The Healing Word

Guest (Male): The healing word ministry on one place is brought to you by the generous donations of people like you. At any time during today's message, feel free to send a prayer request or make a donation using the links provided. Now I pray you will be blessed as Pastor Jack Morris delivers a message from the word of God that will encourage and strengthen your faith in him.

Pastor Jack Morris: Friend, if you try to keep your soul, you're going to lose it. But if you give to the Lord your soul, you keep it forever.

Guest (Male): Welcome to the healing word. Today Pastor Jack Morris is here. He's exploring one of the most reassuring and foundational truths of the Christian faith, the gift of salvation and the eternal security we have through Jesus Christ. From the very beginning when God breathed life into a man in Genesis 2:7 to the powerful declaration in Romans 8 that nothing can separate us from the love of God. We see the redemptive plan of our creator. Join us as we reflect on the once for all sacrifice of Jesus and the peace that comes from knowing we are secure in his love now and forever.

Pastor Jack Morris: When I speak of soul today, I'm going to speak of soul and spirit. The the scripture always keeps the soul and the spirit together, although the scripture distinguishes between the two, the soul and the spirit are always together. Then there is the body. The only thing that will separate someday is the body from the soul and the spirit. The soul and the spirit will stay together. The body will separate. When that comes, that's called death. That's when the heart stops and we stop breathing. But the soul and the spirit will stay together forever. So when I say soul, I'm speaking of the inner spiritual part of us that is made in the very likeness and the image of God.

Now I want you to take your outline from your bulletin and write down the word on line A exists. The word exists. Our soul exists. You have a soul made in the likeness and the image of God that breathes the very breath of God and that part of you is eternal. It will live forever and forever. It says in Genesis chapter 2 verse 7 the Lord God formed man of the dust of the earth. Then the Lord God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being. That's what it says in the NIV, the the new international.

In the King James it says man became a living soul. So a living being that phrase and the word soul are synonymous. They're one and the same. You are a living being simply because God breathed life into you. You're breathing the very breath of God, the very breath that God breathes, that breathes within you. That's your soul. In Genesis chapter 1 verse 26 and 27 the scripture tells us that when God speaks of man, he speaks of man and woman. Both sexes are included in they reference to man. The term man in the New Testament means both sexes.

So you are God's people provided you've been born of the spirit of the Lord, your sins have been confessed and your heart has been cleansed in the blood of Jesus. You are now part of the family of God. God is your father. Jesus is your savior and elder brother and that part of you will go, that soul will go into the presence of God in that day of God's choosing to be with God and to be forever with the Lord. That's the real you. Now when I talk about your soul, I'm talking about your memory is going to go to be with God.

Everything you do in this life you're going to remember it in that life. Your memory is going to be sharp over there because some things you thought you forgot here, you're going to remember there. Your memory, your emotion, your sensation, your thinking all all of that part of you, your character, your personality, the real you. This is just a temple of clay that the real you lives within and through this temple of clay you have emotions, you have sensations, you think thoughts, you you you have a God consciousness, you remember God, you you the spirit within you prays to God.

The real you is just functioning through this body. But your personality, your character is going to leave this body someday and go to into the presence of the Lord and you must think about it and do some research and I pray the Holy Spirit will speak to our hearts this morning and help us to know that it is truly well with the soul that is within us. And if it's not well, that we will make it well by turning to the Lord and confessing to him. Point B in your outline, write down the word determine.

We determine our soul. Now we have a soul. Everyone of us has a soul and we now will determine the outcome of that soul in this life and in the life to come. Now God has given us an awesome power. It's called the power of choice. Say that, the power of choice. The power of choice. That's an awesome awesome power. Now by your power, by your power, young people listen to me this morning, by your power of choice you are molding the soul within you. Even as God formed Adam of the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul.

God did something very creative. Now you have the image of God and you have the power of choice to do something very creative and you're doing it. Just as God created Adam and made him a living soul, God created you. But now you are making yourself the soul that you are. You are determining your personality, you are determining your character, you are determining the emotional sensational person that you are. You are making yourself the self that you are now and the self that you will be when you go into the presence of God. When you get there, you will get there and you will be the person that you made yourself to be in this life.

Now that is an awesome power. That is an awesome power. You are creating yourself. Did you hear what I said? You are creating yourself. And if you don't like the person you are, it's because you have made the person you are, the person you are. I don't think I could say that one again exactly the same way. But that's an awesome power that we have over ourselves. We are determining our character, our personality, our morality. We are shaping our own souls. We're doing that. We bear the responsibility. No one has that responsibility but us. Many years ago I wrote this poem down and I put it in an old Bible, the Bible that I held in my hand when I was ordained a minister.

Uh how many years ago is that been? Back in when I was ordained when I have almost forgot it. But I wrote something down. I was I was praying and I was studying and I found this poem and I thought dear God, I I want to direct my life toward you not toward the world, not toward the material, not toward the central, not toward the mundane, but toward God. And I wrote this down. To every man there openeth away and ways and away. And the high soul climbs the highway and the low soul gropes the low.

