Participants:
Series Code: DPM
Program Code: DPM000016A
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00:09 I'd like to begin tonight
00:11 by inviting you to use your imagination. 00:15 I want you to pretend 00:17 that you have been given three wishes 00:20 to ask for anything in life that you want. 00:25 With those three wishes as you are thinking now, 00:28 what would you choose to wish for? 00:33 How many of you would seriously consider 00:38 using one of your wishes 00:41 to wish for perfect health for the rest of your life. 00:46 Could I see your hands? 00:48 Oh, look at all those hands that are up. 00:51 So I think we all agree that good health is important 00:55 and when you think about it, 00:56 it is a key ingredient to happiness. 01:00 One of the most wonderful truths about God 01:03 is that He loves and cares for us 01:06 in a very personal and in a very intimate way. 01:09 And you will find that 01:11 God has given us principles in the Scripture 01:13 of how we can live a happy, healthy, and abundant life. 01:17 I want you to take your Bibles and turn with me to John 10:10. 01:23 This will be one of our foundational texts for tonight. 01:26 Now, I am gonna read this off of the screen, John 10:10, 01:31 these are the words of Jesus. 01:35 The Bible says, 01:37 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill," 01:42 and to do what?" 01:43 Destroy. 01:44 But I have come that they may have life, 01:47 and that they may have it more abundantly." 01:51 Now, who is the thief 01:52 that Jesus is talking about here? 01:55 Oh, that's the devil. 01:56 The Satan would like nothing more than to steal our joy. 02:01 To get us to engage in practices 02:04 that would destroy our minds and our bodies 02:07 so that we cannot connect with God. 02:09 See the devil wants to tear down. 02:11 Jesus wants to build up, 02:13 and He says He has come 02:15 so that we can have life more abundantly. 02:20 In fact more than that, just a few years later, 02:23 John wrote these words 02:24 in his letter to the Christian church. 02:26 3 John 1:2, the Bible says, 02:31 "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things," 02:37 and what?" 02:38 Be in health, just as your soul prospers." 02:43 See, one of the things you find about God 02:45 is He is not only interested in our spiritual health, 02:49 but He is also interested in our physical health. 02:53 You see now why would that be? 02:55 Why would God be interested in my physical health? 02:57 Because God is a loving parent. 03:01 See, actually there's three reasons. 03:02 I want to put them on the screen 03:04 for us to take a look at. 03:06 Reason number one, oh it's not on the screen. 03:08 Reason number one is God loves us. 03:12 I want you to think about your mother. 03:14 How many of you had mothers 03:16 who stood by you at the kitchen table 03:19 and insisted that you eat 03:21 all the vegetables on your plate? 03:23 Can I see your hands? 03:25 Oh, my, many of us did. 03:26 Listen, my mother would stand there 03:29 and she was so fearful 03:31 that I won't eat enough to keep a bird alive. 03:33 You know what? 03:34 She would call me and I just wanted to eat 03:36 a couple bites of food, 03:37 go back out and play with my friends 03:39 like any kid would want to do. 03:40 And she got so scared. 03:42 She kept calling up the doctor saying, 03:44 "Doctor, he won't eat anything, he won't eat." 03:47 And she did this over and over again 03:50 until finally the doctor got tired of it. 03:52 And he said, 03:54 "Ma'am, listen, when the boy's hungry, 03:57 the boy will eat." 03:59 And finally my mother learned to accept that. 04:02 So why do you think our mothers did that? 04:05 Because they're restrictive 04:06 because they want to force us 04:08 to do things we don't like to do, 04:10 because they love us. 04:11 They want us to grow up 04:13 to be big and strong and healthy. 04:15 And in some ways, God is the very same way. 04:18 He's like a loving parent. 04:20 Reason number two, 04:22 is because God understands it's hard to be happy 04:27 when you're in poor health, isn't it? 04:29 It's not impossible. 04:30 But when you have aches and pains and you're suffering, 04:33 you can't do the things that you want to do. 04:36 It's hard to be happy. 04:38 And God wants something better for us than that. 04:41 And, of course, then reason number three, 04:44 is we can't serve the Lord to our fullest potential 04:48 when we're in poor health. 04:49 I can't tell you 04:50 how many people have said to me, 04:52 I wish I could do more for the Lord, 04:54 but I can't do the things I used to do 04:56 because of my health. 04:58 God says, "He wants us to prosper, 05:00 and He wants us to be in health." 05:04 But here's the question, 05:07 if God wants me to live an abundant life, 05:11 then why is the opposite happening in our world today? 05:16 Why is our health in such a sad state of affairs? 05:20 Healthcare has its problems. 05:22 Our bodies are dying and deteriorating. 05:25 Every hospital, every nursing home 05:28 is usually completely overflowing. 05:31 So if God wants me to prosper and be in health, 05:34 what is the problem? 05:37 And the conclusion we come to is this. 05:40 Is it possible that God has given this world 05:44 some principles of health that we have been overlooking? 05:50 Is it possible that God has given 05:52 a health plan to the human family 05:55 that the world has been ignoring? 05:58 And the answer is yes. 06:00 And that's why tonight 06:02 we are gonna study God's health plan 06:03 for the human family. 06:05 So I want you to take your Bibles, 06:07 and we're going to look at the three pronged approach 06:11 of God's plan for the human family. 06:13 All three of these health principles 06:16 are found in the Book of 1 Corinthians. 06:19 So take your Bibles, 06:20 and we're going to go to 1 Corinthians Chapter 10, 06:25 and we're gonna begin in verse 31. 06:28 The Bible says, 06:30 "Therefore, whether you eat or whether you drink, 06:35 or whatever you do, do all," to the what? 06:39 "Glory of God." 06:41 And that's just one sentence long. 06:43 The Bible is basically telling us whatever we do, 06:45 whether it's eating or drinking, 06:47 whatever practice we engage in, 06:50 it ought to be something that's positive 06:53 and brings glory and brings honor to God. 06:57 That's health principle number one. 07:00 Health principle number two is still found in 1 Corinthians 07:03 but it's in Chapter 6. 07:05 Let's go there. 07:07 1 Corinthians 6:19, 07:12 Paul writes this. 07:14 The Bible says, 07:17 "Or do you not know that your body," 07:20 is the what? 07:21 "Temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, 07:25 whom you have from God and you are not your own, 07:29 for you were bought at a price. 07:31 Therefore glorify God in your body 07:34 and in your spirit, which are gods." 07:38 And we gotta stop there for a second. 