The Value of the Soul (Part B)

It is amazing what God will do with somebody who says I am not working because he is telling the truth.

None of us are worthy, except except someone greater than us put a value on us and say you are worth cross demonstrates that you are Christian, you better watch it you think that you're not worthy crisis what you talking about you. Then I died for you for nothing. I need you to agree with me. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Jonah. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching.

Now here's Pastor Rick with the conclusion of his message called the value of the soul in Jonah chapter 3 when God created man, he created an extraordinary being.

It says in the Bible. He did all things well. He said let's make man in our own image to give him free will give him the ability to choose to love to feel the thing to reason on a level that was higher, far higher than any other animal you find some people boasting you know that they can get a dog to understand 70 or 80 words.

That's nothing compared to a human being is absolutely nothing. It's it's an indication that there is a creator, but it does not put them on the same level we are unlike anyone else in creation and Satan attacks fat soul. He attacks us, because God put so much into us. It has enraged him.

It is the seat of reason and that reasoning of the soul says where Madonna live forever and that's why it is spiritual. When you find a person who was otherwise especially when they are highly intelligent and they can reason through eternity.

There are finite there like Esau, they only see on the horizontal plane. Never the vertical. They don't look up. They think they do and they reject whatever others have to say about the spiritual realm. It's not enough to be intelligent.

You have to be spiritual. It's not enough to be spiritual. You've got to use your brains if you just spiritual in the being superstitious for falling for some live from hell but it's that combination. The ability to reason come let us reason God says in the ability to see into the spiritual realm. As Jacob saw the latter going into heaven, and the traffic between the two. Surely God is in this place and I knew it not.

How awesome is this place, the spiritual man was alive and Jacob. We don't read of that of Esau. We never read of the God of Esau. We read of the God of Jacob because Esau was strong enough to live this life without God. Nobody is strong enough to face God.

After this life without his salvation.

Therefore, the soul matters. The value of the soul is the most valuable thing that you have is you and it is your pastor's responsibility to stress this to make it clear from time to time in different ways were always hitting on it this morning we happened to be emphasizing Luke chapter 22 verse 19. Speaking of Jesus, he took bread, gave thanks and broke it and gave it to them, saying, this is my body which is given for you that you what is you your soul your existence who you are.

Do this in remembrance of me. Remember me in my death.

That's what he saying this wet resurrection Sunday have communion. It is a direct connection is a memorial service that includes not only the death but the victory the death of Christ is life to sinners. This is a big deal.

This is news.

Jesus said, remember my death. It was on your behalf.

And why is that because I love you you know you can tell a child over and over. I love you mom loves you, dad loves you after a while the registering with them. As in their formative years that we may later on the registers.

Most of the time. Many times, sometimes enforcement is a fight for it but doesn't register when someone says I love you and I mean it. You should know they mean it cannot again. Read Isaiah 53 because we would all be coasting to a roasting if it weren't for Jesus Christ and his cross.

Hopefully when I preach I preach things that are useful to God and men, that God can use I can benefit people because that's what Christ did and does to strengthen the save and to save the lost, because they are souls, and sometimes it appears that were more mindful of the spiritual world of the believer that we are around then we are around the unbeliever and I think that it should be no change the temperature of the environment stays the same. Dealing with souls in the presence of the maker of heaven and earth and studying the Bible. Mere knowledge can make the heart in different just learning things because it always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth and I said that about those who were up to no good but there are elements of that that apply to all. All of us. If we're not careful to just have another Bible study just constantly be taking and when do you digest it. The word of God is compared to food, Ezekiel and John were told take the book eat it consume it digested and if you don't, you're always learning but you never really coming into the knowledge you never really become useful.

It's all about you is nothing flowing out of you. Your you can develop almost a paranoia not learning anything hiding in the Bible message because it's all about you when should be about God, but with anointed biblical teaching that Closes now you've got something more, something that influences the heart that moves the soul like anything else value is determined by how much someone is willing to pay for. How much are you willing to pay to serve Christ which was Christ willing to pay to save us. We are supposed to be the ones that think these things through. We may not have the answers but in pursuit of the answer. There is development there is spiritual development that you would otherwise never get that a gold never gets you can get for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit, which are God's. They belong to God. Possessive apostrophe on that God you were bought at a price yet because man sold the kingdom's dominion. He sold it to Satan and is ended up on the auction block, God brought them back on Calvary and Golgotha, the place of the skull was a violent exchange, God's, and I'll pay for it and all have others suffer with me to help gain more sweat Christian suffer put Paul suffered by Paul and Krista covered to Christians. You must enter the kingdom's going to be suffering God is deputizing you and you going to experience what experience don't be surprised when bad things happen to good people. The world is cursed range of the just and the unjust. What he would do it. That's what it comes down to people watching people watching you in the workplace.

