Participants: John Lomacang & John Stanton
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL100007
|
00:01 Hello friends, grab your Bible and a friend
00:03 and sit back as we explore God's word together 00:05 on this edition of House Calls. 00:21 Hello and welcome to the best program on earth 00:24 at this present hour at least I believe that, 00:26 that's why I'm here and we gonna thank you 00:28 for tuning into House Calls. 00:30 This is the place where God says to you, 00:31 get your Bibles, get your pens, 00:34 get your notebook and hit the record button, 00:35 because you don't want to miss the topic today, 00:37 it's about "Would you eat that." 00:40 And while you are trying to figure out what that is, 00:42 welcome again to House Calls program. 00:43 I'm here with my good friend Pastor C.A. 00:45 Good to have you here today. 00:46 Always good to be with you, John. 00:47 And to be in God's house and to do what God wants us to do 00:51 and that is to be in God's will. 00:52 You know, I'm pastor being in God's house 00:53 is what we do every Sabbath. 00:56 Repeating God's will is what we want to be today 00:58 and I'm glad that you're sitting in with me 01:01 substituting that is for my good friend, John Stanton. 01:04 And as you know friends, he is not really a substitute, 01:07 he has quiet a bit of experience. 01:09 He was my youth pastor and I'm his pastor, 01:11 so we're paying each other back. 01:15 You're returning the pain as it where. 01:16 Returning the pain as it where. 01:17 You know, just think about it 01:18 real quick John, I was talking with 01:20 another good friend of us, Pastor John Nixon, 01:22 who is the pastor down at Southern University. Yes. 01:24 That little youth church produced a number of pastors, 01:26 yourself, John Nixon, Tim Nixon of Andrews University. 01:30 That was quiet a little productive youth church 01:31 we had back there. 01:32 That's right and it's been the place 01:35 where God has shaped us to be what we're today 01:36 and praise the Lord for that. Indeed. 01:38 And, you know, we've a lot of Bible questions 01:40 and lot of things that we do on this program, 01:42 but before we dive into anything, 01:44 we're gonna invite you to bow your heads 01:46 as C.A. has our prayer for us today. 01:48 Gracious Father, we do thank you 01:50 so very much for the blessed opportunity 01:52 that we've to lift up the name of Jesus. 01:54 We thank you for the study of the word 01:56 and for the truth that we can find each and every time 01:59 we go into Your words. 02:00 We just ask that Christ will be seen and felt 02:03 and experienced today as we answer questions, 02:05 as we look at what you'll for our lives, 02:07 may we'll be faithful and we thank you in Jesus' name, amen. 02:11 Amen. As you know friends, 02:13 your Bible questions are significant to this program. 02:16 As a matter of fact always our first half is about 02:19 the Bible questions, so keep sending them in. 02:21 And if you have any questions, 02:23 you like to send us by email today, 02:24 you can send those questions to housecalls@3abn.org, 02:28 that's housecalls@3abn.org that means organized I believe. 02:33 So try to be as organized as you can with your thoughts, 02:35 make it shorten to the point. 02:37 Many of you are very excited and you want to send us 02:39 a doctoral dissertation and those are very heavy. 02:42 Sometimes we look at those and it overwhelms us 02:44 and we don't get to it. 02:45 So we do wanna answer your questions, 02:47 try to be concise into the point. 02:49 And if you don't have email we do accept snail mails, 02:53 so send those too. 02:55 We appreciate anything you send, 02:57 but the same rule applies, 02:59 try to write on the inside of the envelope, 03:01 not so much on the outside. 03:03 And we appreciate it very much. 03:05 You know, we've some excited viewers and listeners 03:07 to this program and C.A. sometimes they get carried away 03:11 and before they even, before the letter gets to us, 03:14 before we open it, there's a question 03:16 on the outside of the envelope. Wow! 03:17 And so such is the case here today 03:19 and I won't really start with that one, 03:21 but we've a question, this one comes up from time to time. 03:25 But I think it's good to revisit at this juncture, 03:28 because somebody may not have heard the last the last answer. 03:32 The last answer, its entitled I call it baptizing in the name. 03:36 And let me go and read the question. 03:38 Go to Mathew 28, verse 19. Oh yes. 03:41 If you've your Bibles turned there with us today, 03:42 Mathew 28, we call that the Great Commission 03:47 and remember it's not the great omission, 03:49 it includes everybody. 03:51 I really enjoy your program. 03:52 My question is in Mathew 28, verse 19. 03:56 Jesus told the disciples to go into all nations 03:59 baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 04:03 and of the Holy Spirit to make disciples of all nations. 04:07 In Luke 24:47 also and that repentance and remission 04:12 of sins should be preached in Jesus name. 04:16 So when Peter enacts to verse 38 said to them 04:18 repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus 04:21 for the remission of sins and you shall receive 04:23 the holy gift of the Holy Spirit. 04:26 Is there any reason why Peter didn't say 04:28 the name of the Father, and of the Son, 04:30 and of the Holy Spirit? 04:32 Or did Peter realize that in the name of the Father, 04:35 and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 04:38 So the question is in the name, 04:41 let's start up by reading the text 04:42 and I'll let you begin with the commentary. 04:44 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, 04:47 baptizing them in the name of the Father, 04:49 and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" 04:54 that's 19 and then verse 20, 04:55 "Teaches them to observe all things 04:57 whatsoever I have commanded you and, lo, 04:58 I am with you all way, even unto 05:00 the end of the age of the world." Okay. 05:04 Obviously we, we've a command here to baptize 05:08 in name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 05:10 And of course when the Lord gives us command, 05:13 it's important that we follow, follow it through. 05:16 And I think verse 20 is important, it says, 05:19 "Teach them to observe all things." 05:23 All other things are important. 05:26 You know, when you, if someone is going to join 05:28 something, they need to know every aspect of it. 05:31 So that, they know specifically and completely 05:34 what they are joining and what it's all about, 05:37 and so we've this command, he'll be baptized in 05:39 name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost. 05:41 Just because the Father is not mentioned in that 05:44 particular reference, it doesn't really mean that 05:47 Peter was omitting it. 05:48 I have to read the whole text to get 05:50 the complete understanding, 05:51 but He did baptized in name of the Father, 05:53 rather in the Son and the Holy Ghost. 05:55 And I assume for a circumstances whatever 05:59 were in his mind, he didn't mentioned the Father, 06:00 but that doesn't mean or wasn't recorded, 06:02 it doesn't accept me if that wasn't mentioned. Yeah. 06:05 And the other thing and sometimes this becomes 06:09 such a stumbling block, there's some churches that 06:11 decide just to baptize in the name of Jesus. Yeah. 06:15 There are other people that say when I get baptized, 06:17 I don't want to join a church, 06:18 I just want to be baptized into Jesus. 06:21 And so name of, name of, name of, 06:25 so you get down to this another point of arguing. 06:28 What is the name of the Father, what is the name of Son, 06:31 what is the name of the Holy Spirit? 06:33 Well, if you do your research even further 06:34 to show you that there's no discrepancy between what 06:37 Peter said and what commission Jesus gave, 06:41 the word there name of is from the Greek phrase 06:43 authority of, so it's not so much. 06:48 Naming them. Right naming like C.A, 06:52 or John, or Ben, or whomever. 06:56 It's not so much choosing a particular name 06:58 as much as it is the authority. 07:01 And so when it comes to authority, 07:03 the authority of Jesus, and the authority of the 07:05 Holy Spirit, and the authority of the Father 07:07 is equal across the board. 