It Takes Discipline!

Message this morning is entitled, It Takes Discipline. Last week, it was It Takes Dedication. Week before, it takes effort. Really, this is all part of a series on It Takes Effort. We can do nothing of eternal merit without Jesus Christ.

He said, for without me, you can do what? Nothing. Nothing. He says in his word, however, in Philippians four thirteen, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. The Bible tells us that there is much to be done in this life as God's children for his glory.

We must keep our eyes focused on the race that is set before us. On Jesus Christ, the author and the finisher. Of our faith. And press on in his service. In Ephesians two eight through 10.

It says up here on the screen, for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Let's stop there for just a moment. Several weeks ago, we looked at this part of the verse. We're not saved by works. There's nothing which we have to offer to God that can earn eternal life.

What does it gain if you get what what benefit is it if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul? What has a man that he can give in exchange for his soul? The answer is, we have nothing to give in exchange for our soul. There are no good works that we can perform that will please or impress or earn eternal life in heaven. It is only by God's grace through faith in his son, Jesus Christ.

It is the gift of God to those who will put their faith and trust in him. Not of works, lest any man should boast. But then we continued on couple weeks following with the tenth verse. In Ephesians two, which is often left off of this passage when we quote it and that is this, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto what? Good works.

Good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. God has before determined certain good works that we as his children are expected to put forth effort in following and serving our Lord Jesus Christ. It does take effort. Notice the word work. In the Greek, the word that's translated work, guess what it means?

It means work, okay? Sometimes we go, oh, it means this. No, it means work. It means labor. It means effort.

Okay? It takes work. God expects his children to do good works and glorify our what? Our father which is in heaven. He expects us to produce fruit, not just a little fruit, but he expects us to produce much fruit in our lives that also takes work.

Matthew coming up. There it is. Matthew sixteen twenty four, then Jesus said unto the disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Taking up a cross sounds like something that is difficult. Someday, you can ask Jesus Christ, what it was like to carry a cross through the streets of Jerusalem.

God uses that as a metaphor. For God's will for our life, for the calling to which he has called us, to the mission that he has set before. It is our cross that he has asked us to carry. Not that we're going to earn his favor or earn eternal life by carrying that cross. If you're saved, you're saved for one reason only.

Jesus Christ has saved you, your soul through faith in him by grace through faith alone and not by works but as a child of God who has been saved by his grace, God has a cross. For each of us to carry. Again, that takes work. Last week, we looked at it takes dedication. You must be dedicated, dedicated to the mission that God has given you.

First of all, to the person of Jesus Christ. We need to, he needs, he needs, he desires, he wants, he deserves all of our heart, all of our love, our complete focus in life, all of our allegiance belongs to him and him alone. Therefore, the first commandment is thou shalt have no other what? Gods before me. And God says, the greatest commandment is thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength.

This is the first and the greatest commandment. That we dedicate ourselves, that we dedicate our lives. Paul said, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live by the flesh, live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. What is Paul saying? He's saying this, my life isn't mine.

I am bought with a price. Therefore, it belongs to him. That price was the blood of Jesus Christ and he is the one that should be calling the shots in our lives. Not ourselves, not our sinful indulgences, not sin, not the world, not the devil, but the Lord. We need to be dedicated and then secondly, this morning, we need to be disciplined.

We need to be disciplined in our lifestyle. If we are to produce much fruit in the Christian life. I went with my my dad, my mom, my son, to a orchestra, symphonic orchestra, what do you call it, concert, whatever, in St. Pete last night. My son is the one that was up here, most of you know him, playing trombone this morning, so he's really into orchestral music, and so we went to hear a symphony by a composer named Mahler, who I hadn't heard of till a few weeks ago, but it was it was very good, very good.

We we thoroughly enjoyed it. We thoroughly enjoyed it because of the God given ability that he has given to these people that has been nourished to produce beautiful music. And that all comes from who? God, every good and perfect gift comes from above and God is good in giving gifts even to those who may not even yet know him. Even to those who may reject him.

