YOUR SOUL'S VALUE

Biblical Text: Mark 8:36-37

“For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

What do you value? There are many things we count precious in our lives. And it differs for each of us. What do you count as valuable? Is it your physical possessions…your home, your car, your bank account? Or is it your intangible possessions…your friends, your family, your spouse.

Value is the importance or significance a person places on a thing, or a person, or even an idea. Economically, value is easy to determine. We know the difference between a hoop-die and a ‘ride’…a ‘crash pad’ and a mansion…a wooden boat and a yacht. In our relationships, value becomes more challenging to express. We value family and friends because of the support, comfort, and pleasure they provide. They give us a warm and fuzzy feeling that’s hard to put a ‘price’ on.

Value is subjective or personal for each of us. And for this reason, nothing on earth really has any established value. If you need it to survive, it has value to you. But the opposite is also true. If you WANT it, it has value to you. If you are willing to buy something, it has value to you. Some people will fork over half their paycheck for a chance to ware a designer’s latest creation. Michael Strahan said he would have paid a million dollars for the flight he took into space…a ride that you might not give ten cents for. If bottled water went up to $200 a bottle, you might switch back to tap water, but a man stranded in the desert would gladly pay $200 for a chance to quench his dying thirst. In other words, our preferences and our needs determine value.

Now that we are thinking a bit deeper…What do you value? As a whole, we collectively value human rights: liberty, democracy…or at least we used to. We value honesty, integrity, justice and fairness. But individually, I can’t tell you what to value. It’s personal. What I can do is point you to the most valuable possession you have…your SOUL.

Jesus was teaching in Caesarea Philippi when that subject came up. He had just explained to his disciples that He would “suffer many things” (Mark 8:31). He told them that He would be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes. He revealed to them that He would be killed, and after three days, He would rise again. It was Peter who took Jesus aside privately and rebuked Him in verse 32. In other words, I imagine Peter said, “Jesus, what are you talking about. You’ve got a good ministry going here.” That’s when Jesus rebuked Peter in verse 33(NIV), saying, "Get behind me, Satan!. You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." 

You see…Peter had a VALUE problem. He was placing value on the wrong things in life. If he was going to be a follower of Christ, Jesus had to straighten him out quick. He exposed Peter to a new value system, not based on the transient but on the timeless, or the eternal. This new value system was uncomplicated. Jesus said to the people and his disciples, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. And He went on to say, 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.  In other words, “Peter…if you value your life you will lose it; but if you release yourself from life’s value system for my sake and the sake of the Gospel, you will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?”

Don’t be too hard on Peter. If the truth were told, some of us are more like Peter than Jesus. Sadly, we carnally cling to our human value system, while only occasionally thinking of God’s spiritual value structure. We cling to the short-term stuff, and seldom think of life as eternal. And that’s a problem; because while physical life is temporal or mortal, the life of our soul is immortal and eternal.

Soul here is the breath, the spirit and whole of you really are.

So here’s the important question Jesus posed to Peter…and to us today. What value do you place on your soul, and why should you value it?

YOUR SOUL'S VALUE

First, you should value your soul’s happiness.

We only get one chance to make our mark in this world. We should all want to make it count for something. But true happiness is not found in the secular achievement or the accumulation of things. Fame and fortune provide only temporary joy. Real happiness comes from the soul’s connection with its Creator.

No one knew this better than the Jews who had been held captive in Babylon. When the Jews returned from Babylon to their homeland of Jerusalem and Judah after 70 years of exile, they brought with them all the accumulated wealth from their years in captivity. They had huge herds of cattle, goats, sheep, horses, and mules. The chief priests brought along gold and silver. And the common folk added to it more gold and silver. But it was not the accumulation of wealth that brought them joy. Nor was their joy founded in coming home to their own land. Their real joy was found in their return to a relationship with the Lord. In Nehemiah chapter 8, when Nehemiah gathered them all together for a great celebration, he reminded them that “the Joy of the Lord is your strength.” And when the people heard the priests read from the Books of Law, they wept. They wept for all the wasted years they had allowed themselves to be spiritually separated from the Lord, and from their soul’s real joy of a close relationship with God.

Is your soul starved for a closer walk with God? When we reject Christ and his teachings, we weary our soul. But when we connect with Christ, our soul rejoices in the God of our salvation. Psalm 100:4  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 

When was the last time your soul sang with joy to the Lord? Or shouted with joy? If the worship music seems too long or too loud, maybe your soul is not as happy as you think! It’s only through our soul’s spiritual connection with Christ that we can truly celebrate being ‘happy in the Lord’. Is your soul starved for joy?

