Disciplines | Lawrence | August 2, 2026

Spring Lake Church – Lawrence Campus

Sermon: Disciplines

Teacher: Jack Guerra

Passages: Proverbs, Luke 14, 1 Corinthians 9, Galatians 5, and 2 Timothy

In “Disciplines,” we explore how biblical discipline and faithful stewardship shape every area of life. Through passages including Proverbs, Luke 14, 1 Corinthians 9, Galatians 5, and 2 Timothy, this message challenges us to cultivate self-control, accountability, and perseverance as we steward our time, talents, resources, and faith. Discover how the HABIT model and the seven pillars of stewardship can help you grow into a life that honors God and bears lasting fruit. Join us as we pursue spiritual maturity together.

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

Well, good morning. My name is Jack Gawera. I'm one of the pastors, teaching pastors here on staff. And before we get in the message today, I would like for us to join in prayer with a lot of churches in our area. I know are doing the same thing and praying for Manasha and the families and the families of those who were hit by the tornado this past week. Would you pray with me, please? Father, we do consider it a joy and an honor to gather together and worship in your name. We have our eyes set on you. We pray our hearts are hoping to hear from the message today. But God, we also stop for a moment and remember those just south of us who were hit by this tornado. God, it was devastating. It caught so many people off guard. It was tragic, and yet you knew from the beginning, Lord, what would happen in this moment. We thank you, God, for those who are already on site, helping to clean up, helping to restore and repair. But God, in this moment also we pray for those who emotionally, physically were hit by the tornado. And God, we pray healing. I pray restoration and Jesus peace. We pray, Lord, that somehow in this there will be a life change for your purposes, for your glory and honor. We thank you, Lord, for your protection on those who went through it. And Lord, I pray that as the church, we'll rise to the occasion and be of service to those who need it. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Now we do have people who are on the grounds there now. If you're interested in helping, stay tuned. Uh Arlen, and we have a team of people as well who are getting ready to go. And they've actually asked people to stay back right now until they uh clear the roads and get things a little safer for teams to come in. So we're in the series right now, as you've seen, called Uncomfortable. And we're a little more than halfway through what's going to be this summer series. And for me, it's been fun for two reasons. Number one is some of the topics have made people uncomfortable. You have a fun one coming here next week as you're gonna talk about hell. That's one you just want to settle in with a cup of coffee on. I'm telling you, it's Ryan does a great job of just bringing what's the myth of hell versus the scriptural truth of hell. So that'll be next week's message. But as we've gone through it and talked about different aspects of life and the reality of what we face, some of the uncomfortable has led people to look at things in a different way. And for others, it's challenged them. It's kind of torn the scab off of hurt places in life and brought healing. For others, and this is the fun part, is well, I thought it would be more uncomfortable because I thought you would say it in a way that I like. You took on a tough topic, but you didn't say what I wanted you to say. Therefore, you made me uncomfortable. Sometimes we've got to get out of our own echo chambers and listen and hear things from a new perspective in a new way. So that's been part of the fun of the series. And today I want to look at personal disciplines. And I want to open with two questions. The first question is what owned you? What is it that you obsessively think about it? What is it that when you're done in one moment, you're already thinking about the next? You're in a conversation with someone, you're at work, you may be already at home, you may be getting ready for bed, and you're already thinking about this. What is it that owns space rent-free in your mind? You live in a constant lock of thought. And the the another way to figure that out is what could you not give up for 21 days? They say it takes 21 days to make a habit. What is it that you could not fast for 21 days? It could be a certain type of food, it could be a spending habit, it could be entertainment, it could be social media, it could be drinking, it could be a for me. I've said this before, I'm honest about this, it could be sports. What is it that has you so wrapped up that if you thought about giving it up for 21 days, you'd be like, nope, not happening. We're called to be masters over it, not it over us. Whatever it is, it can be a vice, addiction, it could be as Paul talks about, a sin that easily entangles us. It may be something that in and of itself is not a sin, but we can make it an idol. It can become an obsession, and we are a culture that feeds on obsession, and our culture feeds our obsession. It's