 Amen. So we're in John chapter 2 for the third week. We're going to finish that chapter up this evening We're going to look at this story towards the end of John chapter 2 So of course in John chapter 2 we looked at the first miracle of Jesus We looked at the the water to wine Miracle where Jesus kind of officially starts his ministry. He starts his first miracles there then we looked At the story, you know just of what how people misuse That story in the Bible and can teach that Jesus you know was a was a was serving alcohol and getting people drunker So we just proved that from the Bible and we looked at Jesus, you know driving out the people selling in church We're going to pick up in John chapter 2 in verse number 18 This evening and look at this last little story that happens here this last little you know Historical event that happens. I guess I I don't want to say stories. These are you know This is the Bible telling us the eyewitness accounts here Look at verse number 18 where the Bible says then enters the Jews and said unto him what signs show us thou unto us Seeing now that do is Seeing that thou do us these things So the Jews again, you know their Jesus rebukes them later for this but they're asking for a Sign they're asking for a sign as if these miracles Are not enough, you know, then they're asking for a sign after he drives everybody out of the the temple He's kind of saying they're kind of saying, you know, what authority do you do this with you know? He comes in there and he throws all these tables over and whips all these people out of the temple They're saying by what a you know, basically saying what authority do you do this by Jesus answered in verse 19 and sent it to them He said destroy this temple and in three days. I will raise it up Then said the Jews 40 and 6 years was this temple in building. We'll tell rear it up in three days So of course they thought that he was literally talking about There's a rubable's temple or the second temple remember at this time The Babylonians, you know had already torn down Solomon's temple some 400 years earlier and then of course the story of if you remember the book of Ezra The book of Nehemiah's when the people came back from the Babylonian captivity and in the book of Ezra That's when the rubable begins to build the temple at the beginning of the book of Ezra And you know, you say why did it take 46 years? Well, there was a lot of you'd have to read those books There's a lot of strife and there's a lot of people stopping The work of that temple, but what we're looking at what we're dealing with In John chapter 2 is the second temple now the second temple is sometimes Called like historically it's called Herod's temple And it's because Herod kind of did a restoration project on the second temple But all that to be said even if you hear people say Herod's temple They're talking about the second temple that Zerubbable built after that the Babylonian captivity was over and The Jews were allowed to go back to the children of Israel allowed to go back to the promised land and they rebuilt That temple so they thought that Jesus was talking literally about tearing down the temple and rebuilding it in three days All right, but of course in 20 verse 21 the Bible says but he's spake of the temple of his body All right when therefore he was risen from the dead verse 22 is really kind of cool verse because it kind of gives us a future A future event here It tells us that when Jesus was raised from the dead Let's keep in mind Jesus has just started his three and a half year ministry in John chapter 2 But then verse 22 jumps ahead to what the disciples did after Jesus was actually raised from the dead three and a half years later It says when Therefore he was risen from the dead his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them and they believed the scripture and The word with Jesus had said so they understood at that point So basically what the Bible is telling us here is nobody really understood What Jesus was talking about when he spoke of the temple of his body, you know that verse 21 is the narrator talking You know, that's the Holy Holy Spirit talking to us there You know, that's not something that they knew at the time including the disciples. Okay, so it's always you know It's always interesting. This is just a side note when you're reading the Bible, especially the Old Testament It's it's it's important to point out when the narrator of the Bible is talking because a lot of times People are very confused about things in the Bible, especially the Old Testament. I get this question Over the years. I've gotten this question quite a few times from people just like how could these horrible things have happened How could these people do these horrible things and how could this be in the Bible? How could these men have done? It's those are just historical things that happened that doesn't mean that you know everything that's written in the Bible is You know what God wanted men to do I mean that that's not the way the Bible is written But it is important to know, you know when the the word of the Lord said or the narrator is speaking You know that is the truth of God right there. All right I mean obviously the whole Bible is true, but much of the Bible is simply Historical what men actually did and then of course the reason the Bible puts it in there So we see the consequences that came upon those men those nations. All right, so we don't repeat those things, right? That's the idea, but then nobody knows the Bible. So what's the point? All right, okay So verse 22 is kind of a neat verse where they just kind of tells you the disciples They didn't understand what Jesus was talking about until he rose from the dead look at verse 23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover in the feast day many believed in his name when they saw the miracles Which he did so I'm going to kind of pause right there and kind of go back to this idea in verse 21 of Jesus speaking about the temple of his body turned to 1st Corinthians chapter 6 Turn to 1st Corinthians chapter number 6 actually turn to Luke chapter 21 real quickly because Jesus they're thinking that They're thinking that