What will you Trade for your soul

Mark 8:36. I would like to make and application to this verse. 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?

It’s the thought of what will you take. What will a man take in exchange for his soul?

Tonight I would like to make an application to Mark 8:37because this verse is actually to Christians, people who are saved but I want to ask the question, “What would you trade for your soul?”

We read of 3 individuals that took something of little value in exchange for something of indescribable worth.

-In the case of Esau he took a bowl of soup. He took pleasure for a birthright.

-Secondly Pilate took the approval of the people. He took popularity for his soul.

-And finally in the case of Judas he took 30 pieces. He took a possessionfor his soul.

You might ask the question what is so significant about my soul, you might even wonder what is my soul? It’s interesting because most religions have a definition of a soul ranging from something that has weight and substance; some have even said that a body is lighter after death because of the departure of the soul.

Others have said it is an essence of light or it is the presence of the divine within an individual. Now that is what men have said about the soul and it is false. In this meeting we are far more interested in what God says about the soul.

Now the word soul is a word that is derived from life or living. When God breathed into the first man the breath of life, we read man became a living soul. The best definition I have heard of a soul is this; you are a soul and you live in a body. Your sould is what sees through the opening of the eyes, which hears through the orophas of the ear, which speaks through the edaphasof the mouth. It is the real person that is sensitive, that feels, that thinks, that loves, it is the real you. You are a soul and you live in a body.

And so, I am not speaking of the value of some small butterfly essence. I am not speaking about the value of something that is insignificant. I am talking about a value that you put upon yourself. The value you place on your soul that will exist forever either in heaven or in hell. What value do you place upon yourself?

Today, we are going to look at 3 individuals and the value they placed upon themselves and then I would like to look at the value that God has placed upon you. What will a man take in exchange for his soul? What will you trade for your soul?

_________________________________________________

1. First of all, I would like to think of the man in Hebrews chapter 12called Esau who sold his birthright to his brother Jacob. And although it was the birthright, it is a figure or even a picture of the soul in this sense, it is something that would last longer than his life here on earth. Though it was a natural blessing, the greatest of the blessings of the children of Israel, bestowed upon the first born giving him a double portion of the inheritance. But I would like to think of it like to look at this man because you’re going to find this, when it came to that birthright he set so little value upon it, you know what he took for it? A bowl of soup! He traded his future and the future of his family for a bowl of soup.

Let me give you this scenario. Esau was coming home one day from hunting; he met his brother Jacob on the way home. His brother turned around to him and said this, “sell me this day thy birthright.” And Esau must have thought like this, what good is something way out there, an eventuality, something that is far off in the distance, when I want something that satisfies and empty stomach right now. And so, he thought that bowl of soup would be very good to sit down and enjoy for a moment.

You know how ridiculous it was? He traded a birthright that would have been bestowed upon him and gone to his own sons for a bowl of soup. It was a pleasure that he longed for.

When I think of individuals today and small pleasures that they have placed such a value on that will keep them from Christ, keep them on the road to hell, and keep them in their sins.

Something enjoyed for a few moments that never will satisfy is more important that the salvation of my soul and myself forever.

A bowl of soup! You know when he comes to his father there is an afterwards. Let me say this, for every individual that takes something other than Christ there will be an afterwards and they will never enjoy what they took, never.

And he comes to his father in tears. I believe he was in earnest; he was sincere and he realizes all of a sudden this is the most important thing, I have to have this, and he pleads with his father bless me, give it to me!

And though he pleads with tears that father cannot reverse the decision. There is no birthright blessing for Esau it is GONE! But there is one thing Esau doesn’t do; you know what he doesn’t do? He never tells his father what he took in exchange for it. Could you imagine him going to his father, going to Isaac and saying this, “You know how important that birthright was to me?” I traded a bowl of soup for it.

Someone says I would never take anything so ridiculous as a bowl of soup instead of the salvation of my precious soul. Let me tell you this soup might have a little nourishment to it but there are people today who are taking the most ridiculous things that are more important than the salvation of their souls. And what will you take for your soul? What are you taking, right now?

_____________________________________________

When it comes to that man Pontius Pilate it’s not pleasure its popularity, its people. When he saw what the people wanted, he tried to please them. There are so many who are swayed and influenced by the people. And they said if thou let this man go, thou are not Caesars friend. But you know when Pilate left Galilee in disgrace what the people did? The literally burned ephagies of him in the streets, they hated him so much. They despised him. He never won their affection or their admiration and more than that history tells us that he either committed suicide in the Alps or Caesar had him pushed to his death.

