Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000116A
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00:22 Hello, friends, welcome to A Sharper Focus,
00:26 a Wednesday night Bible study 00:28 here at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:30 Thank you for tuning in, 00:31 no matter where you're tuning in from, 00:33 I got a perspective that not just America, 00:36 but China, India, Australia, 00:39 the Caribbean, Europe, 00:42 all over the world people are tuning in. 00:44 So thank you for taking the time 00:46 to walk with us through a thoughtful hour 00:48 in the Word of God. 00:49 Can we all say amen to that? Amen. 00:51 Whenever you open the Bible, God is waiting there. 00:53 As I read a quotation last week, 00:55 Ellen White said that when we open the Word of God 00:57 we have to remember that we are on Holy Ground. 01:01 And if our eyes can be peeled back, 01:02 we will see the angels. 01:04 And remember, the Word of God was inspired, 01:07 holy men of God 01:08 spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 01:11 So tonight, we are entering into a study on Holy Ground. 01:15 And thank you for taking the time to tune in. 01:17 In just a moment, I'll tell you 01:18 how to get a copy of the lesson. 01:20 We're gonna be winding up on one lesson 01:21 about the truth about biblical health, 01:24 and then go into another lesson, 01:26 the truth about the body temple. 01:29 But before we have our theme song, 01:30 and before I tell you where to find the lesson, 01:32 let's begin with prayer. 01:34 Loving Father in heaven, we thank You 01:36 that as we open Your Word tonight, 01:38 You promise to open our hearts. 01:40 So, Lord, we hear You knocking at the door of our heart. 01:43 We invite You in to sup with us, 01:46 to have dinner with us. 01:48 May Your Spirit speak to us, may we learn, 01:51 but also may You give us the desire and the will 01:53 to follow You and to serve You, 01:55 in Jesus' name we pray. 01:57 Amen. 02:00 If you want a copy of the lesson, 02:01 go to this following website asf.3abn.org 02:07 and download lesson number 31. 02:10 Lesson number 31 entitled, 02:13 "The Truth about the Body Temple." 02:15 This fits right into the topic 02:17 that we've been covering so far. 02:19 We've been talking about biblical health, 02:21 and we're winding up on that lesson 02:23 only two more questions in lesson number 30. 02:26 So if you did not download number 30, 02:27 we're finishing question number 21 and 22. 02:31 And so you can follow along. 02:34 Also, if you have any questions at that very same website, 02:37 there are some links where you can upload questions 02:39 and comments. 02:41 If something has not been clear, 02:42 we'd like to make sure that it is clear. 02:44 Now let's sing our theme song together. 02:46 And our theme song is "Victory in Jesus." 02:50 Let's sing this song together. 02:59 I heard an old, old story 03:03 How the Savior came from glory 03:07 How He gave His life on Calvary 03:10 To save a wretch like me 03:14 I heard about His groaning 03:18 Of His precious blood's atoning 03:22 Then I repented of my sin 03:25 And won the victory 03:29 O victory in Jesus 03:33 My Savior, forever 03:37 He sought me and bought me 03:40 With His redeeming blood 03:44 He loved me ere I knew Him 03:48 And all my love is due Him 03:52 He plunged me to victory 03:56 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:59 I heard about a mansion 04:03 He has built for me in glory 04:07 And I heard about the streets of gold 04:11 Beyond the crystal sea 04:15 About the angels singing 04:18 And the old redemption story 04:22 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 04:26 The song of victory 04:29 Key change. 04:30 O victory in Jesus 04:33 My Savior, forever 04:37 He sought me and bought me 04:41 With His redeeming blood 04:45 He loved me ere I knew Him 04:49 And all my love is due Him 04:52 He plunged me to victory 04:56 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:59 Together. 05:00 He plunged me to victory 05:04 Beneath the cleansing flood 05:10 Amen. 05:12 And we need to be plunged every day. 05:15 Ain't that right? 05:17 Every morning a new, fresh cleaning. 05:20 We're not gonna sing it again 05:22 although that's not a bad idea. 05:24 But being plunged every day is something we all need. 05:28 Thank you for that cue, 05:29 but we're not gonna sing it again. 05:32 We're gonna be finishing up the title, 05:34 "The Truth about Biblical Health." 05:38 Say that with me, 05:40 The Truth about Biblical Health. 05:42 We covered quite a bit. 05:44 This lesson had 22 questions, 05:47 and we've learned some valuable things 05:49 about how important 05:51 our bodies are in the sight of the Lord. 05:53 The Lord loves us, does He not? 05:56 And He wants us to have the most optimal health. 05:59 And when you follow God's owner's manual, 06:02 just like when you get a toaster, 06:05 I was surprised that on the back of the toothbrush 06:08 package instructions are there, 06:11 as though we don't know what to do with the toothbrush. 06:14 But everything comes with instructions. 06:16 Q-Tips come with instructions that tell you what to do 06:19 and what not to do. 06:21 My wife is still training me about how to use Q-Tip, 06:23 she says never put a Q-Tip in your ear 06:25 only put your elbow. 06:27 Well, I can't put my... 06:29 Since I can't put my elbow I put a Q-Tip. 06:31 But I'm still learning. 06:34 But the Lord has given us instruction in His Word 06:36 that's so clear, 06:38 so concise that if you want optimal health, 06:41 you simply have to follow God's Word. 06:43 We've talked about 06:44 the things that can and cannot be eaten. 06:47 We walked through a various books in the Bible, 06:50 like Deuteronomy Chapter 14 and Leviticus Chapter 11. 06:53 If you missed the earlier lessons, 06:55 that very same website asf.3abn.org, 06:58 you can download the lesson, the earlier part, 07:01 and look at the videos 07:02 because the videos are uploaded 07:04 so you can follow along anything that you have missed. 07:07 We talked about shellfish, hard shellfish, 07:11 lobsters, crabs, oysters, shrimps, 07:14 mussels, scallops, clams, you name it. 07:17 If it has a hard shell, don't eat it. 07:20 All garbage cans have hard shells. 07:24 God's got his own sanitation department. 07:27 Don't eat God's sanitation department. 07:30 If you eat the garbage collectors, 07:32 the garbage remains. 07:35 Fins and scales, say it together, 07:37 fins and scales, it has to have both. 07:41 The fish have to have both which means 07:43 that eliminates catfish, 07:44 all of those of you who live in Southern Illinois, 07:47 gotta leave the catfish alone, right? 07:50 You can get bass, and crappie, and all that other stuff 07:54 that has fins and scales. 07:56 No shark, no dolphin 07:58 and surely don't try to cook a whale, 08:01 just not gonna work. 08:04 When it comes to animals, it has to chew its cud 08:08 and have a split hoof together, 08:11 which means the cow. 08:14 And the list is all there in the Bible. 08:17 But now, the pig, 08:18 the one you have to look out for is the pig. 08:22 It has a split hoof but it doesn't chew its cud. 08:25 It is the most mobile, 08:27 the greasiest garbage can on the ground. 