HEALTHY HABITS Week Three Notes

Use these notes to help you

review Sunday’s message.

Healthy Habits for your HEART, your MIND and your BODY!

HEALTHY HABITS 3
“Body by Design”

God wants us to be HEALTHY in all aspects of our lives – HEART, MIND & BODY – because He
wants His church to be healthy and growing and full of love.

Romans 8 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the
flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the
Spirit.”

In answering why it’s difficult to break BAD habits and keep GOOD habits we said that
We have to be INTENTIONAL about how we fill our minds.

“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and
peace.”

We said this: You ARE a spirit (and if you’ve come to faith in Christ you are a BRAND
NEW spirit), you HAVE a mind, and you LIVE in a body (your flesh).

Your SPIRIT ALWAYS wants to please God.

Your FLESH ALWAYS wants to please itself.
Your MIND casts the deciding vote.
It’s up to YOU to CHOOSE. That’s YOUR part.
When you choose SPIRIT, God is right there
(Phil 2:13):

“…working in you giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” That’s
God’s part.

We don’t always FEEL that desire and that power. And we said in Week Two it’s
because we’re waiting for God to change our FLESH and God is working in our spirits.
That’s why we conclude:

You and I can’t beat BAD habits, by acting GOOD. We beat bad habits by deciding
to FILL OUR MINDS with the things of the SPIRIT (word – prayer – generosity – fellowship),
ROMANS 8 (ESV)

9 You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.

When you come to God and give your life to Him, trusting Christ as the only way to
forgiveness of sin and eternal life with God in heaven, you become a brand new
SPIRITUAL CREATION. Your MIND isn’t new, your FLESH (body) isn’t new, but your SPIRIT
it. It’s RE-CREATED. It’s BORN AGAIN. And it’s ALL by the GRACE (a free gift) of God.
Not because of how great we are.

The penalty for our sin is a debt we can never repay. So God sends Jesus to the cross
to die for our sins (P-P & F), and we don’t owe the debt anymore. We’re saved from
hell. Heaven is our eternal home. And in that instant the HS comes to LIVE in us!

So – Paul concludes that in FACT (not theory) – we are FREE from sin NOW, and are no
longer subject to it. Which is why he goes on to write, in Romans 8:12…
12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
In other words, “we are debtors”, or more correctly “we DO have an obligation”, but
it’s not to our flesh (our bodies). It’s to Christ, for doing what He did. And then he tells
us what to do about our bodies (our flesh) now that we are under no obligation to
serve them:

13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if BY THE SPIRIT you put to death
the deeds of the body, you will live.

God is not working in your flesh to make sure you don’t mess up. “God, if you
don’t want me to take another drink, then make this alcohol turn to sweet tea”.
“God, keep my hand from lighting this cigarette”.

God’s not going to make you do something against your will. Jesus made that
really clear when he said, “If your hand OFFENDS you…you cut it off. If you’re
eye offends you…you poke it out”. Jesus wasn’t advocating self-mutilation. He
was expressing that controlling our bodies, or our flesh, is something that WE’RE
supposed to do.

VIDEO SEGMENT: Natalie Lurie

1. Make a DECISION.
2. Tell someone about your DECISION.
3. Make that DECISION again every day.

Disconnect for us is often been MOTIVATION…

People are motivated by different things.

• Wanting to look better
• Wear smaller clothes
• Be more fit
 • Have better mobility – flexibility
• In response to health issues
• Increase longevity
• Be stronger
• Compete at a higher level
• Money (army pays you to stay in shape)

No one would argue that they aren’t ALL compelling MOTIVATORS. But the Apostle Paul
gives us one more…

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have
from God?

That’s a BIG idea. The Holy Spirit – IN PERSON – actually lives IN us. If you are in Christ,
it’s as if you are POSSESSED by the HOLY SPIRIT. And if he POSSESSES us, then we are His
possession. God OWNS us. Paul confirms this…going on:

You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.

And there is an OBLIGATION that goes with this.

So glorify God in your body.

That’s some serious MOTIVATION.

Okay, what about physical exercise? Does the Bible say anything about WORKING
OUT? In a letter to a young pastor named Timothy, the Apostle Paul addresses that
very thing when he says:

Train yourself for godliness, for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in
every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

That’s more generous than other translations that say, “physical training profits little”.
That phrase “bodily training” is from the Greek word ‘gymnasia’. Sound familiar?
Paul’s not saying NOT to exercise. He’s just saying that training your body is of
significantly less value than training in godliness (or spiritual maturity). Feel free to skip
the gym for ROADIES 201.

Biblically, whether physical exercise is valuable is ALL about what MOTIVATES it. Paul
uses the example of a competitor in athletic endeavors to drive home the point of
WHAT should MOTIVATE us, when he says:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners may run, but only one receives the prize? So
run that you may obtain it.

Doesn’t sound like Paul is discouraging to run, or run to win…

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.

 He was referring to the Olympic athletes of the day.

They do it to receive perishable wealth, but we an imperishable.

So the idea of an athlete competing to receive accolades, awards, laurel wreath

crowns, (or in our culture, a championship ring and a new multimillion dollar contract)
is not a new idea. But he says THAT shouldn’t be our motivation. He says:

So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.

