I WOULDN’T GIVE THE WORLD FOR IT 23 MAR 2016

I WOULDN’T GIVE THE WORLD FOR IT: The Value of One’s Soul. A message on keeping the divine before us to get the supreme perspective we need to make good choices.

APPROACH TO LIFE. Mohammed overthrew the World powers by the sword. Confucius had the World power structure’s blessing & support. Christ did neither; Christ came to save souls. Christ exposed the World Powers & cared less if the vanity of the World supported him. But he didn’t curse the darkness, instead he modeled to his disciples a better way, a higher spiritual way that would line your soul up with the loving, caring God of the Universe, who, by the way, was the one who uniquely created your soul. As it is written, “For God sent not his Son into the World to condemn the World; but that the World through him might be saved.”(A)

THE SOUL. The aborigines of Australia know about the pre-existent soul & how it survives a person. The Greek philosophers like Plato studied the soul. And the ancient religions, like the Egyptians with their “ka”(soul), and the Hindus with their “jiva” (soul), taught about it leaving the body at death. As inertia is to mass, as thoughts & the mind are to the brain, so is the soul to the body. No one can see inertia, nor can one see the mind or the soul, but they are concepts that have been universally accepted. It has only been in modern times that men have denied their Creator’s existence & the existence of their own soul. But how important is this divinely created soul?? Christ asked, “What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”(B) Economics is the study of choices, and Christ asks the absolutely most important economic question, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul??”(C)

PRIORITIES. We may take care of the urgent, & neglect what is vitally important. Christ taught about a carnal, unspiritual man who put all his energy into building bigger buildings, and focused merely on eating, drinking & having a great time. “But God said unto him, ‘Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which you have provided?’ So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”(D) To be spiritually rich, we are to be kind as God is kind, perfect as God is perfect, and holy as God is holy.(E)

THE SOUL’S ENEMIES. The Word written by the Psalmist says, “…the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul…”(F) Later, these powerful violent men are described more indepth: “For we wrestle not against flesh & blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this World, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”(G) And these powers have sent out false prophets that hunt & devour souls. (H) One of the causes of fear is the fear of the unknown—fear of what might happen. Christ takes all the mystery out of things. He flat out tells his disciples that they will be persecuted & attacked.(I) No need to fear the unknown. In MT chapter 10, as he sends his disciples out to proclaim the truths he has taught them, he tells them there are human wolves out there, but nonetheless broadcast the truth. In the chapter he gives 16 reasons to tell the truth without fear. The first reason is that those who refuse the truth, from God’s viewpoint are like the dust one wipes off one’s shoes. The 9th reason is that the worst that they can do is take your life, but they can’t take your soul if it belongs to God. So do not fear death. In fact, Christ repeats three times “’fear not”.(J) “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”(K) The death of the body is not the death of the soul. You can trust God even in death. “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?”(MT 8:26)

SOWING IN TEARS, REAPING IN JOY. If you would have pure peace for your soul, and perfect fellowship, you must throw away all the distractions and keep your eyes in faith on the loving Creator. There is no peace for the wicked. Christ valued your soul, will you?? Will you make it a priority??

(A) JN 3:17 (B) MK 8:37 (C) MK 8:36 (D) LK 12:20-21 (E) kind as God-EPH 4:32; perfect as God-MT 5:48; & holy as God is holy-1 PTR 1:15-16 (F) PS 86:14 (G) EPH 6:12 (H) EZ 22:5 cf. 13:18 (I) MT 10:16-23 (J) MT 10, 26, 28, 31 (K) MT 10:28, and it states God killed both soul & body to the Assyrians in ISA 10:18