is to say it is the ordering of love.
In other words…self-control, self-mastery is not some stoic practice, but it is the right ordering of our loves, our desires…
With the greatest desire in place then all other desires for the things of this world will fall into place
Again, going back to the athlete and then to the Christian…Paul says….
1 Cor 9:25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
Notice the greatest desire—the imperishable.
Also this principle works in reverse…if there is a lack of self-control…there are always disordered loves/desires.
With that in mind, please turn to 2 Peter 1 this morning first.
That is on page 183 in the back section of the bible in the chair in front of you.
We are continuing our summer series on Hope for Fruitful Service.
This Sunday we are developing Self-Control that Leads to Fruitful Service
The word of God says in 2 Peter 1
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,6 and in your knowledge, self-control, ….8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful (POINT OF THE SERIES) in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. (GOSPEL)
In this series we are taking one of the “add-to” characteristics and illustrating it today from an OT example.
This morning for the characteristic of self-control, please turn now to Gen 39 on page 30 in the front section of the bible in the chair in front of you.
We are studying a picture of self-control today from the life of Joseph.
The book of Genesis speaks of how God created the world and through mankind’s sin, God’s beautiful creation was broken.
God’s story continues in selecting a messed up family to work through to bring about His world-redemption plan.
That family started with childless Abraham and Sarah to whom God miraculously brought the child of the promise, Isaac.
Childless Isaac and Rebecca prayed to the Lord for a child and the Lord gave them twins…Jacob and Esau.
Jacob, later renamed by God as Israel, bore 12 sons that became the 12 tribes of Israel.
Who was Jacob’s favorite son? Joseph!
The other non-favored sons of Jacob, were jealous of their brother Joseph.
And they left him for dead in a pit, until a caravan came by and took Joseph into slavery into Egypt.
Joseph was separated from his family and living as a slave in a foreign land.
We pick up the story of Joseph who will be a picture of self-control in the midst of great trial.
Part of the way the human author wrote this narrative to communicate meaning is through reputation of words/concepts.
I will point those out as we go.
1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard (IS THIS RANDOM), bought him from (THE HAND OF) the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there.
2 The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man (NOTICE THE REAONS FOR THE SUCCESS). And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian (IS THIS RANDOM? WHERE COULD HE HAVE BEEN).
3 Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. (PROVERBS 22:29 states that a man who is skilled in what he does shall stand before kings—in Joseph’s trial, he could have wasted away in despair…but there was self-control here in many ways).
4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge (IN HIS HAND).
5 It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus the Lord’s blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field.
6 So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate.
Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. (HE WAS A HOTTY/STUD MUFFIN/A LOOKER)
7 It came about after these events that his master’s wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”
8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge.
9 “There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” [Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom to avoid the adulterous individual]
10 As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her. (notice the self-control)
11 Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside.
12 She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.
13 When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, {WHO ALLOWED THE GARMENT TO BE IN HER HAND}14 she called to the men of her household and constructs a lie about Joseph….
Then she tells the lie to her husband Potiphar…jump down to verse 19…
19 Now when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” his anger burned.
20 So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail. [IS THIS RANDOM…THE KING’s PRISONERS?}
And then the redemptive story repeats itself…as the story began…it returns…
21 But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness (HESED, COVENANT LOYALTY) to him, and gave him favor in the sight (WE HAVE HEARD THIS BEFORE!)of the chief jailer.
22 The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s charge (IN HIS HAND) all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever (ALL that) was done there, he was responsible for it.
23 The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s charge (IN HIS HAND) because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper.
Joseph has been down in a pit and raised to the exalted position of manager of Potiphar’s house.
For a second time…Joseph went down low again…to the pit of prison and eventually, although we do not know it yet from this story will be raised to be in charge of ALL OF EGYPT…second only to Pharaoh himself….
Today we are developing Three Keys to Develop the Greatest Delight in God that Results in Fruitful Self-Control.
I. Understand the Picture of Self-Control—Foregoing Some Desires for the Sake of a Greater Desire
The Old Testament Narratives are so rich.
Every one of them will teach us something about
Man
God
God’s relationship with man or his redemptive plan
When you see the behavior and responses of man, you learn about righteous behavior or unrighteous behavior. Most of the time, this is what those interpreting these narratives focus on.