07:09 Surely, yeah. 07:10 So when I knock on your door, if somebody says, 07:11 who is it, you know, 07:12 I'm here in the authority of. 07:14 I don't care if their name is Frank, 07:16 you know, or Jeff. 07:18 The authority behind them is more important 07:20 than anything else. Yeah. 07:22 And so that's actually what's happened here, 07:24 there's an authority factor that's going on. 07:26 And remember, also there's another phrase which says, 07:30 well, not another phrase, but another text. 07:31 There is no other name given among men 07:35 whereby wemust be saved. 07:37 And so when the Bible says all power the word there 07:39 is Dunamis. Yes. 07:40 Also means all authority. Authority. 07:43 And when it says in the name of exusia, 07:46 right there name of. Yes. 07:48 That's ecclesiastical authority, 07:50 which is more important like we say the Pope. 07:53 Well, what's his name, it doesn't matter. Yeah. 07:56 The office you're talking about, yeah. 07:58 Right, so-- Yeah that's a good point. 08:02 So and it excludes them from heaven to name 08:04 each particular names like someone comes to you, 08:06 I'm doing this in the name of the law. Right. 08:08 You don't have to mention to Sheriff, 08:09 you don't have to mention a Deputy, 08:11 doesn't mention Governor or the Mayor. 08:13 That's the power that backs what I'm doing, 08:15 when we marry people. Right. 08:17 You say by the power vested in me. 08:18 I'm giving that power by the word of God 08:20 and the law of the land. Right. 08:23 That's the power that, that I carry 08:24 to consummate this marriage. 08:25 So it follows in that same, in that same vein. 08:28 That's right so, so friends its less of, 08:31 its less of an issue of the name that is whether 08:35 you call Him Emmanuel, whether you call Him Jesus, 08:40 whether you use the phrase, 08:41 the Son of God, or the Son of Man. 08:44 Whatever you call Him, you'll discover 08:47 in the Old Testament, the Old Testament writers at 08:49 particular times referred to the authority office of 08:53 the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the Valley. 08:56 He was also referred to that Rock was Christ. 08:59 So He's called the Rock 09:01 and then He's also called the Messiah. 09:04 At that particular moment what does the Messiah do? 09:06 The Messiah is the anointed one. 09:08 So depending on whatever is happening 09:09 at that particular moment. Yeah. 09:11 Call His name, Jesus, 09:12 for He'll save His people from their sins. 09:14 Then few verses down call His name Emmanuel. Right. 09:17 Meaning God with us. Yes, surely. 09:19 So the name you could get into that, 09:21 and there's a particular denomination that will nail you 09:23 against the wall if you gonna use the word Jehovah. Yeah. 09:26 Don't want to mention which one that is. 09:28 But, so that's the whole point, 09:30 it's not about the name per say, 09:34 but it's about the office in the authority 09:36 which does not change. Good point. 09:38 Okay, here's another one. 09:39 This one is a very, I like the phrase you use 09:43 ecclesiastical obiter dictum is that, 09:46 is that the phrase you use? 09:47 Ecclesiastical obiter dictum. 09:48 Okay, and if you like an explanation for that 09:51 send the question to House Calls anyway. 09:54 But this is one that's really important, 09:56 because first of all, we're gonna break this 09:58 down into particular sections and the question begins. 10:01 Does the rapture take place pre-trib or post-trib? 10:06 Before we get into pre, post or a millennialism, 10:11 let's first answer the beginning part of the question. 10:14 Is there a rapture? And that phrase is used, 10:18 let's go to the text First Thessalonians. 10:23 This is probably one of the most commonly used texts, 10:27 when it comes to talking about the rapture. 10:30 And bear with us in few moments there, 10:32 because some of you may be saying. 10:34 Now is there one or isn't there one. 10:37 Let's just follow through. 10:38 I suspect you're in First Thessalonians Chapter 4. 10:42 And if you would for us, read. 10:48 Let's read verse 16, 10:51 that's the "rapture" verse, 10:55 that's often referred to, go for it. 11:00 First Thessalonians 4 verse 16. 11:02 Now I'm in First Thessalonians 4, 11:04 oh looking at verse 4. Okay. 11:07 "For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven 11:08 with a shout, with the voice of the archangel 11:11 and with the trumpet of God, 11:12 and the dead in Christ shall rise first." 11:15 And verse 17, "Then we who are alive and remain shall 11:17 be caught up together to meet them in the clouds, 11:22 to meet the Lord in the air, caught up together with them 11:26 in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air 11:29 and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Okay. 11:33 Couple of things, you want to begin by 11:34 commenting on that, or what is this actually. 11:37 Is this an event that's, is this what we referred 11:40 to as the rapture? 11:42 We don't refer to this as the rapture. Okay. 11:45 This is the sequence of events that take place 11:48 at the second coming of the Lord. Okay. 11:50 So we have, we have a sequence and an order. 11:54 "The Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, 11:56 with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, 11:59 the dead in Christ shall rise first." Okay. 12:03 That's pretty solid, pretty plain, pretty straight. 12:07 So we've a resurrection taking place? 12:08 Precisely, "Then we were to alive and remain 12:13 shall be caught up together with Him in the clouds 12:16 to meet the Lord in the air, 12:18 and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 12:21 It doesn't bespeak a secret coming, 12:25 first of all. Right. 12:28 "The Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, 12:32 the voice of the archangel and the trump of God. 12:35 That doesn't say to me anything secret is gonna happen. 12:38 This seems to be a very broad, a very vocal, a very visual, 12:42 visual event that is not going to be secret. 12:47 So this sort of puts to rest the idea that the 12:49 Lord is gonna sneak in here and sneak some people out. 12:52 We're talking about descending from heaven with a shout, 12:55 voice of the archangel, trump of God, 12:58 very loud, very vocal, very visual. 13:00 So the idea of secret is dispelled 13:03 by this particular text. 13:04 You know, I'm glad you--that's the first answer to that. 13:07 First of all, it's not a secret. 13:09 And I know you used the word rapture, 13:10 but we must assume, that in many cases 13:13 when people say rapture, they mean secret rapture, 13:15 because that's the connotation is taken on. 13:18 Well, when is a rapture gonna place? 13:19 And you hear many ministers saying, well, 13:21 it could happen any day now, 13:23 or it could happen in any moment. 13:26 It could happen during my sermon, 13:28 half the congregation could be gone. 13:30 Yeah, yeah. 13:31 It will be said, if the pastor is still back there 13:32 saying well, the rapture just happened. 13:34 You know, I missed it. 13:35 He missed it, so- 13:37 Let me just say one more thing in there John. 13:38 Go ahead. I'm in Revelation 1:7. 13:39 Revelation 1:7 "Behold, he cometh with clouds 13:42 and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him 13:47 and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him, 13:50 even so, Amen." 13:51 So again we get this idea, this is not a secret event. 13:53 No, not at all. 13:54 This is an event that ends the age 13:56 in which we'll not find ourselves. 13:58 So its not going to be a secret event, 13:59 not a quiet event, not event that you've got to 14:02 read, see and then look at see and to find out about. 14:05 Every eye is gonna see Him, shout, trump, 14:08 voice of the archangel, this is a very public, 14:10 a very world changing event and everybody is 14:14 gonna know about it. That's right. 14:15 As a matter of fact, it's gonna to be so un-secret, 14:18 As Psalms 50 and verse 3 says, "Our God shall come, 14:21 and shall not keep silent." Precisely. 14:25 "A fire will devour before Him, 14:28 and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him." 14:31 So and if you just look at First Thessalonians 4, 14:34 "The Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout, 14:36 with the voice, with the trumpet." 