What's the Price of a Soul?

This episode of All In with Pastor Jordan Easley has been made possible by the generous support of viewers like you. Welcome to All In with Pastor Jordan Easley. Today's message is about to begin, and we invite you to prepare your heart and mind to hear an inspiring message from God's Word. We hope and pray for God to speak to you today as you seek to live your life all in for Jesus Christ. And now from First Baptist Church in Cleveland, Tennessee, here's Pastor Jordan Easley. Well, let's dive in today. You know, years ago, I heard a story I want to share with you today. It was about a young concert violinist that worked her entire life for this one moment. You know, she was invited to perform in one of the most prestigious recital halls in all of Europe, and this was the stage that all musicians dreamed about. She wasn't there by accident. She had worked really hard to get to that place in her journey. Years of practice, hours and hours of scales and technique and phrasing, all under the watchful care and watchful observance of a masterful teacher. Well, the day finally arrived, and the concert hall was full, and this was her big moment, the concert she had been working towards her whole life. And man, she played her heart out.

And when she played that last note, something incredible happened. Everyone in that arena stood to their feet. And man, they went absolutely crazy. They were yelling and cheering and screaming. People were whistling. I mean, it was one of those standing ovations that just lasted a little bit longer than normal. It was just, people were excited about what she had done in that evening. Man, as the crowd was roaring, she simply smiled and she bowed, and she soaked it in for just a second. But then there was a moment as the crowd continued to roar where she looked up at the top of the room. She looked up in the top of the room, and that kind of changed everything for her in that moment. Because as she observed everybody else cheering, she looked up in the top where she knew her teacher was sitting. And as people on the right and left were standing and clapping, she noticed that her teacher was not standing. However, he was sitting. He was quiet. He was still, and he was unmoved. So in that moment, her expression changed. The smile left her face and tears filled her eyes. And in that moment, she knew that the applause of everyone else in the room didn't really matter

because the one person whose approval meant the most was unimpressed. And church, let me tell you, when I heard that story, it touched my heart. But it also reminded me that, you know, one day every single one of us will stand before the only one whose opinion really matters of us. Like you can live your life, you can hustle, you can get it all done. You can gain the applause of all the people in the world. You can collect the trophies and the titles and the promotions and all the things. But here's the message I believe that we need to hear today. If Jesus, our teacher, our Lord, our master, if Jesus is not pleased in the end, then all the applause in this world won't mean a thing. You know, over the past several weeks, we've been walking through this series of called Questions Jesus Asked. And you've probably noticed by now if you've been here that when Jesus asks a question, it really does cut straight to the heart. Remember, he doesn't ask us questions for information. He asks us questions because he wants to point out what's really going on inside of us. He's trying to show us where transformation is needed. You've heard him ask questions like, why are you thinking evil things in your heart? Wow, what a question, right? He's saying, I want you to look inside

and tell me why that's happening inside of you. He's saying, do you want to get well? He wants to know your motivation. He wants to know, do you believe that God is capable of doing a work in your life? He asked the question, what do you want me to do for you? And he wants you to speak it. He wants you to live by faith, but speak those things by faith. Each one of those questions confront us and each one of them invite us to take a look inward and to be honest. And today I'm just gonna give you a heads up. Jesus is gonna hit us with a question that I believe is the most sobering of all the questions we've addressed so far. We're gonna be in Mark chapter eight today. And in fact, as you're turning there, I'm gonna go ahead and just read the question and then we'll dive in, we'll back up and we'll hit it from a different angle. But this is what Jesus asked in verse 36. He says, for what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life? Maybe you grew up hearing it in this translation. What good is it to gain the whole world and forfeit your soul? Hey, this question's gonna force every single one of us to consider what really matters. Not just the things that we say matter,

but honestly, what our lives are actually revealing. It's not simply a question about money or morality. I believe this question is simply about value. What do we value the most? What do we treasure the most? What are we pursuing in this life? And what are we willing to trade while we're still here? As you're turning to Mark chapter eight, let me give you some context as we enter this scene, because here's what I believe. I believe where Jesus asked this question is just as important as the actual question itself. In fact, if you back up to Mark chapter eight, beginning in say verse 27, what you're gonna notice is Jesus is there with his disciples, but they're in this region known as Caesarea Philippi. This was not a small Jewish village like many of the scenes that we've seen so far in this series. This was an entire city that was built to honor Caesar. This was a destination city that was dedicated to a man that the Roman world deemed a god. They worshiped him as a god. And in this region called Caesarea Philippi, there was a temple to him. There were several temples. In fact, the landscape of this city, if you're trying to imagine it today,

