Place: Lurgan Baptist: 14:4:2002. Reading: Mark 8:27-38 THE QUESTION OF THE SOUL

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1 Place: Lurgan Baptist: 14:4:2002 Reading: Mark 8:27-38 THE QUESTION OF THE SOUL The most famous living author of the 1930s was William Somerset Maugham, " Willie," as he was known. He was accomplished novelist, playwright, and short story writer. His novel " Of Human Bondage," is a classic. His play " The Constant Wife," has gone through thousands of stagings. He was a man who loved for his own refined tastes, his comfort, and his sexual perversions. In 1965, at the age of ninety-one he was still a fabulously rich man, although he had not written a word in years. He still received over three hundred fan letters a week. But what had life brought W. Somerset Maugham? The " London Times," carried this excerpt by his nephew, Robin Maugham. I looked around the drawing room at the immensely valuable furniture and pictures and objects that Willie's success had enabled him to acquire. I remembered that the villa itself, and the wonderful garden I could see through the windows... a fabulous setting on the edge of the Mediterranean... were worth 600, Willie had 11 servants, including his cook, Annette, who was the envy of all the other millionaires on the Riviera. He dined off silver plates, waited on by Marius, his butler, and Henri, his footman. But it no longer meant anything to him. The following afternoon I found Willie reclining on a sofa, peering through the spectacles at a Bible which had very large print. He looked horribly wizened and his face was grim. " I've been reading the Bible you gave me... and I've come across the quotation, " For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? I must tell you, my dear Robin, that the text used to hang opposite my bed when I was a child. Of course, it's all a lot of bunk. But the thought is quite interesting all the same." Robin Maugham goes on to describe an empty, bitter old man who repeatedly fell into shrieking terrors crying, " Go away! I'm not ready... I'm not dead yet... I'm not dead yet, I tell you." My... here was a man who had gained the whole world and lost his own soul! What would you say is your most precious possession? Is it something sentimental? Is it something of financial value? Maybe it has only social significance. Or perhaps it is something utterly trivial. However much a treasured belonging may be worth, there is something that you own that is more valuable. That is your own soul. My... are you neglecting your most precious possession? Your own soul! Here the Lord Jesus places the whole world and all it could offer in the one scale and a human soul in the other and declared that the scale went down on the side of the soul. " For what shall it... own soul." Notice here that the Lord Jesus speaks of:

2 (1) THE VISION OF THE SINNER What is the vision of the unsaved man? What is the perspective of the man without Christ? Is it not summarised here perfectly by our Lord Jesus when He says, " if he shall gain the whole world." The gain that is imagined here is the very maximum, the greatest possible gain, " the whole world." To win the national lottery would be for some equivalent to " gaining the whole world." Now there is nothing wrong with material wealth as long as one is aware of its limitations, Money can buy a bed but not sleep, books but not brains, food but an appetite, a house but not a home, medicine but not health. Money can also buy sinful pleasures... but it can never purchase salvation's peace. Now here the Lord Jesus is talking about The Vision of the Sinner: " To gain the whole world." Now this is vision or perspective is: (a) AN ILLOGICAL VISION: Did you note how Christ put it? " For what... IF... soul?" That any one person should gain the whole world is quite IMPROBABLE, indeed it is altogether impossible. No person has ever gained so much and no person is ever likely to do so. Now we do read of those in ancient times whose objective was to " gain the whole world." Alexander the Great travelled faster and conquered more land than any other man in all recorded history. It is said that after Alexander had conquered the KNOWN WORLD he wept because there were no more worlds to conquer. But my... the bold adventurer overran only a few countries of the then known world. What about Napoleon? The man that created an empire that covered most of western and central Europe. His armies crushed foe after foe until he met his Waterloo! What about Hitler? The man that wanted to create a superior race and reign for a thousand years! My... all of them this... are in eternity and not one of them ever gained the whole world! But let us imagine for a moment that the " whole world," is in the hands of one man. Let us imagine that all the benefits of this vast dominion: its riches/honours: its pleasures/profits: all of this at the command of one man. Could such a thing continue? Would such a thing last? You see this is not only (a) but (b) A TEMPORAL VISION Not one of us this... could calculate with certainty the continuance of any worldly possession during our lifetimes and even if we could we're not sure of life itself for one single moment. James poses the question, " What is your life? It is even a vapour... vanisheth away." ( James 4:14 ) My... it really does not matter how firmly we hold on to certain possessions. Force or fraud: casualty or imprudence: disease or death, one or the other of these will take them from our reluctant grasp and then the question will be asked about us, as was asked about THE RICH FOOL, " then whose shall those things be?" ( Lk 12:20) Even if we possesses " the whole world," every moment we lived in it we would run the risk of LOSING IT OR LEAVING IT, being taken from it, or it being taken from us! (a) (b)