08:32 It eats whatever it digests, whatever. 08:35 And it's the only animal 08:36 that people eat every single thing 08:38 from the nose to the end of the tail. 08:42 So don't eat it. 08:44 The pig is a garbage can. 08:45 You can give him a bowl, you give him a shower, 08:47 spray cologne or perfume, put him inside your house, 08:51 but the moment he gets outside, 08:53 he's gonna go back 08:54 to the dirtiest filthiest thing. 08:55 And you know what? 08:57 God designed them to be that way. 08:58 So don't eat the pig. 09:00 And we talked about trichinosis, 09:01 we talked about even the clean meat, 09:03 you have to be careful. 09:05 If beef is in the clean category, 09:07 but if you eat beef that's not well cooked, 09:09 you put the blood in your body, 09:12 and we are not supposed to eat fat nor blood. 09:15 Amen somebody. 09:17 Because those are the places where the purines, 09:20 the impurities reside. 09:22 Don't eat fat or blood. 09:24 Even if it's a clean meat, don't eat fat or blood, 09:26 that's why it's best to be a vegetarian. 09:28 That's why it's best in some cases for some 09:30 to be a vegan. 09:31 Somebody will say, "Well, how can I survive?" 09:34 Well, you know what? 09:35 Ask the cow. 09:37 He's a vegetarian. 09:39 He's a vegan, 09:40 except when they put stuff in his feed 09:42 that he shouldn't be eating. 09:44 So God has the best diet. 09:45 And tonight we're gonna go on the last two questions 09:48 21 and 22 09:50 and discover what God wants to say to us in His Word, 09:53 and then we're gonna transition to lesson number 31, 09:57 The Truth about the Body Temple. 09:58 So let's dive right in to question number 21. 10:01 And those of you that are at home, 10:03 these questions and answers will appear on the screen. 10:06 Number 21, let's go ahead and dive into it. 10:09 Besides the things that we eat, 10:13 what other instruction are we given? 10:16 Besides the things that we eat, 10:19 what other instruction are we given? 10:21 Question number 21. 10:23 And go to Proverbs 17:22. 10:27 Proverbs 17:22. 10:31 Besides the things that we eat, 10:34 what other instruction are we given? 10:37 You know, because 10:38 I want to just make this very, very clear. 10:41 We are not saved by diet, can we say amen? 10:45 But when you are in a saving relationship, 10:48 then God has given you a responsibility 10:52 on how to handle your body, 10:54 on what to do with His temple. 10:56 Now you recognize Him as the owner of your body. 10:59 He requires us 11:00 to handle the body a certain way. 11:02 But there's something more than just sometimes what we eat 11:07 that makes a difference in our stewardship of our body. 11:10 Let's look at Proverbs 17:22. 11:12 And here's what the Bible says, here's what a wise man says. 11:16 Let's read this first text together. 11:18 Are you ready?" 11:20 A merry heart does good like," what? 11:23 "Medicine, but a broken spirit does," what? 11:27 "Dries the bones." 11:30 So this is amazing. 11:32 Sometimes it's not what you're eating, 11:34 sometimes it's what's eating you. 11:37 Right? 11:38 I've seen some healthy vegetarians 11:40 that are as sour as pickles 11:43 on the first day of their birth. 11:46 I mean, sour, angry, 11:50 hostile, can't smile. 11:55 So you might have the cleanest colon, 11:58 but the most cluttered mind, and the most sad heart. 12:03 The fruit of the Spirit is what? 12:05 Together. 12:06 Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, 12:10 meekness, patience. 12:12 You can be healthy, 12:14 but you have to have a healthy attitude also, 12:15 ain't that right? 12:17 If your attitude is unhealthy and your colon is healthy, 12:20 nobody wants to be around you 12:22 because they see your attitude 12:23 before they see your intestines. 12:25 All right? 12:26 The Lord wants us to reflect on the outside 12:29 what's going on the inside 12:31 because there are some people that are meat eaters, 12:34 carnivores, eat all kinds of shellfish 12:36 and all kinds of unclean stuff but they're so nice. 12:39 What testimony is it for Christian 12:41 to boast about his or her health 12:43 and have a terrible attitude? 12:46 So God wants us to have good insides and good what? 12:50 Outsides. 12:51 They say, if you feel good, notify your face. 12:55 "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, 12:57 but a broken spirit dries up the bone." 13:00 And then there are some individuals, 13:02 I want to expand on this. 13:03 There are some individuals 13:05 that can never let go of the past. 13:09 They make sure does it have any milk in it? 13:12 Does it have any pork in it? 13:14 Is it cooked in lard? 13:15 But they're stuck in the past, their burdens, 13:18 their childhood hurts, their difficulties. 13:21 And sometimes, 13:22 while they're particular about the things they eat, 13:25 they're not doing anything 13:26 about the things that are eating them. 13:29 So you have to handle the emotional issues also 13:32 because many of the Pharisees, the Jews, 13:35 they practiced good eating habits 13:37 all the time. 13:39 But boy, there was some angry folk. 13:41 They were so angry that they crucified the Lord. 13:44 So you have to deal with the issues 13:46 that are sometimes confronting you 13:47 on a day by day basis. 13:49 I've often said in my counseling sessions, 13:51 that you don't want to carry a trailer truck 13:53 of bad experiences with you 13:55 and boast about a clean diet. 13:57 It just doesn't make sense. 13:59 If your mind is clear, your body is going to respond. 14:02 So when you get the two together, 14:04 then you are happy, clean, healthy person to be around. 14:07 Amen? 14:09 So make sure those bones are not dried up. 14:11 And the spirit is bright, 14:13 it's led by the presence of the Holy Spirit. 14:16 Number 22, the last question. 14:19 Number 22. 14:21 And it says, 14:23 "How important is it for us 14:26 to trust God's health principles?" 14:30 How important is it for us 14:32 to trust God's health principles? 14:35 How important, 14:36 we know the answer is very important. 14:38 But let's go to Proverbs 3:7-8. 14:41 You know, Proverbs 3:5-6, 14:43 we all know if I started saying it, 14:45 you will follow along. 14:46 Are you ready? 14:48 "Trust in the Lord your God with," what? 14:49 "All your heart, 14:50 lean not on your own understanding, 14:53 in all your ways acknowledge Him, 14:55 and He will direct your path. 14:57 That's verse 5 and 6. 14:58 We're gonna look at verse 7 and 8, 15:01 the verses that follow that. 15:02 Proverbs 3:7-8. 15:05 How important is it for us 15:06 to trust God's health principles? 15:09 Here it is. 15:12 Proverbs 23. 15:14 Sorry, 23:2, Okay. 15:17 I actually want to go to, 15:21 let's see, which one do I... 15:22 I have Proverbs 3:7-8, go ahead and turn to that one. 15:26 Go ahead and turn to that one. 15:28 Proverbs 3:7-8. 15:30 I have 23:2, 15:31 but I actually meant Proverbs 3:7-8. 15:34 Let's go to that one. 15:36 Okay, 15:38 and it'll appear on the screen. 15:39 So what's on your syllabus? 15:41 The correction is Proverbs 3:7-8. 15:44 Okay, here it is, together. 15:47 "Do not be wise in your own eyes." 15:52 That means you might think your way is best. 15:54 "Don't be wise in your own eyes. 15:57 Fear the Lord and depart from evil." 16:00 Now watch this, verse 8, 16:01 "It will be" what? 16:03 "Health to your flesh," and what? 16:06 "Strength to your bones." 