it was filled with pagan temples and shrines and altars and statues. Idols lined the streets and people came to this place from everywhere in the region. They traveled long distances to come to Caesarea because they wanted to make sacrifices at all the different places. They wanted to pay tribute. They wanted to worship. And they would go from idol to idol, making these expressions of worship to all of these gods who couldn't hear them and they couldn't help them. I've stood in this ancient city many times. In fact, I took a few pictures last time I was there. And you can see, even in the rock walls today, how there were these shrines carved into the rock and there were temples of marble that would be at the base of these, these elaborate places. And you can almost imagine what it must have been like as the crowds would move from one idol to the next, hoping for blessings, hoping for favor, hoping for something that could never be found in those empty gods. When people came to Caesarea Philippi, they would go from place to place and they would pay their money and they would give their things. Some of them would even sacrifice their own children

on those altars, believing if I sacrifice my kid, this God will bless me in a certain way. There would be temple prostitutes that would make themselves available. And people would do godless things in the name of worship, because they believed this was gonna help them gain favor with a certain God. But it was in that setting, as you use your imagination today, that was a place that consumed all this false worship and all this false hope. And Jesus in that setting has this conversation. If you've ever tracked like the footprints of Jesus, this is the furthest north that Jesus has ever recorded in your Bible. This is as far north as he ever traveled according to scripture. And I just wanna tell you, it's a haul. It took a lot of effort for him to go from Galilee to Caesarea Philippi. This was a multiple day journey on foot. So this was a lot of effort so that he could have this moment with his disciples right here in Mark chapter eight. This is the scene where he asked this question in verse 27. He said, who do people say that I am? So use your imagination today. He's in the middle of this arena with all these different gods and all these different goddesses

and all these statues and all these idols, all these people worshiping. And he asks his disciples, who do you say that I am? Almost like compared to all of these other gods, who do you say that I am? And look how they quickly answered him. They said, some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others, one of the prophets. But then Jesus takes this broad question about who do you say that I am? And then he makes it a personal question. And as I read this, I try to imagine Jesus pointing his finger at me and asking this same question. He pointed at Peter and he said, but you, who do you say that I am? Compared to all of these other things, compared to all the world has to offer, who do you say that I am? And I want you to see how Peter responded. He responded with conviction at the end of verse 29. And he said this, he said, you are the Messiah. Man, what a good response. Good job, Peter, right? I'm like. Yeah, Peter got that one, but here's what I want you to see when Peter responded He said you are the Messiah. I want you to see he got it, right? Sort of and I say sort of Because here's what I believe. I believe he understood in that moment who Jesus was He believed in his head. He believed in his heart, but he didn't quite understand what it truly meant to follow Jesus. I Say that because right after this

Jesus began to tell his disciples that the Son of Man must suffer be rejected. He must he must die He must rise again And when he told him that you can just tell that that message to the disciples that didn't meet their expectations In fact, if you keep reading in verse 32 Peter actually pulls Jesus aside and he begins to rebuke Jesus Which why would you ever rebuke Jesus? I mean telling Jesus he's wrong about his own mission But that's how Peter responded in that moment and yet Jesus turned in that moment He looked at all of his disciples in verse 33 and he said words that Peter would never forget the rest of his life He said get behind me Satan. You are not thinking about God's concerns, but about human concerns In other words, Jesus looked at Peter in that moment and he said Peter you are wanting a Messiah that fits your agenda and not God's plans He's saying Peter you want a crown without a cross you want glory without a sacrifice But this is God's design and it was right there in that moment that Jesus according to Scripture Gathered the crowd now understand that would have been a big crowd That place would have been congested with worshipers they were just worshiping the wrong one But he gathered the crowd and he began to teach them what it truly means To not just believe in Jesus But to follow Jesus Not just believe in your mind or even in your heart, but to follow Jesus with your feet and That's where verse 34 begins. That's the setup to today's question and Jesus is going to show us three different things that I think we need to take note of today. And the first thing is this Jesus exposes what we value most Jesus exposes what we value most let's read together beginning in verse 34 He said calling the crowd alongside with his disciples. He said to them if Anyone wants to follow after me? Let him deny himself take up his cross and follow me When Jesus spoke these words according to Scripture, he didn't just pull the twelve aside in the middle of town and have a spiritual conversation This wasn't a private conversation for the spiritually elite people who already knew who Jesus was now The Bible says that Jesus called the crowd, right? He he gathered everyone and anyone the Bible says anybody who was considering following him So this was a public invitation and also a very public

