Resources
Controlling Your Will
Pastor Floyd speaks from Galatians 5 about how to control your will to help yourself spiritually.
$6.00 — $12.00
I am so convinced that in our lives we have so many dangerous moments, and discouraging moments, and disappointing moments that if sometime if we’re not careful we develop a doom, gloom, and despair mentality. And we lose one of the greatest things we need to remember, and that is that God is good. God is good! And we need to declare that to Him, and we need to declare it before the church, and to the world, and to one another in Jesus’ name. Amen.
We are talking for a few weeks about what it means to have an Extreme Spiritual Makeover. Two weeks ago we talked about the importance of caring for your body. 1 Thessalonians 5:18, 5:23, excuse me. We still launce from 1 Thessalonians 5:23 the next week, as well as throughout the entire series.
And last week we talked about the importance of controlling your soul, which begins with controlling your mind. Today, we’re going to continue talking about controlling your soul, but we’re going to move to the next element of what your soul is comprised of, and that is controlling your will.
In a moment I’m going to speak today from Galatians the 5th chapter. I hope you have a copy of God’s Word, a printed edition, or at least something, an ecopy on your phone, or whatever, and be sure that’s what you do if you have your phone. But I want you to look with me to the Word of God. It’s a powerful Word.
In a moment I’m going to read from it, but before I do it, let me just kind of bring this along on the American culture to some degree. In the year 2008 at Stanford University a commencement exercise was, the speech was given by Oprah Winfrey. She shared many good words, but one of the words that she shared was the following. She said, “Lesson 1: Follow your feelings. If it feels right, move forward. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it.”
In the Lizzie McGuire movie, Lizzie said, quote, “Dear Confused: I wish I could tell you what to do, but I can’t. All I can say is follow your heart. It’ll tell you what’s right.”
In the movie Braveheart, William Wallace said, “Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it.” I don’t know what your theological conviction is about chocolate, but mine is one that is absolutely committed to it in the name of Jesus. Amen. [LAUGHTER] But do you realize that even a Dove Chocolate wrapper says, quote, “Always follow your heart. It is never wrong.”
Question? Are they right? You know perhaps at times in all that I’ve just shared, there is a strain of truth in every bits of that advice. But it really comes back to something that every one of us need to understand and that is, who owns our heart? Who resides in our heart? Who is Lord of our heart? Who is living through our heart? Who is helping us to follow the will of God?
One of the great books of the Bible is the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah, he told it like it was. He wouldn’t be a popular preacher in today’s world. He wasn’t too popular in his world. But in Jeremiah the Word of God came to him through the Holy Spirit, and God said, “Hey Jeremiah, write these words down.” Jeremiah 17, verse 9: “The heart is deceitful above all things.”
Now think about that statement. Above all things, above everything else, God says, the heart is deceitful. And desperately sick, ill. One of the translations says, “It is desperately wicked. Who can understand it? Who can know it?” Well, I personally believe that the only way to follow your heart in the right way is understanding what we’re going to talk about today, and that is controlling your will. Controlling your will.
Now if we’re going to control our will, Galatians 5 helps us learn how to do that. In Galatians 5 the passage that we’re going to read from beginning on verse 13 through verse 15 in a moment, it teaches us the following: that if we’re going to control our will in the right way, then we have to:
1. Understand your freedom. You’ve got to understand your freedom.
Now today, if you would, get a copy of God’s Word, look with me please to verse number 13, and let’s read through verse 15. The Bible says, “For you are called to freedom, brothers. Only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. But serve one another through love, for the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour one another, watch out or you will be consumed by one another.”
Good little word there. If you live by the sword, you will die by the sword. Understanding your freedom. We are so fortunate to live in a great nation like America where freedom is experienced by each one of us. People have died, spilled their blood, lost limbs of their body, lost the peace of mind, and the joy of rest and sleep for the purpose of giving you our freedom. And freedom in America is being abused. I think most of us would agree with that. People are taking the freedoms that are given to us in our nation and abusing them.
