Skip to main content

The Value of a Soul

By

Image result for soul is of countless price


In the last few months at my church (Cornerstone Church) my pastor, Chris Sippley, has been going though the Gospel of Mark. There are things I'm seeing for the very first time about the reason for the book of Mark, his teachings about Christ, and Christ's teachings about Himself. Not only what Jesus said matters, but also what He did: what He valued and what He prioritized. 

I'd like to share with you - as a sort of informal post - my notes taken from the sermon on Mark 5:1-20, spoken on July 29, 2018. (You can listen to this sermon - and plenty more! - for yourself HERE)


Demons wrecked this man who lived among the tombs. He was rejected, feared, and insane. They made a living hell in him and immediately falls down when he sees Jesus - when the demons see Jesus. They know their fate to hell - they know and try to do as much as possible before they're put away for eternity. They had to have permission from God to go into the pigs. They left the man because Jesus told them to. The demons are in full submission to Jesus. 

I might not be plagued by thousands of demons, but I entertain thousands of sinful thoughts that lead to the same end. I am unaware at how much I actually sin because I do not have the eyes of God. 

When I am wrestling with sin that is bigger than me, remember Jesus did not wait for this man to change himself. Jesus came and changed him because the man was useless to do so. Jesus changes and conquers sin because God is bigger than all of that. 

Why did Jesus completely disregard the pigs and the income they would have provided for their owners? Maybe that one man's salvation and complete rescue is worth SO MUCH more than a bunch of pigs and an income. That it was totally worth it for Jesus to cross the sea, heal the man with the Legion of demons, and go back! Jesus values human souls more than anything else of material value. 

The people in the village begged Jesus to leave. Were they afraid because they saw someone's livelihood wrecked in exchange for a ruined man's life?

The people didn't want Jesus, so Jesus sent the man to them - instead of sending him to foreign missions. My home is just as lost as the rest of the world. My story - like the story of this man - can be used by God. 

Jesus went to great measures to come to this man - in a storm He crossed the sea, rescued the man, sent him to the people who didn't want Jesus, and left. All of that effort for one man. Was it worth it?Yes. 

Jesus went where no one wanted to go to save the one no one wanted to save.           

This is the gospel. 

I pray this resonates and convicts your heart, just as it did mine. God's Word is not to be taken lightly, it is His WORDS. The Words of Christ, the perfect, sinless, holy, sovereign, creator of the world.

<3 Berea
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Betrothed to Christ

By Anonymous
I was reading in Exodus and was reminded of the beautiful picture of Christ and His bride. In Exodus 21:7-11, you find a peculiar law about maidservants: 1) She does not bide by the same laws as the menservants, which can leave their master after six years. 2) If her master who has betrothed her to himself is not pleased  with her, he cannot sell her to the gentiles, but must let her be redeemed; because he has dealt unfaithfully and deceitfully with her. 3) If her master has betrothed her to his son, he must treat her like his daughter. 4) His son must provide for her food, clothes, and duty of marriage and cannot diminish them if he takes another wife. If he does, the maidservant can leave for free. Weird? Kind 'a, but it makes sense. Then God popped a thought into my head about Hosea. Hosea was a prophet who was told by God to marry a harlot to illustrate God's love for Israel. Now at one point Gomer, Hosea's wife, left him for another man and ended up getti...
2 comments
Read more

Precious in God's Sight

By
John 12:43: "They loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God."  This verse has been running through my head for a few weeks now. I included it in my last post, but honestly, it just boggles my mind. Well, not actually. I completely understand how the people this verse is talking about were deceived enough to believe that man's glory was more valuable than God's. Probably the reason it sticks with me is for fear that the same thing may be said about me some day. This summer, I was privileged to be in the girls' dorm at camp for two weeks. I always love being in the dorm because of the amazing opportunity it brings to study the Word of God and encourage one another. We usually read through a couple of the New Testament letters together in the evenings, (James being one of our favourites) but this year, we decided to read 1 Peter.  Some things stood out to me... "Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ezekiel's prediction and Christ's fulfillment

By Anonymous
Ezekiel Chapter 4-5 There are four object lessons in this passage that display the type of judgement that was coming for Israel and Judah.  First (Ezekiel 4:1-3): Ezekiel was commanded to draw the map of Jerusalem on a clay brick and demonstrate how the city would be attacked and destroyed.  Second (Ezekiel 4:4-8): Ezekiel was commanded to lie on his left side for 390 days, symbolic of the 390 years Israel disobeyed God, and 40 days on his right side, symbolic of the 40 years Judah lived in rebellion against God; and do this while starring at the model of the siege of Jerusalem and prophesying against it. Third (Ezekiel 4:9-17): He was to prepare bread to ration out while he lied on his side and cook it over manure. This symbolized how God would make them eat defiled bread in the land of the gentiles where he would scatter them and where they would starve.  Fourth (Ezekiel 5:1-4): Ezekiel was commanded to shave his hair and divide it into three equal parts. 1/3 was...
1 comment
Read more