The Real You

[00:00:00] Speaker A: You're listening to the message podcast of High Ridge Church, Longview, where our vision is to help you know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and ultimately make a difference. We are so glad that you're here, and we pray that this message impacts your life as you apply the spiritual truths from God's word in practical ways. Let's listen in. [00:00:19] Speaker B: Y' all doing good? Hey, I just want to look at your faces. You're my heroes. The people in church on time change Sunday. You make it worth it. The ones who really love God, go ahead and say it. I really love God. Well, I want to bless this house. So a prophetic word came to me while we were praying back here before [00:00:39] Speaker C: first service from one of your elders. [00:00:41] Speaker B: And I just believe when the word three was spoken to me, he spoke three to me about you. So I just want to bless three aspects of church life at High Ridge Church, Longview that are anointed and powerful. I get to go to different places and minister in different places. And let me tell you three strengths that you have and a blessing that you have in these three strengths. First of all, your leadership, your pastors and your elders spouses are phenomenal. Phenomenal. Top flight, love God, live with honor and integrity. I wanna try to bless the people of God. Pastor Tim, setting such a good example along with a powerful sense of humor and your leadership. Second is, is your ministries. The ministries that pour out of this house are phenomenal. Absolutely anointed. Everything that you all do is with excellence. You can see the excellence all around, but it's not for self. It's for the Lord. And I just wanna bless the ministries of this house. And then third, last but not least is the worship. The worship here. I'm telling you, I would put this team up on any platform in any church in the world and know for certain that the people in the audience are. Would worship just like you did today. That's what I believe. So I just wanna express some honor and just thank you all for being here today. Amen. All right, go to your bibles first. Thessalonians, chapter 5, and Hebrews, chapter 4. The title today is the real you. What would you think if I told you that you aren't who you think you are? [00:02:11] Speaker C: Really? [00:02:12] Speaker B: You're even better. What would you think if I told you that you could live your life so deeply connected to your creator that you didn't have any connection or any bondage tying you back to sin? What would you think if I told you that you are more like your creator than what you realize in this aspect, God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you in three parts, spirit, soul, and body. This is a life message for me. God changed my life when I gained understanding of these two passages. So here's what I want you to grab hold of today. If you don't capture anything else, capture this and you'll see it here on the screen. Just as God is a triune God, you are a triune being. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, you, Spirit, soul, and body. So I want to help you to see this today, but first, let's understand with an analogy. And all analogies break down in a point, but this will help you, I think, to understand the Trinity of God. Lots of confusion. As a matter of fact, when I was a seminary student many, many years ago, this question came up in one of our classes. And the professor was immediately ready to help us understand, with a simple analogy, the Trinity. And it's the analogy of H2O. So you might see a picture pop [00:03:31] Speaker C: up here on the screen. [00:03:33] Speaker B: And the analogy of H2O is all that is surrounding here is water. That that would be like Father God. But notice also in this analogy, there's an iceberg. Iceberg is no less H2O. Would you agree? It's just at a lower temperature than the water that the iceberg is in. That would represent Jesus Christ. Why? Because John the apostle said, we knew him, we touched him, we held him. So that would be like ice. H2O At 32 degrees Fahrenheit you can hold onto. That would be like our Lord Jesus Christ. And then notice that the iceberg is in water warmer than the ice. There's steam, mist, there is humidity, if you will. That would be the Holy Spirit. Let me ask you, if you have something boiling on the stove and you hold your hand above it, you can't really see anything. But in just a moment, what do you have on the bottom side of your hand above that? Boiling water. You've got water, you've got moisture. In what form? Well, it's at a heated degrees where H2O is boiling and it is mist, it's vapor, it's humidity. And that would be the third person in the Trinity. Just as God is three persons, you are three parts. Now, I serve many roles in life. I'm first of all the anointed, blessed. And she tells me all the time, handsome husband of Don Klingenberg. My lovely bride. Take up and take a bow, honey. Let everybody see what I'm talking about [00:04:59] Speaker C: with how beautiful There we go. [00:05:02] Speaker B: She's wearing a beautiful new jacket that [00:05:03] Speaker C: we bought yesterday at Barron's. Yeah, they got some nice stuff there. [00:05:07] Speaker B: I'm also Jeffrey Robert Klingenberg. J, E, F, F, R, Y. [00:05:11] Speaker C: My mom didn't think spelling