But I do not know any place where abuse is happening about freedom anymore than in the church of Jesus Christ in today’s world. It’s because we misunderstand the freedom that God has given us in life. The Bible here says, “For you have been called to freedom.” In other words, the Spirit of God has called you out of the world and into Jesus. You were once in bondage to your sin, but now you have been called out of this world, called away from your sin, and you have been given freedom from the penalty of your sin, as well as freedom from the dominion of your sin.
But he says here, only don’t use freedom as an opportunity, an opportunity for the flesh. The opportunity there gives to us an image, and note the image. The image for opportunity is that a central base of military action is being set up. In other words, a base of operations exist, and it serves as an opportunity to keep you from the enemy, but it also serves as an opportunity to penetrate the enemy, or to be taken by the enemy. He said the base here that you’ve got to be careful of is that we have to be very careful that either our base is an opportunity for the flesh, or it becomes an opportunity for the Lord, one of the two.
He gives to us a choice here, it’s an opportunity for the flesh to take and abuse us, or we get abused by ourselves in that journey, or else we can love Christ and love others, and the law of God is reduced into one word: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
The picture here given in verse 15 is, is quite an illustrative picture. He says but if you bite and devour one another…” The word picture here is that of a wild animal. Now think about a wild animal, beast attacking, beast killing one another. And here’s what God is saying in His Word. God is saying that if you give an opportunity to your flesh, you will not love your neighbor as yourself, and you will not love me the way you need to love me. And if you don’t love me the way you need to love Me, and love others the way you need to love others, then you’re going to find yourself involved in looking like a bunch of wild animals biting one another, and consuming one another, and going after one another! Wow. Pretty illustrative for today’s culture, is it not?
And do you know why this occurs? It occurs because people misunderstand the freedom that we have in Jesus Christ. If you were able to dial into the hundreds of thousands of churches in North America alone, you would see that the vast majority of those fellowships are disrupted through division and discord among the membership. Why? Because we misunderstand the freedom that we have in Christ. God help us.
You see, here’s what we misunderstand is that freedom is not doing what you want, but real freedom leads you to doing what you ought. It is not you saying, “Oh well, you know, hey, I’m free in Jesus. I mean I can kind of do what I want.” Isn’t that what freedom is really all about? Oh no! Because you can’t trust yourself! Yourself is the biggest problem you’ve got! So therefore, what happens is real freedom is, is doing what you ought to do. I challenge you today to understand that’s what real freedom is.
You see, what the scripture here teaches us is that freedom is usually taken from one extreme to the other. Either people are now using their freedom as a license to sin, in other words, do what they want to do. I mean I’m going to be forgiven anyway. I mean hey, I’m under grace. What matter does it make? Right? Or you can go to the other extreme of legalism where you’re, where the Word of God is not enough for you and you add to the Word of God. I grew up in that kind of church. Did any of you? Good intentions, good heart, didn’t mean to, but you know the Word of God just wasn’t enough. I’ve been there in my life. I’ve been there in my ministry, and I can make as good a Pharisee as anybody. But I’ve got to be sure that I understand that the Word’s enough. I don’t need to add to the Word. Right?
So, we move from one extreme to the other extreme, but you know what? It doesn’t matter whether it’s a license to sin, or whether it’s a, it is, it is extreme strict legalism; both lead to sin, and both are irresponsible all because we misunderstand our freedom.
Now one of the theologians I like to read is a guy named Warren Wearsbe. Warren Wearsbe is a gifted theologian, and by the way, if you’re out here as a layperson, and you’re looking for a commentary to help you, or you’re looking for some, some assistance through the Word, Warren Wearsbe is a great guy for a layperson to read. He keeps it deep, but he keeps it where you can understand it. He keeps it practical. He’s what I would call a tremendous practical theologian.
Warren Wearsbe, he, he says these words about this issue we’re talking about today: he says, “Liberty plus love equals service to others.” That’s just what Galatians 5 taught. Right? Amen? He said because you now have liberty in Christ, don’t take an opportunity for the flesh to sin, but he said what? You’re going to love Me, and you’re going to love others, and you’re going to love your neighbor even as you love yourself. That’s service to others.
