Chambersburg Bible Church

Text: Matthew 16:24-28Matthew 16:24-28
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. ²⁵ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. ²⁶ For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. ²⁸ Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.  

Topic: Emphasizing the value of man’s soul for eternity

We have grown so accustomed to the principle of exchange in our society that we scarcely think about it. Even though we do not think in terms of an exchange being made, we exchange things every day. An exchange takes place when we are willing to give one thing for another. Common daily exchanges could include time, money, and products. Examples of these exchanges can be seen in:

• Employment – exchanging the employee’s time for the employer’s money
• Shopping – exchanging money for a products
• Currency Exchange – exchanging one country’s currency for another

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Matthew 16:26Matthew 16:26
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  
speaks of a spiritual exchange, and it is in this context that Jesus speaks of the value of a man’s soul

• Jesus speaks to His disciples about that which would soon take place in final days of Christ’s life on earth (Matthew 16:21-22Matthew 16:21-22
  21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. ²² Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. Be...: Gr. Pity thyself  
  )
  • Make His way to Jerusalem
  • He would suffer at the hands of the religious leaders
  • He would be killed
  • He would be raised to life again on the 3^rd day
  • He was going to provide for salvation
  • He was going to pay for our sins
  • Peter stumbled over the paradox of who Jesus is and what He was about to do (Matthew 16:16Matthew 16:16
    16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  
    )
    • “Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God!”
    • His thoughts must have been… “It cannot be God’s will for His Son to die!”
    • Jesus rebuked Peter for thinking with a terrestrial perspective (Matthew 16:23Matthew 16:23
      23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.  
      )
      • Peter had failed to consider the bigger picture
      • Peter made human interest his chief goal
      • The two (2) concepts of Messiah and suffering were wholly incompatible

• The value of man’s soul
  • It is exceedingly precious
    • What is the soul?
      • Prior to God breathing into man the breath of life he was simply dust (Genesis 2:7Genesis 2:7
        7 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. of the dust...: Heb. dust of the ground  
        )
      • He became a living soul.
      • We are our souls!
        • Consequently, man does not have a soul, he is a soul.
        • We are not bodies that have a soul, rather we are souls that have a body!
        • Our soul is exceedingly precious (Matthew 16:26Matthew 16:26
          26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  
          )
          • “Would we be better off (profited) if we should have the whole world at the expense of our soul?”
          • “For what thing would you be willing to exchange your soul?”
• It is everlasting
  • Not the same as the eternality of God, as God has always been and will always be
  • The soul of man had a beginning – it was created by God and will last for eternity
    • We are all going to live somewhere forever
      • There is life after death
      • If and when my body dies, the soul lives on
      • The soul is precious because it is eternal and because I am my soul

• The exchange of man’s soul
  • The possibility of exchange
    • Implied in these verses is the fact that we are all going to exchange our soul for something
      • We can exchange it for the things of this world (Matthew 16:25Matthew 16:25
        25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.  
        )
        • Those who seek to keep their souls for themselves will lose it
        • At first glance, it appears that this world has much to offer with its fame, fortune, and prominence (Matthew 10:39Matthew 10:39
          39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.  
          )
        • Satan would have us believe that the things of this world are a worth our souls
        • We can exchange it for the things of Christ and eternal life (Matthew 16:24-25Matthew 16:24-25
          24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. ²⁵ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.  
          )
• The process of exchange
  • Accept Jesus as Savior
    • Christ’s death will be of value only to those who are willing to die to sin and self
    • Give up all reliance on self and depend on Christ alone for salvation
    • Embrace Jesus as Savior
    • Deny self
      • Willing to once and for all say farewell to self
      • Willing to decisively accept pain, shame, and persecution for Jesus’ sake
      • Follow Him

Are you concerned for your soul this morning?

Are you living your life for self?

Have you trusted Jesus to save you?

Paul challenges the Ephesian believers “to know the love of Christ” and to “be filled with all the fulness of God.” This challenge speaks directly to our sanctification, the process by which we become more and more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This process is not achieved through our own doing, but through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, only if we are willing to humble ourselves in submission to the will and work of Christ in our life.

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. – Ephesians 3:17-19Ephesians 3:17-19
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; ¹⁹ And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.  

Notice the root of sancitification – “love” – it is the Love of Christ which draws us to salvation, if we only accept him. Sanctification can then begin in our lives! Think about this… if our relationship with God is rooted in his love first and grows through the knowledge/understanding of that love, our daily relationships with our family, friends, and neighbors will not grow unless they are rooted in love! Food for thought.

Other Passages:

• 2 Corinthians 5:142 Corinthians 5:14
  14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:  
  
• Philippians 2:12-14Philippians 2:12-14
  12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. ¹³ For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. ¹⁴ Do all things without murmurings and disputings:  
  
• Colossians 3:15-16Colossians 3:15-16
  15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  
  
• Ephesians 3:20Ephesians 3:20
  20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,  
  

Mid-week Minutes is a weekly summary of Pastor’s Bible Study from the mid-week Prayer Service.

We just completed our second trip out West with meetings in Iowa and Colorado. We are exhausted, having dealt with both cold and stomach bugs, but we are grateful for the many opportunities we had to serve our great God. What a joy it is to preach God’s Word and see the Spirit of God using His Word to transform people. Our ministry right now is among God’s people in the United States, but we anticipate commencing our ministry in the Netherlands this year. We praise the Lord for the continued increase in our support as we now have nearly 65% of our financial needs.

As the economy slowly recovers from the recession, please pray with us for the remaining churches to join our support team by faith. We are praying that the Lord will enable us to leave for the Netherlands by the end of this summer. Each church also provides us with more prayer warriors who are committed to upholding us before the throne of grace. We do not underestimate this benefit of the deputation ministry. Our spring schedule is full, mostly on the East coast, and we eagerly look forward to how the Lord will work both in and through us.
We keep close tabs on what is happening in the Netherlands, and ask you to pray for the local government elections coming up. Also, with the recent collapse of a fairly conservative coalition cabinet, there is another opportunity for left-wing parties to gain influence in parliament. While total freedom to preach against sin is still present, Satan would love to put people in office who would hinder the work of God. Please pray for God’s mercy on this nation and the salvation of souls.

Thank you for your faithful support and prayer!

Theo & Sarah van Reijn
Gospel Fellowship Association

Read more about the van Reijns and their ministry at www.hollandforchrist.com