Klingenberg all [00:05:13] Speaker B: my life was gonna be hard enough. So spelled Jeffrey without the E. She said, it's not Jeff Urry. [00:05:17] Speaker C: It's not Jeff Ray. [00:05:18] Speaker B: It's Jeffrey. And so God bless my mom, but I'm Jeffrey Klingenberg, the son of Bob and Marge Klingenberg. Now, Bob's been in heaven for six years now, and Marge is about to turn 90 in April, so still going along strong. I'm proud of my mom. She leads. She's in a quilting group, an end times group, a Bible study group, that thing. I forgot what it's called. She ministers at the YMCA. She's in a coffee group. Going strong at 90 years old, with the spirit of God leading the way in her life. [00:05:49] Speaker D: I'm proud of my mom. [00:05:50] Speaker B: She's awesome. I'm also the father of Bethany, Jeremy, Jonathan, Brianna, and Josiah. Yes, we have a big family, like some of the families around here now. [00:06:00] Speaker D: I've had people say before, when they [00:06:01] Speaker B: find out we have five kids, they go, man, you must really love kids. [00:06:04] Speaker C: You know what's coming. [00:06:06] Speaker B: I really love my wife, and that's [00:06:07] Speaker C: why we have a lot of kids. [00:06:10] Speaker B: And then I have five in laws. I'm even going to try to name them. I've got eight, soon to be no, nine. How many grandchildren do we have? Nine grandchildren, soon to be 10. And I'm for sure not gonna try to name them. Although I could just make up names. Y' all wouldn't know any difference. I'm pops to these nine grandchildren, soon to be 10. [00:06:33] Speaker C: Our youngest daughter's pregnant. She'll make us a grandparent again in August. [00:06:36] Speaker B: And I'm pj. Pastor Jeff. I'm PJ to a lot of pastors, and I've been around and get to [00:06:42] Speaker C: encourage and help a lot of pastors. [00:06:44] Speaker B: It's just something I love to do. So I'm PJ to them. And. And there's only one that I worry about. [00:06:49] Speaker C: Only one of all those pastors that I worry about. [00:06:51] Speaker B: And he shall remain nameless, but he's married to Tina. All right, First Thessalonians, chapter five. Let's take a look at who we really are. Somebody say with me who I really am. Let's take a look at it. First Thessalonians, chapter 5, verses 23 through 24. Now, I'm going to get into some technicalities, so hang with me. [00:07:11] Speaker D: But it's to make a point. [00:07:13] Speaker B: So here we go. The Bible, the Holy Spirit speaking through the Apostle Paul, writing a letter to the Thessalonians that God anointed and put in our Holy Scripture, verse 23. Now, may the God of Peace himself. Everybody look here. This is what's called reflexive. So when there's something in one sentence in the Bible that reflects back to something else, it tells you, pay attention. Anytime you see something referenced twice in a verse or in a sentence in the Bible, pay attention. That's the Holy Spirit adding emphasis three times. Really pay attention. So let's pay attention to this. Now, may the God of Peace himself. This tells us. Hey, this is big. This is a reflexive usage here. God himself wants to tell us something. Now, may the God of Peace himself sanctify you. Somebody say out loud, I need to be holy. But you don't have to do it on your own, because the Holy Spirit will do it if you'll let him, the God of Peace himself, sanctify you or make you holy completely. Another double emphasis there. And may your whole. Now I want you to say these next three with me. Here we go. Spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, why is he saying light that way? Because God wants to make us holy. Cause a holy life is a blessed life. Not putting religion on you. Not putting rules and regulations on you. Putting in you and on you the power of the indwelling Spirit to help you out of trouble and to help you live a blessed life. And he wants to do it. God wants to do it to make us Holy Spirit, soul and body, all three parts of us. And he wants to do it why? Because he wants us to be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [00:08:51] Speaker C: Now look at verse 24. [00:08:52] Speaker B: He who calls you is faithful. Can we just take a praise break right there? We serve a faithful God. Come on, somebody. We serve the One who is above all others. The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and many things that he's known for many of those things. He's faithful. He's faithful to his cause. He's faithful to his people. He's faithful to work on you if you'll let him. He's faithful to protect you, to help you, to give you strength that you can't give yourself. [00:09:17] Speaker C: Our God is faithful. [00:09:19] Speaker B: And he will also do it. So God in three persons, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, you In three parts. Spirit, soul, body. [00:09:29] Speaker D: Amen. [00:09:29] Speaker B: Do you get it now? Let's dig a little deeper. Let's dive a little deeper. Somebody say we're going in the deep end. Now another passage on spirit, soul, body. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 12. Once again, the Holy Spirit is the author of the scriptures. This time he's writing through whoever wrote the book of Hebrews. We don't know for sure. And he's writing on this very same subject. But he gives even more explanation. Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is living and powerful. Another praise break. How many of y' all are thankful you have a copy of the Word of God? Come on. Thankful that you have the Holy Scriptures written by God himself at your disposal, in your hands, before your eyes, so that you can know the ways of God. I'm thankful. How many of y' all ever heard the saying, an apple a day keeps the doctor away? Well, listen to this. A scripture a day keeps the devil away. Makes a huge difference in your life [00:10:21] Speaker C: when you're storing the word of God in your heart. [00:10:22] Speaker B: The Word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword. Which means the word of God makes a difference. It cuts, it cleanses, everywhere. It goes piercing even to the division of. Now we're going to see the three again. Little different order. But look, soul and spirit of joints and marrow. Somebody tell me, where are the joints and marrow in the body? Here we have the same three again. But now let's take a look at what the author of Hebrews goes into about our soul, joints and marrow. And is a discerner, the Word of God. The scriptures will discern, will give clarity, will give insight, will give instruction and remove destruction in your life. The discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And here we have the three parts of our soul. Three parts of our soul. So the word for thoughts there, the Greek word is perception. Everything begins with a thought. Everything happens with a thought that's in your mind. A thought leads you to temptation. A thought leads you to the presence of God. A thought leads you to set an alarm and get up and love God on time. Change Sunday. A thought leads you to what you're gonna wear to church. You understand what I'm saying? Everything begins with a thought. But he doesn't stop there. He says, and the intents. And this is the biblical word for purpose, or if you will, your will. It's your will. It's why you make decisions the way that you do. That's this part of Your soul, and then finally of the heart. [00:11:50] Speaker C: Now, we talk about the heart all the time. [00:11:51] Speaker B: And we go like this. You know, the heart, but really what the soul is talking about are three parts of your brain, three parts. The way that you think when a thought comes, the way you make decisions following that thought, and the way you respond emotionally when that thought comes into your mind. Now, many of us live our lives in reverse order. We talk about the three parts of us and we say body, soul, spirit. But yet the scripture shows spirit, soul, body in 1 Thessalonians 5. And many of us then go immediately from body, soul, spirit, to the part of our soul that is the most important to us, and that's our emotions. We reserve the right to have an emotional response if we feel like it's justified. But I'm here to tell you something. That piece of your mind that you gave them the last time, they didn't take a bite from. They didn't like that piece. And the piece of your mind you're giving them this time, they're not going to take a bite. They're not going to like that piece either. So we need to have the three parts of us in the proper order. Spirit, soul, and the soul is mind, will and emotions, and body. Everybody got it. So your soul is your mind, will and emotions. Your soul is where spiritual warfare takes place. And I want you to help you. [00:13:08] Speaker C: I want to help you grasp this. [00:13:09] Speaker B: If you are born again and you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then according to the Bible, your body became his temple. [00:13:15] Speaker C: Gonna talk more about that in a second. [00:13:17] Speaker B: And also according to the scriptures, you can find this in Proverbs 17. Your body becomes a place where the spirit of God can glow. In other words, the unseen realm around you. The Bible says it this way. The spirit of the Lord is the spirit of the man. Sorry, the spirit of the man is the lamp of the Lord, the glow of the Lord. The question is, is when the dark workers in the unseen realm around us look at you. What kind of a glow do they see? A dimly burning little candle that's barely on? Or do they see a. A house on fire, in love with God and living and working for God? So you have three parts to you, and the three parts that you have to you. God wants to put in the right order so that you can live a blessed life, a life getting you ready for heaven with God, so you have been saved. That's your spirit at the moment that you asked Jesus Christ to come into your life, forgive your sins, your Spirit was saved. Your name was sealed in God's book. The Lamb Book of life was sealed, [00:14:15] Speaker D: the Bible says, sealed in heaven forever. You are recorded as being in the family of God, being a part of the people of God. [00:14:21] Speaker B: Your spirit was saved, but then it also tells that you are being saved. [00:14:28] Speaker D: So your soul is in the process of being saved. What am I talking about? [00:14:32] Speaker B: The Bible says, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Now, wait a second. [00:14:38] Speaker D: If I'm saved, why do I need to work on my salvation with fear and trembling? [00:14:43] Speaker B: Because you need help, and God's the [00:14:44] Speaker D: only one that can give it to