Jesus actually did prophesy that he was going to tear the temple down But the irony of that is that Jesus actually does that later All right, so turn to Luke chapter 21 and Look at verse number 6. So that's not what Jesus was doing here He wasn't talking about the physical temple, but Jesus does do that in verse number verse number Verse number 5 and 6 of Luke chapter 21 where the Bible says and some spake of the temple How it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts he said and as some spake So they were talking about the physical temple how it was adorned with all these wonderful things and if you have a red Letter Bible verse 6 is Jesus speaking where it says as for these things which he behold the days will come in The witch there shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down So of course Jesus is prophesying that the temple this second temple Druble's temple Herod's temple whatever you want to call it will be destroyed and of course we know that that historical event did happen in 70 AD there is this revolt and the Romans were I mean the political situation was just the Romans were just They had just had it. They just had it with the Jews They had had it with all the trouble that they were causing and unfortunately That's sort of when if you read historical just secular history That is historically when you know the persecution of the Christians really shifted from the Jews to the Romans at that point because I Mean and maybe this is my opinion here But the Jews really or the Romans really kind of lumped the Christians in with the Jews They looked at them as a you know the book of Acts tells us that that the Romans, you know They look at them as a set of the Jews kind of like a you know some offshoot Denomination of the Jews, which is exactly what it wasn't all right And you know a lot of people still teach that today actually that you know We're all it's Judeo-Christian and like nothing could be further from the truth as a matter of fact when you go out Soul winning and I've mentioned this before and not to derail the sermon But when you go out soul winning and you go out and you find people of different religions You will find that the people that believe the worst things about Jesus are actually the Jews It's that Jewish religion that believes that Jesus is in hell. He's being punished You know all these different things just believe terrible things about Jesus and that's why The the people that follow the Jewish religion even today are very difficult to get saved And you know if you're a soul winner you will you know I'm sure you will agree that that's been your experience as well. I'm not saying it's easy to get Muslim saved I'm not saying it's easy to get you know other people of other religions saved But you will have a much easier time because they believe at least good things about Jesus, you know, so it's it's a it's a big deal All right, so Jesus actually did prophesy the destruction of the temple. All right now. Here's an interesting thing I think also that this is you know proof right here that Jesus prophesying in Luke chapter 21 and verse number six prophesying the destruction of the temple This is proof that the New Testament that we have in front of us was finished before 70 ad So a lot of people are like oh, you know when was the New Testament? You all these secular Scientists or archaeologists would ever have all these ideas that you know the New Testament wasn't finished until a hundred ad and thus You know what they're doing is they're trying to throw shade on the Bible They're trying to throw shade on these texts to say oh, you know They must have misremembered if they wrote it down 40 years later, right? But that the New Testament was finished almost right away because if the temple was destroyed Certainly the Holy Spirit would have had Paul or the other writers of the New Testament Mentioned that event because Jesus prophesied it and the Bible is constantly talking about all the different prophecies And whenever we come across one in the in the Gospel of John I'm going to point that out to you go back to the Old Testament and show you that the prophecy that was fulfilled And that would have been one that was fulfilled. So the Bible certainly would have mentioned it So that's how we know that the Bible was you know, you know, Genesis to Revelation was finished Well before 70 ad all right well before 70 ad All right now turn to 1st Corinthians chapter 6 I want to explore this idea where Jesus says in verse number 21 But he spake of the temple of his body when he said you know destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. He was literally talking about himself. He was talking about his physical body Which is interesting because that reflects directly upon us as believers in Christ The Bible says that your body is a temple So it matches what Jesus says in John chapter 2 look at 1st Corinthians chapter 6 look at verse number 19 1st Corinthians chapter 6 and verse number 19 the Bible says what no ye not you're going to keep your place in 1st 1st Corinthians 6 even when we flip to other chapters because I'm gonna I'm gonna go to some verses before this as well But the Bible says what no ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you So first of all what happened when you were saved when you were saved as Ephesians chapter 1 says when you were saved You were literally sealed by the Holy Spirit. That was the mechanics of it You know God actually gave you an earnest the Bible says which was the the Holy Spirit was the earnest of your inheritance Meaning God gave you a down payment of the Holy Spirit. Look that actually happened to you when you got saved You got that Holy Spirit put in you and it it seals you All right, so the Bible is saying in 1st Corinthians 6 that your body is literally the temple of the Holy Ghost Which is in you which you have of God and ye are not your own Why so the Bible here is saying this is a pretty important verse For a lot of the things that we're interested in this church right here Okay, it says that our body is a temple meaning. It's a it is a building it houses It is a it is a is a dwelling place of The Holy Spirit the Holy Ghost that's a dwelling place of God Which is in us and the Bible says we do not belong To ourselves you're like what the Bible says that you your body does not belong to you Why it is talking to the Corinthian church. It is talking to saved people here That is something not to understand here and this is look this was super valid in the last couple years This was super important in the last two or three years, especially some of the things that went on in this country These verses right here talking about how our bodies Are a dwelling place for the Holy Ghost and our bodies are not ours. Well, who's are they then look at the next verse? For you are bought with a price. What was that price? Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God So my body is God's because what because he bought it He paid for it with what with the blood of Jesus Christ So our body is a temple a dwelling place of the Holy Ghost and it is not mine it is not mine because The Lord Jesus Christ bought and paid for it with his own blood That is super important right there as a matter of fact this are this this doctrine right here was the doctrine That you know people put forth to tell people you couldn't make them do medical things to themselves and Take shots that they didn't want to take One of the ironies about this and if you had a religious exemption that you had to use at work or whatever This was the core if I wrote it Right here that our bodies are not our own They were paid for by the blood of Christ and they house the Holy Spirit So we are not to just go and just do whatever we want To our bodies, you know just go and just but see here's the irony Here's the irony for once and it usually doesn't work this way But the irony of the last couple of years with the COVID stuff is is that it was that it was the non Religious people that had the most trouble Even though they were being logical there were being reasonable reasonable saying I don't think that something That's not really been tested and it was really rushed to market and I don't really need it because I'm probably I'm Pretty healthy, you know, it was them that had trouble Because they had no, you know the actual law in this country, you know the Civil Rights Act it protects religious belief not logical belief So it was this doctrine that was the core if you had a you know a religious exemption that you needed to use there All right, and actually when it comes to every single rights argument This really is the doctrine right here really that no no secular Leader can just go and tell you to do something to yourself or with yourself or have you go do something immoral I mean the Bible is literally saying here that no, you know God owns your body And this fits perfectly with Romans 13 where you know, we always have to obey the higher powers meaning somebody can't tell me to do something immoral because I Obey the higher powers why because my body is not my own because why because God bought it with the blood of his son Jesus Christ And my body literally not only did God buy my body with the blood of Christ, but my body literally houses God It literally is used as a vessel to carry around the Holy Spirit So yeah, nobody can tell me to do something immoral with my body, but The problem is people don't need to be told to do things immoral with their body They just do it anyway, but we should start to think about things a little bit different when we think about our bodies actually being a temple of the Holy Ghost I Mean you should think about sin a little bit differently when you think about your body in that sense That your body is literally a temple a Tabernacle a tent a building a vessel that is carrying around the Holy Ghost That's why I turn to James chapter one. You're gonna keep your place in first Corinthians chapter six, but turn to James chapter one That's why in the irony so we're gonna talk about your physical body a little bit tonight All right, we're gonna talk about your physical body. That's why you know It's ironic and it's somebody brought this up soul winning, but look sin destroys your physical body. Did you know that? Sin will destroy your physical physical body and it's it's ironic because Your senses, you know when you think about your senses, you know smell touch, you know Taste all these different things We were out soul winning today and like some old old Volkswagen drove by like a 1970s Volkswagen where you could You know that that old car exhaust. I mean I just love it That that old those 60s and 70s cars where you got that that unburnt gasoline vapor I mean it's just like if anything smells better than that. I've not smelled it. It's just like the best ever You know it just I don't know if it's just it brings back, you know Nostalgia or something, but it just and even Jacob he's never I told him I said it smells good doesn't it he said Yeah, and I said anything that smells good is bad for you So it's ironic because anything, you know our body our senses Are kind of trying to destroy our bodies trying to destroy itself if you look at it that way Anything that you know tastes good or smells good or all these different things I mean there was stupid idiots in the high school that was in that would huff gasoline They would like, you know sniff gasoline to try to you know get a buzz or something I don't know what they were doing, but like it's really bad for you Like I'm sure they were like their brain is probably gone at this point, but I mean, you know gasoline everyone's Oh, it smells good, you know But your body's kind of in that it's kind of leading you down the wrong path This is the flesh that the Bible talks about, you know, this is the flesh look at James chapter 1 verse 15 This is that lust, you know those senses that say oh, that's good. I like that ice cream good Hey ice cream, okay ice cream four times a day not okay, right? The Bible says this says when lust have conceived it bring it forth sin and sin when it is finished bring it forth Death now we teach this all the time out soul winning that you know the wages of sin is Death and then we talk about the second death and the spiritual death, but the truth of the matter is there's a physical death, too There's a physical