14:38 Audible, very audible, then the earth changing 14:40 event is a resurrection. 14:42 All over the planet graves are going to be opening up. 14:46 And then those who are still alive are gonna be 14:49 caught up together. Yes. 14:52 One's not going before the other. Precisely. 14:54 The secret rapture, presupposes that, 14:57 people are just flying off to heaven like streams of light. 15:00 But that's not what's going to happen. 15:02 Yeah, and that's a very, very important point John. 15:04 The idea that we'll be caught up together. Right. 15:07 Not he goes one day and you go to next, 15:10 or he goes one time, or you're flying a plane, 15:12 he disappears and we're still on a plane wondering 15:13 what's going on pilot is not here. 15:15 We all are caught up together, 15:16 so when Christ comes in, comes back He's going to 15:20 take us on mass, dead and alive. 15:24 The dead of course will be resurrected and the alive 15:26 will continue to be alive, to glory with Him. That's right. 15:31 Yeah, powerful, powerful text. 15:32 You remember September 11, something happened in the world 15:35 that had never happened before at least 15:37 in United States, every flying, 15:39 every plane was grounded. 15:41 There was for the first time zero air traffic. 15:45 Let me encourage you when Jesus comes, 15:47 I don't believe there is gonna be any air traffic 15:50 on the day Jesus comes. 15:53 Because the earth what happened on September 11th, 15:55 was an event in New York, 15:57 and Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania, 15:59 some of those spots around the nation. 16:01 But when the Lord comes, the world is gonna be in 16:03 such a tribulation, such a chaotic setting, 16:08 men's hearts failing them for fear, 16:10 anguish and perplexity. Yes. 16:12 The seas and waves roaring. 16:13 The earth is gonna be in such a chaotic setting, 16:16 that they're going to be, I can guarantee you, 16:19 nobody is gonna be flying a Cessna 182 16:22 and there's gonna be no 747 over the Pacific Ocean 16:25 as folk disappearing from it. 16:28 Yeah. Because this gonna be, I mean the sun is gonna be 16:30 darkened, the moon not gonna give its light, 16:32 the stars are going to fall, 16:33 the powers of heaven is gonna be shaken out of 16:35 their very courses, so everything that dictates 16:37 our magnetic setting is gonna be thrown of course. 16:40 There's gonna be no activity where people are at a bar 16:43 somewhere, or at a club somewhere, 16:45 or at a restaurant somewhere saying, 16:47 what's that. Yeah, yeah! 16:48 The Bible gives indication of an event 16:51 that is so encompassing, so world altering that 16:54 business life as we know is going to come to halt. 16:59 Everybody is going to be looking up prepared 17:03 for this and some of course, who don't know what this 17:06 is for shadowing, you're talking about start terror. 17:09 Oh yeah. But for those who-- 17:11 Anguish. Who know and are looking for the coming 17:12 of the Lord, joy inexpressible. 17:15 So everybody is gonna be in of two camps, 17:17 either you're saying, Lord, this is our God, 17:19 we waited for Him, He is going to save us 17:21 or you're going to be running to the 17:22 rocks and mountains that fall on him. 17:23 Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him 17:25 that sits on the throne. 17:26 So, its not gonna be any banking or any commerce 17:29 and nobody at the amusement parks, 17:31 or you know, nobody in theatres or the shows, 17:33 this is going to be an event that ends the age in 17:36 which we now find ourselves and everybody is 17:38 going to be aware, it's not going to be a secret thing. 17:41 That's right, so when you say and the other thing we 17:43 want to add to that you said, 17:44 post tribulation or pre-tribulation. 17:48 Well, let's just look at the word tribulation in 17:51 Mathew Chapter 24 verse 21, 17:55 just to give you an idea of how difficult this is going to be. 17:57 The Bible itself gives a context to the tribulation. 18:02 What's it gonna be like? How bad is it going to be? 18:05 Well notice, what Mathew 24, 21 says, 18:08 "For then there will be great tribulation, 18:12 such as has not been since the beginning of the world 18:15 until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 18:19 And unless those days were shortened, 18:21 no flesh would be saved, but for the elect's sake 18:25 those days will be shortened. 18:28 "So you're talking about a situation, 18:31 a cataclysmic earth, an earth gripped 18:35 by as Luke adds his part, to Luke Chapter 21, 18:39 anguish and perplexity, a world without answers. 18:44 But let's go back to the question, 18:45 because does the rapture, 18:46 lets go ahead and change that phrase now. 18:48 We're gonna use the second coming as the proper phrase. 18:52 Rather than the single word, the rapture. 18:54 Does the second coming take place before 18:56 the tribulation or after the tribulation. 18:59 Now as a theologian you know these terms. 19:03 We have post-tribulation, premillennialist, 19:07 we've pre-tribulation, premillennialist. 19:11 We and this in context to the second coming of Christ, 19:15 we're post-tribulation, premillennialist. Correct. 19:19 Meaning after the tribulation and before the thousand years. 19:23 Yeah. Jesus is coming in the middle, expand on that. 19:26 We don't really fall hard into any category, 19:29 because the terms are so loaded. Right. 19:32 But to be as pure as you can that's where we are. 19:35 There is going to be distress. 19:38 There is going to be tribulation 19:39 on the face of the earth, economic tribulation, 19:42 social tribulation, ecclesiological tribulation. 19:45 There's going to be an overturning of the order 19:48 as we now know it. Right. 19:49 These are harbingers of the coming of Christ. 19:52 Christ will come after that time. That's right. 19:55 But it is His coming that inaugurates the millennium, 19:59 so we're technically post-trib pre-millennium. Exactly. 20:04 But as I said sometimes those terms are so loaded, 20:07 so you've to explain your way through them, 20:09 because if you just say, we're post-trib. 20:11 Some people take that in a whole other basket of fruit 20:14 that we're not part of. Right. 20:15 But the Bible does give indication that this world 20:17 is going to be rocking to and fro. 20:19 We can see the birth banks as it were even now. 20:22 That's right. But it's going to get worse. 20:25 As a pastor, you know, when we were growing up, 20:28 it was, it was not as tough to pastor a church, 20:32 to get folk to unite to do things together. 20:34 The world in which the church finds itself is so 20:37 hostile now and as we move down towards the closest 20:41 earth history, the world is just a tougher place to live. 20:43 It's easier to die than it was when we are kids. 20:47 There are more things that will take your life. 20:48 There are more drugs in the world, 20:49 there are more kind of things. 20:51 It's easier to die, it's easier to get in trouble, 20:54 than it was when we were kids. 20:55 You know, we did, you had saline shots and when if 20:58 there was a fight between kids. 21:00 Water balloons. You know, you knuckled it out, 21:03 but now kids are bringing guns to school, 21:06 you've drugs in school, it's just, 21:08 it's a harder world now. That's right. 21:12 You can make one mistake. 21:13 When we were kids and to be honest with you, 21:16 one of the worse thing is for young lady to get pregnant. 21:19 You know, if you have a one night stand with a 21:22 fellow nowadays and all you cumbereth is a baby, 21:26 you need to praise God, because you can make one 21:29 mistake that will cost you a life. That's right. 21:32 You know, there are diseases now that will 21:34 take your life for one mistake. 21:36 It's a harder world now and it's gonna get worse 21:39 before Christ comes. 21:41 We can see it in the world, we can see it in society. 21:43 We're using up our air, our water, our land 21:46 at an incredible rate. 21:47 We can't keep on going like this. 21:49 So the world is going to be rocking and reeling and 21:51 men are at each others throats and, you know, 21:54 as this program is being taped, 21:56 we've got tsunamis and we've got earthquakes, 21:58 all of these things are-- Pre-curses. 