Participants: Charles Byrd (Host), Andrea Endries, Carl Preval, Levi Longoria
Series Code: THL
Program Code: THL000010
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00:01 Picture perfection in you mind's eye for a moment.
00:04 What would that look like? 00:06 For some of us perfect would look like being young 00:09 with no aches or pains with flexible joints and no disease. 00:14 Or perhaps, perfect conjures up the ideal marriage, 00:18 a kind and attentive spouse, a good provider 00:22 or a lifelong best friend who never compromises 00:26 their faithfulness or integrity. 00:29 Today of course those ideals are just that, ideals. 00:33 But divorce, unfaithfulness, sickness and death 00:37 are all reminders that we are not in a perfect world. 00:41 So we contemplate something better. 00:44 But we're not the first to muse over perfection. 00:47 Perhaps the genesis of our infatuation with idealism 00:51 stems from an original sense of variety 00:54 of how things should be, were designed to be. 00:58 You know, one of the doctrines or teachings of Jesus 01:01 actually talks about this very theme of perfection. 01:05 "Be ye therefore perfect." He said in Matthew 5:48. 01:09 "Even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." 01:14 Imagine that, a God who calls us to the ideal of perfection. 01:19 And in one way we like it because 01:22 if everyone else is perfect then our lives 01:25 will be better, safer, full of peace. 01:29 And yet like a thunderstorm this doctrine clashes against 01:33 the pervasive of teaching from Popes today. 01:36 But no matter how this teaching of Jesus 01:38 disturbs our sacred cows of understanding and belief, 01:42 Jesus is calling us to something better. 02:39 Hello, I'm Charles Byrd. 02:42 If you've ever seen the acrobatics 02:44 of cirque du soleil then you can appreciate 02:46 that our bodies are capable 02:48 of far more than we demand of them. 02:51 When you watch their physical acumen 02:53 how can you not marvel at the perfection 02:56 and precision of the human body. 03:00 Stunning as these athletes maybe, 03:02 an area even more needy of perfection is marriage 03:06 and the family, one husband and one wife in love and happy. 03:12 After all, a strong and healthy family 03:15 is the framework for a strong and healthy society. 03:19 But how do we come to perfection? 03:21 How do we arrive at the ideal body or the ideal marriage? 03:26 How do we become as perfect as our Father in heaven? 03:30 Once again Jesus shows us the way in Matthew 19:8. 03:35 He points us back to the beginning 03:37 to His original creation as the model, as the standard 03:41 He had in mind for our happiness. 03:45 You see, God never intended there to be imperfection 03:49 and He is working right now to restore the perfection 03:52 He originally intended for this planet and for us. 03:56 But you and I have a part to play. 04:00 So true, Charles. 04:01 God did and does have better plans for us 04:04 than this world offers. 04:06 Over and over the Bible teaches us that 04:09 all God's ways are perfect. 04:11 Moses proclaimed in his victory song. 04:13 "Thy God work is indeed perfect." 04:16 The very first perfect work God presents to us 04:20 in the first verse of scripture 04:22 is His creation in this world and everything in it. 04:25 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, 04:29 and God saw every thing that He had made, 04:32 and behold, it was very good. 04:35 Seven times in the first Chapter of Genesis, 04:38 God pronounced His work of creation "good." 04:42 God's awesome creative ability is the ultimate reason 04:46 we all Him worship, obedience and honor. 04:52 In Revelation 14, the first of Three Angels, 04:57 flies through heavens crying with a loud voice 04:59 to earth's inhabitance. 05:01 "Fear God and give glory to Him 05:04 for the hour of His judgment is come and worship Him 05:08 that made heaven and earth and the sea 05:11 and the fountains of waters." 05:13 Again creation sided us the reason 05:16 for us to worship God. 05:18 The fact that God is the creator is the sole reason 05:22 on which He can rest the claim of worship. 05:25 And John Chapter 1, the beloved apostle 05:28 introduces us to His master, Jesus Christ. 05:32 As he starts his book he asserts Christ's divinity 05:36 and the proof of that claim rest in the fact that 05:39 Jesus or the Word is the creator. 05:43 "In the beginning was the Word, 05:46 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 05:49 All things were made by him, and without Him 05:52 was not any thing made that was made." 05:56 John understood that if Jesus life ministry in death 06:00 was to have any value at all He must be the creator. 06:05 Only the inventor could intervene 06:07 as the substitute for His creation. 06:10 No other being in heaven or earth held the authority 06:14 or right to step and to take its place except the creator. 06:19 That's why Jesus could triumph over the tomb of saying. 06:23 "I am the resurrection, and the life." 06:27 Not only was He the inception of life, 06:30 the creator, He was also life's redemption. 