called algorithms. Let me look at your YouTube page and I can usually tell what you obsess over. I can see what your go-to is. We have companies now that don't get paid until you are hooked. You are no longer looking for a product, you are the product. And in that, it just makes it harder to let go of. The Bible tells us very clearly to take every thought captive, including these areas. Can we discipline ourselves with our money, with our eating, with our habits, with our schedule, with our times with God, with our phone or social media use or screen time? And there are people out there now selling shortcuts and selling, you know, basically uh magic things that will make it all go away or make it all better. And some of you are listening and you're already putting me in an infomercial box. But that's not what this is going to be. There are plenty of those out there. You can make millions of dollars if you buy my plan for $99.95. You too can hear the voice of God if you'll put on my magic headphones from Ronco. Anybody remember Ronco? Yeah, okay. You youngsters, look it up. You can have an amazing body if you'll just sprinkle this fairy dust on your food before you eat and use my magic chopsticks. We are looking for the shortcuts because we don't want the disciplines. I'm gonna rabbit trail a couple of times. Here's one of them. Do you know that the same diet that will lower your blood pressure is the same diet that lowers the risk of heart attacks? It's the same diet that gets that that lowers the risk of certain types of cancers, it's the same diet that lowers your cholesterol. And it is not processed foods all summer. I had someone say to me recently, Hut dogs are the particle board of the food world. Let that sink in. Many of us are looking for short tops to get uh shortcuts to get to the mountaintops, but it's not about having a bigger bank account or the best physique or showing off your talent. It's not about feeling superior over someone else. I can do this and you can't. It is about being the best steward of everything God has given us for his purposes and his kingdom. My health, for his glory. My finances, for his glory, my habits, my outlets, for his glory. That's the purpose of why we're talking about it today. Things like what the Bible says honor God with your body, not perfection, but healthy and not limited in our health or our motion. It's in being able to give to the Lord, or as the Bible says, our first fruits of our finances, or give towards something that stirs your heart. Instead of being so locked down, you can't do anything. It's about renewing your mind daily, the Bible says, by the washing of the water of the word, do we have the disciplines to set the time apart? It's about not being addicted to food or weed or porn or alcohol or anything that puts us under an influence. Here's another side note. Have you ever heard one person say, Man, I'm a much better husband since I started drinking? I am a much better dad when I'm drinking. I'm so much more effective at work when I'm drinking. Do we put it in its proper lane and understand there are things to be enjoyed and then there are things that can become a habit to us? Some of you right now are saying, stick to preaching and stop meddling. But I'm just telling you what scripture says in the Bible, self-discipline is often referred to as self-control. It's a core virtue essential for spiritual maturity, avoiding sin and resisting temptation. Rather than relying on human willpower, it's viewed as a fruit of the spirit. It's empowered by God's grace. In the Bible, discipline primarily means training, instruction, loving correction rather than just waiting for punishment. The root of the meaning, uh, root of the meaning emphasizes learning and spiritual growth. Now, there's seven areas that scripture doesn't ask us, but it says, here's areas where we're supposed to have self-control. I'm gonna put seven on the screen, and here's what I'm gonna tell you. Some of you are gonna see it and go overwhelmed. What I would challenge you to is as you see this list, one or two right now that you could say, I know this is a trap for me. I know this is my hurdle, my stumbling block. Pick one or two, and as we talk through some of the practices today, I'm not gonna get knee deep in the how-tos, but we're gonna look at a bigger picture of it in just a moment. But let's go to the seven. Here's where they are. The first one is our time, honoring God, honoring the hours God has given us, managing schedules with purpose and balance. I don't care how rich you are or how poor you are in the room, you get 24 hours a day. Second, our temple, caring for our physical bodies, treating them as sacred vessels for wellness and energy. Third, our talents, discovering, developing, and sharing our unique abilities to help others and enrich the community. Fourthly, our treasure, managing and sharing financial resources, income, and possessions generally. Quick note Do you know the Bible talks more about your money than it does about hell, or it does about sex or sexuality? Money is a uh a trait of stewardship in scripture. It also shows uh character and