Scott Wiley here, the Executive Director of Wisdom International. We're celebrating our 25th anniversary this year. What began as a radio programme in a single city has grown into a global ministry now in sixteen languages. We're hosting a banquet to celebrate all that the Lord has done and you're invited. Please visit wisdomonline.org slash twenty-five.
That's wisdomonline.org slash twenty-five. There's a link in the show notes. And now here's Stephen with today's message from Wisdom for the Heart.
Now we use that expression today. It's common. That apron man over there needs to get a grip. Peter's effectively saying, get a grip on your actions, your reactions, your emotions. Your attitudes, and of course we see the opposite of holding oneself in all the time, don't we?
You might call it Road Rage. Angry words and a grocery store line. Could be ranting on social media or on the Senate floor. For the believer, Peter is actually telling us, get a grip on your life. In his sermon on the fruit of the Spirit.
Brian Wilkerson reminded me of a social program that had taken the country by storm back in the 1980s. A drug abuse. Was becoming epidemic, teen pregnancy rising, AIDS in the news every day. gangs uh turning neighborhoods into war zones. And somebody came up with a simple solution.
uh to combating these uh bad behaviors With the catchphrase, just say no. You're old enough, you may remember that. The idea caught on. First Lady Nancy Reagan championed it. with the use of mass media, the just say no campaign, sort of blanketed America, school curriculum, media advertisements, celebrity endorsements and all that.
Partner program called DARE. Drug abuse resistance. Education. joined hands. trying to educate young people against these destructive behaviors to just Say no.
So, young people were encouraged: you know, when you're at a party and somebody hands you a pill or a drink, just say no. When you're alone with your boyfriend or girlfriend and you're pressured, just say no. When somebody wants to. fight you, they taunt you. Just Say no to striking back.
Twenty years. Later, these programs were well funded. They had received numerous Awards, they were in every public school system. in every state of the country, in 50 nations around the world. There was only one problem.
It didn't work. Over the years, in fact, studies were able to reveal that educating young people not only failed. to reduce their activity, it provoked curiosity. and experimentation.
So in 2001 The U.S. Surgeon General officially placed it in the category of quote. ineffective Prevention Programs. The reason? It didn't go deep enough.
Saying no was verbal, but it never became Internal. One report said that it just didn't give young people that internal quality known. as self-control. Self-control happens to be one of the supplements. The Apostle Peter is urging us to pursue in our lives.
It's part of our equipment. In doing battle, It isn't just an external statement of saying no, it's an internal development. By means of the Spirit of God. And it happens to be one of the seven supplements that Peter informs us will guard us, strengthen us against ruining. Literally leading lives, he could write it this way, we could translate it, of misery.
Ruining So let's go back to 2 Peter. We're in chapter 1. And let's continue unpacking this list of supplements. Let's get a running start and a quick review back in verse 4. Five.
Peter writes And for this very reason, make every effort. To supplement your faith with virtue. and virtue With knowledge. And that's where we left off last Lord's Day. If you're new to our study, faith is not a supplement.
You might notice carefully, it's something you already have. This is what we call saving faith. The following seven supplements are what you're to add. your faith. Literally bring them alongside Your saving faith.
You can think of it this way: saving faith is the foundation. of your Christianity. These seven supplements are the demonstration. of your Christianity. And the first supplement we noted was Virtue.
Virtue is God's definition. of what's right. And wrong.
So virtue is this Passionate pursuit of the nature of God. Really, it's a reflection of his own character, which means then we are pursuing excellence. in every aspect of life.
Next in the list is knowledge. This word refers to practical knowledge. This is not related to how intelligent you are. This is related to how insightful. You are.
This kind of knowledge demonstrates then practical wisdom in making the right decision at the right time. For the right reason. with the right attitude. No wonder Peter writes here, give all diligence to adding. These In other words, give it everything you've...
God. These writing Christians. Give it everything you got. Pursue these with passion. They're going to strengthen you so you won't ruin your life.
