Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt
(Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland
Pastor: Colin Maxwell. Email: colin.maxwell@fpcmission.org
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DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE WORTH YOUR WEIGHT IN GOLD?
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36) |
If
you consider yourself to be worth nothing, then here are a few thoughts
that will remind you that you are worth your weight in gold. This is
not meant to be a self esteem type message, so beloved by many false
teachers, but a gentle reminder that you have a soul that is immortal
and needs to be saved. The Lord Jesus posed the question above: For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36) and followed it up with a similar question: Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
1) YOU HAVE A SOUL THAT WILL OUTLIVE THE WORLD WITH ALL ITS RICHES
Your soul is the spiritual part of your being. It is your
soul that separates you from and elevates you over the rest of God's
creation. No animal, no matter how intelligent, has a soul. And
the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
(Genesis 2:7) Once it
came into existence, it became immortal and therefore will live for
ever. A million years from now, you will have a spiritual existence.
The soul cannot be annihilated nor cease to be. It is immortal.
This world has an end. Although it did not come in with a "Big Bang," yet it will go out with one. But
the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt
with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall
be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10) There
is nothing in this world which will last for ever. Men have held unto
power and riches, but have seen them slip away. There are no pockets in
a shroud nor drawers in a coffin. Great estates with great castles have
fallen into ruins. Many names that were great in their day have long
been forgotten. And yet their soul lives on.
2) TO LOSE YOUR SOUL FOR THE SAKE OF GAINING THE WORLD IS UNPROFITABLE:
You do not have to be rocket scientist to work this out. The fashion of this world passeth away. (1 Corinthians 7:31) Everything you can touch and see in this world has a "use by" date.
It's days are numbered. But if your soul will live for ever, and
it will, then it makes more sense to give attention to your soul,
rather than the things of time and sense. Of course, we must live on
this earth and meet our responsibilities as sensible people. We must
work for our keep and be responsible citizens and neighbours. It is not
money that is the root of all evil, but the love of money
(1 Timothy 6:10) While it may be right considered fanaticism to supposedly
live for the spiritual while neglecting our obligations to others, yet
it is equally madness to live for this world with its wealth and power
and forget that we have a soul. The mathematics are simple.
3) THE BEST WAY TO LOSE YOUR SOUL:
Losing your soul is a great danger indeed. We are all sinners against
God. We have all violated God's law (the 10 Commandments) and deserve
to die. Death in the Bible is not the end of existence, but a removal
from one place to another. For the Christian, death is a removal from
this world into the presence of the Lord. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) Again: Having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better. (Philippians 1:23) For the unbeliever, death is a removal from the merciful presence of the Lord into the blackness of darkness for ever. Who
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the
Lord, and from the glory of his power; (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
There are two easy ways to lose your
soul. One is to outrightly reject the gospel of God's dear Son that
offers forgiveness for the guilt of sin and victory over sin in every
day life. It is to live as if there was no God, no heaven , no hell, no
eternity, no justice etc. Millions are living are like that today. We
may refer to this as GOSPEL REJECTION. The
fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt,
they have done abominable works, [there is] none that doeth good.
(Psalm 14:1)
The second way is really just as easy. At least, once you get used to
it. This other way involves accepting what the Bible says about sin
with its guilt and its resulting death. It accepts that salvation is
only in Jesus Christ and His atoning death on Calvary. It accepts that
salvation is by grace through faith and not of human works (Ephesians
2:8-9) In short, it falls in with every thing that is Biblical and
orthodox about salvation. However, it falls short at this vital point.
When the gospel rejecters above say "Not me!" those who embrace this second way of damnation say "Not now!" The Bible does not offer salvation for tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes. It is always a future date, while the Bible declares: Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2) We are not only to seek the Lord, but to do so "while He may be found " and call upon Him "while He is near." (Isaiah 55:6) The Lord has something particular to say about such neglect. It may not be outright rejection, but it still stops short of coming to Christ and being saved. How
shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first
began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that
heard him? (Hebrews 2:3) The answer is simple: There is no escape.
Our text above in Mark 8:36-37 tells us that not only is the loss of
your soul incomparable, but it is also irreparable. Once the soul is
lost, it is lost for eternity. There is no second chance after the
grave. This is why it is so important that you come to Christ today and
be saved for all eternity.
4) THE ONLY WAY TO SAVE YOUR SOUL
Flee from the wrath to come (Matthew 3:7) Flee
to Jesus Christ, who is the only Refuge for sinners. Flee in repentance
and in faith. Forsake any reliance upon your own righteousness which
far short of what God requires. Plead for mercy and you will find
it. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)