1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,520 Well please open your Bibles at Luke’s Gospel, 2 00:00:02,520 –> 00:00:05,580 Chapter 9 in verse 25 as we come to the third 3 00:00:05,580 –> 00:00:09,060 in our series of ultimate questions. 4 00:00:09,060 –> 00:00:10,960 Remember, we’re learning throughout this series 5 00:00:10,960 –> 00:00:13,180 that the ultimate questions of life 6 00:00:13,180 –> 00:00:16,120 are not the questions that you and I have for God 7 00:00:16,120 –> 00:00:19,240 but the questions that he has for us. 8 00:00:19,240 –> 00:00:22,340 And again, I want us to hear this question today 9 00:00:22,340 –> 00:00:24,719 as if the risen Lord Jesus Christ 10 00:00:24,719 –> 00:00:29,160 were personally directing it to you. 11 00:00:29,260 –> 00:00:33,279 Luke’s Gospel, Chapter 9 in verse 25, 12 00:00:33,279 –> 00:00:38,599 what good is it for a man to gain the whole world 13 00:00:38,599 –> 00:00:44,299 and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 14 00:00:46,459 –> 00:00:48,220 Now Jesus is reminding us here 15 00:00:48,220 –> 00:00:51,660 that life is a high risk venture. 16 00:00:51,660 –> 00:00:55,680 You can gain the world, you can lose your soul. 17 00:00:56,660 –> 00:00:59,160 He’s teling us that we need to put these two things 18 00:00:59,160 –> 00:01:01,959 side-by-side and think about their value. 19 00:01:03,080 –> 00:01:05,260 At the end of your life, the end of my life, 20 00:01:05,260 –> 00:01:07,519 our gains, our losses will be added up 21 00:01:07,519 –> 00:01:11,360 and the account, the ledger of life will be balanced. 22 00:01:11,360 –> 00:01:14,199 So says Jesus, look, as you make your journey 23 00:01:14,199 –> 00:01:16,099 through this world, very carefully 24 00:01:16,099 –> 00:01:21,099 at what you can gain and at what you can lose. 25 00:01:22,680 –> 00:01:24,680 Now, I don’t know about you, but frankly 26 00:01:24,680 –> 00:01:26,680 I find it very difficult to imagine 27 00:01:26,680 –> 00:01:30,239 what it could possibly mean to gain the world. 28 00:01:30,239 –> 00:01:32,839 I mean none of us are like Alexander the Great, 29 00:01:32,839 –> 00:01:35,080 nobody in this congregation is gonna go out 30 00:01:35,080 –> 00:01:39,000 and conquer all nations, but Jesus 31 00:01:39,000 –> 00:01:41,000 is asking us to think practically. 32 00:01:41,900 –> 00:01:45,000 He wants us to think through everything 33 00:01:45,000 –> 00:01:48,040 that you could get out of life. 34 00:01:48,959 –> 00:01:49,800 That’s what He means when He’s 35 00:01:49,800 –> 00:01:51,680 talking about gaining the world. 36 00:01:52,620 –> 00:01:56,459 I find it helpful to break this down a little bit 37 00:01:56,459 –> 00:02:01,300 and to think about seven worlds that you could gain. 38 00:02:02,260 –> 00:02:04,559 You might like to score yourself as we go through them. 39 00:02:04,559 –> 00:02:06,580 I did it earlier this week. 40 00:02:06,580 –> 00:02:08,460 Give yourself a three if you are 41 00:02:08,460 –> 00:02:10,100 very interested in this world, 42 00:02:10,100 –> 00:02:12,220 a two if you are only mildly interested 43 00:02:12,220 –> 00:02:15,500 and a one if you are not interested at all. 44 00:02:15,500 –> 00:02:18,380 I have to tell you that out of seven worlds I scored 21. 45 00:02:20,100 –> 00:02:20,940 See how you do. 46 00:02:22,119 –> 00:02:24,800 Here’s where we go seven worlds to gain. 47 00:02:24,800 –> 00:02:28,179 Number one, the world of knowledge. 48 00:02:28,179 –> 00:02:29,660 We send our kids off to school 49 00:02:29,660 –> 00:02:33,039 because there is a world of knowledge to be gained 50 00:02:33,039 –> 00:02:37,839 and somewhere kids in school you will find an area 51 00:02:37,839 –> 00:02:40,360 of knowledge that grabs your interest. 52 00:02:40,360 –> 00:02:41,619 It’s a wonderful thing. 53 00:02:41,619 –> 00:02:43,440 Some people love math. 54 00:02:43,440 –> 00:02:45,240 Some people love science. 55 00:02:45,240 –> 00:02:46,720 My favourite was history. 56 00:02:46,720 –> 00:02:47,899 Loved it. 57 00:02:47,899 –> 00:02:50,779 Some people don’t like books very much at all 58 00:02:50,860 –> 00:02:52,220 but you find that you have an 59 00:02:52,220 –> 00:02:53,580 area of knowledge you’re drawn to 60 00:02:53,580 –> 00:02:57,559 like mechanics or engines or gearboxes 61 00:02:57,559 –> 00:02:59,699 and finding out about how all that 62 00:02:59,699 –> 00:03:01,520 stuff works just grabs you 63 00:03:01,520 –> 00:03:05,179 or else it’s electronics or it’s computers or whatever, 64 00:03:05,179 –> 00:03:10,179 and when you find something that really interests you 65 00:03:10,559 –> 00:03:13,880 follow it because it is often an indication 66 00:03:13,880 –> 00:03:16,399 of what you should pursue in life. 67 00:03:17,240 –> 00:03:20,740 There is this wonderful world of knowledge 68 00:03:21,220 –> 00:03:23,940 for us to explore and discover 69 00:03:23,940 –> 00:03:24,979 and it lasts a lifetime. 70 00:03:24,979 –> 00:03:26,160 Some folks in this congregation 71 00:03:26,160 –> 00:03:28,220 are right in the thick of it in university 72 00:03:28,220 –> 00:03:29,860 and postgraduate studies. 73 00:03:29,860 –> 00:03:31,580 We spend hours in libraries 74 00:03:31,580 –> 00:03:33,979 pursuing the world of knowledge. 75 00:03:35,059 –> 00:03:36,100 Then of course secondly, 76 00:03:36,100 –> 00:03:39,020 there is the wonderful world of sport. 77 00:03:39,020 –> 00:03:39,860 This is marvelous. 78 00:03:39,860 –> 00:03:43,020 I mean, who cannot smile at seeing little kids 79 00:03:43,020 –> 00:03:45,600 in giant helmets with enormous bats 80 00:03:45,600 –> 00:03:48,699 getting started in Little League? 