God is a good and kind and giving God and he has given to man many gifts with which he should glorify the Lord. The the symphony we went to hear was called the resurrection and there was most definitely clear reference to God and to the resurrection. But it is God given ability. Number two, they made beautiful music because they have a conductor and they have music to follow. It helps to have music to follow so everybody knows their part that they're supposed to play.

It also helps to have a conductor to keep a big orchestra together. Else, somebody over here maybe going at a different speed than somebody over there and it just doesn't sound quite as good. As Christians, God has given us his word. This is the music that we play by in the Christian life and he's given us his spirit, a conductor that is inside the heart of every child of God. That directs us all.

If we're listening in the service of our king together. Particularly as a church, as one body, in Christ Jesus to make beautiful music metaphorically for our savior. It takes God given ability. It takes a conductor. It takes music and but it also takes great effort on the part of these musicians.

They didn't just wake up one day and say, hey, I'm going to play the violin. No, it took years and years of dedication and discipline and practice. They just don't show up to the concert and the orchestra to play the piece of music without ever having looked at it. Some of them are such incredible musicians, they can sight read unbelievably. But they still what?

They still practice. They still practice. No matter how great they are, they still practice, so that they can sound better. Following the conductor of music, after practicing long hours, they produced the most incredible music. So, also it may be in the life of the child of God and in his church that when we put forth disciplined effort by God's grace, adhere to the principles of Christian living found in God's word that we too will create beautiful music and produce much fruit as a child of God and as a church.

For Jesus Christ, our savior. Here in first Corinthians chapter nine, if you would, let's look at verses 24 to 27 of first Corinthians nine this morning. Know ye not that they which run-in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize. So run, that ye may obtain, and every man that striveth for mastery is temperate in all things. Now, they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly, so fight I, not as one that beateth the air, but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection. Lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. Let's go to Lord in prayer once more this morning. Lord, we thank you for your word. We pray Lord that you would use it by your spirit in our hearts.

To bring conviction, to challenge us in your service, to reveal to us deficiencies and sin in our life that we would be willing to lay aside every weight and the sin would just so easily beset us. We might run the race with patience that is before us looking unto Jesus, the author, and the finisher of our faith. Lord, I pray that if there's one here today that hasn't entered that race through faith in Jesus Christ, the only Lord and savior that today would be their day of salvation. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

As the musician so the athlete, so the soldier, lives his life in a certain manner every day to achieve the set forth goals that come with being a musician, an athlete, a soldier. So must we if we are to achieve the goals God has set forth in his word as children of God, as Christians, as ambassadors for Jesus Christ. We must also set goals. And live a lifestyle every day to achieve those goals by God's grace that he has given us in his word. As we read a few weeks ago from first Peter one fourteen through 16, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust and your ignorance, the way you live before, the goals you had before, following the the desires of the flesh is before you were saved.

But as he which have called you is holy, so be you holy in all manner of conversation or conduct because it is written, be you holy for I am holy. God says in his word, it is his desire. Yey, it is his command that we who are his children alter our lifestyle from the lifestyle of the world around us. We alter our goals. We alter our thinking.

We're renewed in our mind. To take up the mission that is set before us. The calling of our God to bring glory to his name by living a life that is pleasing unto him. A disciplined lifestyle. A disciplined lifestyle.

Consistent with our calling as servants of Christ. If indeed we do, we will bear what? Much, much fruit. Discipline itself is the natural fruit or outgrowth of dedication. We looked at last week.

If you are really dedicated to the person of Jesus Christ, if you are really dedicated to the mission that he has given us, then it will be natural for us to set goals and be disciplined in our life to reach those. If we are dedicated, we will practice self control. Temperance, in this passage we just read, I think it used that word if I remember right. Let's see. That was in verse 25, and every man that striveth for mastery of a sport in this particular case is temperate in all things.

Temperate means self controlled or self disciplined. By the way, temperance, you'll find in a list in Galatians chapter five. What list would that be? The fruit of the spirit. Temperance is one of those fruits.