07:41 There's a principle in that verse 07:44 that many people in the world don't like, 07:47 it's telling us, my body doesn't belong to me. 07:52 And I do not have the right to do to it, whatever I wish. 07:57 And you see, that's a hard concept 07:58 because when you think about it, 08:00 who created the body? 08:03 Of course, God did. 08:04 I didn't create my own body. 08:06 I didn't form my heart, and my lungs, 08:08 and my veins, and my capillaries. 08:10 God did that. 08:12 So not only did He create my body, 08:14 but the Bible says He died for me 08:17 on the cross of Calvary. 08:19 So there's two ways that He owns me, 08:21 by creation and by redemption. 08:24 Can you say amen? 08:25 So see, many times people say like, 08:27 it's my body, I can do what I want, 08:29 as long as it doesn't hurt anybody else. 08:33 Actually, that's not true. 08:36 My body, your body 08:38 is the temple of the Holy Spirit. 08:40 It's where God wants to dwell. 08:42 So this passage is telling us 08:44 that we need to honor God with our bodies 08:47 and take care of them. 08:49 Because really, when you think about it, 08:51 it makes a lot of sense. 08:52 How many bodies do we get on this earth? 08:55 You get one, so if I mess it up, 08:58 I don't get another one 08:59 until the day of the resurrection. 09:02 So that's principle number two. 09:04 Principle number three 09:06 is a couple pages back in Chapter 3. 09:09 1 Corinthians 3:16, 09:15 The Bible says, 09:18 "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, 09:23 and that the Spirit of God dwells in you. 09:26 If anyone defiles the temple of God, 09:29 God will destroy him for the temple of God is holy, 09:32 which temple you are." 09:35 Now that kind of reiterates a little bit more 09:37 what the last verse said. 09:39 But what the Bible is telling us is simply this. 09:42 Don't do anything that would destroy the body or the mind, 09:48 not only because it belongs to God, 09:51 but He has also given it to you to use on this earth. 09:55 Can you say amen? 09:56 And when we destroy that body or that mind, 09:59 it's going to affect our happiness, 10:01 even right here and right now. 10:04 So God loves us enough to give us these principles. 10:07 In fact, let's put all three on the screen. 10:10 Principle number one, 10:12 "Our health habits should glorify God." 10:15 Number two, 10:16 "Our body is holy, it belongs to Him, 10:19 therefore we should take care of it." 10:21 And principle number three, 10:23 "We are not to engage in any activity 10:26 that destroys the body." 10:28 That's it. 10:30 That's God's health plan for the human family. 10:34 See, if you were to read 10:35 all the health care laws and bills today, 10:37 you would likely read about hundreds and hundreds of pages 10:40 filled with things and complex language. 10:43 God is pretty simple, amen? 10:45 Three principles, 10:47 He doesn't tell us 100,000 things 10:49 we can and can't do. 10:50 He says, "Listen, here are the principles. 10:53 You apply it to your life in your situation 10:56 and God's Holy Spirit will guide you." 10:59 Three simple principles. 11:03 Now let me ask you a question. 11:07 How many of you would like to own a Mercedes Benz? 11:10 Now, come on, you can be honest, 11:11 how many would just love to have someone 11:13 give them a Mercedes Benz? 11:15 Okay, well I don't believe half of you 11:16 'cause half of you don't have your hands up. 11:17 If someone offered it to me for free, I would take it. 11:20 Now Mercedes Benz is known to be 11:23 one of the best automobiles in the world. 11:25 It's put through hundreds of quality tests, 11:28 so that when you finally get one, 11:31 you know that you're getting something good. 11:34 But let's suppose that when I got the Mercedes Benz 11:37 in the glove compartment should be a what? 11:40 An owner's manual. 11:42 That owner's manual details for me 11:45 how to take care of this car, 11:47 how often to change the oil and the air filter, 11:50 what kind of gas to put in it, 11:52 all these things that I need to know 11:55 to keep it good and running and healthy. 11:59 But what would happen if when I went to the gas station, 12:02 I thought, you know what, 12:04 instead of putting diesel in here, 12:05 because that costs more money, 12:07 I'm just gonna put regular gas in. 12:09 What would happen to my Mercedes Benz? 12:12 Pretty soon, 12:13 it would be in the repair shop with a big bill. 12:17 Now, can I blame Mercedes Benz for that? 12:20 I can't, because I ignored the owner's manual. 12:25 But you know, sometimes that's the way we are with God. 12:27 We ignore His health principles. 12:29 And then we blame God 12:31 when something negative or bad happens to us. 12:34 That's not fair. 12:36 But see what God has said is, 12:38 even if we've engaged in unhealthful practices, 12:41 He says, "I still love you. 12:43 I want to deliver you. 12:45 And I want to set you free, if you will let Me." 12:47 Can you say amen? Amen. 12:49 So here's what we're gonna do tonight. 12:51 We're gonna take these three simple health principles, 12:55 and we're gonna apply them to some specific things 12:59 that people struggle with, in our world today. 13:02 Now I want to let you know ahead of time 13:04 that we're probably going to tread 13:06 on some sensitive subjects. 13:09 It is not meant to hurt or offend anyone 13:12 or to make them feel bad, 13:13 because the truth is, 13:15 every person sitting here right now, 13:17 including myself, 13:19 we all have some kind of addiction in our life. 13:21 Is that not true? 13:23 For some, it's a physical addiction 13:24 that's just more visible. 13:26 For others, it may be a spiritual 13:28 or some kind of emotional addiction 13:30 that nobody else can really see. 13:32 We've all got our faults and our weaknesses. 13:35 God wants to give us victory over them all. 13:39 And no person is better than somebody else 13:42 in God's eyes. 13:43 Can we all agree on that? Can you say amen? 13:45 So here's what we're gonna do. 13:48 I wanna tell you a quick story to lead into this 13:50 about Dr. Richard Walden. 13:53 He was a physician in California 13:56 and he got tired of all his patients coming to him 13:59 and asking for some kind of pill or medication 14:03 to take away their aches and pains, 14:05 while still continuing their unhealthful practices 14:09 that caused it in the beginning, 14:12 and he couldn't seem to get through to his patients, 14:14 you need to make different lifestyle choices. 14:17 So here's what he did. 14:19 He wrote a little booklet. 14:21 He put it in his waiting room, and he titled it, 14:26 "I'll tell you how to die younger." 14:29 Can you imagine that? 14:31 This is a bold physician, 'cause, you know, 14:33 when you're in a doctor's waiting room, 14:35 what are you usually doing? 14:37 You're waiting and reading. 14:40 So he knew his patients would pick it up. 14:42 And so he listed about 10 things. 14:45 This is the first thing that he put in his booklet 14:48 about how to die younger. 