81 00:03:48,779 –> 00:03:50,460 You understand, I’ve had to undergo 82 00:03:50,460 –> 00:03:53,179 several conversions on this one. 83 00:03:53,179 –> 00:03:55,820 At school we played rugby in the winter 84 00:03:55,820 –> 00:03:57,940 and cricket in the summer 85 00:03:57,940 –> 00:04:00,179 and football of course in those days 86 00:04:00,179 –> 00:04:03,059 and back there was played with a round ball 87 00:04:03,059 –> 00:04:04,720 that you kick with the foot, 88 00:04:04,720 –> 00:04:06,699 which is why it’s called football 89 00:04:06,699 –> 00:04:08,279 but that’s a whole other thing. 90 00:04:08,279 –> 00:04:13,279 We came here, we absolutely loved 91 00:04:13,880 –> 00:04:17,160 watching our boys play basketball when they were young. 92 00:04:17,160 –> 00:04:19,299 Then it’s on to the challenge of high school 93 00:04:19,299 –> 00:04:23,279 sports, Friday night games, track meets, 94 00:04:23,279 –> 00:04:25,720 competition to get to State Finals, 95 00:04:25,720 –> 00:04:29,119 the opportunities of pursuing a sport at college. 96 00:04:29,119 –> 00:04:31,239 Marvelous, the world of sport. 97 00:04:33,399 –> 00:04:35,359 What would the world be without golf? 98 00:04:37,239 –> 00:04:40,380 How could business be done without golf? 99 00:04:42,119 –> 00:04:43,799 And it’s not just sport you can play, 100 00:04:43,799 –> 00:04:44,959 it’s sport you can watch. 101 00:04:45,160 –> 00:04:48,839 Who does not get the chills at the United Center 102 00:04:48,839 –> 00:04:50,839 when they do that thing with the laser light 103 00:04:50,839 –> 00:04:52,920 and the video of the Bulls coming charging 104 00:04:52,920 –> 00:04:55,480 through Chicago and into the stadium? 105 00:04:55,480 –> 00:04:57,220 Or the Wolves at All State Arena 106 00:04:57,220 –> 00:04:59,500 with their flamethrowers, you can feel the heat 107 00:04:59,500 –> 00:05:02,779 in your face as the Wolves come skating out onto the ice. 108 00:05:02,779 –> 00:05:07,059 The wonderful world of sport, a world to gain. 109 00:05:09,239 –> 00:05:11,859 Then what about, thirdly, the world of business? 110 00:05:11,920 –> 00:05:14,579 Here’s a huge world to gain and especially here 111 00:05:14,579 –> 00:05:19,380 in our culture of free enterprise that is wide open 112 00:05:19,380 –> 00:05:22,160 for any man or any woman with a great idea 113 00:05:22,160 –> 00:05:24,920 and the initiative to develop it. 114 00:05:24,920 –> 00:05:27,980 And there are scores of us in this congregation 115 00:05:27,980 –> 00:05:30,600 who have poured ourselves into gaining this world. 116 00:05:30,600 –> 00:05:32,859 You are a small business owner. 117 00:05:34,160 –> 00:05:35,880 You are a partner in a firm. 118 00:05:35,880 –> 00:05:38,000 You are a service provider. 119 00:05:38,000 –> 00:05:40,000 You experience all of the pressures 120 00:05:40,079 –> 00:05:44,940 of the wild ride of business in a changing environment. 121 00:05:46,660 –> 00:05:49,720 The amazing world of enterprise. 122 00:05:51,760 –> 00:05:54,399 Then, of course, there’s the world of the arts. 123 00:05:54,399 –> 00:05:59,179 Whole world of creative music, painting, 124 00:05:59,179 –> 00:06:02,200 sculpture, drama, writing. 125 00:06:03,359 –> 00:06:06,739 You take up an instrument, you begin to play in a band. 126 00:06:06,760 –> 00:06:09,279 You say, hey, maybe we could record a CD. 127 00:06:10,279 –> 00:06:12,559 You have a real talent, then the whole world 128 00:06:12,559 –> 00:06:15,000 of performance may open up to you 129 00:06:15,000 –> 00:06:18,000 with the possibility of travel and bringing pleasure 130 00:06:18,000 –> 00:06:20,920 to hundreds, and maybe thousands, and thousands of people. 131 00:06:21,839 –> 00:06:22,920 Maybe you’re just someone who, 132 00:06:22,920 –> 00:06:25,000 rather than being directly involved, 133 00:06:25,000 –> 00:06:27,420 you’re one who savors the arts. 134 00:06:27,420 –> 00:06:31,339 The Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Orchestra Hall, 135 00:06:31,339 –> 00:06:34,480 or else it’s a rock band in Allstate Arena, or whatever. 136 00:06:34,519 –> 00:06:37,920 Or maybe it’s just that you love your CD collection, 137 00:06:37,920 –> 00:06:41,559 or your book collection, or just other beautiful things. 138 00:06:41,559 –> 00:06:44,239 It’s the world of the arts, the world of beauty, 139 00:06:44,239 –> 00:06:47,320 the world of creativity, and the home 140 00:06:48,880 –> 00:06:50,399 throughout the artistic world. 141 00:06:52,820 –> 00:06:55,059 And there’s the whole world of relationships. 142 00:06:56,440 –> 00:06:57,679 The Garden of Eden, God said, 143 00:06:57,679 –> 00:06:59,559 it is not good for man to be alone, 144 00:06:59,559 –> 00:07:01,799 and that’s true whether we are married, 145 00:07:01,799 –> 00:07:04,079 divorced, single, or widowed, 146 00:07:04,079 –> 00:07:07,160 we are all looking for that elusive connection 147 00:07:07,160 –> 00:07:08,720 with other people. 148 00:07:08,720 –> 00:07:10,920 You want to find a circle of people 149 00:07:10,920 –> 00:07:13,239 with whom you can be yourself. 150 00:07:13,239 –> 00:07:16,239 Folks you can trust, people you could confide in 151 00:07:16,239 –> 00:07:17,839 and share your heart with. 152 00:07:18,880 –> 00:07:21,519 And you want these people to think well of you, 153 00:07:21,519 –> 00:07:23,920 to think that you are a good friend, a good husband, 154 00:07:23,920 –> 00:07:26,079 a good wife, a good parent. 155 00:07:27,359 –> 00:07:29,739 You look for that special someone. 156 00:07:30,519 –> 00:07:34,260 When you find them, you work at that relationship 157 00:07:34,260 –> 00:07:37,880 so that it will be everything that it can be. 158 00:07:37,880 –> 00:07:41,260 You make sacrifices for it, you invest yourself into it, 159 00:07:41,260 –> 00:07:43,140 and then you come to the point where you are 160 00:07:43,140 –> 00:07:47,100 so closely connected that a wound to the other person 161 00:07:47,100 –> 00:07:50,059 is a wound to you that death for the other person 162 00:07:50,059 –> 00:07:52,480 feels like the death of you. 163 00:07:52,480 –> 00:07:55,820 And then you know that you have truly found out 164 00:07:55,820 –> 00:07:58,140 what it really means to love. 165 00:07:59,059 –> 00:08:01,880 A wonderful world of relationships. 