Once you say your Christian there is easy to prove to show up to work drunk that many unbelievers were shocked at your behavior and will hold you accountable to your confession and they would be right. Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by the tradition of your fathers is a sacred cow. Incidentally traditions of your father. There's something that they put an emphasis on the God did not. But with the precious blood of Christ. That's what redeemed us the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot redeemed from the slave block mankind was sold to back in the garden of Eden. The Bible starts in the garden it ends in the city in the new Jerusalem is a city. These are things for us to not dismiss proof is everywhere and only those who don't want Jesus to be Christ they miss it, but many of them don't want Jesus to be the Christ because their understanding of who Jesus is, is warped and unfortunately many times that twisted view of Christ is because of people who claim Christ.

I did not want to become a Christian before I became a Christian because of Christians. The kooky behavior that got that can't be God. God cannot want that. I don't want that God, if that's what he wants. Boy was I shocked to find out that wasn't what he wanted. Just because someone says I'm a Christian is not.

Go get a deal this is done really are.

Your Bible believing Christian.

Are you a self willed Bible believing Christian.

Are you and emotionally driven, as opposed to a spirit led Christian, you just do what you feel because you got the spirit brother would you listen to precept upon precept, line upon line, as we are commanded to do throughout the Scripture, we are left here sharing in the sorrows of life in this cursed world to help those who are ignorant about Christ is God and themselves before a holy God. Jonathan Edwards was a very intellectual Christian preacher and theologian, I don't agree with this much of his theology, but I don't dispute that he was very much in love with God and he preached a sermon that I think is an overrated sermon but not the title. I think the title is wonderful sinners in the hands of an angry God. Now how do you mean that do you mean that that you have this picture of God having sinners in his hands about the squash them. You mean that there in his hand and is trying to reach them by sending a Jonah to a Nineveh well house world going to learn these things we are left here to make it clearer to them to help the ignorant.

Not be so ignorant to stand against the devil's work, and against his captives because his captors do his work. Ezekiel chapter 13 therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh.

Behold, I am against your magic charms by which you hunt souls there like birds. I would tear them from your arms and let the souls go souls you hunt like birds you see the souls of people there real people just like me. We tend to watch other people suffer and thing will that them and we're just not part of this and that is of course not the whole story and you may not feel worth much to God. You may not feel worth much to other people. You may not feel worth much to yourself. Satan is messing with your head when Peter first saw one of the miracles of Christ. You know what he said, depart from me, for I am a sinful man oh Peter's response was I'm not worth it.

I'm not worthy John the Baptist shows I'm not worthy to untie shoes but I'm going anywhere. He is the Lord and he shall baptize you with fire when the Holy Spirit comes. So here's Peter say depart for me and the Lord's response was he just ignored the statement anyone on May Peter part of his group changed his name gave him a new nature. No identity, hand-picked man, Peter. Peter was a thorn in the flesh of the intellectuals is to this day. Of those who think that there he was a dumb fisherman like he doesn't even write well in the Greek if he writes at all. In the Greek and yet this man has his name inscribed on the foundational stones of the new city at the gate is amazing what God will do with somebody who says I am not worthy because it is telling the truth. None of us are worthy except except someone greater than us put a value on us and say you are worth it. The cross demonstrates that you are Christian, you better watch it you think that you're not worthy Christ is what you talking about using I died for you for nothing. I need you to agree with me no matter what you're going through.

I need you to desire to go to Nineveh if I called you to go to Nineveh second Corinthians chapter 3 verse five. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.

Paul says, look, I don't have anything, but I do have things that God has given me I have nothing of my own. Paul said this about his theological upbringing. All the things he learned in school about theology as I count them is gone. I got rid of all of them. I wipe the plate clean. I poured everything out so that Christ could refill me could rewrite everything in me just just say you were raised a Mormon and you became a Christian and a Mormon just go out of their way to make sure people knew they were Christians. They recently have tried to re-invent themselves of people would say okay. They are Christians. Is this deceptive.

That's why the change of name from Latter Day Saints, Newark, Latter Day Saints from Mormon and then LDS even more. Anyway this is all deceptive, but let's just say you came out of Mormonism you would have to count as dong everything you learned in that place is all corrupted is not trustworthy. Even if it was right. It's not trustworthy because it's mingled and so we come to Christ and he teaches us his way.

Not alone doesn't take us into the closet or out to the wilderness of Arabia.

That's that.

That was in the days of Paul. For Paul, and that alone was not how Paul Paul had other vehicles of learning also he is instituted his church. A blood bought assembly you know it's offensive when someone thinks that the church being blood bought is only the universal church.

It is the local church just as much if not more, because that's where the contact is that's where the rubber meets the road. Christ sends me to Nineveh's to just like he did Jonah, I don't have to behave like Jonah, I can just go deliver the message Christianity is life with the Savior. It is not an experiment. This explains apostates and most apostates they become vicious, more so than a regular unbeliever against the faith. I was learning about Icelandic people being the Ottomans coming and stealing them, berating the villages and enslaving them and one of the survivors writes that the apostates, the Icelandic or Christians from other places to that capitulated that renounce their faith to save their souls were the worst persecutors that they faced amongst the Ottomans and that is a fact. What how does a person become an apostate.

What is an apostate was someone who was in the faith, and then they rejected the faith because they were experimenting. Well, let's see if this Christianity will work the sea of God will heal listless of God will do this when they find out after a long all that it is our fight is a knockdown drag out fight that no one rejected as false, why because again to them. Christianity was, not life was an experiment.

