by our men third John and obviously it's just one chapter then we're just gonna
look at the first couple of verses again third John in verse 1 says he elder unto
the world beloved Gaius whom I love in the truth beloved I wish above all
things that thou may'st prosper and be in health even as I soul prosperous and
the title of my sermon this morning is biblical health principles biblical
health principles I'm going to pray before we get going with the message
father thank you for your word thank you for all this church Lord a church of
people that just love the Lord and I pray that you just help me to preach a
sermon that I've been thinking about now for a little while I'm just just
accurately clearly boldly and in a way that people will be edified and and
we'll be able to apply it to their lives for us to all be healthier as individuals
as a church Lord help us to just learn from these principles to take these
things to heart in Jesus name we pray amen okay so just to give you a warning
this could be a long sermon okay I've got a lot of notes here and it's one of
those topics that I find very interesting anyway so I might I might
you know talk a bit here but I'm gonna try and go through some of it quite
quickly so you know if there's something that particularly stands out to you by
all means make a note or something I'm going to be trying to go through it
quickly I would say that this is one of those topics that has had some of the
most ridiculous false teachings more recently on in the online world okay
when I say like health topics is going to be all sorts out there but when it
comes to biblical health topics as well nominal Christians taking a verse or a
story from the Bible and making videos and articles about biblical health they
haven't even got saved in the first place right there'll be from you know
we'll see the you know Adam and Eve were vegan so it's biblical to to the Daniel
diet of pulse of water being the way to good health you might have seen this
sort of stuff out there right to Ezekiel bread as per the ingredients in Ezekiel
for that's got to be what you got to eat right although I'm guessing that they
miss out the all-important ingredient in Ezekiel for being the cow dung yeah but
I'm assuming they do I'd like they're probably people out there that actually
add that to it as well there's all sorts out there right how many alcoholics
justify daily boozing due to Timothy being told to use a little wine for thy
stomach's sake and thine often infirmities and there'll be all sorts
people just love to take a verse something they don't even understand
from the Bible and then make a whole concept a whole way of living from it
and there are tons of others but we're gonna see what the Bible actually says
of what principles were taught about health and wellness in the Bible in in
3rd John here the the Apostle John is writing to a Gaius and I say a guys
because it's debatable whether or not there's one or more guys is in the New
Testament he is described as a man of Macedonia a man of Derby and also Paul
he's he's Paul's hosting Corinth but he could just be one man that traveled to
so it's I suppose it's you know it's not it's not really part of this sermon now
but what we do know is that this guy is his well beloved okay he's a well
beloved guy and he says in verse 1 the elder unto the well-beloved Gaius okay
so John obviously has him it holds him in high esteem says whom I love in the
truth beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in
health even as thy soul prosperous so John under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit said that he wishes above all things that guys may prosper and be in
health he said as his soul prospers and being saved his soul is in a pretty good
state isn't it okay his soul is prospering because his soul is gonna go
one place and one place only that's heaven okay now notice how he's he's he's
put prospering and being in good health together as they kind of go hand in hand
because he's not talking about Gaius his financial standing when he when he's
talked about prospering or his career prospects or his popularity in the world
he's talking about his prospering in the things that have eternal consequences in
our real purpose here on earth and now I'm not talking about your health because
he said beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health
even as I so prosperous look at verse 3 for for I rejoice greatly when the
brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee even as thou walkest in
the truth he wants him to prosper in his walk in the truth and if you're walking
in the truth if you're walking in the Word of God that means that you're going
to be so winning or you're going to be so winning sooner rather than later okay
either you are or you're on your way there right okay if you're walking in
the Word of God the end result is salvation's that's the whole point okay
it's not we're not backslack Christians this isn't just oh well we just meet up
and tell each other a great well the whole point is that we've been given the
Ministry of Reconciliation we're ambassadors for Christ we're here to get
people saved if you're walking in the truth that's where you're going to get
to right that's the end result and hopefully getting built up and the
things of God to get others saved the people that we get saved right that's
what we'd love to do is get people saved bring them in build them up over
time to do the same that's our goal that's what it's all about he's not
wishing that he prospers so that he can look back and reminisce about his
sporting achievements in life that's not what he's talking about about his high
flying career about his beach body John wants him to prosper because he's
walking in the truth that's the whole point he said I have no greater joy than
to hear that my children are the picture of health it's not what he said
I have no greater joy than here that my children have the best physiques avoid
all illness no he said I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk
in truth and I want to make this clear okay God wants us to prosper in our
Christian life and being in health good health will help us to prosper in our
walk okay it will help us prosper in our walk being fit helps you to put the
hours in being healthy helps you have a clear mind it helps you to make the soul
winning the marathons a full Sundays being well stops you missing Church it
stops you missing soul winning John said beloved I wish above all things that
that may as prosper and be in health even as I so prosper he said he wishes
above all things that gospel prosper and be in health okay for I rejoice greatly
when the brethren came testify to the truth that is in me even as I walks in
the truth so with that in mind if my pursuit of health and wellness hinders
my walk with God is that is that what John was talking about is that what he's
just I wish above all things that you'll be so healthy yet not have anything to
do with God that's not what he's talking about if my gym routine keeps now to
church if I'm so exhausted from the hard training that I don't even have the
energy to read my Bible or do anything for God if my pursuit of health and
wellness becomes an idol that's more important than God that's not what what
he's talking about is it if it occupies my thoughts my conversations all I could
think about is new super foods and supplements it's becoming an idol in my
life right that's not what he's talking about so we have to get the balance
right and not spend for example all our Bible study time trying to find the
secrets to our personal health that's not the idea is it yeah but if that
balance is right if you're focused on serving God of walking the truth then
God wished above all things that thou may as prosper and be in health okay if
you got the balance right the goal is that you're able to prosper in your walk
with God and being healthy is going to help that isn't it so clearly it's not
automatic by the way okay there are ways that we can improve our health and there
are ways that we can harm our health it's not just oh well you're serving God
you're going to be healthy no of course not otherwise why is he wishing this
because he's talked to a guy that's that is doing the things of God right he
wants him to prosper and be in good health they go hand in hand so we're
going to look at some principles from the Bible turn to Proverbs chapter 3 the
title is biblical health principles and number one is biblical health principles
for a healthy lifestyle so what are some biblical health principles for us ever
have a healthy lifestyle now I've started with healthy lifestyle because
this is really the key to a Christian self and there is no magic trick okay in
case anyone's wondering okay what's what's going to be like the solution to
it oh there is no magic trick the cold showers hack won't suddenly just
transform your health and make you the healthiest person ever and by the way I
tried the cold showers many years ago and they were a bit cold you do kind of
feel good after it's all right however that's not going to suddenly solve all
your problems there being that they'll go that will do this it will do this it's
going to change this in your brain and you're going to be and there's all this
stuff out there right the perfect amount of sleep if I could just get that sweet
spot that's it all health problems gone no the perfect supplement there's always