22:01 Pre-curses, good word to the coming of the Lord, 22:05 so there is a tribulation time upon us, 22:08 that tribulation will end in the second coming of Christ, 22:11 which will open up a millennial period. 22:13 Thank God we'll be at Jesus forever. That's right. 22:15 And we've--that's wonderful synopsis of it, 22:20 but man I'll tell when it actually happens just like 22:22 saying, a blizzard is coming. 22:25 Well, being in that blizzard is completely different story, 22:29 being mushroomed down in the middle of Utah desert 22:33 with no gasoline and your car is stuck 22:36 and the next exit is 45 miles away 22:39 and you've no water, that's blizzard conditions. Yeah. 22:43 But then it gets down to perplexity and anguish, 22:45 you are just marooned you're cutoff. 22:47 So you're at the point your cell phone is on last 22:51 notch and there's no transmissions coming in 22:53 and you can't see the sky, because of the wide out, 22:55 that's blizzard. Yeah, yeah. 22:57 It's like saying fast, well fast in the sense of 22:59 a guy walking fast or jet just passing by your house. 23:02 So takes on a completely different contest when we 23:06 arrived in the middle of it. 23:07 But so if I've to say, that we don't have to worry, 23:11 but I'm glad you mentioned this earlier to 23:12 set this stage to use the word post-tribulation is 23:16 to bring with that an entire drawer full of meanings, 23:20 because the phrase tribulation in the 23:22 minds of many means a seven-year period of, 23:26 you know, the rapture happening and the antichrist 23:30 making a covenant with the Jews. 23:35 You know, Jerusalem being rebuilt 23:37 and the sacrificial system being restarted. 23:39 So we don't bind to that, the Bible doesn't teach that. 23:42 We're not looking forward to go on to the Middle East, 23:44 we're looking forward going to the New Jerusalem. 23:45 Amen, amen. 23:46 I don't care what's happened in the Middle East. 23:48 I mean, I love the people there, 23:50 but God is not coming, Jesus is not coming to dwell with us. 23:54 He's coming to take us that were I am there you maybe also. 23:58 You know the text, it says 23:59 "Then there shall be great tribulation. 24:02 "Doesn't specify a great tribulation or particular type, 24:05 but the Bible is talking about the condition of planet earth 24:09 prior to the second coming of Christ. That's right. 24:11 So we're talking about global catastrophe, 24:14 global upturn of the economical social systems. 24:19 We're talking about problems across the board 24:22 that can only end with the coming of the Lord. 24:25 That's right, cascading. Precisely. 24:27 You know, being at the top of the water fall 24:29 is one thing is pretty for being at the bottom, 24:31 something all together different. 24:33 I don't' think anyone goes to the base of the waterfall 24:35 and say what a beautiful waterfall. 24:37 Well the world is cascading downward. 24:39 Economically we talk about multiple trillions of 24:42 dollars of debt almost like it's just a minimal balance. 24:45 And we're talking about the ozone layer depleting. 24:48 We're talking about icecaps melting. 24:49 We're talking about sea levels rising. 24:51 We're talking about economic, we're talking about 24:53 a possible what they call it cyber shockwave. 24:58 There is so much on horizon, that if you look at it, 25:01 you'll be afraid to get out of your house in the morning. 25:02 You know, this question it says, 25:04 has thrown a sort of down this quarter, 25:06 but you look at the problems that we have and man solutions 25:09 and each one of them simply creates another problem. 25:12 I was listening the other day about this one town, 25:15 where they were having for several years attack of 25:20 certain beetles and bugs that were destroying the crops. 25:22 And so they just increased their pesticide use. 25:26 Well now the pesticides have leached down into that 25:30 water systems and so they're getting babies born 25:34 with defects because of pesticides 25:38 in now the food chain. 25:40 So you correct one problem and you get another problem 25:44 and then you try to correct that problem 25:45 and you get another problem, 25:46 because all of our answers, 25:48 pastor are just sort of stop gap measures, 25:50 we don't have the ultimate solution. 25:53 And so we're heaping, we're getting into 25:56 problems that we simply don't have answers for. Right 25:59 There's no way to get us out of it. 26:02 We're using fossil fuels, they're coming to an end. 26:05 They're not going to be there forever. 26:07 We're heating up our earth, 26:08 yet we got to drive, you know, 26:11 who's gonna park their car, 26:13 I got to go to the market to get food. 26:14 So we've got this cycle of problems that we simply 26:17 have no answer for. 26:18 And that's what the Bible says, 26:19 God is going to cut this in short. That's right. 26:21 Because if He doesn't, humanity will destroy itself. 26:24 You know, we'll just cease 26:27 our own existence by our own genius. 26:31 By share, by exhaustion of natural resource. 26:34 Yeah, we're just running out of solution, 26:35 so God saying, I got to cut this short, 26:37 these people are just gonna wipe themselves out. 26:38 That's right. There will be nobody left to say, 26:40 unless I cut this thing short. 26:41 So God in His love is not going to let this thing go 26:44 on forever, He cannot and in love He's gonna cut it 26:47 short and praise God for it. 26:49 You know, I remember Pastor C.D. 26:50 Brooks once said, "The earth is like an old pair of jeans. 26:54 It tears in one place and you sew it up, 26:56 it tears in other place, you stitch it up. 26:58 "I don't know in this world today, 27:00 it seems like a fad to wear jeans that are fallen apart 27:03 that look like they've been in five generations, 27:06 but what happens is when that final tear happens, yeah. 27:09 You just got to discard the entire garment. 27:11 You got to discard. 27:12 And our world is being torn apart 27:13 by one tragedy or the other. 27:15 So let me, let me now end this talk with the idea that well, 27:18 if it's a post-tribulation or pre-tribulation. 27:21 Let me end it with this thought, 27:22 John 14, verse 27, "Peace I leave with you, 27:26 my peace I give to you, 27:28 not as the world gives do I give to you. 27:31 Let not your heart be troubled, 27:33 neither let it be afraid," I love it. 27:35 You know, we got a God that is not going to allow 27:37 us to go down the drain, He's got a strainer there. 27:41 When all the problems of the world are gone down 27:43 the drain, He's gonna shake us off and take us to heaven. 27:46 One of my favorite text, just to add a little cherry on it 27:48 on Sunday there, John 16:33, 27:53 "These things I have spoken unto you that in me 27:55 ye might have peace. 27:56 In the world ye shall have tribulation 27:58 but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." 28:01 That's right. Yeah. 28:02 It's not and the beauty of it pastor is not something 28:05 that Jesus sits back and says, 28:07 "Now what would I do." 28:09 I'm glad I don't serve that kind of Jesus, amen. 28:11 He knows where it's headed, 28:12 that's why He has predicted it, 28:14 but He's also predicted the end. 28:15 Praise the Lord. Thank you for the questions. 28:17 We could have covered some more, 28:18 but we try to be as complete as we can. 28:20 Keep sending your questions and if you have 28:22 anything that we've activated this morning or today. 28:25 You can send those questions to 28:26 housecalls@3abn.org that's housecalls@3abn.org 28:30 and we promise to do our best, whether it's snail mail 28:33 or whether it's email, keep sending the mail to 3ABN 28:38 and we appreciate your participation in making 28:41 this program what it is. 28:43 Well, today we've a very 28:45 interesting topic that we're gonna cover. 28:47 We're gonna try to do as much as we can 28:48 in the time remaining. 28:50 And let me just say the title is one that may 28:52 bring a smile to your face, 28:54 but I hope it also brings a sober attitude to your mind 28:57 because as a person who wants have 28:59 optimum health in the world today concerned about health. 29:01 This program is entitled to eat or not to eat, 29:04 that's the question. that is the question. 29:06 You know, that takes me down that thought 29:09 the philosophical route to be or not to be, wow! 29:14 You know, because it's on the planet, 29:17 do we eat it because it breeds and moves 29:21 is it intended to be food. 29:23 Are there certain things that you do just 29:26 because it's available? 