you. [00:14:46] Speaker B: You are a work in process. You're hopefully a work in progress, and God is the one that will help you to work out your salvation. [00:14:54] Speaker D: In other words, get things in order [00:14:56] Speaker B: so that you can live a blessed life. And then finally, you will be saved. You are saved. Spirit, you're being saved. Soul, you will be saved. Body. [00:15:05] Speaker D: What's that mean? [00:15:06] Speaker B: Right now, we live in a temporary earth suit. It's broken. [00:15:11] Speaker D: There's stuff wrong with it. How many of y' all just love pollen season? [00:15:14] Speaker B: Let me see a show of hands. Nobody's raising their hand. [00:15:17] Speaker D: We all hate it. [00:15:18] Speaker B: I suffer with it all the time. I can't wait for my glorified heavenly body, Pastor Tim. I can't wait because I'm not going to be sneezing and snotting in heaven. I have to have this with me all the time. [00:15:29] Speaker D: Anybody know what I'm talking about? [00:15:31] Speaker B: And I'm not just playing a little [00:15:32] Speaker D: fiddle up here for you and singing my worries. You know what I'm talking about? [00:15:35] Speaker B: I. Our bodies are not perfect. [00:15:39] Speaker D: Now, some of us get pretty close, [00:15:40] Speaker B: but our bodies aren't perfect. [00:15:42] Speaker D: And so this is what we need to understand. How many of y' all remember the story about Cinderella? Anybody ever heard of Cinderella? If you haven't heard of Cinderella, give me a wave. Okay, Great. Everybody's heard of Cinderella. Wonderful story about her being made into a princess. Now just hang with me for a second. I think it's gonna help make the point. What did she need to be able to go to the ball as a princess? She needed clothes. She had her servant's clothes on. They would know she's not a princess. She needed a royal coach with horses. If she walked to the ball, they would know she was a servant and not a princess. She needed attendance. If she didn't have attendance, walking alongside of her carriage, that was a marker of a princess. They had security with them all the time. If she didn't have that, she wouldn't be seen as a princess. And then the last thing she needed, what the whole story is about was what? The glass slippers. She had to have the right shoes to be able to be a princess, to go to the ball. Nothing was left out. Would the clothes have been enough by themselves? No. Would the attendants? No. With the carriage? No. With the shoes? No. If any part had been left out, then every part would have been affected. And that's the way it is with your spiritual life. If you choose to neglect the spirit of God within you, you're gonna live in the soulish realm and gonna be known as an emotional person. If you live your life in the spirit, though, you'll live with victory. You'll live with abundance if you live your life for your body. Either neglect of your body or the worship of your body. Two extremes in our world right now. And you know, stuff going on with our bodies that never used to happen. Diseases and sicknesses that come, that didn't used to happen. [00:17:15] Speaker B: Why? [00:17:16] Speaker D: Because so often we worship our body and we think, hey, this is gonna just be temporary anyway. I wanna indulge myself. That's not what God wants. He wants you to live a blessed life. Spirit first, soul second. And then your body not leading the way and not calling the shots and not enslaving you to this realm, but getting you ready for the next realm. Everybody understand? What would you say if I told you I know of a Christian and the thing that marks their life more than anything is they can slander and gossip with the best of them. I mean, they're always talking about somebody. Would you say they're a Christian? Think about it. Well, if they're saved, as great as salvation is, that means it's eternal. But where's the problem? It's in their soul. They think it's okay for their words to speak. Words that come from a realm that's not from God. And so you would say, well, they might not be a Christian. Well, they're probably a Christian if they're Christ saved, their name is sealed. [00:18:14] Speaker B: But. [00:18:15] Speaker D: But they've got a problem in their soul that they think it's okay for this weapon right here, which James talks about in great detail, it can just go out and do whatever it wants. But it's hurting people and so it's not blessed. There's a work that needs to be done in that person's life. What about somebody that lacks love? I mean, they're just not kind. They just. They don't do anything to demonstrate the kindness and the grace and the goodness of God. It's just, you know, just gruffs and huffs and puffs and don't look at anybody. Would they be a Christian? Well, yes. If their spirit is saved, they're a Christian. But their soul is not being submitted to the indwelling spirit because they've got a problem with attitudes. How about this one? What about somebody that says they're a Christian? Now listen, I'm not trying to throw any shade on anybody, not trying to add condemnation to anybody. I just want to enlighten you to a truth that I think will help your life. But what about a Christian that they say they love God, but they've got the process of physical intimacy out of order according to scripture. In other words, they're having sex with