3 (c) A SUPERFICIAL VISION: Do you know something? Even if you possessed " the whole world," you still would not be satisfied! Where is the heart that has not yearned for more than the world can give? Who has not felt that aching void which the world can never fill? Long ago, King Solomon reflected on what he had gained for himself and described it all as " vanity of vanities." Illus.: Philip the Second of Spain cried, " O would God that I had never reigned, O that I had lived alone with God. What doth all my glory profit but that I have so much the more torment in death?" Bing Crosby was once asked by the interviewer on a T.V. show why he had such a calm and unruffled air. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an enormous wad of dollar bills. " That helps," he said. Perhaps he was only kidding, but less flippant observers have disagreed. Film star Bridget Bardot described herself as " uprooted, unbalanced, and lost in a world that seems mad." It was reported of Mike Todd the popular multi-millionaire that prior to his ill fated death, in the crash of his plane he referred to all his money and said, " There have been times when I would have sacrificed every penny of it, just for a moment of happiness." Does all of that strike a responsive chord in your heart this...? Have you tried the pleasures that this world has to offer and still you're not satisfied? Is there still that vacuum: that emptiness in your life? Vivian Nicholson who won 152,000 on the pools in 1961 declared that she going to " Spend, spend and spend." Her life has been one of tragedy and trouble ever since. Do you know why? Because the world can never satisfy the deep longings of your soul. " The world will try to satisfy That longing in your soul You may search the wide world o'er But you'll be just as before You will never find true satisfaction Until you've found the Lord For only Jesus can satisfy your soul." (2) THE VALUE OF THE SOUL For the Saviour says: " What shall... and lose his own soul?" ( Mk 8:36) How can we compute the VALUE OF A HUMAN SOUL? Well think of: (a) THE CREATION OF THE HUMAN SOUL: " 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." ( Gen 2:7) The soul of man is not carnal. It is not

4 tangible. It is a spiritual thing. It resulted from the breath of God: the life of God: the energy of God. Think of: (b) THE CAPABILITY OF THE HUMAN SOUL: The soul is capable of contemplating its Maker. You do not worship with your body. The Psalmist said: " I will lift up my soul unto God." Its the soul that worships God. Its the soul that approaches DEITY! Its the soul that enters the Holy Presence of God. But think of: (c) THE CONTINUATION OF THE HUMAN SOUL: The body dies, and when the eyes of the body cease to see, the soul still sees. When the hand of the body ceases to touch, the soul still touches. When the ears of the body cease to hear, the soul still hears. When the life of the body is gone, the soul lives on unaffected by the secession of the life of the body. But then think of: (d) THE CONCEPT OF THE HUMAN SOUL My... do you wish to have some faint idea of the value of a soul? Then go and measure it by the concepts of DYING PEOPLE! Do you know something? The solemnity of death strips off the tinsel and pretence of things and makes men see themselves as they really are! What would men do then for their souls? Don't tell me what a man thinks about the soul when he is enjoying full health, tell me rather what a man thinks when the world is sinking beneath him and death, judgement, and eternity is beckoning! My... do you wish to have a still clearer idea of the value of the soul? Then go and measure it by the opinions of the dead? For when the rich man awoke and in torments what did he say to Abraham? " Send Lazarus to my fathers house... for I have five brethren... that he may testify to them,... lest they also come to this place of torment." ( Lk 16:28 ) I tell you, that rich man thought little of the souls of others while he lived upon the earth. But once dead and in the place of torments, he sees things in their true colours. Then he begins to think of his brothers, and begins to care for their salvation. Then he cries, " Send Lazarus to my fathers house. I have five brethren. Let him testify unto them." My... do you see what men think about when they awake in the next world? They think about the value, the worth of a soul! My... do you wish to have a still clearer idea of the value of a precious soul? Then think of: (e) THE COST THAT WAS PAID FOR THE HUMAN SOUL: For I believe we can estimate the value of a human soul by thinking of the price paid for its redemption. That price was not " Corruptible things, as silver and gold, but the precious blood of Christ." ( 1 Pet 1:18) For the immortal soul of man the ruby blood of Christ was shed. My... look at the

