Sermon

Pastor Larry's Message for February 5, 2012

Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren

“E2 and the Temple of God”

Good morning. Great to see you on this Super Bowl Sunday. And thank you for participating in our Souper Bowl of Caring
by the donation of so many cans of soup and other items for the Greenmount Food Bank. Your contributions will help
people in our community who are in need. And thank you for wearing your team colors. It certainly makes our sanctuary
more colorful and our local Food Bank receives the benefit of an additional donation.

Well…you just saw the commercial for the Power Bar. The video might be giving you a hint on what the E stands for with
the acronym for DRIVE. Yes…Exercise. You know…later this evening we will see two professional football teams going at
in Indianapolis for the rights to be called champions. Have you ever seen what it takes for these athletes to be in the
excellent physical condition they are in? Great health through a good and nutritional diet and exercise. And that’s what I
want to talk about this morning. We are in the fifth and our final week in our series DRIVE for life. Throughout this series we
having been looking at ways to keep the momentum to carry us forward to accomplish God's purpose for our lives. As U
shared earlier…we’ve been using the acronym D.R.I.V.E. D…for devotion to God. R…for reading and readiness and the
pursuit of wisdom. I…Investing in key relationships. V…Visioning God’s future in our lives. And today we look at E…for
eating and exercise. These are the five major priorities in our lives to give us momentum to keep us going forward.

I. God's Perspective: The Christian life is about transformation and transformation begins with the renewal of the mind and
understanding of our bodies. And it’s not necessarily our perspective as much as it’s God’s perspective. Today’s scripture
comes from I Corinthians 6:19-20. Listen: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,
whom you have received from God? You are not your own you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your
body.” My friends, you are the temple of God. Every person who has been born of the Holy Spirit becomes the territory of
God. You literally become the place where God resides. As a follower of Christ…you no longer exist for your own purpose;
you are now sacred space. Your body is meant for the purposes of God. Jesus Christ needs your physical body to
accomplish His mission in our community and world. To put it a better way…you are the hands of Jesus in our community.
You are the feet of Jesus in this world. As a follower of Jesus…you are no longer your own. You belong to God.

Have you ever borrowed someone else’s car? I have. Ever notice that when you borrow someone else’s car you tend to be
more careful? In my car? Not so careful. In my car…if I spill a little bit of diet coke…I might clean it up by next year. But in
someone else’s car…I’m wiping up the soda as soon as possible. In my car…I leave books and papers in the backseat and
the front seat. If I borrow someone else’s car…I don’t leave anything. No papers. No books. Nothing. Looks spotless. I
have a different kind of respect for someone else’s property than my own.

You know what the Bible says about our bodies? Honor God with your body because your body is not your own. If we
look at our bodies as belonging to God…if we have that type of awareness…maybe we would be a little more conscious of
how we treat our bodies. To be good stewards of our bodies.

In Matthew 22, Jesus was asked, "What is the greatest commandment?" And Jesus responded by quoting from the Old
Testament, Deuteronomy 6: "You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart and all of your soul and all of your
strength.” Did you see that part about strength? We love God by strengthening our bodies so that we can serve God’s
purpose for a longer time on this earth. Loving God with our strength takes a change in our attitudes. That means we can’t
be indifferent about our health.

II. Change of Mind: Now…a few weeks ago I mentioned that I don’t believe in diets. For me personally, I didn’t lose sixty
pounds being on a diet. It was a change of attitude. Developing a healthy esteem. Making lifelong healthy choices that
honor God. In a couple of weeks we will enter the season of Lent. It’s a time in which many followers of Christ choose to
give up something. Lent is a time we consider repentance in our lives. Repentance means a change of mind.