166 00:08:04,820 –> 00:08:07,700 Then there’s a world of leisure. 167 00:08:07,700 –> 00:08:09,660 Think of the joys of travel. 168 00:08:09,660 –> 00:08:11,660 I was just counting up my own privileges. 169 00:08:11,660 –> 00:08:14,820 I’ve seen something of India, North Africa, 170 00:08:14,820 –> 00:08:16,420 Turkey, Eastern Europe. 171 00:08:16,420 –> 00:08:18,980 I’ve driven across America, seen Yellowstone, 172 00:08:18,980 –> 00:08:21,440 the Pacific Ocean, the Grand Canyon, 173 00:08:21,440 –> 00:08:23,679 and the Colorado Mountains. 174 00:08:24,119 –> 00:08:28,720 What about the leisure of entertainment? 175 00:08:28,720 –> 00:08:32,780 Films, videos, TV on demand, 176 00:08:32,780 –> 00:08:36,119 celebrities, reality TV, American Idol. 177 00:08:37,099 –> 00:08:38,880 The whole world of the Internet. 178 00:08:38,880 –> 00:08:40,679 Now, it’s a mixed world, isn’t it? 179 00:08:40,679 –> 00:08:42,679 And you have to choose carefully, 180 00:08:42,679 –> 00:08:44,859 but who isn’t grateful, 181 00:08:44,859 –> 00:08:48,099 to be able on a cold night to sit down on the sofa 182 00:08:48,099 –> 00:08:50,719 and settle in to watch a good film. 183 00:08:51,659 –> 00:08:53,900 And then of course there’s the whole world of leisure 184 00:08:53,900 –> 00:08:58,900 in retirement, golf courses, Florida. 185 00:09:01,799 –> 00:09:04,940 Warm temperatures, the ultimate freedom 186 00:09:04,940 –> 00:09:07,799 that so many work towards. 187 00:09:07,799 –> 00:09:11,059 The world of leisure, a world to gain. 188 00:09:13,679 –> 00:09:16,159 Seventh, the world of ministry. 189 00:09:16,159 –> 00:09:17,140 Now, I include this, 190 00:09:17,140 –> 00:09:19,840 because Jesus was speaking to his disciples. 191 00:09:19,840 –> 00:09:22,099 These are the folks, remember, who had left their nets 192 00:09:22,099 –> 00:09:24,799 and they had given themselves to ministry with Jesus, 193 00:09:24,799 –> 00:09:27,859 so ministry was their world. 194 00:09:27,859 –> 00:09:30,260 And there is a world to be gained in ministry. 195 00:09:30,260 –> 00:09:33,380 You want your life to count for Jesus Christ. 196 00:09:33,380 –> 00:09:36,960 You feel you want to contribute something significant. 197 00:09:36,960 –> 00:09:40,840 You see the needs of students, or the inner city, 198 00:09:40,840 –> 00:09:43,080 or the third world, or social justice, 199 00:09:43,080 –> 00:09:44,679 or preaching, or church planting, 200 00:09:44,679 –> 00:09:46,739 or children’s ministry, or foreign missions, 201 00:09:46,739 –> 00:09:48,919 and you invest yourself into that. 202 00:09:48,979 –> 00:09:51,380 You throw yourself into that world. 203 00:09:51,380 –> 00:09:55,799 You want to do something and you want to do it for Christ. 204 00:09:58,020 –> 00:10:00,000 Seven worlds to gain. 205 00:10:01,419 –> 00:10:02,679 I tell ya, I sometimes wish I had 206 00:10:02,679 –> 00:10:04,580 seven lives to gain them, don’t you? 207 00:10:06,539 –> 00:10:09,020 I am fascinated by all of these worlds, 208 00:10:09,020 –> 00:10:10,059 every one of them. 209 00:10:12,580 –> 00:10:14,299 And all of them are good. 210 00:10:14,340 –> 00:10:18,320 Seven worlds to gain. 211 00:10:22,119 –> 00:10:25,299 Secondly, one soul to lose. 212 00:10:26,679 –> 00:10:29,719 Now, if the good news of Jesus’ statement here 213 00:10:29,719 –> 00:10:32,599 is that there are seven worlds to gain, 214 00:10:32,599 –> 00:10:36,919 the bad news is that there is one soul to lose. 215 00:10:37,880 –> 00:10:41,460 Matthew and Mark record Jesus using the word soul here, 216 00:10:41,460 –> 00:10:44,020 Luke records Jesus using the word self, 217 00:10:44,020 –> 00:10:47,859 they really are precisely the same thing. 218 00:10:47,859 –> 00:10:50,140 And we’ve thought about what it might mean 219 00:10:50,140 –> 00:10:54,700 to gain the world, what would it mean to lose yourself, 220 00:10:56,700 –> 00:10:59,739 to lose your soul? 221 00:11:01,700 –> 00:11:02,880 Well, it seems to me that a good way 222 00:11:02,880 –> 00:11:04,619 to think about this is to remember 223 00:11:04,619 –> 00:11:09,419 that God has given to the human soul three great capacities. 224 00:11:10,479 –> 00:11:12,900 The fundamental capacities of your soul 225 00:11:12,919 –> 00:11:17,919 are the capacity for faith, for hope, and for love. 226 00:11:20,039 –> 00:11:21,340 And the Bible makes it very clear 227 00:11:21,340 –> 00:11:23,760 that these three things are of infinite value 228 00:11:23,760 –> 00:11:26,159 because, of course, they never pass away. 229 00:11:27,280 –> 00:11:29,900 So let’s think for a moment what it would mean 230 00:11:29,900 –> 00:11:34,900 for a person to lose the capacity of the soul, 231 00:11:34,960 –> 00:11:37,960 to lose yourself, to lose faith, 232 00:11:37,960 –> 00:11:40,619 to lose hope, and to lose love. 233 00:11:41,539 –> 00:11:44,479 First losing faith. 234 00:11:44,479 –> 00:11:45,760 See if you recognize this. 235 00:11:45,760 –> 00:11:50,760 Imagine in the world of business or the world of ministry, 236 00:11:53,000 –> 00:11:55,479 you’re throwing yourselves into these things, 237 00:11:55,479 –> 00:12:00,479 but in the course of your work, you stop trusting people. 238 00:12:02,260 –> 00:12:04,299 You find you’re becoming more cynical. 239 00:12:06,619 –> 00:12:09,719 You’re focused on the conditions of the times, 240 00:12:09,739 –> 00:12:12,940 you are overwhelmed by a sense of fear. 241 00:12:14,760 –> 00:12:17,320 You’re losing confidence in people around you. 242 00:12:17,320 –> 00:12:19,960 Nothing is right unless you’ve done it yourself. 