But then he gives another observation which is the direct opposite extreme of which we read about a moment ago in Galatians chapter 5, verse number, number 15, and that extreme is, “Liberty minus love equals slavery to sin.” In other words, here I am, hey I’m free. I can, I can do what I want. I, I’m grace. I can be forgiven. I can make mistakes. It’s no big deal. It doesn’t matter what I’m going to do, the choices I’m going to make, I mean, hey I’m free. I’m free. I’m free. All that does is lead you to sin. It leads you to slavery of your sin. It puts you in greater bondage. I’m telling you today we’ve got to understand that if we’re going to control our will; we must grasp and understand that our freedom is grounded in the grace of God. The grace of God. That’s why in Galatians chapter 1, verse number 6, the writer says that you are called, He called you, He called you by the grace of Christ. And aren’t you glad He did? He saved you by the grace of Christ. You don’t deserve salvation. I don’t deserve salvation, but what does He do? He looked at me. He looked at you, and He called you out of your life, and He called you out of your ways, and He called you out of your sin because of grace.
Now in today’s church world, grace is being so misunderstood, and being so abused. I mean it’s amazing. I mean, well you know, the Lord is leading me. We start throwing around all this God talk. Well you know I’ve prayed about this, but I’m still you know, I really believe this is what I need to do. And I’m just trying to; I’ve got this peace about it. Peace about it? And yet it’s away from the Word of God? I mean, how do you have peace about it if it’s away from the Word of God?
Or how about this one: “Well I sought counsel from some of my buddies. They’re all a bunch of idiots, but I got counsel from them. And you know, I’m going to go ahead and do it. Listen to me today, grace has a high price. Grace costs you everything. Grace cost God His One and Only Son! Grace was paid on Calvary’s cross, and you cannot abuse that grace, you cannot God talk that grace, you can’t make yourself feel better, or else what you’re doing is, you are elevating your flesh above the Word of Christ! And you know what’s happening in today’s world? We’re talking all about the grace of God, just kind of throwing the Book around. We’re making grace in our own eyes.
No, this is what God means. He’s going to forgive me anyway. So what if I go out here and do some things that aren’t right. I leave my wife, or I leave my husband, or you know, I want to go out here and play around a little bit. Hey, by the way, I mean I’ve lived my life right here…I mean every now and then it’s got to be about me. Am I right? Isn’t that what we’re suppose to do? No, that is, that is a mistaken view of the grace of God because Jesus paid it all! All to Him I owe. And we have to understand our freedom.
He also told us about the importance to:
- Make the right choice. We’ve got to make the right choice. In fact if
you go to the Bible, in chapter number 5, look at verse 16 through 18. Let me read it for a moment. He says, “I say then walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh. And these are opposed to each other so that you don’t do what you want.” Wow. That’s a powerful statement. You might ought to take a little pen, and underline that, and remind yourself of that so that you don’t do what you want. “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
You see the verses we read earlier, and the verses that I just read show to us what I’m going to call today a glaring contrast about your freedom, and about the choices you make in your life. Verse number 16 talks about the importance of walking by the Spirit. He said, listen you don’t have to, you don’t have to bite each other. You don’t have to hurt each other. You don’t have to abuse one another relationally. You don’t have to treat one another like a bunch of animals out here. He said you don’t, you don’t have to do that. He says what you do is, he says, I say then walk by the Spirit.
The word walk is a word that means habitual lifestyle. In your conversation of life, some of the old translations would say. In other words, you are to live habitually empowered by, led by the Holy Spirit of God. The word walk is symbolic. Do you know why it’s symbolic? Because it symbolizes for us progress. Progress. It symbolizes us growing. Growing. And it symbolizes us also being empowered. Empowered. I’m progressing in my faith. I’m growing in the grace of God. And I am being empowered by the Holy Spirit of God. That’s all about this whole element of walking in the Spirit.
