Discipline Your Body - Zac Poonen - April 6, 2019
http://rlcfchurch.org/rlcf-mens-leadership-seminar-2019 River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The speaker emphasizes that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, purchased by the blood of Jesus, and therefore must be glorified in every aspect of life. He stresses the importance of controlling one's tongue, noting that a person who cannot control their speech has worthless Christianity. Furthermore, he draws a distinction between humans, who are given a conscience, and animals, warning that ignoring one's conscience causes a person to regress to a mere state of 'mud and water,' losing their unique human spiritual connection.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Your body is the temple of the Holy SpiritBelievers must respect and care for their physical bodies because they were bought with the precious blood of Christ and are the dwelling place of God.1 Corinthians 6:19–20
The creation of man and the conscienceWhile animals are made of dust without a conscience, God breathed His spirit into man, giving us an inner awareness to distinguish right from wrong.
The curse on the earth and our physical weaknessBecause our bodies are made of cursed dust, we experience weakness, sickness, and physical death, just as Jesus did when He became a curse for us.Genesis 3:14
Choosing between the upward and downward pullsHumanity stands between the upward pull of God's Spirit and the downward pull of bodily lusts, which was how sin first entered the world through Eve.
Jesus resisted the pull of His bodyJust like Eve, Jesus was tempted through His physical body in the wilderness, but He refused to yield, living entirely by the word of God.
Disciplining the body to win the prizePaul explains that athletes exercise strict self-control to win perishable rewards, so believers must discipline and enslave their bodies to avoid being disqualified.1 Corinthians 9:24
Legitimate desires that can be abusedFood, sleep, and sex are all legitimate human desires, but they can easily be abused through gluttony, laziness, or immorality if left undisciplined.
The balanced example of Jesus in feasting and fastingJesus was neither an ascetic nor a glutton; He enjoyed food with others but also practiced fasting to break the slavery of appetite and build spiritual authority.
God-given sexual desires and puritySex within marriage is blessed and very good, but outside of marriage it is evil and demonic, requiring strict mental and physical discipline before and after marriage.
Jesus and Paul on the danger of lustJesus warned that lusting after a woman in the heart is adultery, and Paul openly confessed his own struggle with coveting before finding freedom through the Holy Spirit.Matthew 5:28
Fleeing from sexual immoralityWhen faced with the powerful temptation of sexual immorality, believers must not stand and fight but instead literally run away and pursue righteousness.1 Corinthians 6:18
The root causes of Sodom's fallEzekiel reveals that the perverted sexual sins of Sodom began with arrogance, gluttony, lazy ease, and a lack of care for the poor.
Living at the profitable level rather than the bare minimumJust as a student aiming for top marks grieves over missing perfection, a dedicated Christian goes beyond what is merely lawful to pursue what is fully profitable.
Praying for physical healingBecause the body is for the Lord and is the temple of the Holy Spirit, believers should pray for healing when sick, leaving the final answer in God's hands.
The danger of making the stomach an idolMany believers fail to reach spiritual fullness because their minds are set on earthly things and they make an idol out of satisfying their stomach's demands.
Rejecting false asceticismWhile physical discipline is important, believers must reject human religious rules and ascetic teachings that claim holiness comes from prohibiting lawful food and marriage.
