Sermons Notes

Each of us is a soul. The soul speaks of the whole of who we are.

Thomas More (Care of the Soul): The great malady ... implicated in all of our troubles and affecting us individually and socially, is 'loss of soul.' When soul is neglected, it doesn't just go away; it appears symptomatically in obsession, addictions, violence, and loss of meaning. Our temptation is to isolate these symptoms or to try to eradicate them one by one; but the root problem is that we have lost our wisdom about the soul, even our interest in it.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Mark 12:30

1. Listen to your life.

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Matthew 16:26

No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day. Luke 9:62 The Message

2. Mind your spirit.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Psalm 42:5

I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Job 7:11

Let The Bible Address Your Spirituality:

1. Am I weary of spiritual things?

   They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Matthew 23:4

2. Am I proud and judgmental?

   They love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues. Matthew 23:6

3. Am I open to people?

   They love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have men call them 'Rabbi.' Matthew 23:7

4. Am I faking my spirituality?

   Woe to you, teachers of the law & Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup & dish, but inside they are full of greed & self-indulgence. Matthew 23:25

   Everything they do is for men to see. Matthew 23:5

   Abstain from evil desires, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11

5. Am I measuring my spirituality with a surface system?

   You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. Matthew 23:24

Gordon MacDonald: Where are you with God these days?

3. Nourish your soul.

My soul finds rest in God alone. Psalm 62:1

Eugene Peterson: I don't want to live as a parasite on the first-hand spiritual life of others.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest... for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28, 29

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you. Psalm 63:1

1. Find a safe place to find out who God is.
2. Make time to hear what God says.
3. Build friendships to help you obey what God asks.

The New International Version is used unless otherwise noted.