Paul’s saying that simply competing for an earthly prize (or in our context of a Healthier
You maybe a sexier body, or pants that don’t rip when you bend over to pick up the
newspaper), is like shadowboxing, good for the sake of exercise, but of little eternal
value.

And then he gives us the BIG GET. THE REASON to take care of our bodies and YES to
deny our flesh the freedom to have whatever IT wants – and that’s a HUGE list that
goes way beyond twinkies, cigarettes, booze and broads…

But I discipline my body and I keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself
should be disqualified.

In that ONE POWERFUL STATEMENT, we find the ultimate MOTIVATION for disciplining our flesh,
and taking care of our bodies: What we do with the temple of the Holy Spirit MATTERS in the
lives of other people.

We have an OBLIGATION. We are not our own. We were bought with a price. You and I
owe our flesh NOTHING. But we owe our God EVERYTHING.

How do we walk that out in a way that is GLORIFYING TO GOD? We put to death those
things about our flesh that:

1. Compromise our WITNESS.

What is it that others SEE YOU DO that could compromise your witness? Why is that
important?

Like it or not, if you are a Christ-follower, people around you are watching you, to see
what a Christ-follower looks like and acts like. Their eternal destination may hang on
the opinion they develop about God, by watching your life. That’s HUGE motivation.
Not only are they watching, but they’re listening, too. Disciplining our bodies isn’t just
about sit-ups and aerobics. James says if we control our tongues, we can control our
WHOLE body.

And, we put to death in our bodies those things that:

2. Prematurely shorten our RACE.

 God has a RACE for EACH OF US to RUN. God has PEOPLE for EACH OF US to REACH.
WE don’t know the day or the hour of our own departure from this life, but we CAN
and SHOULD take positive steps to ensure we don’t HASTEN OUR DEPARTURE through
our own actions.

Maybe for you it’s about how cut you are, or how you look in a bikini. Great.
Whatever works to keep you alive. You have places to go, people to influence, a
world to win for Christ. What kind of shape you are in physically will bear on your ability
to execute God’s plan for your life. THAT’S why he wants us healthy. Pretty is just a
side-benefit.

DESIRE & POWER: GOD has a part and WE have a part:

Phil 2:12-13
Work out your salvation with fear and trembling…

We have to WORK OUT that’s our part.

For God is working in you giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

That’s God’s part.

“But I don’t FEEL the desire and power exactly coursing through my being, you know?”

Are you WORKING OUT?

When you and I become FULL of the SPIRIT…THEN…we have the DESIRE and the POWER to
do what pleases God.

But just because we have the DESIRE (I really WANT to) and the POWER (I really CAN) to put
to death the deeds of the body, doesn’t make it AUTOMATIC. We have to take ACTION!

God is working in your SPIRIT. And when we get FULL of the SPIRIT of God, and we act on the
desire and power to please God (that He’s already provided) things CHANGE. We change.

And what God has done on the INSIDE, becomes evident on the OUTSIDE. What marks a
follower of Christ is a CHANGED LIFE. And it’s a life that CONTINUES to CHANGE as we GROW
in the knowledge of God’s will.
 HEALTHY HABITS Week Three Questions
Use these discussion questions
in your small group

1. On Sunday Pastor Gene, referencing 1Corinthians 9.27, made the following statement:

Like it or not, if you are a Christ-follower, people around you

are watching you, to see what a Christ-follower looks like and
acts like. Their eternal destination may hang on the opinion
they develop about God, by watching your life. That’s HUGE
motivation.

a. Please share with the group your thoughts on this statement.

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Do you feel that maintaining your physical health has an eternal impact on those in your
circle of influence? Please explain your answer.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

3. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 the Apostle Paul teaches that our bodies are the dwelling of
God’s Spirit. How does this truth affect the way you look at your body?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

4. In the video we watched on Sunday, Natalie shared 3 steps in developing healthy habits.
What were these steps and how would you apply them to your life?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Fill in the blank:

5. Through being a part of the Healthy Habits series at Crossroads I learned

_______________________________________________________________ .

6. Because of what I learned in this series I have made a decision to

_______________________________________________________________________________________.

Connecting Point A personal note from Pastor Gene

I hope and trust you have chosen to allow this teaching series to be relevant and meaningful
in your own life. I encourage you to apply some of the simple principles we shared and
continue to grow in your spiritual journey.

May you DECIDE to honor the gift of life God has given you by caring for your Holy Spirit
temple in such a way that you become a CREDIBLE WITNESS for Christ.

May you glorify God in WORD and DEED as you learn what a truly POWERFUL WITNESS your
own life is.

And may you begin TODAY, to take steps that will put you on the road to a long, productive
and HEALTHY life as you WORK OUT your salvation, while God WORKS IN you, giving you the
DESIRE and the POWER to truly do what pleases him.

Be sure to sign up for ROADIES 101 if you haven’t and ROADIES 201 if you have. It’s going to
be a great series of classes! And don’t miss Crossroads 5th Beach, BBQ and Baptism this
Sunday at 3PM. Over 20 people have already signed up to go public with their faith through
Baptism. I can’t wait!

Here’s what’s coming up in October:

OCT 3rd: “REVEAL” (Everything you always wanted to know about Baptism!)
OCT 10: “10-10-10” (A plethora of Top Ten lists from life, TV and, you know…God!)
OCT 17: “MONSTERS INSIDE ME” (A new 3-week series about…US!)