FAITH, GOODNESS, KNOWLEDGE, AND SELF CONTROL

Fighting The Good Fight For

Self Control

2 Peter 1:3-73 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

2 Peter 1:8-108 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Just as we may build a house, one brick or stone upon another, we are instructed to build our character by building one Christ-like quality upon another so that we may “participate in the divine nature.”

How do you possess these qualities in increasing measure?

BUILDING ON THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH

FAITH

GOODNESS KNOWLEDGE

SELF CONTROL

FAITH

We first receive the gift of faith when we come to know and believe that He is who He says He is.

• When we believe that God is really God! • When we believe that God will do what His Word says he

will do• When we believe that His Promises are true

It is by faith that we come to this belief

The deeper our relationship with God grows, the more we receive the grace, peace, and everything else we need to walk through this life with godliness (a conduct that seeks to please God).And the more we believe and trust in the wonderful promises in God’s Word, the more we develop a Christ-like character that keeps us from giving in to evil desires that lead to corruption.

Salvation comes to us through faith in Jesus and is given to us by the grace of God!

Peter told us how to begin living by faith: “Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39).

So let’s look at tonight’s verse again:

2 Peter 1:5: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self control;”

GOODNESS

Peter says that once we turn from our way to God’s way (repentance), it is at that point that we can start building our character to be like Jesus so we won’t be “corrupted with the evil desires of the world.”

• Goodness is one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23, because it is produced in abundance (a large quantity) in our lives when we allow God’s Holy Spirit to lead us rather than following our own way.

Galatians 5:16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

God does not force anyone to choose His way of living. Each person has to choose and make the effort to live an upright life.

Titus 2:11-14: For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”

KNOWLEDGE

The third quality we are to add is knowledge.Peter says to add knowledge to our faith and our goodness.

The knowledge he is talking about here means “to ‘know’

In other words, he is telling us to seek out much information that will give us correct insight (gain Biblical truth) in order to thoroughly know who God is and how all that He is affects every area of our lives.

When we do that, it cannot help but create an intimate relationship with Him.

To Knowledge, add Self ControlThe Hebrews were promised the land of Canaan, but they had to take it by force, one town at a time. So are we promised the gift of the Holy Spirit, and one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. The Hebrews had to choose to fight, and we must chose to walk in the Spirit and build our character, one step at a time. This is a battle, just like Hebrews had to fight, and we also must also take control of our lives by force.

The very concept of "self-control" implies a battle between a divided self. It implies that our "self" produces desires we should not satisfy but instead "control."

Daily our "self" produces desires that should be "denied" or "controlled." We should "deny ourselves" and "take up our cross daily," Jesus says, and follow him (Luke 9:23).

The path that leads to heaven is narrow and sprinkled with suicidal temptations to abandon the way.

Therefore Jesus says, (Luke 13:24) 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” The Greek word for "strive" is agonizesthe, in which you correctly hear the English word "agonize."

We get a taste of what is involved from Matthew 5:29, "If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you."

This is the fierceness (severity) of self-control. This is what is behind the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:12, "The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force."

In our walk with God, there is a fierce battle, and we must fight it to overcome our own sinful nature.

Paul says that Christians exercise self-control like the Greek athletes, only our goal is eternal, not temporal.

1 Corinthians 9:24-26 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.

So he says, in 1 Corinthians 9:27, 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Self-control is saying no to sinful desires, even when it hurts.

But the Christian’s way of self-control is NOT "Just saying no!" The problem is with the word "just." You don't just say no. You say no in a certain way: You say no by faith in the superior power and pleasure of Christ, and not in your own strength.

It is just as ruthless, and it may be just as painful. But, the difference between worldly self-control and godly self-control is crucial.

Who will get the glory for victory? That's the issue. Will we get the glory? Or will Christ get the glory?

If we exercise self-control by faith in Christ's superior power and pleasure, Christ will get the glory.

Fundamental to the Christian view of self-control is that it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace . . . self-control" (Galatians 5:22).

