They That Know to Do but Don't Do (February 4, 2024)

The speaker discusses verses 47 and 48 from Luke 12 and emphasizes the importance of knowing and following God's will. They express concern about the decline in physical health within the church and urge listeners to make better choices regarding their overall health. The speaker encourages self-improvement and taking care of one's body as it is a temple of the Holy Spirit. They highlight the need for regular check-ups and maintenance to ensure good health. The speaker urges listeners to be a blessing rather than a burden by maintaining their physical well-being. So, as we look at Luke 12, verses 42 through 48, And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his Lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he comes, shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he has. But, and if that servant says in his heart, My Lord delays his coming, and shall begin to beat the men's servants, and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken, the Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looks not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in thunder, and will pour him his portion with the unbelievers. Key here, verse 47 and verse 48, And that servant which knew his Lord's will, knew, knew, knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few, few, few, few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required, and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. I ask you to pray with me, and let us pray for one another. I, Heavenly Father, we are so grateful this morning to be in fellowship with you and with with each other in your presence. Thank you, God, for saving us through your Son, Jesus Christ, and thank you for keeping us by the influence and the power of the Holy Spirit, who we pray that even now is coming alongside and is inside of us. Thank you, God, for your deliverance from every destructive and every evil scheme of the enemy. Thank you, God, for allowing us to have life, and life more abundantly. We thank you, God, for giving us wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that we may live a life that is according to your will, and not according to our own personal agenda. And not according to our own personal agenda. This morning, we thank you. Thank you, God. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, God, for even saving us from ourselves when we have put more on ourselves than we are able to bear. We pray, God, that this morning that you will bless the Word that has been read. We pray, God, that you allow that Word to penetrate our hearts, our minds, our souls, and even our bodies to live a more victorious life unto you, unto Jesus Christ, who is the author and the finisher of our faith. God, this morning, in the spirit of the hymn, God, draw us nearer. Draw us nearer, Lord. Lord, we want our wills, our wills to be lost in thine. Please draw us nearer. In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. This morning, again, I would like to focus on verses 47 and 48. It resonates so clearly to me now in this era of God's great revival, and I read it again to just draw our attention to it, and hopefully it is something that will carry us through the days to come. It's not going to be a one and done. I hope that the Holy Spirit brings it to our reflection and our recollection as we move better and not bitter. Verse 47 and 48 again, and that servant which knew his Lord's will and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required. And to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask them all. Often, as I'm doing what I do, I hear the voices, the teachings of my father, Daddy Mack, and my mother, Mama Delia. And Mama Delia often would say something to the effect. And all of y'all know her on a personal basis, know that she would have a way that she could touch you to remind you that your will hasn't been lost in His. And she would say something to the effect that they who know to do and don't do will be beaten with many stripes. And I was thinking about that over the last several days in light of things that have been happening and I was about to tell somebody something to the effect that, you know, the Bible says they that know to do and don't do will be beaten with many stripes. And I was like, I don't even know if that's a Bible verse. And the way that Mama Delia said it, of course, is not written in that vernacular, in that phrase, but we get very close to it. I'm sure that maybe what she was teaching us was being drawn out of verses 47 and 48. They who know to do and don't do will be beaten with many stripes. And this morning, family, I say this sincerely and genuinely because I love all of you and I'm so glad that we are on this call and we're able to be in this fellowship as God Himself is moving us to a more perfect union in the body of Christ. But I'm asking you with what she said to us, I'm asking each of you to consider where and how can we improve upon the choices that we are making in our lives and especially as it involves our overall health. And I believe that it has become apparent that we are seeing the manifestation of significant implosion of the body of Christ and in particular within the church of God by faith. We're seeing this implosion