integrity. Next, number five, trust, building unwavering faith and reliance on God's provision for our needs. Six, theology, our understanding and applying biblical principles and stewardship. Are we growing in our understanding of scripture? And then number seven, our testimony, sharing our personal stewardship journey, and inspiring others through our actions and experience. Jeff talked about that a little bit last week. So we have these seven areas, and the Apostle Paul, when he talks about these areas in 1 Corinthians 9, says, we honor God by using this picture of an athlete undergoing strict training to win a prize by encouraging believers to actively discipline their bodies and their minds. Once again, this list, it's online, it's in the app. You'll we'll also have it available this week. Don't try and take it all on at once. You'll overwhelm yourself. There are many I'm sure you're doing well with, but find the one or two where you say, Lord, this is a stumbling block I need to deal with. Some of you may be asking, well, can't I just love Jesus and do what I want? Like, isn't that enough? But scripture gives us a deeper dive, a bigger picture of what a life of discipline is supposed to look like. Now, there's 20 passages on the app, on the UVirgin Bible app, that focus on disciplines. I'm gonna use about 12 of them right now on the screen. We're gonna read together. First one, Proverbs chapter 10, beginning at verse 17. Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray. Proverbs 25, verse 18. It says, like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. Proverbs chapter 13, verse 11. Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. Proverbs chapter 6, verses 6 through 8. It says, Go to the ant, you sluggard, consider its ways and be wise. It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provision in summer and gathers its food at harvest. Proverbs chapter 21 and verse 5. The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. Proverbs 16 and verse 32. It says, Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. Proverbs chapter 12, we all need to read this one together. Proverbs chapter 12 and verse 1. Will you read it with me? Ready? Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge. But whoever hates corruption is stupid. Doesn't that sound like you were just corrected by a four-year-old? Anyway, Luke 14, verse 28. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? Galatians chapter 5, verses 22 and 23. It says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and out of control. Is that what it says? What's it say? Self-control. It's the fruit of the spirit. Against such things, there are no laws. 2 Timothy 1 7. For the Spirit gave us, uh for the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline. Two more. 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17. All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Last one's Titus chapter 2, verse 11 and 12. For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age. You can't deny, you can't miss the calling and responsibility of stewardship in Scripture. So today, what I want to do is I mentioned, I want to stay at about 10,000 feet and give some thoughts on personal disciplines and all of these areas, and so much of what we see in the disciplines when we get into scripture has to do also with this idea and even the struggle of accountability. If we could do it purely on our own, we already would have. And I'll tell you now, I have people in my life that I am accountable to in most of those seven areas you saw on the screen. It moves things from a passive belief into action, leads to responsible management. By definition, a steward is not something that you own. It's not something we own. It's something we are responsible for, though. We're administrators acting on behalf of another. Let me give you four truths we see about accountability and personal stewardship. The first one is what I just mentioned. It's the principle of non-ownership. It's the principle of non-ownership. You are not your own, 1 Corinthians chapter 6 tells us. You are not your own. You were bought with a price. So honor God with your bodies. We're told over and over in Scripture that our finances are a blessing from the Lord. Is that reflected in how we use them? Our relationships. Do we use them as in stewarding and how in what God has blessed us with? Accountability requires acknowledging that you do not truly own your time, your body, or your money. Because they are external gifts. We cannot simply use them however we want. We are managing them under a set of rules established by the rightful owner. It's not ours, it's his. Secondly, accountability helps in remembering our responsibility. Accountability helps in remembering our responsibility. While responsibility defines what you're supposed to take care of, accountability is the system that checks how well you're doing. Matthew chapter 25 tells us the account of a landowner, a businessman who's about to go on a journey. So he takes some of his goods and he spreads it out. The Bible calls them talents, and he spreads it out across some of his workers. And some he gives a