And in between on the mystic flats the rest drift to and fro. But to every man there openeth a highway and a low and every man decideth the way his soul shall go. I knew then back then as the Lord impressed upon me that I am going to be the one that makes the decisions that will determine my life. I can decide for God, I can decide to live for God, I I can decide to be his man, follow the book, or I can decide that I'm going to live my own life, my own way, do my own thing.

You know you are a spiritual as you have decided to be. You're just as godly as you want to be. You're not anymore spiritual than you have decided to be. The decision is ours and God has given us this awesome God like power. And what we decide in this life will affect us in the life to come. And what we become in this life, we're going to be that throughout all eternity. And friends, listen to me. Some of us don't have a whole lot longer to make up our mind. If God be God, then serve him.

But if he is not God, then then do whatever you want to do and live for yourself and for pleasure and for material. But if God be God, then serve him. On line C write down the word secures. God secures our soul. Now we have a soul. It's the very breath of God within us. We are determining that soul. We are shaping our own soul. We have now become one in cooperation with God in creating a new person. And God has given to us that awesome responsibility. And now when that soul is given over to the Lord, and that's a decision that we must make.

No one makes that decision for us but but ourselves. We must make that decision. And when we make the decision to put our soul that God breathed into us, the very breath of God within us, when we decide to give that to God, God secures it. God secures the soul. I I read that and I thought about how God has me and you in the very palm of his hand and there is no power or influence that can pluck us out of that hand of God. Now there are things that are happening in your life.

In my life that will cause us from time to time to become discouraged, to think you know have I lost my salvation? Am I on the verge of losing my salvation? And the Lord wants me to tell you today that in him you're secure. You're secure. People say well listen, I don't believe in eternal security. Listen, if there isn't security in Christ, there's security in nothing. Absolutely nothing. If God can't keep me, who can? Who can? Now if you decide you want to get out, I think you can decide to do that too. But if you have placed your soul in God's hands, you're secure.

And he is the one that is going to secure you. Uh Paul the apostle said in Romans chapter 8 verse 35 who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Say that with me. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Now there are powers and pressures that are indeed trying to separate you and me from the love of Christ. If that were not the case, Paul would not have said what he did. He asked a very pointed and a very rhetorical question, but he proceeds to answer that question. But first who? Now notice he didn't say what, but he starts out with who.

Later on he talks about what. But who? Like there is a personality out there, an evil influence out there, an evil personality. And we know his name. The Bible gives his name as Satan, an intelligent evil force. You see Satan is the who that is strategizing against you to get you down, to get you upset, to get you discouraged, to get you out of God, get get you out of church. He'll do anything. I mean the devil has no scruples. He'll do anything to destroy you. And so Paul says who shall do this? And we know who it is.

We know this person who comes into God's presence and chooses us before God, who is trying to destroy us and to get us down. We are not ignorant. We know what he is trying to do. But Paul then goes on to say who shall separate us, come between us, nullify this relationship we have with God, darken the light that God has shined in our hearts? Who shall do that? Who shall chill the warmth of his love? There's powers out there that are trying to chill your relationship with Jesus. That's true. And but Paul is saying that the love of God is now within us.

And there is no power, not even Satan himself, that can take you out of God's hands and destroy you if you keep your focus on Jesus and walk with Jesus. Can you say praise the Lord? There is nothing to fear. We have the Lord. The the love of God, who shall separate us from the love of God? The love of Christ came all the way from the highest throne in heaven to the lowest region of darkness, even to hell itself, coming by way of the cross in order to redeem us. Now when he did all of that, he didn't come with a weak puny watered-down salvation that you could just lose it overnight and be be out of the No, he came with a very strength of the Almighty to breathe spiritual life within you.

And I want you to know that nothing now can separate you. There is no power that can separate you from the love of God. Now look at this. Paul now goes on. He says verse 35 who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Now drop down to verse 38. Paul says for I am convinced convinced in the King James the word is persuaded. They they both Greek words could be translated either persuaded or convinced. The word convinced or the word persuaded is a heart word. That means I my mind is convinced, my soul is convinced, my spirit is convinced, my conscience is convinced.

See I'm convinced that God loved me and saved me and that he's going to keep me. Paul said I am convinced of that. Now if there's a Christian here this morning that's not convinced, I pray that you will become convinced, that you won't go around worrying that you're going to lose it. It's not for you to worry over if your hand is in the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you're connected, he's got a grip on you. He's holding you tightly. You're not going to go down. You're not going to go under because he's there.

Are you convinced to that? Paul says I'm convinced. I'm convinced that none of these things. And now he goes on to answer that question. He said verse 38 for I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Who can you say hallelujah?

Guest (Male): Hallelujah.

Pastor Jack Morris: Listen. When I just read that, does that mean anything at all to you? Does that cause rejoicing and hope to spring up within? It is well with my soul. Are you sure? You can be. It is well. Notice he said I am convinced that neither What What is it? What's the first one? Death. He said you know that I can they can kill the body, but they can't kill the soul. Even death won't rob me of the love of God. The love of God is in my heart. And if I die, to be absent from the body, Paul said is to be present with the Lord.