You should value your soul’s happiness, but…

Second, you should value your soul’s health.

Good health allows us to “work while it is day” in the service of the Lord. A healthy soul is willing to work. Your soul is the motivator of your spiritual performance while you are on this side of heaven.

We get it mixed up. Instead of releasing our soul to the Lord’s service, we let our mind and our body dictate what we are willing to do for the Lord. Then we wonder why we suffer with ill health. I’m not just talking about physical health. There is also emotional health and mental health. Life is a struggle, and the mind and body will never be able to handle life the way your soul can handle it when it is conneted to God. But you have to allow your soul to reign over your mind and your body.

Deuteronomy 4: 29 says that the one who seeks the Lord with all his heart and soul finds Him. The mind cannot find the Lord. He is too marvelous for the human mind to understand. The body cannot find the Lord. No healthy regime will connect us to His greatness. But the soul longs to connect to the Lord if the mind and the body get out of the way. The true believer allows his soul to lead, because your mind may remember the scriptures, but it’s your soul that provides the understanding.

Here’s the best benefit of all. A healthy soul knows what to do when struggles come. In the course of your lifetime, your mind may often open the door to doubt and fear, but your soul can slam it shut by pointing you to the One who is able to carry you through all of your trials. No man should desire to fight the battles of spiritual warfare with his mind and his body. He needs to allow the soul to lead the way. Without the soul’s guidance, there can be no victory, because it’s the soul that connects us to Christ. The soul connects us to Christ’s promise and perfection…. His majesty and mercy. His boldness and blessedness. His truth and trust. His value and virtue. His holiness and hope. His justice and joy, His forgiveness and freedom. His salvation and sacrifice.

Your soul is relying on you to release yourself to the care of Christ. The Kingdom of God is counting on you. Do you value the work of your soul? You should value your soul’s health.

Third, you should value your soul’s home.

Eternity with God is home to your soul. Or at least that’s what God desires. Your soul is marking time, waiting to be united eternally with its Creator. Until then, you are your soul’s landlord. How you house your soul is your choice. You can provide your soul with a righteous temporary shelter until Christ comes back to claim all the souls that belong to Him. Or you can be a spiritual slumlord, destroy your soul and expose it to eternal separation from the Lord.

Think of it this way. Salvation is your insurance policy on your dwelling. It ensures that no matter what calamities come your way in this life, your soul will not be separated from Christ. Salvation is the insurance that prepares us for Christ’s coming. To deny your soul its eternal home in glory is the most dangerist sin of all.

Peter had it all wrong. He thought of life in terms of overthrowing the Romans. He thought Christ came to famously deliver the Jews from Roman oppression. But according to Jesus, those are the things of THIS WORLD. Our soul desires a home with God in the NEXT WORLD.

Make no mistake about it…Christ is coming in glory, and no one alive will miss it. Unspeakable splendor shall accompany Him. Every dignity shall signal Him. Every bit of might and magnificence shall mark His coming. Christ shall come with great power and glory, with the angelic host accompanying Him. The dead in Christ shall rise first and join His assembly. The believers who are still alive in that day will be caught up to meet Him “in the air”. There never has been, nor will there be anything grander than His coming to claim the souls that belong to Him. There will never be anything more solemn. There will never be anything more important. There will never be anything more awe-inspiring. There will never be anything more joyous to the believer. And there will never be anything more alarming to the wicked and the ungodly. The ungodly will be like the “chaff which the wind driveth away” (Psalm 1:4) The Psalmist says the ungodly won’t stand on judgment day; they won’t be included among the righteous. “The ungodly”, the Psalmist says, “will perish”. (Ps 1:6)

I value my soul and I don’t want my soul to perish. I’ve taken out an insurance policy to protect my soul from eternal destruction. It’s called JESUS. He is my soul’s salvation. He may already be yours too. But if He is not, it’s not too late. You can permit your mind and body to yield to your soul; give your soul first place in life. Release your soul into the care of Christ.

You should value your soul’s home.

When that last trumpet sounds, it will be joy for the saints, and sorrow for the sinners. Immortality for the souls of the saints, and death for the souls of the sinners. Deliverance for the saints, and destruction for the sinners. Mercy for the saints, and misery for the sinners.

When that last trumpet sounds, there will be no time to adjust your lifestyle. No time to make apologies.

No time to forgive someone.

When that last trumpet sounds! No time to prove your love. No time to listen to your conscience. No time to repent of your sins. Your soul is crying out for a connection with Christ. If you value your soul, will you answer the call?