29:28 What's the reason why you do, what you do? 29:30 What is the reason why you eat, 29:32 what you eat and what has God intended for us 29:36 to have as our daily food supply. 29:39 You know, with medical costs going up, 29:41 right now there's a big debate in our country 29:43 about health costs and how to take care of those. 29:45 And I'll suggest you that in the midst of all that, 29:49 just recently a survey came out saying that 29:52 in schools one of the reasons why children can't 29:54 concentrate as much as they do, 29:55 is because the high sugar levels in juice 29:58 and high sugar levels in soda. 30:00 Well, if something like juice and soda 30:03 is becoming a concern, the Bible gives us 30:06 a larger plate of things that we should avoid, 30:09 but also an equally larger plate of things 30:11 that we can include, yeah. 30:13 Let's begin with the principle though, 30:14 let's start in 3rd John verse 2, 3rd John verse 2 30:19 What does the Bible say about this particular principle? 30:22 Let's begin with the principle. 30:23 "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou 30:26 mayest prosper and be in health, 30:28 even as thy soul prospereth." 30:32 Pastor, do you know anybody that doesn't want to prosper? 30:35 I can't think of anybody. 30:36 You know, can you imagine, guy says, I'm going to school 30:39 and after I get my degree, I'm gonna fail, can we? 30:43 There is not a person we know that plans for failure. 30:47 Now there are few vegetables and few nuts out there, 30:51 they are just really loose canons 30:52 that are suicidal in nature, 30:54 but for the most part even they hope 30:56 to succeed in their suicide-- 30:57 You have a same rational person, they want to do well. 31:00 Right. They want to prosper. 31:03 And, of course, this is not some would make it 31:06 a guarantee of wealth, health, and longevity. 31:09 There are some who would say when you come to Lord, 31:10 this text guarantee that no, this is God's wish, 31:13 but this is His wish, I want you 31:16 to prosper even as a soul prosper. 31:19 And so the really, the burden of this text actual is, 31:24 actually is soul prospering. 31:26 He saying, I'm assuming that 31:29 you are in good spiritual condition. 31:31 I want your physical life to match your spiritual life. 31:36 But this presupposes that you've got 31:38 a good working relation with God. 31:40 Because it's a competitive text, even has your soul, 31:43 I know you love the Lord, 31:44 I know you right with the Lord. 31:46 I hope and pray that your physical life 31:49 mirrors your spiritual life. 31:51 That's right. Yeah. 31:52 And that's good, I like that comparison, 31:54 one is leaning on the fact of the other, 31:58 if in fact the first one is a fact. 32:00 Since you're doing well financially, 32:01 how you're doing physically, 32:03 that's the question has being led here. 32:05 But the age in which we live, and this is something that 32:07 I wanna make this question age appropriate, 32:09 no not so much what your age is, 32:11 but the age in which we live. 32:13 Correct, because we are living 32:14 in a very conscious society nowadays 32:16 when it comes to health, 32:17 everybody wants to be in health, 32:19 there are books by the thousands 32:20 maybe hundred or thousands are written 32:23 on how to have optimum health. 32:25 I would doubt somebody would buy a Mercedes, 32:26 or any kind of new vehicle, 32:28 or any vehicle at all whether new or used 32:30 and say I want this vehicle to breakdown 32:34 after about a week. 32:37 Right, I doubt anybody would buy a horse 32:40 that they would consider a farming horse or race horse 32:44 and feed that horse snicker bars, 32:47 Pepsi, keep him up late, giving chewing tobacco 32:50 and hope he gets up the next day 32:52 and performs as a race horse should, 32:54 I doubt that. Yeah. 32:56 But in very many cases 32:57 the things that we don't do to our horses 32:59 and we don't do to our cars, 33:01 we do almost voluntarily to our bodies 33:04 and expect for there to be optimum recovery 33:08 and optimum conditioning and optimum performance 33:11 and it really doesn't matter, yeah. 33:12 I mean, it really doesn't match. 33:14 So let's go to this verse, 33:15 before we go to the second question, 33:17 why do God give health rules to His people? 33:20 Let's go to Revelation Chapter 14 33:24 and I want to look at verse 6 33:26 and then we're gonna go 33:27 to 1st Corinthians 10 and verse 31. 33:29 And notice that in an age where God is saying 33:34 there's something that I am worthy of 33:38 how and what way and what many forms 33:42 can we give God exactly what He deserves. 33:45 Notice, how they got been. I'm gonna go ahead 33:47 and have the text read first, okay. 33:50 Revelation Chapter 14 and we're gonna read 33:54 verse 6 and verse 7. Okay, Revelation 14. 33:57 You have one of those big Bibles. 33:59 Yeah, I've got this brand new, 34:00 brand new Bible, uses from that much. Verse 6 and 7. 34:03 Okay, here we go Revelation 14, 34:05 I'm at verse 6. Okay. 34:07 "Saying with a loud voice, 34:08 Fear God, and give glory to him, 34:10 for the hour of his judgment is come, 34:13 and worship him that made the heaven, 34:15 and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." 34:18 Okay, that's verse 7, so that's key, 34:19 the key there is verse 6 includes 34:21 preaching the everlasting gospel 34:23 and what has being said is, 34:24 "Fear God, and give glory to Him." 34:28 Now Christian friend, and you may be Christian 34:31 and I'm just assuming that some of you 34:34 who are watching are Christians, 34:36 if you're not follow along with me. 34:38 Giving God glory is something every Christian wants to do. 34:43 But I want to now take you 34:45 to 1st Corinthians 10 and verse 31, 34:47 because a lot people believe that, 34:49 through our songs, through our sermons, 34:53 through our service, 34:54 through our financial giving, 34:56 through our outreach and our missionary work, 34:59 those are the means that God 35:00 is ordained to give Him glory, yeah. 35:02 But pastor, go to 1st Corinthians 10:31, 35:04 I know you have thought, go ahead and share with us. 35:06 Yeah, I say and they are, you are so right, they are. 35:09 The problem is or the challenge is, 35:11 they are not the only means, that's right. 35:12 If you limited to that, and lo, lot of things 35:15 that what we do in church on any given day. 35:18 We pray to Him, we praise Him verbally, 35:22 we preach about Him, we lift our hands to Him 35:26 in some instances and all of that is good and right 35:28 and just, but that's not all 35:31 that's continence by giving glory to God. 35:34 And this text you picked is so appropriate, okay. 35:38 Eat that--I'm sorry, "Whether therefore you eat, 35:42 or drink, or whatsoever you do, 35:45 do all to the glory of God." 35:49 I saw a program on very famous talk show hosts 35:54 and they were talking about how this one lady 35:57 for so many years was seen as a neat, clean, 36:01 all put together professional lady. 36:03 She had a very high position in her company. 36:07 And when you drove pass her house, 36:08 yard was manicured, beautiful landscaping, 36:11 but on the inside of the house 36:13 it was a trap of insanity. 36:15 This lady was, she hadn't cleaned her house 36:19 for seven or at least eight years, 36:21 hadn't cleaned it. 36:22 That means dishes had not been washed, 36:24 she had many animals, many cats. 36:27 So let's go ahead and talk about all the things 36:29 that are laying everywhere, 36:31 there was even cat droppings in the bottom 36:32 of the shower that she used each day 36:35 to take her shower before she went to work. 36:37 Let's go further even in her bed, 36:41 she slept on one half of the bed 36:42 the other half of the bed 36:43 had droppings from her animals in her closets. 36:46 When they came to the spot to clean it, 36:50 people would periodically turn quickly, 36:52 because a mouse is running probably 36:54 after another mouse just this house was so messy. 36:58 And they ask the lady 37:00 how can you allow this to happen? 