Stewardship of Physical Health: Part 3

The point: Do not be seduced by promises of perfect health, as they are unscriptural.

The analogy of a 'string of pearls' is used to organize the sermon's content, with the 'string' representing the larger biblical and theological context and the 'pierced pearls' representing specific biblical texts on bodily stewardship.

The disclaimer distanced what we're doing from the current cult of body worship, and the warning was that we not move from inactivity and indifference to the stewardship of our bodies into the cult of body worship. I then suggested that the next two major headings will be set before you under the imagery of a story. The string of pearls, and so major heading number two was the string itself, composed of the larger biblical and theological context of any responsible consideration of the Christian stewardship of his body. And following on with the analogy of the string, I set before you the six ...

0:38 - 1:41 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Bodily gumnasia, vigorous, serious, disciplined physical exercise is profitable for a little within a limited sphere, whereas spiritual gumnasia, vigorous, serious, disciplined pursuit of godliness, has profit for this l…

The preparation of athletes for the Grecian games is used to illustrate the meaning of 'exercise yourself unto godliness,' emphasizing vigorous, disciplined physical training as a parallel for spiritual discipline.

Paul now focuses on Timothy's responsibility to administer the affairs of his own stewardship as a Christian man and as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. He begins doing this in verse 6, If you put the brethren in mind of these things, you, Timothy, shall be a good minister of Christ Jesus, you yourself nourished in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine which you, Timothy, have followed until now. But you, Timothy, refuse profane and old wives' fables, and you, Timothy, exercise yourself unto godliness. For bodily exercise is profitable for a little, but godliness is profitable for...

7:55 - 9:16 Read in full sermon

The point: Listen to the tape 'Biblical Rationale for Bodily Fitness' by Pastor McDiarmid with a Berean spirit.

Martin references a tape by Pastor McDiarmid titled 'Biblical Rationale for Bodily Fitness' to provide further detail on how bodily exercise is profitable, encouraging listeners to obtain and listen to it.

All right. Now, the question is, how is it profitable? Well, if you want to know, there's a tape entitled, Biblical Rationale for Bodily Fitness. Who do you think taught or preached this?

14:14 - 14:29 Read in full sermon

The point: Run the Christian race to attain the prize, completing the course and persevering to the end.

The New York Marathon, with 25,000 runners but only one winner, illustrates Paul's point that in a race, only one receives the prize, emphasizing the need to 'run that you may attain' in the Christian life.

A rhetorical question and then a practical application in the form of an imperative. Here's the rhetorical question. Do you not know that they that run in a race all run but one receives the prize? You say, now you Corinthians, you've viewed the Grecian games and if there are ten men that line up at the starting line, you know there's only one that gets the wreath at the end.

21:53 - 22:16 Read in full sermon

The point: Run the Christian race to attain the prize, completing the course and persevering to the end.

The contrast between a corruptible wreath of olive leaves (for athletes) and an incorruptible crown (for Christians) highlights the differing goals and motives for discipline, with the latter being eternal.

Exercise self-control in every aspect of life. They do it to what end? Now here's where you have similar discipline but utterly disparate goals and motives. They do it to receive a corruptible crown a wreath of olive leaves that will wither in a few days.

25:35 - 26:00 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I make my body my slave it's in that family of words you've heard about doulos a bond slave douluo to make a slave or to service as a slave that's the family of words he said I make my body my slave I knock it out and I …

Paul's self-description as 'not uncertainly' running and 'not beating the air' boxing serves as a negative example, illustrating what the Christian life is NOT – aimless or ineffective.

going off he said no no I don't run with uncertainty I don't run as a meandering unfocused runner that's imagery number one with a negative image number two I'm not a flailing shadow pummeling boxer look at the language so fight I literally so box I as not beating the air I'm not like Rocky in his morning I just want you to get it by the eye gate as well as the ear gate Paul says you look at me as a Christian I'm not a meandering unfocused runner and I am not a flailing shadow pummeling boxer that's what I'm not whatever you see in me as a Christian man you'd never say oh to Christian life is ...

28:50 - 30:19 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I make my body my slave it's in that family of words you've heard about doulos a bond slave douluo to make a slave or to service as a slave that's the family of words he said I make my body my slave I knock it out and I …

Paul's vivid language of 'buffeting' his body (giving it a black eye) and 'bringing it into bondage' (making it a slave) is used to illustrate the vigorous, forceful self-discipline required to subdue bodily appetites and passions.

condition of a slave look at the vigorous language Paul says to heaven here it is but I buffet my body you may have a marginal reading that says I bruise it it's the word to give it a black eye in other words he said when I'm boxing I'm going straight for the part that makes a guy see stars and he said the guy that I'm making see stars is me look at the text I therefore so run not as uncertainly so fide but I'm out to give my body black and blue marks under the eye I'm out to knock it out and what do you mean we'll see what he means better but that's what he says that's the language inspired b...

30:19 - 31:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Practice self-control at the table, not allowing your belly to be your master, to avoid overeating and its health consequences.

The contrast between modern sedentary life and the physical activity of past generations (chopping wood, scrub board) is used to highlight why structured exercise is now a necessary means of preserving health.

That's what it means. And when everything in you wants to be the proverbial couch potato and you know, given the sedentary pattern of life in our day, generations ago, didn't have to worry about this. The man chopped the wood and did so many activities that he got his cardiovascular exercise and his stretching and his muscle toning and all the rest. And the woman's there at the scrub board and going out and pumping the well.

38:37 - 39:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Keep God's law, including the sixth commandment, out of love and gratitude to Christ, performing commanded duties and avoiding forbidden sins.

The illustration of a 65-year-old man committing suicide by gun is compared to a man dying of a heart attack at 65 due to willful indifference to diet and exercise, arguing that both are forms of willful destruction of life.

And in the sort of manic patterns, he has reason to believe that, barring some sovereign intervention of God, he's going to live to be 70, 75, this he's added 10 to 15 years of life expectancy. What would you think, if you heard that he put a gun to his temple, and upon his 65th birth, it blew his brains out? You'd think a lot of things, I'm sure. But you'd be grieved that the grandchildren lost the grandpa just at the time when he could be the most influential.

51:28 - 51:59 Read in full sermon