THE UN-ANSWERABLE QUESTION
MARK8:36
((6631 Tan)) Napoleon's Impossible Story
Napoleon often told this story: Once, while visiting a province he came on an old soldier with one arm severed, dressed in full uniform. On his uniform and proud fighter displayed the coveted Legion of Honor. "Where did you lose your arm?" Napoleon asked. "At Austerlitz. sire," came the soldier's brisk reply. "And for that you received the Legion of Honor?" "Yes, sire, It is but a small token to pay for the decoration." "You must be," the emperor said, "the kind of man who regrets he did not lost both arms for his country." "What then would have been my reward?" asked the one-armed man. "Then," Napoleon replied, "I would have awarded you a double Legion of Honor." With that the proud old fighter drew his sword and immediately cut off his other arm.
Often we accept without question what people tell us, never stopping to think things through.
People often hear but do not hear.... they hear the words but do not engage their brains to think about what they hear. they just accept what someone else tells them.
This story was circulated for years. One day someone asked. "How?"
This is true ... at school
at work
at church........ especially at church
listen for 30 min. and not accept Christ... not change
At church people don't want to think
to think would be to apply
to apply would be to see flaws in self, chink in armor, SIN
You can get in trouble by thinking…
You can get in more trouble by not thinking.....Sick Lion, ((Tan, #6633))
Just this once I want you to think about what you hear in church because I am going to ask a very difficult question.
Actually I am going to read a tough question that Jesus asked.
It has been called the un-answerable question
not chicken or egg
not rock he can't pick up
not do you still beat your wife
What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
What is profit...
take the gross income; subtract the costs, what is left is profit.
The Parable of the Kool-Aid Stand
Jason wanted to buy Tubby's old bike. Tubby got a new one for his birthday and would sell Jason his old one for $10. It was a great deal. The problem was that Jason didn't have any money. His cousin, Scott, in another town, was making good money with his Kool-Aid stand. So, Jason decided to do the same. First he needed a stand. He went into his Dad's shop and got a piece of ply wood, a saw, some nails and a hammer. With the stand built, Jason now needed a sign. He went to his brother's room and got some poster board. He painted a fine sign and nailed it on the front. One problem... NO KOOL-AID..... and NO MONEY to buy Kool-Aid!!!!! So, he went to his sister. She lent him 55 cents.... 50 cents for the Kool-Aid, and 5 cents interest. Jason thought, I'll make that much and more... lots more. Business was great. Tubby bought three cups. Dad bought one after work. Jason even had to add water to make the Kool-Aid go farther. He would shake the box every few minutes and listen to the coins ring... and Jason would sing.... "I'm in the money." That night Jason counted his money. He was so excited.... $13.00... enough to buy the bike and some comic books to boot. He ran to tell his Dad the news. And then he learned a hard lesson. The wood was for a special project Dad had planned, it cost $12. Jason's heart broke as he gave his Dad the $12. All that work for $1. No, said his brother... you owe me 50 cents for the poster board because I need it for school. Jason stood there looking at 50 cents. What a raw deal... all that work, all that time, all that excitement... and all he had was 50 cents. “No!” said his sister.... “you owe me 55 cents.” Jason handed her the 50 cents and said, "I'll have to owe you the nickel."
Jason walked away, his hands in his pockets and his shoulders slumped. "I didn't even get a cup of Kool-Aid."
What was Jason's mistake?
He did not count the costs...
he didn't think
Think about this question by Jesus
What would it profit YOU... if YOU were to acquire or gain everything you ever dreamed of.... if, in the process, or as a result, you lost your soul?
Let's look at it...
"...IF HE GAIN THE WORLD...."
Take the things that you could gain and add them on the plus side of the ledger...
MONEY What if you could win the lottery, 20 million dollars
What if you were Michael Jordan and made 65 million a year
What if you were the C.E.O. that makes 1 million a week
What if you could be Bill Gates... BILLIONS dollars
STUFF What if you could have a new house
What if you could have a house the size of the Taj Mahal
What if you could have a house for each season
PLEASURES
What if you could have the sensual pleasures…
promiscuous sex
What if you could have 100 beautiful hard body partners
LEISURE What if you did not have to work... just kick back
What if you could spend every day at the beach or lake or mountains
What if you could get up every day and hunt or fish
DREAMS
What if you could have everything you could ever dream of... and the only price was your soul.