16:08 There are some people that say, 16:10 "But I like." 16:12 And they'll mention what they like. 16:14 But I've always 16:15 and they'll mention what they eat. 16:17 Well, this is what my mother ate 16:18 and this is what my grandmother ate, 16:20 and it didn't kill her. 16:21 Somebody once mentioned, 16:23 there was a guy that died many years ago. 16:24 Young folk, give me a break for a moment. 16:27 His name is George Burns. 16:28 If you're a teenager, you don't know who he is. 16:31 Okay, but George Burns lived to 100 years old, 16:35 and he always had a cigar in his mouth. 16:37 And he had his television show girl, wife was Gracie 16:41 and he had a little round glass, 16:43 and he'd go Gracie. 16:44 He lived 100 with smoking a cigar. 16:47 Imagine how much longer he could have lived 16:49 had he not smoked a cigar. 16:52 Now it could have been a prop, 16:53 but his message was smoke a cigar. 16:56 And there are some individuals that don't think 16:57 it matters how you conduct your life. 17:00 Then there are some individuals that simply follow tradition, 17:03 they do it because their mother did it, 17:04 because their grandmother did it, 17:06 and they don't really know why they do it. 17:09 I read a story about a lady 17:11 and, you know, we don't eat ham but this illustration 17:14 came out of the context of somebody 17:17 who every once a year 17:19 they had during the season of Thanksgiving, 17:21 before they cook this ham, which we don't eat, 17:25 which we don't eat. 17:28 They would always cut up an inch of it 17:30 and put it in the pan. 17:32 And the husband would see his wife do this so frequently. 17:35 He said, "Honey, why do you do that? 17:37 Why do you always cut up?" 17:38 She said, "My mother always did it." 17:40 Well, her mother was alive and she called her mom. 17:42 "Mom, what? Why do we do that?" 17:44 She said, "Because grandma did it." 17:47 And grandma was still around, hovering in her late years, 17:51 but cognizant enough to answer the question, 17:53 "Grandma, why do we do that? 17:55 Does it make it taste better?" "No." 17:57 "So why do we do it?" 17:58 "It was too big for the pan?" 18:01 Didn't know why they did it. 18:03 Some people have no clue why we do what we do. 18:06 So don't be wise in your own eyes. 18:12 Listen to God's Word, fear the Lord, 18:14 that means honor Him, 18:15 depart from those things 18:17 that lead you in the wrong direction. 18:18 It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones. 18:22 Tradition is good 18:23 only as it does not conflict with God's Word. 18:26 Amen? 18:28 So that's kind of a nutshell and we've covered so much, 18:31 I almost feel 18:32 if you're tuning in for the first time tonight 18:33 almost feel that you've been cheated. 18:35 But I want to encourage you, 18:37 go to that website, asf.3abn.org, 18:41 download lesson number 30. 18:43 And then download the video, or look at the video online, 18:46 and you can get the rest of it 18:48 because we sure did 18:50 rightly divide the word of truth 18:51 as it relates to health, 18:53 and what is important for us to do as Christians. 18:57 Now, we're going to transition into another area, 19:01 and let me just preface it by saying this. 19:04 So much of what happens in Christianity is tradition 19:09 and so much of what God says in His word 19:11 is sometimes overlooked. 19:13 Now we talked about health, 19:14 and there are so many sincere Christians 19:16 that really have no health practices at all, 19:19 except maybe no alcohol, no drugs, no cigarettes, 19:23 that's predominantly 19:25 the basic practice among Christianity. 19:27 However, there are some Christian circles, 19:29 or some people that claim to be Christians, 19:31 where they'll smoke a cigarette where the preacher smokes. 19:35 There are some churches that have alcohol 19:37 for their communion services. 19:39 There are some denominations that use alcohol 19:41 for large communion services. 19:44 And we know that 19:45 that's not supported by scripture, 19:46 nothing fermented 19:48 can be an expression of that sinless Savior. 19:51 Ain't that right? 19:52 And so a lot of traditions are there, 19:53 and many Christians when we talked about health, 19:55 there are many churches 19:56 that don't even breach that topic. 19:58 They don't even talk about it. 19:59 So hopefully we've been able 20:01 to encourage our brothers and sisters 20:03 who believe that 20:05 the Lord is the owner of their bodies, 20:07 and they are simply stewards of this body. 20:10 We have to give it back to the Lord. 20:11 Although we're going to get the new model, I tell you what? 20:15 If some of us would treat our bodies 20:16 half as good as we treat our houses and our cars, 20:20 and the things that we spend money on, 20:22 our bodies will be in better shape 20:23 than our houses and cars. 20:25 But now, 20:27 this is an area that we're cutting 20:29 that we're diving into now. 20:31 And it is called the truth about the body temple. 20:33 Say that with me, 20:35 it is the truth about the body temple. 20:37 When we covered the health principles, 20:40 we talked about 20:41 what takes place on the inside of the body. 20:44 On the where? 20:46 Inside. 20:48 And most of us can't see 20:50 what's happening on the inside of somebody else's body. 20:53 But the Lord knows because He made our bodies. 20:56 He knows when something polluting it has entered in 21:00 and it's taking effect, 21:01 and He sees the disease developing. 21:04 But I want to also inform you 21:06 that if you had a church building, 21:09 if you had a synagogue, if you had a temple, 21:13 I would like to inform you tonight, 21:14 just in case you didn't know 21:16 that the inside and the outside 21:20 are the temple. 21:23 A worship building consists of the inside 21:26 and the outside, both. 21:29 And when you follow Scripture, 21:30 you'll discover that the same principles 21:33 that apply to what happens on the inside, 21:36 many of those same principles apply 21:38 to what takes place on the outside, 21:39 as the Bible is specific about what not to do on the inside, 21:43 it's also specific about what not to do on the outside. 21:46 So let's dive into question number one tonight, 21:48 one that you know very well, 21:49 but it bears repeating because it lays the foundation. 21:53 We're simply talking about the same body. 21:55 Now we've transitioned from the inside to the what? 21:59 Outside, all right? 22:01 'Cause some people have really nice cars. 22:04 I sat in the car once. 22:05 I got to tell this story. 22:07 I sat in the car once and I thought to myself, 22:10 "Did this guy ever clean his car 22:11 from the day he bought it?" 22:13 I was afraid to sit on the seat. 22:16 It would do with cans and cigarette butts. 22:19 And I'm thinking, 22:21 "If I sit in this car, will I come out 22:22 with some kind of incurable disease?" 22:26 And the outside you couldn't tell, 22:27 but the inside was horrible. 22:29 Then there's some people they have, 22:30 the outside of the car looks, 22:32 you know, really messed up, but the inside is good. 22:35 The Lord wants us to have a clean inside 22:37 and a presentable what? 22:38 Outside. 