brick by brick, stone by stone, soul by soul. I don't know if anybody got a chance to look at what happened in New London a couple of weeks ago with a church that had been built in the 1800s. And that church that has been standing for such a long period of time imploded, imploded. I think that it was very symbolic of what is probably going on even with the ecclesia, those who have been called out as the sons and daughters of the Most High God. And unfortunately we are seeing far too many, far too many of our sisters and brothers leaving here at the hand of sicknesses and illnesses and maybe at times self-inflicted, self-imposed. And I want to caution us to living a life that is better and not bitter as we consider the choices that we're making with regards to what we are feeding our bodies. And I'm not certain, I'm not certain about all of the reasons behind why we're seeing so many of our brothers and sisters falling away, but I do wonder, I do wonder if some of what we see could it have been avoided if we would apply the knowledge and understanding that God has given us. You know, I've heard it said, I've read it that some would say that knowledge is power. I tend to disagree because if you know it, you don't apply it to your life. It's not power. It doesn't change a thing. They who know to do and don't do will be beat with many strikes. Sometimes we know what to do, but we're not doing. I'm concerned that if we're not careful, if we are not mindful, our bodies, our bodies, our bodies that are the temples of the Holy Ghost, if we're not careful, if we're not mindful, these ordained and anointed temples of the Holy Ghost will be neglected, neglected. And sometimes we're poisoning the temples of the Holy Ghost. And family, we just got to do better. We've got to do better. God has given us these precious tabernacles to be used for his purpose according to his time and to his will. And in this era of God's great revival, I would like for us to encourage ourselves and encourage one another to fortify our structural integrity within our own bodies and our minds that we can just do better. Hallelujah. According to God's time purpose and his will. What do we know to do, but we're not doing to strengthen the structural integrity of our bodies to practically, I'm not trying to be deep, but practically to have life and life more abundantly. You can have all the money that you think you're going to need, but if you don't have this temple running at its most optimum performance level, what good is the money if you're paying the money out to the doctors unnecessarily? What good is the money if you got to spend the money because you're in a nursing home? It's more than just the money. We need these bodies so that we can present them as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. He told Abram as he entered into a covenant with him, he said, Abram, in thee all of the families of the earth shall be blessed. We who are of the seed of Abram, the seed of Christ, within us, within these bodies, we become the conduits of God's blessings into the world. But if our structural integrity has been diminished and we become incapacitated, we lose, unfortunately, our ability to be a blessing and then we find ourselves being a burden. I just want to encourage us to become and maintain this place of being blessings as opposed to being burdens. It is so easy to neglect and ignore that the most important parts of our bodies are things that we can't even see with our own eyes. You know, we can go to the gym and that's okay. We can exercise and that's okay. We get our haircuts and we go to our barbers and we go to the salon and get our hair done. We can get the nails done and we can get the toes done. But the most important aspects of our bodies we can't even see. And I wonder if we're neglecting, investing into what we cannot see. We can't see the blood running warm through our veins. We can't see our heart beating. We can't see blood recirculating within the body. We can't see what's going on with our digestive system or with our lungs or what's going on in our brains. And we can't even see the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is there. We don't see God. God is there. We don't see Jesus. Jesus is there. The most important things that are going on is invisible to us, including what we can't see with our body. But just like we would take our cars for recommended maintenance, we need to take these bodies and get them checked out. Get it checked out by the doctors. Get it checked out by the dentist. Get your eyes checked out. Just to make sure that things are okay. And just in case, and just in case, if the doctors, if the dentist, if they find something, oh that's good to know because if they find something then that's where we can get things back on track. And yes, we can pray, but we need to obey. We need to obey too. We like to pray and we need to pray, but we should not use prayer as an excuse to not do anything. Faith without works is dead. Prayer without works is dead. And I sincerely believe that if we obeyed more, then we would pray less. You know, it's very simple to me. A lot of times we're praying for stuff and really what we're praying for in reality is just how not to be beat with the many stripes because they didn't know to do