Would you make that deal with the Devil?
Many would have to say YES!!!!!!, if they were truthful
They are not really sure that this religion and heaven thing is true and they are sure about the pleasures and happiness of worldliness, and they would say, "I'll go for it, I'll take my chances."
And they think that they would be happy... and they would! FOR A WHILE!
But they would be like the boy with the Kool-Aid stand...... they would think they were rolling in the dough..... and then comes the time to settle up!!!!!!
Let's count the cost of losing your soul.
Put these loses on the negative side of the ledger
1. SEPARATION
It does not matter what you gain, how many billions, how much stuff.... YOU WILLLEAVE IT ALL BEHIND!
YOU CAN"T TAKE IT WITH YOU!!
Pharaohs tried
Your savings account... big nice homes... Cars... Power... Friends... Parties... clothes
ALL left behind and you will leave this world just like you came...
NAKED!!!!!!
((They will actually hurt you because you will be bankrupt in next world.))
2. SHAME
The terrible shame of standing there in front of Jesus, the righteous Judge, with the nail prints in His hands, the scars in His feet, the dried blood down the sides of his face
And you standing there in your shame...
realizing that you were wrong, that the Bible was true
trying to explain to Him why you sold him out.... like Judas
why you did not need Him
why you rejected Him
why you loved things more than Him
3.REJECTION
Your biggest fear in this life was rejection.... that others would not like you, not respect you
That was the main reason you wanted the money, the stuff.... was to be liked
The thought of being rejected by Him did not matter much in the world, you had friends
But now you stand there and the acceptance by others means nothing
The only thing you want now is HIS ACCEPTANCE, to please Him
And the greatest pain that you could ever imagine will grip your mind and body as He speaks the most dreaded words possible.... the words of ULTIMATE REJECTION....
"Depart from me, I never knew you. "
4. PUNISHMENT
And then a pain that is far beyond anything that you could ever imagine awaits you
Matt. 25:41 "Depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. These shall go away into everlasting death. "
And then you will truly lose your soul, the life of your soul.... your soul will go away to everlasting death, everlasting separation, everlasting pain, everlasting fire.
So, you see, the Kool-Aid sales man not only lost what he gained
but he lost more,
was in debt.
And many today are making the same mistake...
They think they have found a wonderful thing
They think that they are really happy.... stuff; money, but without God
But they don't know about the time of settling up
If Jason had known the whole story he never would have gone into the Kool-Aid business
If the world knew the whole story they would not get into the worldliness business
But those people don't matter... the only thing that matters, right now, is YOU!!!
You understand what is to be gained
Money, Pleasures, stuff, cheap thrills, worldly happiness...
You understand what is to be lost... the price you pay for the stuff
SEPARATION from the stuff
SHAME standing before Jesus
REJECTION by Jesus
PUNISHMENT for eternity
If Jason had known before-hand that he would lose it all... with interest... and he still chose to do it........
you would call him a Fool.... an idiot... a buffoon.
If you know what is to be gained (temporary)... and the price that will be paid (eternal)
and you do it any way....... what should we call you????
What would it profit you if you gain it all in this world and lose it all in the next???
How can you come out ahead if you have it all for 80 years and lose it all for 80 million years?
Think.... Think ... Think..............
Some of you have already gotten started on your Kool-Aidstand
You are already into the Worldliness game.... seeking stuff at expense of soul
But it is not too late.... you can still change
You can begin to lay up treasures in heaven... work on your soul
Put God First... put him on the throne, make Him your greatest desire
Then… you can lay up treasures that you won't have to be separated from
you won't have to stand in shame before Jesus
you wont have to bear the pain of ultimate rejection
but receive Ultimate Reception
You won't have to experience eternal punishment.......
but will experience eternal blessing
Be smarter than Jason... be wise like the fox
THINK....... what is your answer today?????