whoever they want to or they're living in a way that's not biblical. But they're a Christian. I'm a Christian. How dare you question me? We need to do this in order to save money, whatever the excuse may be. Well, what's wrong? Their body is being used in a way that is against the teachings of the Scripture and against the ways of the indwelling spirit. Please, no condemnation. Just trying to give you help. And when your body is being given to something that the Bible says it shouldn't be given to, then you're not living in the way God wants you to live. And so I stand today as a brother in Christ to help you to understand that God wants to sanctify you, make you holy, get you ready for heaven with him in a holy place with a holy God forever. And he loves you enough not to leave you alone in a place of darkness. He loves you enough as a son and a daughter to want to get into your life and work from the place of the strength of the indwelling spirit of God within you to make your soul healthy and to make your body healthy. And it's a blessing because God is good. Somebody say with me, God is good. All right, three points today. Number one, you are a spiritual being. [00:20:31] Speaker B: The spirit is the ruling faculty within a Christian, allowing them to interact with the unseen realm. Your spirit allows you to connect with God. Romans 8, 10 and 11. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin. Everybody look here. In English, when we have the word if, it's always a first class condition. In other words, there's doubt on the statement. And so the statement starts with if. Not the case in the Greek language, there's three different conditional statements. And this is the third one where the if could be followed by a then, and the if then changes to since. Let me show it to you. If Christ is in you, then the body is dead because of sin. Do you see it? So we could just as easily say, since Christ is in you, our bodies are dead because of sin. That's what he's saying here. But the Spirit is life because of righteousness. And then verse 11, the same thing. A third class conditional sentence has an if in there. [00:21:27] Speaker C: Makes us think there's a condition. [00:21:28] Speaker B: Maybe we should have doubt here, not the case. Listen. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal body. Look, since the Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead, then the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead will work in your life and will bring blessing to your life so that through his Spirit you can live the life that God wants you to live. It's just a blessed way to live. [00:21:58] Speaker C: A blessed way to live. [00:22:00] Speaker B: So let me just tell you about [00:22:01] Speaker C: my life real quick. [00:22:02] Speaker B: When my spirit was saved, when I [00:22:04] Speaker C: experienced salvation, I was nine years old. [00:22:07] Speaker B: But the backstory kind of adds to it as well. So my dad met Christ when he was 12 years old at a Methodist youth camp. Then was drafted into war when he was 17, just turned 18, and was [00:22:20] Speaker C: on the front line of the Korean War. Korean War was a bloody battle. I mean, it just wiped out all the horticulture, all wiped out just from shelling and bombing. [00:22:30] Speaker B: He spent three days in a foxhole. And in those three days in a [00:22:34] Speaker C: foxhole, they were under such heavy fire, they couldn't get out. [00:22:36] Speaker B: No food, no water. He made a commitment to the Lord, [00:22:39] Speaker C: if you get me out of this, live for you. Well, he got out of it, went [00:22:45] Speaker B: back to Illinois, got a job as [00:22:46] Speaker C: a welder at a factory, met my mom, who was a nurse. They got married, and then I came along a couple years later, and guess what? He reneged on his commitment. [00:22:55] Speaker B: He didn't live for God. And so my mom decided When I was 4 years old, my little brother was 2, she was going to start [00:23:01] Speaker C: taking us to church because she was also raised in a Christian home and wanted us to know Christ. [00:23:06] Speaker B: So she starts taking us to church in Decatur, Illinois, in January. [00:23:11] Speaker C: It's quite often icy and lots of snow. [00:23:14] Speaker B: She's driving my Dad's brand new 1952 [00:23:18] Speaker C: Chevrolet with glass pack mufflers. That's a way for all you bald heads and old heads to recognize that's the way to tell you it was a car that meant a lot to him and was expensive. [00:23:28] Speaker B: And she slides on the ice and [00:23:30] Speaker C: has a wreck on the way to. Taking me and my little brother to church. [00:23:33] Speaker B: Makes my dad mad. So he said, forget that. You're not driving my car anymore. So he starts driving mom, Jeff, Eric to church on Sunday morning and dropping us off in the. [00:23:43] Speaker D: In the. [00:23:44] Speaker B: Drop off, the covered drop off on the backside of the building. Well, the pastor catches onto it, starts talking to my mom about my dad, finds out my dad loves to fish. If he could have his druthers, he'd [00:23:54] Speaker C: fish every day and try to make a living fishing. [00:23:56] Speaker B: He was this way all the way [00:23:58] Speaker C: until 2020 when he died. [00:23:59] Speaker B: He, he was fishing right before he died. And he loved