09-06-2026 The Worth of a Soul

Text: Mark 8:36

                So here we are at another first Sunday of the month where we will soon be remembering the death of Jesus on the Cross.  But before we do this, I would like us to spend a few minutes thinking about the worth of a soul.  Afterall, Jesus died so that the soul of all who believe in Him will be able to live for eternity in His eternal kingdom.

                Our text is found in Mark 8:36 where Jesus asks:  “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”  A more modern version is “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” 

                Jesus often turned the world’s perspective upside down with His talk of first and last, saving and losing.  He’s doing it here when He’s speaking of our soul.  He is reminding us that the most important part of every individual, their soul, is unseen.  It’s valuable because it is the essence of who and what we are. 

                We all give our bodies a lot of attention, spending time and money on all sorts of things to help us to feel and look our best.  These things include:  products to improve our skin, hair, hygiene; and buying cloths that help us to look our best.  Another area we put a lot of time and money into are our possessions and our position in the world.  But the truth is, we’re spending too much time and money on glorifying the temporary physical and material houses in which we all live. 

                This is the point that Jesus is making in our text today when He calls attention to our soul.  Two questions we should all consider this morning is how long has it been since you considered the value of your soul and how much do you care about the souls of others? 

                When Jesus spoke the words of our text, He was speaking of the quest for riches, property, and success to remind us that in the end, it doesn’t matter how much of these things we attain in this life because it will all be gone in a short time.  Even if you could somehow take ownership to the entire earth, it would still only be temporary because everything we see in this world is only temporary.  Even the wise Soloman came to the same conclusion in Ecclesiastes that to focus on things and possessions nothing but arrogance and pride.  There will come a time when the world as we know it will be gone and made brand new.  Because of this inevitability, it is so very important that we all spend more time nurturing our soul and the souls of all we can while we are able.

                As I said, today is the day we remember why Jesus gave up Heaven and came to earth.  It’s impossible to put a dollar on what Jesus did on the Cross.  If you have doubts about God’s love for you, all you have to do is consider the Cross.  Jesus endured the Cross to pay the price for the sins of us all.  The price paid He paid at the Cross makes salvation possible for all who want to choose it.  Isaiah tells us in 53:5-6 that Jesus was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities.  The writers of the four Gospels describe the agonies of the Cross in great detail.  And let’s not forget the thief on the cross beside Jesus faced the value of his soul as he became honest about eternity in his final moments.  Can we say that we are as honest about our souls as this dying thief was? 

                Let’s contrast time and eternity.  We all need to face this contrast every day we are alive.  James 1:10-11 reminds us that if wealth, power and status mean nothing to God, we shouldn’t put much importance to them or honor to those who possess them.  We should never let managing and accumulating material possessions become our primary goal or the thing that gives us the most meaning in life. If they were suddenly all gone, what would you do?  How would you feel?  It’s what you have in your heart, not your bank account, matters to God and endures for eternity.  Luke 12:15-21 teaches about the folly of the rich fool.  We should never aspire to that kind of life.  All the money and possessions that this world has to offer will never guarantee anyone eternal life in Heaven with Jesus.

                Jesus reminds us in Mark 4:19 that the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for things trouble us too much.  A life packed with excessive busyness or materialistic pursuits only crowd out God’s voice and His rightful place in our lives and leaves us unfruitful for Him.  If we want to hear what God wants us to know we need to free ourselves from the overload of this materialistic world in which we live.

                Psalm 90:10 is a reminder of how brief the earthly lifespan is – seventy to eighty years.  Yes, some will pass sooner and some later.  And there was a time when we all believed that this span was a long time away.  But I can tell you now that I have passed my 71st birthday, my time on earth is running out.  I’m anticipating more and more what it will be like when I get to Heaven.  Paul tells us in Romans 6:23 that eternity is forever and that it is a gift from God because of what Jesus did for us on the Cross.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”  

                Eternal life is a gift given to all who believe in Jesus and accept Him as Savior and Lord of their life.  Have you done this?  If you haven’t it’s not too late.  This world and all that we know in it is only temporary but eternal life is forever.  Every one of us have to make a choice on how we will spend that eternity.

                Until we meet again, may God bless you and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.