DEDICATE YOUR BODY TO GOD

BOD 4 GOD

Dedication: Honoring God With Your Body

INTRODUCTION

A little about my history with weight and health. I went to parochial school until 6th grade. I asked to walk to school in third grade and walked home to my grandparents home after school. It would have been a few miles each day. My friends played baseball and football, so I joined them. That all changed in 6th grade. My mom moved out of New Jersey and took me with her. I had no friends, no family, and none of my safety nets. I entered a hostile environment of public school. As I entered midway through the year, kids immediately targeted me. They bullied me and attacked me during class. I literally had a kid jump me during class period, not between classes etc… I had been a bit nerdy to begin with, but this led me to retreat even more.

So I became sedentary hanging out at home while my mom worked longer hours. My grandmother had also been my main care provider until then. Her idea of nutrition and my mom’s was very different. So I went from cereal, fruit, meat, potatoes, for meals to a new fare. My mother’s culinary skills consisted of reaching into the freezer for breakfast and saying “Bryers ice cream is all natural. It has milk, almonds, and vitamins. Have at it.” So pop tarts, doughnuts and lots and lots of carbs became my diet.

I moved in with my dad the next year. During that time, a new set of toys came out. They were monster trucks. The commercial’s song would be, “Rough Riders 4 x 4, you can try to stop them.” They would crash through sticks etc… Well, until I the summer between freshman and sophmore years in High School, I was no more then 5’2” in height and I had a 36” waist going on 38” waist. So one of my friends who lived on my street, Brian Corbett made a song, when I would come out and head over to his house, he’d sing, “Big Bohrer, 4x4 you can try to stop him. Not very good for ego.

My dad soon sat me down on the couch and said, “Son, you’ve got a waist bigger than mine. You need to lose it.” Well, I knew what the problem was. I was sedentary. I wanted to eat what I wanted to eat and didn’t want to really exercise enough. But, those two things made me think about life. So I decided to run everywhere. I ran to school. I mowed the lawn fast. I also ate less. By my freshman year, I was at a healthy BMI and playing sports more frequently.

Fast forward to having 4 kids, going to school and gaining weight again. I stopped exercising. I weighed over 230 pounds. Folks, whether you believe it or not, that put me into obesity for my body. Being overweight or obese means you by definition will not be healthy and at a much higher risk for other health challenges. My back started to go out. I had an increase in digestive issues. But worst of all, I displayed symptoms of cancer 2xs. While it turned out not to be so, it revealed another genetic issue I had and the proclivity for fat deposits to clog my liver.

But, even then, I didn’t really try to lose weight totally. I knew what to do and how to do it. But, I had not really given myself to it. When I approached 40, I let that conviction that I wanted to take care of the body God had given me better, have better health, and be an example. Once that 50 pounds were gone, a lot of other issues left as well.

I hope this series will be able to help those of you thinking about getting healthy to be motivated for your health and God’s glory. I hope this sermon will be used by God to encourage you to dedicate your life and specifically your body to God’s glory.

A. Your body was created through God and for God.

Colossians 1:16 NASB95

16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

The word “body” is mentioned 179 times in the Bible.

B. The purpose of this series is to help you achieve a Bod 4 God lifestyle. You will learn how to apply four biblical keys for a better body. The messages include:

Dedication: Honoring God With Your Body

With Your BodyInspiration: Motivating Yourself For Change

Inspiration: Motivating Yourself For Change

· Eat & Exercise: Managing Your Habits

Eat & Exercise: Managing Your Habits

Team: Building Your Circle Of Support

C. TEXT:

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NASB95

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

1cor

What you do with your body matters to God.

HOW TO HONOR GOD WITH YOUR BODY

I. DEDICATE YOUR BODY TO GOD

Romans 12:1 NASB95

1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

“ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

Your body is not for the gratification of self.

Philippians 3:18–19 NASB95

18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.

19: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. ”

Christians are the most overweight people group in America.

Christians are the most overweight people group.

Obesity decreased by level of education. Adults without a high school degree or equivalent had the highest self-reported obesity (35.6%), followed by high school graduates (32.9%), adults with some college (31.9%) and college graduates (22.7%).Young adults were half as likely to have obesity as middle-aged adults. Adults aged 18-24 years had the lowest self-reported obesity (16.5%) compared to adults aged 45-54 years who had the highest prevalence (35.8%).

Obesity Prevalence in 2017 Varies Across States and Territories

All states had more than 20% of adults with obesity.20% to less than 25% of adults had obesity in 2 states (Colorado and Hawaii) and the District of Columbia.25% to less than 30% of adults had obesity in 19 states.30% to less than 35% of adults had obesity in 22 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico.35% or more adults had obesity in 7 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and West Virginia).The South (32.4%) and the Midwest (32.3%) had the highest prevalence of obesity, followed by the Northeast (27.7%), and the West (26.1%).

Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in the United States

Childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States putting children and adolescents at risk for poor health. Obesity prevalence among children and adolescents is still too high.

For children and adolescents aged 2-19 years1:

The prevalence of obesity was 18.5% and affected about 13.7 million children and adolescents.Obesity prevalence was 13.9% among 2- to 5-year-olds, 18.4% among 6- to 11-year-olds, and 20.6%

Your body is for the glorification of God.

“20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

“The pictures of Jesus that I remember from my childhood showed Him to be rather frail. However, the Jesus of the Scriptures is quite a different person. We know that Jesus was a carpenter by trade. Until He began his public ministry at age 30, He earned His living as a carpenter. He had to carry large pieces of wood and stone to build structures. His trade would have required great physical strength. We also know from Scripture that Jesus walked from Sidon to Tyre, which would have been a 40-mile trip, in one day (see ). Instead of comfortable tennis shoes, He wore handmade sandals as He walked over rough and rugged terrain.”

--Carole Lewis

Choosing To Change

II. DELIVER YOUR BODY FROM TEMPTATION

1 Corinthians 10:13 NASB95

13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

A. Pray consistently

Luke 18:1 NASB95

1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,

A. Pray consistently

Pray about your eating and exercise habits that you will eat less and exercise more.

Pray about your eating and exercise habits that you will eat less and exercise more.

B. Shop carefully

Romans 13:4 NASB95

4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

Romans 13:14 NASB95

14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

Rule Of Thumb: If food gets near you it will eventually get in you.

Rule Of Thumb: If food gets near you it will eventually get in you.

Shop for health primarily, not your happiness, by keeping unhealthy foods out of your grocery basket.

C. Think correctly

2 Corinthians 10:5 NASB95

5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

Think short term pleasure is not worth long term pain.

III. DISCIPLINE YOUR BODY FOR GOOD

1 Corinthians 9:27 NASB95

27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

“But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

“12: Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

Romans 6:12–13 NASB95

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

13: And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.“

A. Walk in the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 NASB95

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

Your body matters to God.

B. Run away from sin.

1 Corinthians 6:18 NASB95

18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.

“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.”

Bod4God is really about living the life

that God created you to live!!

“24: Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Matthew 16:24–25 NASB95

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

25 : For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”