243 00:12:19,960 –> 00:12:22,099 You find that you are complaining more, 244 00:12:22,099 –> 00:12:24,799 you are losing faith. 245 00:12:27,760 –> 00:12:29,520 What about losing hope? 246 00:12:29,520 –> 00:12:34,520 Take any world you want, relationships, ministry, sport. 247 00:12:36,440 –> 00:12:39,580 You begin to question the value of your achievements. 248 00:12:39,599 –> 00:12:41,119 You find yourself thinking long 249 00:12:41,119 –> 00:12:44,219 about your failures and your missed opportunities. 250 00:12:44,219 –> 00:12:47,059 You find yourself saying, if only I had done this, 251 00:12:47,059 –> 00:12:48,979 if only that had not happened, 252 00:12:48,979 –> 00:12:51,159 and you chart out the course that your life 253 00:12:51,159 –> 00:12:53,900 would have been and it would have been so marvelous. 254 00:12:53,900 –> 00:12:56,640 You see bright skies in the past, 255 00:12:56,640 –> 00:13:01,340 you see dark clouds in the future, you are losing hope. 256 00:13:03,919 –> 00:13:05,219 What about losing love? 257 00:13:06,140 –> 00:13:09,479 Take the world of knowledge, relationships, leisure. 258 00:13:11,020 –> 00:13:13,659 You find yourself immersed in what you’re doing. 259 00:13:15,179 –> 00:13:17,419 You begin to think of everyone else around you 260 00:13:17,419 –> 00:13:19,679 as being there to support you. 261 00:13:21,460 –> 00:13:24,000 You’re quick to tell them what you need. 262 00:13:25,179 –> 00:13:27,479 You find yourself angry and frustrated 263 00:13:27,479 –> 00:13:28,780 when you’re not getting it. 264 00:13:30,780 –> 00:13:32,460 You look back to when you were younger 265 00:13:33,159 –> 00:13:35,580 and you felt things more deeply, 266 00:13:35,580 –> 00:13:37,880 but now your joys are less intense 267 00:13:37,880 –> 00:13:39,299 and so are your sorrows, 268 00:13:39,299 –> 00:13:44,039 you wonder why you are losing love? 269 00:13:47,179 –> 00:13:50,380 Think of the capacity of a soul as being like a balloon. 270 00:13:52,020 –> 00:13:56,340 It can be expanded or it can shrivel. 271 00:13:57,659 –> 00:14:00,619 Let the breath of God’s Spirit blow into your soul 272 00:14:01,039 –> 00:14:04,900 and the capacity of faith and hope and love will expand, 273 00:14:04,900 –> 00:14:08,679 but without that breath of life, your soul will shrivel. 274 00:14:10,359 –> 00:14:12,760 The pressures of life in the world, 275 00:14:12,760 –> 00:14:14,760 the world of knowledge, sport, business, 276 00:14:14,760 –> 00:14:17,440 the arts, relationships, leisure, ministry, 277 00:14:17,440 –> 00:14:19,859 they will suck the life out of you. 278 00:14:21,840 –> 00:14:24,919 And you will find yourself losing faith, 279 00:14:24,919 –> 00:14:27,679 losing hope, losing love. 280 00:14:28,299 –> 00:14:31,580 I don’t think this is very difficult, is it, 281 00:14:31,580 –> 00:14:33,840 for us to look around these days 282 00:14:33,840 –> 00:14:37,539 and to see people who are gaining the world 283 00:14:37,539 –> 00:14:40,500 and at the same time losing their soul, 284 00:14:43,239 –> 00:14:46,479 getting all that can be got out of life 285 00:14:46,479 –> 00:14:50,900 in all seven worlds and somehow being 286 00:14:50,900 –> 00:14:53,359 drained of faith, drained of hope, 287 00:14:53,380 –> 00:14:56,500 drained of love and shriveling on the inside. 288 00:15:03,659 –> 00:15:07,400 Imagine passing into eternity like that. 289 00:15:10,719 –> 00:15:14,359 See, what does it mean for a soul to be lost? 290 00:15:17,659 –> 00:15:20,859 See, ultimately for a soul to be lost, 291 00:15:20,859 –> 00:15:22,320 you can think of it like this, 292 00:15:22,320 –> 00:15:25,659 it is to pass into eternity and remain there 293 00:15:25,659 –> 00:15:27,919 without faith, without hope and without love, 294 00:15:29,940 –> 00:15:31,659 because you lost them in this life. 295 00:15:34,119 –> 00:15:38,780 Imagine spending eternity without the capacity of faith, 296 00:15:40,940 –> 00:15:43,780 all you can perceive is the darkness around you, 297 00:15:44,979 –> 00:15:49,299 you can see nothing beyond the darkness, ever. 298 00:15:52,840 –> 00:15:57,840 Imagine spending eternity without the capacity of hope, 299 00:15:59,919 –> 00:16:04,919 alienated from God, no prospect of change, 300 00:16:08,659 –> 00:16:12,799 imagine spending eternity without the capacity of love, 301 00:16:15,080 –> 00:16:17,380 and C.S. Lewis painted a picture of hell, 302 00:16:18,340 –> 00:16:22,940 or rather, described it powerfully in this way, 303 00:16:22,940 –> 00:16:25,280 people without relationship, 304 00:16:27,419 –> 00:16:31,140 that nobody could find it in their heart to care about you 305 00:16:31,140 –> 00:16:33,380 and you could not find it in your heart 306 00:16:33,380 –> 00:16:35,419 to care about anyone else either. 307 00:16:37,260 –> 00:16:38,099 That’s hell. 308 00:16:40,820 –> 00:16:45,820 No faith, no hope, no love. 309 00:16:48,380 –> 00:16:52,020 Because you’re alienated from the God 310 00:16:53,640 –> 00:16:55,179 who is the source of all three. 311 00:16:58,479 –> 00:17:01,380 That is the ultimate condition, isn’t it? 312 00:17:01,380 –> 00:17:03,919 Of a person who has lost their soul. 313 00:17:05,579 –> 00:17:07,380 Who’s been losing it throughout life 314 00:17:07,380 –> 00:17:11,760 and then beyond death is no longer able to find it. 315 00:17:15,719 –> 00:17:16,540 Say, 316 00:17:17,420 –> 00:17:19,319 how does such a terrible thing happen? 317 00:17:21,680 –> 00:17:24,540 How does a person lose their soul? 318 00:17:27,099 –> 00:17:29,020 One of the writers I’ve come to love 319 00:17:29,020 –> 00:17:32,819 over many years is a man called J.C. Riel. 320 00:17:32,819 –> 00:17:34,420 He was a Bishop in the Church 321 00:17:34,420 –> 00:17:36,319 of England in the 19th Century, 322 00:17:36,319 –> 00:17:37,900 has many wonderful books. 