death, too, and sin will destroy you physically and That's actually the context if you go back to 1st Corinthians chapter 6. That's actually the context of What Paul is talking about when he says your town your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost look at verse 18 Go back a couple verses and look at verse 18 He's actually talking about the entire context of 1st Corinthians chapter 6 is the idea of your body belonging to God But he's talking about it in the specific context of the sin of fornication look at verse 18 The Bible says flee fornication Every sin that a man doeth without the body, but he that committed fornication Sineth against his own body. This is literally saying right here I mean this is this is super important verse right here because fornication and it's not just in the United States today Fornication throughout history has been one of the first sins that is just widely accepted in a society that is turning It's back on God is one of the first things that people just you know run to and I'll show you a couple examples of it In the Old Testament, but it's talking about fornication destroying your physical body Look at verse 15 Here's another thing to realize about your actual body and he's talking he's teaching this as well So your body is a temple of the Holy Ghost, but your body also has something to do with Christ as well It's not just that it was bought by Christ purchased with Christ blood, but in verse 15 It says no you not there are bodies your bodies are the members of Christ Shall I then again he's talking about the context of fornication shall I then take the members of Christ when he says members He's not talking about like we all signed a book and we're all members of a club He's talking about members like arms and legs and and he's talking about appendages He's saying your bodies are members of Christ shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an Harlot God forbid he's saying you are all like so this church right here We are all that's what we're talking about when we say we are the body of Christ why because we are all Appendages of Christ here So you say should someone that is in the body of Christ that is an arm of Christ a leg of Christ a foot of Christ should should they be Harlot should they be in fornication should they be in in filth he's saying no But the Bible here is telling is telling you that you know your body is a member of this body of Christ You are a temple of the Holy Ghost Paul is trying to convince you like a be clean Be healthy don't destroy this thing that is supposed to be good That's what he is teaching here. I mean look I Won't even get into all the stats that I've read in the past But I mean literally like fornication literally will destroy you it will kill you It will kill you it'll make you not be able to have children anymore It's something like the last time I looked at it is something like one in three people in the United States has a disease like a STI or whatever they call them You know from fornication. I mean, it's you know, it's literally disgusting It's like a hundred and ten million Americans. I Mean if you look at you know, how many Americans are children and how many Americans are older or whatever It's basically people like in fornication, you know, basically they're they just have STDs. That's just the way it is You're like, oh, well, it's just normal and it's accepted. But why though it doesn't even make logical sense That it would be you know, just openly accepted. So the Bible saying flee run from it get away from it as fast as you can Teach it to your children as well That's why it's such a big deal For that to be in the church and it's one of the things that will really get someone kicked out of church Turn to Acts chapter 15 fornication is literally not to go off on fornication, but fornication is so bad It is so bad that it is literally it made the shortlist in Acts chapter 15 of the things that they decided to tell the Gentiles They're like, okay, you know, they're everyone's out there preaching to the Gentiles They need to get circumcised to be saved. There was this big conference in Jerusalem in the decided Okay, we got this big problem You know everyone all the all the Jews that got saved are freaking out that all these Gentiles are now in the church And they got saved too y'all they save people they have nothing in common their cultures are completely different And so the some of the same people try telling these people just to you know They try to control them right just like what happens today. So they change their doctrine. No, you have to be circumcised You have to do this you have to do that. The problem is they tied it to salvation So finally James just comes out and says hey, let's just tell them to do these couple things and that will fix The problem nothing to do with salvation just tell them to get these things right look at one of them was look at Acts 15 20 But we write under them that they have stain from pollutions of idols. So let's get rid of the idolatry. That's not going to work in church and from fornication and from things strangled and from blood Turn to 1st Corinthians chapter 10 Actually, you turn to numbers chapter 25. I'll just read for you 1st Corinthians chapter 10 in verse number 8 Fornication is so bad. It but it's it's not just today. It's not just America today It's any society that just turns from God immediately goes into this immediately Accepts this and just you know accept it as normal and something that's okay But it's not something just because you're saved. It is not something that God is just going to let go And that's why it's preached so hard against from you know in any church that is that is reading and preaching the Bible It's preached very hard against look at 1st Corinthians chapter 10 Actually, you're in numbers chapter 25. I'm going to read for you 1st Corinthians 10 8 neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed and fell in one day twenty and three or Three and twenty thousand it's talking about numbers chapter 25 Where the Bible says in Israel abode in shittim and the people began to commit hordom with the daughters of Moab remember This is the story of Balaam and