Don't Lose Your Soul

Mark 8: 36 It is worthless to have the whole world if they lose their souls. 37 They could never pay enough to buy back their souls.

To begin with it is with a great sense of urgency and expediency that I come to you today. I’m happy about the youth and their ability to come back to church after Covid . And today I want to deal with what the scripture has to say about our souls.

Jesus is having a conversation and what strikes an nerve with the folk around him is when Jesus says in Mark 8:36  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

I thought about that and said but what if the children and some adults don’t know what their Souls are. The Soul is the part of the individual that thinks, that feels, that wills, and desires. Listen now my soul is the immaterial part of me the part of me that directs my life like my psychological faculties, and my emotional faculties, and believe it or not but sometimes it’s positive and sometimes it’s negative towards God. For the unbeliever, the person who don’t really believe in Jesus their souls are negative against God.

Tell your neighbor: I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. As the Pastor of this Great Shiloh Church here in Port Allen It’s vitally important to me, that we look at The seriousness and brevity and gravity of preserving the integrity of our souls.

Children when you go to school you’re learning all sort of new and exciting things. And everyday is an adventure no matter what grade level you’re on. And so it’s the same way with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I’m almost sure that the youth of this church are total stranger to the system of Grace and Salvation. Meaning we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Secondly our youth are not as astute or privyed to know the great science of Divinity nor the Theology of soteriology or the Doctrine of Salvation.

Jesus said in Mark 8:34  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

When you accepted Jesus in your heart there was a part of you, Your Soul which is your feelings, your will, your emotions, and your psychological disposition. That’s the part of you that started saying I’m not going to do wrong no more, And that’s a part of denying your self and taking up your cross and following Jesus.

Everybody in here knows that there is no literal cross to carry in modern times.... But there is your Christian Character that people can see in you, everyday. Everyday!! people ought to be able to say that you’re a part of the people of the way, that you’re Christians, that you’re a peculiar people, that you’re a stranger and pilgrim and that you’re a different breed of people.

Children when you go to school remember that the teachers administrators and staff see what kind of person you are. And it’s important that they know that you’re a Child of the King, that you’re a Christian, that you’ve been Baptized, that you’re Born Again, and that you’re a Good person. You don’t have to be perfect but you have to be a Good person.

And it’s better for me to teach you the True meaning of saving your soul and not losing your soul than to assume that you or this waiting congregation fully understands the seriousness of not losing your Soul.

Jesus said in the text if you gain your life you lose your life. That’s important because what Jesus is saying here is If you can’t give up on your wrong doing, give up on your selfish will, your un-seeming emotions, or your negative non- Christian behavior, then you’ll lose your Soul… I don’t want to lose my Soul because of my Un-Christian Behavior.

The word Soul in the Greek vernacular is the word Psyhe’ it’s where we get the Pyshe’’ from also where the development of the science called Psychology. Listen to me, Your Soul is all you really have that makes you You!!!.

Let me see if I can explain through a bible story. When Jarius’ daughter had just died and Jarius ran and told Jesus. Jesus my baby girl just died please come and lay hands on her and she will recover. Jesus said ok. When Jesus got to the house the bible says he touch her and said arise and the the girl woke up. Question is “what part of her woke up??? Her Soul woke up… Let me teach you… When we die. When it’s His to call and ours to answer God takes our Spirit.... And when God takes our spirit… Our soul goes with us. Our soul can not exist without our spirit being in us.

The spirit is the Part that belong to God Regardless. God breathed the breath of life ( the Spirit) and man became a living soul. And when man became a living soul, mankind had the ability to exhibit to demonstrate and to show that he/she has Free Will and is capable of rational thought processes.

Mankind then realizes that there is somewhere that his/her mortal soul will reside in immortality. In other words your soul will spend eternity either in heaven or in hell but the chose is yours.

And Jesus paints a vivid picture when he says in Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

In other word it don’t make no sense for you to go to school and learn how to make a living and forget what the bible says about making a life with Jesus Christ.

All of the precious time I took out to baptize you and give you your first communion and teach you the word of God and then you go out and forget what manner of person you’re supposed to be. Children I want to hear good reports I want you to make good grades. I want you to listen to your teachers and children, I want you to be able to get along with your classmates without fussing or fighting at school. Will you promise me that you’ll do that? Because I don’t want you to lose your tender precious little souls to the devil. Because the devil comes to steal kill and destroy us. The devil is a liar and the truth is not in him. Oh But God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Jesus and I came that you have life and that you have it more abundantly. That’s all I had for you today