Self-Control Is Freedom From Permissiveness

The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT

Podcast Episode: The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT – SELF-CONTROL #3

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. There is no law against these things.” [Galatians 5:22-23 NLT]

Manasseh Rules In Judah

In 2 Kings 21:1-9 NLT says, “1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother was Hephzibah. 2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the pagan shrines his father, Hezekiah, had destroyed. He constructed altars for Baal and set up an Asherah pole, just as King Ahab of Israel had done. He also bowed before all the powers of the heavens and worshiped them. 4 He built pagan altars in the Temple of the Lord, the place where the Lord had said, “My name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5 He built these altars for all the powers of the heavens in both courtyards of the Lord’s Temple. 6 Manasseh also sacrificed his own son in the fire. He practiced sorcery and divination, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord’s sight, arousing His anger. 7 Manasseh even made a carved image of Asherah and set it up in the Temple, the very place where the Lord had told David and his son Solomon: “My name will be honored forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem – the city I have chosen from among all the tribes of Israel. 8 If the Israelites will be careful to obey my commands – all the laws my servant Moses gave them – I will not send them into exile from this land that I gave their ancestors.” 9 But the people refused to listen, and Manasseh led them to do even more evil than the pagan nations that the Lord had destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land.”

In 2 Kings Chapter 21 Verse 1 describes Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years – Manasseh reigned from 687/86 to 643 B.C. (Thiele), a longer reign than any other king of Judah. The key fact of his reign is that he reversed the policy of his father, apparently concluding that continued attempts to attain independence from Assyria would be futile and even disastrous to Judah. In secular terms, Manasseh could do little else. In his reign Assyria reached the peak of its might, success, and prosperity in the region. Sennacherib’s successor, Esar-haddon (680-669 B.C.), was a vigorous king and a more successful warrior than his father. He temporarily ended the constant revolts in Babylon, and in two campaigns in Egypt against Tirhakah (674 and 671 B.C.) put that rival empire into a subject status under puppets responsible to Assyrian governors. Esar-haddon’s son, Ashurbanipal, continued his father’s Egyptian policy and destroyed its ancient capital, Thebes, in 663 B.C. With Assyrian soldiers constantly marching along the borders of his country, on the main highway from Assyria to Egypt, via Megiddo and the Philistine lowlands, Manasseh had little or no choice in terms of realistic politics. By his choice to accept subjection, Manasseh achieved a kind of peace for Judah – i.e., the absence of fighting inside Judah – at the terrible price of abject subservience and spiritual corruption. Esar-haddon’s annals mention Manasseh of Judah as one of his tribute-paying vassals (ANET, 291).

In Verse 2 describes Manasseh did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD – The consequences of being a vassal of Assyria, beyond those of taxation and manpower contributions to Assyrian campaigns against Egypt, were grave. As with Ahaz, Manasseh as a subject king probably had to pay homage to Assyrian gods. But it is doubtful that this included setting up altars for sacrificial worship to them in the temple courtyard, beside the altars used to worship the Lord. Here, as with 2 Kings 16:10, the root of the pagan practices seems to be more Canaanite in nature than Assyrian. There was no obvious or intentional abandonment of the worship of the Lord, but a tolerating acceptance of the two forms, side by side, which could only corrupt and make it easy for the people to slip into polytheism – the worship of or belief in more than one god, the worship of several or many gods, and paganism, any religion other than the Israelite one. An example of how the pagan Assyrian ideas and Hebrew ideas became confused and amalgamated is in the case of the “heavenly host” that was thought to surround the Lord: were not the heavenly bodies, the stars and the planets of Assyrian worship the same thing? It may, in times like this, have been easy to believe so (“Host,” NBD). Verse 21:5 specifically mentions “the host of heaven.” The worship of astral deities, sometimes used as evidence for Assyrian influence, is well known in Canaan and Phoenicia (Jones).

Moving forward In 2 Kings Chapter 21 Verse 6 describes Manasseh made his son pass through the fire – used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards. These practices are direct violations of Deuteronomy 18:10-14. A wide range of methods of divination and sorcery was known in the ancient Near East. Mediums or necromancers (JB) were persons who claimed to be able to call up the spirits of the deceased, who had special knowledge which would be spoken by the medium in a trance, or by the spirit itself. A wizard or spiritist (NASB, NIV) was simply a person who knew all about occult matters, such as the interpretation of dreams, or the concoction of magical potions. Consulting mediums and wizards was not a new practice. King Saul did it after having tried to rid the land of such people (1 Samuel 28:8, 9).

In Verse 7 describes Manasseh set a graven image of the grove that he had made – or Asherah pole (NIV), the cultic symbol of the fertility goddess and consort of Baal (“Asherah,” NBD). It was such a pole that Gideon cut down in Judges 6:25. The writer is astonished and horrified that these pagan objects of worship should be placed within the temple precincts (2 Kings 21:7).

