Why A Health Reform

Message ?
Presented by
Ev. Eleazar C. Obure
 What Reforms?
 Diet
 Dress
 Work
 Sabbath keeping
 Recreation
 Call to leave the cities
 Use of Drugs in the treatment of the Sick
 Music
 Use of Drama
 Evangelistic efforts for church growth
 Educational methods
 Seven Reasons

1. To glorify God
2. To enable God to honor, exalt, and glorify His
people
3. To lessen suffering
4. To test the love, loyalty, and obedience of
God’s people
5. To enable God to answer the prayer for the
sick
6. To serve as an entering wedge for evangelism
7. To prepare a people for the Second Coming of
Christ
 Healing The Withered Hand

Luke 6:6-11
6 And it came to pass also on another
sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and
taught: and there was a man whose right hand
was withered.
7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him,
whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that
they might find an accusation against him.
8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the
man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and
stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood
forth.
9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask
you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath
days to do good, or to do evil? to save life,
or to destroy it?
10 And looking round about upon them
all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy
hand. And he did so: and his hand was
restored whole as the other.
11 And they were filled with madness;
and communed one with another what
they might do to Jesus.
 1. To Glorify God
1 Cor 6:20
For ye are bought with a price: therefore
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which
are God's.

Only one lease of life is granted us; and the

inquiry with every one should be, "How can I
invest my powers so that they may yield the
greatest profit? How can I do most for the
glory of God and the benefit of my fellow
men?" For life is valuable only as it is used for
the attainment of these ends. {CD 15.1}
Our first duty toward God and our
fellow beings is that of self
development. Every faculty with
which the Creator has endowed us
should be cultivated to the highest
degree of perfection, that we may be
able to do the greatest amount of
good of which we are capable...
Hence that time is spent to good
account which is used in the
establishment and preservation of
physical and mental health. We
cannot afford to dwarf or cripple any
function of body or mind. As surely
as we do this, we must suffer the
consequences. {CD 15.2}
2. To Enable God To Honor And Exalt
His People
Deut 4:5-8
5 Behold, I have taught you statutes
and judgments, even as the LORD my God
commanded me, that ye should do so in
the land whither ye go to possess it.
6 Keep therefore and do them; for this
is your wisdom and your under-
standing in the sight of the nations,
which shall hear all these statutes, and
say, Surely this great nation is a wise and
understanding people.
7 For what nation is there so
great, who hath God so nigh unto
them, as the LORD our God is in all
things that we call upon him for?
8 And what nation is there so
great, that hath statutes and
judgments so righteous as all this
law, which I set before you this day?
Zech 8:22-23
22 Yea, many people and strong nations
shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in
Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.
23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In
those days it shall come to pass, that ten
men shall take hold out of all languages of
the nations, even shall take hold of the
skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will
go with you: for we have heard that God is
with you.
 3. To Lessen Suffering

Job 1:10
Hast not thou made an hedge
about him, and about his house, and
about all that he hath on every side?
thou hast blessed the work of his
hands, and his substance is
increased in the land.
1 Pet 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because
your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour:
The Lord has let His light shine upon
us in these last days, that the gloom
and darkness which have been
gathering in past generations
because of sinful indulgence, might
in some degree be dispelled, and
that the train of evils which have
resulted because of intemperate
eating and drinking, might be
lessened. {CD 22.2}
Intemperance saps the energies of
both mind and body. He who is thus
overcome, has placed himself upon
Satan's ground, where he will be
tempted and annoyed, and finally
controlled at pleasure by the enemy
of all righteousness. (1890) C.T.B.H.
75{CD 22.4}
4. To Test The Love, Loyalty, and
Obedience of God’s People

Rom 12:1
I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that
ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.
John 3:19-21
19 And this is the
condemnation, that light is come into
the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds
were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil
hateth the light, neither cometh to the
light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to
the light, that his deeds may be made
manifest, that they are wrought in God.
When persons are spoken to on the
subject of health, they often say, "We
know a great deal better than we do."
They do not realize that they are
accountable for every ray of light in
regard to their physical well-being, and
that their every habit is open to the
inspection of God. Physical life is not to be
treated in a haphazard manner. Every
organ, every fiber of the being, is to be
sacredly guarded from harmful
practices. (1900) 6T 372 {CD 19.2}
The time of ignorance God winked
at, but as fast as light shines upon
us, He requires us to change our
health-destroying habits, and place
ourselves in a right relation to
physical laws. {CD 19.3}
 A Struggle
Only when we are intelligent in
regard to the principles of healthful
living, can we be fully aroused to
see the evils resulting from improper
diet. Those who, after seeing their
mistakes, have courage to change
their habits will find that the
reformatory process requires a
struggle and much perseverance;
But when correct tastes are once
formed, they will realize that the use
of the food which they formerly
regarded as harmless, was slowly
but surely laying the foundation
for dyspepsia and other diseases.
{CD 24.1}
 5. To Enable God To Answer The
Prayer Of Faith For The Sick