14:50 He wrote, 14:51 "If you want to die younger, smoke heavily." 14:56 Now we're gonna pause here for a second 14:58 because many times a person may say, 15:00 "No, no, wait a minute. 15:02 The Bible does not say Thou shall not smoke." 15:06 It's true, the Bible doesn't say that. 15:08 The Bible also doesn't say, 15:09 "Thou shall not snuff cocaine 15:11 or thou shall not inject heroin." 15:14 But there are principles in the Bible 15:17 that will help us make our decisions. 15:20 Now the thing is we want to understand, 15:22 I know many beautiful Christians 15:25 who loved God with all their heart, 15:28 and they have struggled with this particular practice. 15:32 In fact, I have had people tell me, 15:34 this is one of the hardest addictions 15:37 to be able to stop. 15:39 But you know, God has something better. 15:43 Let's just take a look 15:45 at some scientific and medical facts 15:47 about smoking that probably won't surprise any of us. 15:51 We are told there are 18 active poisons 15:55 in tobacco alone, 15:56 the main ones being nicotine and tar. 15:59 Did you know that half a drop of raw nicotine 16:04 would kill a rabbit? 16:05 Just half a drop 16:07 and there's two and a half drops 16:09 of nicotine in every cigarette. 16:11 You say, well then 16:13 why doesn't it kill us instantly? 16:15 You know why? 16:16 Because the Bible says 16:17 our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made, amen? 16:21 Amen. 16:22 It's amazing that 16:23 whenever something negative happens to the body, 16:25 God created it to start healing itself. 16:29 Already properties and agencies go into place 16:31 when we cut ourselves or a foreign substance goes in, 16:35 and the body starts to make itself well 16:38 by God's grace. 16:40 However, once we start doing these things over and over, 16:44 over a long period of time, 16:46 eventually it catches up with us. 16:49 Since 1937, 16:51 death from lung cancer has increased four times. 16:55 There are 700,000 people a year 16:58 who die from cigarette related diseases. 17:01 It's a mind and body destroying habit. 17:04 And you'll notice even the Surgeon General, you know, 17:07 and governmental standards aren't exactly the highest. 17:10 But even the Surgeon General. puts a warning 17:13 on every single pack of cigarettes. 17:18 Now just looking at those statistics alone, 17:22 knowing what it does to one's mind and body, 17:25 if we were to apply 17:27 the three health principles from the Bible, 17:31 what do you think? 17:32 Smoking, is that a health habit that glorifies God, yes or no? 17:36 Not really. 17:38 Our body is holy and belongs to God. 17:40 Is smoking taking care of the body, yes or no? 17:43 Not really. 17:44 Is it something that destroys the mind and the body? 17:47 Yes. 17:49 So according to the health principles of the Bible, 17:51 not my opinion, you know, not Mark's opinion, 17:54 is smoking something 17:55 that God wants to be in our life? 17:58 It is not. 18:00 You say but, Pastor Dave, I've known that. 18:05 I wanna be able to stop. 18:06 I just can't seem to be able to do it. 18:09 Brothers and sisters, 18:10 I want you to know I can understand that. 18:12 And there's something 18:13 I want you to hear loud and clear, 18:15 regardless of what anybody else may tell you. 18:19 God does not love you any less because you smoke. 18:24 Can you say amen? Amen. 18:25 And He's not gonna love you anymore when you quit. 18:29 He already loves you now as much as He possibly can. 18:34 Because sometimes we get the impression, 18:35 oh, you know someone who smokes 18:37 or someone who struggles with this health habit, 18:40 they're inferior, they're loved less by God, 18:42 that is absolutely untrue. 18:44 God will not love you anymore 18:46 when you stop whatever that health practice is. 18:49 You say, "Well, then why should I stop?" 18:51 If a person stops, 18:53 it's not because it's going to gain them righteousness. 18:56 It's not because it's going to make God love them more 18:59 or they're going get into heaven easier 19:01 if they choose to stop. 19:03 It's because inside they had been convicted 19:05 and they're saying, 19:07 "God, I want to take care of my mind and body. 19:09 I'm surrendering it to you 19:10 and I am asking you to take this out of my life." 19:14 It's a response to the love of God. 19:16 You don't stop to make God love you. 19:19 I choose to stop 19:20 because I'm responding to what He did for me 19:23 on the cross of Calvary. 19:25 If that makes sense, can you say amen? 19:26 Amen. 19:28 But you know, smoking is not the only thing 19:29 that we could struggle with. 19:32 Notice the second thing 19:34 that's listed in Dr. Walden's pamphlet. 19:37 I'd love to get a hold of this pamphlet, 19:38 but I've never been able to find it. 19:41 Number two, he said "If you want to die younger, 19:44 drink alcohol, even in moderation." 19:50 Now, we perhaps should tread softly here 19:54 because right now alcohol 19:56 is probably a billion dollar business 19:59 in this country 20:00 and in this world probably more. 20:03 But it is also the number one drug problem that exists. 20:10 So the question is, 20:11 how does God look at the idea of alcohol 20:14 'cause there's mixed opinions about this. 20:17 Now the Bible speaks specifically on it. 20:19 But first, let's just start 20:21 with some scientific and medical facts 20:24 that most of us are probably aware of anyway. 20:27 Fact number one 20:29 is that alcohol costs billions of dollars 20:31 in lost work, medical expenses, and auto accidents. 20:36 There's a 100,000 deaths every year due to alcohol, 20:40 800,000 of them on the road in auto accidents. 20:44 It's a significant factor in violent crimes 20:48 like rape and murder, etc. 20:51 And you know, the one that really struck me, 20:54 61 million families have been affected by alcohol 21:00 in a negative way. 21:02 How many families have been torn apart 21:06 because of something that was done 21:08 or said by a person 21:10 who was under the influence of something else? 21:14 Words that could never be taken back, 21:18 actions that you could never undo, 21:20 61 million families 21:22 and I would guarantee you the number is higher than that, 21:25 because that's only the cases that had been reported. 21:27 That doesn't even count the secret things 21:29 that happen in silence every single day. 21:35 Now, that's worldly statistics. 21:38 But does God say anything about this? 21:41 And He does. 21:43 I wanna invite you to turn in your Bibles 21:44 to the Book of Proverbs. 21:47 What book are we going to? 21:49 Proverbs Chapter 20. 21:51 And we're going to look at verse 1. 21:54 The Bible says, "Wine is a what? 21:59 A mocker and strong drink is a brawler, 22:03 and whoever is led astray by it is not wise." 22:08 Now, let me ask you, before we even dig into that, 22:10 does that sound like a positive 22:12 or a negative comment on alcohol? 22:14 What do you think? 22:16 That's pretty negative. 