Please turn in your Bibles this morning to I Peter chapter 2 as we look at RULES FOR GOOD HEALTH. As you are turning there listen to this story that will help set the stage for what we will be studying this morning. We are told:
The editor of a well-known London newspaper sent a letter of inquiry to one hundred important peers, members of parliament, university professors, authors, merchants – a varied list. The inquiry was: “Suppose you were sent to prison for three years and you could only take three books with you. Which three would you choose? Please state them in order of their importance.”
Out of the replies, ninety-eight put one book first on their list - the Bible. Few of those men were keen about religion, many were not even church-goers; others were agnostics or atheists. Yet they knew that no other book could give them cheer and comfort to help in dark, difficult days.
- Upward
Obviously that was not a recent story because today I doubt that number would be over 50%. Why is that? It is not because the Bible has changed but I believe it is because church leaders don’t teach the Bible as being the Words of God for us to live by. Church is approached as a business instead of being led by the Spirit of God through the Word of God. The end result of this is not only a low priority for the Word of God but look at the number of Christians who are spiritually sick and that, many times leads to physical and emotional problems.
Thus, the answer to this problem is simple, we need to get back to God’s Word as Peter is going to show us this morning. With that said, let’s begin reading in I Peter chapter 2, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us this morning as we look at the RULES FOR GOOD HEALTH.
As we saw on Thursday, Peter uses the word “therefore” to bring us back to what he just was writing about – being born again by the power of God’s Spirit through the Word of God. Back in I Peter 1:23-25 he tells us, “having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because ‘All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever.’ Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.”
Now, since you have been born again, since you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, don’t let these things drive you away from God’s Word. What things? Peter tells us that malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, evil speaking will keep you from God’s Word because God’s Word will expose your sin. But how often we don’t want to know! We are comfortable in our sins and that is dangerous.
Thus, put these things aside, remove them from your life so that you will have a passion for God’s Word. Paul put it this way in Colossians 3:5-10, “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”
Then Peter makes an analogy of newborn babies and their desire to eat. You might say that they have a passion to eat and they eat frequently, any time of the day or night! We are to have that kind of passion for the Word of God when we first get saved until we go to be with the Lord. As I was thinking about how babies always want to eat, I realized I haven’t changed much, I still can eat any time of the day or night. Now, God wants us to have that passion for the Word of God. Why is that important? Because as we take in God’s Word we will grow and we will be spiritually healthy!
Now I want you to notice that Peter did not command us to read the Word of God or study God’s Word, or meditate on God’s Word, or teach God’s Word, or preach God’s Word, or search the Word of God, not even to memorize the Word of God. Does that mean we don’t need to do those things? Of course not and there are plenty of other Scriptures that command us to do those things. Peter’s point, like newborn babies, is that we are to long for or have a passion, crave God’s Word because this is the foundational thing we need to have in our lives. And please understand this passion for God’s Word is for new believers and mature believers, it is something we should never lose. Remember what David said in Psalm 42:1-2, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” May we have that kind of passion, hunger to know God through His Word!
Now our focus for this study is spiritual health and with the remainder of our time this morning we are going to look at seven rules for good health, lessons to help us grow by.
1. DAILY FOOD
I think I can safely say that in America, most people don’t miss a meal. In fact, many times they have more than three meals a day and if by some chance they miss a meal, that would be a sacrifice! But, when it comes to the Word of God Christians can take it or leave it, they don’t see it as spiritual food, manna from heaven you might say, to help us grow by!
Remember in Matthew chapter 4, after Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness where he fasted for forty days and forty nights and he was hungry to say the least. His body was telling Him He needed to eat for He was starving. At this point Satan comes in to tempt Jesus by telling Him to turn these stones into bread and Jesus responded back by saying, “ . . . ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”’” Matthew 4:4.