Death can even get me down. Death has no sting. It has no power anymore. I have no fear of it anymore. Death can't do it nor life. You know it's I think sometimes life is more scary than death. Yeah. People might be ready to die, but they're not ready to live. They don't really know how to live for the Lord. But notice what Paul said when he said life. He said all the allurements of life can't separate me. All the trials of life, all the dangers of life. These things cannot separate me from the Lord.

Now I'm asking myself the question and I'm asking you the question. With all my heart I yearn for you today. Can you honestly ask to God before God Almighty say I'm convinced that death nor life nor anything that is in life can separate me from God. Can you honestly say that you're convinced, you're persuaded of that? Can you do that? Can you do that? Then you are a blessed person, a wonderfully blessed person. Notice he goes on to say neither angels nor demons not going to be able to separate me. He's speaking about that hostile force of supernatural power.

He said the enemy from that netherworld cannot come against me to destroy me and separate me from the love of God. Then he goes on to say the the nor the present nor the future can separate me. You see time. That's what he's talking about, time when he says the present or the future. Some people get excited momentarily. The excitement comes, but time has a way of wearing it off. How many boys and girls fall in love? I mean they just can't keep their hands off of each other. And now after a passing of time that whatever it was has worn doll.

One old gentleman was driving his pickup truck home and his he was over over here and the wife was way over there and they'd been married about 30 some years and she said George she said we used to never set this far apart when we were dating and when we were first married, he just looked he said I haven't moved. I'll tell you something. God's not going to move. Now you and I might move, but he won't move. When he has him his hand on you and his arm around you and the and the blessing of heaven upon you, he's not going to move.

He's right there. Don't move away from God. Listen to me friends. Don't move away from God. Pastor you don't know how discouraged I am. You don't know what I'm going through. That's true. I don't. And And I feel for you. I empathize. I I pray for you. I love you. I don't know what you're going through, but something I do know is whatever you're going through it's not as strong as the power of God's love within you. It cannot separate you from the power of God. Notice it goes on and he says and neither powers, those hostile spiritual forces, that intelligent warfare, Satan strategizes.

I want to say but I'm down, Pastor. I'm down. I'm lonely. I'm by myself. Friend, you're by yourself because you're not recognizing that God is there. Rejoice in the Lord. Talk to Jesus. He'll bring somebody into your life, but let him do it. Stop looking. Look up. Look to him. Look to him. There's so many things that's trying to allure you away from him to cause you to look and and begin to search. Let him do the choosing. Let him do the searching. Seek the Lord first. Look at what he goes on to say. And then then he says height nor depth.

Now height I I think of height. I think of the heavens. I think of the the celestial bodies, that space that is way out there, the power of outer space, of unlimited space. Well when Jesus arose from the dead after appearing to the disciples for the next 40 days, he led them out as far as Bethany and then he lifted up his hands upon his church. And the scripture says he ascended back into heaven and he passed through the first heaven, the second heaven, the all the way to the third heaven. He passes through outer space, conquering space, making away, pioneering away, showing us the way.

There's a way now from earth to heaven because of him who went to the very right hand of God and is seated there praying for you that your faith fail not. Too many people's faith is failing today. They're They're losing it. They have the joy and the glow of heaven upon them. But today they're sad, they're down. Friend, you're shaping your own soul. There is absolutely no reason for you to lose what God has given to you. He's not going to allow you to do it if you look to him and trust in him. And then he goes on to say Paul says nor anything else in all creation.

It's like he's come to the end and he can't think of anything else. And he says lest I have left out anything. I will put it this way. There in all creation there is nothing nothing nothing that can separate you and deliver you from the hand of God. You see the love of God prevails and will always prevail. The love of God will do this. In 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 12 Paul said to that young man Timothy he said I know whom I have believed and am convinced. There's that word again. He said I know whom I have believed and am convinced, persuaded that he's able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

Now notice he says I'll read it again for I know whom I have believed, not what I believe. Now we're going to bow before the Lord just now and I'm going to pray for those who do not know the Lord. You haven't given your soul to him. I'm going to pray that you will do that now right where you are. Just say Jesus come into my heart. Forgive me of my sins. I give my heart. I give my soul to you. And Christian who's who's battling the very forces, some of the the were that were mentioned here in this passage of scripture by the apostle Paul.

I want you to know you're the winner because of Jesus who wins. He's your champion and you're not going to fail. You're secure. He has you. Nothing nothing can come against you but that his love will prevail.

Guest (Male): What a joy to know that salvation is not based on our works, but on the perfect finished work of Jesus Christ. If you've placed your trust in him, your eternity is secure, not because of anything you've done, but because of everything he's done for you. Thank you for joining us today on the healing word. May the truth of God's love and the certainty of his salvation fill your heart with peace and confidence as you walk with him this week. If the healing word has blessed you or someone you love, we invite you to prayerfully consider pledging your financial support.

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