22:17 I mean, God comes right out and He says, 22:19 "Listen, alcohol will mock you. 22:22 It will make a fool of you." 22:25 And if you've ever seen someone who is under the influence, 22:30 whether it be yourself 22:32 at an inopportune moment or someone else, 22:35 we realize what alcohol can do. 22:38 So when someone's under the influence, 22:40 and they no longer have control of their mind, 22:42 they usually go one of two ways. 22:45 Either A, alcohol mocks them 22:48 because they lose control 22:49 and they either do something silly, 22:52 or something stupid, 22:53 or something that's gonna humiliate them 22:55 for the rest of their life 22:57 because they're not thinking anymore. 23:02 But those that they're not doing 23:03 something silly or humiliated, 23:05 something they would never do under normal circumstances. 23:08 If you go to the other side of the continuum, 23:11 there are those that don't get silly. 23:14 They get mean, and angry, and nasty. 23:18 Because what else did Solomon write? 23:20 Strong drink is a what? 23:22 Is a brawler. 23:24 How many barroom fights have there been 23:26 because of alcohol? 23:28 How many verbal and physical fights 23:31 have there been and you know what's sad? 23:34 How much spousal and child abuse 23:39 has been a result of somebody being under the influence, 23:43 doing something they would never do 23:45 under normal circumstances 23:47 and when you lose control one time, 23:50 it can affect you for the rest of your life 23:54 because you're giving your mind over to something else. 23:59 And that's why God loves us too much 24:02 to stay silent about it. 24:04 He says, it is not wise to be led astray 24:06 by wine or alcohol, 24:08 stay away from it. 24:10 It's not gonna help us live 24:11 a healthy, happy, and abundant life 24:14 that God wants. 24:17 But you know something that really disturbs me, 24:20 is when I hear people and even churches say, 24:24 "Oh, now wait a minute. 24:25 Jesus drank alcohol, 24:28 and He provided it for the people 24:29 at the wedding of Cana." 24:33 Friends, I can tell you from the Bible 24:34 and the Bible alone, that is absolutely untrue. 24:38 That is just the devil's way of twisting the scriptures 24:41 to try to get us to do something to our bodies 24:44 that he can use to take control. 24:47 Jesus never drank alcoholic wine. 24:51 You say, "Well, how do you know that?" 24:53 Two reasons, we just read something 24:56 in the Book of Proverbs, didn't we? 24:57 Yes. 24:59 Now let me ask you something. 25:01 Do we agree that Jesus lived a sinless life, yes or no? 25:05 Do we agree that Jesus lived in harmony 25:07 with all the principles of the Scripture, yes or no? 25:11 Indeed, 25:12 they had the Old Testament at that time. 25:15 They had the Book of Proverbs. 25:17 I am not willing to say that Jesus purposely ignored 25:21 what was written right here in Proverbs, 25:24 and went ahead and drank alcohol 25:26 and left it as an example for future generations 25:30 after He would have read exactly what Solomon wrote. 25:33 Because after all, Solomon wrote it, 25:35 Solomon was under the inspiration of who? 25:38 The Holy Spirit, 25:40 Jesus left the Holy Spirit for us. 25:42 Jesus would not contradict His own word, 25:45 by word or by example. 25:48 That's reason number one. 25:50 Reason number two, 25:52 is something that sometimes confuses people is this. 25:56 Did you know that 25:57 in the English version of the Bible, 25:59 it uses the word wine 26:02 to describe both the alcohol and grape juice? 26:06 Did you know that? It uses the same word. 26:09 Wine can describe fermented wine 26:11 which is alcohol, 26:13 but it can also describe the unfermented 26:15 which is the pure juice of the grape. 26:17 It uses the same word, the English version 26:20 does not make a differentiation. 26:23 You see, well then, how are you supposed to know 26:26 which kind of wine it's talking about 26:28 when the Bible uses that word? 26:29 How do you know if it's speaking of alcohol 26:31 or of the fruit of the mind? 26:34 You have to look at the context 26:36 and it will usually be very clear. 26:38 For example, 26:39 since we're right here in Proverbs. 26:41 Proverbs 21, it said, "Wine is a mocker." 26:45 Now so far it hadn't told us which kind of wine 26:48 but if you read the very next sentence, 26:50 it clarifies, strong drink is a brawler, 26:54 or some version say intoxicating drink. 26:57 Well, what would strong drink be? 26:58 Would that be grape juice? 27:00 No, obviously that's talking about the alcoholic wine. 27:05 And the Bible says, "Stay away from it." 27:09 So see when the Bible speaks of Jesus 27:12 providing wine at the wedding of Cana, 27:15 that's not alcoholic wine. 27:17 You think He would ignore Proverbs 27:19 and provide something like that 27:21 for all the people in the wedding of Cana 27:23 when He is the Son of God? 27:26 It's talking about the pure fruit of the vine. 27:30 See, that's why it's important 27:32 to study the Bible in its context, 27:35 not just pick out one verse, 27:37 but go to all the verses that talk about this subject, 27:41 then we will discover Bible truth, amen? 27:43 Amen. 27:45 Actually, while we're here, 27:46 that there is one more verse in Proverbs 27:48 that talks about alcohol, 27:50 and it's rather poetic actually. 27:52 Let's go to Proverbs 23:29, 27:57 the Bible says, "Who has woe? 28:01 Who has sorrow? 28:03 Who has contentions and who has complaints? 28:06 Who has wounds without cause? 28:08 Who has redness of the eyes? 28:11 Those who linger long at the wine, 28:14 those who go in search of mixed wine, 28:17 do not look on the wine when it is red 28:19 when it sparkles in the cup, 28:21 when it swirls around smoothly. 28:24 At the last it bites like a serpent 28:26 and stings like a viper. 28:28 Your eyes will see strange things 28:31 and your heart will utter perverse things." 28:35 Wow, that sounds like someone 28:38 who has experienced that, doesn't it? 28:41 I mean, just notice the summary of what he writes 28:43 in four or five simple verses. 28:46 The Bible says, "Alcohol causes woe, 28:48 and sorrow, and contention in people's lives. 28:51 I think the King James says it causes babbling. 28:53 Ever heard someone try to talk 28:55 when they're under the influence. 28:57 It causes us to see strange things. 28:59 We will say cruel or perverse things. 29:02 And it's compared to the poison of a snake. 29:07 I mean, what does it say? 29:08 It stings like a viper 29:09 or some version say, like an adder. 29:12 Now see, I've heard people say, 29:14 oh, well, you know, it's okay, just do it in moderation. 29:18 Does the Bible say that? 29:21 Or is that just man's theory? 29:23 I mean, if I stood up here and said, "You know what? 29:25 I have a cup here of the venom of a cobra, 29:29 who would like to drink it? 29:31 How many people would raise their hand? 29:33 Nobody but suppose I said, "You know what? 29:36 Just have a little bit, just drink it in moderation." 