A Soul Is A Terrible Thing To Lose

When you lose lose your soul you lose the most important thing you have. Because when you lose your soul. You lose you.

He called the multitude to Himself with His disciples,and said to them, “ Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever will lose his life for my sake and the sake of the Good News will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? For what will a man give in exchange for his life? For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him, when he comes in his Father’s glory, the Holy Angels.

Mark 8:34-38

It has been said that a mind is a terrible waste. But today’s post will take this statement a little further.

In this life we face many hurts. But we also suffer many losses in life as well.

None of us like to lose:

  • Money
  • Homes
  • Cars
  • Jobs
  • Love ones
  • Friends

And the list could go on and one. All of us suffer, but when we lose money, we can continue to work and earn more. When we lose a home, we can buy another one. We can get another job. Even when we lose a loved one, if we keep our hand’s in God’s hand we will see them again.

But if we lose your soul, we lose the most important thing we have. we lose ourselves.

The Word of God tells us

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

Jesus predicts His death for the first time.

Jesus’s teaching that the Son of Man must suffer corresponds to Daniel’s prophecies that God was in complete control of the plan for redemption. The suffering also recalls Isaiah’s prophecy of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53.

The fact of His being rejected looks back to the rejected “stone” in Psalm 118:22.

Jesus knew exactly from what quarter the rejection would come from: the leaders, leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. These three groups made up the Council, the Jewish Supreme Court that ultimately sentenced Jesus to be killed.

This is where text will begin; A soul is a terrible thing to lose.

Remember in Mark 8:34 when Jesus called the multitudes to Him with His disciples and said whoever will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow.

Jesus invites every person to follow, but one who desires to follow Hin most must have two attitudes:

1. Willingness to put aside their selfish ambition

2. Willingness to take up his or her cross.

To put aside selfish ambition means to surrender immediate material gratification in order to discover and secure one’s true self and God’s interests.

It is a willingness to let go of selfish desires and earthly security.

This attitude turns self-centered ness to God- centeredness.

We not only have to put aside selfish ambition but we must take up our cross and follow Jesus.

To take up one’s cross. Jesus’s words mwant that His followers had to be prepared to obey God’s word and follow His will no matter what the consequences for the sake of the gospel,

That means we have to let go of something to follow Christ. We have ti stop all the faking and shaking . We have to get rid of some things and become obedient to the Word of God.

A cross come from specifically walking in Christ’s steps, and embracing His life.

It comes from bearing disdain because we are embracing the narrow way of the Cross – that Jesus is “the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6).

We must understand that from the biblical perspective “Losers are Keepers.”

Here’s The Golden Nugget of the this message.

The Christian Life is a paradox:

To attempt to keep your life means only to lose it. A person who keeps his or her life in order to satisfy their desires and goals from God ultimately loses life.

Not only does that person lose eternal life, he or she losses the fullness of life promised to those who are followers of Christ.

Those who willingly give up their lives for the sake of Christ and the gospel actually find true life.

To give up one’s life for Christ’s sake refers to a person refusing to renounce Christ, even if the punishment were death. To be willing to put personal desires and life itself into God’s hands means to understand that nothing that we can gain on our own in our earthly lives can compare to what we gain with Christ

Jesus wants us to choose to follow Him rather than lead a life of sin and self-satisfaction.

He wants up to stop trying to control our own destiny and to let Him direct us. This makes good sense because, as the creator, Christ knows better then we do what real life is about.

What can you give in exchange for your soul.

Mark 8:36-36 says, “for what does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?

Jesus asked His listeners a rhetorical question.

What good would it be for a person to gain the whole world (that is to have power or financial control over the entire world system of which Satan is the head) but to lose their soul (that is to lose eternal life with God).

Whatever a person has on earth is only temporary; it cannot be exchanged for his or her soul.

Mark 8:38 says, ‘Whoever therefore will be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him will also the Son of Man (Jesus) be ashamed, when He comes in the glory of His Father with the Holy Angels.

Jesus constantly turned the world’s perspective upside down with talk of the first and the last, keeping and giving up,

He offers us a choice.

If we choose to be ashamed of Him, than Jesus would be ashamed of us. Being ashamed of them at His second coming

He warns us that we reject Him, we will in turn be rejected from eternal life with Him. By extension, those who are not ashamed of Him and His Words, in spite of this adulterous and sinful culture surrounding us, would be accepted by Christ when He returns in glory.

The Camel And The Needles Eye

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.

Mark 10:25

This scripture has proved to be very troubling to those seeking some interpretation. It is obviously impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle therefore it must be concluded that it is impossible for a rich man to enter into heaven. It would then follow that only poor people can get into heaven. Then the question arises as at what point do you cross the line between rich and poor. How much wealth do you need before you are considered rich and when d you cross that line where you are considered rich.

You may sit back feeling comfortable that you are not rich therefore you have nothing to worry about, but in the eyes of someone from a third world country you would be considered rich and therefore it is impossible for you to enter heaven.

So, this one verse that we completely ignore as everyone wants to go to heaven but we don’t want to be poor to do it.

But this is, after all, the Word of God and is for a purpose, so we cannot just turn our heads the other way and go about our business. At least I cannot turn a blind eye to this scripture. And need some closure on it.

People who have traveled to Israel often come back with photographs of a gate in Jerusalem which their tour guide, looking to WoW their shekel paying customers, explains is the gate known as the Eye of the Needle. This is a very low and small gate which was kept open after the main gate closed for the night and a came, could only pass through this smaller gate if it were to have its baggage removed and got down on its knee and crawled through. However, your wily tour guide will not mention that this gate was constructed in the 16th century and did exist during the time of Christ. There are other variations to this which include ancient inns having small entrances to mountain passes that has such small entrances that the merchants had to dismount their came,s to pass through.

