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?

Text: Matthew 19:17-30Matthew 19:17-30
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. ¹⁸ He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, ¹⁹ Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ²⁰ The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? ²¹ Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. ²² But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. ²³ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ²⁵ When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? ²⁶ But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. ²⁷ Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? ²⁸ And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. ³⁰ But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.  

Topic: To show how eternal life would never be a reality apart from God

Matthew 19 introduces a rich young ruler and his discussion with Jesus regarding eternal life. This account is recorded in all three of the synoptic gospels, all of which tell us a little bit about the man. Matthew 19:22Matthew 19:22
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.  
says he was a young man and Luke 18:18Luke 18:18
18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?  
states that he was a wealthy man. He was a spiritual man desiring to follow God’s law with a innate concern for what he must do to obtain eternal life. Yet in even his youth, it was ultimately the love for riches that hindered him from trusting in Christ and finding the truth of eternal life.

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• The greatest misconceptions in the world
  • “Salvation can be obtained through doing something”
    • Even though the man was religious, he was still not right with God
    • He thought that eternal life was acquired by “doing”
  • “Salvation can be gained being someone”
    • This was a good man
    • This was a sincere man
    • This was a man looking for answers
    • This was a man like so many people today

• The greatest standard in the world
  • The commandments of God
    • Look at how Jesus answers in verse 17
    • Christ’s answer may be surprising
      • Why did Jesus answer by telling him to keep the commandments?
      • Was Jesus telling him that eternal life can be gained through obedience to the Law?
    • Not only that, but look at which commandments Jesus mentions.
      • All were from the “second table” of the law
      • All dealt with man’s relationship with fellow man
      • None of the commandments dealt with man’s relationship with God
    • Why didn’t Jesus tell him that man could not be saved by good works?
      • Needed to trust Christ!
      • Needed to repent!

• The intent of the commandments
  • We do not know how much time elapsed between Jesus’ answer and the man’s response
    • “I’ve done all that from my youth up! What yet do I lack?”
    • “What additional good deeds must I be doing over and above all those which I have been habitually keeping from my youth?”
  • In Matthew 19:21Matthew 19:21
    21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.  
    , Jesus brought the rich, young ruler face to face with the fact that something was more important to him than being saved. Christ knew exactly what the man’s heart and offered a choice which would demand faith
    • There was something he was unwilling to give up
      • His money was his god
      • His countenance fell and he walked away without eternal life
    • Salvation is possible for those who are willing to deny self.

• The greatest gift in the world
  • Salvation is impossible with man
    • Who then can be saved?
      • It is impossible apart from God
      • No amount of good works
      • No amount of self effort
    • Like a camel trying to pass through the eye of a needle
      • It is not just difficult, it is impossible
      • Man left to himself will never be saved
  • Salvation is possible with God
    • Be born from above
    • Be given the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8Ephesians 2:8
      8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  
      )
    • Save the lost to the uttermost

Have you ever asked the question:

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Trust Christ today!