29:39 Would you still raise your hand? 29:42 Certainly not. 29:43 Why would we want even a little bit of poison? 29:47 Why would we even want a little bit of a drink 29:50 that does all these things, causes sorrow and woes, 29:54 takes control of our mind. 29:56 I mean, think about it, 29:57 who would invent a drink that does all these things 30:01 and causes us to lose control of the mind? 30:04 Would God invent that for us? 30:07 No, that would be the devil. 30:09 It's his way 30:11 of trying to get us to hand our decision making abilities 30:15 over to someone or something else. 30:18 'Cause once we surrender that control, believe me, 30:22 that is how the devil will be happy to step in. 30:27 I remember when I was a teenager, 30:30 my first year of college, first couple years 30:33 I didn't go to a Christian college, 30:34 I went to a public college. 30:37 And lot of times I can remember on Monday mornings, 30:40 I'll be sitting in a classroom waiting for the class to start 30:43 and some of the other students would be talking about, 30:45 you know, what they did on the weekend. 30:48 And I will just kind of, you know, sit there and listen 30:50 'cause yeah, I guess I was eavesdropping, 30:52 I wanted to hear what they had to say. 30:54 You know, they'd say things like, "Oh, yeah, man. 30:56 I went out to a party, 30:58 Man, I drank it up and that night 31:00 I was just puking in the toilet. 31:02 Man, I had a great time." 31:05 And I'm sitting there thinking to myself, no, wait a minute. 31:08 You went to a party. 31:11 And you drank so much alcohol 31:12 that you spent the night 31:14 sticking your head in a nasty old toilet 31:16 with who knows what inside, 31:18 puking your guts out, that's fun? 31:23 I mean, even if I wasn't a believer, 31:25 I would have a hard time thinking that's fun. 31:28 In fact, I will hear people say, 31:30 "Well, you know, I gotta drink to have a good time." 31:34 Yeah, but the day after 31:36 you don't even remember the good time 31:37 that you think you had. 31:39 See, I don't understand that. 31:41 In fact, you may find that you did or said some things 31:44 that you're gonna regret for the rest of your life. 31:47 And it happens frequently. 31:51 Listen, my friend Kevin, 31:52 when I was probably about 20 years old, 31:56 my best friend was a guy named Kevin. 31:58 Now, Kevin wasn't a Christian. 32:00 I'm not sure how, you know, 32:02 Christian and non Christian became such great friends. 32:05 I guess that's just God bringing opposites together 32:08 so they can somehow help each other. 32:10 But he was a good friend of mine. 32:12 And I remember one day, 32:14 my mom handed me the newspaper 32:16 and said, "Is this Kevin?" 32:18 I said, "What are you talking about?" 32:20 Now, I don't know if they still do this today, 32:21 but in some newspapers, 32:23 they actually list the people who were arrested in town, 32:27 and what they were arrested for. 32:28 I don't know if they just do that to shame them or what? 32:31 And so I remember 32:32 seeing my friend's name in there. 32:35 I said, "No, that can't be the Kevin I know." 32:38 I thought, well, come to think of it, 32:41 I haven't seen him in the last couple days. 32:44 So I walked across the street to where his grandparents live 32:47 'cause he stayed there a lot. 32:49 And I said, "Where's Kevin?" 32:52 And his grandpa said, "Come here. 32:54 I gotta tell you something." 32:56 Oh, boy. 32:58 Kevin was in jail. 33:02 "In jail, for what?" 33:05 He said, "Look, he doesn't want you 33:07 to come out and see him. 33:08 But if you insist I'll take you out." 33:10 I'm like, "He's my best friend. 33:12 I don't care what he said, I'm going out to see him." 33:16 And I remember we took a trip out to the county jail. 33:18 And I went into the little visitation room 33:21 where you got to speak, you know, 33:22 between the thick glass, 33:24 you can only talk on the phone, 33:25 you can't even see, you know, or touch each other. 33:27 And I remember he came out 33:29 with his hands cuffed in his orange jumpsuit. 33:32 And as soon as he saw me, he was mad. 33:35 He turned around and tried to go back and said, 33:36 "Dave, I told you not to come." 33:39 I said, "Kevin, what are you talking about? 33:41 I'm your best friend. 33:42 You should have told me." 33:45 And I remember when he calmed down. 33:47 He finally sat there and he told me his story. 33:49 I'll never forget it as long as I live. 33:53 His girlfriend had broken up with him. 33:57 You know breakups as a teenager, that's not... 33:59 Well, it's not fun at any age. 34:02 But you know, it devastated him so much 34:05 that for the next three days, 34:07 he went out with another buddy of his 34:08 and they went on a drinking binge 34:10 until 2 o'clock in the morning. 34:13 And when they kicked them out of the bar, 34:16 they then went out and vandalized 34:19 numerous cars and houses 34:22 for three nights in a row. 34:25 Eventually, the police caught up to them. 34:28 Now he's in jail. 34:29 And you know what he told me? 34:31 He looked me straight in the eyes and he said, 34:33 "Dave, 34:35 I don't even remember doing it." 34:40 You see, friends, 34:41 God has something better for us. 34:44 It's the happy, healthy, and abundant life. 34:48 Now listen, before we move on, I know for many people, 34:52 whether it be any kind of addiction or struggle, 34:55 did you know that God has a plan 34:57 for victory for all of us. 34:59 Can you say amen? 35:00 He's got a five step plan, 35:01 and I want to share that with you. 35:03 And this plan is good for whatever weakness 35:05 that we're trying to overcome 35:07 'cause God doesn't present us things like this and say, 35:10 you know what? 35:11 You got yourself into the mess. 35:13 Tough luck, you get yourself out of it. 35:15 God doesn't work that way. 35:16 He says, "Listen, it was your choice. 35:19 Yeah, it may be your fault. 35:20 But you know what? 35:22 I am right here beside you. 35:23 I will hold your hand 35:25 and I will walk you through it." 35:27 He never leaves us nor forsakes us. 35:30 People might. 35:32 Sometimes the church might, but Jesus won't. 35:35 Can you say amen? Amen. 35:36 Let's go through those five principles. 35:38 I mean, I could spend all night on the five principles, 35:40 but we're gonna do them rather quickly here. 35:43 Principle number one, 35:44 tell God you made the decision to quit whatever it is, 35:48 smoking, alcohol, pornography, bad temper, you name it. 35:52 It begins with you, with me, making a choice. 35:57 Because before God can help us, not because He can't, 36:01 but because He won't unless we choose to let Him. 36:05 God will not force us to make any choice 36:09 or give anything up against our will. 36:12 It has to start with our choice. 