In Verse 8 describes the Word of the Lord – “Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land” – God does not wish to see Judah deported as had happened in Israel. But Judah could only hope to remain in the land of promise if they were obedient to the demands of the covenant. Manasseh’s sins were not only personal, they affected the whole nation. Even though he later repents of his sin, the residue of this sin remains, so that some years later, Jeremiah could talk about Manasseh’s sins as leading to the destruction of the nation (Jeremiah 15:1-4).

What made Manasseh Judah’s most evil king? He likely lacked the ability to say no to himself. He skirted self-denial, opting for the “if-it-feels-good-do-it” philosophy. He likely thought he was living free, but he was enslaved by the ugliest of monsters – his own permissiveness.

Sometimes, we are like that king. We lacked the ability to say no to ourselves. We skirted self-denial, opting for the “if-it-feels-good-do-it” philosophy. We thought we were living free, but we were enslaved by sin – our own permissiveness.

A Call To Rebuild The Temple

In Haggai 1:-3-8 NLT says, “3 Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? 5 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! 6 You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes! 7 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! 8 Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord!”

In Verses 3-5 describe the Jews lived in comfort and luxury, but they made excuses for leaving God’s house in ruins. Compare King David’s attitude toward the building of God’s house (1 Chronicles 17:1, 2). Haggai asks the people to consider whether their gain had been worth the suffering it had cost them.

In Verse 6 describes as the people had tried to escape poverty by not building, God doubled their poverty in punishment. Instead of cheating God, they had cheated themselves. The infinitive verbs show their action along these lines to have been continuous. Wages put into a bag with holes – The analogy here is of a man who puts money into hole-filled pockets; the more he “gains” the more he loses (Zechariah 8:10; Isaiah 55:2; Jeremiah 2:13).

Haggai preached this sermon to remind Israel that the work had been halted because the people had become more interested in their own personal agendas than in being obedient to God. Haggai wanted to set people free from their own permissiveness. He reminded them that the temptation to “do it if it feels good” is an open-ended proposition. To attempt to be happy by having more while giving God less is like a bucket with holes in it.

Haggai reminds us that all the fun we think we’re having by letting ourselves go has gotten out of hand. It’s time to set ourselves free from these “freedoms” that kill and destroy our lives by spoonfuls. Haggai said we could develop a close relationship with God only when we quit serving ourselves. Only then can we really convince ourselves that we are not gods, a realization that will allow us to truly know God’s purposes for our lives.

This is also to remind us of being obedient to God than become more interested in our own personal agendas.

Sin’s Power Is Broken

In Romans 6:19-23 NLT says, “19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord our God”.

In Verse 19 describes Paul emphasizes that he is using an illustration in case any of his readers fail to understand his meaning. Anyone living in Rome knew about slaves and masters. There were more slaves than citizens in the empire. When people are slaves of impurity and lawlessness, they are held in bondage to a master who seeks their destruction. But to choose to be slaves of righteousness is very different. God does not keep us in His service against our will – rather, we desire to please Him in everything we do. Then we are becoming holy, referring to the progressive goal of salvation, our growth into persons who exhibit more and more of the character of our Lord Jesus Christ in the way we live.

In Verses 20-21 describe the freedom that people experience when they are slaves of sin is the antithesis of genuine freedom. It is such a distortion of the meaning of liberty that it causes people to be glad that they are not concerned with doing what is right. That is ultimately the worst kind of slavery. And the result is that people end up shamed of the things they used to do. Paul was teaching the Roman Christians that it was appropriate for them to feel ashamed of their pre-Christian actions, and Paul was encouraging them to seek the benefits of high moral living now that they served Christ.

In Verse 22 describes the benefits are immeasurable for those who are slaves of God and set free from the power of sin. Faith makes us righteous in God’s eyes and challenges us to realize that righteousness in practical living – doing those things that lead to holiness and eternal life. Holiness is gained as a process over our entire life wherein we become more Christlike and set apart for His service; eternal life begins at conversion and, despite the physical death we will inevitably face, continues beyond the grave.

In Verse 23 describes that this result of sin is not just physical death – everyone dies physically, believers and nonbelievers alike. This refers to eternal separation from God in hell. This is the wage that a person receives for his or her rebellion against God. Those in hell will find no comfort in the truth that they have been paid exactly what they earned.

But instead of wages, those who believe receive a free gift from God – eternal life. Eternal life does not mean endless life on earth, but resurrection from death to eternal glory with God. Because eternal life is a gift, we cannot earn or purchase it. It would be foolish for someone to offer to pay for a gift given out of love. To be a gift, it must be given and received freely. A more appropriate response to a loved one who offers a gift is grateful acceptance. Our salvation is a gift of God, not something of our own doing (Ephesians 2:8-9). He saved us because of His mercy, not because of any righteous acts on our part (Titus 3:5). How much more we should accept with thanksgiving the gift that God has freely given to us. Being set free from our excessive freedoms is a gift of God.