22:40 So let's begin with this first question. 22:42 Let's begin with this first question. 22:43 And many of you know this text already, 22:45 but here it is. 22:46 What principle governs our responsibility 22:51 concerning our bodies? 22:53 What principle governs our responsibility 22:56 concerning our bodies? 22:57 Let's go to 1 Corinthians Chapter 6, 23:00 1 Corinthians Chapter 6. 23:02 Many of you know this text, 23:03 but we begin on the principle text, 23:05 very important. 23:06 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. 23:10 All right, we start there. 23:12 All right? 23:14 And depending on the translation, 23:18 it could be really inspiring. 23:19 I think in the King James Version, 23:22 Paul the Apostle begins with the word "What?" 23:25 Am I right, Brother Hutchinson? 23:26 He begins with the word, "What?" 23:28 Like to say you didn't know. 23:30 If you have the King James Version, 23:32 you can see that, right? 23:33 What? 23:35 And when you look at the way that's in the Greek, 23:36 it's almost like an surprise. 23:37 What? 23:39 And let's go on and see how it reads 23:40 in the New King James. 23:42 Here it is on the screen. 23:43 "Or do you not know that your body is the" 23:47 together 23:48 "temple of the Holy Spirit, who is," where? 23:52 "In you, whom you have from God, and you are," what? 23:56 "Not your own?" 23:58 Continuing, "For you were bought," what? 24:02 "At a price, therefore glorify God," in what two places? 24:06 "In your body and in your spirit, 24:09 which are God's." 24:11 So often we are, you know, some people say, 24:13 "Oh, the Holy Spirit fell down, and I was in the spirit." 24:17 But you know what? 24:18 In our body and in our spirit, 24:21 the Lord is not just concerned 24:22 about our spiritual act of worship, 24:24 He said, "Hey, what are you doing to your body? 24:27 How are you handling your body?" 24:29 And you know, 24:30 that one thing that this world doesn't emphasize? 24:32 Well, let me rephrase that. 24:36 The world emphasizes 24:39 the destruction of the human body. 24:42 I mean, think about the things they buy, 24:44 think about the things 24:45 that are done to the human body. 24:47 We live in a day and age. 24:48 I don't know. 24:50 I don't know how. 24:51 I don't know how tattooing became so popular. 24:56 We're gonna talk about that too. 24:57 But today, 25:01 you could read people as they walk by you. 25:04 They got messages on their neck, 25:06 they got messages on their forehead, 25:08 they got messages on their arms. 25:10 Some young ladies, they were short shirts 25:12 and they got a message on their back, on their tummy. 25:15 Some people wear shorts, 25:16 they got a message going down their leg. 25:18 They got faces everywhere, they got symbols and signs. 25:22 And it's like, it's almost like, 25:24 "Lord, if you had made me with these things, 25:27 I wouldn't have to have made alterations to the body." 25:31 And so the world pushes us 25:32 in a direction completely different, 25:34 not recognizing that our bodies are the temple of God, 25:39 where the spirit dwells. 25:40 Now, how would you like to wake up in the morning 25:43 and find your house spray painted? 25:46 Who would like that? 25:48 Graffiti, your car wrapped in toilet paper? 25:51 That's happened to people. 25:52 They do that around Halloween? 25:54 We don't, we don't celebrate Halloween. 25:56 But how would you like to wake up in the morning 25:58 and see your car spray painted, your house spray painted? 26:00 People paint things on your lawn. 26:03 You'll say, "Wait a minute, who did that?" 26:05 And I could almost imagine, 26:06 sometimes the Lord is looking down, 26:08 looking at the people of the world. 26:10 And I'm going to sadly say, sometimes looking at Christians 26:13 who follow the impressions of the world, 26:15 who sometimes forget that the body, 26:18 both inside and out, belongs to the Lord. 26:20 So write the answer down. 26:22 What principle governs our responsibility 26:24 concerning our bodies? 26:25 What? 26:26 Glorify God, glorify God 26:29 in your body and in your spirit, 26:31 glorify Him. 26:33 The principle is... 26:34 Our body is what? 26:35 His temple. 26:37 All right. 26:39 Okay. 26:40 Let's go to question number two. 26:43 Question number two. 26:46 How important is our stewardship 26:49 towards our bodies? 26:51 I know we'll answer by saying, what? 26:53 Very important, right? 26:55 How important is our stewardship? 26:57 Very important. 26:59 Parents sometimes get upset, and I don't have any children, 27:02 but I have heard the stories where parents have said, 27:05 the first time they give their son or daughter 27:07 the keys to the car, they said, 27:08 "Okay, I want you to bring this car back 27:11 the same way I'm giving it to you. 27:13 I don't want any scratches, I don't want any dents, 27:17 I don't want nothing broken. 27:19 I want you to bring this car back home tonight at 9:01 sharp 27:23 with nothing messed up." 27:25 And I can almost hear the Lord saying sometimes, 27:28 "When I gave you a body, 27:30 I want you to bring it back the same way I gave you." 27:34 But to our dismay, and surely not to His surprise, 27:38 the world has gone 27:40 in a completely different direction 27:41 than what the Lord has told us to follow. 27:45 Okay, I want you to see this one now. 27:48 All right, and actually on question number 31. 27:51 Go to 1 Corinthians Chapter 3. 27:53 I didn't change the text. 27:55 My intention was to do that but I didn't change the text, 27:58 but the guys will have it on the screen 27:59 or the young lady, whoever's running the graphics. 28:02 It's 1 Corinthians 3:16-17. 28:05 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, right? 28:10 I got a phone call when I was doing question number two, 28:13 and surely I pick up the phone. 28:15 Question number two didn't get altered, 28:17 but you will have the correct answer. 28:19 How important is our stewardship 28:21 toward our bodies? 28:22 Let's look at the scripture together. 28:23 It'll appear on the screen for all of you 28:25 and even for those of you here. 28:26 Together, it says, "Do you not know that you're... 28:29 That you are the temple of God 28:33 and that the Spirit of God dwells," where? 28:36 "In you?" And this is powerful. 28:38 "If anyone," does what? 28:40 "Defiles the temple of God, God will," what? 28:44 "Destroy him. 28:45 For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." 28:49 I remember growing up in New York City, 28:51 so you want to write the answer down, 28:52 how important is our stewardship? 28:54 It's a holy stewardship. 28:57 It's a holy stewardship. 29:01 It's what? 29:02 Holy. 29:03 Handle things that are holy. 29:05 I remember growing up in Brooklyn, New York. 29:08 And I know times have changed drastically. 29:10 I don't know if this happens any longer. 29:12 But I remember, 29:14 you know, sometimes, even the guys that are, 29:17 even the guys that drink alcohol, 29:20 they'd walk past the church 29:21 and they'd hide the bottle behind their backs. 29:25 Like, "I don't want the pastor..." 