The very thing he put first he never enjoyed it. The people literally destroyed him, and they didn’t care. The people he wanted to please moved on and never gave another thought about him. Listen in this meeting today, what will you take for your soul! You’re worth more than a passing pleasure; you’re worth more than a feigned and fickle and the fake friendships in this world. What will you take for your soul?

__________________________________________________

And then there was a man called Judas Iscariot. He betrayed the Lord for 30 pieces of silver, a possession. There are people who just want to make it. They want to make it in this world. But there is an old saying you may make it but you won’t take it. You know what 30 pieces of silver was worth in our dollars today? Less than $264.60. You know what the last thing Judas did before he went our and hanged himself? You know what he did? He took 30 pieces of silver and threw on the ground.

In this meeting what possession is more important than your soul? What personality, what friendship, is more important than your soul? What pleasure more important than the life eternal for your soul? And what will you take for your soul?

__________________________________________________

Today you are taking something in exchange for your soul.

Let me tell you for a few moments the value that God puts upon your soul! My bible tells me that God so loved, or God so valued the souls of men that he gave his only begotten son. Gods word gives us the standard for the greatest love of all, there is no greater love than this than a man lay down his life for his friend. And so, Christ displayed the greatest love of all when he died on the cross for the very men who hated him without cause. Christ saw such value in you that he gave his life to save your soul. Galatians 2 says the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. God gave what was of greatest importance to Him because he sees such value in your soul.

__________________________________________________

There was a man preaching the gospel back in the 17thcentury outside of London on the king’s highway. His name was Rowland Hill. He preached a famous message that has gone down in the annals of gospel preaching that is called the message of the 3 bidders.

As he preached that message the Queens carriage came along with a young princess inside escorted with her accompanying hussars and attendant chamberlains, quiet a regalia. As they went down the highway, he had gathered a huge crowd in front of him as he was preaching the gospel. And that day he was told to clear the road, to clear the highway for a princess of royal blood.

He turned around and said this; “today I claim this highway the kings highway for Him that is Lord of Lords and King of Kings” and he kept preaching.

Now the young princess instead of driving him off she said let be what this man will say, let us hear. She looked out the carriage door and listened.

And Rowland Hill began to preach a message about 3 bidders. You know what he said? The souls of men and women and boys and girls are like items on the auction block.

______________________________________________________

And the first bidder comes near in all of its glitter and glaze and THE WORLD says:

I will give you POPULARITY, I will give you POSSESSIONS, I will give you PLACE and I willTAKE YOUR YOUTH and your TALENTS and your STRENGTH and I will leave your OLD AND EMPTY. All this will I give for your soul.

____________________________________________________

He said another bidder drew up and with a cruel and dark intentSatan said:

I will give you the PLEASURES OF SIN FOR A SEASON, I will give you the DARK VICES AND VILENESSOF YOUR IMAGINATION, I will give you A NAME TO LIVE WHEN YOU ARE DEAD. I will give you ALL THAT IS CONTRARY TO GOD and in the end, I will LEAVE YOU WITH NOTHING. All this I give for your soul.

And he said another bidder came with the voice like never a man spake before. And he came quietly and tearfully up to this auction of the souls of men and women.

And he said this:

I will give you a FATHERS ETERNAL LOVE, I will give YOU JOY THAT WILL NEVER END, I will give YOUR LIFE FULNESS AND PURPOSE THAT WILL MAKE YOUR EXISTANCE WELL WORTH THEIR BEING. I will give you LOVE, I will give you PEACE, I will give you FORGIVENESS, I will give you a HOME IN HEAVEN, I will give my BLOOD for you, I will give MYSELF for you on CALVARY. All this I give for your soul.

That carriage door opened. And a young princess that never became queen stepped out of that carriage and fell at the feet of and old preacher and here’s what she said, “Lord Jesus thou art the highest bidder I am thine.”

I want to say this in closing. You the value that Christ puts upon your soul, the SON OF GOD WHO LOVED YOU AND GAVE HIMSELF YOUR YOU. He went to Calvary and bear our sins in his own body on the tree. He gave everything for you.

In this meeting you will either take sins pleasures that only lasts for a season. You will take The empty possessions of this world, or you will take popularity and personal relationships that will never satisfy, or you will take Christ.

And what will you take for your soul. What will you take? Let it be Christ.

Related Media

Related Sermons

Earn an accredited degree from Redemption Seminary with Logos.