little more, some he gives a little less. But then he comes back home. And the first thing he does is he calls those workers in and he goes, Hey, what'd you do with what I gave you? First one comes in and says, Look how I multiplied it. Good job. You get more. Second one, same storyline. Good job. You get more. The last one says, Look, I know you're a hard man. I know you worked hard for what you have, and I know you have high expectations. So I took what you gave me and I buried it in the ground. And I did nothing with what you gave me. And he says, what you have will be taken from you. It's a concept of use it or lose it. Are we good stewards of what God has given us and are we accountable for what God has given us? Accountability dictates that we will eventually be called to give an audit or report on how those resources are handled. And I want to pause right here for a second because we also have to understand seasons of life. Not all of us are in the same season of life. I watched some of you walk in this morning with a baby on one arm, a baby's hand on the other, and dragging one on your foot as you were going to check them into the kids' area. Your season of life looks very different than some of the empty nesters we have sitting in the room, and every empty nester is going, thank you, Jesus. Some of you were able to enjoy a cup of coffee in the quiet sunrise this morning. Others of you were wrestling and trying to get hair things and little kids' hair. You're in a different season of life, but how can you steward what you have right now? Seasons change. I hear a country music song in there somewhere. Seasons change. And yours will too, but can we be good stewards with what we have right now? Here's number three Accountability also brings in a transparent evaluation. Here's how I like to say it accountability requires measurable honesty. Nobody can lie to you like you. And you can tell yourself you're doing great or I'll figure it out later, but in practical terms, there's a measurable honesty when you have to be honest with someone else. This looks like tracking your finances transparently, knowing where your money went instead of wondering where your money went. Did you tell it where to go or did you wonder where it went? We have a team, and I'm letting you know this, you'll hear more about this in the weeks to come as well, but we have a team at Spring Lake of financial investors, bankers, people who do accounting for a living, who will sit down with anyone, any family one-on-one and walk through your finances with you. They've been doing it for a while now. We've helped dozens of families either get out of debt or get on a budget that they can live on. It is available. There is no need to struggle. Let me take that back. You may need to struggle until you get on track. There's a guy who likes to say you have to live like no one else, so you can live like no one else. But there's no need to live in that struggle. Audit how you're spending your time. Do you know on your phone you can look and see how much time you're spending on it and what type of apps? I did it. I didn't like what I saw. I had to change the pattern. Do you know you can set your phone up so you can hit your button on the side three times? It'll turn your screen black and white. They have proven that the color on your screen on your phone is addictive. And that's not an accident. You are the product. These are things we can do in a practical way. Admitting when you're neglecting your body or your physical health. I've always been a little bit of a, you know, kind of a gym guy. I enjoy eating well, but I hit a window where a lot was going on, whether it was this campus, some stuff going on at staff, some stuff going on at home. And all of a sudden, I found myself skipping the things I know that keep me in the right spot. Practices in the morning, practices with my exercise routine, practices in sleep and eating. Dang, cheese curds are good. And I didn't do anything about it, and all of a sudden, I started having something happen I've never happened in my life. This thing called blood pressure. And I finally hit the point when it read 180 over 120 to say, I need to do something about this. And I went back to the routines that I know bring health and life to me. And it's back where it should be. It's not an accident. We can do something about this stuff. It means operating under the realization that your choices are constantly being weighed against your actual potential. Once again, it's not about being the best. It's about being ready and available and able to use what we have for his glory and honor. This goes from talking about it to doing it, from complacency to course correction. Somebody gave me this statement years ago, and it's so true. Complacency resents discipline. Complacency resents discipline. You will fight to skip the disciplines of the things you don't want to do. You will work harder to come up with excuses, and I speak from experience, rather than put the disciplines in place to do what we're supposed to do. You want to see someone get really mad? Hold them accountable to their words. Well, yeah, I probably