Most Valued Asset
What is your most valued asset? What is your most prized possession? In other words, what do you have that you absolutely would never let go of? Is it your family or maybe a family heirloom? Collectibles? Your home, your car, your money? Your retirement? What means the most to you in this world? What do you value above everything else? Tonight, I’m asking you to think about your most valued asset. How would you answer me?
I’m sure if I asked ten people this question, I’d get a variety of answers. Most likely people would say their family or a material item. Maybe a house or a car. Some people may have a famous person’s autograph that is worth money or some other collectible items. Probably too many things to guess right now.
Do you want to know what your most prized possession is? The answer might surprise you and the ironic thing is we all have this same asset. People who say their family are guessing well. Family is very valuable. But the most valued asset that each and every one of us possess is our very soul. That’s right. The asset that you have that is more valuable than any amount of money, that is worth more than gold or platinum, is your own soul.
What Shall It Profit A Man
In fact, the Bible says: And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he spoke that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:31-37)
Your Soul Is Most Valuable
Oh folks, are you listening? Jesus said what would it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your soul? In other words, you could truly be king of the world, everyone and everything be subject to you, yet if you forfeit your soul to gain all this, you really wouldn’t win. Instead of gaining everything, you actually would lose everything. Everything of real value, that is.
Nothing is more valuable than your soul. The real you, the very thing that makes you, you, is your soul. You and I do not have a body with a soul in it. No, we are a soul that is wrapped in a body (stated by Jack Graham). Your eternal soul is currently housed in a jar of clay. Your body, my body are temporal or temporary. You know that you will not live forever with this body in this world. You and I will die one day. It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).
But your soul is eternal. Your soul will live forever. Let me ask you this, once your body dies, where will your soul go? Will your soul go to Heaven or Hell? It’s one or the other folks. There is no middle ground. People that don’t believe in God don’t get some third option. God’s not going to tell you on Judgment Day that it’s ok that you didn’t believe in Him. No, you will still be guilty because you know God is real. He has revealed Himself to everyone through creation. Just seeing how the human body is designed screams that there was a Designer. We truly are fearfully and wonderfully made by God in His very image.
Our Bodies Are Temporary
But our bodies are temporary. We were born to die. The soul that sins, it shall die. We’ve all sinned and we all will die one day. You can’t cheat death. You are on the narrow road to eternal life or you are on the broad road to destruction. It’s one or the other. We are all headed toward Heaven or Hell. Where will you go when you die? Oh, where will your eternal soul spend eternity? Where will the final destination be for your most valued asset?
Nothing is more valuable than your very soul. You do not own a more prized possession. Some people take very good care of their earthly possessions. People wash and wax their cars and keep them tuned up. Other people are constantly working on their house or working hard to keep their yard immaculate. People work hard to keep earthly goods in great shape. But what are you doing about your most valued asset? Are you prepared for eternity?
Riches profit not in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death (Proverbs 11:4). No matter how much wealth you accumulate in this life doesn’t matter in the end. He who collects the most toys does not win. Your riches, your earthly possessions, your most value worldly goods will do you no good in the end. When you stand before God on Judgment Day you aren’t bringing anything with you. God can’t be bribed anyway, but you can’t take it with you. Your earthly possessions will still be here on earth after you pass on.
Most Important Journey
Are you preparing for the most important journey? Do you know where you will go when you die? You can’t just saunter through life and expect to somehow just magically go to Heaven. Jesus Christ is the one and only Savior. There is no other. If you are trusting in anything or anyone else to save you, then you are placing your hope in the wrong place. There is only hope in Christ alone. We have hope in Jesus because He is risen. I don’t serve a dead man. My Redeemer lives. My Savior sits at the right hand of God.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).
My hope is in the Lord Jesus because He is risen. Yes, Jesus suffered, bled and died on the cross in the place of guilty sinners like you and me. The sinless Son of God bore the wrath of God so that we could be saved. That we could be put back in a right relationship with God. Even though God made all of us, we have all rebelled against God. Our sin separates us from God. There’s nothing that you or I can do on our own to change that. We cannot save ourselves.
Jesus Did What We Cannot Do
That’s why God sent Jesus to do for us what we can’t do. He lived a perfect life, yet He died a horrible death and took the punishment over sin that we deserve. But praise God that our Lord didn’t stay dead. He rose victoriously from the grave. Jesus defeated sin, death, Hell and Satan. This is the Good News. You can be saved. Your sins can be forgiven, if you repent and trust Jesus Christ the Lord. Then your most valued asset will receive eternal life. Your soul will spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said unto him, Yes, Lord: I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world (John 11;25-27).
Receive life today, eternal life. Repent from your sins and submit your life to King Jesus. Surrender your life fully and completely to Him. Oh, do this today. There is nothing more valuable than your eternal soul. There’s nothing more important than where you will spend eternity. Don’t continue racing down the broad road to destruction. Be saved. Be saved today. Humble yourself and come to Jesus.
Become A New Creature
When you surrender your life to Jesus you become a new creature in Christ. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). Become a new creature in Christ tonight. Repent from your sins and put your faith in Jesus. You give Christ your sins and He gives you His righteousness. It is the great exchange. Jesus takes your sin upon Himself as He hung on the cross and then you are credited with His righteousness. Not for any goodness in you, but from the goodness of Jesus Christ alone.
Jesus Is Worthy
Oh, surrender your life to Jesus because He is worthy. Worthy is the lamb who was slain. Come to the Savior through repentance and faith. Submit to King Jesus. “Lose” your life to Him in utter and complete surrender. Don’t hold onto your sins. Don’t keep clinging to your rebellion against God. He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourself tonight. Recognize that you are a sinner. Admit your guilt to God. Confess and forsake your sins. Cry out for God to save your soul – your most valued asset. Repent from your sins and surrender your life to Jesus Christ. Give up all for the one who gave His all for guilty sinners like you and me.
Receive eternal life tonight. Repent and believe the Gospel. Put on the Lord Jesus. Put on His righteousness. Be made clean. Be washed white as snow. Your sins can be forgiven. God will cast your sins as far as the East is from the West. Receive joy unspeakable and full of glory. Start praising Jesus today and praise Him forever. He is worthy of all honor, glory and praise. Bow your knee, confess with your tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Confess And Believe
But what does it say? The word is near you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
For the scripture says, Whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:8-13).
Call upon the precious name of Jesus and be saved. Receive salvation. Receive forgiveness of sins. Know for sure that your most valued asset it is now on the straight and narrow way. Repent from your sins and believe the Gospel. Be saved tonight. Don’t put it off. You are not guaranteed tomorrow. Repent and trust in the Lord Jesus. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Repent from your sins and surrender your life to Jesus Christ the Lord and be saved.
(This message was proclaimed in downtown Springfield, MO on March 23, 2018)