a new perfect supplement isn't there out there that's what we're all deficient in
oh if only we'd known it's actually this no no next year it's that one no next
year it's this no next year it's this special magic drink that no one knew
about before none of there isn't going to be like this quick fix so you're
gonna have to pay attention a bit okay Proverbs chapter 3 says in verse 1 my
son forget not my law but let thine heart keep my commandments for length of
days and long life and peace shall they add to thee let not mercy and truth
forsake thee bind them about thy neck write them upon the table of thine heart
so shalt thou find favor and good understanding side to God a man trust in
the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding in all
thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths be not wise in thine
own eyes fear the Lord and depart from evil it shall be health to thy navel and
marrow to thy bones the navel is where your belly button is it's the center of
your stomach marrow is the essence of your bones required for healthy bones he
said to trust in him not your own internet research which is usually
repeating verbatim what someone else has said and then calling it research he
said in verse 7 stop convince yourself of your extra biblical health wisdom the
ever-changing body and nutrition science which changes every decade or so and
start fearing the Lord depart from evil okay how do you fear him how do you
trust him well in Proverbs chapter 4 if you flick over Solomon writing as a
prophet of God says in verse 20 my son attend to my words incline thine ear
unto my sayings let them not depart from thine eyes keep them in the midst of
thine heart for they are life unto those that find them and health to all their
flesh it's a word of God that gives health to all your flesh it's living by
the words of God that a health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones and if you
jump forward to chapter 14 we're going to see what some of those words say as
well those words say in chapter 14 and verse 30 Proverbs 14 30 a sound heart is
the life of the flesh but envy the rottenness of bones so if you want to be
healthy then you need to get your emotions in check and you need to cut
out the envy for starters like it or not okay our emotions dictate our health
more than how fatty your meat is you know that your emotions affect your
health much more than whether or not you've had a bit of extra fat on your
meat or not well then what supplements you take you can get everything else
right yeah you can have your supplements right you can have the exact perfect
amount of whether it's I don't know what the latest fashion is whether it's lean
meat or fatty meat I don't know what it is right now you can have all these
things your cold-pressed oils you can have all that stuff it if your emotions
aren't in check if you're a bitter twisted envious person you're gonna rot
your bones okay your emotions massively affect your health stress can kill you
early it can send you to an early grave it can destroy your life okay and and it
is it is a big part of that how do you and envy is a big part of that how do
you solve envy you know there's a quick trick to solving envy start thanking God
for everything that you do have try doing that yeah get some gratitude in
your life and you might be more content get some gratitude for what God has
given you that you don't deserve and you might be a bit less envious of other
people what you perceive they have okay that's that's a good solution for some
for cutting out the envy which is rottenness to your bones why does envy
affect your health because it's such a stressful way to live just constantly
bitter and angry and because all those other emotions come in with it don't
they stressed out or what other people you think they have and you should have
and you don't have it and everything else Proverbs 14 30 said a sound heart
is the life of the flesh but envy the rottenness of the bones okay you need to
have a sound hearts the heart being the seat of the emotions here's another
lifestyle hack for you in Proverbs 16 24 Proverbs 16 and 24 says pleasant words
are as an honeycomb sweet to the soul and health to the bones you want healthy
bones get around some pleasant words and of course there's nothing more pleasant
than the words of God okay there is nothing more pleasant the words of God
but next is getting around some spirit filled men women and children of God
around some pure language around some pure topics Proverbs 15 26 says the
thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord but the words of
the pure are pleasant words is it a relief when you've been in the workplace
yeah you maybe you've done 40 50 60 hours whatever it is around maybe you've
been around just a worldly people in one area or other and then you get amongst
God's people isn't it a relief no more smart there shouldn't be okay hopefully
there's no more of the smutty jokes there's no more of the just dodgy
innuendo there's no more of the just covetousness and it shouldn't be and I
hope we don't have that in this church there should be no more just people
going on about money and wealth and all that sort of stuff it is there should be
no more of the bizarre world views and just stuff where you just can't see
biting your tongue it's just awkward it's stressful stressful being around
isn't it vexes you sometimes vexes you and that's not healthy is it you might
be sitting here thinking yet yeah but but what about the exercise routines I
mean okay the words of the pure pleasant words okay that all sounds good right
but what about the exercises what about the perfect amount of sleep the people
wonder about that stuff will turn to 1st Timothy 4 whilst I explain a simple
method for working out how much sleep to get so we've looked at having a sound
heart we've looked at avoiding the envy we've looked at being around pleasant
words being around God's people trying to trying not to be in like just
constantly involved in all that worldly just smut and filth and stressful stuff
but I'm gonna I'm gonna give you a quick method for working out how much sleep to
get get up at the same time every morning with an alarm okay get in a
routine get up at the same time me it's the same time the more you go yeah what
about before long previous it was probably having an open set of curtains
and getting up with daylight or perhaps maybe a rooster or something as well
right but you've got an alarm clock okay make use of it get up with an alarm and
then once you feel sleepy at night go to bed it's pretty simple really get up at
the same time every morning and you'll start to learn what time you feel like
you need to go to bed at night but if you start sleeping in and you start
being lazy and not having a reason to get up and look at the alarm clock and
switch it off and going back to sleep and everything else then you start going
to bed late well and the whole thing's just just messed up just get up at the
same time and you know and then be ready to go to bed at night don't be doing
things like staring at all these flashing lights and everything on
whatever you know handheld device or something else wind down in the evening
read your Bible and you know what you're much more likely go to sleep at night
it kind of it's pretty simple that's why there isn't this formula in the Bible
for it it's like get up get busy do some stuff have a busy day yeah like don't
don't sloth around doing nothing and you know what you get tired at night yeah
and you get tired at night and you go to sleep and cut out all the stimulants
and all that other stuff especially at night time right hammering coffees at
10 o'clock I just can't work out I can't sleep staring at like movies and stuff but like
midnight just can't work it out you know anyway talking about an active day okay
you've got to put that in the right place as well in 1st Timothy 4 Paul
reminds us again what's of most importance says in verse 7 but refuse
profane and old wives fables and exercise thyself rather unto godliness
for bodily exercise profiteth little but godliness is profitable unto all
things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come so
the godliness has to take priority okay however there is some profit from body
exercise isn't there okay so he didn't say cut out all exercise he said body
exercise profit little it does still profit and we want things of profit
don't we right we want to prosper now we're not designed to live a sedentary
lifestyle which is difficult in this day and age of non-manual jobs because a lot
of people are in careers or in jobs which are non-manual and we're not
designed for that in a very recent phenomena really of recent history is
sedentary travel because we're not really designed for that okay and you go
what do you mean you know didn't people have like horses things like that you
ever tried riding a horse it's hard work even riding a camel slowly you still
got to stay on balance and you've got to work your legs a bit and stuff like that
all forms of travel and most people were walking let's be honest that was
generally for people with more wealth most people were walking and nowadays
most even if you don't have a car you're generally getting on buses and trains
and things like that and it's a lot less walking a lot less activity okay we're
not really designed for that and and if you go back to Genesis 3 we're gonna see