And what does he say here? Very insightful. Don’t read it too quickly. He says if I walk by the Spirit, what will be the result? I will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Now, I want to tell you man, you are your biggest problem. I am my biggest problem. The Bible here says in verse 17 that there is a conflict that arises within each one of our hearts. We could talk all day long about the cultural war. There’s definitely a cultural war in America, but I daresay to you the greatest war is not in the culture; the greatest war is in the hearts of people, especially those of us that have been born-again by the Spirit of God. And that war is between the flesh, and between the Spirit. The flesh versus the Spirit according to what verse 17 says. And it’s the Spirit versus the flesh.
They are opposed to one another. They are in conflict with each other. And they cannot ever hold hands together. Are you listening today? Are you with me? You see what your flesh does is that your flesh controls your will, and your will controls your flesh. So if you do not get a hold of your will; then you’re going to fulfill the lust of the flesh. But he says again you don’t have to do that. That should not be what you want, he says in verse 17.
But he says in verse 18, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you’re not bound by the legalism of the law. You’re not bound to live a sinful life. You’re not bound by the actions of your choices. You’re not bound by the, by the bondage. You have been set free. The Spirit has loosened you up. Now when you look at verse 16, verse 17, verse 18, let me give you a statement to think about. You’ll not see this today on the screen, but think about the statement. These verses show us a contrast that exists. A contrast that exists. It shows a conflict that occurs. And it also shows a choice that must be made. The contrast that exists: walk by the Spirit, or I am going to have or fulfill the desire of my flesh. The conflict that emerges in the next verse: flesh versus Spirit, real live combat. Hand to hand combat with your flesh. And then he talks about this whole element of a choice that must be made. The choice that must be made: I’m going to live under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
May I remind all of you that the best of your flesh is nothing more Isaiah says than like a bunch of filthy, stinking, cancerous rags. That’s what it is. The best you’ve got. I’m telling you, Isaiah understood something. I’m going to remind everyone chapter 6 is where he saw the Lord. And once you see the Lord, and you see the power of your own flesh, [laughter], you find out all of a sudden your flesh is nothing more than a bunch, like a bunch of filthy rags.
And what God is saying in Galatians is you can have that, or you can follow the Spirit, and he talks about that fruit of the Spirit in life. Now many of us today, we struggle with discovering the will of God. The will of God is many times a complicated challenge. But it’s not near as complicated as what we make it out to be. If you need the will of God for your life, how do you find it? How do you discover it?
You know, you really discover the will of God when you are being led by the Spirit; you’re living in the Word of God, and then what God puts in your heart you can delight yourself in because that in and of itself is the will of God. So therefore, grace gives you freedom, and the Holy Spirit gives you power to make the right choices. You control your will by placing your will under the will of God.
Therefore, how do we control our will? Let’s think about it. Understand your freedom, make the right choice; I’m going to be led by the Spirit. And notice what this final thing is, which is so critical:
3. Remember who you belong to. Remember who you belong to. Boy I tell you what, now, most Christians I know are suffering from spiritual amnesia, all the way to spiritual Alzheimer’s disease. They have forgotten who they belong to.
Verse 24 through verse 26, let’s read together the Word. “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus,” notice what he says, “have crucified the flesh with it’s passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Therefore,” look at verse 24. It’s very important we get it. “Now those who belong to Jesus Christ,” let’s just stop right there. How many of you today belong to Jesus Christ? You know there was a moment, you know there was a day, you know there was a place when you knowingly and willingly placed your faith, your trust only in Jesus for your salvation? You can define that moment. You can talk about that moment. And you know that there was an altering experience in your life. That’s what we call conversion. Now you belong to Jesus Christ.
In other words, Paul was saying now everything’s changed. You’re not under this old understanding, or misunderstanding of freedom. You’re not going to any longer be a part of a system that, that, that hurts one another, and abuses one another, and, and, and it’s nothing more than a disgrace to God, and His love for you, and grace itself. He said no, now that you belong to Jesus Christ, everything is changed. Now what’s changed? Here it is. You’ve got to get this. He said, your flesh has been crucified. Your flesh has been crucified, meaning your flesh is executed. If you could have saved yourself there would have been no need for you to have conversion. In order for you to come to Christ as Savior you do one thing; you understand you cannot save yourself, Jesus is the only Savior. And once you make that decision in your life you realize your flesh died. It died that day. My flesh died October 16, 1971. Now it’s dead, but sometime it doesn’t act like it’s dead because I empower it. I like it. And I want it to live, but God says it’s dead.