The point that Jesus made is that yes, we do need physical food for these bodies of flesh to be healthy, to be strong and we also need God’s Word to keep us spiritually healthy, spiritually strong! And folks, I can understand the unsaved putting down or negating the Bible, the Word of God but when the church is doing it, that is truly tragic and dangerous!
And think about this. We are a nation that is addicted to junk food, and I am like most people, I do like junk food. But, when it comes to our faith, we tend to gravitate to spiritual junk food that may taste good, but there is no spiritual value to it. Peter tells us that we are to take in the “pure milk of the word” or the uncontaminated, unadulterated Word of God! You see, God’s Word is truth and as you take it in and let it permeate your life, you will be spiritually healthy. The spiritual viruses and bacteria that Satan throws at us will be destroyed by God’s Word acting like antibodies to fight them off, you might say! Why are so many Christians spiritually sick, unhealthy? Check out the time they spend in God’ Word, in Bible studies and I think you will find the answer!
2. FRESH AIR
We can survive without food for a long time, over forty days, even though it is not healthy. But when it comes to breathing we can only survive 5 minutes without oxygen! Now, in a spiritual sense, prayer seems to be the oxygen of the soul as we commune with God. You see, as we do it is like a breath of fresh air to us, a breath of fresh air in our lives. Why are Christians gasping for breath? Maybe they are not taking the time to breath in the Lord, to spend time with Him in prayer, in communion with Him!
Think about it, prayer is a way to send the Devil fleeing as we resist him steadfast in the faith – James 4:7. In prayer we can ask and receive from God according to His will – Luke 11:2-13. As we take time with God we can find the grace we need in the situations we face – Hebrews 4:16. And as we spend time with God we can be freed from the anxiety we have and be filled with the peace of God – Philippians 4:6-7. You see, spending time with God is like a breath of fresh air especially during times when the air seems to be lighter than usually or it is polluted with the things of this world. Breathe God into your life by spending time with Him!
3. REGULAR EXERCISE
Now we all know that regular physical exercise is good for our physical bodies. Physical exercise helps to keep us in shape, to keep us strong. The problem for many of us is that we know this is true, we just don’t apply it to our lives! Thus, we know it is good and yet we don’t do it for whatever the reason is.
In our spiritual lives, Paul tells us in I Timothy 4:8, “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” The Amplified Bible puts it like this, “For physical training is of some value (useful for a little), but godliness (spiritual training) is useful and of value in everything and in every way, for it holds promise for the present life and also for the life which is to come.”
Yes, we need to take care of these bodies that God has given to us, they are the temple of God where the Spirit of God dwells but we also need to remember that these physical bodies will go back to the dust of the earth. That is why Paul said it is more beneficial to take care of our spiritual lives because they are eternal. We need to exercise our faith so it can grow, mature and be strong!
You see, we need to put into practice what God is showing us in His Word. We need to live what we say we believe. We saw in our study of James this very thought. James warns us, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. . . . Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James 1:22, 2:17. James is not speaking of a works salvation but a salvation that works. James is speaking of living out your faith, the faith you say you believe otherwise it is empty faith, dead faith!
Don’t let things get in your way of putting into practice what God desires you to do. We are told:
As Christians, we need to think of ourselves as travelers who are just passing through this sinful world. We are not permanent residents, but pilgrims on a journey to a better land. Therefore, we need to “travel light,” not burdening ourselves with an undue attachment to the material things of life. The more we care for the luxuries and possessions of earth, the more difficult will be our journey to heaven.
The story is told about some Christians who were traveling in the Middle East. They heard about a wise, devout, beloved, old believer, so they went out of their way to visit him. When they finally found him, they discovered that he was living in a simple hut. All he had inside was a rough cot, a chair, a table, and a battered stove for heating and cooking. The visitors were shocked to see how few possessions the man had, and one of them blurted out, “Well, where is your furniture?” The aged saint replied by gently asking, “Where is yours?” The visitor, sputtering a little, responded, “Why, at home of course. I don’t carry it with me, I’m traveling.” “So am I,” the godly Christian replied. “So am I.”
