The “Grace of God”Sugar in its various forms: the drug

of choice among Christians

The “Grace of God”

1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

The “Grace of God”

You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price.

Therefore honor God with your body.

We teach against sexual immorality, smoking & drinking…

but not about poor eating habits which ruin our health.

The “Grace of God”

For example…Some consequences of diabetes:Heart attackStrokeBlindnessAmputationsKidney failureEarly death

The “Grace of God”

1 Corinthians 6:12a “‘everything is permissible for me’

Mark 7:19 For it doesn't go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

The “Grace of God”

1 Corinthians 6:12a “‘everything is permissible for me’

—but not everything is beneficial.

The “Grace of God”

12b ‘Everything is permissible for me’—

but I will not be mastered by anything.

13 ‘Food for the stomach and the stomach for food’—but God will destroy them both.”

The “Grace of God”

Therefore we must not be mastered by food.

We must not be addicted to unhealthy foods, especially to sugar in its various forms.

They destroy God’s property.Illustration…

Many Christians lack self-control

2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;

Many Christians lack self-control

6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness…

Many Christians lack self-control

8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The true grace of God

There are of course worse sins than poor eating habits.

But Paul taught us to…“Aim for perfection…” (2 Corinthians 13:11)

Many Christians lack self-control

It is fine to enjoy God’s provision, but not to be mastered by or addicted to that which does harm to God’s temple.

A license for immorality

Jude 4a For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.

A license for immorality

Jude 4b They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality 

and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

A license for self-deception

According to one expert, the intake of sugar into the body puts its defenses to "sleep" and thus can allow disease to enter unchallenged.

A license for self-deception

Eating foods produced from sugar gives us a pleasant feeling of well-being---a deceptive, sugar-induced nirvana.

A license for self-deception

 In a similar way, the "grace" of God as popularly taught has put the Church to sleep and allowed the enemy to come into our midst practically unchallenged.

A license for self-deception

The sugar-coated, feel-good, God-bless-me gospel we are fed today is turning us into the lukewarm, self-deceived Church of Laodicea.

A license for self-deception

You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. (Revelation 3:17)

The true grace of God

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

The true grace of God

12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions,

and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

13 while we wait for the blessed hope--the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,

The true grace of God

Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die;

but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live…

Therefore by the Spirit let us put to death our flesh, and exercise self-control in our diet.

The true grace of God

Let us not allow our lives to be cut short by disease…

so that we fail to produce all the good fruit which God prepared in advance for us to bear…

and thus fall short in the eternal reward which the Lord has prepared for us.

A wonderful promise

Psalm 92:12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

13 planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.

A wonderful promise

14 They will still bear fruit in old age,

they will stay fresh and green…