it, don't do it. A man will be beat with many stripes. So again, faith without diet is dead. Faith without exercise is dead. Faith without medical, dental, and vision examination and treatment is dead. Between God can heal and God has healed, we ought to be listening to what our doctors are saying. Hallelujah. And we should be taking advantage of, they say, hey, some medications that you need to be on. Take the medications between God can heal and God has healed. Get the exercise in. Eat right between God can heal and God has healed. We just got to be more diligent in what we eat. We got to be more diligent in drinking water. Let's add vegetables and fruits to our diet. I do want to share this because I'm so overwhelmed, if you will, with how we can be so neglectful when it comes to our bodies. And I came across an article that's written on the date of March the 3rd, 2022. The article, you can google this, it's entitled, Why Heart Disease is an Even Greater Threat to Black Adults. It's from Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. And let me read, as I hasten, heart disease is the leading cause of death for all Americans, regardless of race or ethnicity, but black adults are at greater risk than white adults and all other minorities in the United States. In 2018, black Americans were 30% more likely to die from heart disease than white Americans. Heart disease develops at a younger age in black women and men than in white adults. The most common conditions that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke in black women and men are hypertension, which is high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. So those three things, hypertension or high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. Black adults are 40% more likely to have high blood pressure than white adults. And for those who do, it's less likely under control. High blood pressure not only increases your risk of heart disease and stroke, it can cause irreversible damage to your heart, even before symptoms are noticeable. If you haven't had your blood pressure checked recently, do so as soon as possible. If you know your blood pressure is high, you should have it checked regularly, report any changes to your doctor. High blood pressure can be controlled by medication and small lifestyle adjustments, such as limiting your salt intake, eat a balanced diet, cut out processed foods, managing your stress, and getting regular exercise. Black Americans are disproportionately affected by obesity. In 2018, black adults were 1.3 times more likely to be obese than white adults. People who are overweight are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, high levels of fat in their blood, diabetes, and high levels of LDL cholesterol, which are all risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Improve your health by incorporating more fruits, vegetables, and lean meats into your diet. It's also important to eat less red meat and pure carbohydrate-rich foods, such as pasta and rice. Don't gloss over snacks and beverages. The amount of calories and processed sugars you can intake adds up quickly from the snacks and juices. Sodas, we need to let go of those sodas, y'all. Sodas and energy drinks you consume regularly. It's also important to maintain a modest exercise routine. That's exercise again, exercise, which can be as simple as taking a brisk 30-minute walk five times per week. Consider the forms of exercise in a sport or activity you really enjoy. And then, as it relates to diabetes, black adults are 60% more likely than white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes, a chronic disease that contributes to the narrowing and hardening of your arteries. Diabetes can lead to stroke and coronary artery disease, among other types of heart disease. In some cases, people avoid treatment in fear of potential complications. Again, regular exercise is essential for controlling diabetes and minimizing the risk of heart disease and stroke. In addition to following these steps, see your doctor regularly. They can monitor your health and help you fine-tune new habits as you begin to make strides in the right decision. Leading a healthier, more mindful life can slow or even reverse the progression of heart disease. One thing about this article, and this is the last paragraph, it discusses outside influences. And it says this, many black Americans and other underserved groups experience disparities in access to high-quality cardiovascular health care. According to a 2019 study, it has become increasingly clear that neighborhood, place of residence, and geography matter, and that community and neighborhood factors have a role in the disparities seen in cardiovascular outcomes. In other words, some factors that affect the heart health are beyond an individual's control. Efforts to reduce disparities and promote heart health, such as strategic partnerships between health systems and community leaders and minority neighborhoods have shown encouraging results. Most notably, the life expectancy gap between black people and white people is declining. In adults 65 and older, it's been almost entirely eliminated. I'd like to add that in terms of outside influence, I'm concerned that there's a bit of religious indoctrination that will lend