323 00:17:37,900 –> 00:17:39,640 He was a brilliant communicator 324 00:17:39,640 –> 00:17:42,099 and known for his plain speaking. 325 00:17:42,099 –> 00:17:45,780 A number of years ago, I picked up this copy 326 00:17:45,819 –> 00:17:48,420 of one of his books in a second-hand shop. 327 00:17:48,420 –> 00:17:50,420 It’s called Old Paths, 328 00:17:50,420 –> 00:17:52,579 hardly the title of a bestseller today. 329 00:17:52,579 –> 00:17:55,579 Its subtitle is Plain Statements 330 00:17:55,579 –> 00:17:59,020 on some of the weightier matters of Christianity. 331 00:17:59,020 –> 00:18:02,180 Well, I found in here that he has a sermon 332 00:18:02,180 –> 00:18:04,660 on this very text, The Question of Jesus. 333 00:18:04,660 –> 00:18:06,160 And what was fascinating to me, 334 00:18:06,160 –> 00:18:08,579 because I had not actually read this before, 335 00:18:08,579 –> 00:18:11,939 was that right inside in the middle of it I found 336 00:18:12,859 –> 00:18:15,579 a London bus ticket 337 00:18:17,060 –> 00:18:20,280 that is at least 50 years old. 338 00:18:20,280 –> 00:18:24,439 The price of this is the equivalent of three cents. 339 00:18:24,439 –> 00:18:26,900 And I find myself fascinated by this. 340 00:18:26,900 –> 00:18:31,219 Someone in the late 40s or early 50s 341 00:18:31,219 –> 00:18:36,219 was reading this page on a Number 11 bus 342 00:18:36,239 –> 00:18:37,880 traveling into London. 343 00:18:38,680 –> 00:18:40,739 The ticket’s still here. 344 00:18:42,520 –> 00:18:44,680 You want to know what he read, or she read? 345 00:18:45,900 –> 00:18:46,739 Now listen. 346 00:18:47,800 –> 00:18:49,979 How can a man lose his soul? 347 00:18:51,560 –> 00:18:54,099 And then Ryle gives three broad answers. 348 00:18:55,359 –> 00:18:57,959 For one thing, you may murder your soul 349 00:18:57,959 –> 00:19:02,699 by running into open sin, and serving lusts and pleasures. 350 00:19:04,219 –> 00:19:06,680 For another thing, you may poison your soul 351 00:19:07,239 –> 00:19:09,359 by taking up some false religion. 352 00:19:09,359 –> 00:19:12,800 You may drug it with the traditions of men’s invention, 353 00:19:12,800 –> 00:19:15,079 and a round of ceremonies and observances 354 00:19:15,079 –> 00:19:16,959 that never came down from heaven. 355 00:19:16,959 –> 00:19:20,979 You may lull your soul to sleep with opiates 356 00:19:20,979 –> 00:19:24,939 that stupefy the conscience but do not heal the heart. 357 00:19:24,939 –> 00:19:28,020 Strychnine and arsenic, he says, 358 00:19:28,020 –> 00:19:30,599 will do their work quite as effectually 359 00:19:30,599 –> 00:19:34,839 as the pistol or the sword but with much less noise. 360 00:19:35,839 –> 00:19:38,719 Then he says another thing. 361 00:19:38,719 –> 00:19:40,760 You may starve your soul to death 362 00:19:40,760 –> 00:19:42,400 by trifling and indecision. 363 00:19:42,400 –> 00:19:45,239 You may idle through life with a name 364 00:19:45,239 –> 00:19:47,939 upon a baptism register but not inscribed 365 00:19:47,939 –> 00:19:50,400 in the Lamb’s Book of Life with a form of godliness 366 00:19:50,400 –> 00:19:51,959 but without the power. 367 00:19:51,959 –> 00:19:53,760 Let no man deceive you with vain words. 368 00:19:53,760 –> 00:19:57,000 Indecision is just as ruinous to the soul 369 00:19:57,000 –> 00:20:00,020 as a false religion or no religion at all. 370 00:20:00,020 –> 00:20:02,140 The stream of life can never stand still, 371 00:20:02,140 –> 00:20:04,540 whether you are sleeping or waking, 372 00:20:04,959 –> 00:20:06,540 but as you are floating down that stream, 373 00:20:06,540 –> 00:20:09,020 you are coming nearer and nearer to the rapids, 374 00:20:09,020 –> 00:20:10,959 you will soon pass over the falls 375 00:20:10,959 –> 00:20:13,800 and if you die without a decided faith, 376 00:20:13,800 –> 00:20:16,099 you will be cast away to all eternity. 377 00:20:17,880 –> 00:20:19,000 I just couldn’t help thinking 378 00:20:19,000 –> 00:20:20,800 where is that man’s soul right now? 379 00:20:24,959 –> 00:20:27,099 The loss of a soul is the heaviest loss 380 00:20:27,099 –> 00:20:29,640 that any person can ever experience. 381 00:20:30,619 –> 00:20:32,140 Every other loss is bearable, 382 00:20:32,140 –> 00:20:34,099 every other loss is only for a time. 383 00:20:35,380 –> 00:20:38,319 But the loss of a soul is forever. 384 00:20:41,239 –> 00:20:45,760 So seven worlds to gain, one soul to lose. 385 00:20:47,560 –> 00:20:49,819 The obvious question is, how am I gonna make sure 386 00:20:49,819 –> 00:20:52,500 that in my life in this world, I don’t lose my soul? 387 00:20:53,579 –> 00:20:57,520 I want to suggest to you then two strategies for survival. 388 00:20:57,520 –> 00:21:00,020 Seven worlds to gain, one soul to lose, 389 00:21:00,020 –> 00:21:03,239 two strategies for survival. 390 00:21:04,040 –> 00:21:08,739 If it is possible to gain the world and lose my soul, 391 00:21:08,739 –> 00:21:11,199 it’s possible to do both. 392 00:21:11,199 –> 00:21:14,500 How can I make sure that this does not happen to me? 393 00:21:15,939 –> 00:21:18,900 Now I don’t want you to miss the critical point here. 394 00:21:18,900 –> 00:21:21,420 You see, we’re used to saying, 395 00:21:21,420 –> 00:21:26,420 if you pursue something evil you will lose your soul. 396 00:21:26,439 –> 00:21:30,160 Well, that’s true, but it’s not what Jesus is saying here. 397 00:21:30,880 –> 00:21:35,500 What Jesus is saying here is that you can lose your soul 398 00:21:35,500 –> 00:21:37,599 in the pursuit of something good. 399 00:21:39,900 –> 00:21:43,219 You can lose your soul in the pursuit of what is good. 400 00:21:46,500 –> 00:21:50,319 Now how am I to make sure that that does not happen? 