06:34 If we are indeed His creation then the creator would 06:37 certainly know what's best for His creation, wouldn't He? 06:41 So let's go back to Eden and see 06:44 what His perfect ideal is for our happiness. 06:50 The seven day week along with it Sabbath rest 06:52 comes to us from perfect eating, Carl. 06:55 But the Sabbath is not the only institution 06:57 that comes to us from God's perfect garden. 07:00 So does marriage. 07:02 In Mark 10:6, Jesus hugs back to Genesis 07:04 as the perfect and only design for marriage, 07:08 it is for one man and one woman. 07:10 "From the beginning of creation God made them male and female." 07:15 And in Matthew, Jesus said that He made marriage to endure, 07:19 to be a permanent and happy union for life. 07:22 Jesus also said that it was God's intention 07:24 from the very beginning, from creation. 07:27 Marriage is very close to God's heart 07:29 because He designed the family union 07:31 to be the foundation of society. 07:34 Today, most homes have drifted from God's edenic family plan 07:38 of one man and one woman mated 07:40 and committed it in a lifelong relationship. 07:43 And our society is reaping the results. 07:47 Statistics show that fatherless children 07:49 are three times more likely to fail in school. 07:52 Require psychiatric treatment. 07:53 And commit suicide as adolescents. 07:56 They are also up to 40 times more likely 07:59 to experience child abuse 08:00 compare to children growing up in two parent families. 08:04 Among long-term prison inmates 70% grew up 08:07 without father as did 60% of rapists, 08:10 and 75% of adolescents charged with murder. 08:14 And who are the women in prison? 08:16 More than half are single mothers 08:18 who were living on welfare. 08:20 Well, sin has made marriages less than perfect. 08:23 In the teachings of Jesus and the Bible God is giving us 08:26 counsel for reordering our lives and marriages 08:30 and restoring them to the happiness of Eden. 08:33 For example, in Matthew 5:28 08:35 Jesus calls us to purity even a thought. 08:39 "Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after 08:42 her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." 08:46 God calls for purity of the mind and body 08:48 before and within the marriage. 08:51 He says through the apostle Paul, 08:53 "do you not know that the unrighteous 08:55 will not inherit the kingdom of God? 08:58 Do not be deceived. 08:59 Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, 09:02 nor homosexuals, nor sodomites 09:05 will inherit the kingdom of God." 09:07 God wants us to experience true happiness which is why 09:11 He gives us clear directives for a happy marriage. 09:14 Sexual purity is paramount and fostering 09:17 one essential element, trust. 09:21 The wise men says of a virtuous woman, 09:23 "the heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, 09:27 " A healthy relationship can only last 09:29 if there is absolute and mutual trust 09:33 which brings us to Commitment. 09:35 God created marriage to be a lifelong commitment. 09:39 Jesus talked about this when the Pharisees 09:41 questioned Him about divorce. 09:44 He told them, "From the beginning of creation 09:46 God made them male and female. 09:49 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother 09:52 and be joined to his wife, 09:54 and the two shall become one flesh. 09:57 Whoever divorces his wife and marries another 10:00 commits adultery against her. 10:02 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, 10:05 she commits adultery." 10:08 God wants us to be committed to one another. 10:11 This was His original plan from the beginning. 10:14 He never intended there to be divorce 10:16 and the only time Jesus said divorce was permissible 10:19 was in the case of sexual unfaithfulness. 10:22 But even then divorce is not a God's idea for us 10:25 rather He instructs us to be kind to one to another, 10:29 tender hearted, forgiving one another, 10:31 even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. 10:36 Forgiveness keeps the path of communication open 10:39 and is a healing balm in any relationship. 10:42 That's why Jesus taught us to pray. 10:44 "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." 10:49 Excellent points, Andrea. 10:51 A purity, trust, commitment, and forgiveness 10:54 truly are vital to healthy homes. 10:57 But there are two more directives 10:59 that are key to our happiness. 11:02 God also carefully instructed His people 11:05 not to intermarry with the world. 11:08 Marriage is a partnership and both parties need to share 11:11 the same beliefs, goals, standards, values, etcetera 11:15 in order to pull the load of life evenly and successfully. 11:19 And Paul counseled the Corinthians believers, 11:21 "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, 11:25 for what fellowship hath 11:27 righteousness with unrighteousness? 11:29 And what communion hath light with darkness?" 11:33 In the Hungarian culture knew well that 11:35 in order to have a good team, the animals had to be equal 11:39 in size and strength and had to pull together. 