LESSON 1 - WHY BE HEALTHY?

INTRODUCTION: THIS WEEK WE START A NEW TOPIC FOR A NEW QUARTER. THE LESSONS DEAL WITH HEALTHFUL LIVING. SANDY DOVE POINTED OUT TO ME AFTER SABBATH SCHOOL LAST WEEK THAT SHE COULD NOT REMEMBER EVER BEFORE SPENDING A QUARTER ON THIS TOPIC. SO LETS GET INTO IT!

I. SIN AND HEALTH

A. READ GEN 3:1-6. DO YOU THINK THAT IT WAS MERE COINCIDENCE THAT THE FIRST TEMPTATION INVOLVED EATING? (2:16-17 IS GOD'S COMMAND. HE SPECIFICALLY REFERRED TO EATING AND NOT GOING NEAR THE TREE.)

B. IT MAY HAVE BEEN A COINCIDENCE. BUT LETS FURTHER CONSIDER THIS.

C. READ GEN 3:17-19. WHAT DID ADAM'S CURSE CENTER UPON? (RAISING FOOD.)

D. IF IT IS A COINCIDENCE THAT THE FIRST TEMPTATION INVOLVED EATING, WHY DID GOD MAKE EATING A CENTRAL PART OF THE CURSE?

E. AFTER SIN ENTERED, WAS EATING DIFFERENT FOR ADAM AND EVE? (1. IT SEEMS THAT THERE WAS LESS FOOD AVAILABLE. NOTE THAT IN 1:29 GOD SAID THAT THEY COULD EAT EVERY PLANT AND IN 2:16 GOD SAID THAT THEY WERE FREE TO EAT FROM ANY TREE IN THE GARDEN.

1. WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THAT YOU WERE FREE TO EAT FROM ANY TREE ON THE 14 ACRES HERE, WOULD YOU BE EXCITED?

F. THE TEACHER'S HELPS HAVE AN INTERESTING REMARK. IT SUGGESTS THAT AFTER SIN, MAN STARTED EATING (KJV) "HERBS" (NIV "PLANTS") (VEGETABLES) AS PART OF HIS DIET. IS THIS CORRECT? COMPARE GEN 1:29 WITH 3:18? (GEN. 1:29 SAYS THAT MAN WAS EATING "HERBS" BEFORE SIN. THE WORD TRANSLATED "HERB" (IN BOTH 1:29 AND 3:18 - THE TEXT GIVEN IN THE HELPS) IS: Strong's # 6212 `eseb (eh'seb); from an unused root meaning to glisten (or be green); grass (or any tender shoot): KJV-- grass, herb. (DIC)

G. DID THE DIET OF THE ANIMALS CHANGE? (READ 1:30. IT SEEMS THAT THEY WERE VEGETARIANS TOO)

H. WHAT CONCLUSIONS DO YOU DRAW FROM THIS SEQUENCE: THAT MAN BREAKS GOD'S RULES, THAT THE RULES INVOLVE EATING AND THAT AS A RESULT THINGS ARE DIFFERENT -- IN SPECIFIC PART ABOUT EATING. (WHEN MAN BROKE THE RULES, THINGS CHANGED. WE SEE THAT GOD HAS RULES. AND WE ALSO SEE THAT BREAKING THOSE RULES HAS CONSEQUENCES. ISN'T IT REMARKABLE THAT THE ORIGINAL SIN INVOLVED EATING, AND THE CURSE THAT CAME AS A RESULT OF SIN HAD AS ONE OF ITS MAIN ELEMENTS RAISING)

II. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SALVATION AND DIET.

A. OUR LESSON NEXT TAKES US TO 1 COR 6:19-20. THIS IS THE WELL KNOWN REFERENCE TO OUR BODY BEING THE TEMPLE OF GOD. ONE OF THE REASONS I LIKE OUR NORMAL STUDY PLAN OF GOING THROUGH AN ENTIRE BOOK VERSE BY VERSE IS THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT.

1. LETS LOOK AT SOME OF THE CONTEXT FOR THIS VERSE.

2. LETS START BACK IN 1COR 6:12-14 AND 18-20. READ

3. IS PAUL PRIMARILY TALKING ABOUT DIET HERE OR IS HE TALKING ABOUT IMMORALITY? (IT SEEMS THAT HE IS PRIMARILY SPEAKING ABOUT SEXUAL IMMORALITY.)

B. WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT HE MEANT BY THE REFERENCE IN v.12 ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE "PERMISSIBLE", THINGS THAT ARE "BENEFICIAL" AND THINGS THAT CAN "MASTER" YOU? (WRITE THESE DOWN)

1. IS HE SAYING THAT WE CAN DO ANYTHING?

2. IT SEEMS THAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE WERE SAYING THAT EVERYTHING WAS PERMITTED. PAUL SEEMS TO SAY THAT WHILE SOMETHING MIGHT BE TECHNICALLY "OK" IT MIGHT NOT BE BENEFICIAL TO YOU. (FOR FURTHER STUDY SEE THE SAME PHRASE IN 1 COR. 10:23 WHERE PAUL TIES IT TO EATING MEAT OFFERED TO IDOLS--AND NOT EATING IT IF YOU ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF SOMEONE WHO HAS A PROBLEM WITH IT (10:28).)

3. WHAT ABOUT BEING "MASTERED?" (IT SEEMS THAT SOME OF THIS STUFF THAT IS NOT BENEFICIAL CAN ACTUALLY OVERPOWER US.)

C. IN v.13 IT SPEAKS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT FOOD AND THE STOMACH. DO YOU THINK THAT THIS REFERENCE HAS ANY APPLICATION TOWARDS WHAT WE EAT? (IT APPEARS THAT A COMMON SAYING WAS THAT YOUR STOMACH WAS MEANT FOR FOOD, SO EAT WHAT YOU WILL.

1. THE PRIMARY REFERENCE IS TO THE PARALLEL IDEA THAT YOUR BODY WAS MEANT FOR SEX, SO HAVE IT. PAUL SAYS WE NEED TO AVOID SEXUAL SINS BECAUSE GOD IS GOING TO RAISE OUR BODIES--AND SEXUAL SINS ARE SINS AGAINST THE BODY.

2. BUT IT CAN ALSO MEAN THAT WE SHOULD NOT GIVE OUR PRIMARY ATTENTION TO WHAT WE EAT (BECAUSE IT WILL BE DESTROYED), BUT GIVE PRIMARY ATTENTION TO OUR SALVATION. NOT WANT TO BE IN A POSITON TO LOSE SIGHT OF GOD BECAUSE OF APPETITE. D. THE NEXT MAJOR TEXT IN OUT LESSON IS ROM

3: 23-28 READ.

E. HOW DOES THIS SAY THAT WE ARE SAVED? (BY FAITH)

F. SO, WHAT IS THIS TEXT DOING IN A LESSON ON HEALTH REFORM?

G. DOES IT SEEM THAT THIS TEXT COMPLETELY EXCLUDES DIET FROM THE QUESTION OF SALVATION?

H. THE TEACHER'S HELPS GUIDE US TO JAMES 2. LETS READ JAMES 2:14-18.

I. SINCE WE ARE SAVED BY FAITH, SHOULD THIS COMPLETELY EXCLUDE OUT CONCERN ABOUT HEALTH? (JAMES SEEMS TO SUGGEST IN THE STORY ABOUT HELPING SOMEONE WHO IS WITHOUT FOOD, THAT THE PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF LIFE ARE VERY IMPORTANT.)

J. WHEN WE ADD JAMES TO THE EQUATION, WHAT ROLE DO YOU THINK THAT HEALTH PLAYS IN THE QUESTION OF SALVATION? (OUR LESSON SUGGESTS (WED) THAT A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE WILL NOT SAVE US. BUT IF WE TRULY BELIEVE, THE H.S. WILL HELP US TO DEVELOP HEALTH HABITS THAT KEEP US ALERT AND STRONG.)

III. JESUS' INTEREST IN HEALTH.

A. READ MATT 14:35-36. WHAT DOES THIS SHOW ABOUT JESUS' INTEREST IN OUR HEALTH? (THAT HE IS INTERESTED AND THAT HE WANTS US TO BE IN GOOD HEALTH.)

B. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS IDEA OF JUST TOUCHING THE EDGE OF HIS COAT? WAS THERE SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT HIS COAT?

C. LETS LOOK AT A SIMILAR, BUT MORE DETAILED STORY IN MARK 5:27-34. WHAT WAS IT ABOUT TOUCHING HIS COAT MADE HER WELL? (IT WAS HER FAITH.)

D. HOW IS TOUCHING JESUS' COAT LIKE HEALTHY LIVING AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT? (AT BOTTOM, HEALTH REFORM DOESN'T MEANT MUCH IF WE HAVE NO FAITH--LIKE TOUCHING THE COAT JUST BECAUSE WE THINK THE COAT HAS POWER. IT IS UNLIKE IT, BECAUSE THERE IS AN INDEPENDANT BENEFIT FROM DIET, EXERCISE AND FITNESS.)

IV. NEXT WEEK: "NONE OF THOSE DISEASES."