Challenge and he begins with three commands three commands that are easy to understand but very costly to obey He said you want to be my disciples. Here you go. Deny yourself take up your cross and follow me in Jesus's day The cross was not a symbol of faith Sometimes it's very hard for us to read Scripture because all we know is our context But if you if you hit the rewind button on the tape of history and you go back 2,000 years the cross was not a symbol of faith. It wasn't artwork on a wall It wasn't the thing on top of a steeple. It wasn't jewelry around your neck It was the most feared instrument of death in the entire Roman world That's all the cross represented. It is a symbol of death. It's a symbol of crucifixion In fact during Jesus's lifetime think about when Jesus was a little boy We don't talk about that very much but history speaks a lot about that time in history When Jesus was a little boy Rebellions were very common in that part of the world In fact, there were zealots that were constantly rising up and they were claiming to be Deliverers these zealots religious rebels would would grow up and they would get followers and they would claim to be the Messiah These guys had read scripture and they were claiming to be the Son of God and so many times over and over again these men would have followers and and ultimately, they would wage war against the Roman powers and they would take swords and and all of these things into battle and they Would fight Rome for power And Rome in that day had one response for these rebels They had one response for all of these people who would rise up against the government and their simple response was crucifixion So when Jesus was growing up in Nazareth It was not unusual to walk down a dusty road and see crosses standing on either side of the street Some of those crosses would be erected and they would have dead bodies on those crosses Some of them would have decaying bodies from a long time ago Some of those crosses would still have dying men

Hanging that had just been crucified and and just had pun had their punishment. You can imagine families gathered around these crosses It was illegal to touch those crosses to give them something to drink to offer them something to eat It was illegal and you would to be crucified if you broke the law And so that's the scene you have crosses standing everywhere In fact history tells us through Josephus first century Jewish historian that some of these crosses in Jerusalem actually stood For 100 years with the decayed bodies of these rebels So put yourself in Jesus's shoes put yourself in the context of what was happening 2,000 years ago when these words were spoken Every single one of those crosses were Communicating a message and Rome left them standing to say to everyone who saw them This is what happens to anybody who rebels against Rome This is what happens to anybody who rises up against us and that was the world that Jesus was living in It was also the imagery that Jesus chose To describe what it really looks like to follow him Think about that He could have chosen any imagery But he chose the image of the cross To communicate if you follow me you must take up your cross and follow me He wasn't being poetic when he said that and everybody in the crowd knew that he wasn't being poetic He was communicating if you follow me You are crucifying who you are You are crucifying your old life You are putting to death your old agenda. You're putting to death your old self When Jesus tells us what it is to truly follow him. He's not calling us to a comfortable faith. He's calling us to a complete surrender And that's why this command is so powerful. It's because it reveals what we truly value And what it is that we refuse to release Hey ask this question as we begin today What am I still holding on to on the cross? Jesus said I must be crucified with Christ. He said I should take up my cross But what are the things that I'm still clinging on to other than Christ? What part of my life am I unwilling to lay down?

Because in that world taking up your cross it didn't mean Inconvenience it meant complete allegiance it meant 100% obedience it meant I no longer belong to myself I now belong a hundred percent to Jesus and I will follow him no matter the cost So when Jesus says take up your cross, he's not inviting us into a religious tradition He's calling us to a completely surrendered life. Do you get this? Amen? Listen to deny yourself. It means more than just giving up luxuries. It means you're giving up lordship You're taking the crown of lordship off of your head and you're placing it on the head of Jesus and you're saying Jesus You are now in control and I am no longer in control See, it's one thing to believe in Jesus It's another thing to follow Jesus when it costs you everything and yet that's the image that Jesus gives us Living a completely surrendered life Taking up our cross and following him He goes on in verse 35 to say whoever wants to save his life will lose it But whoever loses his life because of me and the gospel will save it Think about that whoever loses his life Because of me and the gospel will save it the word Jesus uses for life here in the Greek by the way is the word psyche psyche it's the word that's used to describe your soul your Identity your essence the very core of who you are Jesus said if you're willing to give that up for me and for my gospel You will save your life. In other words if you want to cling to control in this life You're going to lose You're going to lose what matters most But then he flips the page He said if you're willing to surrender your life to me your psyche your soul the very essence the core of who you are, if you give that up for me, you're finally going to find the life that only I can give you. So when I read that, I ask the question, what in my life do I value more than Jesus? What is that one thing that I refuse to give up for Him?

