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WEEKLY
Volume 4 Number 14
30 August 2009
A Spirit-Controlled
Heart
(Message delivered by Rev Hien Nguyen at the
Worship Service, 2:00 pm, Aug 30, 09)
Text: Gal 5:16-26
We have learnt about a loving heart, a
joyful heart, a peaceful heart, a long-suffering heart, a gentle and
kind heart, a good heart, a faithful heart, and a meek heart, which is
the fruit of the Holy Spirit in the lives of God’s children who have
been saved, born again and submissive to the Lord and His Word. Today we
are learning about temperance or self-control, which is also the fruit
of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of those who submit to His control.
Temperance or self-control is a vital quality that everyone needs.
Without temperance or self-control, a person cannot control his heart,
his mind, his thinking, his lusts or desires, his temper, his emotion,
his appetite, his tongue, his behaviour, and so forth, which may lead
him to the destruction of his spiritual, moral and physical life. A
person who cannot control his selfish motives and rebellious mind will
live for himself regardless of the Lord and His Word. A person who
cannot control his sinful lusts will end up in pornography, fornication
or adultery. A person who cannot control his temper may hurt, injure or
murder others in his anger. A person who cannot control his emotion may commit suicide in his desperation, depression or hopelessness. A person
who cannot control his appetite may indulge himself in the unhealthy
foods he likes, in alcohol, or in drugs. A person who cannot control his
tongue is usually regretful about what he has said. As “the heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer 17:9),
human beings cannot control themselves to live a godly life pleasing to
the Lord “so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God”
(Rom 8:8). The only way to have temperance or self-control is to submit
ourselves to the control of the Holy Spirit and to the authority of
God’s Word. Then, what are our heart’s desires and how can we have
temperance or self-control?
Godly Desires and Fleshly Desires
Our heart’s desires or lusts will prompt us to do what we strongly desire,
“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust (epithumia),
and enticed. Then when lust (epithumia) hath conceived, it bringeth
forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death”
(James 1:14-15). Then, instead of dealing with the fruit, the effect or
the outcome, even our wicked words or sinful deeds, we ought to deal
with the root, the cause or the source, even our sinful heart’s desires
or lusts. God’s Word says, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and
ye shall not fulfil the lust (desire, epithumía) of the
flesh. For the flesh lusteth (desires, epithuméō) against
the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the
one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would”
(Gal 5:16-17).
The verb lust or desire
in Greek, epithuméo, has 16 occurrences, and the KJV translates
as “desire” eight times, “covet” three times, “lust” three times, “lust
after” once, and “fain” once. Epithuméo means “To have the
affections directed toward something, to lust, desire, long after” (Zodhiates).
The noun of epithuméo is epithumia, which has 38
occurrences and the KJV translates as “lust” 31 times, “concupiscence”
three times, “desire” three times, and “lust after” once.
Epithuméo
and epithumia connote both good and bad senses. In a good sense,
our Lord Jesus said to His disciples, “With
desire (epithumia)
I have desired (epithuméo) to eat this passover with
you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). In a bad sense, “whosoever
looketh on a woman to lust after (epithuméo) her hath
committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matt. 5:28), and
“For all that is in the world, the lust (epithumia) of
the flesh, and the lust (epithumia) of the eyes, and the
pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John
2:16).
The synonym of epithuméo in a
good sense is epipothéō, which means “To desire earnestly,
long for” (Zohdiates). “Do ye think that the scripture saith in
vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth (epipothéō)
to envy?” (James 4:5). “As newborn babes, desire (epipothéō)
the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet.
2:2), and “For God is my record, how greatly I long after (epipothéō)
you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:8). These are godly
desires.
Due to the sinful, corrupt and totally
depraved nature of human beings, it is natural for them to desire
ungodly and worldly things and pleasures just as “the dog is turned
to his own vomit again; and the sow (swine) that was washed to
her wallowing (roll around) in the mire (mud)” (2
Peter 2:22). Naturally, sinful human beings neither desire God nor God’s
Word nor God’s will, nor God’s way. Truly, they “loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that
doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved” (John 3:19-20). Our Lord Jesus confirms, “For
from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,
fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit,
lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness” (Mark
7:21-22). Truly, the works (not the fruit) of the flesh are
“adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness (sexual excess),
idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance (contention), emulations
(envy, anger), wrath, strife, seditions (division),
heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings (feastings and
drunkenness), and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I
have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall
not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal 5:19-21). The only way to
escape the sinful and worldly lusts is to cry unto the Lord with our
humble trust in and full submission to Him and His Word.
A Spirit-Controlled Heart
Thank God for His saving grace that He
has called us, chosen us, saved us and regenerated us to be His
children, and “partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust (epithumia)”
(2 Peter 1:4). As a result, we have a conflict between godly desires
and fleshly desires in our hearts and lives, and we can have the victory
only in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit, “O wretched man that I
am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God
through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 7:24-25) and “For the law of
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin
and death” (Rom 8:4). Praise the Lord! Moreover, we can enjoy a
continuous victory over our sinful nature as long as we constantly trust
in and submit to the Lord and His Word. That is our humble dependence on
and full submission to the Lord and His Word moment by moment like the branch to the Vine. That is a Spirit-controlled heart. There is no other
way.