37:03 And she was giving all the logical answers 37:05 and the talk show host says, you know, 37:07 what the problem is, you know exactly what to say, 37:10 but you don't even know what you could, 37:11 you don't even know how bad your condition is. 37:14 So what was in essence saying is, 37:15 you may look good on the outside, 37:18 but based on what you are neglecting about the inside, 37:21 you can be a Christian 37:23 that has all the external trappings of the person 37:26 that's living the right life, but internally your organs 37:29 could be falling apart, 37:30 your body could be in shambles, 37:32 because you have ignored what this verse says, 37:35 eating and drinking to the glory of God. 37:36 Yeah, yeah, what's interesting about that, 37:39 and that's a frightening example but very, very app. 37:44 Everything that touches us 37:46 as you well know it touches God. 37:48 Everything that concerns us concerns God's. 37:51 God is concerned about Christians 37:53 to the minutest detail. 37:56 And if we are doing things that destroy 37:59 our body that, we're gonna come to some text 38:02 that verify this in a little bit, 38:04 that's got be of concerned to God. 38:06 If Christ die to pay for you, to purchase you, 38:11 to redeem you, then He has of course, 38:14 concerned about the kind of shape you are in. 38:16 That's right, because the kind of shape 38:18 you are in bespeaks the kind of God you serve. 38:21 And if you're in better physical and mental health, 38:25 you can do, I remember, 38:28 I think it was George Washington or Ben Franklin 38:31 had said God can use any tool, 38:34 He can use sharper axe 38:35 a little better, you know. High pad. 38:37 And so he wants you to be a sharp axe, 38:40 you know. Right. 38:41 So that you can be a powerful witness for Him. 38:44 If you are lazy, and sluggish, 38:46 and in bad shape, what does that say 38:48 about the God that, you're trying to serve. 38:50 That's right, yeah, You cannot use, 38:52 you would not use a racing car 38:54 that's sputtering if you want to win. Precisely. 38:57 And so the principles 38:59 and the reason I mention this, because the principles 39:01 that we naturally applied to vehicles in our homes, 39:05 in our cars and all the things 39:07 that we want to function right. 39:08 You won't put your cell phone in the bath tub 39:10 and expected to respond when you make a phone call. 39:13 You know, the things that should be avoided, 39:15 but on the same side a lot of people believe 39:17 that they could just treat their body any oh, how, yeah. 39:21 And it doesn't really matter and in some sense, 39:24 C.A, some people believe, well, I'm a Christian, 39:27 God's going to give me another body anyhow. 39:29 So what I do with this one 39:31 really, really doesn't matter. 39:34 And that's sad, that's sad. 39:35 You know, so I send somebody just rent you their house 39:37 and what you would do with that one 39:38 since they got other houses, right, just trash it? 39:41 They're going to get another, they have others anyway. 39:43 Just a rental. Yeah. It's not mine. 39:45 Some people think that way though. 39:46 They do, indeed they do, 39:48 that's why doctors will always have jobs, 39:51 because there are those who abuse their body 39:53 and they figure a pill can change it, or fix it. 39:56 I read something the other day I really like, 39:58 it said the secret of your future 39:59 is hidden in your daily routine, 40:01 that's what you put in your body 40:03 and what you do with your body every single day 40:05 that determines your longevity. 40:07 I mean, your genes and genetics 40:08 have a lot to do with it. 40:09 But how we treat it everyday 40:11 has more or as much to do with it, 40:13 as the genetic makeup that we are given, yeah. 40:17 Let's go to 1st Corinthians Chapter 6. 40:19 We're still laying some principles 40:20 and let me gonna hit on some things very quickly. 40:22 And we also may extend this topic to a number 40:25 of other upcoming programs, 40:26 because the Lord want you to be in good health. 40:29 But how that happens, we could simply say, 40:31 go get a pill, we live in a pill driven society. Oh, yes. 40:34 You know, take two and call me in the morning. 40:36 Well, if you wakeup the next day 40:38 that's the whole issue. 40:39 But here let's go to 1st Corinthians Chapter 6. 40:42 And you have the King James Version, 40:46 I want you to read-- 40:47 I brought King James. King James, 40:49 I want you to read in that translation, 40:51 because I like the way that Paul begins verse 19. 40:56 He begins it with 40:57 somewhat of a startling single word. Yeah. 41:00 You know, what I'm talking about. 41:02 And I want you to give it, 41:03 I want you to give it with the New Year flavor 41:05 when you use that first word, okay. 41:07 First Corinthians Chapter 6 verse 19 start with that, 41:11 give us New Year flavor. 41:12 It says, what or as we said, New York, 41:14 what, you know that kind of thing. Right. 41:17 "Know ye not that your body is a temple 41:20 of the Holy Ghost which is in you, 41:22 which ye have of God? 41:23 And ye are not your own." Okay. 41:25 You know, I'm glad he said what, 41:27 don't you know that, your body belongs to God? 41:30 He's talking to Corinthians. Yeah. 41:31 He is talking to Christians 41:33 in the Corinthians setting a port city, 41:35 many different people of different nationalities 41:37 all gather there, a place of commerce. Yeah. 41:40 And but he is saying to, it's almost like a shot, 41:42 what, don't you know? Yeah. It's almost like, 41:45 how could you as a Christian not know. Yeah. 41:48 That you don't belong to you. 41:50 If you think that your house belongs to you, 41:53 stop paying taxes. Precisely. 41:54 The government will tell you, 41:56 we're coming to get our house. 41:57 They will stop by saying. Or the bank would say. 41:59 They would stop by saying what, 42:01 don't you know that this land belongs to the government? 42:04 You see, there is no eminent domain 42:05 when it comes to ownership of our bodies. 42:07 But break it down again and he goes on, 42:10 he says your body is what? 42:13 It's the temple. That's right. 42:14 The temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, 42:18 and ye have of God? 42:19 I like it, you are not your own, 42:22 you don't-- and because that, 42:23 that knocks the pegs up 42:24 from that line that's my body. Yeah. 42:27 Oh, no, it's not, 42:28 you've been purchased with the price, 42:29 somebody has brought you, 42:31 you don't belong totally to yourself. 42:34 That's right. Yeah, you are not your own. 42:36 And if you think you're your own, 42:38 ask yourself when did you manufactured you-- 42:43 In the beginning God created, 42:44 one of the problems in our world today is, 42:46 we dismiss responsibility and stewardship by saying 42:51 we are some evolutionary process, 42:52 some biological birth. 42:54 That's not the facts, because there is too much 42:56 order here to come out of chaos. 42:58 You can have all this function 42:59 down to the minutest infinitesimal cell 43:02 and think that it happend 43:03 by some exploitation somewhere. Yes, yeah. 43:05 And the fact of the matter is you are not your own 43:06 and when doctors get together, 43:08 and scientist get together, they let you know that, 43:09 what's happening on the inside of your body, 43:11 this regenerative process is being interrupted, 43:14 because you are not paying attention 43:15 to the very things that would happen in the right way 43:18 if you follow this particular principles. 43:20 Yeah, yeah there are so many things here, 43:23 you're bought with a price, verse 20 says. 43:25 So you have been paid for, 43:27 and you are the property of a loving God, 43:31 and whenever you buy something kind of complex, 43:33 you know, I'd bought a piece of furniture the other day. 43:36 And, you know, you try to be macho, 43:38 I'm gonna put this thing together 43:39 without reading the manual, you know. I like that. 43:42 I'm gonna put it together, 43:43 because I can do this, I went to college, 43:45 I can do this, you know, so you've got Flange A, 43:47 to Tab B and you got screws and you get done, 43:50 you got a handful of screws left 43:51 and it didn't working right, it's just not right, 43:53 because you didn't read the manual. Right. 43:55 Well, the manufacturer gave you a manual. Specific. 