What am I clinging on to rather than clinging on to Jesus? And when you ask that question, here's what He's going to point out. Whatever it is that you refuse to surrender reveals what you truly worship. I'll put it a different way. Whatever you refuse to give up for Jesus is the thing that owns you. Listen, you can know Jesus all day long. However, if you're clinging to things other than Him, Jesus wants to point that out so you can surrender them today. I mean, you think about what are those things? For Peter, it was power. For the rich young ruler, it was possessions. For the Pharisees, it was pride. For Thomas, it was doubt. For Judas, I mean, go down the line and you can point these things out. But the question that we must ask today is what about me? What about you? What are you unwilling to give up for Jesus? And be honest, because He knows your heart. You say, man, today, I think the one thing I'm clinging on to is comfort. Maybe it's approval or success or it's my reputation or it's a relationship that I know does not honor the Lord. Or maybe it's my image or a secret sin that I'm protecting or a dream that I won't release or a habit that I continue to justify or this or that. What is it? What do you value more than Jesus? And if you'll honestly answer that question and identify what that thing is, I believe then you've got to go to the next question that He asks. He says, what good is that? What good is it? It's a question that pulls back the curtain and shows us exactly what we value the most.

You see, the most loving thing Jesus can do for us is to expose the things we're clinging on to. Because then He reminds us that that thing right there, whatever it may be, that thing cannot save you. Would you agree with that? That thing cannot satisfy you. That thing will not last for all of eternity. And that's why He asked this question. Jesus exposes what we value most. If you're a note taker, I want you to get number two as well. And Jesus reminds us what truly matters as well. Verse 36 says, for what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life? What can anyone give in exchange for his life? Let's unpack that for just a second. Right here, Jesus tells us to imagine the ultimate trade, the ultimate trade off. And I want you to use your imagination in doing the same today. Here it is. You ready? He's saying you gain the entire world. Everything the world has to offer on this hand. And you lose the one thing you can never replace. And yet some of us, man, we just keep on going after this hand right here. Picture it. He's saying you gain the promotions. Anybody want a promotion? Amen. You chase the platforms. You gain the applause of people. You acquire money and fame and pleasure and success. He's saying you build the dream life with the family and the income and the reputation

and the network. He's saying you fill the calendar with all the good things. You fill the house with all the kids and the grandkids and the good things, right? You fill the bank accounts to the brim and you are loaded, loaded, right? But at the end of it all, he's saying you gain all of that, but you lose your soul. And then he asked the question, if that's the story of your life, what have you really gained? What have you really gained? And then he asked this question in verse 37, he said, what can anyone give in exchange for his soul? The word exchange here, it literally reads to trade something of equal value. So what can you exchange of equal value to your soul? Let me tell you the answer to that. You ready? There is nothing of equal value. Nothing compares to the worth of your soul. Can I get an amen from someone? You should be amening me more today. I'm preaching better than you're listening today. All right, lean in a little bit, y'all. I mean, but hey, who's with me on this? The Bible says you were created in the image of God. Yes or no? Yes or no? You were created in the image of God. It also says you were designed for eternity. That's why nothing in this world can fully satisfy you. Did you know that? It's because nothing in this world was designed to satisfy you. Now, some of us know exactly what it's like to chase this hand.

We know what it's like. To chase more some of us would raise our hands and say guilty as charged I've chased more money more approval more comfort more likes more control and you would also be able to testify Today that the more you chase that stuff the less satisfied you become have you ever realized why? It's because the soul was never meant to be filled by success. Your soul was literally built to be filled with a Savior Jesus is reminding us today right here that all of your possessions are going to fade Amen, all of your positions are going to end applause is going to die health is going to change Bodies are going to weaken careers are going to shift Relationships are going to move I can do this all day, but the Bible says your soul is going to last forever And forever is a long time That's why this message is so sobering for us today Because the Bible says what you do with Jesus is going to determine the destiny of your soul You cannot play games with God and sneak into heaven and have it both ways God says you are going to put yourself on the cross and you are going to crucify The old you and you're going to surrender all to Jesus or not. You're all in or you're all out There's a story about an art collector that I read this week and This person for whatever reason decided that they were going to trade their original Rembrandt That hung above their mantel for years. He traded it for a copy of it because he thought it was prettier He said the lines are clearer and the colors are brighter and the frame is more attractive. It fits the room better And the value of it though, it's gone It looked better, okay But it was worthless. You know why? Because it wasn't real and Man, that's what happens when we trade eternal things For temporary things it looks good for a little bit, but eventually guess what the truth is going to come out Here's what Jesus is asking. He said why would you trade? What will last forever? For things that won't last at all That's what Jesus is saying Jesus reminds us what truly matters Last but not least Jesus invites us to surrender all

