Sermon No. 8
HEALTHY AND BLESSED
By: Atty. Numeriano P. Galgo, Jr.
June 24, 2018
Tagum City, Philippines
Part I.
A. Greetings
B. Overview of the message
The message this morning is simple but a little bit hard to do. It is about staying healthy and blessed for the glory of the Lord. The physical and spiritual aspects of our lives are closely tied together. They work hand in hand. The purpose of our existence is to worship and glorify God. If we are stressed, weak and sick physically, our spiritual life will be greatly affected. As a result, we cannot go to church; we cannot do our ministry, we doubt God’s love for us; we get distracted and discouraged; we lack the desire to meditate on God’s words; and we are easily tempted. Stress and physical weakness are some of the tools used by Satan to destroy our dedication and faith in God. Unhealthy lifestyle will lead to the destruction of our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit and living sacrifice to God. As Christians, how can we live a healthy and blessed life so we can worship and love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength? On our own strength, this is hard to do with all the temptations around us. But with God’s help, self-discipline and prayer for each other, a healthy and blessed life can be achieved. Our main verse is found in 3 John 1:2: Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
C. Prayer
Part II. Discussion
A. We use our body to worship God
We know the song “I’m alive, alert, awake and enthusiastic.” Rightly so because we should be energetic physically and spiritually to worship God. We should be ready and happy to do his will. Worship requires physical effort. We sing and shout praises; clap and raise our hands; dance; read the Bible, meditate and share His words; and we do His will. We use our body parts. Psalm 100:2-5 says, “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Let us take note of the physical activities involved in Psalm 100:2-5:
1) Worship the Lord with gladness;
2) Come before him with joyful songs;
3) Know that the Lord is God;
4) Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
5) Enter his courts with praise;
6) Give thanks to him; and
7) Praise his name.
Psalm 98:4 says, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst in jubilant song with music.” Psalm 47:1 says, “O clap your hands, all peoples; Shout to God with the voice of joy.” Joshua 1:8 reminds us to “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Most of us complain when the prayer, message or praise and worship is long because we are tired of standing, singing or listening! We are impatient and lack endurance when we are healthy, how much more when we are suffering physically.
There are many more verses in the bible that involve the use of the parts of our bodies in worship – our hands, feet, lips, heart, and mind. In Luke 10:27, Jesus tells us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Are we giving our all or just a percentage? We use our body not only to express our love and thanksgiving to the Lord but also in caring and loving our neighbors and fellow Christians. We need our bodies when we pray for others; care for the sick and needy; comfort those who are suffering; and provide for the needs of our family and loved ones.
We are God’s creation. He is good to us. It is therefore fitting to praise him every day. Romans 12:1-2 tells us to present our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is our spiritual service of worship.
Brothers and sisters, don’t get the message wrong. We are not judging each one of us today whether fat or not; whether sick or not; whether poor or rich; whether undisciplined or not. We are only reminding each other that regardless of our status in life, our health is very important in worshiping the Lord. We should do what we can within our means to achieve it. We have brothers and sisters who are now sick, weak and unhealthy because of some valid reasons or genetic conditions that we do not know. We should not judge them, instead, we should love and pray for their wellness and recovery. It does not mean that if we are strong and healthy today, we should judge our brothers and sisters in Christ who are not. That is not right. We are one in the body of Christ, as such, we should uplift, encourage and remind each other so we could function well. So that we would be aware of the subtle works of Satan, our enemy.
B. Caring for our bodies
So, now we are reminded that our bodies play a vital role in worshiping the Lord. Body and spirit are connected. How we worship Jesus as our Lord and savior in and out of church is affected by the condition of our flesh. Hence, we need to take care of our bodies for the glory of the Lord.
In our verse, Apostle John prays that his friend Gaius may enjoy good health and that all may go well with him because good health is important for our soul, ministry and daily activities. During birthdays, we always wish good health because we know that it is important. As long as we have good health, we can continue to work, do business and provide for our needs. It is the number one birthday wish and prayer request! Patients in the hospitals wish for good health.