Lead a life of misery.
Now, with that, Peter adds the third supplement for our study today. Again, he writes in verse 5: Supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with knowledge. Self- Control. Self-control. Just a reading of that supplement.
Took me back. To my early years in elementary school, this was the biggest challenge I faced. Maybe you're just like me.
Well, in elementary school, our report card. was divided into two sections. I have my second grade. report card up here with me. My mother kept them all.
She used them as a leverage. On the left side of the report card were the courses. I got an A. in reading. I got a Well never mind when I got an arithmetic.
That yeah, I don't have time to read all my grades here, but On the right side, was what they called, it's headed, character development, and underneath are all these issues, ten different issues. like cooperates in classroom, respects authority. obeys promptly. follows directions, and you could get graded here. Um On these issues with three letters.
You had three possible letters. O meant outstanding. S meant satisfactory. And in Mant. Needs improvement.
My parents thought that meant needs a spanking. And how messed up was that? Report after report. on that little maintains self-control. I'd get an in.
And that mattered more than everything on the left side. All of my grades didn't matter anything compared to that one. Yeah. I just couldn't sit still. and stop talking.
Now I get paid to talk. I mean, how great is that? Ha ha ha ha ha. Yeah. That'll show up.
That'll show up. That report card just kind of washed over me as a good reminder of the Christian life. Character. Always Matters. Most.
And don't act. like you're in second grade.
So Peter wraps up these supplements with the guarantee that if you pursue them, You'll not live in immature. Undeveloped. Uncontrolled. Life. In fact, he writes that inspired, amazing guarantee down in verse 8.
He says, Look, if these qualities, supplements, are yours and are increasing. They keep you from being ineffective. or unfruitful. Another way of saying you won't waste your life. You're going to grow up.
You're going to get out of second grade. If you pursue. These supplements.
Now keep in mind the list is not demanding perfection. Nobody gets an O in everything. This is defining really progression. direction.
So what does Peter mean here when he uses this word self-control.
Well, the basic definition of the word means to have Dominion. Over yourself. to keep oneself composed. A rather wooden translation of this compound word could be to hold oneself. End.
to hold oneself in. The word for self-control here is rare. I was surprised at that. It shows up. In a surprising way to me, in Acts 24, so I want to reference that.
The Apostle Paul is incarcerated. He's going to be executed. He's making appearances in court, and one of the early ones he makes is to a governor named Felix. And his wife Drusilla happens to be along. She's curious about this Paul and she wants to see him.
Paul is not only going to defend himself, But I love the fact that he's going to see this as an opportunity to witness to Felix and John. Trissella. The narrative tells us that Paul talks to them about three issues. Righteousness. That is how to be right with God.
The judgment to come That is, one day you're going to stand before God. And this word. Self-control. He challenges them on self-control. The Felix was infamous for his cruelty.
His temper, his rage, his violence, He was known to be controlled by greed. He was Out of control. Drisilla was infamous. for her adultery with Felix. And then leaving her husband and marrying.
Felix. Even though they are the power couple, I mean, one of the power couples that would have been in the news, people would be watching them. interested in them. Peter or Paul here doesn't avoid what I. I think of it as the elephant in the room.
He uses this opportunity to tell Felix and Drusilla that they need to get a grip. on their lives.
Now obviously the way they will is related to the gospel. Their out-of-control lives must be controlled by Christ The Messiah. In fact, it's no surprise that Paul will use this. Word to describe an ungodly culture. They're marked by the absence of.
Self. Control. Nobody's holding themselves in. Everybody's acting like they're in second grade. They're saying whatever they want to say, they're acting.
whatever way they want to act. They're telling off anybody they want to tell off.
So here's our opportunity, beloved. Here's our opportunity as we pursue self-control. This becomes a distinguishing mark of those. controlled by Christ. But that's unique.
Add this. to your lives. Which by the way is another way of saying you don't get an automatic dose. of self-control at the counter. of salvation.