11:42 They had to be united in purpose 11:44 and both had to listen to the same one master. 11:49 "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" 11:52 The prophet asked in Amos 3:3. 11:54 For a marriage to be a happy and lasting, 11:57 a couple must be in spiritual, 11:59 emotional, and intellectual unity. 12:02 And that brings us to the number one component 12:05 to making happy and heavenly homes. 12:09 Each of us must listen to and obey 12:12 the directions of our master. 12:15 In the sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught us, 12:17 "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, 12:23 and all these things shall be added unto you." 12:27 Only when the husband and wife hold God 12:29 as a supreme authority in their lives individually 12:32 and together, can they truly be united. 12:36 And throughout the Bible God requires priority 12:39 in our finances, our time, our bodies, 12:42 every part of our lives. 12:44 And basically He claims the highest honor 12:47 in every area of our lives. 12:49 And because He is our creator 12:51 He has the right to require supreme royalty. 12:54 And because He is our creator 12:55 His goal is our greatest happiness. 12:59 That's why He says, "For my thoughts 13:01 are not your thoughts, neither are your ways 13:04 my ways, saith the Lord. 13:06 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 13:09 so are my ways higher than your ways, 13:11 and my thoughts than your thoughts. 13:14 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace." 13:20 If joy without guilt and peace at all time soundsgood to you 13:25 then says yes, put Him first. 13:29 God certainly does have our best interest at heart. 13:33 And even though sin and our own imperfections 13:36 have tainted the beautiful family God intended for us, 13:40 He still loves us and longs to bless our homes 13:43 with His abiding presence if we will put Him first. 13:48 He delights in our happiness. 13:50 In fact Christ's first public miracle 13:52 was performed at a marriage celebration. 13:55 It was here in the little village of Cana 13:58 that Jesus reached out a ministering hand to share 14:02 in the celebration of marriage. 14:05 God think so highly of marriage that He compares His relation 14:09 with the church as that of a groom and a bride. 14:13 In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, 14:15 Jesus portrayed the Second Coming 14:17 as a bridegroom coming at midnight 14:19 for the love of His life. 14:21 Again in Matthew 22, Jesus compares 14:24 His wonderful offer of salvation to the festive marriage scene. 14:29 And once again in Revelation John uses the terminology 14:33 of marriage to depict God moving the capital 14:35 of the universe to this earth to dwell with us. 14:40 The Bible's glorious presentation of the union 14:42 of a husband and wife certainly 14:45 show that God views marriage as honorable. 14:49 In fact, I believe that God designed marriage 14:52 just so we could get a glimpse of the union 14:55 God wants to have with us. 14:57 Back in the Garden of Eden, God knew that we would need 15:00 the object lesson of marriage 15:02 to help us picture the unity of the Godhead. 15:06 He wanted us to enter into the joy of creation 15:09 by enabling us to procreate. 15:11 And He wanted us to experience the love 15:14 that He has for us as His children 15:17 by giving us the joy of loving our children. 15:20 Yes, the Garden of Eden is indeed the place 15:23 where God set in motion the very things we would need 15:27 to catch a glimpse of His perfection and happiness. 15:30 Here is clearly laid out the Edenic blueprint 15:34 that God ordained parameters within which to experience 15:37 His intended best in marriage. 15:40 And something else God's original plan also sets 15:43 the stage for, building optimal health. 15:47 Indeed it does, Charles. 15:50 Let's consider the perfect diet 15:51 God gave to Adam and Eve in Paradise. 15:55 "'Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant 15:58 on the face of the whole earth 16:00 and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. 16:03 They will be yours for food.' 16:06 " Our first parents were giving a plant based diet 16:08 of seeds, fruits, and nuts. 16:10 It was a simple yet nutritious and balanced diet. 16:14 It was perfectly suited to a vigorous, healthy, 16:17 and lone life, in fact eternal life. 16:20 Immediately following sin 16:22 God added vegetables to the human diet. 16:25 Thorns and thistles diet to be eaten 16:27 such as potatoes, carrots, or cabbage. 16:30 I'm not sure why He added this provision to our diet, 16:34 but perhaps in His infinite wisdom God knew that 16:36 since mankind was no longer eating from the tree of life 16:39 we would need extra nutrients available in vegetables. 16:44 The next time we see God directing men's diet 16:47 was when they came off the ark 16:49 after the worldwide flood in Genesis 9:3. 16:53 God said to Noah, "Every moving thing 16:56 that liveth shall be meat for you, 16:58 even as the green herb have I given you all things." 