36:15 So I have to say, God, I am choosing today to quit. 36:18 I don't know how I'm gonna do that. 36:20 But I'm choosing today I no longer want it in my life. 36:22 I want to quit, and I need You to take it away. 36:25 That's step number one. 36:28 Step number two. 36:30 Now I go to God, 36:31 I asked Him to remove the desire, 36:33 and I just start thanking Him for the victory. 36:36 Oh, what do you mean? 36:37 You mean, if I thank Him for the victory 36:39 before it actually happens. 36:40 Yes, that's faith. 36:43 See, let's be honest. 36:44 Whatever the addiction may be, why do we do it? 36:49 Well, it's not a hard question. Why do we do it? 36:52 We like it. 36:54 It's pleasurable to the human nature. 36:58 So we have to ask God to change that, 37:01 to remove that desire 37:03 and give us a desire for something else. 37:06 Does that make sense? 37:07 Give Him permission to take it away, 37:10 and then start thanking Him that He's gonna do it. 37:13 Step number three, 37:15 remember that you are dead to sin. 37:17 When tempted, stop and do what? 37:20 Pray. You know why? 37:21 It may seem cliché but I can tell you, 37:24 it's awfully hard to pray and sin at the same time. 37:28 It's possible, but it's very difficult. 37:32 In fact, you need a prayer partner, 37:34 whatever it is, you're seeking to overcome, 37:36 someone you trust implicitly, 37:38 that when you sense the desire come in, 37:40 you can sense when temptation is coming. 37:42 You go to them, you call them 37:44 and say listen, will you pray for me? 37:46 I feel the temptation coming. 37:49 See prayer, God's divine intervention 37:52 is what take that desire away. 37:56 Step number four. 37:58 Now this is just common sense. 38:00 Don't provide for the desire. 38:02 In other words, avoid tempting situations. 38:05 So if I say, Lord, "I'm choosing to quit alcohol, 38:08 I want You to give me the victory. 38:09 What steps do I need to take?" 38:12 That's right, 38:14 get rid of all the alcohol in my home, 38:16 stay out of the bars, 38:18 probably don't need to hang around other people 38:19 who are drinking heavily, 38:21 because it's crazy to ask God to deliver us, 38:25 and then to purposely put ourselves 38:27 in a tempting situation. 38:29 That's like saying, 38:30 "Well, God, I'm gonna keep a stash here right at my house 38:32 just in case You don't deliver me." 38:35 Well, we've already lost faith right there. 38:37 Don't provide for the desire. 38:41 Step number five, also actually, by the way, 38:44 when it comes to pornography, 38:46 another way we don't provide for the desire. 38:49 Don't watch certain kinds of movies 38:52 or sitcoms on television 38:54 that's going to make that well up inside of us. 38:59 And then finally step number five, 39:00 most important, spend time with God every day. 39:05 Spend time in a daily devotional life, 39:08 because the only thing that's gonna change my heart, 39:11 the only thing that's going to give me strength 39:14 to make different decisions is not gonna be my willpower. 39:19 The only thing that's going to do it is Jesus Christ 39:22 and His Holy Spirit living in me. 39:25 And the way I open my life to the Holy Spirit 39:28 is by opening the Bible 39:29 and opening my life to God in prayer. 39:32 That's how we give Him access into our life. 39:36 That's why the daily devotional life 39:38 is one of the single most important things 39:40 that every Christian can be doing. 39:42 It opens the heart to God. 39:46 So that's God's five step plan for victory. 39:50 I'm not saying it will happen in a day, 39:52 though it has happened that way for some people, 39:55 would you go one step at a time 39:57 and God is willing, God is able, 40:00 He wants to set you free. 40:02 He loves you now while you're struggling, 40:05 but He knows you're gonna be even happier 40:07 when He has set you free 40:10 for whatever has been holding you back 40:12 and enslaving you. 40:14 See, that's the God we serve. 40:16 He loves us as we are. 40:18 He accepts us as we are. 40:20 But He doesn't want us to stay the way we are 40:24 'cause He's got something better. 40:27 Amen. 40:28 Now we could go all night with addictions, 40:29 we all have them. 40:31 But what about our daily life? 40:34 Has the Bible given us some principles 40:37 of what we do or even eat on a daily basis? 40:42 And actually, yes, 40:44 I want you to turn to a very interesting verse 40:46 back in the Book of Genesis. 40:48 This is the week of creation. 40:51 Notice what God says to Adam and Eve. 40:53 Genesis 1:29. 40:56 The Bible says, "And God said, 41:00 'See, I have given you every herb that yields seed, 41:05 which is on the face of all the earth, 41:07 and every tree whose fruit yield seed to you, 41:12 it shall be for food.'" 41:15 Do you notice the original diet God gave mankind? 41:18 He says, "I've given you every herb 41:20 or the plants of the field and every fruit, 41:23 you know the fruit of the tree that yields seed. 41:27 Interestingly enough, 41:29 it's basically a vegetarian diet. 41:32 That was God's original plan. 41:36 Because when you think about it, really, 41:38 what would eating meat have required? 41:42 Killing animals. 41:43 Was there any killing of any kind 41:45 in the Garden of Eden? 41:46 Absolutely none. 41:47 So that makes sense. 41:49 Now understand, however, it is not a sin to eat meat. 41:54 You will not find that verse in the Bible. 41:57 Now I myself, I choose to be a vegetarian. 41:59 Not because I think God's gonna love me more. 42:01 But because I figured, you know what? 42:03 If that was God's original plan before sin entered, 42:06 and since God created the body, 42:08 and He knows what's best for us, 42:10 I want to follow that plan 42:12 because that's the one God had 42:14 in the beginning. 42:16 Now, when you go on in the Bible, clearly, 42:19 God gave man permission to eat some meats, 42:21 but because He loves us, 42:24 you will find He also gave us some principles to follow, 42:28 to help us to choose, 42:30 which would be acceptable for human consumption, 42:33 and which would not be acceptable 42:35 for human consumption. 42:37 And this is where we get into principles 42:39 of clean and unclean foods. 42:42 Now, sometimes there's a bit of a misunderstanding here, 42:45 because the prevailing theology says, "Oh, well, you know, 42:49 clean and unclean foods that was just for Moses, 42:51 and the Israelites, and the ceremonial law." 42:55 But I want to take you 42:56 to a very interesting verse in the Bible. 42:59 It's right here in the Book of Genesis, 43:01 just go to Chapter 7, 43:05 7:1, 43:09 The Bible says, "Then the Lord said to Noah, 43:14 'Come into the ark, you and all your household, 43:18 because I have seen that you are righteous before me 43:22 in this generation.'" 43:23 Now notice verse 2, 43:25 "You shall take with you seven each of every," what? 43:29 "Clean animal, a male and his female, 43:32 two each of animals that are unclean, 43:36 a male and his female." 43:38 Let's pause there for a second. 