Lives Lost and Found Greater things are promised to those who will risk the lesser Matthew 16:25

Matthew 16:24-26 “ Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. [25] "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. [26] "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ”

Proverbs 11:24,25 “ There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. 25 The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered. ”

Man is a Dual Being Temporal & Eternal –E–Ecclesiastes 1:3 “ What advantage does man have in all his work Which he does under the sun? ”

Man is a Dual Being Temporal & Eternal –E–Ecclesiastes 12:7 “ then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. ”

Temporal & Eternal –M–Matthew 10:28 “ Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ”

Temporal & Eternal –1–1 Timothy 4:8 “ for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

Get Good out of the Temporal … … when we give Priority to the Eternal –E–Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14 “ The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. ”

Get Good out of the Temporal … … when we give Priority to the Eternal –A–A godly concern for the life to come is the way to “ love life and see good days ” right now 1 Peter 3:10-12

1 Peter 3:10-12 “ For, "The one who desires life, to love and see good days, Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. [11] "He must turn away from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it. [12] "For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer, But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." ”

Dangerous to be too “Conservative” Conservative –“tending to favor the preservation of the existing order and to regard proposals for change with distrust” (AHD). It is possible to have such a tight grip on life “under the sun” that we lose all that life really is.

Jesus promises Greater Things The time will come when you will have to renounce Me to stay alive. If you do this, however, the thing you will have saved will hardly be worth the name “life.” On the other hand, if you will go so far as to die rather than deny Me, you will find what life really is.

Jesus promises Greater Things Comfort –R–Revelation 21:4 “ and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." ”

Security –P–Philippians 4:7 “ And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ”

Family –M–Mark 10:29-30

Mark 10:29-30 “ Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, [30] but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. ”

Jesus promises Greater Things Reputation –J–John 12:42,43

John 12:42,43 “ Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God. ”

John 12:47,48 “ If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 "He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. ”

Jesus promises Greater Things Wealth –M–Matthew 16:26 “ Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ”

Pleasure –H–Hebrews 11:25 “ choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, ”

Pleasure –H–Hebrews 11:25 –J–James said our lives on this earth are but a … “ vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. ” (James 4:14)

Happiness –P–Peter speaks of the JOY to be found in Christ in 1 Peter 1:8 “ and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ”

The more we’re willing to risk the lesser quality, the more we gain the greater. –2–2 Corinthians 4:16 “ Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. ”

2 Corinthians 6:8-10 “ by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; [9] as unknown yet well- known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, [10] as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things. ”

Mark 10:29-31 “ Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, [30] but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, … ”

Mark 10:29-31 “ …houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. [31] "But many who are first will be last, and the last, first." ”

Philippians 3:7,8 “ But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. [8] More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, ”