Self control, self discipline. When we think about the fruit of the spirit, we think the things that God has called us to and we think about the things that we're not supposed to do in the Christian life, be like the world sin. What? The word temperance just doesn't just pop into our head. But it is an important fruit of the spirit in our lives that often goes overlooked and if it isn't nourished in our lives and it doesn't continue to grow in our lives, It hinders our service for Jesus Christ and we do not produce as much fruit as we should.

We should be a temperate people, a self controlled, a self disciplined people. Yet, we live today in a severely undisciplined and intemperate society. The world expresses this in the motto, if it feels good, do it. Or as I mentioned in Sunday school, let your heart lead you. And we could go on and on and on.

The ends justifies the means. These are all mottos of humanism, secular humanism, not mottos of Christianity or the Bible. The world we live in today in particular our society here in The United States. States is becoming eat up with that philosophy. Oh, we may not worship big idols.

Made of stone. We we worship the idol of self and self indulgent. So, the young people of our day do whatever they feel like doing at the time. They they party, they drink, they sleep around, engage in highly self indulgent and hedonistic lifestyle to the gratification of the flesh. This shouldn't come as a shock.

This shouldn't come as a surprise. The Bible says as I mentioned again in Sunday school, the heart is deceitfully wicked above all things. We're led by our heart. We're not led by the Lord as the world is. This is where it will lead them.

Second Timothy three one through five. You can hold your place in in first Corinthians. Turn if you would to second Timothy chapter three. And one through five. Paul wanted Timothy not to be shocked when he saw these things taking place in the world around him.

Even among those who calls themselves Christians. He says in second Timothy chapter three and verse one, this know also that in the last days, perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their what? Own selves, humanism. Therefore, they'll be covetous and boasters, proud, and blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good.

Is that not so true today? Good is despised and evil is exalted in our pop culture in particularly. Traitors, verse four, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures, more than lovers of God. Sad to say that that's really crept into the Christian circles today too. Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn away.

Paul says to Timothy, don't be caught up in this. It's wrong. It's world. It's of the devil. It's not of the Lord.

You must be different. We must be different. Amen. Sad to say even as God's children seems we're affected so much by the hedonistic world around us. Thus, Paul says, Romans chapter 12 verse two, be not conformed to this world.

Undisciplined lifestyle, this hedonism is a plague upon our populace. We are falling behind in The US to the world in every area of academic achievement, manufacturing, skilled labor, even white collar positions, yeah, positions. When did you last see a doctor who had a thick accent? Nothing wrong with that, but that tells us they came from what? From somewhere else.

Many cases, some other place where people are often more self disciplined to study and to work, but sadly we are today. Why are we failing? We are undisciplined and the same is true of Christians in this country. We have been infected in many ways by this lack of discipline. Thus, we fail to be salt and light, different from the world around us.

As we are called to be because we do not live principled, disciplined lives. Have you heard or done this lately or said this lately? I'm too tired to get up and come to Sunday school today. Not sick, mind you, just too tired. I'm too busy to read and study the scriptures.

I don't have, say it, time. The problem is not time. The problem is dedication and the problem is discipline in our life. That's the problem. The people before us had no more time than we do.

A matter of fact, go back a hundred years, they had a lot less time than we do. You see, when it got dark outside, it also got dark inside. And most people went to bed when it got dark. Unlike some of us, they got up when it got light. But they couldn't stay up for hours if they did after dark, they did it by a what?

A candle. You ever tried to read by a candle? Have you done so lately? It's not easy. Doesn't cast that much light.

Not like our light bulbs today. The problem isn't time. What set them apart from us in many ways was not time. It was discipline. Hard work.

We do it or not do it so often based on how we feel or how it will affect us rather than asking ourselves how our God feels. Whether it affects him or others around us. Whether it is right or whether it is wrong. Whether it is our response, a responsibility that we must keep or not. It doesn't matter so much.