43:42 As God was calling the animals into the ark, 43:46 He also told Noah, 43:49 "I want you to take seven of what kind? 43:52 Clean. 43:53 And two of? 43:55 Unclean. 43:56 So apparently, there was this distinction 43:58 of clean and unclean long before Moses 44:03 and the Jewish nation ever existed. 44:07 See 'cause even after sin entered into the world, 44:11 God gave man principles to follow 44:13 on how to have a happy, healthy, and an abundant life. 44:18 See, the reason God said seven clean, 44:21 now think about that. 44:22 When the floods' done and the water subside 44:25 and they finally get out of the ark, 44:27 what's going to be there for them to eat? 44:29 Nothing. 44:31 Vegetation will be gone or just be starting to sprout. 44:35 In order to survive, 44:36 they're gonna have to eat some of those animals. 44:39 And so, they have seven clean animals 44:41 because they can eat some of them. 44:43 But there's only two unclean 44:46 because God doesn't plan for them to eat the unclean. 44:49 You know why? 44:50 If you have a male and female and you eat one of them, 44:52 what's gonna happen? 44:54 They're gonna go extinct. 44:57 So here you have clean and unclean 44:59 even back at the time of Noah. 45:03 And when you think about it, God is such a good God. 45:06 He could say to us, "you know what, I don't care. 45:09 Eat whatever you want, 45:11 put whatever you want in your body, 45:12 I don't care what consequence comes from it." 45:14 That's not our God. 45:16 He's too personal. He's too loving. 45:18 He's too caring to do that. 45:20 So He says, "Listen, I'm gonna give you 45:22 some principles to follow." 45:25 Now, He's not going to send Gabriel down 45:27 to open my refrigerator or to follow me out to Walmart 45:30 to see what I'm gonna buy. 45:31 God gives us a free will. 45:33 It's our choice. 45:35 But He gives us 45:36 some very interesting principles here. 45:38 I want you to go to Leviticus Chapter 11. 45:42 I just love the way God is simple. 45:43 He doesn't make things complicated. 45:46 Go to Leviticus Chapter 11. 45:49 And God gives us a principle to follow 45:53 on clean and unclean foods. 45:57 Leviticus 11:2, 46:03 the Bible says, 46:06 "Speak to the children of Israel saying, 46:09 'These are the animals that are on the earth. 46:12 Among the animals, whatever divides the hoof, 46:16 having cloven hooves and chewing the cud 46:19 that you may eat.'" 46:22 Well, that's a pretty easy principle. 46:24 Whatever has a divided hoof and chews the cud is clean 46:29 and acceptable for human consumption. 46:32 Wow. 46:33 You say, "Well, why does God use that?" 46:36 You know what's interesting? 46:39 Most animals that have a divided hoof 46:40 and chew the cud are basically herbivores. 46:44 They eat the plants and the vegetables, etc. 46:47 So when we eat them, 46:49 we're just getting to plant second hand. 46:51 God said that will be acceptable 46:53 for human consumption. 46:55 God gave us the ideal in the Garden of Eden. 46:58 But if we have to, he says, 47:00 "Here are principles to follow about the other foods." 47:04 The animals that do not have a divided hoof 47:07 and do not chew the cud, 47:08 you know what most of them are? 47:10 They're carnivores. 47:12 Carnivores eat other animals. 47:15 They eat the meat of dead carcasses. 47:18 See, their bodies are designed to handle those things. 47:21 But if I eat that animal, 47:23 I am eating everything that animal ate 47:25 and putting it into my body, 47:27 which God did not designed to handle it. 47:31 And therefore it will bring disease, 47:33 it will bring filth into my mind, 47:35 in my body, and God says, 47:36 "I love you too much not to warn you about that." 47:42 That's our loving God. 47:45 In fact, and he goes on, "Now just for the fun of it. 47:47 He mentioned some specific animals here. 47:50 Now some of these animals will be no problem for us 47:52 because some of the ones that are listed, 47:54 I won't touch with a 10-foot pole anyway. 47:56 But let's just go to the verse 4. 47:58 Let's have some fun with this. 48:00 I'm sorry, verse 5, Leviticus 11:5, 48:03 he named some unclean animals. 48:06 He says, "The rock hyrax, which is basically a badger 48:09 because it chews the cud 48:11 but does not have cloven hooves, 48:13 it is unclean to you." 48:16 Well, I'm not going to pitch a fit over that 48:17 because I don't plan on eating a badger anyway. 48:20 What's the next one say? 48:23 The hare or the rabbit 48:25 because it chews the cud 48:26 but does not have cloven hooves, 48:27 it is unclean to you. 48:29 Now, that don't bother me. 48:32 But you know, verse 7 is a bit of a problem. 48:37 Verse 7, "And the swine though it divides the hoof, 48:44 having cloven hooves yet does not chew the cud," 48:47 it is what? 48:49 Unclean to you." 48:50 Oh, why God, 48:53 He takes away one of our favorite foods, 48:56 He takes away Miss Piggy. 48:59 Why Lord are You doing that?" 49:01 Is it because God is cruel? 49:03 Is it because God is restrictive? 49:07 Because God knew something 49:08 before the doctors ever knew it, 49:09 He loves us too much. 49:11 God knew that pig would be unfit 49:14 for human consumption. 49:16 And when you think about it, 49:17 medical scientists finally caught up 49:18 with what God said thousands of years ago. 49:21 If you have any serious disease, 49:23 heart problem, or whatever, 49:24 what's the first thing your doctor tells you 49:26 to stay away from? 49:28 Tells you to stay away from pork. 49:30 What about the animals in the sea? 49:31 God say anything about that? 49:33 Actually, He does. 49:35 He gives us a neat principle here. 49:37 Let's now go to Leviticus 11. 49:39 Let's just read verse 9. 49:41 Leviticus 11:9. 49:46 The Bible says, 49:48 "These you may eat of all that are in the water, 49:52 whatever in the water has fins and scales, 49:56 whether in the seas or in the rivers 49:58 that you may eat." 50:01 Well, that's not complicated. 50:03 He says if it's got fins, if it's got scales, 50:06 it's acceptable for human consumption. 50:10 You say, "Now what's the logic behind that?" 50:13 Because God knows something 50:15 that we didn't know in the beginning. 50:16 Now we know now 50:18 because of science and marine biologists. 50:21 But you know, most of the seafood animals 50:23 that don't have fins and scales, 50:25 ones we tend to love so well, 50:28 crab, oyster, shrimp, 50:32 lobster, clams 50:34 and things like that, you know, and some of us, 50:36 we're about ready to jump off our seat and say, 50:38 "Oh, God, why? 50:39 Those are some of the most delectable things." 50:43 But God knows something. 50:45 All of those animals just mentioned 50:47 that don't have fins and scales. 50:49 Any marine biologists will tell you, 50:52 they are the scavengers of the ocean floor. 50:56 They were created to eat 50:58 and clean up all that filth that is there. 