When you find something about the way God is functioning or responding, then you learn of his character. We get to know God better.
When you learn something about God’s redemptive plan in these narratives, you learn how God loves His people and how he will redeem them. And if you pull on that narrative redemptive thread…it is precisely that thread that will culminate in Jesus Christ.
This morning each sermon point will be focused on one of these elements, Man, God, and His redemptive plan.
In the Gen 39 Joseph story, Joseph is thrust front and center.
And all interpreters park on Joseph’s character in the midst of trial.
And, I believe “Self-Control” is an apt enough description of what we see here.
We see a portrait or a picture of self-control.
We see Joseph, with rightly ordered desires….
For example in this Joseph story we see at least three ways Joseph relinquished certain desires because of a greater desire….
The first desire Joseph relinquished in this picture of self-control is….
Forgoing the Desire to Use Your Position for Benefit Self but Instead Use it for the Benefit Others
The story repeats itself twice in the way Joseph functioned
In the beginning he is a slave and yet he does not resign himself to mediocre, half-hearted work.
In the end he is a prisoner, and yet he does not resign himself to mediocre, half-hearted work.
Character is not situation specific—let me repeat that…Character is not situation specific.
The repetition of the process twice shows us that there was something about Joseph’s character that was significant.
And in this case, whatever he touched…benefited his authority.
Here is what that means in terms of self-control
He forewent the desire to seek escape, ease, comfort, in order to achieve a greater desire to benefit his authority….
Sounds a lot like properly ordered desires…loving others…
The second desire to forgo in the picture of self-control is….
Foregoing the Desire for Illicit Pleasure but, Instead, Desire the Beauty of God’s Righteousness
As I mentioned character is not situation specific.
That applies to Potiphar’s wife as well.
Potiphar’s wife’s playing the field with Joseph was probably not just limited to Joseph
How many well-built handsome slaves came across her path?
Handsome men are a dime for a dozen.
Are we to assume that Joseph was the first and only one?
Probably not.
Joseph had every reason to give into temptation!
- “I’m already a slave why not grab a little pleasure with my master’s wife?!”
- “He’s placed everything in my hand, surely he okay with me playing around with his known adulterous wife?!”
- “I’ve earned a bit of pleasure…..”
- “I deserve a bit of this kind of pleasure…”
What was Joseph’s thinking?
We don’t have to wonder, because the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
Joseph says,
“There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?”
What is at the heart of this? Joseph’s delight in God and God’s ways….
Joseph accepts that covenant of marriage and the word of God about sexual relationships.
Joseph’s statement right hear is a classic example of his fear of the Lord.
This “fear of the Lord” manifested in Joseph life has produced in him wise and righteous behavior
That is serving him well right now and will serve him well on into the later parts of the story.
Joseph loves God most and thus his passions are rightly ordered…..Self-Control…
In time, Joseph will have his own wife and enjoy Godly sexual pleasure with a clear conscience.
Do you see?
The third desire to forgo in Joseph’s picture of self-control is….
Forego the Desire to Despair and Instead Desire to Hope
Joseph has been in the pit now twice
The first—the pit that his brothers place him in leaving him for dead
The second, now, the pit of prison that Joseph finds himself in through no fault of his own
The text is silent regarding Joseph’s thoughts, but we find him continuing to work for the benefit of others in prison.
At the end of the story, we will see that Joseph had something in Him which he would later distill, as hope…God is working all this out for Good…there is something greater going on here.
Let’s pause…Do you understand the picture of self control…not some external straight jacket that is legalistically placed upon you…but the ordering of desires by the greatest desire….
A life that forgoes certain desires for a greater one….
A life that is ordered by the greatest desire
Look at the areas of your life
- Entertainment
- Sexual Pleasure
- Food
- Possessions
- Popularity
Which ones are you freely and excessively engaging in?
You think you are free, unhindered, to choose those desires but you are indeed mastered by them, enslaved by them. You do not have self-control, self-mastery. Instead you are mastered, enslaved.
They are improperly ordered. And in all improperly ordered desires, you are missing the greatest desire/delight….
Now, let’s look at the second key that develops the Greatest Delight in God
This one is going to be about God and not man…As you see the characteristics of God here, how can he not be our greatest delight…
II. Believe the Power of God’s Sovereign Exercise of Love for His People
I know that point is a mouthful, but every word is important
We see God’s Power in this narrative
To Orchestrate the Seemingly Random Details
Was Joseph Being Sold to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s Captain, Random? No!