John 15:7
If ye abide in me, and my
words abide in you, ye shall ask what
ye will, and it shall be done unto
you.
 CD 26.1
God will not work a miracle to keep those
from sickness who have no care for
themselves, but are continually violating
the laws of health, and make no efforts to
prevent disease. When we do all we can
on our part to have health, then may we
expect that the blessed results will follow,
and we can ask God in faith to bless our
efforts for the preservation of health.
He will then answer our prayer, if His
name can be glorified thereby. But
let all understand that they have a
work to do. God will not work in a
miraculous manner to preserve the
health of persons who are taking a
sure course to make themselves
sick, by their careless inattention to
the laws of health. {CD 26.1}
Those who will gratify their appetite,
and then suffer because of their
intemperance, and take drugs to
relieve them, may be assured that
God will not interpose to save health
and life which is so recklessly
periled. The cause has produced the
effect...
 CD 26.2
Many, as their last resort, follow the
directions in the word of God, and request
the prayers of the elders of the church for
their restoration to health. God does not
see fit to answer prayers offered in behalf
of such, for He knows that if they should
be restored to health, they would again
sacrifice it upon the altar of unhealthy
appetite. {CD 26.2}
6. To Serve As An Entering Wedge In
Evangelism
When properly conducted, the health work
is an entering wedge, making a way for
other truths to reach the heart. When the
third angel's message is received in its
fullness, health reform will be given its
place in the councils of the conference, in
the work of the church, in the home, at
the table, and in all the household
arrangements. Then the right arm will
serve and protect the body.--
Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 327. (1900) {CM
131.3}
Much of the prejudice that prevents, the
truth of the third angel's message from
reaching the hearts of the people, might
be removed if more attention were given
to health reform. When people become
interested in this subject, the way is often
prepared for the entrance of other truths.
If they see that we are intelligent with
regard to health, they will be more
ready to believe that we are sound in Bible
doctrines. {CTBH 121.3}
 7. To Prepare A People For The
Coming Of Christ

James 1:4
But let patience have her perfect
work, that ye may be perfect and
entire, wanting nothing.
Higher than the highest human
thought can reach is God's ideal for
His children. Godliness--
godlikeness--is the goal to be
reached.-- Education, p. 18.
“ And God said, Let Us make man in
Our image, after our likeness ….so
God created man in His own image,
in the image of God created He
him; male and female created He
them.” Genesis 1:26,27
“ All heaven took a deep and joyful
interest in the creation of the world
and of man. Human beings were a
new and distinct order.” Review
& Herald, vol. 4, p. 380
“ Man was the crowning act of the
creation of God, made in the image
of God, and designed to be a
counterpart of God; but Satan has
labored to obliterate the image of
God in man, and to imprint upon him
his own image.” Review & Herald,
vol. 3, p. 265
“ No other creature that God has
made is capable of such improve-
ment, such refinement, such
nobility as man….. Man cannot
conceive what he may be and what
he may become. Through the Grace
of Christ he is capable of constant
mental progress.” Maranatha p.
229
 A Fatal Mistake

Gen 3:6
And when the woman saw that
the tree was good for food, and that
it was pleasant to the eyes, and a
tree to be desired to make one wise,
she took of the fruit thereof, and did
eat, and gave also unto her husband
with her; and he did eat.
 The Result

Adam was shown that while the sacrifice

of Christ would be of sufficient value to
save the whole world, many would choose
a life of sin rather than of repentance and
obedience. Crime would increase
through successive generations, and the
curse of sin would rest more and more
heavily upon the human race, upon the
beasts, and upon the earth.
The days of man would be shortened by
his own course of sin; he would
deteriorate in physical stature and
endurance and in moral and
intellectual power, until the world would
be filled with misery of every type.
Through the indulgence of appetite and
passion men would become incapable of
appreciating the great truths of the
plan of redemption. PP 67
 God’s Solution
Sin has marred and well-nigh
obliterated the image of God in man.
It was to restore this that the plan
of salvation was devised, and a
life of probation was granted to
man. To bring him back to the
perfection in which he was first
created, is the great object of life,--
the object that underlies every other.
CE 63
Thus the Lord, in His great mercy,
would show men the sacredness
of His law, and lead them, by their
own experience, to see the danger
of setting it aside, even in the
slightest degree. And the life of toil
and care which was henceforth to
be man's lot was appointed in love.
It was a discipline rendered
needful by his sin, to place a
check upon the indulgence of
appetite and passion, to develop
habits of self-control. It was a part
of God's great plan of man's recovery
from the ruin and degradation of sin.
PP 60
 He publishes his law and its
penalties, in order that all may
learn what is for their highest good.
He proclaims his law so distinctly,
and makes it so prominent, that it is
like a city set on a hill. All intelligent
beings can understand it if they will.
None others are responsible. CTBH
9
 For Moral Perfection

The law of ten commandments has

been lightly regarded by man; yet
the Lord will not come to punish the
transgressors of that law without
first sending them a message of
warning. CTBH 9. Hence the 3
angels’ messages of warning!
Revelation 14:6-12
For Physical Health And Keen Mental
Discernment