This man was practicing a basic principle of the Bible: Christians must center their affections on Christ, not on the temporal things of this earth. Material riches lose their value when compared to the riches of glory. To keep this world’s goods from becoming more important to us than obeying Christ, we need to ask ourselves, “Where is our furniture?”
- Our Daily Bread, July 26, 1993
Yes, it is not easy but God does not say to go alone and do this, He is with you and by the power of His Spirit you can accomplish all He asks of you, like sharing your faith, submitting to others, controlling your tongue and-so-on. Regular exercise of our faith is important or our spiritual muscle will begin to atrophy!
4. ADEQUATE REST
I know, as I’m sure you know, that when you push yourself and don’t let your body rest, you weaken it and you can easily get sick. So you need to let your body rest, get the sleep it needs so you can function.
In a spiritual sense, we need to let our spirit rest in the Lord. In Isaiah 40:31 we are told, “But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” And in Isaiah 41:10 we are told, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
You see, we rest in the Lord, we rely on the Lord to be the strength of our life. It is as David said in Psalm 27, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? . . . One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.” Psalm 27:1, 4-5. You see, I think we waste a lot of time and energy running to and fro when the Lord is telling us we need to rest in Him and not be afraid. He will take care of us and all He wants us to do is walk by faith and rest in Him!
5. CLEAR SURROUNDINGS
Now I hate to admit this, but when I was in college my cousin Joe, another roommate named Steve and I were not the best at keeping the townhouse we were living in clean. Yes, every so often we would do a major clean up but it was usually in response to an infestation of cockroaches! You see, dirty surroundings brought in evil company!
Spiritually speaking this is also true. As you place yourself in compromising situations, evil ways, evil company will gather around you to help keep you moving farther down that path. Paul, in I Corinthians 15:33-34 makes this point as he said, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’ Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.”
A good example of how bad company affects people is seen in the Life of Mark Twain, who was not a Christian. You see, Mark Twain married a Christian woman. She at first didn’t want to marry him, but later changed her mind and did. He at first, to please her, went through the motions of religion with her, but later said he couldn’t keep up the hypocrisy. In time, she came to a place where she no longer believed in a personal God. During a time of deep grief, Twain said to his wife, “If your Christian faith will comfort you, go back to it.” She replied, “I have none.” Bad company corrupts good morals, it wages war against our faith!
Paul, in II Corinthians 6:14-18 warns us by saying, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.’ Therefore ‘Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.’”
The Lord has called us to come out from them, not to dwell with them or have them as your close, intimate friends. Why? Because they will bring you down to their level – be careful and be wise! Avoid evil company or anything that will weaken you spiritually!
6. LOVING CARE
When I speak of loving care I am speaking of the local church, the local body of Christ where you attend. It should be a place where the Word of God is taught and filled with the love of Christ, where fellowship is important. For many today this is not important to them but Paul tells us in Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” The Amplified Bible puts it like this, “And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and noble activities, Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.”
You see, as a body of believers we are to stir each other up in love and good works. We are to encourage each other, pray for each other, comfort each other with the love of Jesus Christ. We are not to forsake the gathering together of believers. It is that important. Now this idea of the church being friendly reminded me of a story which indicates, I guess, you can be too friendly. Let me explain:
This story deals with a rather old fashioned lady, who was planning a couple of weeks vacation in Florida. She also was quite delicate and elegant with her language. She wrote a letter to a particular campground and asked for reservations. She wanted to make sure the campground was fully equipped but didn’t know quite how to ask about the “toilet” facilities. She just couldn’t bring herself to write the word “toilet” in her letter. After much deliberation she finally came up with the old-fashioned term “Bathroom Commode,” but when she wrote that down, she still thought she was being too forward. So she started all over again; rewrote the entire letter and referred to the “Bathroom Commode” simply as the “B.C.” Does the campground have its own “B.C.?” is what she actually wrote.