How we feel? It matters what we should do. What our responsibilities are? Particularly to the God who gave his life for us. And yet, so many times, the question we ask is, do I feel like it today?

We are undisciplined people and so in many areas even as Christian life, we are so also unproductive people. I have two points to follow. Just two. They are these. Number one, we must not be distracted by the trappings of life.

We must not be distracted by the trappings of life. Second Timothy two, three, and four. This should be familiar to you. We just read it a few minutes ago. Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

No man that warreth entangled himself himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. We looked at that passage in-depth a little bit last week on reference to dedication. That goes with the last part there, that he may please him who have chosen him to be a soldier, to be dedicated to a person and to a task. The soldier had to sever himself from the normal affairs of civilian life and stay focused on his responsibilities as a soldier or else else he would turn out to be a lousy soldier. Roman soldiers life was service and the day to day things that others did, the Roman soldier did not have time for.

Was it because he had less time in a day? No. Was it because he never felt bad? No. It's because he had committed himself to a task.

And other things had to be set aside. Other things had to come second. Does that correspond to the Christian life? Well, Paul thinks it does as he writes Timothy here. Notice these verses like this, Jesus said, to those who wanted to follow him, he said, if any man will come to me and hate not his father and mother, his wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, and yea, his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Luke fourteen twenty six. All you say, Jesus is encouraging people to hate other people. No, that's not Jesus's point. What his point is this, your love for God and your commitment to God needs to be far and above our commitment to other things. Or else, we will be a lousy disciple.

You know, now, if you think about it, if you're committed to God fully, are you going to be a good wife? Are you going to be a good husband? Are you going to be a good father? Yes, you will. But you must first, we must be committed to Christ.

How many people wouldn't go on the mission field when called by God because it offended a father, a mother, a sister, a friend. God needs to come first. If we are to be a good disciple of Christ. Jesus also said this, he said, foxes have holes. The birds of the air have nest but the son of man hath not where to lay his head.

Luke nine fifty eight. Everybody wants the American what? Dream. Their own house sufficient in size to their needs, wants, and desires. A couple new cars sitting in the driveway.

A 6 figure salary job to go to every day. Perfect kids who never do anything wrong. It's called the American dream. Notice. But it's sad to say that many Christians are caught up in the American dream.

Living for the nest that they're going to build. And rather than living. A disciplined life in service to the Lord. Jesus said, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross. And follow me.

Living to satisfy our wants and desires. When God says, they need to come what? Second, denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily, and following him. We cannot allow the cares of life to consume us as it does others around us. We will amount to nothing for Christ.

That's why Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew six thirty three, but seek you what? First. First, the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. The desires of your heart, God says, if you'll delight in Psalm thirty seven four, delight in me and I will give you the desires of our of your heart but God doesn't promise to give us the desires of our heart in this life, on this Earth. If we're not willing to light ourselves, and our savior and in his calling.

If we put everything else first in our lives and then we struggle and we're miserable and things never seem to go right and which happens to so many Christians. Oh, pass this one wrong and all pastor that one wrong and all pastors and and and I just want to sit him down and say, have you thought it through? As to why? Every little thing we connect with somebody did this and something did that and this happened and that happened. What's the root issue?

Why aren't we happy? Happiness comes from who? From the Lord. Remember last week, Jesus said to his disciples, happy are you if you do these things after he washed their feet. Happy are you if you do them.

If you do them. We cannot allow ourselves to be enamored with what other folks in this world are doing but what seems to make them happy, we think somehow we're missing out on that we need that to make us happy. Proverbs twenty three seventeen, let not thine heart envy sinners but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. We look at the world around us. They look happy.

Well, maybe that's because they're on something. And a few hours later, when they're not out in public, they don't look so happy anymore. Maybe because that circumstances just happen to be great at the moment they won the lottery. Visit them a year later. Most majority of people that win the lottery end up extremely miserable.

The world cannot bring true joy and happiness. Do not envy them. You have what they're missing. Don't envy what they have. First John two fifteen and seventeen says, love not the world, You know the things that are in the world.

