The Nine · Galatians 5:23 · Week 9
In the final week of The Nine: What Everyone Wants, Pastor Mark English of Christian Life Church in Bensalem, PA, teaches on the last fruit of the Spirit: self-control. Using Romans 12, Joseph’s integrity, and Paul’s picture of an athlete in training, he shows that true freedom isn’t doing whatever you want. It’s having the power to do what you should.
Key Highlights
What to Remember
Freedom isn’t doing whatever you want. It’s having the power to do what you should.
Every yes to God’s greater purpose requires a thousand smaller nos.
Willpower will never beat the flesh. Only the Spirit can.
Whatever you can’t say no to will become your master.
Galatians 5:16, 22–25
The Last Fruit
For nine weeks we’ve looked at the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and now the last one, self-control. Paul sets up the whole list with a promise:
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Galatians 5:16
Every one of us knows the struggle. Even the apostle Paul admitted it:
“For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
Romans 7:15
Pastor Mark shared a lighthearted story about a plate of brisket to make the point: we all know what we should do, and we often do something else anyway. Self-control touches every part of life: our appetites, our words, our money, our screens, and our relationships.
What Self-Control Really Means
Who Is Your Master?
The word Paul uses means mastery over one’s desires: power over our passions and impulses. At its core, self-control is a question of lordship. Something is going to rule your life. The question is whether it will be Jesus or your appetites.
Freedom isn’t doing whatever you want.
Freedom is having the power to do what you should.
Not every feeling comes from God. Our culture says, “Follow your heart,” but feelings make terrible masters. And willpower alone will never beat the flesh. If we could white-knuckle our way to holiness, we wouldn’t need the Holy Spirit.
Think of an elite athlete. To win, they say no to late nights, junk food, and skipped workouts, over and over again. Self-control works the same way for a follower of Jesus.
Every yes to God’s greater purpose requires a thousand smaller nos.
Point 1 · Romans 12:1–2
Self-Control Begins with Surrender
After eleven chapters describing everything God has done for us, Paul writes one important word: “therefore.” Because of God’s mercy, here is how we respond:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
Romans 12:1
Notice that Paul says bodies. Surrender isn’t only spiritual. It includes what we eat, what we watch, where we go, and what we do with our hands. Then verse 2 tells us not to be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds.
The problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps wanting to crawl off the altar. Surrender isn’t a one-time moment. It’s a daily choice to put ourselves back in God’s hands.
Point 2 · Proverbs 25:28
It Wins the Battle No One Sees
“Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.”
Proverbs 25:28
In the ancient world, walls protected a city. Without them, anything could walk right in. A life without self-control is wide open to every temptation and attack.
Joseph was a young man far from home, alone in Potiphar’s house, and no one would have known. When Potiphar’s wife tempted him day after day, he answered:
“How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”
Genesis 39:9
Joseph’s greatest victory happened in private. The battles that shape us most are usually the ones no one else sees: the thought we refuse to entertain, the click we don’t make, the word we don’t say.
Point 3 · Hebrews 12:11
It Chooses the Future over the Moment
We live in a culture of instant gratification. Record personal debt, hours a day spent on screens, and the huge industries built around pornography and gambling all show the same thing: we want it now. Pastor Mark shared a sobering warning he once heard at a men’s conference: what feels good in the moment can cost far more than it’s worth.
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Hebrews 12:11
As a young student at Southeastern University, Pastor Mark was tempted more than once to quit and go home. Staying wasn’t easy, but he chose the future God had for him over the comfort of the moment.
Today’s discipline is tomorrow’s harvest.
He also offered some practical advice to young people about dating: look for faith first, then family, and let appearance come last. The choices you make now set the direction of your life.
Point 4 · Galatians 5:25
It Grows Through the Spirit
Self-control is not self-made. It is fruit, and fruit grows from connection. We don’t produce it by trying harder. The Holy Spirit produces it in us as we stay close to Him.
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:25
“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”
Romans 8:5
- Set your mind on what the Spirit desires.
- Feed your spirit through God’s Word and prayer.
- Starve the flesh by saying no to what pulls you away.
Whatever you feed grows. Whatever you starve weakens.
Point 5 · 1 Corinthians 9:27
It Leads to True Freedom
Paul compared the Christian life to an athlete competing for a prize:
“No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
1 Corinthians 9:27
Whatever you can’t say no to will become your master.
Self-control isn’t a cage. It’s the key to freedom.
If you’ve failed in this area, don’t give up. God’s mercy is bigger than your last mistake.
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22–23
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Galatians 6:9
Questions About This Message
Self-Control Explained
What is self-control as a fruit of the Spirit?
Self-control is the ninth fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22–23. It means mastery over one’s desires: power over passions and impulses. It isn’t produced by willpower but grows as believers walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16).
What does it mean to be a living sacrifice in Romans 12:1?
In view of God’s mercy, Paul urges believers to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice. Surrender includes our physical lives: what we eat, watch, and do. Because a living sacrifice tends to crawl off the altar, surrender is a daily choice.
What does Proverbs 25:28 say about self-control?
“Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.” Walls protected ancient cities; without self-control, a life is open to every temptation. Joseph showed this strength when he refused Potiphar’s wife in private (Genesis 39:9).
Why isn’t willpower enough to overcome the flesh?
Paul admits in Romans 7:15 that he did what he didn’t want to do. Willpower alone never beats the flesh. Self-control grows when we keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25) and set our minds on what the Spirit desires (Romans 8:5).
How does self-control lead to freedom?
Freedom isn’t doing whatever you want; it’s having the power to do what you should. Whatever you can’t say no to will become your master. Like an athlete in training (1 Corinthians 9:27), every yes to God’s purpose requires many smaller nos.
Surrender daily.
Win in private.
Choose the future.
Walk by the Spirit.
Life Group Discussion
Reflect and Respond
Use these questions to continue the conversation, reflect honestly, and let the message move beyond information into transformation.
Whatever you can’t say no to
will become your master.