where the first man who incidentally was already a gardener Adam was was he
was told that since the fall we're going back to Genesis 3 he was told that hard
manual work is for his own good so since the fall he's told in Genesis 3 and verse
17 it says this and unto Adam he said because thou has hearkened unto the
voice of thy wife and has eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying
thou shalt not eat of it cursed is the ground for thy sake that's for his own
good in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life thorns and thistles
sorry thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee and thou shalt eat
the herb of the field in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou
return unto the ground for out of it was thou taken for dost thou art and unto
dost shout thou return so if you don't have a man your job okay you need to
find another way of working up a sweat basically you do if you don't have a man
your job you need to work up a sweat because it was for our own good working
up a sweat was part of something for your sake so if you're just sitting
around I just can't work out why just don't feel well anything else but I'm
just so tired I could never even do anything with any exercise well you're
not really you're not really fulfilling your design right he said for he wanted
the sweat of his face we need to work we need to do stuff and by the way that
was aside from walking everywhere that's aside for walking everywhere that's some
hard man your work that's that's by that by his own sweat for his own good the
hard work we're going to stay in Genesis okay the
tallest biblical health principles number one for a healthy lifestyle okay
and there's some they're just some clear things from the Bible about being able
to have a healthy lifestyle bit trying to be happier try trying to cut out the
envy trying to trying to make sure you're active you're doing stuff you're
busy you know you'd have to spend seven days a week training twice three times a
day but you need to work up a sweat I would say you need to daily work up so
I may have one day I think there's good principle of a day off each week right
I'd say day off from many things other than obviously you know the word of God
I would say take a day off it's good to have a day off work if you can it's not
a law it's not a rule but I think it's a good good guideline it's good to have a
day off physical exercise I would say a good to have a day off you know doing
those things however there's some good principles right they pretty clear
principles in the Bible for me we're going to stay in Genesis like I said
totally people health principle number one for healthy lifestyle now number two
we're going to look at biblical health principles for a healthy diet now you
might be sitting there going okay now we're talking okay here we go time for
the Bible do's and don'ts right the one size fits all special diet that we can
all follow to the letter and everyone could just eat the same thing every day
every time of the day because there's got to be like the perfect diet right no
because that would be boring and there really is no need I believe that it's
much simpler than that and let me explain this to you anyone who's read
the Bible a few times will have noticed that there is no specific eat this at
this time eat this quantity of this and that for all is there okay some of you
might look for that in the Bible and some might have been conned maybe in the
early days maybe would before they said maybe soon after they say by people
trying to suggest there is but believe me there is it okay of course there were
periods of time with the manner okay but we don't have manner anymore okay don't
try and bake money you know it's not gonna be the same all right there was
obviously Ezekiel with the bread but like we explained you know unless you
put the missing ingredient in you're gonna have trouble there okay but for
the rest of us it's pretty simple okay in Genesis 1 God's just made all things
he says this to Adam and Eve in verse 29 Genesis 1 29 it says in God said behold
I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth
and every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed to you it shall
be for me now he's not just he's not talking about just sticking to the herb
aisle in the supermarket in case anyone looks at that and goes okay it's time
for those magic herbs yeah it's all about the superfood herbs a herb here
is according to Webster's a plant or vegetable with a softer succulent stalk
or stem which dies to the root every year and is thus distinguished from a
tree and a shrub which have ligneous or hard woody stems so so this would
include grain of vegetables and along with the trees God's saying that if it
grows and it's edible then you can eat it basically if it grows and it's edible
includes grains for all those that like grains are evil they're poison and
everything else it's just if it grows it's and it's edible eat it okay you're
okay to eat it now before anyone gets all vegan on me okay okay I haven't
finished on this yet okay so okay don't leave now okay go down the vegan shop
okay turn to Genesis 9 which is now immediately post flood okay so now we're
post flooding Genesis 9 Noah has just sacrificed a load of animals to God by
the way okay one of all the clean animals I mean and there were a lot of
animals on that arc okay so he's a he sacrificed a lot there and God bless
Noah and his son said in verse 1 and said unto them this is Genesis 9 1 be
fruitful and multiply replenish the earth and the fear of you and the dread
of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every fowl of the air
upon all that moveth upon the earth and upon all the fishes of the sea into your
hand are they delivered every moving thing that liveth shabby meat for you
even as a green herb have I given you all things but flesh with the life
thereof which is a blood thereof shall ye not eat so he said just like the
things that grow I'm giving you all animals just don't eat them raw okay
saying don't start eating raw animals he's saying he said here but flesh with
the life thereof which is the blood thereof shall you not eat okay pretty
simple you say yeah but what about those dietary laws I mean forget the rabbit
meat and seafood we don't really care about that stuff what about the pigs
you know cuz we would just hate the pigs but a lot of those people a lot of those
due day eyes is who are like you can't eat pig never eat pig they usually eat
shellfish and seafood and they wouldn't really care if someone gave him a bowl
of rabbit stew because they kind of didn't get that far it's just the pigs
it's all about the pigs right well turn to first Timothy 4 well so I read acts
1015 where Peter sees a vision of all sorts of animals clean and unclean he
refuses to eat them he says you know I haven't eaten anything unclean God when
when God says rise up and eat and the voice spake unto him again your turn to
first Timothy 4 I'm reading acts 1015 and the voice spake unto him again the
second time what God hath cleansed that call not thou common okay because we're
no longer under the dietary laws God has cleansed these animals and in 1st
Timothy 4 we're taught we're told about the types of people commanding you to
abstain for meats it says in verse 1 now the spirit speaketh expressly first
Timothy 4 1 that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving
heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils speaking lies in epoxy having
their conscience seared with a hot iron so we're talking about wicked people
here we're talking about reprobate false prophets with their consciences seared
okay forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain for meats that's something
these people do they like to impose their extra biblical rules onto you
which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe
and know the truth for every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if
it be received with thanksgiving for it is sanctified by the Word of God and
prayer if you give thanks for your food it's sanctified it's clean don't worry
about it in fact you'd be worse off eating some dry organic chicken breast
without praying for it because apparently that's like the latest
healthy one or it has been for a while isn't it people I remember yeah just
just this reminds me of when I was first around like this guy's really into his
bodybuilding when I was young in college and I'd met this guy got to know him and
every time he ate his lunch I mean you know it was if it was anything to put
you off he was like every time it was like disgusted with his food it was so
bland it was so boring you need to I mean even doing anything just trying to
look strong or something yeah but it was you know it always was always dry old
chicken breast that he was just chewing away at there was just no taste it was
just it's like you don't need to do that you don't need to do that he wasn't
giving thanks for it anyway or the guy wasn't saved anyway but you would be
worse off doing that as a safe person without giving thanks for it now with
that in mind okay before everyone goes and orders about bacon and sausages okay
first off I don't think that the dietary laws were arbitrary okay so would I be
healthy eating pork three times a day seven days a week perhaps not okay