When the Holy Spirit controls our
hearts, He will also help us to control our tongues. God’s Word confirms
that no one can control his tongue, which “is a fire, a world of
iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole
body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of
hell… But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full
of deadly poison” (James 3:6, 8), and our Lord Jesus says, “out
of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the
good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man
out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things” (Matt
12:34-35). Then, we should not be deceived by those who claim that they
are filled with the Holy Spirit, but they cannot control their tongues.
For example, “speaking in an unknown tongue/language” has ceased,
but even if that gift were still present today and if we were controlled
by the Holy Spirit, we would not speak that unknown language to show off
or to promote ourselves. We could control our tongues and would rather
“speak five words with my understanding than ten thousand words in an
unknown tongue” (1 Cor 14:19), and we would keep silent if there
were not an interpreter for the edification of the hearers, “But if
there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church” (1 Cor
14:28). Nowadays, many charismatic leaders and members just keep
speaking in “tongues” or gibberish uncontrollably for show even when
there are no interpreters! Then how can they be controlled by the Holy
Spirit while they cannot control themselves and their tongues to do
God’s Word? Then how can we know that we and others have a
Spirit-controlled heart?
Die to Fleshly and Worldly Desires:
The Biblical way is to crucify our sinful hearts and desires, and not to
improve them, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh
with the affections and lusts (epithumia)” (Gal 5:24). We are
to put the sinful nature off, “That ye put off concerning the former
conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful
lusts (epithumia)” (Eph 4:22) and to put on our Lord Jesus Christ,
“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the
flesh, to fulfil the lusts (epithumia) thereof” (Rom 13:14) and run
away from its lusts, “Flee also youthful lusts (epithumia): but
follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the
Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim 2:22). Dear friends, have you and I
crucified not only our “self” (Gal 2:20) but also our fleshly lusts (Gal
5:24) and worldly lusts (Tit 2:12)?
Desire the Lord and God’s Word:
It is the Holy Spirit, who is able to fill our hearts with His godly
desires. It is truly a great blessing when you and I desire the Lord
Himself and can say to Him, “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and
there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee” (Ps 73:25), and
“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after
thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I
come and appear before God?” (Ps 42:1-2). It is also a great
blessing when we truly desire God’s Word, “As newborn babes, desire
the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter
2:2). Sadly, nowadays, many let their fleshly and worldly lusts choke
God’s Word, “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of
riches, and the lusts (epithumia) of other things entering in, choke the
word, and it becometh unfruitful” (Mark 4:9), and they do not want
to hear God’s Word, “For the time will come when they will not endure
sound doctrine; but after their own lusts (epithumia) shall they heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their
ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Tim 4:3-4).
Dear friends, do you and I really desire and thirst for the Lord Himself
and His Word? If our hearts are cold and indifferent to the Lord and His
Word, we ought to cry unto the Lord for His revival, “Wilt thou not
revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” (Ps 85:6),
and “My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy
word” (Ps 119:25).
Submit to the Control of the Holy
Spirit and God’s Word:
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and is Truth (John 16:13; 1 John
5:6). If we are controlled by the Spirit of Truth, we must also be
controlled by God’s Truth, which is God’s Word (John 17:17), and “we
can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth” (2 Cor 13:8).
Those who claim that they are controlled by the Holy Spirit while what
they say, preach, teach or do is not according to God’s Word are just
liars! Those who fail to submit themselves to the authority of God’s
Word but dare to criticise, question or cast doubt on God’s Word are
only controlled by their fleshly and worldly lusts.
The Holy Spirit is so gentle and kind
that He will not control us forcefully. He expects you and me to
voluntarily surrender ourselves to Him, submit to Him and do
God’s Word. Once we have done that, the Holy Spirit will have His
freedom to mould us, to refine us, to sanctify us and to transform us
into the image of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Shall not you and I
wisely submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit and to God’s Word to enjoy
His gracious work in our hearts and lives? Let us remember that it is
sin if we fail to keep God’s commands, “Be (Keep on being)
filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18), and “Walk (Keep on
walking) in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the
flesh” (Gal 5:16), and “Let the word of Christ (continuously)
dwell in you richly in all wisdom” (Col 3:16).
Conclusion
Dear friends, a Spirit-controlled
heart is a heart controlled by the Holy Spirit, who is able to help you
and me subdue our fleshly and worldly lusts by His holy presence and by
God’s holy Word. Moreover, the Holy Spirit is able to fill our hearts
with godly desires in order to thirst for the Lord Himself and for God’s
Word. It is a great blessing when we do not watch worldly movies or
listen to worldly music because we are disgusted with them, and not
because we try to avoid them while we still like them. It is a great
blessing when we are disgusted with pornography from the Internet or
magazines or worldly products with a pure heart. May the Holy Spirit
control our hearts, our minds, our emotion, our temper, our appetite,
our tongues, and our behaviour by His Word, His holiness, His love, and
His power, and may He graciously use us to glorify our God and make us a
blessing to others. Amen.
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