Three years ago I had a wake up call in regards to my own health. At our District Conference in which I was
moderator…the church Donnels Creek Church of the Brethren had these nursing students from Wright State that as a
project needed to take the blood pressure readings of our conference goers. All through out the Conference I was asked
to have my blood pressure taken. I kept putting it off. Finally…during a break I gave in and let one of the nursing students
take my blood pressure. First reading was like 205/110. Took another reading…190 something over 100 something. The
last reading was like 185/95. The nursing student told me if it hadn’t gone down they were going to suggest a call for an
ambulance. It dawned on me that I wasn’t taking good care of myself. Of course I always knew that deep inside. Just didn’t
want to do anything about it. Didn’t have the will power nor the willingness to even ask God to help. Friends, your pastor
needed a conversion, a transformation when it came to his health. And as that transformation took place, I had to begin to
relearn ideas about the foods I eat and have a more active lifestyle. I discovered that I owed it to God…and my family…and
my church…to get my temple in shape so that God could use this temple as long as He wants.

Where in your life do you need to seek repentance? What’s happening right now where you need a change of mind…a
conversion…a transformation? Maybe it has to do with your physical health. Or it might have to do with your emotional
health. Even in your spiritual life you may need to find a way. The good news is that through Christ…there is a way my
friends. And that moves us to my third point.

III. Change of Behavior: Loving God and respecting our bodies as the temples of God not only requires a change in our
attitudes but it requires a change in our behavior. There are so many parallels between our physical training and our
spiritual training. They all require discipline. The apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 9:27, "I beat my body and make it my
slave." Now…Paul wasn’t like those religious fanatics we see in the Middle East who go about with whips and beat
themselves on the back. What Paul is saying is, "I submit my body to my spirit and my mind instead of my mind and spirit
giving in to the desires and appetite of my body." That’s what a lot of us do. When we eat those yummy, feel-good foods,
we’re submitting our bodies, to the desires and appetites of our bodies. But the Apostle Paul is telling us here that we have
a choice. We don’t have to give in to our desires all the time. We can choose to submit our bodies to our something
greater.

Ash Wednesday begins on February 22nd. Let this time be a time of repentance. And repentance begins by the
transformation of how we think. The season of Lent is a season for discipline…giving up something. I can think of no
better time to begin a healthy lifestyle…then to begin with Lent and for the next forty days…apply the discipline that will
allow your mind and spirit to have control over your desires.

Let me give you three action steps as you consider transformation in your life. The first is that you have to understand and
see God's perspective. That our body is not our own. We are to honor God with our bodies. It the "R" in our word…drive. It’
s readiness for lifelong learning. Read your Bibles…but also read books and magazines that help to promote fitness and
healthy eating.

Secondly, you need to have a plan. Last week I mentioned when it comes to the dreams and visions we need to have a
plan…to get from the dream to the reality. Same with our health. You need a plan…you need to understand where you
need to go. I had a two year plan to lose my sixty pounds. No crash diets. I worked out a plan that would change the way I
think…to change my lifestyle. So…every day, I try to count every calorie I consume. And at least six days out of the week, I
work out. That’s my plan. You have to come up with a plan for yourself. If you need assistance in making a plan…you have
a number of people here that can assist you. Brent McKinley, Freddie Worthington, myself and there are probably others.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Third, you need accountability. Two years ago I stood before you all and told you that I was going to get in better shape.
To physically be a better pastor to you all. That promise to you…to my family was my way of having someone to be
accountable to. If you choose to start with a new lifestyle…find someone…or a group that you can be accountable to. One
of the cool things that happened this past week is that someone here at Prince of Peace who is trying to get in better
shape and lose weight reported her progress on Facebook. That’s one way to be accountable.

Well…it’s nearing time to eat. Ironic huh? Been sharing about healthy living and now we’re heading off for the Fellowship
Hall to enjoy a well prepared meal by our youth. All kinds of healthy foods BUT…also plenty of yummy desserts! But
remember…with God’s help…your mind and your spirit can help control the desires of eating more than you really need.
So…enjoy but be disciplined. Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, we do honor You and we stand amazed at Your love that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. That You love
us for who we are. We don't need to perfect. Help us to honor the bodies that you have gifted us with, O Lord. I pray for
each of us, Lord, that You give us the strength, endurance and confidence to begin to cleanse the temple that You have
given us. May we serve You with strength every day of our life. It is in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.