although I believe it would depend on the source of it so farmed properly and
fed a good diet is likely better than some scavenging hog roaming the streets
of an Israeli village cleaning up all the mess that the dogs didn't get to
okay probably wouldn't be that healthy eating that sort of pork but more of a
problem is the nitrates and other preservatives in the bacon and my
sausages okay so you'll be alright with some nice you know well farmed pork
steak probably not so much if you are hammering the bacon and sausages every
single day of the week right and this is the key point we were given things that
grow okay that grow from trees are grow out the ground we were given animals for
food and look you can cook it you can extract all you can make sauces you can
use animal milk you can use eggs there's all these different varieties of
things you can do and look there's amazing things you can cook I mean God
bless us with some amazing food didn't he and all sorts of things you can do
with those foods and make them taste amazing right the options are endless
and I believe that they're all pretty much healthy within moderation obviously
okay and there is a key point here moderation for example you have done a
problem 2527 says it is not good to eat much honey so for men to search their
own glory is not look their own glory is not glory but the first point there
is not good to eat much honey so it's good to get variety okay honey is good
but in moderation right and there's another problem talk about vomiting it
up if you eat too much yeah okay eat things in moderation but here's the
thing when you eat natural foods and you sit down with others to eat which is
something a principle we see in the Bible a lot as well as people sitting
down with others eating together eating as a family eating with other people so
you're gonna be there's gonna be conversation you're gonna be chatting
while you're eating it's a time of fellowship that's what we see regularly
as well you're not just eating on the go not trying to shove down as many
calories as you can while standing up and running off somewhere or something
else when you're when you're eating as we see those principles in the Bible and
you're making something of a meal time and it's something you do with the
family you do it with other people you sit down and you eat that there are
satiety hormones like leptin which stop you feeling hungry when you've had
enough did you know that when you eat slowly and you eat and your fellow
shipping and you eating real food you start to feel fill up you start this
food starts losing its interest if you've noticed that something that you
were like oh I can't wait to eat this as you start to have enough you kind of
stop wanting as much don't you and there are other hormones that make you crave
certain foods that you need by the way as well you ever wondered why pregnant
women start craving that sometimes oh and I'll talk to you about this in a
minute when when these are at a kilter but looked on they'll crave things they
need a lot of like pregnant will be craving like salmon and things with
omega-3 and things like that God gave us all we need to be healthy without the
need for so-called calorie counting seriously that's why there's nothing
about calorie counting in the Bible but he wants us to be in health our beloved
I wish above all things that would be in health please go to the world's you know
latest science which changes every 10 years and not know what you're gonna
believe because there's no need for he didn't say you got to count all your
macronutrients oh well if you get this percentage of fat and this percentage of
protein this percentage of carbs no because your body actually starts to
crave what you want when you eat pop when you eat the food he told you to eat
the problem is it instead of eating what God told us to eat we generally a load
of laboratory junk food inserts and all sorts in them food inserts which by the
way when you look into that some of those companies and their food inserts
have been tested on a bortle fetal cell lines a bortle fetal cell lines
they actually some of those flavor enhancers and it's not just MSG by the
way there's they have all sorts of weird stuff in that and I looked into this
many years ago and you go look at that yourself okay I haven't gone into this
for some it will go on for hours otherwise okay but believe me okay some
of those companies have been pulled up on that where they're trying to test
certain flavor enhancers and you'll look on it on a packet and it'll just say
flavoring what even is that what is it and you know what it is it's a packet
that they've got from one of these laboratories which put it in the food
and then and they say if you use this flavoring you're going to maximize your
sales and you're going to increase your sales they go yes shove it in and some
are like just a sour flavoring some are a sweet flavor but what's actually in
that flavoring isn't what God told you to eat and a lot of it is it's like
Frankenstein stuff and in fact a lot of foods when you just look on the side of
a packet of things that many people just regularly it's literally stuff that
it's not what God told you to eat it is lists like this of absolute filth
absolute junk that's the problem and you know what that stuff does as well is it
stops you being full up it stops you craving away and then what happens is
instead of craving what you need you start craving that stuff you know I'm
just really craving a bag of absolute filth I must is it because you really
need it no it's because the chemicals have messed with you and that's why you
get these kids whose parents are like they just don't like vegetables they
just don't like meat they just don't like normal food they only like
Cadbury's cream eggs well that came to mind there's a kid at Jack's school when
he was first at school when he's young who whose parents said he only likes was
it jam and Cadbury's Buttons is that right I got that right jam sandwiches
Cadbury's Buttons is this all he likes yeah I mean he was just bored only like
jam sandwiches apparently didn't even like pizza was that right which a bit
strange most kids like pizza right jam sandwiches Cadbury's Buttons was he born
like that no he was he they were giving him all this filth and junk instead of
normal food and then he got to the point where he refused everything else because
now he's just craving that tantalizing whatever it is that needs to be tripped
with with all the junk that's in that filth and I tell you what I bet it wasn't
just some natural jam with a little bit of sugar and some you know and some and
a little bit of fruit I bet it was one of those classic jams where they've got
like five different six seven eight extra flavor in ants and other things in
it as well that's the problem okay modified foods and laboratory made
additives okay that's what makes you crave that stuff and that could be a
problem for people now God made it clear what he'd given us to eat okay it never
included a load of artificial junk did it he never said that he didn't say just
if someone calls it food eat it I've given you anything that someone puts in
a packet and says his food because you don't trust him in anything else we
don't trust all these we don't trust these these like multinational companies
with their vaccines we don't trust these multinational companies with their
propaganda about wars in places and who's to blame and everything else but
why do we trust them when they put it in a packet and go it's food because it's
easier to it's easier to just bury your head and go well they wouldn't sell it
if it was bad for you do me a favor of course they would a good exercise and
this is a good exercise for anyone okay just read the ingredients and you know
take take some power yeah take some power to yourself and go well if I'm
going to eat this now look you can go too far with this guy turn to 1st
Corinthians 6 you could go militant on this okay and forget that your bodies
are still pretty durable so you can go to the point where you're just rude and
you go around someone's house and they offer you some food or someone brings
some food into church or something else and you just go oh well let me have a
look at what's on this yeah and then it's embarrassing it so you don't have
to be like that okay but your bodies can deal with a lot okay you can you can
handle things God has given us a body that could deal with a lot of stuff and
you could you could argue if it's sold in a packet it's probably not gonna make
you drop dead okay because we do have some food standards here but okay maybe
that might change okay but you don't have to refuse anything anyone gives you
however what what's your state what what are you having rate like most most meals
of the day and I would say what you're eating most of the time and what you're
eating is a choice and what you have in your cupboards and what you buy from the
shop should really be what God told you to eat shouldn't they probably by the
way when you get to the point where you're literally running scared of
anything that's like not 100% naturally in your eyes usually the stress that we
talked about before that will probably make you more sick than the additives
and there's something that was added into that food that you didn't get a
chance to look at right okay but anyway it's probably not a good idea to eat and
drink artificial stuff on a daily basis now for some for some this stuff is a
