Be Temperate in All Things

1 Corinthians 9:25

Introduction.

1. In the 1970s, Dr. Walter Mischel conducted what is commonly called the Stanford Marshmallow Test.

   1. The experiment consisted of a small child between 3 and 5 in a room with a marshmallow or some other treat.

   2. They were told that if they waited for a little while in this room, they could receive two marshmallows or another treat.

   3. But if they did not wait, their reward was only that one marshmallow.

   4. There was a hidden camera in the room to see what they would do.

   5. Many of the kids would smell it, lick it, nibble on it—some did eat it.

   6. The researcher was only gone 15 minutes.

   7. This reminds me of how many of us are with sin—try to get as close as we can without going over the edge.

   8. When we do that, we’re thinking about it all wrong.

   9. We need to do all we can to put all temptation far from us—this will help us with our self-control.

2. Self-control defined.

   1. The Greek word translated as self-control in 2 Pet. 1:6 can be broken down into two parts.

   2. The root word means power and might (κρατος).

   3. You add the Greek prefix en and it becomes inward power and might.

   4. This is an ability to “master your desires and passions, especially sensual appetites” (Thayer).

3. In Paul’s presentation of the gospel to Roman governor Felix, he included teachings on righteousness, self-control, and judgment—and Felix was afraid (Acts 24:25).

   1. This specific trait is also one that an elder must possess (Tit. 1:8).

   2. It is also among the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).

   3. We must hone this trait to be one step closer to securing our place in heaven.

4. Here are some suggestions on how to develop self-control.

   1. Seek Wisdom and Understanding.

   2. Do Not Look at Object of Your Temptation.

   3. Consider the Outcome if You Succumb.

   4. Remember Who Your Master Is.

   5. Consider Our Ultimate Reward.

   6. Pray.

Body.

1. Seek wisdom and understanding (Prov. 7:1-5).

   1. We have already discussed that we are adding to our faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control.

   2. Seeking these things will help us to recognize the danger signs (7:1-5).

      1. Proverbs 7 goes on to talk about this seductress, and the death that comes to those who fall for her wiles.

      2. But with wisdom, we can learn to avoid someone (or something) like her and exercise self-control (7:24-27).

      3. We recognize that temptation takes many forms that we are to resist.

      4. Studying the Bible helps us to better recognize the devil’s devices so that we may avoid them.

   3. It can also mean looking for different tips and tricks, even in psychology, that can help.

      1. Psychologists are not perfect, but they have studied these things and have helped many people with self-control issues, particularly in areas of addiction—and sin is an addiction.

      2. One tip is to make a tally of how often you do X or want to do X (e.g. using foul language).

      3. You will then be able to visualize how much you do X.

      4. You might then realize just how big a deal this is.

      5. Resolve to do it a little less tomorrow.

      6. God, the righteous Judge, will see your progress and you’ll be blessed.

      7. If you can quit doing something cold-turkey, by all means do so.

      8. Not everyone has that ability.

2. Do not look at the object of your temptation (Prov. 23:29-31).

   1. He advises not to linger for nor search for wine (23:30).

   2. He even goes so far as to say not to look even at the wine! (23:31).

      1. That is not always easy to do.

      2. If you’re an alcoholic, avoid the beer/wine aisle.

      3. Don’t be around people who use foul language—can’t always help that, but limit it as best you can. Perhaps even ask them to stop while you’re around.

      4. Don’t go to the beach, or find a time or spot that is away from tempting elements (while not being a temptation yourself).

      5. Don’t watch programs with sinful elements—go to CommonSenseMedia.org.

   3. He describes something that sounds kinda nice: red, sparkling, smooth.

      1. The problem we have with self-control is that we are trying to stop something we like doing or don’t feel like we can help doing.

      2. The object is so enticing or so habitual, that we find it difficult to deprive ourselves.

      3. In the Marshmallow Test, if they didn’t have the marshmallow in front of them, they were better able to resist the temptation.

      4. We know this intuitively when we make a dessert for a potluck and we really don’t want to take it home—because then we’ll eat it!

   4. The writer of Hebrews recognizes this when he writes that Moses chose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin” (Heb. 11:25).

      1. Sin is pleasurable in the moment.

      2. But its pleasures are passing/fleeting, and they will not last.

3. Consider the consequences (Prov. 23:32-35).

   1. After describing how wonderful the wine appears, Solomon then describes the end result (23:32-35).

      1. It is like a snake bite.

      2. You being to hallucinate.

      3. You will think and do evil things.

      4. You will act foolishly and recklessly.

      5. And you may even end up as an alcoholic.

   2. There are many reasons why the Lord says certain things are sinful.

      1. Drunkenness—outcome is talked about here, but we will drive people away, including those closest to us who love us.

      2. Fornication and Adultery—this will destroy our marriages and our lives, and if you’re not married, it could seriously harm your future.