Balak where Balaam, you know wants the money so bad, but God won't let him curse Israel So basically Balaam just he he doesn't curse Israel, but he goes to Balaq He wants the money from Balaq so badly that he goes to Balaq and he says hey, you know what just live amongst them Just just make it so they don't separate from you just be friendly with them and look what happens They start committing fornication with them and then they started sacrificing to their gods and then In the verse number nine God sends a plague God sends a plague to basically punish the children of Israel And it says and they that died in the plague were 20 and four thousand So God judges fornication even amongst the saved even amongst his own people God will judge Fornication and I've mentioned this before I'll just mention it real quickly This is one of like the big Bible contradictions that people think like oh the Bible's wrong They they made a mistake they put a three when they were supposed to be a four in all this because first Corinthians 10 8 says they They died in the plague three and twenty thousand so that'd be twenty three thousand and then in numbers chapter 25 verse 9 It says those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand, but it says in First Corinthians chapter 10 verse 8 it says those that fell in one day was twenty and three thousand So obviously, you know a thousand more died later, I mean Man solved solved that mystery that was difficult. I Mean that's that's how all Bible contradictions are it's just something silly where somebody's Read one page in the Bible for five minutes in their life, and they're like got it Figured it out right all right turn to Proverbs chapter 23 So we're back to this idea that sin like destroys you physically So the idea the example in first Corinthians chapter 6 was fornication And that's a big one because it's it's talking about fornication is literally just a sin against your own body So like yes, you know your body's telling you to do it and your your flesh says that you want to do that and that it's good But it's literally destroying yourself. All right look at Proverbs chapter 23 another Common sin that is actually tied to fornication that destroys your body as alcohol drugs and just drunkenness in general Just not being sober in general look at verse 23 or verse 29 of Proverbs 23 The Bible says who hath woe who have sorrow who have Contensions and then look at this who have babbling who have wounds without cause meaning you're gonna be your physical body is Going to be wounded who hath redness of eyes It's that they that tarry long at the wine they that go to seat mixed wine Look not upon the wine when it is red We looked at this a couple weeks ago when they give it this color in the cup when it move it itself a right Look at verse 33 says Thine eyes shall behold strange women and thine heart shall utter perverse things So this is literally saying that if you know if you go into this drunkenness You're gonna be wounded without cause you're gonna get in fights all these different things I mean this is both fights right here, right? I mean, you know, I mean do do is our men our group of young men more or less likely to fight if they're all drunk I mean, this is what this is talking about. It's just a biblical truth right here But then it's saying they're gonna go to fornication to it says their eyes will behold strange women strange women means Women they don't know women that they normally wouldn't be around, you know women that are just like they're unknown They're from their their mole bites Yeah, that then verse 34 is more physical harm Yeah That shall be as though that lies down in the midst of the sea or he that lies upon the top of a mass You wouldn't be in these places because you would be worried about your physical security They have stricken me thou shalt say and I was not sick They have beaten me and I felt it not when I shut when shall I awake? I shall seek it again So it's talking about drunkenness and not being sober actually tied to fornication Filth and just generally look generally alcohol and drugs. I mean there's plenty of examples around this around around The cities for us to see this it destroys your physical health it destroys your body It destroys I can't tell you how many people I've met in my life That literally I mean people that are you would think are normal people that they're they go to work every day that that they're literally they have high blood pressure and They have like they're pre-diabetic and they have all these health problems and they're done They drink alcohol all the time And their doctor like doesn't even ask they're just like there are all these medications for all these problems This is not you know the drug addict in the alley. This is just like a normal person That's just like having high blood pressure, you know pre-diabetic all kinds of other health problems just from what from drinking From drinking and that that's what leads to it And then they live with hypertension and high blood pressure for decades and they get what? They get heart disease And heart disease kills like one in four people in the United States. It's ridiculous It's like pretty much people that die when they're older of heart attacks. They die of heart disease It's been going on for years and years in years So look, it's it's it's also I mean depression anxiety stroke Suicide it's all due to you know alcohol substance abuse people doing what I mean cirrhosis of the liver All these things are just people destroying their body through what through sin Their physical body So sin literally wrecks you physically. That's the first point. I want to make it Yes, sin if you're unsaved is going to send you to the second death that spiritual death But if you're saved sin can still destroy your physical body It can destroy your health the second one is this When it comes to our physical body We should make an effort to stay physically strong You say what do you mean? And this is a huge problem in America today This is a huge problem in our country and in our culture today Our body is a temple of the Holy Ghost our body is a member of the body of Christ Your physical body is a member of Jesus