problem more more so than the fact that okay you're gonna have some maybe some
potential health issues longer-term health issues from it much of this stuff
is purposely addictive isn't it that's the whole point like I was just saying
there's a lot of these flavor in arts and additives and things like that is to
make you addicted to their product that's what they want when I sold that
that minibus I was in like this little kiosk of this we buy any van guy and he
was only a young lad really and I just looked down at the bin and it was just
over spilling with Monster Energy drinks now that kid ain't craving Monster
Energy drinks because that's what his body needs he's addicted to Monster
Energy drinks and that stuff is filth okay like I mean that stuff should that
stuff should be illegal okay so bad for you isn't it all that filth and junk and
energy drinks and all this stuff either swerve that stuff okay but but point
being that that some of this stuff does become a problem it can get take a grip
on you right and if that is you then avoidance would be would be sensible
okay first Corinthians 6 12 says all things are lawful unto me it's not that
you cannot touch anything you cannot drink look all things are lawful unto
me but all things are not expedient which means suitable profitable all
things are lawful for me but I will not be brought under the power of any so if
junk foods and drinks are a problem for you if you're brought under the power of
them then it would be good to cut them out wouldn't it if you're brought under
the power of that stuff if you're now that's an addiction you need to cut that
out okay we need to get on top we don't want to be brought under the power of
things and talking of drinks okay that is a lot of people's problems by the way
as well I've known people before that you know they pretty healthy diets they
eat some fairly good stuff but it's the drinks they're chugging down all sorts
of just stuff which isn't good for you right and that could be a big problem
for many people whether it's teas coffees soft drinks juices what should
be our go-to drink water that should be your go-to drink now look you want to
have treat drinks you want to have like a drink which which you know
tantalizes your taste buds more than water great but you should be hydrating
yourself every day on water shouldn't you that should be what the majority of
what you drink the wine or juice encouraged in the Bible by the way was
often after eating you ever notice when they'd eaten and drunk after it's all
often afterwards that they've drunk it like a sort of dessert type drink maybe
spiced as well that the juice is maybe concentrated at some degree it's it's
it's like a dessert and it's sometimes nice to have something sweet after you
eat isn't it but they're not just walking around just chugging fruit juice
all day however there are times of drinks and foods can be used when sick
as well okay and we're going to look at that now so for me just just a recap on
that point is look if you're if that really helps you and you're like yeah
but you know what really matters to me is weight or whatever and I find I've
got it I've got to count calories I've got to do this do that look whatever
okay it's up to you you can do what you want yeah but I personally believe it if
you just say healthy and you just avoided the junk and the filth you try
to eat a natural diet you do start to just crave less of the junk and you
start to crave more healthy stuff you start to just fill fill up when you eat
when you eat proper stuff and normal stuff and you kind of just because are
we all trying to be mr. universe you know miss universe or ever are we just
trying to just basically be healthy right so we're able to prosper for God
yeah that's the goal isn't it turn to 1st Timothy 5 the title is biblical
health principles number one for a healthy lifestyle sorry sorry turn to
second chronicle 16 first number one for a healthy lifestyle number two for a
healthy diet and number three for healthy recovery so even if you're
getting all of this right okay the reality is that there is sickness
around and there are a few reasons why we get sick it can be chastisement okay
you can be sick because of chastisement it can be trials and tribulations in
life as well some afflictions and you could include illness with that could
even be to keep us humble and relying on God okay that can happen as well and of
course we can bring it upon ourselves too okay so if I ignored all of this and
I spent breakfast lunch and dinner at McDonald's or the sweet shop or
something and no one would be wondering why I'm unwell would they if everyone's
it's like yeah pasta Taiwanese it's always coming in with McDonald's bags
he's getting pastier and pastier and he's looking more more sick you wouldn't
go well just can't work it must I just can't work it out you know something's
happened I don't know what it is I mean that would be that would be down to
myself wouldn't it they wouldn't be wondering and it's same with
transmissible illnesses if someone came in here sneezing streaming nose fever
they're walking around like death warmed up and I just chose to sit right next to
them share a water bottle and a bag of crisps with them or something nice
natural healthy ones who just added sea salt yeah you wouldn't you wouldn't be
going oh well just you know yeah I can't you know it's just one of those things
though you go like what was he doing right that's that's my fault isn't it I
shouldn't have done that right so we're all going to deal with illness and
sometimes we are sadly going to deal with serious chronic illness okay what's
the solution well Turner's second chronicle 16 where we see King Asa get
it wrong when he was diseased in his feet so you're in second chronicle 16
and Asa who had been previously described as doing good and right in the
sight of the Lord he runs into some trouble okay he gets rebuked by the
seer which is another name for a prophet for relying on the king of Syria to help
him instead of God and told he will have some he'll basically have to deal with
wars continuous wars due to him instead of responding in the right way he
imprisons the man of God who told him this okay now he was still he was
described as a good guy Asa but but this is a low point in his life okay it says
in verse 10 and Asa was wroth with the seer this is second chronicle 16 10 and
put him in a prison house for he was in a rage with him because of this thing
and Asa oppressed some of the people the same time and behold the acts of Asa
first the last I were written in the books of the sorry in the book of the
kings of Judah and Israel so soon after this you feel as though this was a
chastisement it says in verse 12 and Asa in the 30 and ninth year of his reign
was diseased in his feet until his disease was exceeding great yet in his
disease he sought not to the Lord but to the physicians I believe that the
purpose of the chastisement was for him to get right with God but instead he
just went to the physicians so he's messed up he's done a bad one he's
imprisoned a prophet of God for just coming and telling the truth and instead
of then after that when he's now diseased soon after instead of going to
God and getting right with God he just goes to the doctor so principle number
one there is when when sick to seek God first yeah pray to God get right with
God if that's needed because that's the point here it's not like oh well he just
didn't like make a prayer before he went to the physician it's that we should
first examine ourselves it's not always chastisement but we want to examine that
first don't we should be examining ourselves thinking am I being chastised
do I need to get right with God he clearly need to get right with God
imprison the Prophet for just telling him the truth right he didn't do that
instead he just blinds it put God away and just went to the doctors right he
didn't do that and he died two years later verse 13 says an ace has slept
with his father and died in the one of 40th year of his reign now turn to
Matthew chapter 9 so that's our first response our first response should be go
to God seek God make sure you're right with God and then after that if you're
right with God if you're seeking God there can be times when a physician is
required believe it or not there can be times when a doctor is required Matthew
9 in verse 10 it says Matthew 9 10 it came to pass as Jesus sat at meat in the
house behold many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his
disciples when the Pharisee saw it they said unto his disciples why eateth your
master with publicans and sinners and when Jesus heard that he said unto them
they that behold me not a physician but they that are sick but go ye and and
learn what that meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice for I'm come to
call the righteous if I'm not come to call the righteous but sinners to
repentance now of course the analogy in verse 12 is about salvation but Jesus
doesn't tell lies to make a point okay does it tell a lie to make a spiritual
point the statement was they that behold need not a physician but they that are
sick so no we don't need the doctor when there's nothing wrong with us okay
there's a clear principle there right clear biblical health principle don't go
to the doctor when there's nothing wrong with you not really clear with your