17:03 Here is where flesh foods were 17:04 first introduced to the human diet. 17:07 However did Noah understand this to me that he could eat 17:10 absolutely every kind of animal in the planet 17:13 such as rats, or snakes, or pigs? 17:18 Certainly not. 17:20 How do I know this? Because of the context. 17:24 The immediate context is found in Genesis 7:2 17:27 when Noah brought the animals into the ark. 17:30 "The clean animals came by sevens while those 17:33 that were not clean came as pairs just to each." 17:38 Noah and his family knew which were clean and unclean 17:41 because God made a distinction. 17:44 And it was the clean animals only 17:46 that God allowed them to eat. 17:48 How can I be confident of this? 17:50 Well, to put it simple we still have pigs. 17:54 If Noah had eaten just one of the unclean animals 17:57 like a pig, or a mouse, squirrel or a rattlesnake 18:01 that species would have gone extinct because 18:03 there were only two each of the unclean animals. 18:06 In Genesis 6, God proposed 18:08 to shorten man's life expectancy. 18:11 But we don't see the happening until after 18:13 the flood in the introduction of meat into the diet. 18:16 Following the flood we see an amazingly 18:18 precipitous decrease in longevity. 18:22 According to Genesis, the average life span 18:25 of the generations preceding the flood was 912 years. 18:30 But in just nine generations following Noah's family 18:33 we come to Abraham who only lived to 175. 18:38 That is almost an 81% drop in longevity 18:42 in just nine generations. 18:45 That is a huge drop in longevity, Carl. 18:48 And that well eating clean meat. 18:50 Fast-forward over 400 years the Exodus 18:53 and once again God spelled out the dietary laws 18:56 designed for optimal health. 18:59 He said that the reason He gave them the dietary injunctions 19:02 was because His chosen people and a special treasure. 19:09 For all God's chosen and holy people then 19:13 and now He clearly spelled out 19:15 the difference between clean and unclean. 19:18 "These are the animals which you may eat, 19:21 every animal with cloven hooves, 19:23 having the hoof split into two parts, 19:26 and that chews the cud, among the animals." 19:29 God goes on to tell us which aquatic animals are clean. 19:33 "These you may eat of all that are in the waters, 19:36 you may eat of all that have fins and scales." 19:39 The distinction among fowl is not quite as clear. 19:42 But it seems as though birds that are considered clean 19:45 are those that only eat grasses, seeds, and insects. 19:49 Listen friend, these laws are not ceremonial laws 19:53 that were nailed to the cross. 19:54 The cross did not somehow make unhealthy meat healthy for us. 19:59 These are the health laws that have blessed God's people 20:02 through every age of history 20:03 and are still blessing many today. 20:06 Another important stipulation God placed on meat eaters 20:09 is found in Genesis 9:4. 20:12 From the very first time God allowed man to eat meat 20:15 and before there were any Jews He commanded them 20:18 not to eat the blood. 20:20 And in the Leviticus God again strictly forbade 20:23 its ingestion along with animal fat. 20:26 "It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations 20:29 throughout all your dwellings, 20:31 that ye eat neither fat nor blood." 20:34 And once again in Acts, 20:35 the command to not eat blood is given. 20:38 But this time to New Testament 20:40 non-Jewish believers in Jesus, 20:43 "Abstain from things strangled, and from blood." 20:46 Now why would God be so emphatic about the eating of blood? 20:50 Fortunate for us science is finally catching up 20:53 with what God knew from the beginning. 20:56 The blood system is a marvelous creation. 20:58 It is the courier for all things necessary, 21:01 bringing oxygen and nutrients to the cells. 21:04 It carries platelets to coagulate the blood 21:06 along with white cell antibiotics to fight germs. 21:09 But this system does double duty. 21:12 It also carries away from the cells 21:14 all the waste products, the broken down cells, 21:17 metabolites, or molecular debris from used food. 21:20 It transports fat and all kinds of pollutants 21:23 that end up in the urine and stool. 21:25 It also is the courier for hormones like adrenaline. 21:29 To eat blood is to deliberately ingest all of these poisons 21:32 and hormones that are injurious to our health. 21:35 God wants us to live life at its fullest and even though 21:39 sin has interrupted God's perfect plan, 21:42 we can still cooperate with God's wisdom 21:44 and thus experience above-average health. 21:47 In fact, God promises, "if thou wilt diligently hearken 21:52 to the voice of the Lord thy God, 21:53 and wilt do that which is right in his sight, 21:56 including obeying the laws of health. 21:58 I will put none of these diseases upon thee, 22:01 which I have brought upon the Egyptians." 22:05 Archeology has shown that ancient Egyptians died 22:07 from preventable, avoidable diseases 22:10 such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. 