Christ body When you think about it that way you should you should try a little harder to make yourself healthy and keep yourself Strong turn the Proverbs chapter 31. Let me give you a couple examples of women. Look, this is one of the biggest lies That my generation was taught right here this idea this idea that that Physical activity Physical work going to work and having a job where you actually do something physical is bad It's a huge lie This idea that I should pursue a career for 30 years for 35 years and have my one goal Be to just get to this point right where I cross this finish line And I'm just pursuing this life where I can just flip this switch and it's just like do nothing now leisure now It's it's false It's false, and I can't tell you as you get older and you see people execute this type of plan Live a maybe they have a physical job Maybe they don't but then they get across that finish line and they do nothing and they're dead in just a few years I mean, why is that because look you need to be doing something physical? It's good for you It keeps you strong. I'm gonna prove it to you here. I'm gonna give you some examples for women here You say women should be strong. Yes women should be strong look at verse 16 of Proverbs 31 The idea that hard work that actual physical work is bad is a huge lie You know what it's been sold it's been sold to my generation heavily and it's being sold the generations beyond me as well But it's a lie You know they came out they've come out with studies now that say having a job where you are not physically active Where you are having that desk job like man. I got that desk job. I got that job Where I sit it's killing you faster than if you smoke two cigarettes every day Scientific studies have shown that you get that desk job you sit down at that desk and nothing's killing you faster Then sitting at that desk. That's why you're starting to see all the standing desks everywhere The next one's gonna be like standing at a desk kills you too You're gonna figure that one out in a couple of years, too Look at Proverbs 31 of verse 16 Look at the virtuous woman here The Bible says she consider at the field and buyeth it with the fruit of her hands She planted the vineyard she girdeth her loins with strength and she strengthened it her arms. This woman is Active this woman is out there and she is physically strong because why? Because she's active. She's not just laying around She's not just laying around not doing anything. You know watching Oprah or whatever that was a bad example Turn to Ruth chapter 2 Turn to Ruth chapter 2 look at verse 15 of Ruth chapter 2 Ruth is the only I'm not saying Ruth Is the only virtuous woman in the Bible, but she's the only woman in the Bible that's actually called a virtuous woman Look at Ruth chapter 2 in verse 15. What was Ruth doing and when she was risen up to glean Boas commanded his young men saying let her glean even among the sheaves and reproach her not and Let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her and leave them that she may glean them and rebuke her not So she gleaned what's she doing? She's going behind the harvester and she's trying to provide Food for herself and for her mother-in-law here And so she's going and she's literally picking up the scraps the gleanings From what the harvesters left behind and Boas this nice man is saying hey put some extra stuff on the ground for her He has respect for her. Why look at this Do you think she went out there and she gleaned for 20 minutes and then she stopped and she sat down and just laid in the sun all Day you think Boas would have said that no he saw this example of what she was doing She's out there and she's busting her her you know You know what every single day. She's out there. She's working hard She's just working hard every single day and Boas is like he sees that and he respects it She gleaned in the field until even and beat out the hand beat out that she had gleaned and it was about an e-file of barley She went out and she worked from from morning till night And then she went and she beat out that she had gleaned And in verse 11 of chapter 3 it says and now my daughter fear not I will do all the that thou requires for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman look How what what was virtuous about Ruth? I'm sure a lot of things but the things that the Bible tells us is that she was very Diligent and she was hard working and she looked she was physically strong She was physically strong. How about the men turn to 2nd Samuel chapter 23 Turn to 2nd Samuel chapter 23 You look at the example of the mighty men and I mean I don't know what to tell you But I mean you probably can't even we can't even relate to this We can't even relate to this That's why people read this stuff today and they look at these mighty men and they look at the things that they did They're like, oh that can't be possible. Yeah for the average American. It's not possible not even close But look at verse 28 just a couple examples here These be the names of the mighty men whom David had the tachymite that sat in the seat chief among the captains The same was a Dedo the ends night he lift up the as night he lift up a spear against 800 whom he slew it one time After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the ahoite One of the three mighty men with David when they defiled the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle and the men of Israel had gone away He arose and smoked the Philistines until his hand was weary and his hand clave unto the sword and the Lord Wrought a great victory that day and the people returned After him only to spoiled so you got one guy that that goes and kills 800 men in battle. This is a hand-to-hand combat You got another guy that goes and fights so hard that literally his hand just locks up on the sword He can't let go of the sword like that's a physical thing that'll happen to you They used to happen to me in a six-minute wrestling match Your hands just like you can't open your hands anymore because you work so hard, but you couldn't open his hand Like these were obviously extremely physically strong men Now let's look at men in the United States today