babies and your children are telling you that they need to do all sorts of
things and stick all sorts of things in them when there's nothing wrong with it
okay that's madness yeah yeah we've got a world of people doing that right okay
we're not told to do that but we are told that if you're sick there is a time
to go to the doctor if you're sick and you've sought the Lord the great
physician yeah there might be times when he leads you to a physician or doctor
now the problem is that there are horses for courses Joe described his
friends as physicians of no value and there are a lot of physicians of no
value out there there are many of them around aren't there I have a clue we've
been dealing with them recently with the whole whooping cough stuff absolute
clowns telling people in our church oh they must just spontaneously got asthma
I mean what on earth you got a whole church full of whooping cough oh but
randomly oh no we don't want to we don't want to accept that you must just fuck
suddenly got asthma out of nowhere what are you talking about because we don't
want to acknowledge there's such a thing because we've decided we've eradicated
it it's madness a lot of these people all have no value okay they're a joke
an absolute joke but you would be foolish to just say right that's it I'm
never going to any of them because with other things and not illness look they
got a pretty shaky track record with illness and sickness and disease
management and stuff like that but it's not like all doctors are they must all
be bad right and some of them at least they see a lot of sick people so they
got an idea of what something is right and sometimes some of their treatments
look you know can be good as well right okay and it's not like we just cut them
all off and everything else because you're gonna have problems in that
because the reality of it is what is your alternative okay you don't really
have one a lot of the time but don't if you do go to the doctor don't abandon
all common sense because you're now at the doctor okay don't it's not well well
I prayed to God now I'm just going to go and bow before the doctor God and just
whatever they tell me must be just just must be right okay don't make them a God
don't abandon bodily autonomy okay and we're using this in the correct sense
here not talk about sods and stuff okay don't blindly trust someone from an
industry whose track record with disease management and accidental deaths
is horrendous absolutely horrendous I mean if it's a car manufacturer that
amount of deaths in their cars you would never buy the car okay it is it is bad
however they look you don't have many options a lot of the time and of course
sir fight I don't know I've cut one of my limbs off or something I'm not just
going to start googling it online and trying to find trying to find the right
herb to take or something you know some people are very like some of these guys
are massively skilled and stuff like that unfortunately the track record with
disease management and curing things illness isn't so good but you don't
always and sometimes it's because there's not always an easy and not an
option for that all the carrot juice in the world won't necessarily change it
you know so don't call some off when you have a serious illness because the other
thing is there are just as many quacks in the alternative world as well by the
way I mean there are quacks everywhere in the alternative health world coming
up with all sorts and sometimes you wonder if that's on purpose but it just
I mean some of the stuff you hear and see it's just bizarre out there you know
and it's a heart it's a bit of a minefield right have a turn of 1st
Timothy 5 though where Timothy who's a pretty solid man of God isn't he
Timothy right he's been getting regularly unwell in some way or other
Paul advises him to help his stomach it says in 1st Timothy 5 and verse 23 1st
Timothy 5 23 drink no longer water but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake
and thine often infirmities a bit of a standalone verse there in the chapter as
well and this is clearly the unfermented type of wine okay but no one's ever read
this and thought like it's time to start boozing okay he's just given the
qualifications for a bishop two chapters before in 1st Timothy 3 3 is not given
to wine Timothy's a bishop okay this isn't talking about alcoholic wine okay
otherwise like what the most hypocrisy contradictory statement no he's telling
him you need to have like you know what drink no longer water but use a little
one use a little fruit juice because there's some great health benefits of
grape juice and the great the health benefits they tell you about wine are
due to the grape juice they just ignore the fact that the alcohols poison okay
however he says he says to have some some grape juice right so there's
medicinal qualities in this juice that will help his stomach and often
infirmities and I have no doubt that the medicinal qualities of foods and drinks
aren't limited to grapes okay there are look and in turn of James 5 well I'm
well I'm saying this to you but there are some great benefits who are things
that will help you get healthier when you are well Paul clearly tells him to
to use a natural route for this doesn't it okay now here's the thing though did
you know that a lot of medicines of things actually are derived from natural
origins as well so it's not that right anything the doctor tells you it's
poison it's going to kill you yeah you know quickly just go and get some fruit
juice or something else you'll be fine look there is some impressive stuff out
there as well and there are things that do clear things up quickly and do help
you quickly but don't then abandon all health with it right and it is a mind
field and I'm going to tell you what you do and don't do but you just need to be
wise with it you know you need to you need to go to God go to God and pray and
be in the will of God and be right with God and then you if you're in the spirit
you're going to be guided to the right thing aren't you and sometimes that'll
be going to the to the to the NHS doctor and maybe getting something that is
going to help you whatever route you go down you've got to make sure you're
seeking God God's will okay and the whole way you need to make sure you're
in prayer it's not like quick prayer right I pray to God right now right
let's go down the local doctor and you know just do what you want you know
James 5 14 says this 5 13 let's look at 5 13 is any among you afflicted let him
pray is any Mary let him sing Psalms is any sick among you let him call for the
elders of the church and let them pray over him anointing him with all in the
name of the Lord so this is someone likely bed-bound with the leadership
going to him and the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall
raise him up and if he have committed sins they shall be forgiven him so
notice it's an if he didn't say he's forgetting he's forget he's he's uh he
didn't say he has committed he said if okay it's not always chastisement but it
can be chastisement okay and either way he needs to get right with God if he
wants God God's help with it yeah and then God can work in a hundred different
ways right after that and often he'll work in ways where the outside world
would just go well that's because you went to the doctor but you know that God
led you to that right doctor at the right time but a lot of the time we know
because we have faith and other people have a way of excusing and justifying
and that's kind of the life of faith isn't it now go to Proverbs 17 for one
other bit of essential healing advice this is both a preventative and a way to
quick recovery okay well recognized by a medical community by the way Proverbs
chapter 17 so we've seen that look going to the going to the doctor it doesn't
it's not necessarily always a bad thing they are holding not physician but they
that are sick but you need to go to God first okay with anything you need to go
to God first you need to get right with God okay if you're sick if you're ill
and then Proverbs 17 and verse 22 says this a merry heart doeth good like a
medicine but a broken spirit drieth the bones so being positive and it's
something that look people in medicine just know this okay we I think most
people here probably know this being positive being happy finding joy even
when ill will often just outright cure people at the least it will make them
lost through sometimes a chronic illness with a death sentence on it a lot lot
longer it's like it's like a medicine it says here it is a medicine it's like a
medicine it's just not something you put in your mouth right but but indulging in
misery feeling sorry for yourself if you let the stress get the better of you it
will only make you worse okay so you kind of got two choices and ultimately
it's down to you because a lot of people will blame this blame that well it's
because of my situation because of this person because that person everything
else that's why I'm justified that's why I'm just gonna mope around and be
stressed out and everything else with whatever it is I'm dealing with you'll
only make yourself more ill and you have a choice it's your choice it's down to
you ultimately because whatever you're going through do you know there's
someone worse off that's not as down about it as you are seriously so really
it's it's it's it's down to you at the end of day and it will make you healthy
