Soul vs Spirit

John 4:21-23

21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

You are spirit—this is important you have been given an opportunity at eternal life

You are a spirit in a physical body. When you get born again, the Holy Spirit moves in and becomes intertwined with yours, and you have become one with Him. Seriously, I did my best to explain to you a couple weeks ago how hard He’s been working through the millennia to get His Spirit in you. You belong to Him as His creation, Satan is trying to steal His possession, but God is taking it back. He just has to get you and I to believe what He’s saying about us (Romans 6:11-12). You are a partaker of the divine nature and you have been given everything [In Christ] that pertains to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4).

One with Him

John 17:19-22

19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may  be one, even as we are one:

But—there is a war raging

Romans 7:23

But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and  bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

A prisoner of war

2 Corinthians 13:14 fellowship of the Holy Spirit

Consider the close proximity of the soul [mind, will, emotions] to the spirit, and the close proximity of the soul to the world. Are we allowing the external or the internal to influence us?

Colossians 2:8-10 ESV philosophy of world

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

Ephesians 6:16  shield of faith

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

1 Corinthians 2:9-16

9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Psuchikos

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

There is a big difference between the brain and the mind. A man can be a genius but dead to the things of God [ATP > Mitochondria] but the mind of the soul influenced by [a] spirit functions at a higher level than the brain, because whatever influences the mind is what truly drives the direction of all the movement. God’s will is that the Holy Spirit would commune with our spirit and that our spirit would lead our soul: mind, will, emotions in the right direction.

The natural mind cannot perceive these things

Pneumatikos

15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Through the presence of the Holy Spirit in us, we have the mind of Christ in us… v 12

The heart thinks & speaks. The heart is listed as the soul, as a mixture of both thoughts and emotions.

Proverbs 23:6-7 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Matthew 12:34-35 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Knowledge-wisdom-understanding

Proverbs 2:1-16

Because the body is close to the soul and the soul close to the body proximity of the soul, the external problems of the fallen world affects our senses through our [mind, will, emotions], we bring the world in and it causes a war that filters through our soul and desires to penetrate and affect our spirit.

Peter- the external world through his senses affected what he leaned upon. Reminds again of the proximity of the soul to the external world and how your environment can affect your inner man, how the chaos of the world will affect the object of your faith and attempt to engulf you in its storm. The enemy will use the tactic of fear based on what your physical senses experience in your external world

Isaiah 26:3-4

Stayed-Lean upon/ rest

3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Proper Attire Required

There are several kingdom of God parables in the book of Matthew. The word parable comes from a compound Greek word paraballo, when the word is separated into its two parts, it’s para, which means side and ballo, where we get our English word for ball, but ballo means to throw— the idea is to throw along side, so two thoughts are placed side by side for comparison. The kingdom of God is God’s heavenly kingdom and is also referenced in the word as the kingdom of heaven; therefore, the words kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven are used interchangeably. The kingdom of God is like…. Each parable contains a hidden measure of truth regarding a specific aspect of God’s kingdom.

These comparisons help our physical minds perceive spiritual truths. The world we live in is temporary. The life we live now is an interview for an eternal position. The temporary kingdoms built on earth by temporary physical lives will one day be abolished and all the industrious efforts of the work that was employed in the physical realm will be judged. The work for eternal purpose will last and be rewarded. Whereas, the work for self gain and pleasure will incinerate and evaporate into a vanished wisp. It takes time for these thoughts to permeate into our spirits, that deep place where we are one with God. Our soulish man is a close neighbor to our renewed spirit that has become one with God. The soul is also a close neighbor to these members that engage the physical realm, and here, in the physical, our self breathes, feels and lives it’s temporary life. Self is connected to this temporary, physical realm as long as he remains in this earthly house.

True believers love God; however, there remains a danger of also loving self. Self can battle against the Spirit of God within us and bring us towards an even greater danger, a love for the world or the things of the world. For, we are told: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15). The love of the Father in the life of the believer will produce the Jesus diet in the child of God— what is the Jesus diet you ask: Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work (John 4:34). A good prayer would be, “Lord please don’t let the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches get in the way of my eternal reward.”

God’s goodness gives us the parables to enlighten the eyes of our understanding on this side of heaven, so we can more properly navigate the journey, so we can make it to the destination and receive a lasting reward when we get there: eye hasn’t seen, ear hasn’t heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man— the things that God has prepared for those that love Him.