In 3 John Chapter 1, Apostle John heard about his friend’s faithfulness to the truth and his continued walk in it; his faithful service to his brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus though they were strangers to him; his love; and his hospitality. That is why Apostle John prayed that his friend Gaius may enjoy good health so that he can continue what he was doing for and in the Lord. The same is true with us, we have a purpose or ministry in life and we cannot do it well if we do not have good health. We cannot make our light so shine and do good works if we are not physically able. The Lord needs more servants for the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
We cannot enjoy good health and not all will be well with us if we are negligent of our bodies. It is timely that churches like ours will give emphasis on sports, wellness, exercise and healthy habits. We must regularly continue and support activities like what we are doing now. Later, we will have sports activities and exercises. Church leaders are obligated to enlighten their members about the benefits of good health, sports, exercise, and diet. Church leaders should also set an example of a healthy lifestyle. Churches tend to focus more on the spiritual aspect, leaving the physical aspect in disarray. This is wrong! The enemy blinds us so that we could not see and realize that physical wellness is key to spiritual growth. Matthew 26:41 tells us that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. If our bodies are weak, thus easily giving in to temptations, our spirits cannot do much even if they are willing. Acts 20: 9 tells of a person who was sinking into a deep sleep while Paul was talking and he fell out of the window from the third floor. The same thing will happen to us spiritually if the flesh is weak. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. If it is weak, it will crumble down easily. It is like having a new car engine but the tires are flat or a new cell phone but the battery is empty. It’s not useful.
Are we caring for our bodies? Are we physically healthy? Are we responsible stewards of our bodies? The following contribute to our physical decay:
1) Poor eating habits resulting in overweight and related illnesses. Moderation is key.
- Fatty and salty foods
- Junk foods
- Eating too much (buffets and parties)
- No or fewer vegetables
- Sodas and sweets
- Processed foods
2) Lack or absence of physical exercise – a major cause of chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer according to one study in the United States. It is more deadly than smoking and obesity as found in another study. The bible says in 1 Timothy 4:8 that physical training has value. We have New Year’s resolutions to regularly exercise but we do not continue it. For the married people, we observed that mostly become unfit after the marriage.
- Busy lifestyle
- Lack of motivation
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Complacency
3) Lack of sleep or rest
- Undisciplined use of gadgets
- Too much watching TV and computer games
- Too much work or hanging out with friends
- Drinking, gambling, and other vices
4) Unhealthy thoughts, words, and actions
There is envy, sexual and malicious thoughts, anger, hatred, cursing, gossiping, lying and many more. It’s amazing how many people profess to know God and follow Him, yet their thinking patterns are just like those of anyone else in the world. Satan loves that. He wants us to be so absorbed in the ways of the world that we are clueless about what God’s Word says (Cindi McMenamin, 5 Areas of Your Life Satan Wants to Enter).
5) Worry and anxiety
It causes stress and heart ailments. It makes us depressed. It makes us doubt God ‘s love for us. Matthew 6:27-34 tells us that worrying cannot add a single hour to our life. God loves us and he will provide for our needs. We are advised not to worry about “‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” In Philippians 4: 6-7 we are told “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
C. Tips for healthy living
Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We do not own our bodies. We are just stewards of it. 1 Corinthians 19-20 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.” Romans 12: 1-2 tells us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God. Let this sink in our minds and spirits for a moment because we disregard the essence of these phrases – temple of the Holy Spirit and living sacrifice to God! These are enough motivations to stay healthy! What kind of temple and sacrifice do you have for the Holy Spirit and God?
Satan wants to do everything to destroy the temple within us. He will make us do little, unnoticeable things to spoil our bodies so it will not be holy and pleasing to God. We must be careful and sensitive. Our bodies will give signs and symptoms that we need to do something to maintain good health – difficulty in breathing, bodies won’t fit our clothes anymore, fatigued, sluggish, palpitation, fever and so on. That is the work of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us! Like the Apostle John, we should pray for each other that we may enjoy good health. Pray and be watchful that we will not fall into Satan’s traps! Our bodies are like vessels or house pillars and the enemy will attack these pillars for us to fall down.
How can we have a healthy lifestyle? Rick Warren suggests some tips.
1) Maintain ideal weight
2) Eat a balanced diet
3) Commit to regular exercise
4) Get enough sleep
5) Avoid vices
6) Live in harmony with God
Part III. Conclusion
This is the reward when we have good health and we use it for the glory of God: abundant blessings. Strength, peace, long life, joy, being an example to others, seeing our loved ones and children grow, being out of the hospital, being able to save money instead of buying medicines, being able to continue or do business and work, enjoy the material gifts from God, being able to rest and live in harmony -- these are few of the blessings from the Lord! While we can, we should exercise and live a healthy lifestyle so we can do more for the kingdom of God. That is our life’s purpose. Life is a race, a crown awaits us when we reach the finish line. Do not allow that we will be left behind because of our weak bodies. Do not let regrets rule our lives.
Remember, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and living sacrifices to the Lord. Let us live a healthy and blessed life!