5 pains God takes to save the soul: look at the blood Christ shed to redeem the soul: look at the effort Satan makes to destroy the soul. Sinner... do you realise that the most valuable thing that you can possess is your soul? Don't throw away that precious soul of yours: that jewel: that diamond: that pearl above all price that God has committed to your charge. Don't neglect your soul, rather entrust it to the Saviour! Have you done that? For Christ says, " For what shall it profit a man... soul?" (1) (2) (3) THE VOICE OF THE SAVIOUR " What shall it profit a man." There are two things which everybody in this world hates. (1) To lose something which is valuable. (2) To strike a bad bargain. Do you recall some of the sinful bargains made by men in the Bible? Essau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. ( Gen 25:33) Balaam the prophet perished with the enemies of Israel because he loved the wages of unrighteousness more than he loved God. ( 2 Pet 2:15) Judas bartered with the leaders of the nation of Israel and sold the Lord for 30 pieces of silver. ( Matt 27:3) But here Christ is underscoring the worst possible bargain that ever was struck. " What shall it profit a man...?" Tell me what are you going to sell your soul for? (a) ARE YOU SELLING YOUR SOUL FOR POSITION: Is this why you're still out of Christ? Do you covet something in this world? But my... if you could get every position in this world, every place of power and authority, it would be a terrible bargain if you lost YOUR OWN SOUL! Illus.: Charlemagne the most famous ruler of the Middle Ages, gave instructions that when he died he should be buried seated in the royal posture of a ruling monarch on a throne. He directed that the Gospels should be laid on his knees: his sword beside him: the crown on his head and the royal mantle on his shoulders. His body remained like for 180 years. But about 1000 AD the tomb was opened. They found the skeleton of Charlemagne and the skull was still wearing the crown and the bony finger of the skeleton was pointing to this verse, " For what shall it... soul." (a) (b) ARE YOU SELLING YOUR SOUL FOR PLEASURE: They think, " Oh, if I could immerse my soul in pleasure, if I could attain to that summit of pleasure and get what I want, I would be abundantly happy." Let me disillusion you! You could satisfy your bodily desires and the cravings of your mind but it would be a terrible bargain if you lost your soul. What fool thing are you selling your soul for this...? A moment of pleasure! A lustful fancy! What is the good of the pleasures of time when all eternity is torment? What is the good of the companions of time when all eternity is loneliness? What is the good of the bright

6 lights of time when all eternity is darkness? What is the good of the joys of time when all eternity is agonies? What are you selling your soul for? (a) (b) (c) ARE YOU SELLING YOUR SOUL FOR POSSESSIONS: Do you recall the rich fool? He got his bank balance and he went up stairs to bed and said, " I will pull down my barns... take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry." ( Lk 12:18-19) My... he thought he had the struck the best of bargains. He shut the bedroom door and put his head on the pillow AND GOD SPOKE. Do you know something? God always has the last word. He will have the last word in your life and mine. " But God said unto him thou fool THIS NIGHT..." Illus.: Many years ago a house caught fire and the lady of the house quickly removed some things from it. But she forgot her child asleep in the cot. At last she remembered about her little baby and she ran with an earnest desire to save it. But it was now too late. The flames prevented her getting into the home. In agony of mind and heart she cried out, " Oh, my child my child I have saved my things, but lost my child." My... will you say something similar in ETERNITY? " I got a good POSITION but in the process I lost my soul, I enjoyed the PLEASURES of sin for a season, but I have lost my soul, I heaped together POSSESSIONS, and lived for TIME, but I have lost my soul! My... beware you could LOSE YOUR OWN SOUL Do you know thats why Christ came? Died? Shed Blood? To save your soul! Thank God you're still in time. Your LOST SOUL can become a SAVED SOUL. Your DEPRAVED SOUL cane become a DELIVERED SOUL. Your RUINED SOUL can become a REDEEMED SOUL. Up the rugged hill to Calvary my Saviour went and He went for you. God's Lamb: God's Sacrifice: God's Sin-bearing Son! Those sins that have defiled you, were laid upon the SINLESS SAVIOUR! He bared His breast to the sword of God's Judgement. " All the way to Calvary: He went for me, And He died to set me free." Will you kneel with me at Calvary's Cross this...? And kneeling there at Calvary's Cross redemption will be made complete!