My Space Counter
My Space Counter
ABOUT SELF-CONTROL IN EATING, DATING, AND EATING
by
Becky Rene
Introduction
1. This is a lesson about self-control.
2. We all need to have self-control so that is why we are studying it.
I. What the Scriptures Say About it.
A. The Bible says we must exercise self-control in all things…
"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" (1 Corinthians 9:25 NASBR)
B. Self-control shows that we have the Holy Spirit…
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23 NASBR)
C. We have to grow in self-control…
"And in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness," (2 Peter 1:6 NASBR)
II. Now what are some things that we have to have self-control in?
A. We have to have self-control in all things so that means eating as well – 1 Corinthians 9:25.
1. Look what gluttony leads to…
"For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags" (Proverbs 23:21 NASBR)
B. We have to have self-control in lust.
"But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28 NASBR)
"Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge" (Hebrews 13:4 NASBR)
1. In the first verse you can see that having those sexy thoughts about someone is bad and it means you commit adultery.
2. The second verse is saying that you have to be married to do all that sexy stuff.
3. So you have to be very careful when you go dating don’t you? I think you should have someone go with you just in case Satan tempts you.
C. It takes self-control to be a housewife (or even if you are a widow).
1. You are supposed to be keepers of the home…
"Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored" (Titus 2:3-5 NASBR)
2. You have to be careful not to become idle…
"But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge. At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention" (1 Timothy 5:11-13 NASBR)
Conclusion
1. Christians must have self-control in everything.
2. We must be careful not to overeat and become gluttons, we must be careful when we go dating that we do not lose control and commit adultery, and we must work hard at home to keep the house clean – and that takes a lot of self-control.
3. You need to pray about all these things and then start doing it.
4. There is an article to read after this lesson.
During the presidential campaign of 1952 a reporter asked Adlai Stevenson about his eating habits. The governor replied, "I don't make an event of it." I knew a man who often spoke with gusto of his latest culinary delight. He made it appear that the high light of his life was eating. He died of a combination of diseases which are associated with obesity and a diet high in fat, salt and sugar. Except for gluttony, he leaned over backwards to stay as far as possible from every vice or questionable practice. Clement of Alexandria in "The instructor" said, "Some men, in truth, live that they may eat." Unhappily this is true, and they are dying prematurely as a result.
Among modern Christians gluttony is scarcely thought to a sin. It is common to hear someone say, "I ate too much." But don't try holding your breath until you hear anybody say, "I played the glutton." That word is almost reserved for light conversation such as: "The one sin preachers are allowed is gluttony. In fact it is required." Concerning the sort of foods which are favourites at church potlucks, it could be argued that many people are "digging their graves with their teeth." Those who live to eat are paradoxically eating to die. The disease and death which attend gluttony are not jokes, and the consequences of sin are not laughing matters. "For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags" (Proverbs 23:21).
Denial is a favourite tactic of the glutton. Excessive eating is laughed off as an innocent indulgence. There seems to be no point at which eating should be called a sin. Jesus saw it differently. He said, "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares" (Luke 21:34). Contriving to titillate the palate, like undue thought for any pleasure, tends to draw away the soul from Christ. It is easy to get carried away with any enjoyment. It is of the utmost importance that one not live to eat. It is necessary that we eat to live, but guard against reversing this order. When eating becomes too important, it is much like being unduly attached to wealth. If covetousness is idolatry (Colossians 3:5), so is gluttony. Paul spoke of some "whose god is their belly" (Philippians 3:19).
Food and the appetite for it are alike in that they both shall perish. Paul said, "Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them..."(1 Corinthians 6:13). As compared to the eternal verities, the things which are perishable are of little importance. The body is perishing, and it is the inward man that deserves the principal attention. Having spoken of this, Paul continued, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not see: for the things which are seen are temporal: but the things which are seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). One who lives for fleshly gratification, whether it is eating or anything else, has come down to the level of beasts. A pig relishes his trough. He eats and eats and eats! He grows increasingly fat, until it is a struggle to get up and walk. Nevertheless he still gets to his food, even as the day of slaughter draws closer. Every bite he takes makes him more ready for the butcher. So it is with the glutton. He is oblivious to the things of the soul.
