L.I.F.E.W.O.R.D. TODAY 2/5/23

“S.O.U.L SEARCHING”

CONFESSION:

Have you every just stopped what you were doing, stop your plans, and projects, and the hectic pace that we try to keep these days. Have you every just paused and thought to yourself, WHY am I doing what I am doing? What do I focus on most? What gets most of my time and energy? What are my dreams, hopes, and fears.... and why?

Our search BEGINS at the BEGINNING.

When you think of the past, just how far back do you go? A few years; A decade? A generation? Centuries? What about the Beginning?

We all think of the past.... whether good memories or bad, everyone has a past. But, how much of the PAST, affects your PRESENT? TODAY. Today, in many respects , we reflect our past, repeat our past, review our past, relive our past...and it affects TODAY. Do you every wonder, HOW DID I GET TO WHERE I AM, AND WHY AM I DOING WHAT I AM DOING? Do we ever go back to where LIFE ITSELF STARTED? Do we understand how much our past and present EFFECTS OUR FUTURE? In other words, in light of WHERE I HAVE BEEN, AND WHAT I AM DOING, WILL IT GET ME TO WHERE I AM GOING? DO I KNOW WHERE I AM GOING?

Well, I must confess..... I know where I have been, and I know where I am going..... but I have difficulty knowing and doing what I should today to get there. I know that God created me, He loves me, He died for me, and He lives in me. He has given me PHYSICAL LIFE, (PAST), SUSTAINING LIFE (PRESENT), AND EVERLASTING LIFE (FUTURE).

HOW DO I KNOW THESE THINGS? Because I KNOW THE TRUTH, ABOUT LIFE, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. I KNOW THE TRUTH.

TITUS 2:1

But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: 2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience

Sober

Serious

Sensible

Sound

II Tim 2:15

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

JOHN 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

GEN 1:1

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth

Genesis 1:26 KJV 1900

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ge 1:1.

Why is it important to know where I/we came from? Because we are LIVING SOULS.

I believe that Biblical Truth itself RESTS ON THIS CONCEPT, THIS PERSPECTIVE OF LIFE ITSELF.

The SOURCE of LIFE , WE KNOW IS THE WORD OF GOD, JESUS CHRIST

JOHN 1:1-4 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”

GEN 2:7

Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ge 2:7.

MATT 16:26

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 

*QUARTERLY, 9/13/2020, “The Beginning of Mankind”, KEY VERSE GEN 2:7

Genesis 1:26 (KJV 1900)

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of tUhe air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

QUESTION: WHAT EXACTLY DOES IT MEAN , “IN OUR IMAGE , IN OUR LIKENESS?” -3 IN 1, A TRINITY,

In Theology, man is said to be a trichotemy- man is threefold, three divisions (refer to “Got Questions” google)

Gen 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Good morning, On LIFEWORD TODAY, I would like spend some time with this most important LIFEWORD of all of scripture. I cannot do it justice in a short devotional, in fact it will take me more than one lesson to do it. This ONE WORD, in scripture, I believe explains completely everything we need to know about God, the Bible, Life, and Mankind. This will lay a FOUNDATION for us to anchor every other message , concerning the all the WORD, AND ALL THE WORDS, of the Bible, God, and mankind.

You have heard it said, that the the Bible is...... ALL about Jesus....... and it is, BUT, THAT DOESN’T REALLY RESINATE WITH PEOPLE IN AND OF ITSELF.......UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT WORD MENTIONED IN THE SCRIPTURE......the SOULS OF ALL MEN, WOMEN, BOYS, AND GIRLS, AND HOW THEY RELATE TO THE SAVIOR OF SCRIPTURE. Everything we read and expound on , will cause us to consider the meaning of all other Scripture, the person of our Savior Jesus Christ, and the SOULS OF MANKIND.

We, YOU AND I, are the Crown of God’s Creation. Man was created in the image, the resemblence, the representation and likeness, character or model, of God. NO WORDS CAN ADEQUATELY EXPRESS THIS BUT THE FACT THAT GOD BREATHED INTO MAN, THE BREATH OF LIFE, IS THE BEST EXPRESSION TO BE FOUND. WE ARE BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT.

* MORE EXPOSITION FROM “THE PREACHERS OUTLINE AND SERMON BIBLE” , PAGE 122-123

*MORE FROM CRITICAL LEXICON AND CONCORDANCE

Here is the acroynym for you to study on your own..... I will explain each one in the next LIFEWORD TODAY.

“THE SCRIPTURE SHOWS US OUR .......

S. OURCE

O.F

U.NDERSTANDING

L. IFE .

IS IT WELL WITH YOUR S.O.U.L?

Why shouldn’t it be, you ask, because, SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THE SOUL OF MANKIND THAT AFFECTS THE WAY WE PERCEIVE LIFE AND THE WORLD. WHAT WAS IT? SIN!

Genesis 2:16–17 (KJV 1900)

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

GEN 3:1-6 “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 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.”