Judgment Against Enemy Nations

In Joel 3:1-3 NLT says, 1 “At the time of those events,” says the Lord, “when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2  I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, my special possession, for scattering my people among the nations, and for dividing up my land. 3  They cast lots to decide which of my people would be their slaves. They traded boys to obtain prostitutes and sold girls for enough wine to get drunk.”

In Verse 1 describes and referring to the time when the covenant relationship has been achieved and the people have come back to God. Bring Again the Captivity – i.e., God will reverse it. The Jews say that this refers only to the return of the nation from the captivity in Babylon, while Christians say that this refers also to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Joel seems, however, to be referring to the entire history of redemption, beginning with the return from the Babylonian captivity, continuing through the first coming of Christ, and concluding with the second coming of Christ, when God will finally restore His people to Himself.

In Verse 2 describes the Valley of Jehoshaphat – lit. “valley where Yahweh judges.” This is a parallel passage to Zechariah 14:2-4. The “Mount of Olives” in Zechariah is parallel to the “valley where Yahweh judges” in Joel. This is likely a reference to an actual place in Israel, the valley lying between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, through which the Kidron Brook flows. The message of this passage is that just as Jehoshaphat defeated his enemies in this place (Psalm 83:6-8), so God would destroy His foes in the final times. The mention of the Mount of Olives in Zechariah, the mention of this valley in Joel, and the fact that this was the place from which our Lord Jesus Christ ascended make it a good possibility that this will be the scene of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 1:11). All Nations – This refers to the armies of all the nations which have harmed Israel. My Heritage Israel – God chose Israel as His own special nation (Deuteronomy 32:9; Jeremiah 10:16). Even though He would have to judge them for their disobedience, He would act as their lawyer, plead their case as though He were the injured party, and judge their enemies.

In Verse 3 describes the words; Cast Lots For My People – i.e., they divided up God’s people as their slaves. The division of captured people often took place by the casting of lots (Obadiah 1:11; Nahum 3:10). Given A Boy For . . . Harlot – Instead of giving the prostitute money, they gave her a Jewish boy as a slave. Girl For Wine – Jewish girl slaves were of so little value that they were traded for wine.

How can we live a life of self-control in a culture where indulgence is the rule? It is hard for Christian parents to say to their children, “You can’t go,” only to hear their children say, “But Maria’s parents let her go.” How do we instill values that derive from our self-control when all around us is a “let’s-do-it” culture? Let me encourage everybody to cry out to our Father God, ‘Abba Father’, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit for the one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit which is self-control!

A Call To Repentance

In Malachi 3:8-10 NLT says, “8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!

In Verse 8 describes and asks this questions – Will a man rob God? – The verb translated “rob” (Hebrew qava’) means “to take forcibly,” a meaning that does not strictly fit with the holding back of tithes and offerings. This word is not the usual term for robbery (Hebrew ganav). For these reasons, many contemporary commentators understand the word to be “circumvent” or “defraud” (Hebrew ‘aqav), the word at the root of Jacob’s name; thus the translation “Can a man cheat God?” (JB, cf. NEB). Tithes -God asked for a tenth of all the Israelites’ earnings, but they kept the tithes from Him along with other small portions which should have been used in God’s work (Leviticus 27:30-33; Numbers 18:26-28; Deuteronomy 12:18; 14:28, 29). Offerings – The people were also to bring a part of their corn, wine, and oil to the priests (Deuteronomy 18:4; Nehemiah 13:10, 12). The people robbed the priests and the priests robbed God because they did not serve Him when they did not get paid.

In Verse 9 describes and refers to Proverbs 11:24. Because they had robbed God, He would rob them by bringing a curse on them. God will not accept a compromise; He must have the best and nothing less.

In Verse 10 describes and also refers to Proverbs 3:9, 10. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse – See 2 Chronicles 31:11; cf. 1 Chronicles 26:20; Nehemiah 10:38; 13:5, 12. If the temple storehouses were empty, it was the people’s fault. God had already blessed them with enough to give a little back to him. Meat – rather, “food” (so all modern translations). Prove Me Now Herewith – See 2 Chronicles 31:10. Open . . . Windows of Heaven – See 2 Kings 2:7. If the people would obey God, giving as they should, God would flood His people with blessings. Not . . . Room Enough – There would be an overabundance of God’s blessing if He was given what He requested.

In these passages of Malachi 3:8-10, God tells the people that they are robbing Him. Robbing God? What were the Israelites doing with the money they stole from God? They were using it to “feather their own nests.” The money we give to God shows how much we love God. The money we withhold from God shows how much we love ourselves. In general, the more we refuse to give sacrificially to God, the more we exhibit our own self-indulgence.