The parables like: goats and sheep and tares and wheat and the separation of fish remind us that narrow is the way and few there will be that journey the path towards eternal life. Parables of the treasure and pearl direct the work of our lives, only when we slow down enough to ponder what the king is saying will we perceive the value of eternal life in His words. A merchant sails the seas in a quest for the best of pearls. He is driven as he crosses every ocean and scours every cove for goodly pearls and then one day, he finds the pearl and realizes that every other pearl he ever saw, ever handled, ever thought was beautiful was meaningless in comparison— now that he found this pearl. Oh how he wishes he would have found this pearl sooner. He could have saved so much time, he could have worked so much more efficiently, he could have saved himself so much stress, but what’s important now is that he found the pearl! It is the treasure in a hidden field, and it’s so brilliant, valuable, precious and real, he begins a “going out of business sale. Everything must go!” All else must take a back seat to this pearl, to this treasure that he found. His family will think he’s lost his mind: Father, mother, brother, sister, even spouses may say he’s gone too far, but if they get in the way of this endeavor, it is they who must go, not the pearl, not the treasure. He will cling to the pearl and the treasure like it is his next breath and heart beat that will oxygenate his cells. It is life, it is reality, everything else was a mirage, how could have he been so blind for so long, how could have he wasted so much time, but what is important is that he finally found it and now nothing else, nothing else will do!

And so he immerses himself in this new industry he has found. He partners with a land owner who is also the son of a mighty king. He is offered an opportunity to put his hands to the plow, put a hammer to a nail, engage in an investment opportunity and join in this endeavor. Graciously, he is given a certain value by the landowner with which to start his investment plan. And the landowner goes away on a long journey but will one day return to assess the work that was done. His work will be inspected, it will be scrutinized. Every angle, cut and measurement will be evaluated and that which was handled with great care and excellence for the right purpose, with pure motive of what was best for king and kingdom, will be gloriously rewarded; whereas, all else will vanish like a flitted wisp of an extinguished candle— that portion of the work will be consumed by the fire of God. There will be no residual or evidence that it ever existed. It will not make it into the next life.

In the parable of the wedding feast is the invitation, the opportunity to be able to participate in the joy of the king. The landowner has returned. The goats and sheep, tares and wheat, the fish in the net—it’s all been separated. The work has been assessed, the rewards are ready and they will be distributed at the banquet. Won’t you come and partake of this most joyous occasion of the king? Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye… You are invited to the most glorious banquet ever experienced by the human creation. Join the festivities, no really, YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS!!

P.S. RSVP by faith— proper attire required!

So let’s start there—

1. You’ve been called but you must be dressed for the occasion

V 12, …Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless

Isaiah, come let us reason together though sins be scarlet they can be made white as snow

Speechless- to close the mouth with a muzzle— talk time is over

Connect thoughts of the light w this parable—how did they get there knowing they weren’t saved—then the videos

Talk about those videos that describe people going towards the light and then realizing that once they got to the light, they found out that they were rejected. Imagine that moment, the human spirit rushing through a tunnel towards the light, every second drawing you closer to the light and the closer to the light the greater your heart fills with hope, and then to hear, how did you get here friend? You don’t have the right covering. You clothed yourself with the things the world had to offer. You chose your way and rejected my invitation. I never knew you: cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth— speechless

Only God can judge me

So what is this wedding garment. Its not made by Armani, Perry Ellis or Calvin Klein. It’s the apparel that the Father has been weaving since He found Adam and Eve naked in the garden and hiding within the trees— the skins of an innocent animal, skins representing a sinless sacrifice that would be fulfilled in His sinless Son— Jesus is His name.

