What Shall a Man Give in Exchange for His Soul

November 8, 2015

Mark 8:34-38— Question: What’s Your Soul Worth? (Mt. 16:26)

It is said, “Everyone has a price.” There is little evidence of those in the world to say otherwise. If that is so, then we should wonder, “What is my price?”

There is a story of a man who approached a woman to escort him on a date. He asked her, “If I gave you a million dollars, would you go out with me and afterwards spend the night with me?” She answered, “Yes, I would.” Then the man asked, “How about for twenty dollars?” The woman answered angrily, “What kind of woman do you think I am?” He said, “We’ve already determined what kind of woman you are, now we’re negotiating your price!”

In the book, “The Day America Told the Truth,” a survey asked this question: “What are you willing to do for $10 million dollars?” 25% said they would abandon their families; 23% said they would become a prostitute for a week; and 7% said they would kill a stranger.1

Amazing! In a crowd of 100 random people, there are seven who would commit murder if the price was right!

That brings us to the question of our text.

It is important to understand that a man doesn’t HAVE a soul—Man IS a soul (Gen. 2:7).2

I. The TREMENDOUS WORTH of the soul.

So, how much is your soul worth?

All the gold in the world put together would make a cube only 18 yards square. That includes all the gold in every piece of jewelry, in every vault, in every brick and coin, in every museum, in every false tooth, and in every gold-plated object. All of it put together would only be one-tenth the size of the Washington Monument!

According to Jesus, your soul is worth much more than that!

Jesus says your soul is worth more than entire world—All the oceans, all the mountains, all the continents, all the silver, all the gold, all the rubies, all the diamonds, all the resources put together, all of it…not worth one single, solitary soul!

What determines something’s value?

A. Determined by it’s DESIGNER – Who made it?

A wrist watch designed by Laurel & Hardy or the Three Stooges would not be worth as much as a Rolex!

1. Man was designed and created by God.
2. We are not an accident of evolution. “Intelligent design.”

B. Determined by it’s DURABILITY.

When you invest in a house, a car, a mattress, or lawnmower, you want to know—how long will it last?

There are only two things on earth that will last forever—The Word of God and the souls of men.

Your body is the house in which your soul lives. Your body will die and go back to dust. But your soul will still exist somewhere—either in heaven or hell forever.
There was a time when you were not… but there will never be a time when you will no longer be.

C. Determined by it’s DESIRABILITY!

1. The rarity of a thing makes it valuable. Someone says, “There are many souls.” …But God never makes duplicates. YOU ARE UNIQUE—One of a kind! You are valuable to God!

2. What someone is willing to pay determines it’s worth. Jesus wants YOU (Luke 19:10—“The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”)!
He paid an awesome price for you (1 Pet. 1:18-19)!