Stewardship of Physical Health: Part 2

The point: Do not take these lessons and go from indifference and carelessness to imbalance and fanaticism.

Martin uses two analogies: if the devil can't keep us from climbing the hill of truth, he'll push us down the other side into imbalance; if he can't freeze us out, he'll burn us up with fanaticism. This illustrates the danger of taking a truth to an extreme.

Remember the two illustrations that I gave you or analogies that have been helpful to me. If the devil can't keep us from climbing the hill of a truth, he'll push us down the other side from the pinnacle of that truth. If he can't freeze us out from considering the truth, he'll burn us up with a fanatical application of. And it would be most grievous to me and to your elders if, as an outgrowth of these lessons, some of you not only climbed the hill, but tumbled down the other side, and not only embraced the truth, but burned yourself up with it.

4:03 - 4:46 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not take these lessons and go from indifference and carelessness to imbalance and fanaticism.

The analogy of a string of pearls is used to explain that the specific issues of body stewardship (pearls) must always be understood within the larger biblical and theological context (the string) that pierces and holds them together.

Well after giving this disclaimer and the warning, I stated that the next two major headings, headings number two and three, would be set forth under the analogy of a string, a string of pearls. And that we must never think of these issues in separate categories. I must teach them in separate categories, but the string is always found piercing the pearls and holding them together, and the pearls are never to be considered without that string that pierces every one and holds them together in a unit. So we then move from heading number one, a disclaimer.

4:46 - 5:27 Read in full sermon

Driving home: poor health, chronic physical ailments, and premature death along with all of their consequences may be the direct result of carelessness or indifference to the stewardship of the care of one's body.

Martin cites Carlton Fredericks, a health guru who died in his seventies, and other religious and non-religious gurus who experience degenerative diseases and death. This illustrates that perfect health is not attainable in this fallen world, despite claims.

until the redemption of our bodies at the return of Christ. All of the perfect health gurus notwithstanding, this is the teaching of the Bible, and this is validated by men's experience. Carlton Fredericks died in his seventies. He didn't even live into his eighties.

7:27 - 7:54 Read in full sermon

The point: Acquire and promote in others a conscientious and balanced concern regarding the stewardship of one's body.

Martin shares that he is teaching with his physician's full knowledge and consent after lens replacement surgery, and the doctor's humorous advice not to 'get in a fight.' This personal anecdote adds a touch of humor and vulnerability, disarming potential defenses.

When reduced to the irreducible minimum, the common denominator of my goal this morning comes down to two things. And may I mention by way of an aside, I'm teaching you this morning with the full knowledge and consent of, my physician, who replaced my lens on Thursday, all right? I asked him explicitly, should I teach the class on Sunday? He said, you go right ahead, just don't get in a fight.

11:08 - 11:35 Read in full sermon

The point: Acquire and promote in others a conscientious and balanced concern regarding the stewardship of one's body.

Martin describes spending hours, including on a treadmill and late at night, refining his two-fold goal statement. This illustrates his meticulousness and the importance he places on precise articulation of his purpose.

Now, you would not know, but, I have spent hours on that statement. Every time I thought I had it right, yesterday on the treadmill, two parts of it, I said, no, Lord, that's not right. Ran upstairs, got my pen, quoted them. Thought I had it right.

12:24 - 12:40 Read in full sermon

The point: Implement and promote in others an informed, disciplined effort to administer a stewardship of one's body.

Martin compares himself to a salesman who appears at the door, explicitly stating his product and desire for the customer to 'sign on the dotted line.' This illustrates his directness and lack of a hidden agenda in presenting his sermon's goal.

Now that's my first goal. That's what I'm out to do. I'm like a salesman appears at your door and you say, what do you want? He said, I want...

16:19 - 16:26 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the first 'pierced pearl' – an apostolic supplication for health and prosperity found in 3 John 1-2. He argues that John's prayer for Gaius's health, measured by…

Martin describes Gaius's reputation for greeting itinerant missionaries, welcoming them, providing for them, and financially supporting them on their journeys. This illustrates Gaius's kingdom-oriented ministry and why John prayed for his prosperity.

Beloved, you do a faithful work in whatever you do toward them that are brethren and strangers with all who bore witness to your love before the church whom you will do well to set forward on their journey worthily of God because that for the sake of the name they went forth taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to welcome such that we may be fellow workers for the truth. Here was a situation of these itinerant gospel missionaries and Gaius had earned a reputation that when any of them came by there at Ephesus, this was the guy who was out to greet them at the city limits, to welc...

24:37 - 25:51 Read in full sermon

The point: Exercise a responsible stewardship, both a concern and an effort to implement this responsible stewardship of the care of one's body, motivated by apostolic supplication.

Martin uses the hypothetical example of Gaius becoming a 'de facto hyper-Calvinist' by stuffing his belly and neglecting exercise, thinking an apostle's prayer for health negates the need for means, comparing it to Churchill's lifestyle. This illustrates the error of neglecting means while relying on divine promises.

Now in the same way, suppose he said, ah, I've got an apostle praying I'll be in good health. I can stuff my belly with whatever I like. I don't need to push myself to get cardiovascular exercise. If I'm going to live to be 90, I'll live to be 90 like Churchill.

30:04 - 30:22 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I beseech you, I entreat you, therefore, in the light of all of this, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies.

Martin vividly describes the body with its various parts – toes, ankles, knees, etc. – and the sensation of pain when pricked or burned. This concrete description emphasizes that 'body' in Romans 12:1 refers to the physical body in its entirety.