You know God hasn't given up on you, right? And he still asked you Will you surrender all to me? Keep reading in verse 38. Jesus said for whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation The Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his father with the Holy Angels Here's what just happened. Jesus shifted gears. He moved from present choices to eternal consequences He's saying you have a present choice But then he shifts gears to the eternal consequence of that choice. And this is the summary of what he just said He said following Jesus is not just about this life. It's about the next life When Jesus said those of you who are ashamed of me That word ashamed it talks about shrinking back It talks about staying quiet or hiding your faith when it's easier than standing firm in your faith And if we're being honest, I think most of us would raise our hand and say guilty as charged There have been moments in my life where I was ashamed of Jesus if that's the definition. I Heard about a family who every Thanksgiving they hosted people in their neighborhood for Thanksgiving dinner And they quickly had a tradition where before they ate their meal They would go around the family and all of their guests and each person would say one thing they were thankful to God for They acknowledged how God had been faithful to them in that year One year the father noticed that his teenage son was quiet when it came his turn He instead of saying something he squeezed the hand of the person next to him and and skipped his opportunity Why afterwards the father walked up to the son he said son Why didn't you share when it was your turn and this is what the boy said? He said I didn't want to make it awkward for the neighbors who don't believe And I believe the father in that story responded with a lot of wisdom When he looked at his son, and he said these words. He said son. It's not awkward to be grateful It's awkward to be silent when God's been so good And man that hit me Because it's true, right? Sometimes we let social comfort outweigh spiritual conviction And we start leaning this way instead of this way and that's what Jesus is referring to in these verses

Listen gratitude is meant to be expressed not hidden when Jesus has saved your soul Thanksgiving ought to be oozing with Off of you as a natural response, right? I mean our gratitude to God ought to be beaming off of our souls for the whole world to see it's a part of living In Christ and surrendering to him and being a testimony and light in the darkness So when Jesus said these words He said whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful Generation, by the way, he's describing a world that is far from God Anybody know a world like that Anybody live in the same crazy world I live in right now It's a world that has broken covenant with God It's a world that's filled with people who are chasing anything and everything except for God much like happened in Caesarea Philippi and yet the Bible says Even when you live in that kind of a world Even when you are in that kind of a culture Jesus still expects you to follow him He still expects you to live your life surrender to him and he still expects you to stand on his word unwavering and unashamed Boldly declaring that Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ the Son of God the Messiah the only hope that we have for heaven And he's not looking for part-time believers today. You understand that right? He's not looking for half-hearted disciples He invites us and he fully expects us to surrender all He's looking for followers who will say Lord you can have everything you can have my plans you can have my pride You can have my priorities. I literally hold nothing back. I'm placing my entire self on the cross I'm dying to myself Surrender doesn't mean losing your life. It means finding your life It doesn't mean emptiness. It means fullness and so many times we get these things out of whack Listen if you surrender your life to Jesus And you live your life surrendered following him You may lose the approval of some people in your circle But you gain the presence of God you get this You may walk away from some temporary game

But the Bible says you walk into eternal glory But may I just tell you that only happens When you live your life all in with Jesus Christ not part in all in Not halfway surrendered fully surrendered Let me ask you you live in your life surrendered for Christ For many years. I've had the privilege of ministering inside jails and prisons and God has used those moments to change countless lives Including my own. That's why I'm thrilled to tell you about a brand new ministry opportunity That will help us share the good news of Jesus with incarcerated men and women all across the United States All in ministries has partnered with the creators of the Pando app a Groundbreaking platform that allows inmates to grow in their faith in a whole new way through this secure tablet based system inmates Nationwide can now access life-changing Christ centered content right where they are and every week all in will upload a brand new sermon to the Pando app Bringing gospel truth and hope to people who often feel forgotten Abandoned or hopeless and here's where you come in. You can join this mission by becoming a financial partner Your generosity opens doors to hearts that desperately need to encounter the love of Jesus Supporting this ministry is simple. Just follow the instructions on your screen to make your best gift today Thank you for standing with us Your support means more than you will ever know and together we can bring the hope of the gospel to those who need it most a We never want to end our broadcast without giving you the opportunity to know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior If you'd like to make the decision to trust Jesus and want to know more about what it looks like to follow Jesus Get in touch with me right now Follow the instructions at the bottom of the screen so that we can pray for you and also put information in your hands right away Today we celebrate your decision and look forward to being a part of your personal journey of going all-in with Jesus Christ This episode of all-in with pastor Jordan Easley has been made possible by the generous support of viewers like you We hope today's message encourages you as you strive to live your life fully committed to Jesus Christ