7/23/06 - “God’s Plan For A Healthy Life – Part 1” - 30L - FM
Victory Ministries International presents:
Awesome Truths and Amazing Facts  
Treasures of awesome truths from God’s Word 
and facts that affect you!

Hello!  This is Richard Vaughn

Today’s subject – “God’s Plan For A Healthy Life – Part 1”
The Psalmist wrote, “That thy way be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.” Ps. 67:2. It is clear in Scripture that God wants us to be healthy. This blessed nation of ours is largely Christian. Why do we then have so much heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity? Even this nation’s youth is now so susceptible to disease once thought to be mostly prevalent among the aged.

Are health principles really a part of true Bible religion? John wrote, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 2.  The Bible rates health right near the top in the list of importance. 
          
Man's mind, spiritual nature, and body are all interrelated and interdependent. What affects one affects the other. If our bodies are misused, our minds and spiritual natures cannot become what God ordained that they should be. 

We know that automobile manufacturers put an “operations manual” in every new automobile. The purpose of course is so that we can keep the vehicle running at peak performance, so long as we follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. God is the Creator of our bodies; therefore He must have given us health principles to keep our bodies running at peak performance. We read from God’s “operations manual”, the Holy Bible. “And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive.” Deut. 6:24. 
“And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.” Exodus 23:25.  

Ignoring God's "operations manual" results in disease, twisted thinking, and burned-out lives; just as abusing a car (against the manufacturer's counsel) results in serious car trouble. Following God's rules regarding health results in "saving health" Psalm 67:2 and “more abundant life” John 10:10. These great health laws are like a wall to keep out the diseases of Satan. God tells us what these rules are so we can avoid the devil's traps.
"Eat ye that which is good." Isaiah 55:2. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31. 
A real Christian will even eat and drink differently—all to the glory of God—using only "that which is good." If God says a thing is not fit to eat, He must have a good reason. He is not a harsh dictator, but a loving Father. All His counsel is for our good always. The Bible promises: "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11. So if God withholds a thing from us, it is because it is not good. 

Note: No person can eat their way into heaven. Eating even the food of angels will not entitle people to paradise. Only acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior can do that. Ignoring God's health laws, however, may cause a person to be lost, because it can pervert his judgment and cause him to sin.

Let us look at the original diet of man. "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed ... and every tree ... yielding seed." "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat." Genesis 1:29, 2:16. The diet God gave people in the beginning was fruit, grains, and nuts. Vegetables were added a bit later (Genesis 3:18).

The people who lived before the flood had exceptional physical health and were for the most part vegetarians. They lived long lives as we read in Genesis. Adam lived to be 930. Gen 5:5; His son Seth was 912. Gen 5:8; Enoch, the seventh from Adam, had a son named Methuselah, Gen 5:21, and lived the longest, 969 years, Gen 5:27. Methuselah knew both Adam and Noah. In fact, God laid Methuselah to rest the year of the flood and Noah was 600 years old the year of the flood. Gen. 7:11
40 days and 40 nights it rained, (Gen. 7:12) destroying every living thing on the face of the earth, (Gen 7:22). The waters were 22-1/2 feet (15 cubits) above the mountain tops (Gen. 7:20); and for 150 days the waters prevailed upon the earth. Gen 7:24. 

No fruits, no vegetables. All vegetation was destroyed. What was man to eat? Man was permitted to eat the clean animals. It is important to understand this fact about God, He is consistent. He said in Gen. 9:3 “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you.” It was understood which animals God gave the approval to eat. The unclean were unfit for food and were brought into the ark in twos. The clean animals were fit for food and were brought into the ark in sevens. Gen. 7:1,2.

Let’s look closely at what items are specifically mentioned by God as being unclean and forbidden: In Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, God very clearly points out the following groups as being unclean. All animals which do not have a split hoof and chew the cud (Duet. 14:6). This would include the camel, the hare and the swine. All fish and water creatures that do not have both fins and scales. Shellfish and catfish are unclean. Nearly all fish are clean (Deut. 14:9). All birds of prey, carrion eaters, and fish eaters (Lev. 11:13-20). Most "creeping things" (or invertebrates) are also unclean (Lev. 11:21-47).

These chapters make it clear that most animals, birds, and waters creatures people ordinarily eat are clean. There are, however, some very notable exceptions. According to God's rules, the following animals are unclean and are not to be eaten: hogs, squirrels, rabbits, catfish, eels, lobsters, clams, crabs, shrimp, oysters, frogs, and many others.

Some might say, I love pork. Will God destroy me if I eat it? God answers that question in Isaiah 66:15-17. “For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.  For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.  They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.

This may be shocking, but it is true and must be told. The Bible positively states that all who eat "swine's flesh," the "mouse", and other unclean things that are an "abomination" will be destroyed with fire at the coming of the Lord. When God says to leave something alone and not eat it, we should by all means obey Him. We don’t know why, but as Creator He does and who are we to question him? After all, the mere eating of a piece of forbidden fruit by Adam and Eve, a sinless couple, brought sin and death to this world in the first place. Can anyone say it doesn't matter, when God so clearly shows it does? 

Some argue that was a restriction just for the Jews, but let me ask you this. Is the Jew's stomach and digestive system different from that of a Gentile? These health laws are for all people for all time. God says men will be destroyed because they "chose that in which I delighted not." Isaiah 66:4.

Let’s look now at alcohol and what the Bible teaches. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." Proverbs 20:1. "Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder." Proverbs 23:31, 32. 
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”  1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.  The Bible clearly forbids the use of alcoholic beverages. The wine that is approved in the Bible is not the alcoholic variety, no it is the new wine, the juice of the grape as found in the cluster. Isaiah 65:8 says “Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it”. Fresh grape juice is healthy and that’s the new wine Jesus made at the wedding feast. There is a blessing in it. Alcoholic wine has destroyed many lives as well as families.  

Finally this week we will look at tobacco and the six reasons the Bible gives as to why the use of tobacco is displeasing to God.
A.The use of tobacco injures health and defiles the body. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17.
B. Nicotine is an addictive substance that enslaves people. Romans 6:16 says that we become servants to whomever (or whatever) we yield ourselves. Tobacco users are servants of nicotine. Jesus says, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt you serve." Matthew 4:10.
C. The tobacco habit is unclean. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you." 2 Corinthians 6:17. It is really preposterous to think of Christ using tobacco in any form, isn't it?
D. The use of tobacco wastes money. "Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread?" Isaiah 55:2. We are God's stewards of the money given us, and "it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." 1 Corinthians 4:2.
E. The use of tobacco never draws anyone closer to Christ. "Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul." 1 Peter 2:11. Tobacco use is a fleshly lust.
F. The use of tobacco shortens life. Recent scientific findings confirm the fact that the use of tobacco often shortens the life span by as much as one-third. This breaks God's command against killing (Exodus 20:13). Even though it is slow murder, it is still murder. One of the best ways to postpone your funeral is to quit using tobacco.

From what we have read from the Bible today it sounds like God doesn’t want us to have any vices. Well that’s right, he doesn’t. Whether it’s unclean foods, alcohol, tobacco or drugs, if we violate laws of health, we will get sick, even die prematurely. If you are taking prescription drugs, that was not God’s plan. Your health problems cannot be blamed on heredity alone. Many of us dig our graves with our teeth.

Next Week: We’re going to finish this subject of healthy living as we discuss  the Eight Natural Doctors Found in the Bible - So tune in next week for the topic, “God’s Plan For A Healthy Life – Part 2”

If you would like to worship this seventh day Lord’s day, come and visit us this Saturday at Victory Seventh Day Adventist Church, 117 W. Danville Street in South Hill. 

Until next week, Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”. Even so, Come Lord Jesus.