Was Joseph Being Delivered into the Prison of Pharaoh’s Prisoners Random? No
Was Potiphar’s wife catching Joseph’s clothes in her hands random? No
One of the fascinating aspects of the story of Joseph in Egypt is that God never speaks face to face to Joseph, like he did with Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham.
But we know this, God’s powerful fingerprints are orchestrating everything…
To Cause to Prosper When Appropriate
Gen 39:2The Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand.
Who put everything in to Joseph’s hand?
God did it…
But shall we accept blessing and not challenges…?
But we know this also, God’s powerful finger prints are orchestrating everything…
To Cause to Suffer When Strategic
Gen 39:12 She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.
The text in Gen 39 repeats over and over in his hand…in his hand…The Lord places things in Joseph’s hands…at the beginning of the story and at the end…
But who placed Joseph’s clothes in Potiphar’s wife’s hand?
Accident?
No!!
The Same Powerful Sovereign God…
And this is the incident that would lead to Joseph’s suffering more….but strategically…
Indeed, this is a RICH Example of all that we studied in 1 Peter…Suffering under unjust authority….suffering for righteousness…
And Peter had said, if you suffer for righteousness you are blessed….but Joseph’s is going to prison….Yes…This doesn’t feel blessed…. yet….and God’s powerful exercise of control orchestrated all of this…YES…!!!
You may say, a powerful God that can control circumstances like this can be terrifying…. unless that God is a not just powerful but personal
God exercises His power personally….
To Be with His People
Gen 39:2 The Lord was with Joseph…
Gen 39:21 But the Lord was with Joseph…
Gen 39:23 …because the Lord was with him…
What is more…. God exercises His power personally….
To Keep His Covenant with His People
Gen 39:21 But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness (Hebrew word “Hesed”—"Covenant Loyalty”—“grace”) to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.
Friends, Michael Phelps went through all of his self-control for a greater desire—to be the GOAT…Although we know that is not eternal.. And Michael Phelps said…"If your whole life was about building up to one race, one performance, or one event, how does that sustain everything that comes afterward?
The answer is it doesn’t, however, this Powerful God Who exercises His control out of love for you and me…He is the greater delight….
Perishable medals do not make a covenant of grace
If you are disciplining your body for the praise of man…that praise only lasts until your body deteriorates.
If you are exercising self-control in an area to become wealthy, you may, but what good is earthly riches when you are in the ground.
On the flip side, if there are areas in your life where you are out of control, your heart’s delight is not this one who promises to be with his people and enters into a covenant with them.
Finally, let’s wrap it up at the third key that develops the Greatest Delight in God
This one is going to be about God’s plan
III. Grasp the Pleasure of God’s Redemptive Plan—to Use a Innocent Suffering Servant for the Saving of Many
Friends, Joseph’s innocent suffering had a purpose
His mastery of his self for a greater desire…yes landed him accused of adultery and in prison pit.
But God orchestrated that so Joseph would get to know one of Pharaoh’s prisoners who would later remember Joseph’s wisdom in interpreting dreams…God wanted, Joseph to be ultimately right next in command to Pharaoh…so that Joseph’s family one day would come down to Egypt and be saved…
The innocent sufferer Joseph, who was left for dead at one point and went down to the pit…was exalted to second in command….
Gen 41:39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. 40“You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.”41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”42Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck.43 He had him ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, “Bow the knee!” And he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
“I have set you over all the land”—sounds like the Lord Pharaoh delivered everything into his hand…kind of sounds like God the father giving all the earth into whose’ s hands…Jesus….
“Bow the knee” –sounds a bit like… “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess.”
At the end of the Joseph innocent suffering story, Joseph says to his brothers….
Gen 50:20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.
Here is the point, Joseph exercised self-control, because of a greater delight/desire…and God used that to save the family of Jacob which resulted in Jesus.
Jesus himself, exercised self-control in all things…for a greater desire. …the Love of His Father and the Love of you…and by innocent suffering, foregoing, using his position to benefit himself but you…forgoing illicit pleasures but delighting in righteousness, foregoing despair, but delighting in God’s plan…He has provided salvation for many..
Gospel appeal…Believer appeal to develop self-control and be a blessing to others.
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