should do that. Oh, I'm gonna start doing that tomorrow. Yeah, eventually I'm going to, oh, that's that's totally on my radar. Ask them how they're doing with it. Complacency resents discipline. We will do what we can to get out of our disciplines. But what did we see from Scripture? We're called to these disciplines. Let's go on to number four. Number four, accountability leads to the path, it leads to the path. Let me start over. Accountability leads to the path to reward or correction. It'll either lead to a path of reward or correction. Accountability ensures that actions have consequences. Faithful management leads to greater trust, increased opportunities, and personal growth. Conversely, zero accountability breeds recklessness, leading to wasted talent and diminished resources. Discipline yourself, or you may suffer the consequences of destructive health, finances, relationships, career, feeling spiritually empty and dry, and can even lead to being disciplined by others, and also we've seen in Scripture by God. By show of hands, how many of you right now, even as we're talking about this, go? I got one or two or a couple on that list that are me. All right. I'm in the right room, talking to the right people. We are taught comfort, but God has called us to a life of blessing. We saw that through so many of those scriptures, of blessing through disciplines. Evaluate how you're doing. As I mentioned earlier, it's easier than ever to do. Now there are so many readables out there, so many measurables. I want to close with a simple model. I did not come up with this. You can find this on the internet. I like it though because it kind of puts a structure in place, and it's just simply called the habit model. Okay. First of all, remember this is hard work. Physical and mental effort is required to start. Secondly, accountability. Either someone you're walking with through the same path, the same challenge, or someone from the outside. This is what I prefer to do. Someone from the outside who's further along than you are. If I'm struggling with something and you're struggling with something, we may not help each other very much. But if I see someone or I know someone who can help me out a little bit down the road, that's who I want to learn from. Accountability. Thirdly, belief. Having confidence in the process and the end goal that it matters. Once again, throughout the passage we saw, where there is a lack of discipline, discipline happens at your expense. Where there is discipline in place where we will steward well, there's a blessing involved with it. I, intention, being deliberate with your time and choices. Being deliberate with your time and choices. Once again, some of you moms and dads out there in different seasons of life, this is big because you don't have spare time to play with. Your morning starts with the first cry and ends when you collapse on the bed, exhausted at night. Be intentional with the windows. And the last one is tenacity, the persistence to keep going when motivation fades. Statistically, they say it's 21 days. I try and push for 30, but 21 days to create a habit. To figure out what owns you versus what do you own? What lords over you versus what are you the master of? Some of you have something in mind. I'd encourage you, get out your phone. Yes, I'm telling you to, and jot a note down. This needs to change. Lord, I surrender this to you. Not so I can look better or have more, but God, for your glory and honor. And take the steps. We're gonna close in prayer, but take the steps to move toward stewardship and discipline. Would you bow your hands with me, please? Several in the room, once again, it's a challenge, it's a disciplining ourselves. Paul says he had to, in spiritual terms, he had to die to himself daily to take up his cross and follow Christ. Daily, daily, it's a struggle. It is truly uncomfortable. I want to pray for each of us to have the disciplines we need to be in the place body, soul, and spirit. To bring these things under the Lordship of Christ in our service and not us serving it for his glory. Father, we thank you. For this morning, we thank you for the message. God, I thank you that we're not left down here by accident, just kind of bumping into things as it happens. But Lord, you've given us the ability, as Scripture says, of power, love, and a sound mind or self-control. Lord, I pray for each of us as we look at the struggles and challenges we may face, as we fight our own flesh, our own bodies, our own direction that our minds want to go, where our spirit wants to go. God, as we fight laziness and being incredibly comfortable, Lord, stir us. Stir us toward good works, stir us towards pressing into you, stir us in the things. Lord God, that it may have become idols to us, or have us tangled up in things that keep us from truly being good stewards and glorifying you with everything. I thank you, Jesus, that you love us right where we are. I thank you, Jesus, that your Holy Spirit is with us right where we are. And we pray that we listen to your voice to continue to move forward in being disciples for you. In Christ's name we pray.

unknown 29:20

Amen.