401 00:21:52,760 –> 00:21:53,920 Two strategies. 402 00:21:55,359 –> 00:21:56,239 Number one, 403 00:21:57,239 –> 00:22:02,239 strategic withdrawal from devotion to the world. 404 00:22:03,599 –> 00:22:05,359 Now notice the word strategic. 405 00:22:06,859 –> 00:22:10,660 I didn’t say total withdrawal, I said strategic withdrawal. 406 00:22:11,520 –> 00:22:14,000 See there are some people who think that the way to go 407 00:22:14,000 –> 00:22:15,339 in the light of the Bible 408 00:22:15,339 –> 00:22:17,979 is that we should withdraw from sport, 409 00:22:17,979 –> 00:22:19,280 withdraw from business, 410 00:22:19,280 –> 00:22:21,000 withdraw from the secular world 411 00:22:21,000 –> 00:22:23,319 and pursue a life of solitude. 412 00:22:23,319 –> 00:22:25,359 But the Bible does not call us 413 00:22:25,359 –> 00:22:28,739 to that kind of monastic withdrawal from the world. 414 00:22:28,739 –> 00:22:31,839 We are to pursue our lives in the world. 415 00:22:31,839 –> 00:22:33,699 We are to enjoy every good gift 416 00:22:33,699 –> 00:22:35,540 that comes from the hand of God. 417 00:22:37,180 –> 00:22:39,920 But with seven worlds to gain, 418 00:22:41,079 –> 00:22:43,839 the question especially in our culture 419 00:22:44,839 –> 00:22:47,959 is how do I make sure that I do not drown 420 00:22:47,959 –> 00:22:49,479 in a sea of activity? 421 00:22:49,479 –> 00:22:50,660 How do I make sure 422 00:22:50,660 –> 00:22:54,140 that I am not suffocated in a sea of pleasure? 423 00:22:55,140 –> 00:22:56,199 How do I make sure 424 00:22:56,199 –> 00:22:59,219 that the seven worlds don’t consume me? 425 00:23:01,160 –> 00:23:02,479 The answer is simply this. 426 00:23:02,479 –> 00:23:07,479 I must practice strategic withdrawal from the world. 427 00:23:07,520 –> 00:23:09,880 You say, well, okay, where do you get that from? 428 00:23:09,880 –> 00:23:11,400 Two Bible principles. 429 00:23:12,380 –> 00:23:14,819 The first is the principle of fasting. 430 00:23:16,520 –> 00:23:19,760 Fasting is simply that you voluntarily abstain 431 00:23:19,780 –> 00:23:23,599 from something good in order to strengthen 432 00:23:23,599 –> 00:23:25,579 the life of your soul. 433 00:23:25,579 –> 00:23:29,020 We usually think of fasting as being passing up a meal, 434 00:23:29,020 –> 00:23:31,640 but it could be missing a conference 435 00:23:31,640 –> 00:23:34,540 or taking two sports a year instead of three. 436 00:23:36,819 –> 00:23:38,719 There are no rules about fasting, 437 00:23:40,680 –> 00:23:44,479 but if you do not practice strategic withdrawal 438 00:23:44,479 –> 00:23:46,900 from the devotion to the seven worlds, 439 00:23:46,900 –> 00:23:50,000 you will find yourself drowning in a sea of activity, 440 00:23:50,000 –> 00:23:52,699 you will find yourself losing your soul 441 00:23:52,699 –> 00:23:56,660 in a world of choices, and so will your family. 442 00:23:59,000 –> 00:24:01,660 The biggest question for some of our families today 443 00:24:01,660 –> 00:24:04,599 is what are the kids not going to do? 444 00:24:06,400 –> 00:24:09,160 For if they do everything on offer, 445 00:24:09,160 –> 00:24:12,319 you may just be setting them off on the track 446 00:24:12,319 –> 00:24:16,540 to gain the seven worlds and lose their soul. 447 00:24:17,599 –> 00:24:22,119 So here’s an important discussion that needs to happen 448 00:24:22,119 –> 00:24:25,079 in every home around the table. 449 00:24:25,079 –> 00:24:27,079 What are the things that Mum could do 450 00:24:27,079 –> 00:24:30,920 and she chooses not to do for the good of her soul? 451 00:24:30,920 –> 00:24:33,099 What are the things that Dad could do 452 00:24:33,099 –> 00:24:36,859 and chooses not to do for the good of his soul? 453 00:24:36,859 –> 00:24:38,660 What are the things that the kids could do 454 00:24:38,660 –> 00:24:40,900 and choose not to do for the good of their souls? 455 00:24:40,900 –> 00:24:43,000 What is it that the family could do 456 00:24:43,000 –> 00:24:44,239 and chooses not to do 457 00:24:44,300 –> 00:24:46,300 for the good of the soul of the family. 458 00:24:49,180 –> 00:24:51,619 The problem with trying to gain everything 459 00:24:53,300 –> 00:24:54,819 is that you do lose your soul. 460 00:24:59,239 –> 00:25:00,540 A little example. 461 00:25:00,540 –> 00:25:03,219 I remember an evening when one of her kids said, 462 00:25:03,219 –> 00:25:04,520 going out for the evening, 463 00:25:04,520 –> 00:25:06,459 said, what are you doing tonight? 464 00:25:06,459 –> 00:25:09,939 Oh, well, we’re going to drop in on a party 465 00:25:09,939 –> 00:25:11,079 and then we’re going to see a film 466 00:25:11,079 –> 00:25:13,699 and then we’re going to go for a meal. 467 00:25:13,699 –> 00:25:16,119 I said, you’re going to do all that in one evening? 468 00:25:18,739 –> 00:25:20,459 Quite seriously, I said, you know, 469 00:25:20,459 –> 00:25:22,380 that is destroying to the soul. 470 00:25:23,819 –> 00:25:24,660 You know why? 471 00:25:25,780 –> 00:25:29,339 Because you skim through all three 472 00:25:29,339 –> 00:25:32,420 and you reduce your own capacity 473 00:25:32,420 –> 00:25:35,420 to experience any of them deeply. 474 00:25:35,959 –> 00:25:40,979 I think our inability to make choices 475 00:25:43,979 –> 00:25:45,939 is one of the greatest reasons 476 00:25:45,939 –> 00:25:48,160 we are killing our inner life 477 00:25:49,339 –> 00:25:50,219 in our culture. 478 00:25:53,619 –> 00:25:55,959 Second, there’s the principle of Sabbath. 479 00:25:55,959 –> 00:25:59,719 Profoundly biblical principle that we need to rediscover 480 00:25:59,719 –> 00:26:01,579 that’s all about this business 481 00:26:01,660 –> 00:26:05,420 of strategic disengagement from the world. 