to fish. The pastor found out, went out and met my dad in the car after mom and me and my brother had been dropped off, met him and then invited himself to go fishing with my dad. Hey, I heard you like to fish. I like to fish too. When are we going? And I'm so thankful because what happened was, was he had to take the pastor fishing. They're out on the boat out in the middle of the lake and guess what happened. The pastor took advantage of the opportunity [00:24:28] Speaker C: to talk to my dad about the [00:24:29] Speaker B: condition of his life. My dad had a recognition that he wasn't living for God, recommitted or rededicated his life to the Lord and began to live for the Lord. Ever since then. As a result of that, I came to faith at nine years old because [00:24:40] Speaker C: I saw it in my dad and my mom. [00:24:43] Speaker B: So at that moment my spirit was saved. But unfortunately I made a right hand [00:24:48] Speaker C: turn and did as a young man in the scriptures did. [00:24:52] Speaker B: Perhaps the most popular parable is where [00:24:55] Speaker C: the Lord speaks about the father, the older son and the younger son. I did what the younger son did. I went into trouble. [00:25:03] Speaker B: And it was at 20 years old when I went to a concert. There was a guy that used to [00:25:08] Speaker C: live here in Lindale, Texas, white guy with a big afro, played the piano. His name was Keith Green and he [00:25:16] Speaker B: was playing in our hometown at the Masonic Temple. It's the only place they could get a place for this to happen. Worship in the Masonic Temple. And he talked about Christians who aren't living for God. And talked about it in such a way that I had a recognition that that was me. And he talked about the difference if [00:25:32] Speaker C: they would come, be spirit filled. [00:25:34] Speaker B: And I went. [00:25:35] Speaker C: The spirit of God took over and my life Changed. [00:25:37] Speaker B: You see, prior to that, the glow of the spirit within me was so [00:25:40] Speaker C: low, it was probably hardly even able to be seen. [00:25:43] Speaker B: Because I was living in sin. I wasn't living the blessed life. I wasn't living an abundant life. I wasn't yielded to the indwelling spirit. I wasn't even yielded to the the will of my soul. I was yielded to my emotions in my body. And as a result of that, a glow formed in my life. And since that point, I'm praying that it continues to get brighter and brighter and brighter. So what am I trying to tell you? Your spirit should lead the way in your life. Your spirit should lead the way. Somebody say after me, Come on, spirit, lead the way. The spirit of God within you should lead the way in your life. Number two. You possess a soul. You possess a soul. The soul is the center of the personality. So when someone describes you and how you're known. When someone describes you, they're describing your soul. Unless they describe physical features. But they're describing kindness, sweet spirit. They're describing those things, loves, God loves. It just has radiance about them. They're describing the soul. And so the soul is the center of your personality. Now, some people think that the soul and the spirit are the same. They are not. I just showed you. In First Thessalonians 5, the word for spirit is wind, breath, air, moisture, humidity. The word for soul is psyche. And we know what psyche is. That's study of psychology, psychiatry, study of the mind. And so we know that they're not the same. And let me show you a verse where both appear and they're not the same. And this is after the angel Gabriel [00:27:11] Speaker C: gave a message to Mary. [00:27:12] Speaker B: Mary, you're going to be the mother of God. You're going to conceive God in your womb. 15 years old, doesn't matter. The young lady, you're going to give birth to God and you're going to raise him. And here's what happens. Look at this soul, spirit. This is awesome. Luke, chapter one, verse 46. And Mary said, my soul magnifies the Lord. Notice, present tense. My soul is magnifying the Lord. How can that be the case? She just received a message that would cause anybody to be fearful. Well, look at the next verse. Verse 47. And my spirit has rejoiced in God, my Savior. So the word for soul. The word for spirit. And her soul is present tense. [00:27:51] Speaker D: Magnifying the Lord. [00:27:53] Speaker B: Why? Because her spirit had already rejoiced in the goodness of God, her Savior. That's how you can live. You can live that way. Third John, chapter one, verse two. Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health. That's your body as your soul prospers. What did Luke just tell us about how our soul prospers? When we first magnify the Lord. When our spirit has joy in the Lord. Recently, and it's sad that this is [00:28:21] Speaker C: the case happening all too often. But recently a pastor fell and he [00:28:27] Speaker B: fell to sexual sin. And what happened? They revealed it. [00:28:31] Speaker C: After it all happened. [00:28:32] Speaker B: His wife came home one day and he had caught her in an affair and came home and they argued about [00:28:39] Speaker C: it, had a big fight about it. And he then justified since she's had an affair and broken covenant with me, then I'm not bound to it. And he left that argument in his house, drove to a girl, the lady, that