29:26 While they will walk past the church, 29:28 and they'll tip their hat, take their hat off, 29:30 and when they pass the church, they'll put their hat back on. 29:32 It's like there was a time when holy things were honored. 29:36 But those days seem to have long been gone 29:39 because we're not living in a holy generation. 29:43 This world is anything but holy. 29:45 The things that people do are anything but holy. 29:47 When we consider that our body belongs to God, 29:50 He wants us to not defile it because the end result will be, 29:55 God doesn't want anyone in this kingdom 29:57 that dishonors the very body He gives them. 30:00 If we dishonor it here, 30:01 and we don't acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior here, 30:04 what makes you think 30:05 we're going to honor Him in heaven? 30:07 And here's the key. 30:09 If we can't follow God's instruction here 30:11 and refuse to follow His principles here, 30:14 then He would not admit us in His Kingdom 30:17 because that cannot continue in eternity. 30:20 Only those things that... 30:21 Matter of fact, go with me to Revelation Chapter 22. 30:24 Revelation Chapter 22. 30:28 Okay. 30:33 Okay. 30:36 And 30:42 look together 30:44 at 30:49 Revelation Chapter 22, 30:51 look at verse 15, 30:54 verse 15, all right? 30:57 Okay. 30:58 It talks about all the other practices 31:00 that will not be allowed in the kingdom. 31:02 It says, "But outside are dogs, and sorcerers, 31:06 and sexually immoral, and murderers, 31:08 and idolaters, and whoever loves, 31:11 and does," what? 31:13 "Practices a lie." 31:15 Some says maketh a lie. 31:17 So all those things that are 31:19 not going to be allowed in the Lord's Kingdom. 31:21 Look at verse 11. 31:23 It says, "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still, 31:26 he who is filthy, let him be," what? 31:29 "Filthy still." 31:30 So you'll see that 31:32 only the righteous and the holy are going to be allowed in, 31:36 not the unjust and the filthy. 31:40 And the Bible also goes to point out that 31:41 nothing will enter in that defiles, 31:45 nothing that defiles is going to be entered in. 31:48 Now, I don't know if you thought about this, 31:50 but let's think about this for a brief moment. 31:51 Let's put our caps on. 31:55 Are we going to eat meat at all in heaven? 31:57 Yes or no? 31:59 No. No. 32:00 How long we're going to be up there? 32:01 Somebody tell me. 32:03 A thousand years before we return to the earth 32:06 and then the final sin problem is dealt with 32:08 as Revelation Chapter 20 and 21 describes. 32:13 There's nobody going to be taken a rifle 32:15 to heaven hunting down a hog. 32:19 There he is, 32:21 there he is running up New Jerusalem Street. 32:24 It's not going to happen. 32:26 And so a lot of people don't think that in heaven, 32:29 there will be no killing of animals, 32:32 no death, and by the way, 32:34 I want to also bring this out clearly, 32:37 animals are going to be in the new earth. 32:40 Animals, horses, elephants, 32:43 all those things that God populated the earth with 32:46 will be in the new earth. 32:47 There's going to be no hunting. 32:49 We're going to be fruitarians and vegetarians 32:52 in the kingdom of the Lord. 32:54 We're going to have the best diet, amen? 32:56 We're going to have the clean diet. 32:58 And so when we begin to establish, 33:00 there is a pattern 33:01 that the Lord doesn't want us to follow. 33:03 As you answered question number two, 33:04 how important is our stewardship 33:06 towards our bodies? 33:07 God does not want us to defile His temple. 33:10 Let's go to the third one. 33:12 Question number three, question number three. 33:15 And we're laying down principles right now. 33:18 What are we laying down? 33:19 Principles. 33:20 Principles apply on a broad scale. 33:22 Matter of fact, if you apply principles, 33:24 you can apply these principles to any culture, any culture. 33:28 All right, here it is. 33:29 Number three. 33:31 What instruction are we given 33:32 concerning the care of our bodies? 33:36 What instruction are we given 33:38 concerning the care of our bodies? 33:43 Romans 12:1-2. 33:46 Another indelible, everlasting principle. 33:49 Here it is, all right? 33:53 Once again, the writer is the Apostle Paul, 33:56 and he begins with an urgency. 33:58 Notice how he says it, 33:59 he says, "I beseech you, therefore," what? 34:03 "I beseech you, therefore, brethren," Romans 12:1, 2, 34:06 "by the mercies of God, that you present your," what? 34:11 "Bodies," look at the screen, "that you present your bodies," 34:14 a what kind of sacrifice? 34:16 "Living sacrifice." 34:18 Together, what else? 34:20 "Holy, acceptable to," who? "God." 34:23 Now I don't want to go, 34:25 "which is your reasonable," what? "Service." 34:27 And let's look at the next text. 34:29 "And do not be conformed to," what? 34:32 "This world, but be," what? 34:35 "Transformed by the renewing of your mind, 34:39 that you may prove what is that good, 34:41 and acceptable, and," what else? 34:43 "Perfect will of God." 34:45 Now we went past those texts, 34:47 I want to go back and emphasize a couple of things 34:48 that were there. 34:50 First of all, it says, 34:54 holy, acceptable to God. 34:57 If we live our lives with thought 34:59 that we want to be acceptable to God 35:01 in the way we present our bodies, 35:03 then we'll have a, what kind of standard? 35:04 A high standard or low standard? 35:06 Which one? 35:07 A high standard because who can set a standard higher than God. 35:12 So if we decide to live our lives 35:14 where we present our bodies to God 35:15 is our standard, excellent or poor? 35:18 Excellent. 35:20 And we'll always be striving 35:21 for that which is higher than our thoughts. 35:25 We want to do things that are acceptable to God. 35:27 But then, we got to think differently 35:29 because the world says, 35:30 "Live this way, dress this way, eat this way." 35:34 And God says, "Live this way, dress this way, eat this way." 35:38 And literally there are only two roads. 35:40 How many roads? 35:42 Two. 35:43 One of health, and life, 35:44 and strength, and righteousness. 35:46 One of sicknesses, disease, and suffering, and immorality. 35:50 And my wife said, "One that is smoking, 35:54 one that's nonsmoking." 35:56 And at the end of the road, 35:58 that's the only two seats we have. 35:59 The smoking seat, and the nonsmoking seat. 36:01 What seat do you want to sit in? 36:02 Come on, help me out? 36:04 The nonsmoking seat. 36:05 Christians will be fireproof by the righteousness of God. 36:09 But you have to live the life now. 36:12 And somebody may say, "Well, why is it so important 36:14 how we live our lives?" 36:15 You know, you're making a decision 36:17 about how you want to live eternally, right? 36:20 If every time I gave you a car, you messed it up, 36:22 would I give you another car? 36:26 That should have been a resounding no. 36:28 Would I give you another car? 36:29 No! No. 36:30 If every time you bought your children something, 36:32 they smash it, they throw it against the wall, 36:34 would you go out and buy another one? 36:36 Absolutely not. 36:38 Parents are not foolish. 36:40 We are not foolish. 