You know, I don’t want to bring up any bad memories for anybody, but I’ve done a lot of funerals. I’ve done more than I like to do. I’ve done them all shapes and sizes. This big, this big, and this big. I’ve done them from babies, all the way to old, old people. I’ve done them mid-line, mid-age, young age. They’re all tragic. I hate death. I can’t stand death. Don’t like to be around death. And you know what? When that person’s body is brought into this room, that person’s body lays right there. It doesn’t matter what I say about them, what I don’t say about them, I have yet to have one to raise up in that casket and say, “Now you’re not telling the truth about me.” Nor do they defend what I’m saying about them. You know why? You get it, don’t you? They’re dead. Dead people don’t talk. Dead people don’t have, don’t have life. Dead people don’t have rights. And what he is saying is now you belong to Jesus. You’re dead! Everything’s changed. It’s not about you anymore. It’s not about what you want to do anymore. And he says that you’re dead to your will. Wow.
But notice the good news in verse 25. Yet we live, we live by the Spirit. That word live is the word zao in the Greek language, which means to be alive in the Spirit. And what he is saying here is because you were alive in the Spirit, you will follow the Spirit. Let me give you the literal translation of that. Get this in your mind. Since you are now alive in the Spirit, therefore, you will walk in a straight line. And that straight line is on course toward God. It’s not off course. Well, you know, I’ve got to reevaluate here. I’ve got to check things out. I mean this is about me. No, it’s really not. His scripture says once His life gets in you, His life empowers you to conduct yourself righteously, and rightly before others, and before the Lord.
Now if we don’t act like we’re dead, and if we try to resuscitate the flesh, which we do, guess what happens? Look at verse 26. We become conceited. In other words, we get filled with all kind of vein glory. And we invite others to conflict. We love conflict. We provoke each other. You ever had anybody provoke you? They know which button to push to fire you up in the wrong way. All of this indicates one thing; when you start envying one another, wanting what somebody else has, but all of this indicates one thing, verse 26 indicates one thing, you know what it is? You’ve forgotten who you belong to.
I want to give to you today what is a major problem. A major problem is this: We have forgotten who we belong to. I can’t remember the words of the song. I can remember the melody. But some of ya’ll remember the old song, Now I Belong to Jesus? Jesus belongs to me. And the life that I now live, I’ve got to live it; He’s got to live it through me. You see, it’s all about who we find ourselves belonging to.
How do you control your will? You’ve got to remember who you belong to. How do you make sure you live for God? You’ve got to remember who you belong to. How do you have to make sure that you don’t go in the wrong way when you want to go in the wrong way, and everybody fights with that? We’ve got to remember that we’re dead to ourselves, we’re alive in the Holy Spirit, and we must surrender our will to the will of God.
You know, we can talk until we’re blue in the face about how to have an extreme spiritual makeover, and we need to. It’s very important. But that doesn’t happen from the outside in. Now, hey, if you can help yourself look better on the outside, go for it. You’ve got the time, you’ve got the sacrifice, you’ve got the money; good luck. But listen, real transformation never happens from the outside in, it happens from the inside out. And you know how that happens ultimately? Remembering who you belong to.
You see every one of us are going to be in the squeeze of a cultural war this week. We’re going to be squeezed at the job. We’re going to be squeezed at friendships, relationships, maybe even a family can push you at times in that whole experience, and before you all of a sudden take your ground, and declare your way, that I’m going to take up for myself because no one else here’s going to take up for me, we need to dial in for a moment and remember who we belong to. You belong to Christ. The price is great. The price has been paid. And now my love, my life must represent Him above all. It really isn’t, I hate to say it, it sounds so trite, it’s really not about me. It’s really not about my gig, and it’s not about my will. And you know what? Maybe, maybe I’m the only one who has a will problem in this entire room. We hear about strong-willed children. I love it when parents talk about that. Now I’ve never had one that wasn’t strong-willed. I’ve got four grandchildren, nobody taught them how to say mine. Nobody taught them how to act like sinners. They’re all strong-willed. And they know it by their nature. They know it by their choices. And guess what? Their environment when they represent when they see mom and dad declare their wills. It’s strong-willed.