This isn't something you get a dose of. This is something that is Develop. This supplement, like the others, is not inevitable. It is intentional. In fact, It's really not for the uncommitted.
Get a grip. on your life. And isn't this an all-out battle? For us all. Every single day.
Self-control means that we're not going to say What we might want to say. It's holding ourselves back. When we want to let it all loose. And that's a battle. We live in an impatient world.
Surrounded by impatient people, and it is our sin nature. to be impatient. I came across some studies in my research. One recent study referred to children. The fact they want right now what they want, and they're going to pitch a fit if they don't get it.
This particular study uncovered a growing practice where instead of dealing with their anger, their meltdown Parents are handing their angry child a smartphone. Or tablet. to calm them down. The study concluded And I'm quoting, it works for the moment. But it avoids the problem.
Rather than deal with self-control, The inappropriate frustration and anger Parents are using quote Digital Pacifiers. to avoid the issue.
So their unreasonable child is temporarily distracted from their anger. Instead of learning to control it. It isn't just Children. Who face a greater battle developing patience and self-control? It's adults.
Here's another article that caught my attention recently talking about how technology is affecting us as adults. The article reported out It's shortening our ability to wait. It's eroding our patience and self-control. It reports how retailers are now promising same-day delivery. We don't even want to wait for that.
Smartphone apps eliminate the weight for a cab, a table at a restaurant. But it's coming at a price, this secular study reports. It's making us less patient. Like they did a To examine the viewing habits, and they examine the viewing habits of 6.7 million. Internet users.
How long would they be willing to wait for something to upload? The answer? Two seconds. I'm not talking about you or me. We'll wait.
Two seconds. After five seconds. More than half have gone. Nobody waits ten. Seconds.
And the result said this, one day people are going to be too impatient. to conduct a study on patients. Mm-hmm. Adults can't wait. Can sit still for two seconds.
Kind of reminds me. of second grade. Our culture, even our technology is encouraging. An immature Undeveloped. Yeah.
Now, the development of self-control is much more than just saying no. It didn't throw in away your smartphone or your tablet. The answer isn't simply external. External, though that is important, it must be. Internal.
Speaking of cell phones. The perfect timing. You can throw that one away. Or give it to me. You know, it's helpful to understand that several of these supplements in Peter's list show up.
in Paul's list. called the fruit of the Spirit. In Galatians 5, nestled in that cluster of fruit. is that same word Self-control. And Paul emphasizes that it is the work of the Spirit.
In other words, we're not alone in the battle. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, empowering us.
So if you take Peter's list, And you take Paul's list, you discover this balance. in the Christian life. The Christian life is a daily battle with Sin. You Must say though. But it is also a daily surrender where you say yes.
To the spirit. Of God. It's saying no to sin. Yes to the spirit. Our culture could, you know, talk about saying no to the Sinful act, but They didn't understand how to say yes to the Spirit who empowers us.
Let me put it this way. The Christian life is a daily series. of surrender. Surrenders But to whom? To sin.
Or to the Saviour. And the Spirit. This is what Paul challenged the believer to do in Galatians 5:25, where he writes, Keep in step with the Spirit. of God. Right ahead.
Like behind. Keep in step. You discover How he walks through his work. Choose to walk in communion. with the Holy Spirit.
as it applies the word of God. To your life. One author jarred my thinking in the way he wrote this. He put it this way: we are as close. to the Holy Spirit.
as we choose to be. Man, that's convicting. We are as close to the Holy Spirit. We're talking about practical terminology. as we choose.
to be. Talking about salvation. He's talking about sanctification, surrendering. To the Spirit of God. In theological terminology, when you got saved, you received all of the Holy Spirit.
You didn't get a leg or an arm. He had all of them. In practical terms, It is a daily decision. to give him all of You.
Now only the Spirit of God can reach into the internal working of character and heart. In fact, Paul wrote it this way. He said In Romans six, let not sin therefore reign. In your mortal body. Be in control.