Man has been created with the power to choose. Every one makes all sorts of decisions daily, including what to eat. One could blame his sweet tooth when he "pigs out" on candy. Another might put the burden on his craving. Someone else who eats an inordinate amount of butter or fried food will laugh and say, "I just can't resist it." Whatever the excuse is, it ignores the fact that human beings make their own choices.
Mankind is endowed with a free will. People act in a certain manner because they will to do so. Of course there may be conflicts within. Sometimes the will to do wrong is stronger than the will to do right. Paul found himself in a struggle within before Christ delivered him from the bondage of sin. He said, "For I know that in me (that is my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for the will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not" (Romans 7:18). Happily, Paul found a deliverer in Christ (Romans 7:24-25). To take the conflict described by Paul as an excuse for gluttony is absurd. If one can do that, another can do the same with regard to fornication, theft or any other sin. To those who have been redeemed, the apostle said, "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (Romans 8:12-13). Gluttony is a deadly sin, and Christians must be done with it. Gluttony is a deed of the body. It must be put to death along with other sins.
A child of God cannot excuse sin by saying, "I can't help myself." Every one either decides to allow God to work with him in controlling his will, or he surrenders to the devil. One who wants to overcome such a sin as gluttony can. Paul said, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). The gospel clearly requires all people to repent (Acts 17:30). Repentance is a change of the mind. It is a decision to will to do what God requires. It is a decision to turn into the pathway of righteousness.
When one decides to modify his behavior in any area, he has repented of whatever is of the contrary part. In the case of eating, many people decide to change their habits. They want to lose weight, feel better, and look better. If such a person realizes that excessive eating is a sin, the decision is made to sin no more. People go on diets to lose weight every day, but most of them soon give up. Some of them persist long enough to lose excess weight, but the majority of them turn around and gain it all back. Only a few lose weight and keep it off. Why is this? The answer is very simple. Most people don't continue to will to eat in moderation. They do not exercise will power over the will. It is not a lack of will. It is a failure to control it. For that there is no excuse.
A little boy did what his mother told him not to do. When she scolded him for his disobedience, he pleaded innocent. He didn't do it. He said, "My hand did it!" The excuses people offer for overeating are no better. Are you going to be shot at sunrise if you don't have dessert? Will the roof fall in if you stop eating between meals? Will the sheriff take you away if you consume less fat? No, the problem is not external, is it? It is a matter of the will. You know that ice cream and cake are more appealing to your taste than an apple, and you just choose to have the fat and refined sugar the same as you always have. As long as one leaves diet to the bad training his taste buds have already had, there is no chance of improving. But if the matter is viewed as a choice to either take charge of the will or to give up, progress can be made. People can take power over will. They can exercise will power.
One of the graces required of Christians is self-control (II Peter 1:6). The word rendered "temperance" in the King James Version means self-control. A mastery of self is required of Christians. This includes avoiding excesses in all things. The New Testament recognizes that the inner man is in a body. The body itself is sacred. "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" (I Corinthians 6:19). The needs of the body must be met. Bodily desires are not inherently evil. The body was made by God. He prepared a body for the sinless Christ (Hebrews 10:5). Food need not be shunned merely because it is pleasant to the taste. Neither is food to be received simply because no one likes it. We don't need to say, "Everything is either fattening or sinful." Some fat is needed in the diet. Some sugar won't hurt. The key is moderation in eating if one would not be a glutton. The body is related to the inner man as a house to an occupant. The body ought to serve the spiritual man. This makes the difference between a man and a beast. In the grace of self-control appetites are placed under the the rule of conscience. This keeps every desire in bounds. Self-control subordinates all bodily desires to the rule of a will surrendered to Christ. When the overriding purpose of all of life is to do the will of God, this will leave no place for the sin of gluttony. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). Yes, "but one thing is needful" (Luke 10:42).