22:13 Well Moses lived to be 120 and when He died 22:17 the Bible says "His eye was not dim, 22:19 not his natural forced abated." 22:22 These natural laws are still binding 22:24 and we can chose to say yes to God 22:27 with this choice and live younger, longer. 22:31 What a beautiful testimony, Andrea. 22:33 And when we follow God's laws 22:35 we're sure to reap His blessings. 22:38 And some people try to argue that these commands applied 22:40 only to the Jews, but as we've already discussed 22:44 these health laws were emplaced long 22:46 before the first Jew existed. 22:49 God gave these rules to all humanity 22:51 so that we'd all be healthy. 22:53 God made all people and no matter where we're 22:55 from our bodily functions are the same. 22:58 Our creator God knows our bodies far better than 23:01 anyone else and He wants what's best for us. 23:05 But for Christians He has an additional claim on our legions. 23:10 And Paul admonished the Corinthians believers, 23:12 "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, 23:16 and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 23:19 If any man defile the temple of God, 23:21 him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is holy, 23:26 which temple ye are." 23:29 Today God lives in His people, in us. 23:33 We're are His sanctuary and that's why Paul pleaded, 23:38 "I beseech you therefore brethren, 23:40 by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies 23:44 a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, 23:48 which is your reasonable service. 23:51 You body is the temple of the Holy Ghost 23:54 which is in you, which ye have of God, 23:57 and ye are not your own? 23:59 For ye are bought with a price, 24:01 therefore glorify God in you body, 24:04 and in your Spirit which are God's." 24:07 God wants to be intimately close with us. 24:10 He says, "I will dwell in them, and walk in them, 24:16 and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 24:20 Wherefore come out form among them 24:23 and be ye separate, saith the Lord, 24:25 and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you. 24:30 And I will be a Father unto you, and you shall be my sons 24:34 and my daughters saith the Lord Almighty." 24:37 God longs to have undisturbed access to our hearts. 24:40 He knows that He can only have that if we'll follow 24:43 the principles He has laid out for us in His word. 24:47 He is jealous of our love, time and attention 24:50 and only when we have clear minds 24:53 and healthy bodies can have free access to us. 24:57 And as God's temple, we're called to utmost holiness, 25:01 and purity in diet, relationships, 25:05 thoughts and actions. 25:08 Thanks, Levi. 25:11 When we're obedient, God can use us a spectacle to the world. 25:17 A living testimony that He is good 25:20 and His ways are best. 25:22 That's the story of Daniel "who purposed in his heart 25:25 not to defile himself with the king's meat. 25:28 He purposed in his heart 25:30 not to drink the king'salcohol." 25:33 Daniel here is requesting a healthy vegetarian diet. 25:37 And the results of this choice, 25:39 God blessed Daniel and his three friends 25:41 with quick minds, wisdom, skill, and knowledge 25:45 and at the end of their studies they were found to be ten times 25:49 wiser than the established wise men around. 25:53 These man were temples of a living and wise God. 25:58 And those same positive results can be had today by those 26:01 who'll follow the lamb wherever He leads. 26:05 Evidence for this can be found 26:06 in a U.S. News and World Report article titled, 26:10 "11 health habits that will help you live to 100." 26:14 Number eight in the list reads 26:16 live like a Seventh-day Adventist. 26:20 "Americans who define themselves as Seventh-day Adventists 26:23 have an average life expectancy of 89, 26:26 about a decade longer than the average American. 26:29 One of the basic tenets of the religion is that 26:32 it's important to cherish the body that's on loan 26:35 from God, which means no smoking, alcohol, 26:38 or overindulging in sweets. 26:41 Followers typically stick to a vegetarian diet 26:44 based on fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts, 26:47 and get plenty of exercise. 26:49 They're also very focused on family and community." 26:53 Seventh-day Adventist Christians have chosen 26:55 to say yes to God and His laws regarding health. 27:00 And as a result they not only live longer 27:02 than the average American that time is lived 27:05 with far fewer diseases. 27:08 And it shouldn't really surprise us, should it? 27:10 That following God's plan makes 27:12 for longer life and happier homes. 27:15 After all He is the creator. 27:19 Back in that beautiful garden He created everything 27:21 that would enable us to live life at its fullest. 27:25 And in regard to our bodies and our marriages 27:28 following His original plan is laid out in His laws 27:32 when we restore a good deal 27:34 of Eden's perfect happiness to our lives today. 27:37 As well as give us a foretaste of heaven 27:40 where Eden will be restored to all who love and obey Him. |
Revised 2014-12-17