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MAN, IN RESPECT TO HIS THREE FOLD MAKEUP?

Refer back to Gen 2:17. “you shall surely DIE”

What is death? Seperation.

Did Adam drop dead? (his body?) No.

Did Adam’s soul die immediately? No.

Adam’s SPIRIT, died, immediately. Why, because the SPIRIT PART OF MAN, IS THAT PART WHICH ALLOWS US TO COMMUNICATE WITH GOD.

LETS LOOK NOW AT OUR DIAGRAM OF MAN’S IMAGE. BODY, SOUL, AND SPIRIT. LETS, DESCRIBE EACH PART. I will explain it from the point of view of Dr. Charles R. Solomon, founder of Grace Fellowhip Intenational (GFI) https://www.gfipastorsresources.com/

https://www.facebook.com/GFINetwork.org/

The following is copied from one of my commentaries...............

Soul in Scripture- the definition:

Hebrew word is Nephesh, meaning life or being. with the ultimate SOURCE being God.

The holistic anthropology of the Old Testament is evident early in  Genesis , where  נֶ֫פֶשׁ  ( nephesh ) refers to the finished created individual, embodied and breathing:

Old Testament Usage

The two terms used for “soul” in Scripture—נֶ֫פֶשׁ (nephesh) and ψυχή (psychē)—both show remarkable breadth in terms of contextual usage. One study of the Hebrew term yielded over 750 uses, which can be sorted into 10 categories. Major usages communicate:

• indicate meanings of desire (Ps 25:1; 42:2)

• personal or individual being (Gen 12:5; Lev 2:1)

• a conscious self (Lev 11:44–45)

• emotional state (Gen 26:35; Job 21:4; Eccl 7:9)

Biblical Senses

inner self — noun. the part of a person (or animal) that thinks, feels, wills, and desires; perhaps an extension of the literal meaning throat.

soul — noun. the immaterial part of a person which is the actuating cause of an individual life; the site of all the psychological faculties (such as the heart, mind, and conscience).

inclination ⇔ soul — noun. a person’s emotional dispositions considered collectively and understood by the seat of emotional faculties, the soul; especially as positively or negatively disposed toward God.

person ⇔ soul — noun. a person understood according to their immaterial aspect; especially as the agency by which a person obtains salvation.

S.ource- “In the beginnning, GOD, created.....Gen 1:1

1 Th 5:23

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Why is it important to know where I/we came from? Because we are LIVING SOULS.

I believe that Biblical Truth itself RESTS ON THIS CONCEPT, THIS PERSPECTIVE OF LIFE ITSELF.

The SOURCE of LIFE , WE KNOW IS THE WORD OF GOD, JESUS CHRIST

JOHN 1:1-4 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”

GEN 2:7

Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ge 2:7.

MATT 16:26

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 

I. Man’s imprisonment as a sinner. Man as a…living SOUL..

.....THE STUDY OF THE SOUL IN THE SCRIPTURE

The two terms used for “soul” in Scripture—נֶ֫פֶשׁ (nephesh) and ψυχή (psychē)—both show remarkable breadth in terms of contextual usage. One study of the Hebrew term yielded over 750 uses, which can be sorted into 10 categories. Major usages communicate:

• indicate meanings of desire (PS25:1)

• personal or individual being (Gen 12:5; Lev 2:1)

• a conscious self (Lev 11:44–45)

• emotional state (Gen 26:35; Job 21:4; Eccl 7:9).

Even animals are at times qualified as possessing a נֶ֫פֶשׁ (nephesh), evident in their animate status (Gen 1:20–24).

The holistic anthropology of the Old Testament is evident early in Genesis, where נֶ֫פֶשׁ (nephesh) refers to the finished created individual, embodied and breathing: “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (נֶ֫פֶשׁ, nephesh;)” (Gen 2:7 NIV).

The human person is one being consisting of both a material body and a spiritual soul, rather than being merely a physical body or a soul inhabiting a body.

The human person has both a material body and a spiritual soul. The body and the soul are distinct from one another and can exist in separation, but they nevertheless form an integral unity. In this way, the human being is a microcosm of creation: like the other animals, man is made of dust and, after the fall, returns to dust at death. But man also stands with the angels, stands above the other animals, and responds to the word of God by virtue of his soul. In the same way, the biblical hope of salvation is inescapably “psychosomatic,” including both body and soul: while the soul continues to exist after the death of the body, the ultimate Christian hope is not of disembodied immortality but of bodily resurrection.

The distinction between body and soul is present throughout Scripture. There is a distinction between holiness or defilement in body and holiness or defilement in spirit (1 Cor 7:34; 2 Cor 7:1). The spirit may be willing but the flesh weak (Matt 26:41). There is one who can kill only the body, but another who can kill both body and soul”

In later poetic Hebrew, the psalmist juxtaposes soul and body: “My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land” (Psa 63:1 NIV; compare Psa 84:2). The root of נֶ֫פֶשׁ (nephesh), according to E. Jacob, means “to breathe”.