he thought would respond to an [00:28:52] Speaker B: advance, and she did. [00:28:54] Speaker C: And he committed adultery and of course was removed. And there was a scandal. [00:28:58] Speaker B: And what that shows us that even those who minister the word of God. [00:29:04] Speaker C: Pastor Tim, others. Pastor Paul, others. [00:29:07] Speaker B: Doug. We've got to keep our spirit strong. We've got to. We can't let our spirit get weak. And it's not hard to do. You just stay in a place of worshiping God. And I commended the worship here a moment ago because it's true. It is anointed and powerful. Just stay in the place where you worship God and don't let your soul get into a pity party and take you to a decision that you're going [00:29:29] Speaker C: to regret for the rest of your life. [00:29:30] Speaker B: Amen. [00:29:31] Speaker C: Somebody. [00:29:32] Speaker B: So your soul should yield to the spirit. Somebody say, spirit leads the way, soul follows the spirit. All right. And then finally you live in a body. You live in a temporary decaying earth suit. [00:29:46] Speaker C: How do I call it? [00:29:47] Speaker B: An earth suit. Because you're gonna look like you look. You're gonna be known in heaven like you look, but it's gonna be perfected. So no more fill in the blank, [00:29:54] Speaker C: whatever the trouble is for your body. [00:29:56] Speaker B: No more of that gonna be perfect. See, the body links the person to the material world and is the instrument of all outward deeds. How do we know how somebody is feeling, how they act and what they say? How do we know if somebody's in love with God, how they act and what they say? How do we know if somebody is healthy or sick? How you do, how they act and what they say. This is true here. Our body relates to the material world. Romans 12, verse 1 says this. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your next word. Present your bodies to who? A living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Present your body to God here, God. All of this is yours. And since you're righteous and holy, then [00:30:41] Speaker C: I want all of this to be righteous and holy. [00:30:43] Speaker B: First Corinthians 6, verse 19. Or do you not know that your body is the temple? Not a temple, not indirect article, direct article. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God. You are not your own. What's the point? The Old Testament temple, there's just one part of it remaining. Now, if you ever get to go [00:31:06] Speaker C: with us to Israel, I think. [00:31:07] Speaker B: Did I say Egypt in the first service? Okay, if you ever get to go with us to Israel, you're going to be able to see some beautiful things. And the only thing remaining of the Old Testament temple is a retaining wall on the western side. That is just the footing, and it is huge. It's about an eighth of a mile long. And it's. I don't know how many stones stacked. [00:31:27] Speaker C: 40, 60 stone stacked. [00:31:29] Speaker B: And that is where. That's the only place remaining. That's where the Jewish people go to pray. [00:31:33] Speaker C: You see, you know, see them bowing. You can write a prayer and stick it in between the stones there. [00:31:40] Speaker B: It's a wonderful place. That's all that's left of the temple. They believe so much in the perfection of the temple that if it was built in today's dollars, I've read this, I think it to be true, it [00:31:52] Speaker C: would cost about a trillion dollars. [00:31:55] Speaker B: The gold, the precious stones, the size of it. Just they wanted the temple to be special unto God. Then fast forward on planet Earth 2026. The Temple of God. The temple, definite article of God is us. It's this. [00:32:14] Speaker C: This is where the presence of God dwells. [00:32:16] Speaker B: Here on Earth. We know in the throne room of [00:32:18] Speaker C: heaven, nothing has changed. [00:32:19] Speaker B: But here on Earth, this is the presence of God. Why do we treat it so bad? Why do we not care? Why do we have this be an afterthought and think it's no big deal? And I'm not trying to put conviction on somebody. I'm not trying to say, you need to get a health club membership tomorrow. I'm not saying into that all morning. Speak to a mindset that needs to change for you to live an abundant life. To understand that God wants you to be full of his spirit. He wants your mind, will and emotions to follow your spirit. And. And he doesn't want your body being given to things that are gonna keep the spirit of God from being strong within you. God loves you, wants to make a difference in your life. Don't make choices, even with your body, what you eat, what you do, et cetera, that are gonna cause the spirit of God to be quenched within the temple of God. [00:33:06] Speaker C: And I said it that way on purpose. [00:33:09] Speaker B: Even though we're dwelling in a temporary earth suit, even though it's broken, it's still special to God. [00:33:16] Speaker C: It's still a place where he dwells. [00:33:18] Speaker B: So the last question today is, are you living according to who you really are? [00:33:24] Speaker C: Are you living that way? Let's pray. Would everyone close your eyes and bow your heads? How many of you are willing today [00:33:33] Speaker B: to get order back in your life? [00:33:34] Speaker C: Can you just lift your