Sermon Central
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You Gain When You Lose
Contributed by Zachary Woods on Jun 30, 2011 (message contributor)
Summary: Are you willing to LOSE it all to GAIN it all?
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
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.
The word gain means to “acquire something, become greater, profit, or earn something. “
The word lose means the exact opposite. It means “have something taken away, make somebody forfeit something, or to experience a reduction in something.”
In this story, a man asked Jesus what he must do to have eternal life. Jesus said to keep the Ten Commandments. The man said that he kept them since his youth. Jesus then said, “Go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” It kind of rubbed the man in the wrong way so he walked away sorrowful because he had great possessions.
God wanted to see if this man would actually give up everything to live for him or to see if the man loved his riches more than he loved God. Remember, you gain when you lose!! If you totally sell out to God (or lose everything), then you will receive (or gain) riches in heaven.
33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The treasure in this scripture is whatever you count valuable. It will consume your thoughts and your time. The heavenly treasure I’m talking about is salvation. Wherever you are in your walk with God, that’s where your heart is going to be. If your treasure is in heaven, that’s where your heart will be. If your treasure is in the opposite direction, then that’s where your treasure is going to be and you’ll spend eternity there.
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?
Is gaining the whole world, treasures and riches, just to lose your soul? The answer to this question is no! What in this world is more valuable than having an eternity with Jesus? The answer to this question is nothing!
This world didn’t give the Holy Ghost to you and the world can’t take it away unless you freely give it up.
When you’re earthly wants and desires become more important than you’re spiritually walk with God, there’s something wrong. The things of this earth will pass away. You can rest assured that nothing will happen to your spiritual or heavenly treasures.
16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Before you have old things, things that Jesus doesn’t want. When you come to Jesus, you are a new creature. The things that you had or done before are old things, they pass away. When you get filled with the Spirit of God (Holy Ghost), everything becomes new.
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.