The Origin of the Soul

“The soul is the spiritual essence of the human being, and it, like the physical body, has its origin in the creative work of God.”

Bria Burns, “The Origin of the Soul,” in Lexham Survey of Theology, ed. Mark Ward et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018).

The Hebrew word often rendered as “soul” is the word for “breath” and therefore also for a “living thing.” Genesis 2:5–7 describes the origin of the first human soul: it says that God “breathed into [Adam’s] nostrils the breath of life.”

Similar to the key Hebrew word for “soul,” the Greek word most often rendered as “soul” also often means “life” or “person.” The exact relationship between “soul” and “spirit” has been a matter of some debate, since the Greek word most often rendered as “spirit” can also mean both “life” and “breath.” Some theologians have argued that spirit and soul are identical, while others make a distinction between the two.

Bria Burns, “The Origin of the Soul,” in Lexham Survey of Theology, ed. Mark Ward et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018).

IN THE NEW TESTAMENT -GREEK

ψυχή psychē | 58 of 58

Mt 10:28And 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.

ψυχή psychē | 58 of 58

Mt 16:26

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

True Pattern of Gospel Redemption.

I. That Gospel Redemption comes to the soul after a period of moral bondage and distress. 1. It finds the soul in a condition of moral bondage. “Whom the Egyptians keep in bondage.” The bondage is most severe. It is the bondage of sin. It has been long continued, through many years of our lives. It has been degrading. It has been fruitless to ourselves. We have all the time been working for another master, from whom we have received no good reward. The bondage seems almost hopeless to us. We have no token of moral liberty. Our thoughts, emotions, and energies are all in the slavery of sin. In this condition the Gospel of Christ finds the soul. 2. It finds the soul in a condition of anxious grief. “And I have also heard the groanings of the children of Israel.” The soul is awakened to a sense of the bondage and consequent degradation; and eagerly awaits the freedom of the Gospel. Its tears are those of repentance. Its cries are those for pardon. Its looks are toward the cross. In this condition the Gospel of redemption comes in all its mercy to the believing soul. 3. It is generally preceded by some Christian agency. Moses had been to the Israelites in their bondage, and had instrumentally awakened their desire for freedom. So the souls of men are often influenced by Christian agencies prior to their cry for the redemption of the cross. It is the aim of the Christian ministry to awaken within men the desire for moral freedom.

II. That Gospel Redemption comes to the soul by virtue of a Divine covenant and promise. “And I have remembered my promise,” verse 5. 1. God through Christ has made a covenant of salvation with all who trust in the atonement. There has been the covenant of works. That is no longer possible to man. By the works of the law there shall no flesh living be justified. We are under the covenant of grace. By grace are ye saved through faith in Christ Jesus. By virtue of this covenant all contrite and believing souls may find rest in, and pardon from, God. There is no other covenant that can confer these blessings. (1) This covenant is unique. (2) This covenant is merciful. (3) This covenant is of long standing. There is none other like it. It is the hope of man. It was made with the oldest saints, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

III. That Gospel Redemption brings the soul into holy and responsible relationship to God. “And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God,” verse 7. 1. It constitutes the soul a Divine possession. It then belongs to God, its rightful owner. All its thoughts and affections are to be His. Thus the redemption of the Gospel brings back our moral manhood to God, brings us into sympathy with all that is divine and heavenly. It places the soul under the peculiar guardianship of the Infinite. God will then guard the soul. Aid it in its struggles. Open up its future. He will be its sun and shield. Oh! blessed redemption.

IV. That Gospel Redemption leads the faithful unto the inheritance of Canaan. “To give them the land of Canaan.” Thus what a change this redemption works, from slaves to freemen, from servitude to an inheritance. The redeemed are the inheritors of the universe. All things are yours. Reasons for Human Redemption I. The Burden of Man is a reason for human Redemption. “The burdens of the Egyptians,” verse 6. Sin is a burden. It presses heavily on man. No human hand can remove it. Only Christ can. He says, “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” His burden is light. The pain occasioned by man’s burden of sin is a reason for its removal by Christ. II. The Lordship of Christ is a reason for human Redemption. “I am the Lord.” Only the Supreme Ruler of the universe could achieve the redemption of man. He only could fulfil the violated law. He only could forgive the past neglect of it. He only could enable us to keep it in the future. Only the God of the soul can redeem it. III. The Covenant of God is a reason for human Redemption. “I have remembered my covenant.” God desires the salvation of men. Promise—Type—Symbol. On Calvary the covenant was fully and eternally signed. The world was redeemed by price, only they are redeemed by power who believe in Christ.

William Adamson, “Illustrations to Chapter 5,” in Exodus, The Preacher’s Complete Homiletic Commentary (New York; London; Toronto: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1892), 124–126.

I will just stop right here, and close with this one passage of scripture.....

Matthew 16:26 KJV 1900

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Have you EXCHANGED anything for your SOUL? Have you SURRENDERED YOUR SOUL TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD?