How To Check Your Vital Signs

How to Check Your Vital Signs

Rom 6:11-14 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

• The obvious craze in America during the past decade or so has been the Fitness

• According to the Centers for Disease Control, 60% of Americans still do not exercise regularly, while 25% do not exercise at all.

• Tragically, deception based on appearance is not confined to the world of physical fitness, but is also found in the family of God.

• For example, if one were to base a judgment on media reports and our sight, then one might conclude that with more “mega-churches” than the world has ever known, the family of God is not only healthy but also thriving.

• Yet upon closer examination, much like the health of our citizens, the Church, or the Family of God, is not as healthy as we appear.

• In order to have a healthy church, we must have spiritually healthy Christians.

• It is imperative that we know what good spiritual health really is, and not just assume that because we are believers we are in the best shape available.

• This text teaches us three of the many vitals signs of a healthy Christian. To be spiritually healthy:

I. We Must Have The Right View

a. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

b. A spiritually healthy person has a proper view of self. In this text, the words “count” mean to consider or to view.

c. How we view ourselves has much to do with how we behave.

d. Our spiritual sight must be based on our faith in God and not any trust in self.

e. It is impossible for us to consider ourselves “dead to sin” without our relationship with Jesus Christ as our savior.

f. It is because of Him that we are able to have victory over death and sin

g. Therefore, since we now consider ourselves dead to sin, the door is opened for us to view ourselves in the context of a new and spiritually healthy condition. This is known as being “alive unto God”.

h. Just as physical life is demonstrated by certain signs, so must spiritual life show some sign of its existence.

When Benjamin Franklin was 27 years old, he decided he would take control of his life. He selected 12 virtues he wanted to acquire, and kept a daily chart of his progress in the development of each one. Whenever he missed the mark, he put a black dot beside that virtue. His goal was to ultimately have no dots on the chart. This method contributed to Franklin’s success as an inventor, publisher, and statesman.

II. We Must Have The Right Authority

a. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

The Japanese introduced a tree to the world that is called a Bonsai tree. It is measured in inches instead of feet as other trees are measured. It is not allowed to reach anywhere near its full growth potential but instead grows in a stunted miniature form. The reason for it growing in stunted form is that when it first stuck its head out of the ground as a sapling, the owner pulled it out of the soil and tied off its main tap root and some of its branch feeder roots and then replanted it. By doing this, its grower deliberately stunted its growth by limiting the roots ability to spread out and grow deep and take in enough of the soils nutrients for a normal growth. What was done to the Bonsai tree by its owner is what Satan has purposed to do to the believer, if he can. He is going to try to tie off our tap root of prayer. He wants to limit our receiving in prayer what God supplies for our spiritual growth.

b. As the result of viewing ourselves properly, we now have the opportunity to live under the proper authority.

c. Everyone, whether saved or lost, lives under some authority. We live under the control or authority of self or God

d. Perhaps the most difficult problem we face is that many of us are attempting to live under both authorities.