They weren't loving what he loves Christ. That is, they were loving what Christ loved wanting what Christ wants a W Tojo says this speaking of our personal Nineveh was real Christianity has never been a hothouse plan of the guys the genius with the say things like that were not you save so we can be sheltered inside of a hothouse were supposed to be out growing amongst the thorns as it says in song of Solomon like a lily among thorns.

So is my beloved Jonah was sent to Nineveh, not Babylon. There's so many other places he could have been sent.

God chose Nineveh and God is to choose where you go. Also, you have no right to choose what church you go to without God you have no right to make decisions spiritual decisions without God. He is Lord. We all tend to lose some of this because so many things hit us, but we regroup we get back, and I find that a great many Christians. They get it without even being able to articulate it. Now you want to keep McAdoo more if we could see people more as souls than bodies, we could see them and more as souls than those who are offensive. I think that would change things for us. Remember, because of sin, man is either in a state of ruin or redemption is no other place your other right with God or you're not spiritual, your soul, you who you are not into deeds and things we get tangled up with every news headlines preaches the doctrine of sin there quite gleeful about this. I mean, why don't we want to watch the news because it's just all drag you down. They don't they don't tell you things like you know a Rick had another birthday he made another one. I let's rejoice.

It's always something bad as the saying goes. Nobody wants to hear that the plane landed safely all year. I do, I wouldn't mind that statistic every day as I many planes landed safely to deny the sin in mankind.

This is go to the beach and ask where is the sea is just blindness and stupidity mingled into one thing and we again are entrusted to address these things as well as Jonah. What we run from it for Jonah. It was racism didn't want the Ninevites say they were Jewish people. They want covenant that race of people needed to go to hell for us to be something else too busy to make family things going. Why do too many church things going. I may just be a whole bunch of things God expects us to figure this out to notice them do something about it when I read the Bible for the first time.

This presence of Jesus Christ was there in that prison said to me, nobody can think this stuff up. Nobody can make this up, this nothing like this anywhere else you read other stuff.

Have you found anything that has come close.

I had not so ice surrendered. Do we tell our souls about the world they have the same power to repent as we do is at a lost, we lose that detail. So my look.

I don't know what you got going on you be fighting with some sort of an addiction. You can be fighting for depression, you could be fighting unemployment.

You could be fighting health issues.

Still, the soul is the centerpiece of it all and what are you doing without going to wallow in which Satan is doing to you.

We will fight back. I hope you a fight with you not going to be easy. That's why it's a fight all fights a difficult fact we watch a boxing match of the guy gets knocked out of the first punches that I was a fight when his knockdown drag out or something else. Do we tell them the same power to repent is available and save them as Jonah was saved from the jaws of hell as Nineveh from the wrath of God where to make them think about their eternal state and am almost done Mark chapter 8 verse 37 what will a man give in exchange for his soul.

Well, a lot of people give stuff to consider that district spiritually. Ignorance of which is evil.

There are evil people will understand that were not to be naïve.

There are evil people and in their evil state. There's nothing we can do war against them, detect ourselves against them going around trying to put everybody in our original trashcan is a will is no longer trash is naïve and stupid and not true we are to be careful wise as serpents and harmless as dogs. What if God never let us repent. I get scared just when I typed that I got scared. What if God says you're done. There's no heaven for you just live through this difficult life and parish, but he does not Jonah. Again, chapter 3, verse one. Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah a second time. That's God.

He gives us another chance that his grace do we do that or we too legalistic and high-minded. I hope not.

There are things that God will only give an answer to prayer. There are some things he will not give. Unless you ask for it was James that you don't have is you. You don't ask when you ask you ask Ms. well that's in the story of Jonah. Salvation is one of Jonah was trapped in the beach. What would've happened if he never made that prayer that was found in Jonah chapter 2.

Here we read in verse one. Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh his God from the fish's belly. Verse 10 so the Lord spoke to the fish and it to John out on the driveway.

What would've happened if he never prayed the greatest miracle in the book of Jonah is not the fish is that a whole city repent and then not even close.

The fish is amateur work compared is the work of God but the souls that it wasn't about the animal and many people come to the book of Jonah and he felt that he breathed in that thing and what was he wearing. It's a miracle do for us. That's for the miracle does. You can explain it to do that with the vertebra had been a virgin.

It's a miracle look up into the sky. You tell me if that the fact that the moon doesn't come smashing into San Francisco. That's a miracle without prayer. Even the prophet would've perished. Is that not part of the story. Chapter 2 without prayer.

Even the man of God would've perished God's grace knows the worst about us and yet, he persists becomes outburst like he did Jonah. He knew Jonah was going to run is waiting for the close of this verse. First Peter chapter 1 verse nine receiving the end of your faith. Salvation of your soul move. Thanks for tuning into cross reference radio for this study. In God's word. If you've missed any part of this message or would like to explore more teachings you can hear them by going to cross reference radio.com Pastor Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville, Virginia. To learn more about this ministry. Visit our website cross reference radio.com again. That website is cross reference radio.com would also like to encourage you to subscribe to our podcast by doing so you will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio that we upload.

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