The Needy Soul Part 1

The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Soul  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Sin makes us perpetually needy souls...the only solution is found in God because His grace and love are unlimited

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Introduction
People are needy…that’s a fact. But what makes us this way?
In the Old Testament, the word flesh refers to our bodily form as humans - our mortality, physical strength or weakness, physical needs (food, water, rest, etc)
The Hebrew word “ruah” refers to the spirit of humans — human existence with breath, will and inspiration.
One Hebrew scholar (Wolff) wrote about the Hebrew word for soul, “nephesh,” describing it as “Needy Man.”
Your soul is a needy man or a needy woman — needy souls
Thomas Aquinas wrote that our needy soul is what points to our need for God —
We are limited in every way but one: we have unlimited desire - Kent Dunnington
We always want more — never satisfied --
More time, more money, more power, more wisdom, beauty, more funny cat videos on YouTube
Is neediness our main problem as humans?
No…neediness simply points to the fact that we are incomplete…unsatisfied.
The core of the problem is our fallen condition
Romans 3:23 NIV
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
This unsatisfied neediness is what some referred to as a “God-shaped Vacuum” (void) in the human soul
This empty place within all humans…points to our need for God, but so often we seek to satisfy our need by latching onto what our minds, bodies, or wills want
Another word for this is idolatry
Brace yourself for a very blunt statement:
Everyone commits idolatry every day
Idolatry is the sin of the soul meeting its needs with ANYTHING that gets between us and God…or takes first place instead of God
Here is another blunt truth we need to face today
If we were forced to honestly reveal what our souls are truly devoted to, we probably could not clearly answer that question
You might say, “Of course I can answer that — my soul is truly devoted to the Lord” — but do your words match your actions?
The Soul-Devotion Exercise - be as honest as possible when considering the following statements
I think about money a lot - as in getting more of it
I have a mental wish list ready to go just in case I win the lottery or come into a large amount of money
I wish I had more control and power over others — I would use it wisely
I have missed important family events in order to pursue other things (even “good” things)
I am a good person…but I would set my values aside to pursue something important to me if I knew nobody would find out
I have desires I prefer not to have my spouse know about
I have secrets I am willing to lie to protect
I sometimes argue with my spouse over something I want to buy (or have already bought) that she did not agree to
Aside from my family and loved ones, there are things in my life that if they were lost or destroyed, I would be totally crushed
If my doctor told me I had to give up (alcohol, tobacco, salt, sugar, red meat, _____________) I would have a very hard time doing it — it might be impossible
If you asked my family what is most important to me…they would probably say it was my job, my hobbies, _________. They would probably not say it was them
I love God and I want to follow Him more closely but there is one thing that always seems to get in the way and it is ________
If your soul is devoted to anything that takes priority over God in your life, that thing is your idol
Sometimes we fall prey to an “overcoming” passion (need) that drives us to do whatever it takes to get what we think we need
Jacob worked for 7 years in order to marry Rachel — the time flew by because he was so determined
Zacchaeus had this overcoming passion (need) to get more and more money - he gave up relationships, integrity, and honor for his idol
Then one day he met Jesus and everything changed
We were created for worship — our soul needs something to latch onto that fills a need —
If we only pursue things that temporarily satisfy, we will never satisfy the need of our souls
What the soul desires, at it’s very core, is God
Has you ever fainted?
I have been light-headed but never actually fainted
The Psalmist describes his soul’s longing for God as so intense that he faints
Psalm 84:2 NIV
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Recognize and accept your soul’s neediness
Our soul begins to grow in the Lord when we learn to accept our need
How can we pray more effectively?
Realize that you are a poor, miserable soul, starving and freezing to death
Or picture yourself as a sick person, full of disease and ready to die unless the doctor takes pity upon you and administers healing medication to you
Recognize the fact that there is only one person that is able to help
This is our predicament…our soul yearns and cries out to the Living God…the only one that can save us
Yet we humans often fill ourselves with everything else but God — we try to create an image of someone that has it all together — when our soul is crying out for the only thing that can satisfy
Illustration:
My father-in-law, Jesse Launius, is a character. He was born and raised a poor preacher’s kid in rural Arkansas. He joined the Air Force right out of High School and made a 26 year career of it. He married his sweetheart Mary, shortly after entering the A.F. The first 12-15 years of their marriage, they did not serve the Lord. But when their youngest child, Marianne, invited them to a kids’ program…the Lord saved them. Long story short, Jesse eventually became a board member at Cornerstone A/G and served for at least 20 years.
Here’s a picture of Linda, Marianne, and Jesse - first week of March 2020 - NYC
Talk about his stroke....
Quote from Linda
“Saw my dad today (Wednesday 9/9/20). They are not allowing visitors in the hospital in Arizona because of the stupid Covid stuff. However, yesterday we prayed for favor and they gave us permission to see him one at a time today. Marianne and I went to the hospital and prayed that they would let us both go up at the same time. And what do you think happened? Yep, we got to go up at the same time. They told us we could only stay an hour but they ended up letting us stay for two. Although my dad was mostly resting with his eyes closed, when we talk to him he would open his eyes and try and answer our questions. His speech is not very good, since it was the right side of his brain that was damaged; However, he clearly said ‘it’s not what you do In this life that matters, it’s what you do for Jesus.’”
Jesse isn’t what you think of when you think of a really spiritual, sold out Christian — Jesse is a down-to-earth man and he isn’t afraid to speak his mind. He is very blunt and sometimes it feels personal. But I have discovered that is how he communicates his love and concern for his family. He has a million stories to tell…and he loves to tell them. But the most important thing in his life is Jesus, and he has never been ashamed to tell people how important it is to know Jesus and follow Him.
I have been talking today about the needy soul — and the proper care and feeding of your soul. My father-in-law knows about taking care of the soul, in my opinion. We have stayed at their house many times over the years…we even lived with them for a time when we were young. As far as I know, Jesse rarely starts his day without sitting at the kitchen bar, opening up his old Bible, and feeding his soul for the day ahead.
Here’s what we can know for sure today,
1. Our souls are needy…and the only thing that can satisfy is a daily relationship with God
Psalm 42:1–2 NIV
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
2. If you don’t take the initiative to care for your own soul, who will?
3. Your soul needs a keeper…you must be that keeper
4. If anything else…ANYTHING, comes before God in your life…you are committing idolatry - worshipping something/someone other than God
5. If your soul is not properly cared for, it will effect every other part of your life
6. We will make mistakes in caring for our soul — but let us learn from those mistakes and make adjustments
7. Even though our fallen condition separated us from God, Jesus defeated sin and judgment on our behalf so that we can live in close relationship with the Lord
8. God has provided the raw ingredients needed to care for our Souls
His Holy Spirit
His Holy Word
His Holy Church - the Body of Christ
Holy praise and Worship
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