If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. For that all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world. And the world passeth away and the lust thereof but he that doeth the will of the father abideth what? Forever. Forever.

You want to have joy, fulfillment, and produce much fruit in Christian life. Love God with all your heart. Amen. And set aside the things of the world. Sometimes, we get to thinking, I really need that thing.

It would be awful nice to go on that cruise or whatever it is you have your mindset on that makes other people happy. It sure does look like a lot of fun. We're sold a bill of goods here in Florida. We have to go to Disney twice a year. We're just not having any fun.

Or we gotta take our kids to visit the zoo once a month. Or they're missing out. What most kids are missing out on is church. What most kids are missing out on is the word of God. What most kids are missing out on is a relationship with Jesus Christ.

They're not missing out on Disney. They're not missing out on the zoo. They're missing out on something a far greater value. Parents who put God first in their life. We must not be distracted by the trappings of the world and of life and number two, we need not be carried away by the desires of the flesh, by the desires of the flesh.

Not quite there yet. We'll hold it right there. Look back if you would at first Corinthians. First Corinthians chapter nine, if you've turned away, turn back because I want you to see this. We must not be distracted by the trappings of life in the world as a soldier would be and we must not be carried away by the desires of the flesh.

This relates more to the athlete. Paul uses here in first Corinthians nine. Verse again, verse 24, know you that they which run-in a race, run all, but one receiveth the prize. So, run that you may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery, that is the mastery of the sport is temperate or self discipline in all things.

Now, they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. Paul says, therefore, I so run not as uncertainly and not as haphazardly, okay? So, fight I not as one that beateth the air just, you know, throwing out things But I keep under or can control my body. I bring it into subjection, lest by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway, should fail the Lord in some way in my ministry. We need not be carried away the desires of the flesh.

The same is true of the athlete. Paul mentions here, he must also be disciplined. Curb his appetite, uses time wisely, his exertion to make him a winning athlete. The Corinthians understood the rigors of athletics. Think about the Olympic games.

Where'd they come from? Athens. That's just a few miles from Corinth by the way and in Paul's day, just a few miles south of Corinth was were games in the area called the Isthmian Games. They were very similar into the Olympic Games that we have today. These people understood what Paul was talking about when he talked about sport as we are quite familiar with today as well.

The athlete has to deny himself certain foods, indulgences in order to stay in the best shape. I would not make a good sprinter, okay? I have never made a good sprinter. I certainly would make one now. Some of you are built a little more like a sprinter than I am.

The athlete needs to shed as much weight as possible and build up his strength as much as possible to run the race as fast as possible to win the crown. And so he watches what he eats. He doesn't drink a lot of soda pop, okay? He doesn't eat at McDonald's all the time. They don't help him to be fit to reach the goal.

That he has. He works out. It takes time. It takes effort. It takes discipline.

He has to deny himself time for other things, hobbies, with friends, and even family to win. Other things have to take second place because every day he's gotta get out there and he's gotta run and he's gotta jump and he's gotta practice and practice and practice. The same as the musician. Same as a soldier. Practice doesn't quite make perfect but it does come close.

He or she has to live on a tight schedule. Keeping a daily routine. So, why shouldn't we? Maybe our goals are a little different. Maybe the things that we need to discipline ourselves to do are a little different.

But we have a goal, we have mission, why do we not live, some of us, a little more on a schedule? Why do we not take time? Why do we not discipline ourselves? I went to a college, Bob Jones University, where there's a lot of rules. I thought there were too many rules when I first went there.

I thought there were too many rules when I graduated from there. But the rules helped me. I needed them. I needed the discipline in my life. All of us do.

I'm appalled at what these little girls and boys that go into gymnastics and skating put themselves through in order to sacrifice for a corruptible crown. They live away from their parents, sometimes from the time they're little. They sacrifice some of them in their studies. They spend hours and hours in practice twenty four seven days a week. They have few friendships except with their fellow athletes.

