A Jubilee For The Soul

Fear of artificial intelligence is growing fast

Pew research poll indicates

52% of Americans are more concerned than excited

Among the most aware group, concern now outweighs excitement by 47% to 15%.

In December (less than a year ago), this margin was 31% to 23%.

Concerns range

Immediate: job displacement, privacy violations, algorithmic bias

Existential: replacing human relationship, misuse for dangerous purposes (like weapons), potential superintelligence that surpasses human control

But I would submit that much of our fear of artificial intelligence lies in the fact that we have accepted the false notion that what makes us human is our intelligence.

Humans are like all the other animals, science tells us, just “more evolved”.

“Are there other ‘intelligent lifeforms’ out there in the universe” is the quest of the UFO enthusiast.

We have collectively suppressed the notion that there is an enduring, nonphysical essence of the human person that is in many ways beyond the scope of our intellect and cannot be processed through our prisms of empirical data and natural science.

WE HAVE COLLECTIVELY LEARNED TO IGNORE OUR SOULS

But, all of the fundamental aspects of life,

art,

sleep,

sex,

ritual,

family (“roots”),

parenting,

community,

health,

meaningful work,

are in fact functions of the soul, and the reason all of these aspects of life are failing and falling apart all around us is because our souls are diminished.

And the painful reality is that in too many places and in too many ways, the church has been complicit in this denial of the soul.

Some churches still talk about the “salvation” of the soul…but once the soul is “saved” we have nothing else to say.

And when we speak of “soul care” we are usually pushing a slightly Christianized version of the same treatments for the intellect and emotions that are on offer in the secular world.

The Christian scriptures unequivocally advance the notion that the essence of the human person is a soul that is breathed out from God (Gen. 2:7).

The soul is the integrator - it regulates everything that is occurring in all the various dimensions of the self…

It determines how the various dimensions of self interact with each other

It determines how they respond to surrounding events

The healthy soul is…

In harmony with God

In harmony within itself

In harmony with Reality

and it is capable of responding to the situations of life in ways that are good and right.

The disordered soul is quite the opposite:

Rebellion against God

Internally conflicted

Constantly seeking to bend and distort reality

Incapable of right response to most of the situations of life (especially adverse situations)

The great problem facing our world today is not the onset of artificial intelligence (though that does shine a spotlight on it). The great problem is that we live in a world filled with people with badly disordered souls.

I want to preach a sermon called: A Jubilee For The Soul

Luke 15:11–32

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”

PRAYER

The Soul Is Sick With Sin

Failure to conform to the moral law of God in actions, attitude, and nature. (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology)

Sin is doing your own thing your own way.

And it necessarily creates separation.

Flesh can’t glory in God’s presence

You can’t do your thing in the Father’s house.

So you leave the Father’s house (even if you try to take as many of the goods as you can carry)

We do not just need

God’s truth

God’s principles

God’s resources

WE NEED GOD…and sin separates us from God.

Disordered Souls Destroy Lives and Societies

“Reckless”

pertaining to senseless, reckless behavior, to live without thinking

Riotously, without soundness of mind, moderation, sobriety, or restraint

The picture of disordered soul

The soul is the integrator of the human person

When the soul is weak and diminished

The desires of the heart (intentions) don’t have any control of thoughts or emotions

The thoughts and emotions don’t have any control of the bodily actions

When people stand at the altar and take the marriage vow, they are usually sincere. And when they break it is not because they adopted a moral philosophy that infidelity is somehow now ok.

We know how drugs and alcohol harm the body and the mind

We know what happens if we eat fried food everyday.

But the emotions keep pushing the lie that a brief high will fill the void left by the diminished soul

And the body falls into patters of behavior that it cannot seem to escape

Then the will punishes us with condemnation because we didn’t want to do any of that stuff in the first place.

WE BECOME RECKLESS

Just because your life has not fallen apart does mean your soul is well (the famine)

It was not just reckless living…a famine came.

Your soul might be as reckless as the next person, you just haven’t met the storm that knocks you off your feet.

The Cry of the Soul Must Not Be Ignored

“When he came to himself”

The soul always cries out.

The cry of the soul is always the same…

I want to home…

I want to find rest…

I need to be cared for…

I am tired of trying to run my own life

The deeper the will, the mind, the body, and the relationships have fallen into sin, the more aggressively they will attempt to ignore this cry of the soul.

Pray for grace not to ignore the cry of the soul.

Add this to your prayers for that one who “just can’t get it together”

Restoring The Soul Is The Father’s Joy

Look at the action of the Father

saw him and

felt compassion, and

ran and

embraced him and

kissed him.

The Father wants to restore your soul, but you have to come on His terms (SUBMISSION & SURRENDER)

Notice how the father cuts him off when he gets to this part of the speech: “I am no longer worthy”

I no longer see myself as big enough to run my own life.

I need to be under you.

Son #2 might be more important to the parable (Remember Jesus was talking to the Pharisees)

“ALL THAT I HAVE IS YOURS”

You’re upset because of what I’ve done for your brother.

You forget that I have been very gracious to you.

YOU STILL THINK YOU ARE WORTHY.

Many of us in the church are like Son #2

You’re in the house, but your heart is not with the Father.

You walk with God, but you don’t submit to God.

You think it's your goodness and not His grace.

Your skill and not His favor.

Your contrite spirit and not His mercy.

And it's why you throw a fit every time something doesn’t go the way you want it to go.

The heart of submission & surrender says “there is no particular reason why I should get what I want, because I am not in charge of the universe.”

Your Soul Needs A Shepherd

The soul runs the life

The determined heart,

the powerful mind,

the incredible body,

the complex relationships

are all governed by a soul that actually quite frail and dependent.

The consistent metaphor of scripture is that of sheep

Sheep have very limited ability to defend themselves against predators

Sheep have poor spatial awareness and can easily become lost or disoriented

While sheep can graze, they often overgraze areas and struggle to find adequate nutrition without guidance to fresh pastures

Sheep need shelter during harsh weather conditions they can suffer greatly from exposure to storms, extreme heat, or cold

Sheep are prone to various health issues, parasites, and injuries that can be fatal without care.

Sheep are flock animals that depend on structured social guidance. Without shepherding, their natural flocking instinct causes them to panic responses where the entire group follows poor decisions

The culture is convinced that the key to a peaceful life and a peaceful world lies in

The strength of our will

The power of intellect and the steadiness of our emotions

The health of our bodies

The reach of our networks and relationships

But whose report will you believe?

Beloved there is a part of you that can’t be measured with a test or weighed on a scale…It will not be trained in a university or fed with meat and vegetables.

The human soul is never at rest until it is at rest in the God who created it.

This statement is controversial in the culture. Yet, it is the undeniable truth of scripture.

Stop trying to run your life. And return to Shepherd and Overseer of your soul (2 Peter 2:25).

APPEAL

Never came to Jesus this way

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

22 He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth; 23 when he was insulted, he did not insult in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

You walked away from the Father…today is your day of return

You are not in a church…

The culture says being in a church is unnecessary and outdated

But scripture says: DO NOT FORSAKE THE ASSEMBLING OF YOURSELVES TOGETHER