and happy and that's what we want to be don't we a merry heart does good like a
medicine but a drug broken spirit drieth the bones
Tony Leviticus chapter 15 the title is biblical health principles point number
one for healthy lifestyle point number two for healthy diet point number three
for healthy recovery and point number four is for a healthy church point
number four is biblical health principles for a healthy church now in
Leviticus here it's it's currently the congregation or church in the
wilderness okay and in the previous chapters God's been instructing Moses
how to deal with suspected leprosy how to diagnose it what to do etc he then
moves on in Leviticus 15 to other sorts of contagious things and of course we're
not bound by the law so if anyone goes it's getting legalistic now how dare he
be showing us you know things they did in the law no but there are some great
principles to observe here okay that's what we're going to look at the
principles that's what we look at biblical principles okay this this
sermon isn't biblical rules it's biblical principles you want to be
healthy let's follow some biblical principles said here in verse 1 of
Leviticus 15 and the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron saying speak unto the
children of Israel and say unto them when any man hath a running issue out of
his flesh because of his issue he is unclean now running is discharge let me
give you the definition of issue from Webster's is it doesn't mean a problem
like we would say some some people go it's just like a discharge problem okay
but that's not what the word issue means it's the act of passing or flowing out
and moving out of any enclosed place egress applied to water or other fluid
to smoke to a body of men etc we say an issue of water from a pipe from a spring
or from a river an issue of blood from a wound of air from a bellows an issue of
people from a door to door or house so a running issue is some sort of
discharging flowing of fluid here okay which could apply equally to thick
mucus pouring out of someone's nose and I'm talking about someone who's you know
it's cold and you just got a wet nose to thick mucus coming out of yourself your
child's nose to a weeping sore is another example to a gunk filled
conjunctivitis I yeah that's another running issue isn't it yeah and and you
could probably think of some other examples as well he said he said it
speak up the children said to them when any man have the running issue out of
his flesh because of his issue he is unclean he said and this shall be his
uncleanness in his issue whether his flesh run with his issue or his flesh
be stopped from his issue it is his uncleanness so because as we see in a
minute the uncleanness continues for seven days since symptoms so he's saying
look whether it's whether it's still going on it stopped he's unclean okay
every bed whereon he lieth that had the issue is unclean and everything where
only sitters shall be unclean and whosoever touches his bed shall wash his
clothes and bathe himself in water be unclean until the evening so due to the
risk of passing it on and even passing it on even without being ill yourself to
someone else the person that touched it needs to wash and keep away from people
that day is what he's saying and he that sitteth on anything where only sat that
had the issue shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean
until the even so it's the same with chairs okay these things are unclean if
you've got a running issue some sort of discharge and what it is it's a
bacteria usually in there or whether or not you want to call it the back to or
maybe viral whatever it is in it is what's passing it on and if he that had
the issue spit upon him that is key he's not talking about someone walking up
and flobbing in their face he's talking about the saliva coming out when you're
talking seizing coughing things like that then he shall wash his clothes and
bathe himself in water and be unclean until the even why because so much is
passed on through our saliva so so even from one person to the other before they
get sick okay so you you could spit on one person your saliva for when you're
sick coughing their fat or cough over their clothes and then their kid runs up
and gives them a cuddle ends up getting that on them and getting sick from it
that's what it's telling us right that's why someone with leprosy is told in
Leviticus 13 45 and the leper in whom the play it plague is his clothes shall
be rent and his head bare and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip and
shall cry unclean unclean he's not putting a fake moustache on he's putting
a covering over his mouth no face mark face mask covering your nose to prevent
you getting sick isn't biblical okay there was nothing biblical about that
that was just bizarre okay but covering your mouth if you're sick is biblical so
if you're sick covering your mouth and obviously lepsis are serious illness but
regardless okay it just be a good thing to do is basically find a way of not
spitting and getting your droplets of saliva all over someone else right that's
what they were told to do and to make it clear and go I'm not well I'm unclean I
should be away from everyone else is what what someone was unclean was meant
to do be outside of the congregation okay not in social settings so I said
that old face mask thing they kind of had it the wrong way around that a lot
of people are well and had no symptoms being told to cover their faces right
okay that was just a waste of time but people who were ill at least there were
those that probably were real and we're trying to blag it because a lot of the
time it was kind of more like a cold for many people wasn't it and at least they
were covering it and it's probably less likely of it being spread around in in
that way he said in verse 9 where you are and what saddles so ever he rideth
upon that had the issue shall be unclean think of a car seat for example
and whosoever touched anything that was under him should be unclean until the
even he that beareth any of those things shall wash his clothes and bathe
himself in water and be unclean until the even and whosoever he touches that
had the issue and if not rinsed his hands in water he shall wash his clothes
and bathe himself water be unclean to the even and the vessel of earth that he
touches which had the issue should be broken and every vessel which should be
rinsed waters or even crockery and when he that has an issue is cleansed of his
issue then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing and was
his clothes and bathe his flesh in running water and shall be clean and on
the eighth day shall take him two turtle doves or two young pigeons and come
before the Lord unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation to give
them unto the priest and now he's be able to be back in that society in that
social setting so the point is okay that God expects people with contagious
sickness to stay away from others that's what someone unclean was meant to be
away from others okay if you have close contact with someone sick the idea is to
wash and keep away from others for that day because you could be passing
something on that's that's the Prince we're clearly seeing that principle
there right now I believe that a lot of the so-called asymptomatic spreading
asymptomatic spreading of illness is just fear-mongering I do believe that I
don't think it's very I think scripturally we see that it's the
symptoms it's the fluid it's a droplets in the swear it see it's the running
issue that is what passes it on and I don't think that when you have no
symptoms at all and got no I any idea you're real I don't think you're really
going to be passing anything on I think that's actually really uncommon and
there is it's a bit shaky the so-called evidence of that okay just out of
interest but anyway God commands those with passable symptoms not to pass it on
that's what this is about it's not just some ceremonial old Old Testament you
know nothing to see thinking oh well that's just our Old Testament nothing to
see there it's just like a ceremonial unclean thing oh he's mentioning unclean
let's move on next chapter you know find something a bit more interesting you
know no there's there's a reason that he did all this okay there's a reason he
commanded this and there's a principle there for example when we see the
principle of an ox being known to push in time past we don't go well that's
just oxes so don't worry about you know don't worry about dogs who bitten
someone and try to maul someone to death doesn't matter no it's the same
principle right okay because he we do have common say he didn't have to
literally name every single illness and it is a clear principle here with
illness okay so maybe maybe your child seems like they could struggle through
the day okay but the the problem with children is that with kids it's even
more likely they'll pass it on because children are less likely to cover their
mouth when they're sneezing and coffee and everything else and even that by the
way you know isn't foolproof anyway okay but regardless they're more likely to be
sucking and putting things in their mouths that other kids are sucky putting
in their mouths and playing with each other being in close call to being all
over each other and they got snot all over their fingers and the running issue
