Healthy Heart

Pastor Kelly

Healthy Habits • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

Romans 12:1–2

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healthy people do healhy things.

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Having a healthy heart is critical to outward health in other areas… all areas. If you are sick at heart, everything is in jeopardy because of it. If the roots on a tree are sick, the whole tree is sick so lets talk about some of the roots we each possess that affect us personally and then others around us.

37 percent of Americans have cardiovascular disease.34 percent of U.S. adults have hypertension, a major risk factors for stroke and heart disease.36 percent of American adults have prehypertension -- blood pressure numbers that are higher than normal, but not in the hypertension range yet.41 percent of the population will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks

Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life

Out of a pure heart flows pure, while out of a corrupt heart pours evil

New heart through the washing of the word

Proverbs 4:23 NIV

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

The question we must ask is… who holds your heart?

A hobby, job, relationship, habit, hurt? What holds our attention, takes our time, hoards our treasure?

Why not let the one who made our heart be the one who holds our heart?

What can I offer God? What is the greatest offering I can possibly give to the one who already has it all?

The Lord owns everything in all creation and can demand it’s perfect obedience at any time. The only thing God does not completely control is my free-will. The greatest gift any individual can give to God is themselves… body, soul and spirit given over to the Lord as an offering. This is the best offering you and I will ever give the Lord so we might as well do the best we can to make ourselves a good gift to the Lord!

We are going to be talking about healthy people doing healthy things for the next several weeks.

When the priest offered a lamb as an offering the Lord in the Old covenant worship, it had to be a perfect lamb without defect. In every way possible, to the best of man’s ability, the lamb was raised, protected and inspected to be the best offering that could be given to God. You and I are called to be an offering to the Lord so I think it wise that we too strive to be the best offering possible for the King!

Romans 12:1–2 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Some things that would keep us from being the best offering to the Lord

Sexual sin

Stealing

Lying

Coveting

Romans 6:13 NIV

Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.

Every part… Oh boy. But my imagination! My appetites! My things done in the dark!

Sexual sin

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NIV

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Live

The reason we should strive to be set apart is because we get to be royal priests! You and I are called to live above reproach so we can best identify with and present who God is to the world around us!

1 Peter 2:5 NIV

you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

I want to call you to good habits and away from bad habits!

The temptation is to fall back into old patterns, or habits.

The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations Habits

A bad habit is like a comfortable bed—easy to get into but hard to get out of.

Author unknown

1 Peter 1:14 NIV

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

1 John 2:15 NIV

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.

The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations Habits

First we build our habits; then our habits build us.

Author unknown

Ephesians 4:23 NIV

to be made new in the attitude of your minds;

Ephesians 4:22–24 NIV

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

eph 4 22

Deceitful desires are always lurking… waiting for someone to take the bait!

-Material goods will bring fulfillment

1 cor

The right relationship will bring me fulfillment

The right experience or thrill will bring me fulfillment

Ecclesiastes 1:8 NIV

All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 NIV

Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.

The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations Habits

Habits are chains that are too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.

Samuel Johnson

The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations Habits

A bad habit is like a comfortable bed—easy to get into but hard to get out of.

Author unknown

The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations Habits

First we build our habits; then our habits build us.

Author unknown

So work hard to set good habits in place to hold you up when the pressure is on!

The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations Habits, Spiritual

Failure to establish good spiritual habits will lead to poor spiritual health.

Author unknown

The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations Mind

It is not enough to have a good mind. The main thing is to use it well.

René Descartes

Psalm 37:4–5 NIV

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:

ps 37 4

But it’s so hard to wait for on the Lord! I want my pleasure now!

Isn’t that part of why our physical bodies are sick and out of shape? We want pleasure and we want it now! Then we get frustrated with God for not healing us right away!

We get frustrated when our comforts are challenged by the call of putting others first.

I want to see God move… according to my own design!

Why am I not healed right away?

-Maybe we only want to be healed so as to remove the obstacle keeping us from getting back to our comforts and pleasures!

Healthy living requires discipline of the body and mind. Self discipline is not a bad word! Saying no to the wrong thing is equalled by saying yes to the right thing. You and I should be living a life full of Yes’ and no’s.

But then there is the call of the twinkie! Eat me! I’m cheap, I’m plentiful, I’m ready to please… for now!

Get your heart healthy! Physically and spiritually,

This is church so I’m going to call you back to spiritual disciplines

To do:

Set a time to pray - talk to the Lord! -

I’m too busy!Too busy not to pray!

But I enjoy my

But the call of the pillow is strong

Read your Bible - Make no excuse- Washing of the Word of God = a shower. Don’t stink!

One year or Netflix

Facebook or the Good Book

Fellowship!

Grow Group or

Sunday Celebration or Spiritual deflation

Grow Group or

Be a part of your church in fellowship and works of service.

Never stop surrendering to Jesus and calling on Him to direct you and guide you according to his will!

Hebrews 4:5–7 NIV

And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.” Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

God’s desire for you - a heart of flesh

A healthy heart is flexible and fully functioning

Ezekiel 36:26 NIV

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

ezek 26 36

Practical Illustrations: Romans 7-112: Giving Christ Your All (Commitment)

Giving Christ Your All

COMMITMENT

Romans 12:1–2

(POSB, Note 2, point 1)

Why are our bodies so important to God? Because our bodies belong to Him.

Bob McAlister, who used to be on the staff of the governor of South Carolina, served as a volunteer with Prison Fellowship. Once when visiting Death Row, he saw a stomach-churning sight in a cell occupied by Ronald “Rusty” Woomer.

“Rusty, his face the color of chalk, was sitting on the floor—motionless,” Bob wrote. “Crawling aimlessly like so many drunks, dozens of roaches covered the wall and floor. But what froze my soul were the roaches crawling on the man—his lap, his shoulders—and such was his despair that he did not flick them off.”

This 35-year-old murderer of four innocent people, who was facing the inevitability of the electric chair, had sunk to the depths of hopelessness. Bob wasn’t sure how to react to this depressing scene. Finally, he pleaded: “Rusty, just say the name Jesus.” Slowly and painfully, with all the effort he could muster, the nearly comatose inmate whispered the name of the Savior of the world.

And then Bob began to explain to him how Jesus is the God of hope. It was clear that Rusty was paying attention. At the end, when Bob asked if he wanted to accept Christ’s offer of forgiveness, Rusty nodded. Through his tears, he prayed: “Jesus, I’ve hurt a lot of people. Ain’t no way that I deserve You to hear me, but I’m tired and I’m sick and I’m lonely. My mama’s died and she’s in heaven with You, and I never got to tell her bye. Please forgive me, Jesus, for everything I’ve done. I don’t know much about You, but I’m willing to learn, and I thank You for listening to me.”

Bob returned the following week: “I walked up to his cell; it was spotless,” he recalled. “Gone were the dirt and roaches and porno magazines. The walls were scrubbed, the bed was made, the scent of disinfectant hung in the air.” Rusty himself was smiling and enthusiastic. “Bob, I spent all weekend cleaning out my cell because I figured that’s what Jesus wanted me to do.”

Just as Christ’s love is unconditional, so must your surrender and commitment be. Your filth may not be as extreme as this prisoner’s was, but God expects you to clean up every area of your life as this man did!

1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

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