Houston
Congregational Christian Church
Pastor James Manuel
4883 Russia-Houston Road
Houston, OH 45333
Phone: 937-295-3591
Email:
click here
Date: March 8, 2009
Title: It Is Well With My Soul
Call to Worship: Psalm 62:5
Scripture Reading: Luke 12:16-21
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable unto You O Lord on this Your day.
It is well with my Soul. According to Webster Soul is the nonphysical part of a human that controls their thinking, feeling and actions. A person’s essential self, that part of a person that is eternal.
How is your soul? What about the value people today place on their immortal soul? You see when we don’t know Jesus we make choices as though this life were all we have. When in reality this life is just the introduction to eternity. How we live this brief span determines where we will spend our eternal state. You see what we accumulate on earth has no value in purchasing eternal life. All our possessions, wealth, social or civic honors cannot earn us entrance into Heaven.
The human soul is a priceless treasure, it’s the real you. In fact the Bible teaches us that your soul is more valuable than the whole world. Jesus tells us in Matt. 16:26, ‘What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?’ Yet many people sell their souls for what surely are petty bargains that only last for a little while.
We are more than just material beings as science and psychology has proposed. The Bible teaches us that we are body, soul and spirit. Ephesians 4:4, ‘There is one body and one Spirit.’ We also see that a great price was paid for the soul, but not in earthly sense. We see in 1 Peter 1:18-19 that, ‘You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.’
The Eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, allowed Himself to be killed on a cross 2000 years ago for your soul. His death pays the penalty for the sins of those who believe on Him by Faith. Eph. 2:8 says, ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through Faith.’ Jesus didn’t stay dead though for on the third day He came back to life and is now sitting at the right hand of God waiting for you to call to Him for forgiveness. My friends God is urging us to not neglect the most precious possession you have----your Soul---by failing to believe the Good News of Jesus’ death and Resurrection. Just as the man in the parable _______ read today neglected and lost his soul. My friends it is possible for you to lose your soul forever.
Let’s look at 3 reasons this man and some people today will lose their soul in the end. First of all because of their wrong ambitions, look at what the rich man thought in Luke 12:17-18, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. Then he said, I know, I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones to store all my grain and goods.’
You see this man’s life was focused on pursuing the comforts of this life and not on pursuing God. My friends you can lose your soul in the quest for riches. You can lose your soul in the quest for the passing pleasures of sin. You were created to pursue a relationship with God. Riches or sin can never satisfy your soul. Matt. 6:33 tells us that we are to, ‘Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these thing will be given to you.’ In the parable God called this man a fool. He had gained great wealth and possessions but was poor toward God.
Second reason he lost his soul was because of his wrong attitude as Luke 12:19 tells us, ‘And I’ll say to myself, You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy, eat—drink—and be merry.’ You see this man’s heart was filled with pride and self reliance---he thought of himself as a self made man. You can lose your soul because of pride. You can lose your soul because of self reliance.
Someone once said that if you insist on being the pilot of your soul you will crash onto the rocks to your own destruction. Therefore humble yourself before God today by coming to the Cross. Let Jesus take the helm. He’ll bring you to a safe harbor. Jesus tells us in Matt. 11:29, ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your soul.’
Then the 3rd reason he lost his soul was because of wrong assumptions he made as Luke 12:20 tells us, ‘But God said to him---you fool. This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ You see this man made the assumption that he would be around to enjoy all his wealth and possessions, not knowing that this very night would be his last.
James 4:14 tells us, ‘Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.’ My friends Life is short no matter how many years we live. Don’t be deceived into thinking that you have lots of remaining time to live for Christ, to enjoy your possessions. Live for God today. Then no matter when your life ends you will have fulfilled God’s plan for you.
You see you can lose your soul by waiting for---just the right time. You can lose your soul by taking time to sow your wild oats. Most of don’t realize that we are all just one breath away, one heartbeat away, or one accident away from eternity. No one is ever prepared for that moment until they have made peace with God.
Don’t be like the rich man and be a fool and lose your immortal soul by failing to respond to God’s offer of Eternal Life through Jesus Christ. For you see we are all pilgrims in this journey through life. If God sees fit we may live to be 70, 80, 90 or even older. But Jesus wants us to think----What is that---in Light of FOREVER. My friends there is a God in Heaven that loves you, so much in fact that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for you. Remember Psalm 62:5 tells us to, ‘Find rest, O my Soul, in God alone, my hope comes from Him.’
It Is Well With My Soul. It is well, It Is Well With My Soul.