      3. Pornography—this will give you certain expectations that could never be met, and harm relations with your spouse.

      4. Using foul language—this can harm our influence

      5. Gluttony—overeating is bad for your health, but can deprive others, too.

      6. Laziness—puts the burden of taking care of you on to someone else when you are fully capable.

   3. God knows how life works best.

      1. The people I know who are living the best lives are those who seek to do things God’s way.

      2. The world glamorizes sin, but they never show you the dark side.

      3. If you mess up on any of these things, you can still return to Him.

      4. But you will still have the scars that sin leaves behind.

      5. You will still be affected by the physical consequences, and the struggle of forgiving yourself.

      6. Let us do our best to avoid those scars.

      7. This can be aided if you remember who your Master is.

4. Remember who your Master is (Rom. 6:22).

   1. We have been set free from sin!

      1. This means we are no longer slaves to it.

      2. We don’t have to succumb to the devil and his temptations anymore.

   2. Now we are slaves of God.

      1. We belong to Him; we have a new Master.

      2. We are new creatures in Christ.

      3. The end of this is everlasting life (next point).

   3. We are no longer that person that we put to death, but a new creature that He raised up.

      1. Recognizing this will help to keep us from sin.

      2. There’s another trick in psychology that reminds me of this: dissociate from the desire.

      3. When you identify that desire, no longer say, “I want X.”

      4. Tell yourself you have a thought that you want X; you see, that’s the old you.

      5. Then eventually say you have noticed a thought that you want X.

      6. This will separate you from the desire and from your old man one step at a time.

5. Consider the ultimate reward (1 Cor. 9:24-27).

   1. Here Paul describes an athlete who exercises a great deal of self-control.

      1. The word translated here as “temperate” in the NKJV is closely related to the Greek word we have already looked at for self-control.

      2. Athletes must watch their diet, keep their destructive habits down, and exercise often, pushing themselves to do better and better—deliberate practice.

      3. They focus on one area at a time where they are weak, improve, and move on to another area.

   2. We, too, must be “temperate in all things.”

      1. Our reward, however, is an imperishable crown found only in heaven itself.

      2. This is so much better than any reward for winning a marathon.

      3. We must exercise self-control, keeping in mind our heavenly reward.

      4. If the Apostle Paul had to discipline his body, so must we!

   3. This is an exercise in delayed gratification.

      1. Certainly heaven is the ultimate in delayed gratification.

      2. For the athlete, they work, but their reward will not come until they compete.

      3. But our culture today is all about instant gratification.

      4. It’s easy to do with our smart phones and the internet, TV on-demand.

      5. Just about anything we want is right at our fingertips.

      6. I’m not saying we need to get rid of them entirely—they are useful tools.

      7. But we do need to limit our use to help us learn to delay gratification.

         1. When Steve Jobs, the late co-founder of Apple, was asked what his kids thought of the iPad two years after it was released, he said, “They haven’t used it; we limit the amount of technology that children can use at home.”

         2. He did not allow these devices in his home!

         3. He knew they could be very addictive because of their instant gratification, and children are especially susceptible.

         4. Boundaries are no longer pre-set for parents, so parents have to set them and consistently enforce them.

      8. For ourselves, we can learn to delay gratification through fasting.

         1. Keeping ourselves from food, something we need but often enjoy, for a certain period of time can help us with that.

         2. We don’t need to eat every day, so to help you grow closer to God, why not give it a try? (If you’re healthy enough).

         3. If we can temporarily give us something we need to live, surely we can give up things we don’t need, sinful things in particular.

         4. Along with fasting must come prayer (particularly to help you get over your food cravings).

6. Pray for self-control.

   1. Paul strongly hints that one of his gifts from God is that of self-control (1 Cor. 7:7-9).

      1. James informs us that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights (James 1:17).

      2. So the gift of self-control comes from God.

      3. One step in getting self-control is to seek wisdom; exercising self-control is a mark of wisdom.

      4. James also says that if we lack wisdom, we should “ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach” (James 1:5).

      5. Knowledge is one thing, gained by study; wisdom is another and comes from God.

   2. When we are tempted, let us run from that temptation and pray until the temptation passes.

      1. This is another trick that psychologists have stumbled upon, but the Bible already had the answer thousands of year ago.

      2. When we occupy our minds with other things while we are being tempted or having that craving, that temptation will pass and we will have escaped it.

      3. So let us pray, concentrating on good things, our blessings, our commitment to Him.

   3. It will reorient us toward God and help to focus our minds on what is right.

Conclusion.

1. When I was 9, I finally had my own room.

   1. We were living in a single-wide trailer, and I had been rooming with my brother up to that point.

   2. My parents had cleared out the tiny storage room for me, while my brother got what used to be our room.

   3. It was barely big enough to fit my top bunk, but it was perfect.

   4. I had been gifted a really neat see-through alarm clock—you could see all the gears inside.

   5. The alarm was remarkably quiet, though.

   6. After sleeping through my alarm a couple times, I got frustrated.

   7. I was convinced it wasn’t actually going off, but after testing it, it must have.

   8. So I asked my mother what I could do about it.

   9. She said, “You just need a little bit of self-discipline.”

   10. When she explained what that was, it made sense to me.

   11. Ever since, that quiet alarm woke me up for as long as I had it.

2. We have six ways that we can develop that self-discipline or self-control.

   1. Seek wisdom and understanding.

   2. Do not put objects of temptation before you.

   3. Consider the consequences.

   4. Remember who your Master is.

   5. Consider our ultimate reward.

   6. Prayer.

3. Exercising that self-control, however, is useless with perseverance (next week).

4. It can only be done with the proper knowledge, virtue (desire to do what’s right), and the faith that saves.

   1. Do you have a saving faith this morning?

   2. That faith will motivate us to obey the gospel and get right with Him.