No, this is a real thing here what I'm about to read you is real is going to scare you Okay, this is going to make you want to go on more hikes. I'm telling you a 2016 study first of all and I've mentioned this before but this is real This is really happening testosterone levels in men in the United States are dropping on average by 1% per year since the 1980s You're like what in the world? I used to be confused what that was happening. I'm going to tell you why it's happening tonight a 2016 study you say what effects is that having it's making men weaker? It's making men Experimentally observably weaker in this country a 2016 study showed that the average 20 to 34 year old man Could apply 98 pounds of force with a right-hand grip This is down from 117 pounds in 1985 So over the period of 30 years men have literally gotten, you know, literally almost 30% weaker Say what do you mean weaker emotionally spirit? No physically weaker like a young man a 19 year old man I'm 1985 could whoop the snot of a 19 year old man and today That's what this is saying. Why because they're weaker They're less manly now turn to Jeremiah 51 Now turn to Jeremiah chapter 51. I love when like, you know secular science like catches up to the Bible Thousands of years later. It's it's always kind of nice when that happens Jeremiah 51 verse 30 Jeremiah 51 verse 30 the Bible says this it says the mighty man of Babylon I mean, this is nothing new what's happening here today. It's nothing new You know, it may be you know have a little bit new of a twist, you know We probably didn't have Oreo cookies back in Jeremiah Jeremiah's time But you know look at verse 30 says the mighty man of Babylon at four born to fight. They've remained in their holds. They might have failed I mean, they might have failed meaning they're not strong They're weak. They became as women. What does that mean? I mean, it means they're weak Means they're weak They have burned her dwelling places her bars are broken. No, look I get that that was judgment In Jeremiah 51 and that it's judgment on the United States. I get that But what can I do? What can we do to not have this? You know physical judgment happened to us. That's that's the thing for five or ten years I've read this this testosterone dropping thing for years and years and years I've been reading it for 20 years and it's confused me. I mean, why is this happening? Is it something in the water? It probably is something in the water, too, but From the endocrine society, and I agree with this 100% is exactly what it is. It's the Bible But it from the endocrine society. This is what they say It finds that the drop in testosterone testosterone levels over time in in man in the United States is from a man's behavioral and health changes and Not so much by aging See, it's not about and that matches exactly what the Bible teaches Because I'm gonna read you some things about some old men in the Bible that show show us that we don't have to go through this You know, we don't have to have you know this happen. Look It's it's lifestyle. It's that sin in people's lives. It's that sin. It's that alcohol You know alcohol just just pumps you full of estrogen actually alcohol destroys testosterone. It's scientifically proven Yet, what is what does Satan you know convinced everybody today? What does a tough guy do in the United States? He drinks beer and he drinks whiskey and all this kind of stuff No, it's turning him into a woman It's making him weak is what the Bible teaches. It's a sedimentary lifestyle That is making this happen It's this behavior. It's this It's this epidemic of obesity and diabetes and depression and just like it's low standard Food and all this stuff. I mean when I say low standard food. I mean Doritos and Oreo cookies and this stuff wasn't around There was some documentary. I've never seen it. I don't know what it's called I can't even say I recommend it, but I've heard people talk about it for a year You know, I've heard it brought up in conversations About some guy that went around the world studying people that lived over a hundred years old And like I don't know if it was tribes or whatever and I'm not like saying we should all go live in the jungle somewhere But he's like he's looking at these people and like what it all comes down to and what every diet today has in common Is that it's just you're not supposed to just like fill yourself full of all this process stuff that never existed Before the United States It's like we just created all this stuff You know, I mean there was no, you know Moses wasn't popping Oreo cookies in the wilderness You know, I mean it wasn't even an option back then I mean, that's why a third of Americans are either diabetic or they're gonna have diabetes a third So a third of them have STDs a third of them are gonna have diabetes. I mean, it's a disaster It's a health disaster. And then you then you add to this that oh, yeah, testosterone levels are dropping Well, of course they are When you look at the actual things that are actually happening like of course they are turn to first Timothy chapter 4 first Timothy chapter 4 Actually go back to first Corinthians 15 go to first Corinthians chapter 15 Look, none of us folks none of us are guaranteed another day on earth I get that and we shouldn't be just you know, the the Bible says in first Timothy 4 but the bodily exercise Profit of little but it doesn't say a prophet of nothing and I get it You know, none of us are guaranteed another day and to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord I I get all that but I just want to shorten my life here because of sin and and stupid Lost of the flesh that that's all I'm trying to get you to see tonight You know, your body is not yours. