CE 1 YEAR: 28 The Spirit’s Control

Week 28

The Spirit’s Control

The power of the Spirit’s control

When God’s Spirit controls us we will have “self-control” (Gal 5:23; 2 Tim 1:7). The Spirit’s self-control is really the Spirit’s control. God wants His Spirit to constantly control you. Again, God did not come to live in you just to take up space. He is there to take over your life!

What does the Spirit’s control look and feel like? The Bible says the results of being controlled by God’s Spirit is unconditional and supernatural love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness (Gal 5:22-23). When you experience the Spirit’s control you will not be controlled by your sinful nature (Gal 5:16). The Spirit’s control is having power over your emotions, actions, and life.

The power of the Spirit’s “self-control” is the foundation of all the “fruit” of the Spirit. Without it, you lose your ability to have love, joy, peace, and holiness. Therefore, losing the Spirit’s control is devastating to our life. But having the Spirit’s control is the key to living the abundant Christian life.

The counterfeit of human will power

Why are there about 100 references to the Pharisees in the NT? Because Jesus wanted to warn us about trying to live with our own will power instead of the Spirit’s power. Our Lord knew we would be easily deceived by a human religion that looks holy and productive but lacks supernatural love, joy, and peace. The Pharisees did not have the Spirit’s power, but lived under the law in their own will power. But notice how holy and productive they appeared to be! The Pharisees were known for:

• A very high standard of holiness and righteousness including a “faultless” obedience to the strictest OT and Rabbinic laws (Matt 5:20; Phil 3:6). They were committed to knowing and doing God’s will at all cost.
• A high respect from the people because they were considered to be the most devoted to God.
• Giving generously to the poor (Matt 6:2).
• Committed to praying several times a day (Matt 6:5).
• Fasting twice a week every Monday and Thursday (Luke 18:12).
• Tithing everything they had, including garden herbs (Luke 18:12).
• Strictly obeying the Sabbath (Matt 12:2).
• Faithfully attending services at the Temple.
• Memorizing! the first five books of the Bible.
• They “studied the Scriptures diligently” (John 5:39), to understand them deeply, and carefully and boldly confront doctrinal error whenever they detected it (Luke 11:53).
• Their life was influenced by their hope of the coming Messiah (Luke 17:20)
• They were committed to evangelism and would “cross land and sea to make one convert” (Matt 23:15).
• They were committed to making disciples (Mark 2:18).
• They were committed to “social justice” in promoting OT laws, but unlike the Zealots, were opposed to doing so with violence.
• They were committed to offering affordable education for the people.
• They kept themselves from being influenced by “sinners” (Matt 9:11).

They did all of that in their own will power instead of the Spirit’s power! Unfortunately, a Pharisees’ life would be accepted in the modern Church as a very respectable Christian life. But Jesus publicly rebuked them as hypocrites (Matt 23:1-33).

How do we know they did all of these things without the Spirit? Because they did not have God’s love, joy, and peace. We have already warned you that just because something seems sacrificial, does not mean it is love. Feeling joy is the best sign that you are doing something with God’s unconditional love.

Why didn’t all the dedication of the Pharisees please God? Because God-pleasing service is more than righteousness, but includes peace and joy in the Spirit (Rom 14:17-18). Only when we are doing things in the Spirit can we be sure that our motives are holy. Because the Pharisees did all of their good-looking things in their own will power, their motives were sinful.

Do you understand how important it is to know if you are living in the Spirit’s power or your own will power? The things done in your own will power are motivated by a desire to feel accepted by God or approved by people. This is why Jesus said the Pharisees loved the praise of people more than God (John 12:43). Christians living in their own will power are living under the Law and trying to earn their sense of significance and acceptance from their performance.

Perhaps the best sign of such powerless Christianity is that it is exhausting! The yoke of Christ’s command ARE heavy and hard, not light and easy, when you are living in your own will power instead of the Spirit’s power (Matt 11:28). When you are serving God in your own will power it feels like a duty. When you are serving Him in His power, it feels like a delight.

Perhaps the greatest tragedy of this Pharisee Christianity is that nothing in it will be eternally rewarded. Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). At least nothing that pleases God and will be rewarded by God. Christians serving in their own will power are doing it apart from Christ.

This is why the Apostle Paul warned the Colossians of self-control and discipline with human WILL POWER (see Col 2:20-23). He warned them about measuring their spirituality by how well they followed spiritual looking but man-made rules. He warned of a devotion, self-denial, and discipline that did nothing to change a person’s sinful desires. He warned them of a “self-made religion” with human will power, instead of a God-made Christian life with the Spirit’s power.

The Spirit’s control is effortless

There are requirements for being controlled by God’s Spirit. As explained in Week 24, you must be trusting God’s truth instead of believing the Devil’s lies. But when you are trusting God’s truth and the Spirit is controlling you, then you will experience the effortless and automatic power of the Spirit.

The NT word “self-control” can imply that this power comes from YOURSELF. However, the NT makes it clear that it is talking about a “self-control” that comes from God’s Spirit, not your will power.

2 Timothy 1:7 says God’s Spirit gives you power, love, and self-discipline. These are things you cannot produce with your own will power. If you have to force yourself to have love and self-discipline, then it is not God’s power that is controlling you. When the Holy Spirit controls you, He automatically and effortlessly gives you His self-discipline.