Nobody’s stronger than us. We’re strong-willed people. And years ago in the American mindset, we thought that was a strength to this country. Ah let me tell you, we might think it’s a strength, but it is now absolutely consuming this nation into major deterioration. It is not about our strength. It is about us being so dependant on God that in our weakness He is strong. And we’ve got to remember who we belong to.
Those two people baptized a while ago, wasn’t that great? Do you know why you get baptized? To remind you who you belong to. I kidded with Jeana yesterday and said well do you want me to wear my wedding band today? She had a pretty good comeback to that. Do you want me to wear mine? Good word. Wedding band, all it does is remind us who we belong to. Every time I come to church, do you know what I’m reminded of? I’m reminded who I belong to. That’s why we need to be in worship. That’s why we need to be a part of a fellowship of believers.
But I’ve got a real powerful last question to ask every one of you today, and with this we’ll be gone. Do you belong to Jesus? Do you belong to Him? Has there been a moment, a time, a place where you know that He came into your life, and you claimed Him, and He claimed you, and everything changed from that day forward? You know if you don’t know anything about that, you can know that today.
In a moment we’re going to sing. When we sing there will be a pastor at the end of each one of these aisles, and they’re here not to look like they work for the FBI; they’re here standing, waiting on you, and if you want to give your life to Christ, and you want to know that you belong to Christ, I pray you’ll come to one of these pastors. You see if we belong to Christ and we die, and Pastor Floyd stands up here and does our funeral, then we can say, “They’re in heaven!” But if you don’t belong to Christ, you’ll perish. The Bible says you’ll spend eternity without God in a place called hell. I pray today you’ll come to Christ.
I know this morning others of you, you’re here, and you know God is leading you to be a part of this fellowship. Every church, every person needs a church they belong to. Some people today say ah, you know that’s not that important in today’s world. I’m just going to go where I want to Sunday by Sunday. It doesn’t work folks. It doesn’t hold you accountable. It doesn’t help you grow ultimately. Zero in on a church. Get in there, and belong to one. Get involved and sell your life out to the gospel. If that’s what your heart is today, and you want to be a part of this Church at Pinnacle Hills, come to one of those pastors. They’ll tell you what that means, and how you can become a part.
And you know what? There are a lot of people in our church, happens every week, they’re still struggling with what God wants them to do in their life. We have young adults, older adults, even teenagers wondering if God is calling them to ministry and missions. You know where you’ve got to start with all that? Who do I belong to? Well I belong to Jesus. Well, you know I’ve thought about this career over. I’ve thought about that one. Good, but what is God calling you to do? If He’s calling you to ministry or missions, then go for it man! You don’t have a right to debate it! You belong to Him. So I pray that you’ll come. Tell one of our pastors today I surrender my life.
And I guarantee you there are a lot of people like Ronnie Floyd today who have to get on their knees like I did this morning and say, “God, you know what? I’ve declared my will some, and Lord I pray that you’ll forgive me. You cleansed me by Your precious blood.” And I grab a hold of that little cross in my office as I kneel on my knees, and I quote to the Lord Galatians 2:20. “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.”
Would you declare yourself dead today, and alive in Christ, and remind yourself you belong to Jesus? If there’s something going on in your life: personal, family, financial, career, job, whatever it may be; it may have nothing to do with this message, but you believe that God wants you to come and just pray about it. Put your heart out here on the alter; you come and talk to God about it today. Or if He has convicted you of something going on in your life that doesn’t need to go on, you come and talk to God about it today.
Would you bow with me now as we pray?
- SKU:
- 2Z223L
- MP3:
- http://www.ronniefloyd.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2Z223L-Controlling-Your-Will.mp3
- Vimeo:
- 12403780