How do we "strive" against our fatal desires? Paul answers: "I labor, striving (agonizomenos) according to His power, which mightily works within me“Colossians 1:29 - He "agonizes" by the power of Christ not his own. Similarly he tells us, "If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live."

Romans 8:13 - "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts."

We must be fierce! Yes. But, not by our own might.

Proverbs 21:31 - "The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD."

And how does the Spirit produce this fruit of self-control in us? By instructing us in the superior preciousness of grace, and enabling us to see and savor (that is, "trust") all that God is for us in Jesus.

When we really see and believe what God is for us by grace through Jesus Christ, the power of wrong desires is broken. Therefore the fight for self-control is a fight of faith.

1Timothy 6:11-12 11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

When we fail to have self control, we feel condemned. Therefore, are we still saved?

There is a spiritual war going on in the world, but it is not for your salvation. Your salvation has already been purchased by Jesus on the cross. The war is about you being able to participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

We are not in the kingdom of darkness, we are in the kingdom of light.

Romans 8:1&2 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

Darkness and Light Two Totally Different and Separate Kingdoms

KINGDOM OF DARKNESS KINGDOM OF LIGHT

Controlled by Sinful Nature Romans 6:20-21: Slaves to SinRomans 8:5-8: Law of Sin and Death.

The sinful mind (nature) ALWAYS leads to death. Those controlled by it CANNOT please God.

The law condemns us to death because we ALWAYS stand guilty before the law. The law provides no ENABLEMENT to resist the power of sin; it only condemns the sinner. The law reveals sin, and sin’s wages are death.

Controlled by the SpiritRomans 6:22-23: Slaves to GodRomans 8:1-4: Law of the Spirit of Life. We who have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior are literally SET FREE from the law of sin and death.

When Jesus offered His life as a sin offering for us, He removed once and for all the law’s requirement of a blood sacrifice for our sins. Those of us who have become “partakers” of His sacrifice He has LIBERATED from sin and our sinful nature!

AS CHRISTIANS, WE HAVE NO CONDEMNATION!!We are release from the Law.

Romans 7:4-6:4 So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.

6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

The Spirit-controlled life is VICTORIOUS! We fall, but the Holy Spirit gives us the POWER to get back up. And, because we are NOT CONDEMNED, we CAN get back up and follow God.

Condemnation is HEAVY! It WEIGHS US DOWN.

NO CONDEMNATION! Condemnation refers not only to how we feel about ourselves, but also—and more importantly—how God feels about us.

Have you, like myself, ever wondered how God looks at you and only sees righteousness, when we know that we have not always acted righteous?

We’ve heard with our ears that He sees us through the blood of Jesus, washed white as snow. But have we believed it?

GOD ONLY SEES US WITH “KINGDOM OF LIGHT” VISION!

We have been TRANSLATED out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light! We are no longer in Satan’s dark kingdom with “exposed” sins. We are in God’s kingdom of light—100% of the time—so that ALL of our sins are literally covered by that precious blood that is spread like an umbrella over the Kingdom of Light.

Now we understand that, because we have chosen to follow Christ and allow Him to live in us, WE LIVE OUR LIFE under the “control” of the Holy Spirit.

Even though we fall, we are led by the Spirit to fall on our knees before the Lord, repent, and get back into the arms of our Savior.

This will totally revolutionize the way we “see” ourselves and our relationship with our Savior.

Darkness versus Light•Darkness and light cannot cohabitate

•God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3)

•Where there is praise, there is God

•Where there is God, there is light

•God does not dwell where there is no praise.

•Where there is no praise there is no light (God)

•Darkness (sin) in our lives signifies an ungrateful spirit; i.e., all areas of darkness in our lives are caused by an ungrateful spirit.

Romans 8:12-16. 12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation — but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

NOW I can say that God might even say of me: “He is the righteousness of God.” “He is a man after my own heart!”

Fight the good fight of Faith, and add goodness, knowledge, and self control.

Be confident in God’s forgiveness, and PRAISE Him. PRAISE HIM!

Let God take control in your life and release everything to Him!

Fall into the protection of God, and allow Him to be in control!