Likewise, Galatians 5:22-23 says God’s Spirit produces fruit in our lives, including self-control. The Spirit’s control is not a self-control you produce by your own will power. It is an automatic and effortless “fruit” of being controlled by God’s Spirit.

Many Christians believe self-control is something they need to do for themselves. But the Bible promises a self-control that is given to you by the Spirit.

When you are controlled by God’s Spirit, His powers are automatic and effortless. Do you doubt this? Then consider this: How automatic is your anger when you are offended? How much effort does it take for you to worry when something or someone threatens you? Christian, the powers of your sinful nature are automatic and effortless when you are believing lies.

So then, do you think your sinful nature is more powerful to control you automatically and effortlessly than God’s Spirit in you? No! The powers of the Spirit are automatic and effortless when you are believing the truth. Too many Christians spend too much energy trying to choose or perform the “fruits” of the Spirit instead of automatically and effortlessly experiencing them by trusting the truth.

Remember that the Holy Spirit is a Person. And His personality is to always have love, joy, peace, and self-control. So, when He is controlling you, then you will effortlessly and automatically be like Him.

Many Christians believe and teach that the Christian life is hard. That is a lie. Jesus said the yoke of His commandments was easy and light (Matt 11:28). Some say that becoming a committed Christian requires you to “deny yourself” and “take up your cross,” living a life that feels hard (Matt 16:24-26). How can we reconcile Matthew 11:28 with the common interpretation of Matthew 16:24-26?

The key is to notice what Jesus said would happen to a person if they did not “deny themselves.” They would lose their soul and not be saved (v. 26). The “deny yourself” passages are talking about salvation, not committed discipleship. Jesus was talking about the need to be willing to be a martyr in order to prove your salvation. He was not talking about a harsh treatment of yourself in order to grow. Remember, the Apostle Paul rebuked this very thing (Col 2:20-23).

Anyone teaching or practicing a Christianity that does not feel easy and light is teaching a Christianity lived in your own will power instead of the Spirit’s power. Think about it. If God in you was living through you, do you think the Christian life would feel hard? No, there would be supernatural love, joy, and peace!

The next time doing God’s will feels hard, do this. Focus on the truths that God wants you to trust in. If you will trust in those things as you do the “hard” thing for God, you will be controlled by God’s Spirit and Christ’s command will be easy.

Growing in the Spirit’s control

You do not need to “learn” how to do the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because the Holy Spirit already knows how to be loving, joyful, peaceful, and self-controlled. And if you are controlled by Him, you will be all these things. In one sense, the goal of the Christian life is not to “grow” in love, joy, peace, and self-control. More accurately what you need to pursue is having the Holy Spirit control you more consistently. Because again, when He does, you will automatically and effortlessly be all the virtues He is. You will have His “personality.”

So how do you grow in being more consistently controlled by God’s Spirit and His control? As we explained in Week 24, you are “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2). Remember, lies that you believe about yourself empower your sinful nature. Truth that you believe about God’s love for you empowers the Spirit. Renewing your mind replaces lies with the truth, enabling you to be more consistently controlled by God’s Spirit. This is why you are radically and permanently “transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The Holy Spirit will control more of your life!

Practical Application: Take the “Spiritual Health Test” on the next page to determine how consistently God’s Spirit is controlling you.

In your small group meeting this week, share praises and prayer requests and then discuss these questions:

1) What does the religion of the Pharisees warn us about?

2) What are the differences in the following areas between living in the Spirit’s power and living in your own will power? Motivations? Feelings experienced? Eternal rewards?

3) What are some signs that you are trying to live the Christian life in your own will power instead of the Spirit’s power?

4) What do we mean by saying that the Spirit’s “fruits” are automatic and effortless when we are controlled by Him?

5) How do you grow in the Spirit’s control?

6) What was especially meaningful to you in this chapter? Why?

Spiritual Health Test

You know you are being controlled by Sin or the Spirit BY HOW YOU FEEL. Check any negative feelings you experience daily or weekly. Take your time and think carefully and honestly about this.

√	Sinful Nature’s Powers I feel . . .	Spirit’s Powers I feel . . .
	Angry/Frustrated	Love	Patience through Christ
	Alone		The presence of Christ
	Jealous of others		Fulfilled in Christ
	Worthless		Valued by Christ
	Rejected		Accepted by Christ
	Defensive/Suspicious		Trusting Christ
	Ugly/Undesirable		Created by Christ
	Guilt/Shame		Forgiven in Christ
	Resentment/Bitter		Compassion through Christ
	Useless/Purposeless		Living for Christ
	Ignored/Left Out		Wanted by Christ
	Discontent	Joy	Grateful for Christ
	Discouraged/Depressed		Joyful for Christ
	Bored		Serving Christ
	Numb/no emotion		Free to feel through Christ
	Worried/Afraid	Peace	Calm in Christ
	Hopeless		Hopeful in Christ
	Directionless		Focused on Christ
	Confused/Stupid		Wisdom from Christ
	Tempted/Addicted	Power	Free in Christ
	Tired/Exhausted		Energized by Christ
	Overwhelmed/ Inadequate		Capable through Christ
	Lustful		Pleasure through Christ
	Lazy/Uncaring/Apathy		Eager to serve Christ
	Trapped/Stuck		Free in Christ
	Spiritual Health Quotient = 100% – (each marked item x 4)