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Catherine Booth

What Will You Do?

Catherine Booth's sermon emphasizes the transformative power of Christ's sacrifice and the call to choose righteousness over sin.
Catherine Booth passionately preaches about the eternal nature of the soul, emphasizing the power of sowing to the Spirit and righteousness. She highlights the transformative work of Jesus Christ, who bore the punishment for our sins and offers freedom and renewal to all who come to Him. Through the precious blood of Christ, even the most hardened sinners can be washed, sanctified, and restored to favor with God. Catherine urges her listeners to make a decisive choice to stop sowing to the flesh and commit to sowing to the Spirit, promising the blessing of eternal life for those who choose righteousness and true holiness.

Text

You cannot kill your soul; it is made of material on which you cannot lay violent hands--it will live in spite of you. What will you do? You have been sowing to the flesh all your life. You say, `I have no power to sow to the Spirit, to righteousness, and to God.' Do you say, `Woe is me, I am undone; there is no hope?' Are you tired of sowing to the flesh? are you willing to begin to sow to the Spirit? If so, Oh, joyful news! there is help, desperate as your case may be. Help is laid upon One that is mighty.

Only a God could meet your case, and lo! a God has met it. Jesus Christ, the Righteous. He has not destroyed this law, but He has found a way by which to deliver those who come to Him from its awful consequences by letting its envenomed tail so to speak, sink into His own bosom, and Himself bearing the punishment due to your deadly sowing, in His own `body on the tree. He who knew no sin has been made a curse for you, that you might be made a partaker of the righteousness of God in Him.

If you will only come to Him, and cast your guilty soul on His sacrifice, He will free you from the bitter consequences of your past evil ways. And He will,' better still, renew your mind, and put a new spirit within you, so that henceforth you shall be able to sow to the Spirit. And then this terrible law of which we have been speaking will become your friend, and you' shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

He has done this for some of us. We once sowed to the flesh, `more or less in outward acts, but all alike in heart. We lived unto ourselves, and are now ashamed of the fruits of our evil sowing. But `He saved us by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost and He will save you if you will let Him. `Oh!' said a young man the other day, `but the marks, the stain, can never begot off.' `Oh, yes!' we replied, `they can; there is one medium, and ONLY ONE, that can wash the blood-red hand and the blood-red conscience too, and that is the precious blood of Christ.' We could show you thousands in the ranks of The Salvation Army once as bad as you, and most likely a great deal worse.

Men and women, some of them, who have been favoured with every advantage in youth-wept over and entreated by Christian parents, loved and laboured for by teachers and ministers, who notwithstanding, had wandered to the ends of the earth, and committed every sin that human nature is capable of--hardened, besotted, brutalized, sunk to the lowest level of debauchery and crime. And yet now they are washed, they are sanctified and restored to favour with God and man, all through the Blood. Will you try it? Will you put your foot down, and say this afternoon, `By the grace of God, I will never sow another seed to the flesh?' Will you let go all your miserable provision for the gratification of the flesh? and will you come and pledge yourself to be the Lord's in righteousness and in true Holiness? If you will, be sure you shall know the blessing of sowing to the Spirit in this life, and in the next you shall reap `life everlasting.' May God help you! Amen.

Sermon Outline

  1. I
    • The nature of the soul and its immortality
    • The consequences of sowing to the flesh
    • The hope found in Christ
  2. II
    • The role of Jesus in our redemption
    • The transformation through His sacrifice
    • The renewal of the mind and spirit
  3. III
    • Testimonies of transformation
    • The power of the blood of Christ
    • The call to commit to righteousness
  4. IV
    • The importance of making a decision
    • The blessings of sowing to the Spirit
    • The promise of everlasting life

Key Quotes

“You cannot kill your soul; it is made of material on which you cannot lay violent hands--it will live in spite of you.” — Catherine Booth
“He who knew no sin has been made a curse for you, that you might be made a partaker of the righteousness of God in Him.” — Catherine Booth
“There is one medium, and ONLY ONE, that can wash the blood-red hand and the blood-red conscience too, and that is the precious blood of Christ.” — Catherine Booth

Application Points

  • Reflect on your current choices and consider how they align with God's will.
  • Commit to letting go of past sins and embrace the new life offered through Christ.
  • Encourage others to seek transformation through the blood of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to sow to the flesh?
Sowing to the flesh refers to living according to sinful desires and worldly pleasures.
How can one sow to the Spirit?
Sowing to the Spirit involves making choices that align with God's will and seeking righteousness.
What is the significance of Jesus' sacrifice?
Jesus' sacrifice provides the means for our redemption and the opportunity to be free from sin.
Can anyone be transformed?
Yes, through the blood of Christ, anyone can be transformed and renewed, regardless of their past.
What is the promise for those who sow to the Spirit?
Those who sow to the Spirit will reap everlasting life and experience blessings in this life.

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