51:01 That's what God created them to do. 51:04 And so when I eat them, 51:06 I'm eating all the garbage and filth they have ingested 51:10 and God says, "Listen, I care for you. 51:14 That's something you probably ought to stay away from, 51:17 because it's not going to bring health and abundance 51:20 to your body or to your mind." 51:24 I'm glad God loves us so much, aren't you? 51:26 Amen. 51:27 Real quick, Prevention Magazine wrote this. 51:30 It said, "Why are shellfish so dangerous? 51:33 Because they are many times more polluted 51:35 than the filthy waters they inhabit. 51:37 Unfortunately, they choose to live and love 51:40 and multiply in estuaries along coastal regions. 51:45 These estuaries are particularly subject 51:49 to discharge of what? 51:51 I don't have to say what that is, okay, 51:53 discharge of sewage 51:54 and other water borne pollution. 51:57 No other animal offered on the menu 51:59 at your favorite eating place 52:01 would be served to you along with its feces. 52:04 Yet this is the case with seafood. 52:06 It is served whole, complete with its intestinal tract." 52:12 God says, "Hey, I don't want you to suffer. 52:15 I don't want you to get that filth in your body. 52:17 I have something better for you." 52:20 Here's the principles, God says, 52:23 "Use it and prosper and be in health." 52:27 Can you say amen? Amen. 52:28 See, we're tempted to look at these things as saying, 52:31 "Oh, that's just so legalistic." 52:34 Listen, it's got nothing to do with you being righteous. 52:38 It's got nothing to do with God loving you more, 52:41 or thinking that you're superior 52:42 and get to heaven first. 52:44 What we eat has nothing to do with that. 52:46 These principles have to do with the fact 52:48 that God is my Creator, 52:51 that God loves me. 52:53 And He wants me to have an abundant life on this earth 52:56 and when I choose to follow it, 52:58 it's not because I'm trying to get to heaven. 53:01 Jesus has already paid that price. 53:03 If I choose to follow, it's my response 53:06 to everything that Jesus has done for me, 53:09 because I am surrendering my mind and my body to Him. 53:13 Can you say amen? 53:14 It's always important to remember the motivation 53:17 and the reason for which we do these things. 53:21 You can't make God love you any more 53:23 than He already loves you now. 53:28 There's one more thing I want to cover though, 53:30 because if I don't, it'll come in the question box. 53:33 There's a couple perplexing passages in the Bible 53:38 that on the surface seem to contradict 53:40 everything we just said. 53:42 And I'd like to cover one of them 53:44 as an example of a proper way to study the Bible. 53:48 Remember Peters vision in Acts Chapter 10. 53:53 We need to review that. 53:54 Now I'm not gonna read 21 verses here, 53:56 but I would like you to turn to Acts Chapter 10. 54:00 And instead of just picking one sentence out 54:03 and trying to develop a doctrine around it, 54:06 let's look at the context. 54:08 Acts Chapter 10 and beginning in verse 9, 54:12 really the whole chapter. 54:14 Here's what's going on. Here's the quick summary. 54:17 Cornelius is an Italian soldier. 54:20 He loves the God of heaven. 54:22 He believes in the Jewish faith and the Jewish religion. 54:25 He's a devout man, the Bible says, 54:28 because of that, God sends an angel to Cornelius 54:31 and tells him that he is to send 54:33 for the Apostle Peter 54:35 who needs to tell his family something important. 54:38 See, God intended for Peter to share the gospel 54:41 with this Gentile family. 54:43 So while Cornelius dispatches an envoy 54:46 to go find Peter, 54:48 God knows that Peter is not gonna go 54:51 because Peter was brought up and steeped in Judaism. 54:56 He was taught from the time he was a little kid 54:59 that Gentiles are unclean, 55:01 that you do not go into their house 55:03 and you do not eat with them or you will be unclean. 55:06 See Peter wasn't over that yet. 55:08 So God knew He had to do something 55:10 to help Peter see the light. 55:12 So Peter gets this vision of a cloud 55:15 or not a cloud, a blanket 55:16 that lets down a bunch of four footed beasts 55:18 that are unclean. 55:19 And God says, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat." 55:22 And what does Peter say? 55:24 "I've never eaten anything unclean." 55:27 Notice, by the way, 55:28 that was Peter's first response. 55:31 This is the same guy that walked with Jesus 55:33 for three and a half years. 55:36 So apparently, Peter did not believe 55:39 that unclean and clean 55:40 was done away with at the cross, 55:43 'cause that was his first response 55:44 and he was with Jesus every day. 55:47 You keep going on there. 55:48 You notice what happens, God says, 55:50 "Listen, don't call anything unclean 55:51 that God has called clean." 55:54 And we stop right there. 55:56 And we want to pull that out and say, 55:57 "Oh, see God's made all foods clean." 55:59 Now, it doesn't matter. 56:01 Listen, if it wasn't good for the body in Leviticus, 56:04 it's not good for the body now. 56:06 Did Jesus die on the cross to cleanse us from sins 56:09 or to cleanse food? 56:11 To cleanse us from sin. 56:14 You know what was going on here? 56:18 God was trying to show Peter 56:21 that the wall between Gentile and Jew 56:24 is coming down, 56:27 that he should not call Gentiles unclean. 56:30 And so when he went to Cornelius' house 56:32 and shared the Gospel of Christ with them, 56:35 and you can read it there, 56:36 it says, the Holy Spirit fell upon them. 56:39 They accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, 56:41 they were baptized. 56:42 And at the end of this story, 56:44 Peter tells us himself in verse 28 what the point was. 56:49 Acts 10:28, the Bible says, "Then he said to them, 56:55 "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man 56:59 to keep company with or go to one of another nation, 57:03 but God has shown me 57:06 that I should not call any," what? 57:10 "Man, common or unclean." 57:14 Division had nothing to do with cleansing food. 57:18 What it did have something to do with is cleansing sin, 57:23 that Gentiles are not to be considered unclean, 57:27 that we are all one in Jesus Christ, 57:29 the wall of separation comes down, 57:31 you are not to call any man common or unclean. 57:37 So when you take the Bible and read it in its context, 57:40 it makes perfect sense. 57:44 Folks, tonight, we've learned that God loves us so much, 57:48 that He gave a health plan to the human family, 57:51 a plan that He wants us to use 57:53 so that we can prosper and be in health. 57:57 I like to close with this verse from Romans 12:1, 58:02 the Bible says, 58:03 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, 58:06 by the mercies of God, 58:08 that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, 58:12 holy and acceptable to God, 58:15 which is your reasonable service." 58:19 See, God invites us to give ourselves 58:21 as a living sacrifice to Him 58:24 to surrender everything we have, 58:26 including our mind and our body. |
Revised 2019-09-30