36:41 God is not going to say, 36:42 "Well, you know, 36:44 since you've expressed such dissatisfaction for My plan, 36:46 why don't you come and live with Me? 36:48 The last place people want to be 36:50 is the place where the principles 36:52 and the guidelines are completely opposite 36:54 of the way they live. 36:56 So this idea that everybody dies 36:57 and goes to heaven is so untrue. 37:00 Because to put a sinner in heaven is like, 37:01 it's worst than putting. 37:05 I can't even think of a comparison. 37:09 To put a sinner in heaven will be like hell for them 37:12 because they don't want to live that kind of life. 37:15 So the Lord wants us to get ready for heaven, 37:18 not the day before He comes 37:20 because we don't know when that is. 37:22 But He wants us to be an example 37:24 of what the kingdom life is going to be 37:26 by how we live now, is that okay? 37:28 Let's go to the next one. 37:29 And so don't be conformed is the answer, 37:32 be transformed by renewing your mind. 37:38 Very good example, honey. 37:39 The three Hebrews, we didn't talk about them, 37:41 but the three Hebrews were in Babylon, 37:44 and Daniel particularly refused to defile himself 37:50 with the king's meat 37:52 and the wine which the king drank. 37:55 And when he was given 10 days to be tested, 37:58 read the story there in Daniel 1. 38:00 When he was given 10 days to be tested, 38:03 just in 10 days, 38:04 the intellect of the Hebrews were far superior to that 38:08 of the Babylonians. 38:10 Their intellect and their health 38:11 was far greater because they applied the principles 38:14 that are found in God's Word. 38:16 And they practiced that. 38:17 So when they got to Babylon, here's the key. 38:19 If you practice living righteously, 38:21 eating righteously, dressing according to scripture, 38:24 when you're at home, 38:25 you're not going to change your habits 38:26 when you leave home, right? 38:29 Train up a child in the way they should go. 38:30 And when they are old, they will not, what? 38:32 They won't depart from it. 38:34 Thank you for that example. 38:36 My wife gives me Bible studies when I'm giving Bible studies. 38:40 Number four, number four. 38:43 Now we're going to start diving in. 38:45 How does the Bible describe 38:48 the process that influences our actions? 38:51 There's a process that influences our actions. 38:54 This is a huge question and a very profound scripture. 38:59 2 Corinthians 3:18. 39:02 2 Corinthians 3:18. 39:05 It's amazing. 39:06 You may wonder 39:09 how people get the way they are. 39:14 I remember fads. 39:15 Does anybody remember what a fad is? 39:18 Some of the young people, 39:20 they call it something different, 39:21 trends, fashions, whatever the word may be. 39:24 But somebody, all somebody has to do is, 39:26 I don't know who started the spike, 39:27 the spike here, it's fad. 39:29 We never know who started, but all of a sudden, 39:31 you know, we get to the generation 39:33 where everybody's wearing spikes. 39:35 In our day, growing up with one pant leg rolled up, 39:39 men with high heels. 39:42 And then in this generation are the faddest guys 39:44 with their pants down to their knees. 39:46 All these crazy fads 39:48 that don't come from God's Word, amen? 39:54 But the world can make you look so foolish. 39:57 And in the eyes of the world, 40:00 that's why I like where it says 40:01 being transformed by the renewing of your mind. 40:02 In the eyes of the world, 40:04 they look at some famous person, 40:05 some guy that's making a lot of money 40:07 or some woman that's making a lot of money 40:08 that's hardly dressed or that's dressed ridiculously. 40:12 Like my wife said a few days ago. 40:13 She says, "This is the generation, 40:15 well, the more messed up your hair is, 40:17 the more in style you are." 40:19 Just wake up in the morning and run out the door. 40:21 Look like you just landed from a tornado, 40:24 and you are in style. 40:26 You don't even have to dress up. 40:28 That's the kind of generation we're in. 40:30 A generation that is out of order, 40:32 not in harmony with God's Word, but how does it happen? 40:35 Look at this scripture. 40:37 2 Corinthians 3:18, the Bible says, 40:40 "But we, with unveiled faces," 40:44 meaning there's no more blockage 40:46 in front of us, 40:48 "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, 40:53 are being," what? 40:55 "Transformed into the same image 40:59 from glory to glory, 41:01 just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 41:05 Now as that scripture disappears, 41:07 I want to point out a couple of patterns here, 41:09 a couple of very important things. 41:11 Now notice some of the words, 41:12 beholding in a mirror and being transformed. 41:16 Beholding. 41:17 Have you heard the phrase behold, 41:19 by beholding we become changed. 41:23 If you look at something long enough 41:26 and admire something long enough, 41:29 just a matter of time, 41:32 you're going to start emulating that thing 41:33 that you focus your attention on, 41:36 your mind on. 41:37 That's why all you've got to do to change a society 41:41 is decide what kind of programs you want them to watch, right? 41:47 In our society, 41:48 the way they seek to push the LGBTIAQ agenda 41:53 is by putting that kind of program 41:54 on television, 41:55 and they title it the new normal. 41:58 So if I keep saying that a corrupt lifestyle is normal, 42:02 after a while everybody starts thinking it's normal. 42:05 If I teach it in schools, as though it's new, 42:09 modern family, in other phrase, modern family, 42:12 husband, two husbands, two wives. 42:15 If I teach that as the new normal, 42:17 and the modern family, all of a sudden, 42:20 there's a whole generation coming up 42:22 that think that that's the way 42:23 that God always intended it to be. 42:25 I remember talking to a young lady one day, 42:28 and I'll be very vague about this. 42:32 But I remember my wife telling this young lady that, 42:35 "Do you know that it's not in the... 42:38 God does not support people living together?" 42:41 She said, "I never knew that. 42:43 I never knew that that was against God's Word, 42:45 that a man and a woman should not live together 42:47 until they're married. 42:49 I never knew that. Really? 42:50 Where does it say that in the scriptures?" 42:51 And my wife pointed it out to her. 42:55 So there are people that don't look at the Bible, 42:56 don't read the Bible. 42:58 They get their point of reference 42:59 by beholding the world, they are transformed. 43:02 By looking at what the world does, 43:04 they are transformed. 43:05 And so the world sets the pattern, 43:07 and so many people 43:08 that don't have a reference guide, 43:10 which is God's Word, 43:12 they are being transformed. 43:13 And to them, it's normal. 43:16 So when you give them the book, 43:17 when their hearts are turned to God 43:19 and they begin to embrace 43:20 what God's Word says, 43:22 another transformation takes place. 43:24 They are transformed from glory to glory. 43:28 Amen to that. 43:30 Only as God's Word comes into our lives 43:33 can we be transformed from glory to glory. 43:35 But if we look at the world, 43:37 we're transformed from darkness to even more darkness 43:40 because we're just simply following 43:41 somebody else's pattern. 