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit You know, we shouldn't have unhealthy lifestyles. This body is a gift You know this body everybody's physical body is a gift whether they're saved or not That's why the guy that says what's God ever done for me. It's like we're living you're standing here breathing here You know, you're standing here, you know with with the breath with the lungs that God gave you You know insulting the Lord to me Your body is a gift every breath is a gift, but your body is corruptible It's corruptible first Corinthians 15 look at verse 53 You know, it's talking about the resurrection. It's talking about the resurrection. We're gonna get glorified bodies We're not gonna have all these problems, but it says this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on Immortality so when this corruptible shall put on incorruption and this mortal shall it put on immortality Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written death is swallowed up in victory So right now our bodies are corruptible meaning what they can be broken You know, they can be wrecked. They can be you you can break it That's that's what you can corrupt this thing through sin through your lifestyle Be a good steward Be a good steward if you know doing these things turn to Joshua chapter 14 You know and look if you have if you have us a more sedentary Lifestyle job you need to figure out some other things You need to figure out how to keep moving in your life You need to have Activities outside of your job, you know because there is I mean frankly there is a lot of jobs where there's just not a lot They're just not a lot of physical activity and you need to supplement physical activity More than the guy that has the job that is doing physical activity all day long But he's gonna be healthier by default than you are you have to work harder at Supplementing those things so you would go to your sedimentary job and sit at a desk all day long And then you will have to go home and you will have to exercise and make sure you have activities that keep you moving And or you are going to suffer But that's what the Bible is teaching us here That's what the Bible is teaching you know and look a lot of people think that you know I'm young I can get away with doing whatever I want I'm young I can eat what I want. I can I can drink. I'm I'm 25 years old I can drink alcohol. I just want to have fun now, you know, no problem I can't tell you, you know, I'm not old, but I'm old enough to have seen many many people get old and Regret those decisions they made when they were 25 they were 30 and they were 35 or heard people say to me I never would have done those things if I'd have known I Be in this situation now. I should have never Drank I should have never smoked. I should have never lived that type of life Because there's nothing they can do about it now Just remember you will be 80 one day, you know God willing you will be 90 One day look at Joshua chapter 14. Look at verse number seven Caleb is a great example for us Look at Joshua 14 in verse number seven Caleb says this he says 40 years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord Sent me from Cades Barnea to a spy out the land and brought him word again as it was in my heart Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt But I holy followed the Lord my God We heard a great sermon about holy following the Lord on Friday night but Caleb's talking about how him and Joshua were the only ones that You know literally just did what they were just stayed faithful to God Everybody else just ran away. Look at verse number nine and Moses swear on that day saying surely the land We're on my feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance and my children's forever Because thou has holy followed the Lord my God and now behold the Lord has kept me alive As he said these 40 and five years this guy's 85 years old right now Even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness And now low. I am this day four score and five years old. Look at this as Yet I am strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me as my strength was then even so is my strength now For war both to go out and to come in he's saying I can still fight Just strong at 85 as I was when I was 40. I bet you this guy wasn't a sluggered. I Bet you this guy didn't have a sedimentary lifestyle. We're just late around I bet you this guy from the time he was 40 to the time. He was 85. He never stopped moving in Deuteronomy 347. I'll just read it for you. It says and Moses was a hundred and twenty Years old when he died his eye was not dim nor his natural force abated You know what that means he was still strong Man, that would be nice. I'm sure Moses was blessed, but you know what I'm sure he was active too I'm sure he was moving around and he certainly wasn't eating Doritos and Oreos Because I mean Sin will destroy your body folks living in an unhealthy lifestyle will destroy your body the more time you spend in these things the worst it will be and Another thing is that we need to understand as homeschooling parents that we need to teach this to our children as well You'll notice a pattern as you get older in your life, and you'll notice a pattern that unhealthy people Have unhealthy children It's almost a hundred percent If you see somebody that just has a terrible unhealthy lifestyle with that mean like I'm not trying to make fun of anybody's you know Weight or anything like that, but I mean it's just like you see people that have just like a problem with you know How they eat and just their lifestyle and they're very unhealthy people they will have unhealthy children Because we need to teach that we need to teach diet and exercise and that lifestyle as part of homeschooling It's a it's a life skill. I mean taking care of yourself physically is a life skill You want to be as strong as possible when you're old I want to be out soul-winning like some of the folks in this church That's that's a goal of of mine to be out soul-winning. You know when I get older in my life But it's it's all about reaping and sowing when it comes to your physical temple And this is a personal, you know, it just is just an example of that what you sow today. You'll reap tomorrow It's it's hose his Hosea 8 You know, it's it's you you you sow the wind and you're gonna reap the whirlwind. That's that's what happens You got to think about Tomorrow your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost and your body is literally an appendage of Christ body when you think about it that way, you know We should think about how we treat this thing. Let's bow our heads and have a word