That here with toes, ankles, knees, thighs, waist, chest, head, arms, bodies. That's what you're sitting in a pew with. It's your body.

35:02 - 35:16 Read in full sermon

The point: Be concerned about diet, exercise, and cardiovascular fitness to have energy, strength, and efficiency to serve God in your body.

Martin describes Roman society as 'hedonistic to the core,' focused on pleasure, food, wine, leisure, and sensual indulgence. This serves as an example of the 'age' to which Roman Christians were not to be conformed, drawing a parallel to contemporary society.

It's tap roots sink down into gospel soil. Now, no little part of this is recognizing the spirit of the age must not press in upon us. And the age as it manifested itself manifested itself in Roman society was hedonistic to the core.

40:17 - 40:38 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not be conformed to the age of obesity, self-indulgence, laziness, and lack of discipline.

Martin points to the epidemic proportion of obesity, not just among adults but also children, as a manifestation of the 'age' of self-indulgence, laziness, and lack of discipline. This illustrates the contemporary societal pattern Christians must not conform to.

Obesity is of epidemic proportion. Not only among adults but now down into children.

41:03 - 41:12 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He declares that the body of the child of God is nothing less than a blood-bought, Spirit-indwelt, God-owned temple of God Himself.

Martin shares his personal experience on the treadmill, reminding himself that his current body, though being pushed, will one day 'throb with resurrection power and life and vigor.' This illustrates how the dignity of the body, destined for resurrection, motivates present physical stewardship.

What dignity these bodies have. They're going to be raised by the power of God. These very bodies. When I get on my treadmill, I say, Lord, until the day of resurrection, this is the only body I've got in which to serve you.

47:40 - 47:55 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not eat or drink with indifference to caloric content, animal fat, or saturated fat, thereby clogging arteries and putting on excessive weight, as this cannot glorify God.

Martin asks if one could glorify God by taking a sharp knife and slashing one's arm or stabbing one's thigh. This extreme example highlights the absurdity of deliberately harming the body, which is a temple of God.

Could you sit here this morning and take a sharp knife and say, Oh Lord, this body to which you've assigned such dignity, I can glorify you, the God who has given this body, who has given such dignity to this body. I glorify you now while I take this knife and I make slashes across my arm. And I stab it into my thigh. Is there anyone here in his or her right mind with any sense of spiritual propriety that could do that?

53:29 - 54:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not eat or drink with indifference to caloric content, animal fat, or saturated fat, thereby clogging arteries and putting on excessive weight, as this cannot glorify God.

Martin asks if one could glorify God by rubbing poison ivy leaves on one's arm and face. This example further illustrates the unacceptability of deliberately inflicting harm on the body.

Second question, could you take a handful of poison ivy leaves and while rubbing them on your arm and on your face, say, oh God, I glorify you by deliberately inflicting myself with a bad case of poison ivy? Anyone here could do that? I don't think so. There are no takers.

54:39 - 55:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not eat or drink with indifference to caloric content, animal fat, or saturated fat, thereby clogging arteries and putting on excessive weight, as this cannot glorify God.

Martin asks if one could glorify God by drinking a glass of polluted, toxic water with lead, cyanide, and bacteria. This example reinforces the idea that deliberate harm or neglect of the body cannot be done to God's glory.

Could you take a glass of polluted, toxic water that you know has intolerably high levels of lead, cyanide, and a host of infectious bacteria and say, oh God, knowing what's in this glock, I drink it to your glory. Any takers? You say, pastor, you're really gone. You're out in right field now.

55:03 - 55:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not eat or drink with indifference to caloric content, animal fat, or saturated fat, thereby clogging arteries and putting on excessive weight, as this cannot glorify God.

Martin asks if one could glorify God by eating a meal with indifference to its caloric content, animal fat, and saturated fat, thereby clogging arteries and gaining excessive weight. This directly applies the principle of glorifying God to diet.

No, I don't think I'm out in right field. When we are persuaded that our body is everything this passage says, culminating in this statement, that it is a blood-bought, spirit-indwelt, God-owned temple of God himself, and when we take seriously another passage in Corinthians that talks about glorifying God and focuses not on sexual abuses, but on these issues, 1 Corinthians 10.31, whether therefore you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God. Can you or can I sit down to a meal and say, oh Lord, I'm glorifying you by eating stuff, the cleric content to which I'm utterly indifferent, the level...

55:34 - 56:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not eat or drink with indifference to caloric content, animal fat, or saturated fat, thereby clogging arteries and putting on excessive weight, as this cannot glorify God.

Martin asks if one could glorify God by being a 'couch potato,' neglecting exercise, and refusing to increase one's heart rate despite knowing the facts about cardiovascular health. This applies the principle of glorifying God to physical activity.

If you can't, then don't do it. Whether you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. Glorify God, therefore, in your body. Can you glorify God by saying, Lord, here it is, Thursday, and I've done nothing but move from my bed to the shower, to the car, and back again.

56:58 - 57:22 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not neglect physical activity and consciously increase your heart rate, as laziness in this area cannot glorify God.

Martin asks if one could glorify God by deliberately shortening one's life, preventing interaction with grandchildren, or burdening a spouse with doctor visits due to self-inflicted illnesses from irresponsibility. This highlights the long-term consequences of poor stewardship and its impact on others.

I'm going to get myself off my duff and out to take a brisk walk or down on a treadmill or some reasonable effort. Can you do that to the glory of God? And let me go further. Can you then say, oh God, I know that this may chop off ten years of my life, and for your glory, I want to have grandchildren that just can go and put a flower on my grave rather than play with me in the backyard.

57:39 - 58:03 Read in full sermon