The Neglected Soul

Introduction

“What about Bob” clip - Therapy Scene (2:15)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bYO-mm_MvM

What about Bob? What is the deal with Him? He is obviously a very needy person…he is afraid of everything. He needs the psychiatrist to cure him. In the movie Bob finds a cure, but in the process drives the psychiatrist crazy in the process.

We are needy people — we might not have Bob’s issues, but we are extremely needy — we often don’t know what it is we need, so we just fill our lives with different things, trying to find the sweet spot where everything feels right. Even Christians fall into this trap because we lose sight of the most important thing in life…staying connected with Jesus at all times.

One day when Jesus was talking to the Disciples, He began to explain to them that He would soon suffer many things from the Scribes, chief priests, and elders…that they would kill Him and that He would be raised on the third day. Peter said, “Jesus, don’t say that!” And Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me Satan! You are a hindrance to me because you are not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”

Peter responded in fear…He didn’t want anything to happen to Jesus.

Matthew 16:24–26 NIV

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

Jesus was saying, in essence, “Men, there are bigger fish to fry here. God has a plan. Let go of your fears, open your eyes to see the truth. Your souls are at stake here.”

WHAT IS A SOUL?

It is not scientifically proven

Isn’t the “soul” more for people somewhere on a mountain tip meditating or burning incense and chanting?

You can’t put it under a microscope

Yet…everyone knows there is more to life than what we can see or hear

We all know something is eternal - It’s not houses or names or the earth beneath our feet…not even the stars in the sky. We all know that something is eternal, and it has to do with human beings. This is a constant belief throughout history…and yet we still try to ignore it or put it on a back burner somewhere because we don’t know what to do with it.

“God rest his soul!”

“Bless my soul!”

“The quarterback is the soul of the team!”

“Soul food” “Soul music”

“Soul for sale” — movies, e-bay, etc.

When we talk about human love…we are talking about the soul

“Two hearts that beat as one…two souls united”

Go out and win some lost “souls”

Universal distress signal: SOS (Save our Souls)

The life God breaths into us is our very soul

Genesis 2:7 NIV

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.

…literally, the man became a living soul

God made humans in His image (Gen 1:26-27)…His own breath is what animates us as living souls, housed for now in physical bodies

This is what separates us from every other created thing

Since our Soul is given to us by the Lord God, it is the conduit of our connection with Him…

Our soul is the conduit that connects us to God

Sin separates our souls from God…we need to care for our souls and keep our connection with God as it should be

Transitional: If your inner life is cluttered, sick and stagnant, your outer life will follow suit - if your inner life is empty and dark…your outer life will eventually tell on you

IF YOUR SOUL IS HEALTHY, YOUR INNER LIFE CAN FLOURISH NO MATTER WHAT

You were not made to be self-sufficient

No matter how successful and productive your outer life becomes, you inner life can be dying at the same time

When we focus on self - self-talk, self-image, self-care, etc., that is not the same as caring for our soul

You can have a private self that is flourishing no matter what your public self is going through

This is because you are a “living soul” - not a “living self”

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

You’re a soul made by God, made for God, and made to need God, which means you were not made to be self-sufficient - Dallas Willard

What is running your life at any given moment is your soul

Not external situations, not your thoughts or your feelings…but your soul

Your soul is the part of you that organizes, integrates, and brings to life everything going on in all the dimensions of who you are

The soul is the life center of human beings — Dallas

Transition: Since our inner life can make or break us…it is important to understand what’s going on “under the hood”

THE PARTS OF YOUR INNER LIFE

Diagram here

Will - capacity to choose

You can say “Yes” or “No”

We were created that way

It is freedom — we value our freedom

If the will is so central to who we are, why do we find ourselves doing things that go against our own values at times?

We can make big decisions with our will, but struggle overriding habits and destructive patterns

If you think you can improve your soul by sheer willpower, you will be very disillusioned.

Mind - Your thoughts and feelings

Our mind is always at work…it never really shuts up except when we are sleeping

Our thoughts and feelings mostly flow in patterns that willpower alone cannot effectively redirect, even when we want to

When we think about things that are false, hateful, anything that dishonors God…we are harboring desires that are against God’s plan for our lives…we do damage to our soul when this happens.

Romans 8:6 NIV

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

The mind craves to be at peace

Body - Our little kingdom

The only place in the universe that our tiny wills can actually be in charge. Our bodies animate us…we wouldn’t be “us” without our bodies.

Filled with all kinds of appetites, habits,

Amazing, but no the whole story

Soul - the capacity to integrate all the parts into a single, whole life

The soul seeks harmony, connection, and integration

It is the deepest part of you…what makes you whole

The word “soul” in the Bible is often just a synonym for “life” or “person”

Your soul is what brings together your will (intentions), mind (thoughts, feelings, values), body (face, body language, actions), into a single life

If your soul is healthy there is order between these parts of you…just as God created you to be

The healthier your soul, the more in tune you are with the peace of God, His strength, comfort, etc

CHALLENGE

Since your soul is the way you connect with God, properly care for it no matter what

Video: “Keeper of the Stream” (By John Ortberg)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZqifFZYVPQ

Our Soul is like a stream of water, which gives strength, direction, and harmony to every other area of our life. When that stream is as it should be, we are constantly refreshed and exuberant in all we do, because our soul itself is then profusely rooted in the vastness of God and His kingdom... — Dallas Willard

How well are you doing the job of keeping the stream clear and clean?

It is about how shallow or cluttered your life has become

It is about what things, activities, habits, and attitudes have first place in your life.