whatever it is all over themselves and then they've got it all over the other
kids and everything else so what ultimately is happening when you bring
your child in like that you're gonna get other children in the church sick now
look I want to make this clear okay many of us have come like I said the other
day in the announcements that we've come from backgrounds there's all different
views on this a different mate and I'm not saying it like it must be just
selfish scum anyone who brings in an ill kid you know how dare you you're the
most anti-social person I can't believe it okay because you might never have
heard this preach before you may might maybe just haven't thought about like
maybe you're from the kind of background of role this is great it just improves
the immune system it's amazing oh my kids got a cold again oh hey you know
how great now they're coughing and sneezing all night they can't see but
they're screaming and crying and you know oh what could be better but that's
not what God says does it now yeah look our immune systems do strengthen
sometimes with an illness but we don't try and get one no one here is going up
to people who are sneezing in the street and coughing and spluttering you go like
this but but you know what most kids do around kids are real pretty much similar
without even thinking about it they're just in their face they're grabbing
stuff they're putting stuff in their mouth that they've just had in their
mouth and everything else so it's completely wrong isn't it now that we
all think about it like that if your kids seriously sick not even see if your
kid clearly has a transmissible illness to bring them to church is bang out of
order because what's gonna happen and not just kids I don't smoke you're
clearly and I don't think they could swerve it a bit more they usually not
putting things in their mouth and stuff and giving it to the kids or anyone else
in church right okay it's not quite so bad but really really because what
happens shall I tell you what happens most of the church end up not in church
and that's not just the kids also the adults as well and God's given us clear
guidelines on this so and it's something we should respect him just because the
world will dose a load of cow pole in their kids and then kick him into
nursery so that I have to take a day off work and make the rest of the kids in
nursery sick because two hours later the nursery works are like hold on when
they came in they didn't look as sick as this now they're literally coughing and
splattering all over everyone because they were don't start okay we don't need
to behave like the world because we don't want to because then it's you can
understand people could with time start to be like what on earth again he's
coming again the kids like you know puking fever ridden you know stuff
pouring out their noses because all the other kids are just get sick and they
their immune systems aren't strong enough either but regardless with all
that stuff all over him it's going to be a problem so look most just don't think
it through so I'm not I'm not trying to call anyone out here and we probably all
we've all probably bought in our kids before being ill at some point or other
and you know but but when it's just clear and obvious that they're real
and passing things on and because do you know what I'm seeing a lot of right
now I don't know if it's scaremongering knob I keep seeing stories maybe just
because I was reading up on who pink off a lot recently I keep seeing stories of
all sorts of nasty illnesses rising ever since kovat and I think that's probably
real it does seem to be that case maybe they're just acknowledging them then
more now okay and whatever the reason whatever the reason for that we want to
keep this church a nice healthy environment are we because right now
they're going on about measles and then they're going on about something else
something else can you imagine if that broke out when it could have been avoided
because you could have gone well what did God say about this God said if
you've got if you clearly got some running issue don't be don't be in a
congregation and and you know what do you know what the difference would be so
you might miss a day of church you might miss two days of church and maybe a
family misses two days of church but maybe the rest of the church doesn't and
that would be the right thing to do wouldn't it surely right and but it's
not just kids right goes it goes to adults as well you're clearly unwell and
you're sick and let's be honest when look adults might be a bit better with
it might be a bit less likely but let's be honest you're still making things
you're still coughing on your hand so wiping your nose and you're not washing
your hands every time and everything else are all the things that we're told
to do if you have that uncleanness on you and that is just going to spread
around and then you just end up because a lot of people here they don't really
go many other places in group settings so so much of the illness that so many
of the kids have over the kind of winter time especially do you know where most
of it's coming from church so that means that there are kids coming in and
transmitted now it is going to happen in a group setting okay illness is gonna
that's it's more likely to be caught where there's I mean you're more likely
to catch an illness where there's more people do you know what happened during
covid it's hardly anyone got sick because they're all stuck in at home and
stuff like that so if you just keep getting sick every time you come to
church you know what that will also do as well there'll be people that just
don't want to come to church in the end and we don't want that either do we
there'll be without I want to bring my kids church every time bring my kids to
church there's some kid running around like puking and snotting everywhere and
everything else and I can't keep my kids away you know did you try and grab a
two-year-old and four-year-old we've been sitting for an hour and ten minutes
up to you so far I think sermon and afterwards go right you need to just sit
still and keep away from you know all those sick it's not gonna happen so it's
something we all have to take responsibility for right okay how do we
do that well he said be not wise and I know nice fear the Lord and depart from
evil okay we need to fear the Lord we need to respect how God tells us to deal
with these things we need to just be you know and and there is like we're gonna
have a selfish element where we're like yeah but I need to be in church want to
be in church everything else and understand yeah but what I can ruin it
for everyone else right and that is something that I've wanted to preach it
something that look like I said I'm not trying to just pick on everyone or
anyone here ultimately and everyone he's really scared now to like cough or
anything it just on that as well look you know some there are coughs that
aren't contagious right and and if you've got some people have like cough
some people have like maybe ex smokers current smoke other things are issues
that you might have some people get like a wet nose in winter and things like
that okay doesn't mean that you'll you know you're these horrible people that
need to be kicked out ushers get them out get them out put the net over them
and pull them out yeah okay it's not but that you know when you're real yeah we
know when we're sick don't we when we're sick and we've got some sort of running
issue we and includes our kids we just shouldn't shouldn't be in church okay
and if we do that then we're ultimately gonna have a much busier Church of not
just kids sickle okay you know what they don't want okay go back to 3rd John the
title was biblical health principles number one for healthy lifestyle number
two for a healthy diet number three for a healthy recovery and number four for a
healthy church and back where we started in 3rd John 1 well there's only one
chapter verse 2 God said God through John said this beloved I wish above all
things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as I so prosperous and
there were some principles there that God's given us to be able to achieve
that on that we're going to finish up in the way to pray father thank you for
your word thank you for well for all the instruction you give us and and if we
study through the word we can see so many principles and helps to for us to
to be in that good health that you want us to be in Lord help us to take these
things to heart help us to to understand ultimately we not only have
responsibility for our own health but we also have responsibility in a way for
others health as well help us to just to get our hearts right with this Lord
to just listen to what your words said here and to take it as it's intended as
well Lord and help us to all just be a healthy church a church where we just
you know we can just come here and and come here knowing that that you know
people are going to do their utmost to just make it a healthy environment to
not be neurotic about it either Lord help us to not go overboard with this to
just get the balance right and just be be a healthy church and the church which
is then able to prosper in our walk with you Lord and and and going out and
reaching the the lost and getting them saved helps do that this afternoon to
get many people saved in return for this evening service Jesus I'm proud of this
I mean