Well, the campground owner wasn’t old fashioned at all, and when he got the letter, he couldn’t figure out what the lady was talking about. That “B.C.” really stumped him. After worrying about it for several days, he showed the letter to other campers, but they couldn’t figure out what the lady meant either. The campground owner finally came to the conclusion that the lady was and must be asking about the location of the local Baptist Church. So he sat down and wrote the following reply:
“Dear Madam: I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take pleasure of informing in that the ‘B.C.’ is located nine miles north of the camp site and is capable of seating 250 people at one time. I admit it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly, but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along, and make a day of it. . .
They usually arrive early and stay late. The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded we had to stand up the whole time we were there. It may interest you to know that right now, there is a supper planned to raise money to buy more seats. . . . They plan to hold the supper in the middle of the B.C., so everyone can watch and talk about this great event. . . . I would like to say it pains me very much, not to be able to go more regularly, but it is surely not for lack of desire on my part. . . . As we grow older, it seems to be more and more of an effort, particularly in cold weather. . . . If you decide to come down to the campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go . . . sit with you . . . and introduce you to all the other folks. . . . This is really a very friendly community.
Well, okay, maybe not that friendly! But think about this, not that, but this, as a local body of believers, we gather together but when you are missing, there is a hole in the body, something is missing and it is you! You see, church is not what I can get out of it but what can I give to it, to the people using the gifts, the talents that God has given to me and you. Keep that in mind and extend the love of Christ to people!
7. PERIODIC CHECK-UPS
How many of you like to go to the doctor? I bet many of you don’t. You don’t like the check-up, you don’t like what they might say, you don’t like what they tell you that you have to do, you don’t like the medicine. As much as we may not like it, it is beneficial not only to have a check-up but then to listen and follow what the doctor prescribes for you.
The same is true many times of our spiritual check-up. We don’t want to go, we don’t like to hear what the Lord might say, what He wants us to do, what He prescribes for us. But folks, it is for our betterment! We need to have a regular check-up spiritually speaking. Paul rebuked the Jewish believers for not growing in the Lord, not listening to what the Lord was telling them to do. He said in Hebrews 5:11-14, “of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” It is not only important to do a heart check but then to apply what is needed to your life so that you can remain spiritually healthy!
Folks, we have looked at this morning RULES FOR GOOD HEALTH, spiritually speaking of course. We have seen that we need:
As I close this morning I want to tie this all together and leave you with this to think about. We are told:
A gentleman who was a professed Christian was taken seriously ill. He became troubled about the little love he felt in his heart for God, and spoke of his experience to a friend. This is how the friend answered him.
“When I go home from here, I expect to take my baby on my knee, look into her sweet eyes, listen to her charming prattle, and tired as I am, her presence will rest me; for I love that child with unutterable tenderness. But she loves me little. If my heart were breaking, it would not disturb her sleep. If my body were racked with pain, it would not interrupt her play. If I were dead, she would forget me in a few days. Besides this, she had never brought me a penny, but was a constant expense to me. I am not rich, but there is not money enough in the world to buy my baby. How is it? Does she love me, or do I love her? Do I withhold my love until I know she loves me? Am I waiting for her to do something worthy of my love before extending it?”
This practical illustration of the love of God for His children caused the tears to roll down the sick man’s face. “Oh, I see,” he exclaimed, “it is not my love to God, but God’s love for me, that I should be thinking of. And I do love Him now as I never loved Him before.”
- Gospel Herald
Don’t do these things thinking God will love you more because He can’t love you any more than He loves you now nor can He love you any less! Do them because He loves you and you desire to know Him more because you have tasted and seen that the Lord is gracious and He wants what is best for our lives! Thus, “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” Or as The Amplified Bible puts it, “Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation.” Let God grow us and let us be spiritually healthy for we have all that we need to accomplish that!