43:58 Precisely, and if you follow the manual, 44:01 it's going to work out fine. God has given us a manual, 44:04 we have it in our hands. That's right. 44:05 It tells us what to do, what not to do, 44:08 what to put in our body, what not to put in our body, 44:11 and it gives us the effect of, 44:13 if we do it right, 44:14 and if we do it wrong. That's right. 44:16 So we know what to do the things, 44:18 are you gonna follow the manual, 44:19 or you gonna try to put it together Flange A and Tab B 44:22 by yourself and then you come out 44:24 with something that's not gonna be right. 44:25 That's a great illustration, 44:26 because you know, how many times I'm pretty, 44:29 I'm mechanically geared, mechanically inclined 44:31 and many of us are, you know, 44:33 don't tell a guy that 44:34 he can't put it together. Right. 44:35 You know, he's got tools 44:38 that he just bought at Wal-Mart 44:40 and he knows how to make 44:41 those ratchets, ratchet. Yeah. 44:43 So the worse thing that a women could do 44:46 is say to her husband, you don't know 44:48 what you are doing? 44:49 You've just driven him to prove his insanity. Yeah. 44:52 Because she's kind of try to prove you wrong, 44:53 am I correct? 44:54 Very true, you're gonna try to put it together. 44:56 So what you want to do to get a dysfunctional 44:59 living room set instead of try to challenge 45:01 your husband to put it together without reading. 45:04 He's gonna say, I got this and before you know, 45:06 that couch is gonna be on the 45 degree angle. 45:08 And that table is going to be out 45:09 and you will have a handful of screws 45:12 and nuts and bolts left over. Yeah. 45:14 Because I sat down one day 45:16 and I looked at the instructions 45:18 and its scares you in the beginning 45:19 because you get all the stuff in plastic shrink wrapped. 45:22 And you look at these screws and for the glance 45:24 they looked the same length as this one, 45:26 but these have a single slice 45:28 head for the standard screwdriver, 45:30 these have a Philips head, 45:31 these have the wood pre-cut type of screws. Right. 45:34 These have the metal type of threading. 45:36 You get them all mixed up, you try to put a metal screw, 45:39 wood screw into a metal nut and you messed up, 45:42 but you force it to work and in the very same way 45:45 people are putting things in their body 45:47 without realizing there is a certain way 45:49 that it needs to be done. 45:51 Let's go to 1st Corinthians 3 verse 16 45:53 and 17 to add another facet to this. Yeah. 45:56 Because, yes, God is a particular God, 45:58 just as you are particular. 46:00 If you are not particular and you're having dinner, 46:02 let your son put his basketball 46:04 sneakers on the table at Thanksgiving and say, 46:07 "Mom, it's just, it's not really toxic, 46:11 it will be just fine." 46:12 You'll show me exactly how particular you are. Yeah. 46:15 Is God particular, notice what the Lord 46:16 and I think this is what you do to your son 46:18 if he ignore you? 46:19 Yeah, this is the companion text 16, 19 and 20. 46:22 That's right. "If any man defile the temple of-- 46:25 " Well, first verse 16. You want 16, okay. 46:28 "Know you not, that you are the temple of God, 46:31 and that the spirit of God dwelt in you?" 46:35 If any man, I'm in 17 now, 46:37 "Defile the temple of God him shall God destory, 46:40 for the temple of God is holy, 46:42 which temple ye are." That's right. 46:46 In another words the Bible is saying, 46:48 not in other words, but clearly, 46:51 "Your body is God's temple." 46:53 Now let's go ahead and make this very clear 46:55 because God is not in the business 46:57 of just fly swatting people, 47:00 but some of us fly swat ourselves. 47:02 There you go, that's an important part. 47:04 Talk about that for a moment. Yeah. 47:05 How we break ourselves. 47:06 You may come over with, okay, God's gonna destroy me. 47:08 He didn't have to, 47:09 because if you are constantly 47:10 pumping things into your body, 47:12 you're gonna destroy yourself. Right. 47:13 Now what he may not do is answer 47:16 your prayer for healing 47:17 unless you have a change of mind. 47:19 Why should God heal you for you to go back 47:22 and re-pump in those same things that destroyed 47:24 you in the first place. 47:25 So we're not talking about a God, 47:28 who is sitting in the heaven and saying okay, 47:29 I'm gonna destroy her, I'm gonna destroy him. 47:32 No your habits are destroying you. That's right. 47:35 Your bad habits are destroying your health. 47:39 If you are smoking, and smoking, and smoking, 47:43 you may not get lung cancer. That's right. 47:45 You may not, but odds are you will. That's right. 47:48 You know, so if you're smoking, 47:50 does it make sense for you to say God heal me of this, 47:54 so I can smoke some more. Why would you do that? 47:58 You know, so you are destroying the temple, 48:01 God is simply letting you feel 48:04 the consequences of your actions. 48:06 That's right. Yeah. 48:07 And so naturally we know that in the same 48:11 in the world of physics, 48:13 for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. 48:17 So, you can't throw the ball, 48:19 you cannot stand two feet away from the ball 48:21 and throw a super ball at the wall 48:22 and I expect it come back 48:23 and knock you out. Yeah, okay. 48:25 You cannot throw something out of glass window 48:27 that's above your head and I expect the glass 48:30 would rain down and cut you up. 48:32 So for every action there is an equal, 48:34 at least an equal and opposite reaction. Yes. 48:37 So let's not think of our body as the place 48:40 where that principle is exempt, 48:42 because it applies in everything else. 48:43 Yeah, and that's what sad. Yeah. 48:46 God has made us so fearfully 48:47 and wonderfully that your body 48:48 can take an off lot of abuse for off a longtime. 48:51 I think of one of the great boxers, 48:53 Muhammad Ali, and I don't know exactly 48:55 all the reasons why his challenge in the way 48:58 he is today great guy, you know, 48:59 people love him and we all still applaud him 49:02 for his many accomplishments. 49:03 And when you mentioned the name Ali, 49:04 he's still known no matter what, 49:07 the greatest, you know, that's just the bottom line. 49:09 But I would say that probably 49:11 and this is just my limited understanding, 49:12 probably the years of that pounding to his head. 49:16 And I saw one of those shots one day where, 49:19 George Foreman, and I'm not saying that was the shot, 49:21 but George Foreman hit him one day 49:23 and I remember very well, no sorry Joe Frazier hit 49:27 him one day and he says Joe Frazier 49:28 would decapitate the normal man, 49:32 he hit him so hard. 49:33 Now the pounding to the skull, 49:36 when the brain is held by some very, 49:38 very light tendons that, you know, 49:40 like you don't throw your brain pressuring 49:44 against you at, if you do, 49:45 you need to go see a doctor right away? 49:46 But that brain is held together 49:48 to the sides by some very thin, 49:50 we called it threads, 49:52 but in fact those are nerves that are holding it together. 49:54 If I swing your head faster than that brain could adjust, 49:56 I'm gonna tear something, I'm gonna injure something. 49:58 Yeah, or you're gonna bruise it 49:59 which is a concussion. Right. 50:01 You know, and you had concussion upon 50:03 concussion in football today, 50:05 if you have two or three, four, 50:06 but they tell you to stop playing. Right. 50:07 You got to find another occupation 50:09 and of course, taking a pounding 50:10 like that he probably will see many, many concussion. 50:13 So there is a price to be paid for treating 50:16 your body a certain way, we idolize price fighters, 50:19 but you are paying Russian with your future 50:24 when you're in that kind of support. 50:25 Truly and that's why, you have the joke when, 50:28 you know, we talk about football players, we go, 50:31 because they have been hit so much sometimes 50:33 and we know they are very intellectual 50:34 I apologize if you're football player, 50:36 I know you're not, you know, you are not missing 50:38 any intellectual abilities there. 