43:43 I once said, 43:44 "How can you be an original 43:47 if you're following what everybody else does?" 43:52 Did you know that every one of us is an original? 43:54 Did you know that? 43:55 Don't live a life that's a copy. 43:58 If you aren't original, be original for Jesus. 44:01 Amen to that. 44:02 Don't be a copy. 44:04 Okay, now we're diving in. 44:06 Here we are, we laid some foundation. 44:08 Now we're going to dive in. 44:09 Let's look at some of these scriptures 44:11 in its actual application. 44:13 Question number five. 44:15 What was the result of the fall of humanity 44:19 in the Garden of Eden? 44:22 What was the result? 44:23 Go with me to Genesis 3:7, Genesis 3:7, 44:28 what was the result of the fall of humanity 44:31 in the Garden of Eden? 44:33 Okay, I could simply say of the man and the woman 44:35 because they were humanity in a nutshell, 44:38 just two people. 44:40 Okay. 44:42 What was the result of the fall of humanity 44:47 in the Garden of Eden? 44:48 Genesis Chapter 3, this is huge. 44:51 You know, the devil said when they sinned, 44:52 their eyes will be opened. 44:54 Now let me make a point. 44:56 When your eyes are open, do you see or do you not see? 44:59 Which one, somebody tell me? 45:01 See. 45:02 Okay, if your eyes are open, you see. 45:03 Now... 45:06 And we'll get to this later on. 45:10 God does not want us to see evil 45:14 before we decide whether evil is good or not. 45:17 There are certain things that you don't have to see, 45:19 you got to simply trust 45:21 that God said it's not good, right? 45:23 Ain't that right? 45:24 Sometimes you say, don't look, and what do people do? 45:27 Look. 45:29 Sometimes you say, look, and what do they do? 45:31 Not look. 45:32 Look out, and they're staring right at you. 45:34 You say, "Look." And they're not looking. 45:36 You say, "Don't look." And they look. 45:38 That's just exactly how we are. 45:40 God says... 45:41 Exactly, Lot's wife. 45:43 Don't look back, and exactly what she do? 45:44 Looks back, 45:46 becomes the first human salt shaker. 45:49 We are opposite to instruction. 45:50 God says, "Don't do what happens." 45:52 We do. 45:53 But look at what happened. 45:55 God said to Adam and Eve, 45:56 "Don't eat of that forbidden tree," 45:59 and they did and look at the result. 46:02 Genesis 3:7, the Bible says, 46:05 "Then the eyes of both of them were," what? 46:08 "Opened, and they knew that they were," what? 46:12 "Naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made," 46:16 what? 46:17 "Made themselves coverings." 46:20 That's the huge part. 46:22 They made themselves covering. 46:26 That is the first garment designed by humanity. 46:29 Adam and Eve made the first garment 46:32 designed by humanity. 46:35 What did they make? 46:37 What did they make? 46:38 Go to verse 10. 46:39 What do they make? 46:41 Well, actually, what do they say? 46:43 Okay. 46:45 Matter of fact, we just read the text. 46:46 What kind of garment did they make? 46:48 Look at this. It's in the text. 46:49 What kind of garment did they make? 46:51 Fig leaves, fig leaves. 46:53 They made fig leaves. 46:55 Now I want to just go and make some application. 46:57 They knew that they were naked and they made fig leaves. 47:01 Now when they made fig leaves, 47:02 I don't know if you've seen a fig before, 47:05 but their leaves are not very big. 47:08 Are you tracking with me like David? 47:10 Are you tracking, David, as you go? 47:11 Are you tracking? 47:12 Here, are you following? 47:15 This is the society that dresses with fig leaves? 47:20 Can I get an amen? 47:21 Amen. Amen. 47:22 Lord have mercy. 47:24 I pray for the men every day. 47:27 I've done seminars for men, 47:28 and I know how tough it is even being a Christian man. 47:32 This is a society that makes their own clothing. 47:36 They made themselves coverings. 47:41 And this world is in the habit of making things 47:44 that God never gave them the pattern for. 47:48 He didn't. 47:49 He didn't make them a pattern at all. 47:51 Now the question is when they did that, 47:53 what happened? 47:55 Let's go to the next one. 47:56 Next question. 47:57 Here it is. 48:00 The next question. 48:01 When we are redeemed, when we are redeemed, 48:06 what provision does the Lord make for us? 48:09 When we are redeemed, 48:11 what provision does the Lord make for us? 48:14 And we're going to go back to Genesis 48:16 in just a moment. 48:18 When we are redeemed, 48:19 what provision does the Lord make for us? 48:23 Here it is. 48:24 All right, here it is in verse 18 48:27 of Revelation Chapter 3. 48:29 Here's what He says. 48:31 It's powerful text. 48:32 He says, "I counsel you to buy from Me," what? 48:37 "Gold refined in the fire," that is a righteous character. 48:41 And look at the symbolism used, "that you may be rich, 48:44 and white garments, that you may be," what? 48:48 "Clothed," and what reason? 48:50 "That the shame of your nakedness 48:55 may not be," what? 48:57 "Revealed." 48:58 The Lord doesn't want 49:00 His people to be...? 49:05 Say it, say it, say it. 49:06 Naked. Naked. 49:08 Now, do I need to do a survey? 49:10 Are we living in a naked generation? 49:13 Absolutely. 49:16 This is the generation 49:18 where the imagination has been shut off. 49:20 You don't have to imagine any longer 49:22 because there's nakedness. 49:25 And the sad reality, 49:27 the world has affected the church. 49:32 There's some magazine articles that have been written about 49:34 how important it is to dress when you go to church. 49:37 I've dealt with men in seminars and they say, 49:39 sometimes you go to churches, 49:40 and the men have issues too 49:42 when it comes to going to church. 49:44 Some of them dressed like they're on their way 49:45 to the beach. 49:47 Some of the young ladies talked about that, 49:48 and down in Australia, they said. 49:49 Some of these guys come to church 49:51 like they're going to go surfing right after that 49:52 with shorts and their T-shirt. 49:53 Their shirts opened all the way down, 49:55 and they're showing their unrighteous chest 49:57 rather than remembering that 49:58 they come into the presence of a Holy God. 50:01 But I tell you, 50:02 the Lord does not want the shame of our nakedness 50:05 to be revealed. 50:06 God wants us to be what? 50:08 Clothed. 50:09 So let's put that down. 50:11 Revelation Chapter 3, when we are redeemed, 50:13 what provision does the Lord make for us? 50:16 Garments of righteousness. 50:19 Write that down. 50:20 Garments of righteousness. 50:23 He doesn't want our nakedness to be revealed. 50:28 He doesn't want our nakedness to be revealed. 50:31 You'll find some serious examples in scripture 50:34 of how the Lord feels about that. 50:38 Now we're going to go back to Genesis to see 50:40 in another translation how the Lord feels about that. 50:43 All right? 50:46 Question number, what? 50:48 Question number seven. 50:52 What action did the Lord take to cover 50:55 Adam and Eve's nakedness? 50:58 Now remember, what did they put together? 51:01 Who remembers what they put together to wear? 51:03 Fig leaves. 51:05 They sewed fig leaves together. 51:06 Don't know how they did it. 51:08 I don't think they had a needle and thread, 51:10 but they found a way to do it. 51:11 They were very intelligent, perfectly intelligent. 51:15 They sewed fig leaves together. 