482 00:26:05,420 –> 00:26:07,339 The principle of Sabbath is very simply 483 00:26:07,339 –> 00:26:11,060 that there should be a day of rest from gaining the world. 484 00:26:11,060 –> 00:26:11,979 So if you’re a student 485 00:26:11,979 –> 00:26:14,739 there should be one day in the week when you don’t study. 486 00:26:14,739 –> 00:26:15,660 If you’re an athlete 487 00:26:15,660 –> 00:26:18,739 there should be one day in the week when you don’t train. 488 00:26:18,739 –> 00:26:20,199 If you’re in business 489 00:26:20,199 –> 00:26:22,780 there should be one day in the week when you don’t trade. 490 00:26:22,780 –> 00:26:24,000 If you’re in ministry 491 00:26:24,000 –> 00:26:27,000 there should be one day in the week when you don’t serve. 492 00:26:27,000 –> 00:26:28,060 The biblical principle 493 00:26:28,079 –> 00:26:31,339 you may actually find it is for your health. 494 00:26:33,819 –> 00:26:35,339 In past generations of course 495 00:26:35,339 –> 00:26:37,619 our culture has helped us to do this. 496 00:26:37,619 –> 00:26:39,780 But today the culture is going the other way. 497 00:26:39,780 –> 00:26:44,699 Our 24-7 culture is committed to gaining the world 498 00:26:44,699 –> 00:26:47,420 and that is the surest way to lose your soul. 499 00:26:52,420 –> 00:26:55,459 Second, two strategies for survival. 500 00:26:55,500 –> 00:26:59,560 First was strategic withdrawal from devotion to the world. 501 00:27:00,540 –> 00:27:05,300 The second, intentional engagement in following Christ. 502 00:27:06,439 –> 00:27:08,439 Now there is a whole literature today 503 00:27:08,439 –> 00:27:10,780 about how to cultivate the soul 504 00:27:10,780 –> 00:27:13,359 and there are many, many important things to be said. 505 00:27:13,359 –> 00:27:16,199 In the last year I’ve read stuff on cultivating the soul 506 00:27:16,199 –> 00:27:19,719 that has talked about reading, praying, fellowship, 507 00:27:19,719 –> 00:27:23,459 worship, authentic relationships, solitude, journaling 508 00:27:23,479 –> 00:27:25,880 and probably a dozen other things. 509 00:27:26,920 –> 00:27:28,219 Now all of these things are good 510 00:27:28,219 –> 00:27:29,680 and all of them are valuable. 511 00:27:29,680 –> 00:27:31,000 I find it very interesting 512 00:27:31,000 –> 00:27:33,540 that none of them are what Jesus talks about here. 513 00:27:34,979 –> 00:27:37,160 Notice what Jesus says about gaining your soul. 514 00:27:37,160 –> 00:27:38,459 Verse 24. 515 00:27:40,020 –> 00:27:42,560 “‘Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, 516 00:27:43,699 –> 00:27:48,699 “‘but whoever loses his life for me will save it.’” 517 00:27:49,400 –> 00:27:54,400 Whoever loses his life for me will save it. 518 00:27:57,579 –> 00:27:59,180 You want to grow in faith? 519 00:28:00,780 –> 00:28:02,599 You want to rediscover hope? 520 00:28:03,959 –> 00:28:07,140 You want to expand your own capacity for love? 521 00:28:11,060 –> 00:28:16,060 Embrace your cross and follow Jesus 522 00:28:16,540 –> 00:28:19,339 through the stuff of your life. 523 00:28:19,339 –> 00:28:20,640 That’s the principle here. 524 00:28:22,219 –> 00:28:23,680 That’s how you will find yourself, 525 00:28:23,680 –> 00:28:25,859 that is how you will regain your soul. 526 00:28:27,060 –> 00:28:29,900 Embrace your cross and follow Jesus 527 00:28:29,900 –> 00:28:32,680 through the stuff of life. 528 00:28:35,180 –> 00:28:40,180 See, faith is formed when you do not have all the answers. 529 00:28:40,760 –> 00:28:42,660 You cannot see the way forward, 530 00:28:42,660 –> 00:28:45,420 but you take up your cross and you follow Jesus anyway. 531 00:28:46,939 –> 00:28:50,719 Hope is formed when you long for something you don’t have, 532 00:28:52,359 –> 00:28:55,119 but you take up your cross and you follow Jesus anyway. 533 00:28:56,780 –> 00:28:59,339 Love is formed when you find yourself giving 534 00:28:59,339 –> 00:29:03,739 without receiving back, but you take up your cross 535 00:29:03,739 –> 00:29:05,219 and you follow Jesus anyway. 536 00:29:07,859 –> 00:29:09,900 I’m intrigued by the words of Jesus 537 00:29:09,900 –> 00:29:13,339 about losing or forfeiting your soul. 538 00:29:13,39 –> 00:29:14,180 Do you notice that? 539 00:29:14,180 –> 00:29:15,979 That there are these two words, 540 00:29:16,000 –> 00:29:20,859 it talks about losing or forfeiting your soul. 541 00:29:21,819 –> 00:29:24,060 And it does seem to me that these words that Jesus 542 00:29:24,060 –> 00:29:27,400 uses very intentionally here point us directly 543 00:29:27,400 –> 00:29:30,040 to what he will do for every person 544 00:29:30,040 –> 00:29:32,880 who takes up the cross and follows him. 545 00:29:32,880 –> 00:29:35,660 What is it that Jesus Christ will do for you? 546 00:29:35,660 –> 00:29:38,300 Why is it that Jesus Christ is at the center 547 00:29:38,300 –> 00:29:41,859 of the answer as to how you regain your soul. 548 00:29:42,859 –> 00:29:47,719 Answer, Jesus is the one who will restore the loss 549 00:29:47,719 –> 00:29:50,859 and Jesus is the one who pays the forfeit. 550 00:29:54,099 –> 00:29:58,380 If something is lost, it means you cannot use it 551 00:29:58,380 –> 00:29:59,699 and you cannot find it. 552 00:30:01,579 –> 00:30:04,300 I have a friend who travels widely, 553 00:30:04,300 –> 00:30:06,699 but he’s a little bit absentminded 554 00:30:06,699 –> 00:30:10,199 and it’s got into him difficulties on many occasions. 555 00:30:10,219 –> 00:30:13,060 His best story, and it’s a wonderful one, 556 00:30:13,060 –> 00:30:16,380 is about how he was making a visit to Israel 557 00:30:16,380 –> 00:30:21,380 and then crossed in a taxi over into Ramallah. 558 00:30:21,920 –> 00:30:25,000 Can you imagine going in a taxi into Ramallah 559 00:30:25,000 –> 00:30:27,579 late in the night? 560 00:30:27,579 –> 00:30:31,079 And he did not have a contact person at that point there. 