Freedom is a mark of the Christian faith – freedom from sin and guilt, and freedom to use and enjoy all things that come from God. But Christians should not abuse this freedom and hurt themselves or others. Many people have misinterpreted the phrase to mean, “I will not be mastered by any rule of ethics, law, or Bible principle,” rather than, “I will not be mastered by any besetting sin.” Born-Again Christian believers who have been in the church for many years can easily excuse sins such as gossip, bitterness, an unforgiving spirit, lust, or withholding money from God’s work. We must be on alert for those desires that can master us. What God has allowed His children to enjoy must not grow into a bad habit that controls them. For more about Christian freedom and everyday behavior, read 1 Corinthians chapter 8.

Prayer is the key that unlocks and reveals faith. Effective prayer needs both an attitude of complete dependence and the action of asking. Prayer demonstrates complete reliance on God. Thus, there is no substitute for prayer, especially in situations that seem impossible. Often the disciples would face difficult situations that could be resolved only through prayer. Their humiliation made this a painful lesson to learn.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said that prayer and devotion to God are the real evidences of a robust inner faith. Self-control is the first step of spiritual discipline. We must practice and prepare ourselves for the coming battles. If we cannot control our appetites, we can hardly be expected to enter into spiritual combat that tries even the souls of those who pray and fast.

So, in this Election 2020, let our hearts and minds in tune with God, in the power of God, the Holy Spirit. Let’s continuously and persistently pray for God’s perfect will be done. We as Born-Again Christians have been tried and cleansed, we have moved freely into a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ that is more powerful than it was before our trials. We are at home in the presence and fellowship of God, for we are heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ, more like Him that we could ever have dreamed possible. So, let’s continuously and persistently pray for this Election 2020, that may God’s perfect will be done. Amen!

So our worship centers on our self-control. But then so does our entire world of relationships. Our self-control finds the energy to be consistent in its driving desire to bring pleasure to our Heavenly Father.  

The principle is that no one has anything of value to bring to God in order to deserve salvation, mercy, justification, or even a second glance from God. The proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored. Acceptance before God cannot be achieved by good deeds, piety, or any amount of self-proclaimed righteousness.

Let’s never get over the effect of God’s saving transformation on people’s lives. People who were lost in sin, filled with anger and bitterness, give up their hatred and become approachable as we have studied and learned last time. That is, of course, why we minister to others. Those of us who minister are not people to whom gentleness and self-control comes naturally. We are people who have been remodeled by grace. We thankfully leave our old natures far behind as we embrace gentleness and self-control and in our treatment of others.

Sunday by Sunday as we come to worship, we may have confidence that the Bible is true. Let me encourage our brothers- and sisters-in-Christ, and I want my readers and listeners to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others’ needs. Because all, we as Born-Again Christian believers are strong in certain areas and weak in others, we constantly need to monitor the effects of our behavior on others.

In these SELF-CONTROL Series of Podcast, we will learn the following PURPOSES of this fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT:

1. Learned and knew the Path of Coming to Maturity – Podcast Self-Control #1
2. Learned To Say No To Our Appetites – Podcast Self-Control #2
3. To Receive Freedom From Permissiveness – Podcast Self-Control #3
4. To Manage Our Moods – Podcast Self-Control #4
5. To Have A Discipline Life and Mark of Obedience – Podcast Self-Control #5

Three (3) Questions we can answer from these Sources: The Bible and Guidance of the Holy Spirit

Observation: What do these passages say to you?

Interpretation: What do these passages mean to you?

Application: How do the meaning of these passages apply to you or to your situation?

If you are not sure that you are Born-Again Christian believer, please take a look of one of our ministries, “An Invitation To Meet Our Lord Jesus Christ” at https://homefellowshipchurches.org/an-invitation-to-meet-our-lord-jesus-christ/

Suggested Prayer: Father God, we come into your presence in our Lord Jesus Christ name, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for Your agape love and forgiveness you have done on the Cross of Calvary, and continue to intercede for us in prayer. Thank you Holy Spirit as our Helper and Comforter. Thank you for the wisdom, knowledge, understanding, courage and strength. We cling, yield, plug-in and tune-in to you Holy Spirit to help us understand God’s Words, obey them, receive Your divine revelation, know the Truth that sets us free, and apply them in our lives, in our Lord Jesus Christ name, Amen!

God bless you all and our families!

In Malachi 3:10-12 AMPC says, “10 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it”, says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” [Malachi 2:2.] 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer (insects and plagues) for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruits before the time in the field,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight”, says the Lord of hosts.

If the people would obey God, giving as they should, God would flood His people with blessings. There would be an overabundance of God’s blessing if He was given what He requested.