51:16 Now the Lord didn't come along and say, 51:18 "Hey Eve, I like your fig leaves. 51:22 Where'd you get it from?" 51:23 Today, when people go shopping, 51:26 they buy fig leaves and wear fig leaves 51:28 sometimes to church. 51:31 What does the Lord do? 51:32 He wasn't satisfied with the garments they made 51:36 because they belong to Him. 51:37 So He stepped in, and redesigned, 51:40 and gave them the appropriate garments. 51:42 Genesis 3:21. 51:44 And I put this in the NIV, 51:45 so it can be really, really clear. 51:47 Really, really clear. 51:49 And the Bible says, look at the screen. 51:51 "The Lord made," what? 51:52 "Garments of," what? 51:54 "Skin for Adam and his wife and," did what? 51:57 "Clothed them." 51:59 And I want to tell you today, the Lord didn't kill a mouse. 52:03 I don't know if you got the illustration. 52:06 He didn't make a tiny garment. 52:09 I can guarantee you when He did take the life of that animal, 52:13 he made garments large enough to cover their nakedness. 52:16 So that from that point on, 52:20 the righteous garment that they lost, 52:22 the covering, the glory of God was removed, 52:25 now the Lord replaced it with. 52:27 And from that day on, 52:29 from that day on, 52:31 until we are clothed 52:33 in the righteousness of God again, 52:35 from that day on, 52:36 the Lord wants us to be clothed. 52:39 He wants us to cover our, what? 52:41 Skin. 52:43 Man alive, this generation... 52:45 And you know what? 52:48 Sometimes I forget how terrible it is 52:49 until I go back to a major city. 52:51 We live in Thompsonville, and for the most part, 52:55 it's farming community. 52:57 You know, if you live in Thompsonville, 52:59 most of us by our clothing at the Shell gas station. 53:03 Not really. 53:06 They don't sell anything there but camouflage, and dungarees, 53:08 and stuff like that. 53:11 Well, we go to Dollar General. 53:12 No, we don't really. 53:14 But no, you don't buy clothes in Thompsonville. 53:16 But when you go to St. Louis, you are immediately reminded 53:19 how you shouldn't dress. 53:20 Can I get an amen? 53:22 But some of us go to St. Louis and we say, 53:24 "Oh, wow, that looks really good." 53:26 And we buy and try to wear in Thompsonville, 53:27 and it looks out of place. 53:31 God wants His people to dress presentably. 53:33 Can you say amen to that? Amen. 53:35 Wonderfully, and how does that really translate? 53:38 Let's go to the very next one. 53:39 The Lord covered them with the skin of an animal, 53:42 and it wasn't a mouse, it wasn't a rabbit. 53:45 I'm sure He used a big animal 53:46 to cover these two super humans. 53:49 And by the way, they were not six feet tall either, 53:51 they were superhuman, 53:53 antediluvians as the Bible described them to be 53:55 super in structure. 53:57 Look at question number eight. 54:00 What instruction does the Bible give about godly adornment? 54:04 What instruction does the Bible give about godly adornment? 54:08 So important to live godly, 54:10 and so important to dress godly. 54:12 It makes a difference. 54:13 And by the way, 54:15 I think that the way you eat 54:16 is preparation for where you're going. 54:18 The way you live is preparation for where you're going. 54:20 The way you dress 54:22 is preparation for where you're going. 54:23 Ain't that right? 54:24 You are showing by the way you live, dress, 54:26 eat, and live your life 54:27 that you are strangers and pilgrims here, 54:29 and you're living for the kingdom. 54:32 Okay, here it is. 54:34 Go to 1 Timothy 2:9-10, 1 Timothy 2:9-10. 54:39 You guys are so quick, you're already there. 54:40 All right, here it is. 54:42 And this is also in the NIV because the way it said 54:44 it was so really, really, really clear. 54:46 All right? Here it is. 54:48 Timothy, 54:50 this young man being instructed by the Apostle Paul, 54:53 he says, "I also want women to dress," how? 54:55 What's the word there? 54:57 "Modestly, with," what else? 54:59 "Decency, and," what? "Propriety." 55:03 That means with a dress 55:05 that does not befit in decency. 55:10 You know the word decency and propriety 55:13 is an interchangeable word. 55:14 He says, "Not with braided hair or gold or pearls or," what? 55:19 "Expensive clothes. 55:22 But look at the next text. 55:23 "But with good deeds appropriate for women 55:26 who profess to worship God. 55:31 But with good deeds appropriate for women 55:34 who profess to worship God." 55:36 Now, when Paul begins by saying, 55:39 and I'm going to go back to the screen, 55:40 I also want women to dress modestly. 55:43 In the verses preceding that, Paul the Apostle pointed out 55:46 two challenges that Christians had. 55:49 The men had a hard time praying. 55:53 He said, "I want men to pray more." 55:55 And then the women said, 55:57 he said, "I want you ladies to dress modestly." 56:00 And by the way, 56:01 let me put the context together. 56:03 That was in a society 56:04 quite different from our society in America. 56:07 They didn't have Macy's, and Nordstrom, 56:09 and all the stores and the modern dress 56:11 we have today. 56:13 This was a society for the... 56:14 That for the most part, 56:15 most everything was already covered up. 56:18 So if you are in a society where most, 56:20 almost everything is covered up in the Middle Eastern society, 56:23 in the culture of the biblical Asia, 56:25 then you really couldn't be that immodest. 56:28 People today that travel to the Bible lands, 56:30 women that travel to the Bible lands today, 56:33 and go to cultures were dress is very important. 56:35 They cover their heads. 56:37 They dress modestly 56:38 because in some places it's against the law 56:40 for women to expose too much. 56:42 And so when Paul says, 56:44 "To dress modestly with decency, 56:48 and propriety," that means don't look indecent in society. 56:53 He also mentioned something else 56:54 I want to clear up before we go on 56:55 because next week, if you don't get it tonight, 56:58 you've missed it next week. 57:00 When he said, "Not, but braided hair 57:01 or gold or pearls or expensive clothing," 57:03 the people of their day they had a practice 57:06 that they interweaved gold in their hair, 57:11 and they adorned their hair. 57:13 He wasn't talking about regular braiding, 57:15 so the translation there falls short of the actual practice. 57:19 He wasn't talking about, "Well, if you braid your hair, 57:21 now let it out." 57:22 That was not what he was talking about. 57:23 They interweaved articles of gold and silver 57:27 strands into their hair, 57:29 and brought all the glory to themselves. 57:32 What the Lord wants us to be 57:33 is modest in every appropriate way, 57:36 and befitting a person 57:38 who is reflecting the glory of God. 57:40 Can we say amen to that? 57:42 And so as we begin to lay the foundation, 57:44 we're going to see as we continue next week, 57:46 some very important scriptures. 57:48 We've laid a lot of foundation. 57:50 And right now, I hope that you're beginning to think about 57:52 godly diet, and godly dress 57:55 because one day we're going to be clothed 57:57 with the glorious immortality of Jesus. 58:00 So continue until one day 58:02 it all comes into A Sharper Focus. 58:05 God bless you. |
Revised 2019-05-06