Be the engine room. to make you obey It's passions. Trying to hit a Christian. Do not present your body. to sin as instruments for unrighteousness.
But present yourselves To God. That idea of presenting is Yielding, surrendering, even cooperating.
So we add this supplement of self-control to our lives when there is cooperation. With our surrendered heart. To the Spirit of God in whom we rely upon. to help us in this pursuit. And let me tell you, the world around you.
They they're passionately pursuing self-indulgence. Self-fulfillment. Self-expression. When they meet someone with self-control, You show up at work. With patient self-control.
They may never verbalize it, but they're going to notice. You're going to be a blessing. Where you go. Patience. Humility wrapped up in a demonstration of self-confidence.
Control is like a gemstone in a world of rubble. When they meet you, this distinguishing mark. Might provoke enough curiosity for them to ask, how'd you handle it that way? That person yelling at you, how'd you respond with grace? How do you hold yourself?
The way you do. I I know you're having difficulty. in areas of your life. It's also going to give you this unique pleasure. And peace that comes when you trust in every circumstance the Spirit of God.
Walking in step With the Spirit of God, then is a blessing. Two others. and the benefit. to your own heart. Mind.
Let's not try to live without it. There's a practical illustration of self-control. I want to read to you. This is from a journal entry. Belonging to Chuck Swindahl, he wrote this experience.
10 years ago when he was 81. As I write these words, I'm at 35,000 feet. It's 5.45 on Saturday. It should be 4:15. The airliner was an hour and a half late.
It all started with the announcement out on the tarmac. Mechanical Trouble. They said. Inexcusable, responded a couple of passengers. Frankly, I was glad they decided to fix it before we took off.
But we don't like to wait. Delays are irritating, aggravating, nerve-jangling. Faced with delay, we are obnoxiously demanding. We want what we want when we want it.
So now we're in the air. We're late. People are grumpy.
Some are downright mad. Flight attendants are apologizing. Promising extra booze to take off the edge. To complicate matters, a gentleman across the aisle has a Severe nosebleed now and they're trying to instruct him, but he doesn't understand English. And now The meal is late.
The lady on my left has a cold. And it makes an enormous sound when she sneezes.
Sounds like a dying calf in a hailstorm. And she sneezes every 90 seconds. I've timed her. Oh, one more thing: the TV video system. broke down in the middle.
of a sports video and now the Nervous system of half the people on board is breaking down. This has become a flying zoo. In the midst of this, I was reminded. Of Paul's reference to self-control. when I was ready to lose it myself.
inside. It occurred to me that this is where the rubber meets the road. of Christianity. At this kind of intersection. whether earthbound or airborne.
The demonstration of my Christian character occurs. Not in the quietness of my study. Anybody can be self-controlled. surrounded by books. in silence.
with a fresh cup of coffee. Sunshine streaming through the window. But late takeoffs. Those grocery lines, those busy schedules, those traffic jams. That's where self-control faces the rude realities of life.
It occurred to me that As I cultivate self-control, I begin to gain the ability to accept this delay and disappointment. The ability to smile back at setbacks, responding with a pleasant understanding. Spirit, the ability to cool it while others around me cool it. Curse it.
So for a change I refused. to be hassled by today's delay. I decided that I would keep calm, and I asked the Lord to. Make me cheerful. And you know what?
He did. He really did. No pill? No booze? No hocus pocus, just surrendering to and relying on The power of the Holy Spirit.
But I've got another problem now. I've been smiling at the flight attendants, hoping to encourage them. But just now one of them pointed at me and whispered to her friend, Watch that guy in the glasses. I think he's had too much to drink.
Well, there you have it. Pursue with passion. Cooperating. With the internal work of the Spirit. To whom you surrender.
In this daily battle, So that you demonstrate to your world for their benefit and yours. This distinctive quality. of self-control. That was Stephen Davey, and this is Wisdom for the Heart. A production of Wisdom International.
Learn more at wisdomonline.org. Mm-hmm.
