The Fruit of the Spirit:

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 67
• Hymn — How Great Thou Art (#44)
• Shorter Catechism Reading — Questions 23 & 24
• Hymn — [untitled] (#681)
• Pastoral Prayer
• Sermon
• Hymn — Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (#529)
• Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26

---

Sermon Title: The Fruit of the Spirit — Self-Control

Scripture: Genesis 1:26-28, Genesis 2:15-17, Genesis 3:1-11

I. The Design of Self-Control

A. God created mankind as self-aware, thinking, and willing creatures — not robots or machines — bearing his image

B. The Westminster Shorter Catechism states God made man in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness; mankind was created to be right-knowing and right-willing

C. In the state of innocence (Thomas Boston's first state), Adam and Eve's wills were perfectly in harmony with God's will

1. Self-control is woven into the fabric of humanity as a self-governing capacity
2. The moral law — summarized in the two great commandments — was written on their hearts, and their wills aligned perfectly with it
3. This harmony can be compared to two voices singing in perfect tune, neither drawing attention away from the other

II. The Difficulty of Self-Control

A. Thomas Boston's four states of mankind provide a framework:

1. State of Innocence — able to sin, able not to sin
2. State of Depravity — not able not to sin
3. State of Grace — able not to sin (though never perfectly)
4. State of Glory — unable to sin

B. The Fall broke harmony between man's will and God's will; the self rose up as its own melody

1. Genesis 3:6 — Eve saw, desired, reasoned, and took the fruit; the self became the governor of its own governing
2. Even those in the state of depravity can demonstrate a form of self-control through God's common grace

C. Two kinds of self-control distinguished by the ancient Greeks (as noted by George Bethune):

1. Continence — merely denying indulgence to irregular desires; one selfish desire overcoming another; a "just say no" campaign focused on external behavior
2. Temperance — the healthful regulation of desires and appetites themselves; getting to the heart of the matter

D. True self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, not human willpower

1. Sin disorders our desires; the Spirit reorders them
2. Galatians 5:24 — those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires
3. As Alistair Begg notes: self-control cannot be a "just say no" campaign focused on external obedience — God's enabling grace changes the heart from the inside out

III. The Domain of Self-Control

A. The domain of self-control is the whole person in the whole of living

B. Governing the thought life

1. Jesus taught that to look at another with lustful intent is already to commit adultery in the heart
2. Impulsive judgments of others — even in everyday situations like driving — require repentance

C. Governing the emotions

1. We live in a feelings-based culture that coddles emotions, yet the heart is deceitful above all else
2. Emotions matter and we should care for others, but not every feeling is legitimate or right

D. Governing the tongue

1. James likens the tongue to a ship's rudder and to a spark that ignites a forest fire
2. Jesus says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34)
3. Practical applications: husbands and wives, parents and children, coworkers, and fellow believers must all govern their speech; gossip and false flattery have no place among God's people

E. Governing the use of things

1. Food and drink — gluttony is a forgotten sin
2. Technology — cell phones, computers, and streaming devices require careful self-governance

F. The tension of reality and requirement

1. Self-control is both a reality being worked into believers by the Spirit and a requirement to be pursued
2. Ephesians 2 — good works are not saving works, but they are the duties and responsibilities flowing from salvation
3. The state of glory is the certain hope: a day is coming when believers will be unable to sin; until then, cling to the promise that he who began a good work will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6)