to the fake news that we can plead the blood of Jesus over everything, including our own sinful decisions. There's so much great wisdom that God has given us through our medical health care providers that we simply are ignoring to our own peril. In James chapter 4 verse 17, we find a similar message by the half-brother of Jesus. And in James 4 and 17, the word recalls, therefore to him that knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin. If we want to talk about sin, family, let's talk about the sin of intentional arrogance. God is not anti-intellectual. God is not anti-medicine. God is not anti-health care. And we got to do more than just go to the olive oil and apply it on our forehead and think that everything is going to be all right. Matter of fact, maybe that's what we need to start using the olive oil as opposed to that other oil to cook with, right? Rather than just applying it to our bodies, maybe we should apply it to our diets. They that know to do and don't do are walking in intentional ignorance. And we who are the people, the sons and daughters of God, upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail. Unfortunately, we're seeing that the gates of hell is not prevailing, but what about our diets? Is our diets prevailing over the quality of our lives to live a life as Christ so intended, and a life more abundantly? In this hour of God's great revival, we are no longer family at liberty to ignore the obvious. We need to listen to what our bodies are telling us. God has given us signals. Even in our bodies there are signals that are telling us that everything is not going well, and we need to be paying more attention to the signals. Plot build-up around our teeth of gum are signs that things are not going well. Blurred vision is a sign that things are not going well. And I know that we are accustomed, especially in a Pentecostal tradition, we're accustomed to calling Jesus, but sometimes we need to call 9-1-1, especially when we are experiencing symptoms or seeing someone that's experiencing symptoms that could be the signs of a stroke or the signs of a heart attack. If you look at your phone and if you dial Jesus, it's 53787. But while we are calling 53787 calling 53787, maybe we need to be calling 9-1-1 too. If we feel discomfort in our chest, call 53787, but also call 9-1. If we feel discomfort in one or both of our arms or our backs or our stomachs, our neck, our jaws, call 53787, but call 9-1-1 too. If we feel shortness of breath, call 53787, but call 9-1-1. If we break out in a cold sweat, if we get lightheaded, if we experience nausea, call 53787, but call 9-1-1 too. I'm not sure, family, I'm not sure why there are so many who feel very compelled to care for others, but will not take care of themselves. With the same sincerity and intensity, people can serve the church, they can serve their jobs, they can serve the groups and organizations that they're members of. But when it comes to taking care of the true temple of the Holy Ghost, there is a tendency, it seems, to show gross neglect and abuse. And I'm not talking about for people who are outside of the church. I'm talking about people who are within the church. There's so much that we can do better. And it's unfortunate that we find ourselves that because of that neglect, we continue to see the signs of a structural integrity that is weakening. And family, we've got to do better. We've got to do better. And in fact, we keep seeing this. We keep seeing more and more of our sisters and our brothers succumbing to the pressures of life, stemming from high blood pressure, from obesity, from type 2 diabetes, from high cholesterol. That sometimes we will find ourselves where God has, you know, taken our bodies but have left us with our minds. And I just want to call our attentions just to do them better. Matter of fact, we're seeing that too many of our brothers and sisters did. We're seeing their lives cut short before the age of 70. What happened to 3 score and 10? That's what we were promised, 3 score and 10. And we are on this side, at 2024, on this side of the cross. Life gets better with Jesus Christ. Too often we're not even hitting 70. So what are we doing? What are we doing? What are we doing that is contributing to a decreased lifespan? Family, we've got to do better. And I just close with this. It's in Psalm 118, verse 17. I shall not die, but live and declare the works of Jehovah. It's at the dying that we should say, I shall not die. We've got to let it go. You know, all things are moderation, but some of the things where we're not moderate, we've got to let it go. And we've got to say at the poor, I shall not die. I shall not die. Let it go. At the fried foods, I shall not die. Let it go. The sweet teas, the sodas, I shall not die. Let it go. When we get to the table, that's when we need to say that the devil is a liar. At the table, at the restaurant, when we go to Publix, and Wendy's, and wherever we go, that's when we should say, I shall not die, but live and declare the works of Jehovah. I love this family, and I want to encourage us to move in a direction where we will fortify our structural integrity, that our wills be lost in the will of the Lord to do better, to eat better, to exercise better, to drink better, to live better. Amen.