Our heavenly Father sees the

deplorable condition of men who,
many of them ignorantly, are
disregarding the principles of
hygiene. And it is in love and pity to
the race that he causes the light to
shine upon health reform.
Thus, health reform is one branch
of the great work which is to fit a
people for the coming of the
Lord. It is as closely connected
with the third angel's message as
the hand is with the body.
Men and women cannot violate
natural law by indulging depraved
appetite and lustful passions, without
violating the law of God.
Therefore he has permitted the light
of health reform to shine upon us,
that we may realize the
sinfulness of breaking the laws
which he has established in our very
being.
 It is as truly a sin to violate the
laws of our being as it is to break
the ten commandments. To do
either is to break God's laws. Those
who transgress the law of God in
their physical organism, will be
inclined to violate the law of God
spoken from Sinai.
 {CD 17.3}
To make natural law plain, and to
urge obedience to it, is a work that
accompanies the third angel's
message. CTBH 9
Ignorance is no excuse now for
the transgression of law. The light
shines clearly, and none need be
ignorant, for the great God Himself is
man's instructor. {3T 161,162}
All are bound by the most sacred
obligations to heed the sound
philosophy and genuine
experience which God is now giving
them in reference to health reform.
He designs that the subject shall be
agitated, and the public mind
deeply stirred to investigate it;
For it is impossible for men and
women, with all their sinful, health-
destroying, brain-enervating habits,
to discern sacred truth, through
which they are to be sanctified,
refined, elevated, and made fit
for the society of heavenly angels in
the kingdom of glory. {3T 162.1}
Early Writings, p.71-- I also saw
that many do not realize what they
must be in order to live in the sight
of the Lord without a high priest in
the sanctuary through the time of
trouble. Those who receive the seal
of the living God and are protected in
the time of trouble must reflect the
image of Jesus fully.
Christ is waiting with longing desire
for the manifestation of Himself in
His church. When the character of
Christ shall be perfectly
reproduced in His people, then He
will come to claim them as His own.
{COL 69.1}
 Summary

I have been shown that the principles that

were given us in the early days of the
message are as important and should be
regarded just as conscientiously today as
they were then. There are some who have
never followed the light given on the
question of diet. It is now time to take
the light from under the bushel, and let it
shine forth in clear, bright rays. (1909) 9T
158-160.
 Example Of John The Baptist
John was to go forth as Jehovah's
messenger, to bring to men the light
of God. He must give a new direction
to their thoughts. He must impress
them with the holiness of God's
requirements, and their need of His
perfect righteousness. Such a
messenger must be holy. He
must be a temple for the
indwelling Spirit of God.
In order to fulfill his mission, he must
have a sound physical constitution, and
mental and spiritual strength. Therefore it
would be necessary for him to control
the appetites and passions. He must be
able so to control all his powers that he
could stand among men as unmoved by
surrounding circumstances as the rocks
and mountains of the wilderness. {DA
100.3}
In the time of John the Baptist,
greed for riches, and the love of
luxury and display had become
widespread. Sensuous pleasures,
feasting and drinking, were
causing physical disease and
degeneracy, benumbing the spiritual
perceptions, and lessening the
sensibility to sin.
John was to stand as a reformer. By
his abstemious life and plain
dress he was to rebuke the excesses
of his time. Hence the directions
given to the parents of John,--a
lesson of temperance by an angel
from the throne of heaven. {DA
100.4}
 In preparing the way for Christ's
first advent, he was a
representative of those who are
to prepare a people for our
Lord's second coming. The world
is given to self-indulgence. Errors
and fables abound. Satan's snares
for destroying souls are multiplied.
All who would perfect holiness in
the fear of God must learn the
lessons of temperance and self-
control. The appetites and passions
must be held in subjection to the
higher powers of the mind.
This self-discipline is essential to that
mental strength and spiritual insight
which will enable us to understand
and to practice the sacred truths of
God's word. For this reason
temperance finds its place in the
work of preparation for Christ's
second coming. {DA 101.2}
 The Promised Reward
Christ had been the guide and
teacher of ancient Israel, and He
taught them that health is the
reward of obedience to the laws
of God. Christ gave to Israel
definite instruction in regard to their
habits of life, and He assured them,
"The Lord will take away from thee
all sickness."
When they fulfilled the conditions,
the promise was verified to them.
"There was not one feeble
person among their tribes." {CD
121.1}
 Health, life, and happiness are the
result of obedience to physical laws
governing our bodies. If our will and way
are in accordance with God's will and way;
if we do the pleasure of our Creator, He
will keep the human organism in good
condition and restore the moral,
mental, and physical powers in order
that He may work through us to His glory.
Constantly His restoring power is
manifested in our bodies. If we
cooperate with Him in this work,
health and happiness, peace and
usefulness, are the sure results. --
MS 151, 1901. (1BC 1118.) {2MCP
648.2}
 Seven Reasons

1. To glorify God
2. To enable God to honor, exalt, and glorify His
people
3. To lessen suffering
4. To test the love, loyalty, and obedience of
God’s people
5. To enable God to answer the prayer for the
sick
6. To serve as an entering wedge for evangelism
7. To prepare a people for the Second Coming of
Christ
The End