Humanity in its natural state really does not place much value on life, preferring to love death (Proverbs 8:36) in the form of abortions, murders, manslaughter, varied stages and types of physical, emotional, and mental abuse, and a placing on some individuals and groups a stigma of worthlessness and lacking a purpose for existence or being. These sins (call them for what they are) have become more profound and on the increase in social circles worldwide. A professing atheist views life as nothing more than a random series of unrelated, unplanned events we experience, and then we die and become food for the worms, and nothing else. It amazes me that these folks will spend their lives denying the existence of Someone in whom they don't believe and attempt to draw others into their own web of self-deceit and misery. They disguise their denial of God's existence as a form of intellectual superiority and an inbred demand that we bow to their limited knowledge of the entirety of the universe and its complexities. I do my best to avoid listening to them when possible not because I cannot refute their arguments, but that their diatribes annoy and tire me. There is no such thing as an authentic atheist, just someone who is angry with God and does not want to submit to any form of accountability once they take their last breath (Psalm 14:; 53:1).
Others will absorb the latest teachings from their respective gurus in the fields that interest them, whether it is a type of custom religion, philosophy, lifestyle, worldview, secular and sensual pleasure, or anything save for a true relationship with God through the redeeming power and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know it to be true, for you yourself either were or are engaged in this rebellious, sinful, and anti-God attitude, and with it fulfilling the truth of Scripture whether you were aware of it or not (Romans 3:10-18). For those of you reading this who have turned away from your past sinful lives and have come to Christ for forgiveness and redemption, stop and admit that if it were not for His convicting power upon your life (Matthew 11:28-30; John 6:44, 16:5-15) and His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), you would still be out in the world and heading to hell as some of your friends and family are doing right now. Stop for a minute and let that sink in. Have you told them about the Lord Jesus Christ who saved you from death and hell, and that He can do the same for them, or have you kept quiet so as not to cause a stir at work or home, preferring to "lay low" and not risk being called out, "cancelled", and being labeled some kind of name (Mark 8:38; Romans 1:16-17)?
The soul is too precious and valuable to be thrown into eternal darkness. Apart from the saving grace of Jesus Christ, it is dead and is in no shape to revive itself on its own. The soul is the eternal part of us and the everlasting breath that is impacted by our God and Creator (Genesis 2:7). The soul is the real eternal part of each of us that will never go out of existence. The Lord Jesus asked His listeners a question that should have us to stop and think seriously about our eternal welfare. What kind of a bargain is it if we get everything we want here in this life, but in the process throw away and lose our eternal lives? The Lord Jesus tells us that we need to consider what we are receiving here for what we are giving up for eternity. Here are two provoking thoughts. The soul can be lost, and the world cannot be gained.
All of us have exchanged our souls for something, and the Bible show us such cases, like that of Esau, the older brother of the patriarch Jacob (Genesis 25:29-34). He sold his birthright as the firstborn of Isaac and Rebekah for what amounted to a bowl of lentils because he thought he would starve to death after a day of hunting. Jacob saw this as an opportunity to gain Isaac's favor and the share of the inheritance. He then offered Esau the bowl of stew in exchange for his legal birthright. Esau foolishly accepted the offer and threw away a blessing that could have been rightfully his to have. He later recanted, but not after Isaac gave the disguised Jacob the blessing that should have been Esau's. The old patriarch gave nothing to him but an assurance that he would serve the younger brother. Esau made a rash, thoughtless, and foolish decision based on the lack of an immediate need and it cost him everything. People have not changed, for they still tend to be driven by desires that cannot be permanently satisfied, and end up being deserted by satisfactions that are only temporary.
Too many young people have fallen for the worldly "quick fix" and "feel good" way of thinking and living and tend to wrap themselves up in frivolous causes and fads that go out of style and social acceptance quicker than we take in a breath of air. Many young lives have been ruined by alcohol abuse, drug addiction, and sexual escapades with fatal consequences such as STD's, AIDS, and other diseases that end their lives all too quickly, with many of them never giving any thought to what would happen to them once they took their final breath and ending up in a place where they did not expect to go. Adults are not off the hook, either. They attempt to find satisfaction in possessions, social status, employment, abuse of alcohol, drugs, and sexual innuendos as well. How many advertisements have we seen on TV, in magazines, and the internet for men's libido products and functions for example? The "mid-life" crisis hits both sexes and they run off to join health clubs, or try diets, or go on dating sites for seniors, all trying in their own way to recapture a time that has long since departed. They want to revert to playing with different types of toys and avoid adult responsibility if only for a time (1 Corinthians 13: 11). I've already been 21, and I don't care to repeat that time, thank you.
We all need to turn our eyes and hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ and His offer of salvation, mercy, and peace that this world can never give to us. This world is falling apart even as you read this sermon. Every country has a part of it that is on fire, or in the midst of horrendous drought, or torrential rains and flooding, or earthquakes and landslides, or suffering economic collapse, a lack of law and order, personal evils, and the list continues to grow, just as Scripture predicted (Matthew 24:3-14; Mark 13:1-13; Luke 21:7-19; Romans 1:18-32; 2 Timothy 3:1-8; 2 Peter 3:10-13). Your age and status in this life will make no difference if you neglect the care of your soul, and it is only through the finished work of Jesus Christ dying on the cross as a final and complete sacrifice for our sins that we could never do in our own strength. His death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-8) has made it a reality to have peace with God and the assurance of eternal life in the new heaven and earth that will soon appear (John 3:16, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 5:6-11, 10:9-10; Revelation 21:1-7). All you have to is to ask Him to forgive you of your sins, confess that He is LORD, and save you (Acts 16:31). I encourage you to go to my website and view the "ABC's of salvation" for guidance and assurance. It is by Jesus Christ and Him only that we can be saved and freed from the bonds of this world, the devil, and the evils which envelop it for now. He promised to return and take His elect home to be with Him (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:10), which could be at any moment. I implore you to give up the mud and dung disguised as riches in this wicked and fallen world, to heed what Jesus has done for you, and receive His eternal blessings, and salvation this day. If not now, friend, when?
donaldwhitchard@gmail.com
www.realitycityreverend.com