50:41 But that was the joke throughout the years, 50:42 you know, you mention football players you do, 50:44 because they have been hit so much to the head, 50:46 that's why I stopped playing football 50:48 as you can tell I'm not built for sport, 50:50 I thought I could be a wide receiver 50:52 just running and getting away, 50:54 I found out that there are guys there were twice 50:55 my weight could run just as fast. 50:57 I got hit one day and I thought you know 50:59 for me to have sense 51:00 when I'm in my 30s, and 40s, and 50s. Yeah. 51:02 I need to take up checkers. 51:03 I did the same thing in high school. 51:05 First of all, I said, you know, 51:06 this is not my sport. 51:07 I thought I'll play something else, 51:09 like we indecision of playing basketball too, 51:11 but that's unintentional, right. 51:13 Football, you trying to hurt someone, 51:14 or hit somebody, or knock somebody down. 51:16 Because cheerleaders to football players 51:18 are nurses into skies, you're gonna need a nurse 51:20 when you get hit on the football field, 51:22 so we're in essence saying we're starting 51:23 this programming by saying, 51:25 "Take note of what you're doing to your body." Yes. 51:30 We're not gonna lay down the do's 51:32 and don'ts get about what to eat 51:33 and what not to eat? 51:34 But take note as to what you are doing to your body 51:37 and if you want that body 51:38 like that car that you polish. 51:42 If you want that car, well that body to shine 51:45 and perform like that car 51:46 that you're taking care of, changing the oil, 51:47 the transmission fluid. Yeah. 51:49 Put in it what you expect to get out of it. 51:51 Precisely, and not only, 51:53 but pastor what you are doing, 51:55 what you are not doing. That's right. 51:57 At this age, I think of exercise as medicine. Oh. 52:00 You know, whetheryou like or not it's immaterial. 52:03 The fact is its integral to good health. That's right. 52:07 So, you've got to get up off the couch 52:08 and do something, because it pays dividends, 52:12 its medicine, it will help you. 52:15 Anything else you're doing, 52:17 coupled with exercise will be better for you. 52:19 If you are eating light, if you are getting rest, 52:21 if you're getting good air and sunlight 52:23 and exercise it will help you, 52:26 it can't hurt you. 52:27 It cannot, in the same way there are people 52:29 that talk about investments 52:30 in the stock market you know that. 52:31 The greatest investment is in your personal health 52:34 and well being, because some people say, 52:36 well, I have $45,0000, well, you can't walk. 52:40 I got a million dollars investments, 52:42 but you can't see, yeah. 52:43 And you got there by abusing 52:44 your body with drug, and alcohol 52:47 and late night sleeping, 52:49 and things that we're just pumping your adrenal up 52:52 one day and down the other, there is a-- 52:53 I went to a mall the other day 52:55 and we were so thirsty and he said, 52:59 oh, great there is a soda machine, 53:01 but then you can buy a water 53:03 and we wanted to get it water, 53:04 I'm not gonna mentioned the kind, 53:05 we like the Sannine. 53:07 And so we said let's put that, 53:09 you know, money in the, we put in there 53:11 and something it comes out called blast. 53:15 And I said, I pressed this on, 53:17 but I didn't even to see anything, I'm gonna blast. 53:20 Well, I read the label, twice the sugar, 53:24 double the caffeine. Yeah. 53:26 And under that there is ridiculous, 53:29 if you wanna feel like your energy has been 53:31 boosted and last longer during the day, 53:34 I still have that can in my trunk, 53:36 I don't want to anybody to see it, 53:37 to even think I drink that stuff. Yeah, yeah. 53:39 Because we deplete ourselves in one end 53:41 and hope that there is more on the other. 53:43 It's like cutting the blanket off 53:44 and sowing it to the other side 53:45 and say we have a longer blanket. 53:46 Yeah, yeah, yeah, we haven't even gone into, 53:49 what to eat and what not to eat, 53:50 I think we're giving general principles 53:51 and one that I tend to abuse and I'm really getting 53:55 on myself about that is adequate sleep, that's right. 53:57 Yeah, the exercise, you eat right and go to bed, 54:01 this idea, I'm gonna night out, 54:03 you're burned it on this end, 54:05 you are cutting it off the back end, that's right. 54:07 And having done little study in this, 54:10 the kinds of problems, 54:12 John, that come from lack of sleep, 54:14 the kinds of things you are building up in your body, 54:17 where you are not allowing your body 54:18 to do is incredible, the kinds of aches, 54:21 and pains, and illnesses that accrue from just not 54:24 going to bed or going to bed too late. 54:26 Your body can't function on four or five hours 54:29 of sleep a night, you think you can. Right. 54:31 But sooner or later, your body is gonna tell you, 54:33 I'm not having this anymore, we're not gonna do it. 54:35 And I'm glad you mentioned 54:36 that because after after I came back from Africa, 54:38 and I went to bed every night I had routine. 54:40 It's hard for me to break that routine 54:42 and go back to late hours, but I've discovered that, 54:44 when I wake up in the morning. 54:46 When you get the adequate rest, 54:47 you don't really need an alarm clock 54:50 because your body says, "You've got enough, get up." 54:52 But when you throw your body into tailspin, 54:55 you need an alarm clock and people need coffee 54:57 to get themselves going, they need sleeping pills 54:59 to stop themselves from going, 55:01 they're so boost with caffeine all day long 55:03 that the body is racing, 55:04 then they've got to press the breaks on with, 55:06 the sleeping pills and you are not really 55:09 functioning based on the natural body chemistry. 55:11 Precisely. You've beaten yourself up 55:13 then you've thrown yourself down, 55:14 you're like a ragdoll that's tied to his string, 55:16 there is some kid that has no sense 55:17 is pulling and stopping, pulling and stopping. 55:20 And that's why I want to end 55:21 with this particular text to show you 55:22 that as we lay the foundation for the principles, 55:25 God is serious that our bodies will last a longtime, 55:29 if we do with that as He intends. 55:31 Don't ignore the manuscript, 55:33 don't ignore the manual. 55:34 Romans 12 verse 1 and 2, "I beseech you therefore, 55:38 brethren, by the mercies of God." 55:40 God is saying, "Please have mercy on yourself." 55:43 You know that? 55:45 "That you present your bodies a living sacrifice." 55:50 'Cause the opposite of that is a death sacrifice. Yes. 55:52 And you can't do anything with that. 55:54 How should that living sacrifice be holy? 55:58 Acceptable to God 56:00 which is your reasonable service. 56:01 You want to serve God, you could serve Him 56:03 best with the body that works. 56:05 And verse 2, I don't know if you're there, 56:07 but it says "And do not be conformed to this world, 56:11 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind 56:14 that you may prove what is that good, 56:16 and acceptable, and perfect will of God." Yes. 56:19 Registering on that, 56:20 how could we make this happen? 56:22 Powerful, one don't be conformed to this world. 56:26 Don't be swallowed up by popular culture, 56:29 what you see going on, 56:30 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 56:32 So you've got to step out of the culture 56:35 that surrounds you and answer to God 56:37 and order your life, your mind, your soul, 56:40 your body in accordance with God's will. 56:43 That's right. Yeah. 56:44 And it's gonna make a difference, 56:45 you'll notice here at House Calls, 56:46 we believe that firmly, that's why we try to get 56:49 you notice everything we did today 56:50 was from the word of God given you solid principles 56:53 and it's like reading for you from the manual made 56:57 by Ford or by, you know, whatever car manufacture. 57:01 Follow these things 57:03 and the warranty will not be voided. 57:06 The service plan will stick. God's got a service plan. 57:09 So, friends, follow these principles, 57:12 get the optimum treatment from the body 57:14 that God intends for it to be, 57:16 because one day when the Lord comes, 57:18 He's gonna make a House Call on your life 57:20 and you want to meet Him, not only in peace, 57:23 but in optimum health and good health. 57:26 Make those decisions today 57:28 because we believe that the coming 57:30 of our Lord is very, very near, 57:31 so have a great day in Christ. |
Revised 2014-12-17