MARK 8:35-36 35 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. 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Introduction GOOD MORNING. We thank God… Please repeat after me: “Whosoever will come after me - let him deny himself - and take up his cross - and follow me” (Mark 8:34).

Introduction We are thankful for the men who have gone before us this morning… We are thankful for this congregation… VISITORS: you are our honored guest…

Introduction We are humbled and excited to again be blessed to preach unto you the Gospel.

THE Urgency OF SAVING THE VALUABLE SOUL Loved ones, the value of a soul lies at the heart of Christian discipleship. The urgency of saving valuable souls is like a runner passing the baton during a relay race.

THE URGENCY OF SAVING THE VALUABLE SOUL God the Father started everything. He set the plan of redemption in motion before the world began (2 Timothy 1:9). The Father passed the baton to His Son Jesus.

THE URGENCY OF SAVING THE VALUABLE SOUL Jesus Christ, our Savior, was sent to this sin- sick and dying world "to seek and to SAVE that which was lost" (Luke 19:10; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

THE Urgency OF SAVING THE VALUABLE SOUL Before His ascension, the Lord handed off the baton (His Mission) to the apostles within the framework of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

THE Urgency OF SAVING THE VALUABLE SOUL The apostles, under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit, passed the baton to the first century saints (2 Timothy 2:2).

THE Urgency OF SAVING THE VALUABLE SOUL From century to century, through the written and revealed word, the baton has now been given to us and our children and grandchildren. We are in a stadium Eph. 2:5, 8; Heb. 11:6).

THE Urgency OF SAVING THE VALUABLE SOUL "Since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us RUN with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1).

THE URGENCY OF SAVING THE VALUABLE SOUL There are many Christians who seem to care little for the welfare of their own soul (Hebrews 10:25-26). The earth is home to 8 billion + souls (Matthew 7:13-29).

THE URGENCY OF SAVING THE VALUABLE SOUL All Heaven is keenly interested in the spiritual welfare of humanity. There is no more valuable possession available to a man than his own soul.

THE URGENCY OF SAVING THE VALUABLE SOUL “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).

THE Urgency OF SAVING THE VALUABLE SOUL Man's soul is so valuable that its purchase price was NOT silver and gold, but “the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19; Exodus 12:5-7; Hebrews 9:22).

THE Urgency OF SAVING THE VALUABLE SOUL Every soul is priceless, even if men fail to realize this fact.

God, the Father, cares for the souls of men The Holy Spirit teaches that salvation in Christ, the lamb, “verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Peter 1:20).

God, the Father, cares for the souls of men When the fullness of time came, “God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4; cf. Rom. 3:24-25). “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Tit 1:2).

God, the Father, cares for the souls of men The same scheme of redemption in Ephesians 3:1-12 is repeatedly called a "mystery.” God loves us! That’s why we should love Him (1 John 4:10, 19; John 14:15-24).

God, the Father, cares for the souls of men God further demonstrated His love for mortal souls by preparing mankind for the coming of the Messiah (John 1:17; Hebrews 1:1ff; Gal. 3:22-29; 4:1-5; Col. 1:25-27).

God, the Father, cares for the souls of men “Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ…as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit” (Ephesians 3:4-6).

God, the Father, cares for the souls of men Jesus, our peace, has made both the Jew and the Gentile one (Acts 11:26; Eph. 2:13-19). The ages preceding the Gospel Age were preparatory (Heb. 8:4-5; 9:8-9, 23-24; 10:1).

God, the Father, cares for the souls of men “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32; cf. John 3:16; 1 John 2:1-2; 4:9-10).

God, the Father, cares for the souls of men Men were content and enjoying “the pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25); even so, God loved us so much that, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8; cf. Heb. 9:28).

Jesus, the Christ, cares for the souls of men He willingly fulfilled the mind and will of the Father and came to earth and shed His blood on the cross (John 4:34; 6:38; Philippians 2:5).

Jesus, the Christ, cares for the souls of men Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God” (1 Peter 4:1-2).

Jesus, the Christ, cares for the souls of men The compassion and tears of the Lord also show His concern for souls (Luke 19:41-42). “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).

Jesus, the Christ, cares for the souls of men The giving of the Great Commission, also shows divine care for man's most valuable possession, his soul (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47; 19:10; 2 Cor. 4:7).

Jesus, the Christ, cares for the souls of men The object of Christian discipleship is to save souls.

the angels care for the souls of men Angels rejoice in the presence of God when souls repent and obey the Gospel (Luke 15:7, 10).

the angels care for the souls of men The primary function of angels was to serve as a medium of revelation of God's will to man (Daniel 10; Revelation 1:1; Acts 8:26).

The apostle Paul cared for the souls of men Had he not been completely convinced that souls are of utmost importance – he doubtless would not have suffered as he did for the cause of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:23-28).

The apostle Paul cared for the souls of men He willingly suffered the forfeiture of his station in life as a Pharisee and a Jew for the preaching of the Gospel to lost souls (Philippians 3:4-11).

The apostle Paul cared for the souls of men “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:1-2; cf. 4:1-8).

Where is your concern for the souls of men? Why do some Christians and sometimes whole congregations appear to idly watch friends, neighbors and loved ones depart this life completely unprepared to meet God?

Where is your concern for the souls of men? The answer may be that we do not really believe that non-Christians and fallen away Christians are really lost, or we do not really care enough.

Where is your concern for the souls of men? We are Christians only, but NOT the only Christians!

Where is your concern for the souls of men? As long as the children of God believe that there are Christians in the denominations around us, the church will NOT take the Gospel to its friends, neighbors and loved ones.

Where is your concern for the souls of men? There is only one church (Ephesians 4:4; 1:22- 23; Matthew 16:18; James 1:25; Acts 17:6). Whose soul are we allowing to go to a devil's hell because we have not told him the Gospel?

Where is your concern for the souls of men? “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Where is your concern for the souls of men? In order for your soul to be saved, you must concern yourself with your own soul (Philippians 2:12; cf. Acts 2:40). Then you must and exhibit the same concern for other souls (cf. Mark 16:15-16; James 5:19-20).

Where is your concern for the souls of men? Our friends, neighbors and loved ones are dying in sin every day; what are we going to do about it?

Where is your concern for the souls of men? Evangelistic success begins with the individual… “WE CAN…If I Will.” We must “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33; Col. 1:23).

Where is your concern for the souls of men? It’s alright to have a nice church building to facilitate our edification (1 Corinthians 14:12; Acts 20:7).

Where is your concern for the souls of men? The congregation of the Lord’s church that is not evangelistic has no future and may presently lose its candlestick (Revelation chapters 2-3).

Where is your concern for the souls of men? Will some lost soul say that you or I neglected or even refused to tell him about the Gospel, though we knew he was lost? (Matt. 7:21-23; John 15:1-6; 2 Cor. 5:10-11; Rev. 20:12-15).