Galatians 3:27 KJV For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Galatians 3:27 NIV/NASB …for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Revelation 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

II. The problem is you can’t just try to get in any way you want to

You have to have your name written in the book, you have to have on the right attire, and you have to go through the right door to get in:

John 10:7-11 7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

“But I didn’t know screams a voice out of the throes of Hell,” That’s not true ma’am or sir. You did know. You knew, but you didn’t care. I know you knew because the Spirit has been calling since the beginning. 6 times in this story the word call or bidden was used, each time, it’s the same Greek word in all cases kaleo, where we get our word call. The Spirit is calling, wisdom is calling

Proverbs 8:1-8

In Verse 3 of the parable, the king sent His servants. He’s been sending His servants. He sent Wisdom, you heard the concern in her voice, He sent Enoch, He sent Noah, He sent Abraham, He sent Moses, He sent, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Nehemiah, He sent John the Baptist, He sent Jesus man, He sent Peter, James and John, He sent Paul, Silas, Barnabas, Matthew, Mark and Luke. He sent all them and He’s sending me and He’s sending you. He’s sending people all over the world. The problem isn’t that no one knew, the problem is that they didn’t care   

Matthew 22:5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

Make light of- to be careless of, to neglect. I don’t really have any regard for that, because it’s not really relevant to me.

One went to his farm and the other to his merchandise. “Okay, it’s not really that I didn’t know, and it’s not exactly that I didn’t care. If I’m really honest, I was just really, really busy and compared to what I had to get done… I mean come on man. Little Jimmy had baseball, Billy Jiu Jitsu and Sally had dance and soccer. Both Tommy and I worked. It was really busy.

I want to spend a little bit of my time on the merchandise word. The Greek is Emporia. Ever heard of Drug Emporium

noun, plural em·po·ri·ums, em·po·ri·a [em-pawr-ee-uh, -pohr-]. /ɛmˈpɔr i ə, -ˈpoʊr-/.

• a large retail store, especially one selling a great variety of articles.
  

• **a place, town, or city of important commerce, especially a principal center of trade: New York is one of the world's great emporiums.

Ezekiel 27:1-3 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2 Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus; 3 And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty.

Revelation 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen…

Revelation 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

She’s got people trapped and many of those people are people that say they love the Lord, but they don’t even realize that they are serving self and serving her and it’s a little bit harder to see than what people are willing to admit.

The Soul Man: The Human as a Temple/House

Spirit, Soul, Body

Titus 3:5

The human as a temple/ house

• Solomon’s temple— 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17; 1 Cor 6:19

• House— 2 Corinthians 5:1-6 earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved– Matt 12:22-45–house-Beelzebub-strongman of house-house swept clean-heart- treasure of heart-receptacle-storage-evil treasure-good treasure

TEMPLE OF SOLOMON >>>1 Chronicles 28:11,12– upper rooms/ inner rooms

Inner Court— [body] flesh

Holy place— soul

Holy of Holies— spirit 1 Corinthians 6:17

Back to soul graphic w temple

RECON &REPENTANCE

• Examine reins: ḇâḥan; a primitive root; to test (especially metals); generally and figuratively, to investigate: — examine, prove, tempt, try (trial).Jeremiah 11:20 But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.; Psalms 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.:

NEHEMIAH Tobiah the ammonite Sanballat the Horonite—broken wall Prov 25:28, city of peace—

Nehemiah 13:1-9 The reading of the Law revealed that an Ammonite was not to be allowed in the sanctuary. Tobiah and Sanballat through trickery and deception, yoked themselves to Jewish women; this allowed Tobiah to gain access to the rooms within the temple. Once Nehemiah found out what was going on, he cleansed the rooms and restored them back to order

Conclusion

The wall- the room- go back to the wall— Jessica-Pamela-Pat-Bill-does that bother you if I stop there and don’t mention your name? Let me plain why I’m doing this- conflict will not only comes from outside in an attempt to get us off the wall- you can expect evil to come inside:jealousy, envy, disunity. Let me use myself as an illustration, since God showed me this would happen ex spark plug changer—He showed me, through me, this would happen, now, is the time to reveal what happened to me.

This is repentance. When a person realizes that rooms in their temple have been opened up to ungodliness and that Satan has been given a room Ephesians 4:27 room, quarter, occupancy— just as Satan gained unauthorized access into the earthly realm when Adam gave permission by yielding to sin through disobedience, Eliashib gave unauthorized access to Tobiah into the room of the temple, gained through subtilty, trickery and methods by yoking through marriage and gained access to restricted areas; we also can give access to evil by giving place, allowing occupancy to evil through permission by sin.

And the longer we let it stay, the more comfortable we get with it’s presence. The less we feel conviction. It starts to become part of who we are. In the beginning, I may have felt conviction about cheating on my taxes, gossiping about my brother