(A Soul Is A Terrible Thing To Lose)

(KJV) And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Mark 8:34-38

[35] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

[36] For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

[37] Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

[38] Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS

IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT A MIND IS A TERRIBLE

WASTE

BUT IF YOU WOULD ALLOW ME THIS MORNING I

WANT TO TAKE THIS STATEMENT A LITTLE

FUTHER

AND USE FOR A TOPIC

(A SOUL IS A TERRIBLE THING TO LOSE)

BECAUSE IN THIS LIFE WE FACE MANY HURTS

BUT NOT ONLY DO WE FACE MANY HURTS

BUT WE ALSO SUFFER MANY LOSSES IN LIFE AS

WELL

YOU SEE NONE OF US LIKE TO LOSE

MONEY-

HOMES -

CARS-

JOBS-

LOVE ONES

A FRIEND

AND THE LIST COULD GO ON AND ON

FOR WE ALL SUFFER MANY HURTS AND LOSSES

IN LIFE

BUT WHEN YOU LOSE MONEY -YOU CAN

CONTINUE TO WORK AND EARN MORE MONEY

WHEN YOU LOSE A HOME -YOU CAN BUY

ANOTHER HOME

YOU CAN GET ANOTHER JOB

WHEN YOU LOSE A LOVE ONE -IF YOU KEEP YOUR

HAND IN GOD`S HAND YOU WILL SEE THEM

AGAIN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE JORDAN

BUT WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR SOUL

YOU LOSE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU

HAVE

BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR SOUL YOU LOSE YOU

I KNOW SOME OF YOU ARE ARGUING WITH ME

RIGHT THERE

BUT THE WORD OF GOD TELLS US IN

Genesis 2:7 (KJV) 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.

AND WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR SOUL YOU LOSE YOU

IN THE TEXT BEFORE US

JESUS PREDICTS HIS DEATH FOR THE FRIST TIME

Jesus’ 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: the leaders, leading priests, and teachers of religious law.

These three groups made up the Council, the Jewish supreme court that ultimately sentenced Jesus to be killed

AND THIS IS WHERE OUR TEXT WILL BEGIN

YOUR SOUL IS A TERRIBLE TO LOSE

Mark 8:34 (KJV) And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever 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 him must have two attitudes: (1) a willingness to put aside selfish ambition, and (2) a willingness to take up his or her cross.

AND TO FOLLOW CHRIST MEANS

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-centeredness to God-centeredness.

AND NOT ONLY DO WE NEED TO PUT ASIDE

SELFISH AMBITION

BUT WE MUST TAKE UP OUR CROSS AND FOLLOW

JESUS

To shoulder one’s cross was a vivid illustration of the

humility and submission

Jesus asked of his followers. When Jesus used this picture of his followers taking up their crosses to follow him,

But Jesus’ words meant 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

SOMETHINGS TO FOLLOW CHRIST

WE HAVE TO STOP ALL THIS FAKING AND

SHAKING

WE HAVE TO GET RID OF SOME THINGS

AND BECOME OBEDIENT TO THE WORD OF GOD

WELL REV WHAT IS OUR CROSSES-I`M GLAD

YOU ASK

A cross comes from specifically walking in Christ’s steps, 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).

AND THIS BRINGS ME TO THE 1ST SPRITUAL

NUGGET I SEE IN THE TEXT

HOW DO YOU LOSE YOUR SOUL