561 00:30:31,079 –> 00:30:33,319 He was supposed to be staying in a hotel. 562 00:30:33,319 –> 00:30:34,859 He got out of the taxi, 563 00:30:34,859 –> 00:30:37,280 went round to the back, paid the taxi driver, 564 00:30:37,280 –> 00:30:40,160 got his case out the back of the trunk of the taxi, 565 00:30:40,160 –> 00:30:42,359 walked into a hotel only to realize 566 00:30:42,359 –> 00:30:43,900 that he had left a little clutch bag 567 00:30:43,900 –> 00:30:46,180 in the back seat of the taxi 568 00:30:46,180 –> 00:30:48,640 and that in that clutch bag was his passport, 569 00:30:48,640 –> 00:30:51,319 his wallet is air ticket, his driving license, 570 00:30:51,319 –> 00:30:52,319 and it was all gone. 571 00:30:53,939 –> 00:30:57,020 That means big trouble for a Westerner 572 00:30:57,020 –> 00:30:58,800 in Ramallah in the dead of night. 573 00:31:00,359 –> 00:31:03,239 The following morning, he went to the British Embassy, 574 00:31:03,239 –> 00:31:04,319 explained the problem. 575 00:31:06,199 –> 00:31:07,359 Receptionist smiled. 576 00:31:07,359 –> 00:31:12,359 She said, I taxi driver handed this in this morning. 577 00:31:13,900 –> 00:31:15,800 Whoa, can you imagine that? 578 00:31:19,400 –> 00:31:24,400 Jesus said he came to seek and save what was lost. 579 00:31:27,920 –> 00:31:31,599 Now some of us know with pain what it has meant 580 00:31:31,599 –> 00:31:36,599 for us to lose faith, to lose hope, to lose love. 581 00:31:38,000 –> 00:31:41,180 You’ve been gaining the world but you see this morning 582 00:31:41,180 –> 00:31:43,560 I’ve been losing myself. 583 00:31:46,619 –> 00:31:48,319 Jesus says to you today, 584 00:31:49,959 –> 00:31:51,819 I can give you back what you’ve lost. 585 00:31:53,479 –> 00:31:55,660 I came to seek and save what was lost 586 00:31:55,660 –> 00:31:58,040 and you will find what you have lost 587 00:31:58,040 –> 00:32:00,959 if you will come and follow me. 588 00:32:02,380 –> 00:32:03,680 You ready to do that? 589 00:32:08,239 –> 00:32:10,280 Not only does Christ restore the lost 590 00:32:10,280 –> 00:32:12,619 but it’s Jesus Christ who pays the forfeit. 591 00:32:14,500 –> 00:32:17,660 The word forfeit is the word that was used, 592 00:32:17,660 –> 00:32:20,319 it could be translated by the word fine. 593 00:32:21,979 –> 00:32:23,599 To be fined your soul. 594 00:32:25,760 –> 00:32:29,000 My wife was pulled over a couple of weeks ago for speeding. 595 00:32:29,000 –> 00:32:29,839 Ugh. 596 00:32:32,339 –> 00:32:34,540 She was coming back from a lunch 597 00:32:34,640 –> 00:32:38,060 with one of the older members of our congregation. 598 00:32:39,000 –> 00:32:40,540 And she was waved over, 599 00:32:40,540 –> 00:32:44,260 and as the policeman was writing out the ticket, 600 00:32:44,260 –> 00:32:46,839 this dear lady shouted out from the passenger seat, 601 00:32:46,839 –> 00:32:49,739 with all the authority that only a person 602 00:32:49,739 –> 00:32:52,380 over the age of 90 can muster. 603 00:32:53,500 –> 00:32:56,619 You can’t do that, she’s the pastor’s wife. 604 00:32:56,619 –> 00:32:57,439 Well. 605 00:32:57,520 –> 00:32:58,359 Well. 606 00:33:01,300 –> 00:33:02,140 Well. 607 00:33:03,459 –> 00:33:05,400 It was a valid attempt, I’ll have to tell you. 608 00:33:05,400 –> 00:33:07,099 It didn’t make the slightest bit of difference. 609 00:33:07,099 –> 00:33:09,540 Karen was fined anyway. 610 00:33:09,540 –> 00:33:12,619 It cost us $75, and we survived that. 611 00:33:15,780 –> 00:33:17,380 But what if on the last day, 612 00:33:17,380 –> 00:33:19,780 you were fined your own soul? 613 00:33:21,000 –> 00:33:23,680 That’s what Jesus is saying here, to forfeit, 614 00:33:23,900 –> 00:33:27,819 you’ll be fined in the amount of your own soul. 615 00:33:29,300 –> 00:33:30,660 And here’s the amazing thing, 616 00:33:30,660 –> 00:33:33,660 you see, Jesus Christ pays the fine. 617 00:33:34,520 –> 00:33:36,199 He paid the forfeit. 618 00:33:37,479 –> 00:33:39,319 He gave his very self, 619 00:33:41,719 –> 00:33:45,219 so that your very self could be reclaimed. 620 00:33:46,839 –> 00:33:49,739 And it is this Christ who will breathe faith, 621 00:33:49,739 –> 00:33:51,739 hope, and love into your soul, 622 00:33:51,780 –> 00:33:55,939 bringing it back from the dead if you will follow him. 623 00:33:57,239 –> 00:33:59,000 And in following him, 624 00:34:00,640 –> 00:34:02,400 you’ll find yourself. 625 00:34:04,119 –> 00:34:06,619 Let’s pray together, shall we? 626 00:34:08,840 –> 00:34:09,659 Okay. 627 00:34:16,260 –> 00:34:18,100 Father, we’re right at the crossroads 628 00:34:18,100 –> 00:34:20,659 where the Scriptures call us to wisdom 629 00:34:20,659 –> 00:34:24,840 in the way in which we live in our culture. 630 00:34:24,840 –> 00:34:27,179 That makes us uncomfortable. 631 00:34:28,379 –> 00:34:30,379 But that very discomfort 632 00:34:31,540 –> 00:34:33,439 shows us that we’re right at a point 633 00:34:33,439 –> 00:34:36,100 where we need to hear your word. 634 00:34:41,060 –> 00:34:43,860 Remember the words of great Christian who said 635 00:34:43,860 –> 00:34:46,620 he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep 636 00:34:46,620 –> 00:34:49,719 in order to gain what he cannot lose. 637 00:34:51,659 –> 00:34:54,479 And father in the middle of the seven worlds 638 00:34:54,479 –> 00:34:56,360 that are there to gain, 639 00:35:00,500 –> 00:35:02,439 we ask that with great wisdom, 640 00:35:02,439 –> 00:35:06,020 you will teach us to live, embracing Christ, 641 00:35:07,280 –> 00:35:09,860 and becoming truly his follower 642 00:35:11,100 –> 00:35:13,500 and finding life in his name. 643 00:35:15,459 –> 00:35:19,699 Hear our prayers, as we bring these things to you 644 00:35:19,699 –> 00:35:21,979 in Jesus’ name, amen.