They miss out on so much of what is a normal childhood to pursue a dream of a gold medal. Which most of them will not attain. When they do, it's not quite as satisfying as they often think. Look what goes into it and they for a corruptible crown which doesn't satisfy the soul, which does not have eternal benefit but ours, however, is our crown is incorruptible. Our home is sure.

Our victory is assured in Christ. We need to run. As Paul says, he runs certainly and in this race, we can all win crowns. He says that our labor is not in vain. First Corinthians fifteen fifty eight.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast and movable, always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know that your labor is what? Not in vain. You might work hard your whole life. These some of these athletes, they they go to practice and they they lift weights and they're the last game of their college career. They're going to go into the pros.

They're going to make a lot of money. They're going to be a star and they blow out their knee and it's all and it's in vain but that is not true of us. Our home is assured. Our victory in Christ is assured. We're going to be there someday.

God says to lay up treasures there up there and not here. Because it's they're going to be awaiting us. It's not in vain. The problem is a lot of times, we just don't labor to put treasures up there. We're all concerned about the nest down here.

Galatians six nine, I think we close with this last week. Let us not be weary in well doing for in due season, we might reap if we faint not. Is that what it says? Oh, we shall reap. You know, there's a difference between those two words, isn't there?

Might and shall. Might means it may happen. Shall means it what? Will happen. But we must deny ourselves also.

As these young people deny themselves many pleasures that others take for granted so that they can be the best in whatever it is they want to be best in. We are commanded to flee youthful lust also. There is no excuse in not avoiding and fleeing them and you do not have to be young to have them. Flee youthful lust. Put off those things which are contrary to the Lord and his will.

Put on Jesus Christ and flee temptation. Don't look where you shouldn't. Don't go where you shouldn't. Don't be with who you shouldn't. Don't buy or accept what you shouldn't.

Don't turn out. Don't turn on what you shouldn't. Don't spend time doing or even thinking about what you shouldn't. Be self disciplined. Be temperate.

Allow that fruit in your life to grow so that that fruit will cause other fruits to grow in our lives. It takes effort. Get rid of the temptation, the cable, the internet, the cash, the plastic, the clothes, the cigarettes, the bottles of alcohol, whatever it may be that is tripping you up in the race. Be a disciplined person. Say no to the TV and yes to your Bible.

Say no to your friends and yes to your savior. Say no to the temper and yes to the mercy and patience that God has given us. Say no to your addiction and yes to your master. Say no to bitterness and yes to forgiveness. Amen.

Keep your eyes focused on the prize that is set before us. And be a more disciplined Christian there is reward it isn't in vain. I can do all things to Christ who strengtheneth me but only as we also chart a disciplined course in life living by principles from God's word. Doing it because we love our savior. Doing it because he says to in his word.

Doing it because he said he will be with us. In our service. And because he said he's awaiting us. At the end. How about a child of God?

Are you willing to admit that maybe you're not as disciplined as you ought to be? Are we willing to confess to him that to knoweth good, to do good, and doeth it not to him and his wife? Sin. Are we willing to chart a new course by God's grace and in accordance with his word? If we are, it will take effort, but it starts with this.

Are you willing? Are you willing? And as we look to revival services in a few months, let's not wait till then. It starts with today. Are we willing to dedicate ourselves to be disciplined in service to our king.

Is your all on the altar? Or will you hold something back? Let's pray. Dear God, we thank you Lord for all that you've done for us. Lord, we can never repay the price that you paid for us on Calvary.

We can bring glory to your name. We can seek first the kingdom of God. We can live more holy lives like unto our savior. We can take up the cross that you have given us. The mission that you have laid out before us.

We can live more disciplined lives. Dedicated to our Lord. Self controlled in our actions and in our lifestyle. Lord, forgive us for we have failed. Forgive us of just drifting at times.

Coasting. And not being focused. On the treasures in heaven. Not being focused on the souls of others who need Jesus. Not being spending time in your word.

Lord, I pray that we would dedicate ourselves today. To do it better by your grace. In Jesus name, amen.