These explanations sound plausible and take away the impossibly of a rich man going to heaven only he still has to divest himself of his riches to get into heaven. On top of that there are absolutely no historical evidence of any of these. Besides in verse 26 Jesus discloses that it is impossible to pass through without God, not without your riches.

Most Hebrew commentaries will point out that such an expression is common in all Eastern cultures but it is usually expressed as an elephant going through the eye of a needle and that expression is a hyperbole to something that is impossible. As far as using the a camel to express this, it is believed that people in Judaea would be more familiar with a camel. However, if they were not familiar with elephants they would not be familiar with this idiom to begin with. This expression would be familiar to the Jews as that very expression which is used. (Which is tradition). They do not show a man and a palm tree of gold, nor an elephant going through the eye of a needle.

However, if Jesus was using such a familiar expression why change it to a camel and you are still expressing an impossibly and saying it is important for a rich man to get into heaven without the help of God.

The Midrash (Interpretation) in making a commentary on the Song of Solomon does allude to this idiom in the expression. “The Holy One says, open for me a door as big as a needle’s eye and I will open for you a door through which may enter tents and camels, although it is questionable that the Aramaic word used here really means camel.

Here lies the root of the problem. The Greek word used for camel is Kameolon which means just that camel and nothing else. Yet, Jesus did not speak this in Greek but in Aramaic. The Aramaic word for camel is gamla which has a double meaning both rope and camel. The coarse hair of the camel was often used to fashion a rope binding these hairs together, hence the word gamla took on the double meaning.

Needles in ancient times were not these little metal pun type needles like we purchase today, these needles were large and made of oak and you could thread a cord through it. They were often threaded with a cord and hung over the necks of camels. When the thread was passed through the eye of the needle some of these fibers would come off. Hence a rich man must, learn to share some of his luxuries.

The translation of some Aramaic words to Greek do not coincide with the same meanings. If you don’t understand the language of the original Aramaic Bible it is easy to get confused or not know exactly what the context is. Which results in mis-interpretations of the Bible.

The Mezuzah

In many Jewish homes, the first two paragraphs of the Shenandoah are written on a scroll and placed inside a mezuzah, which is nailed to a doorpost or gate. By touching the mezuzah every time they enter their home, Jews show their faith and love to God.

Selfishness

One of the biggest problems facing the Body of Christ in the last days I selfishness. Selfish people view everything according to how it profits them and then alone.

Did they like the service?

Did they like the Pastor‘s sermon!

Did they like the praise and worship service?

It’s all about them.

Selfishness is being concerned and caring only your own interests, never even considering others. In fact selfishness is the exact opposite of divine love. Since the Spirit of God dwells within us to assist us in walking in love then we are clearly resisting Him when we are selfish and self-centered.

The Scriptures tell us that selfish people will be a sure sign that we are living in the last days in fact, the Holy Spirit considers selfishness ‘perilous times.’ Let’s take a look at these verses and you’ll see what I mean.

This know also, that in the last days, grievous times will come. For men (women) will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good, traitors, headstrong, conceited lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Turn away from these.

2 Timothy 3:1-5

I want you to notice that the very first thing the Holy Spirit calls ‘perilous times’ is people being in love with themselves. But we aren’t supposed to be living unto ourselves but unto the Lord.

This scripture lists clearly the characteristics of selfishness. I will define each of them below. Then do a quick check of your own life to be certain that none of these things in operating in you,

  • Covetousness – having a greedy desire for more and all for yourself.
  • Boasters – a braggart who wanders around telling everyone who will hear how great and special they are.
  • Proud – this describes someone who considers themselves to be above others. In other words, they have an exalted opinion of themselves.
  • Blasphemers – this is someone who mocks, slanders and verbally abuses others.
  • Disobedient To Parents – here we find a person who shows no respect and refuses to yield to authority.

Why are children disobedient? Because they are selfish.

  • Unthankful – this selfish person thinks they deserve what they have so they are ungrateful for it.
  • Unholy – someone who uses profane, in pure, crude or rude speech.

The reason most people talk filthy is simply draw attention to themselves.

  • Without Natural Affection – this is someone who is callous, hard-hearted and unloving to their own family and/or offspring.
  • Truce Breakers – because selfish people always want to have their own way they only keep promises as long as it benefits them personally. When they feel that they are no longer benefiting they are quick to break promises.

This is why so many believers connect to a local church or pastor but then bail out and run off if they don’t get their way.

  • False Accusers – these are liars pure and simple. Selfish people will always cover themselves and will lie on others to make them look bad while making themselves look good.
  • Inconsistent – this is someone with no self-control and who lets their flesh dominate them continuously.
  • Fierce – if they feel as though they have been crossed, or if someone disagrees with them they handle it in a contentious and hurtful way as they can.
  • Despite’s Of Those That Are Good – selfish people are jealous if someone else does good and gets blessed or promoted and despise them for it.
  • Traitors – selfish people have no loyalty at all and will betray you at the first opportunity.
  • Heady – this describes a stubborn, headstrong individual.

Selfish people always insist on having their own way.

  • High minded – this is someone who compares everyone and everything to their way of thinking. Then when someone does not fit their “mold” they judge and criticize them.
  • Lovers Of Pleasure More Than Lovers Of God – selfish people aren’t happy unless they are constantly having their flesh entertained.

What a list! Yet this is all the result of selfishness in the last days.

Don’t allow selfishness any room in your life any longer. If you have to repent of it and ask the Lord to deliver you and help you live like a true follower of Christ. It seems like the last days are closer than we think. Don’t let selfishness determine your walk with Christ. Walk in love. Love is the winners way.