To Your Self-Control Perseverance

Perseverance
From a lesson by Alan Hitchen
2 Peter 1:5-7
"But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love"

In Your Self-Control, Perseverance

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.... James 4:8

1Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Ecc 5:1

The importance of these Scriptures to our relationship with God cannot be over emphasized. God longs to draw near to us, He has already prepared the feast and we are all invited. The preparations have already been made. He only awaits us. When the gospel is first preached, we are invited to draw near. If we listen and “trust and obey,” then he can draw near to us. In our obedience to the gospel, this was manifested clearly. Did you draw near to hear? Did you listen carefully to all that God commanded and then to it, or did you offer the sacrifice of a fool by coming to God on your own terms instead of His?

God asked us to hear (Rom 10:17), believe (Jn 8:24; Heb 11:6) repent (Acts 2:38; Lk 13:3) confess (Rom 10:9-10; Mt 10:32) and be baptized in water for the remission of sins (Mk 16:15-16; Acts 8:8-39; Rom 6:1-6; Col 2:12-13). When we drew near to hear in this manner, He drew near to us to save! All who are Christians believe this with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. When we do this, God works powerfully for us!

After this, God still wants us to draw near to hear. Peter has summed up what remains for us to do. God did His part (II Pet 1:3-4), now He demands that we do ours (II Pet 1:5-8). When we do it, He draws near to us (II Pet 1:8-11). Peter deemed this so important that he never wanted Christians to forget it(II Pet 1:12-15).

Thus far in our studies, we have considered how Peter has exhorted us that adding on our part requires us to add virtue to our faith, knowledge to our virtue, and self-control to our knowledge. We have seen in each of these that God has outlined elsewhere exactly what His expectations are for these things. He has also made it very obvious to us whether we are doing them or not. There is no way to misunderstand virtue. Either you want to be the best possible Christian you can be in the time God has allotted to you here or you do not (Phil 3:12-17). Once that has been established, we work hard to learn. As in all other important areas of life, God has clearly outlined what it takes to “graduate” as a Christian and hear “well done good and faithful servant!” Self-control is also a simple and easily grasped concept. Once you learn what God expects, you take dominion and bring it into being. If this required that we cut off and destroy these things, so be it (Mt 5:30; 18:8-9)! God many times asked us to put such things to death (Col 3:5). Self-control is the means whereby we do it!

Perseverance

The initial fire, zeal, and excitement of becoming a Christian and being given the precious and exceedingly great promises of God can last for years in some and for months or even weeks in others. There is no way to predict when or how, but sooner or later something will happen of an unexpected nature, or the passage of time will lead to a gradual taking for granted. This is the natural state of the human race.

Perseverance is God’s remedy and solution. We cannot count on emotions forever. Sooner or later they will be exhausted. When that happens as our own proverb puts it: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!” When we start thinking things like these we need perseverance:

I just don't feel like doing this anymore!

What is the use, I just can’t go on!

Why is this happening to me?

How can God let things like this happen?

Why does God ask for such hard things?

It would be so much easier just to give up.

The nature of the definition of this term describes the fact that we have reached that point. We do not need perseverance until we have reached the point where all other motivations begin to fail.

"HUPOMENO... 2. to remain i.e. abide, not recede or flee; troop. a. to persevere: absol. and emphatic. under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one's faith in Christ... b. to endure bravely, bear bravely and calmly: absol., ill-treatment..." (Thayer, p. 644; 5278)

When we remain in a relationship with God when the reasons for doing so are no longer clear, it is perseverance. When we bravely endure misfortunes and trials we cannot understand the reasons for and still praise and bless God. It is the ability to walk in darkness without hope, left in a terrible situation with no explanation and still do what needs to be done. It keeps us doing good works year after year without growing weary. Heb 10:32-39 offer us reasons.

Remember that it was not always like this.

At one time, when motivated, you did many things for the Lord. 32-34

Do not throw that away now. What you did has a great repayment coming in the future. Yet you could lose it all now if you are not careful. 35

You need patience, you've done the will of God, now you have to endure the trials that often come. 36

Remember Habakkuk. He went through a similar situation when God told him Babylon was coming and would destroy Jerusalem and take the people captive. He did not shrink back. Neither can we. 37-38

Final motivation to shrink back is to enter destruction. To press on is to enter the saving of your soul. 39

The thought continues in 12:1-6:

Since there are so many witnesses to the type of troubles that can come upon us and the ability to successfully navigate through them(11:32-39), let us also keep running the race set before us with patience.

Remember Jesus. You haven't suffered as much as he did yet. 2

Consider him. Compare your present distresses to his. 3

Have they passed the death sentence upon you yet? 4

Don't forget that God often spanks his children in order to help them. What if that which has you so despondent is actually God trying to help you? 5-10

All tribulations, trials, persecutions, problems and difficulties are not without value. Those who successfully navigate through them come out on the other side better. Be motivated by this. 11-12

Perseverance is the necessary tool to successfully navigate through times when the eyes of our heart go blind. Perseverance is our radar, it is our seeing eye dog, it is that which keeps us on the right path when there is nothing else left to do it.

How do we gain such perseverance? The only way to gain this is to live through the trials. Just like you toughen up your feet by walking on them until they hurt, just like you toughen your muscles by using them until they ache, so also, the only means of gaining patience in the soul is to keep the soul in trying situations until it becomes tough.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (James 1:2-3).

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Rom 5:3-5).

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