A.      This lesson is a continuation of the previous lesson.  Before we proceed, let us be reminded of the keynote message for this series from 1Timothy 4:7-8 – "…Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

                                                             1.      The hope of this series is for us to realize the promise that godliness holds "for the present life” with the same conviction we have of the promise of godliness "for the life to come.”

                                                             2.      Let us remember that godliness is the quality of being directed by God, whether it is in spiritual matters or temporal matters.  To be godly, we must be directed by His word in all things.

B.      This lesson continues focusing on the topic of the physical body.  Our goal in the previous lesson and in this lesson is to learn how we may gain the profit "for the present life” in our physical bodies that comes by the practice of godliness.

II.      PRESCRIPTIONS FOR OUR PHYSICAL BODIES FROM THE GREAT PHYSICIAN

A.      The best medicine for our physical bodies is to have healthy spirits.

                                                             1.      Notice Proverbs 17:22 – "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”

                                                             2.      David knew very well the physical burden that can be caused by unforgiven sin and a broken spirit.  Consider his own testimony unto God from the psalms.

a.       "When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.” (Ps. 32:3-4)

b.       "There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.  For my iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.  My wounds grow foul and fester because of my folly.  I am bent over and greatly bowed down; I go mourning all day long.  For my loins are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh.  I am benumbed and badly crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart.” (Ps. 38:3-8)

                                                             3.      The only way to heal a broken spirit and relieve the burden of sin is by the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ and faith in Him.

a.       Isaiah spoke of Jesus, saying, "But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed” (Isa. 53:5).

b.       Jesus Himself said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).

                                                             4.      We can obtain spiritual and physical healing for ourselves and others by the good news of Christ.

a.       The proverbs recognize the healing power of godly words.  Proverbs 12:18 says, "The tongue of the wise brings healing,” and Proverbs 16:24 says, "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

b.       All of us should seek and share the spiritual and physical profit of the good word of God through the study of the Scriptures and fellowship with God’s people.

B.      When we are sick or injured, the Bible has godly prescriptions for our physical healing.

                                                             1.      The foremost remedy for any physical ailment is to seek God and His instructions.

a.       We should take a lesson from the life of King Asa of Judah, who died when he became diseased because "he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians” (2Chorn. 16:12-13).

b.       Notice Psalm 103:1-5 – "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits ; who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases ; who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”

                                                             2.      Specific instructions are given for Christians who are sick in James 5:13-16 – "Is anyone among you suffering?  Let him pray.  Is anyone cheerful?  Let him sing praises.  Is anyone among you sick?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.  Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

                                                             3.      A few natural remedies prescribed by Scripture are figs, olive oil, wine (or vinegar), honey, and herbs (2Ki. 20:7; Ps. 51:7; Prov. 24:13; Isa. 38:21; Luke 10:34; John 19:29-30; 1Tim. 5:23; Jas. 5:14).  These and other natural remedies are very effective for healing.

                                                             4.      Note: There is nothing wrong with consulting physicians as long as the means they use are in accordance with God’s word.  The Bible acknowledges the work of physicians, and the gospel writer Luke was himself a physician (Jer. 8:22; Mark 2:17; Col. 4:14).

C.      Even the food we eat and the way we eat it must be governed by godliness in order to fully profit us.

                                                             1.      Natural food is given by God, including the plants and trees yielding seed (Gen. 1:29-30) and all animals (Gen. 9:3; see also Ps. 104:21, 27; 145:14-16).

                                                             2.      We are explicitly forbidden to eat blood and animals that are strangled (Gen. 9:4; Acts 15:29; 21:25).  (Recall that the first sin involving the eating of a forbidden food – Genesis 3.)

                                                             3.      Consider the things we eat that are not defined in the Bible as God-given food.

a.       All manmade, artificial foods, sweeteners, colors, and chemicals (additives, preservatives, hormones, antibiotics, etc.) do no good for the body and often cause harm.

b.       This point is by no means a matter of salvation (Matt. 6:25; 1Cor. 8:8; Col. 2:20-23), but it is a matter of seeking profit by godliness in the physical body.  Eating the food created for the body by the Creator of the body is always better (1Cor. 6:13; 1Tim. 4:3-5).

                                                             4.      Regarding clean and unclean animals in the Law of Moses, none of us are now bound by these laws concerning food or anything else (Acts 10:14-15; Col. 2:11-23).  However, we have to respect that God commanded Israel to consume a diet that was good for their bodies.  It would be wise to consider that diet as a means to good health for ourselves.

                                                             5.      A godly attitude toward food requires that we should receive it from God with gratitude and sanctify it with the word of God and prayer (Matt. 6:11; 1Tim. 4:4-5).

                                                             6.      One of the most physically and spiritually harmful abuses of food is the practice of gluttony.

a.       Gluttony is what we now term as over-eating.  A glutton is one who is habitually given to excessive eating and drinking.

b.       Gluttons are always spoken of in a negative way in the Bible.  Proverbs 23:20-21 says, "Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, or with gluttonous eaters of meat; for the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty and drowsiness will clothe one with rags.”

c.        The way of gluttony is self-destructive.  Much (not all) of the obesity we see in our culture with its related health problems is the self-destructive consequence of gluttony.

d.       The root cause of gluttony is a lack of self-control regarding the consumption of food.

i.         Self-control means that man willfully limits himself against selfish excess and abuse.  This characteristic is required of every Christian (Gal. 5:23; 2Pet. 1:6).

ii.        God has given food to us as a pleasant way to satisfy our physical needs, but a glutton greedily exceeds his need and selfishly abuses God’s blessing.  His desire for food controls him, and he violates the principle of 1Corinthians 6:12 – "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable.  All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.”

e.        Gluttony is not simply a bad habit, but rather it is a serious spiritual problem.

i.         Gluttony is just as sinful as abuse of tobacco, alcohol, or drugs.  The problem of obesity in our nation is a sign that we are badly afflicted with the sin of gluttony.

ii.        It seems that in our great prosperity, we have chosen to live in excess, and our obesity rates are telling our sin.  Notice Ecclesiastes 10:17 – "Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time – for strength, and not for drunkenness.”  As a people, we have become as wealthy as kings and princes, but we lack the nobility to restrain ourselves.  As a result, we eat for pleasure rather than for strength.  This is not a blessing for our land, but it may be the forerunner of a curse.

III.   CONCLUSION

A.      The things we have considered in these two lessons are only a portion of the wisdom of God’s word for advantages in our physical bodies.  Let us open our eyes to these things so that we may benefit from them.

B.      As we do these things, let us remember that the enduring profit of godliness will be in the life to come.