hands up to get the way God designed you to operate, to get it back in your life? Good. I appreciate your honesty, Father. Bless my friends. Bless them at the altar in just a moment. I encourage your friend to come tell one of the altar prayer team members what God spoke to you and just pray together and seal it in. Lord, bless them. I pray. Let everything that you've prompted in their hearts today be anointed and blessed. Let your grace be full and abundant in my brothers and my sisters here today. Lord, let life be theirs and let it be theirs abundantly. I pray in Jesus mighty name if everyone just keep your heads bowed and your eyes closed for one more prayer. This prayer is for those of you that are here today. And you'd say, you know, Jeff, in all honesty, I'm not positive that at the end of my life, whenever that might be, then I'm going to be with God in his heaven forever. Well, friend, I want you to know something. You don't need to walk out of church today with any doubts. You can walk out of church today positive that you're going to be with God in his heaven forever. How do I know that? Because the Bible says everybody who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Then you might be here and say, jeff, I don't know how to connect with Jesus. I don't know how to ask him to save me. Well, friend, there was a time when I didn't know how to either. And someone helped me. Pray a simple prayer. And I'd be honored to help you right now, friend. Pray a very simple prayer to the Lord and God promises to answer this prayer immediately. It's a prayer of faith. [00:34:59] Speaker B: So I'm gonna pray just like someone [00:35:01] Speaker C: helped me pray one Time. And you can pray each phrase after me. If you mean business in your heart, you can experience eternal life, beginning right now. Boy or girl, mom or dad, grandma or grandpa, that doesn't matter. If this is your first time here today, that doesn't matter either. You can pray with me right now and receive Christ. [00:35:18] Speaker B: So here we go. [00:35:19] Speaker C: Every phrase. I'll give time for you to pray that phrase. Lord Jesus, I'm choosing to trust in you right now. I'm choosing right now to believe that you're God's son and that when you conquered sin and death and came out of the grave victorious, I'm choosing to believe that you did that for me. And I'm asking you right now, Lord, to come into my life, to take over my life and to forgive all of my sins. And, Lord, I want you to know that starting right now, I'm not gonna live my life my way any longer. Starting right now, I'm gonna live the rest of my life with you. And here's the last part of the prayer. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for just now hearing and answering my prayer. And it's in your name that I've prayed Amen. [00:36:20] Speaker B: With all heads bowed and all eyes closed, except for those of you who just prayed with me. If you just prayed with me, would you be so kind as just to lift your hand and wave at me [00:36:28] Speaker C: and just say, that's me? Yes. Yes. Yes. [00:36:30] Speaker B: Yes. [00:36:31] Speaker C: Yes. Yes. Gotcha. Just keep waving. [00:36:33] Speaker B: Yes. [00:36:33] Speaker C: Got you back there, honey. [00:36:35] Speaker B: Just keep waving. Keep waving. Up top, the balcony. Yes. [00:36:38] Speaker C: Gotcha right there. God bless you, each one. [00:36:41] Speaker D: Yes. [00:36:42] Speaker C: Got you right there. Very good. Anyone else? Yes, ma'. [00:36:45] Speaker B: Am. [00:36:45] Speaker C: Got you right there. Anyone else? [00:36:49] Speaker B: Good. Okay. Just those of you who just waved at me. Way to go. Would you look back up at me? Way to go. [00:36:53] Speaker C: I'm so proud of you. [00:36:54] Speaker B: You just made the best decision you could ever make. Now you made an internal decision. The Bible teaches the next decision you [00:37:01] Speaker C: make is an external display of that [00:37:04] Speaker B: which is called baptism. And baptized here, just like Jesus was [00:37:08] Speaker C: baptized, buried in the water, signifying the [00:37:10] Speaker B: death of the old you and raised [00:37:12] Speaker C: up out of the water, signifying the new life that God has for you. [00:37:15] Speaker B: So I want to encourage you to [00:37:16] Speaker C: sign up for baptism right now. [00:37:18] Speaker B: You. You just took a step toward God [00:37:19] Speaker C: by asking him to come in and forgive your sins. Now start a walk with God by [00:37:24] Speaker B: obeying him and being baptized. And you'll be so glad that you did. Can everyone look this way? Let's put our hands together and applaud for all those who just took a step toward God. [00:37:35] Speaker A: Thank you so much for listening in today. Our prayer is that you are encouraged and strengthened by the message. If you haven't done so yet, be sure to subscribe to this podcast and leave us a review wherever you're listening. If you want to be a part of our online community, connect with us through Facebook or Instagram with the handle hyridgelv. Or you can check out our [email protected] lastly, if this ministry has impacted your life and you'd like to support its work, visit highridgelv.com give we appreciate your support and we're believing with you today for God's best in your life. Have an incredible week and we will see you next time.