January 6, 2008
SoulTalk
An Introduction to Soul Talk
SoulTalk1.mp3
Pastor Wade Burleson
Emmanuel Baptist Church
Enid OK

Matthew 4:1-11 (ESV)

1. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."
4. But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
5. Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple
6. and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, "'He will command his angels concerning you," and "'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'
7. Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
8. Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9. And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me."
10. Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"
11. Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

This morning we begin a new series entitled SoulTalk. The series is based on a book written by our friend Larry Crabb, but I have taken the liberty to build upon Dr. Crabb's thoughts, which I believe to be excellent, and expand them through biblical teaching.

1. This series will take me a little out of my comfort zone -- but that is good.
2. This series will call upon you to stretch your understanding of authentic Christianity.

1. The Thesis of SoulTalk
   I am a bottom line kind of guy. I like to know the end before the beginning. The time and place of destination is more important to me than the start. Where are we going? "Life is all about knowing and enjoying God." He is the authentic source of pleasure; not His gifts - not His blessings - not His giving what you want - but He Himself. Matthew 4:1- 11 illustrates One who desires to know and enjoy the Father above all else. The temptation of Jesus has puzzled me. Jesus was tempted with food, fame, and fortune. If I could eat at a nice restaurant for free, have people applaud me, and be the richest man in the world, I'd jump at it. THAT'S the temptation. When a person substitutes knowing and enjoying a relationship with God for other things, he's toast. The soul is either sick or dead apart from God. A passion for God in your life is life.
2. The Theme of SoulTalk
   The thesis summarizes the goal while the theme is the principle idea to be communicated We can learn to talk with each other in ways that raise our passion for God until it becomes the most powerful desire in our soul. It is worth reading the them aloud. We will learn a language that has the power to pull back the curtains on our soul, to move through the mess, and to help each other discover that what we really want is God. There are a few curtains that cover our soul and lead us to pursue the lesser pleasures.
   1. Some of us have an image of God that is deficient.
      "The people who know their God shall be strong and do great things" (Daniel 11:32).
   2. Some of us have an offense with God that is destructive.
      We have been unable to reconcile how a loving God could allow such a horrible thing to happen in our lives. Even in the midst of our pain, we reveal the picture of a shattered soul that has replaced knowing God with receiving from God. The chill you feel when you think of never seeing God's face is your love for God," St. Augustine.
   3. Some of us have a desire for God that is dormant.
      People everywhere trade passing pleasures for the lasting satisfaction of God.
3. The Thrill of Soul Talk.
   A wise man once said, "God is at home; it is we who have gone out for a walk." When we lear the language of SoulTalk, we will not give up or settle for relief when troubles come. We'll be living to know Someone bigger, Someone better, and more important than ourselves, Someone who promised to hold us secure until the dark night turns to morning. We'll connect. We'll draw close to others as we draw close to God.