Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Or, “for the redemption” of it, see Psalms 49:8. If he had the whole world to give, and would give it, it would not be a sufficient ransom for it; the redemption of an immortal soul requires a greater price than gold and silver, or any corruptible thing; nothing short of the blood and life of Christ, is a proper exchange, or ransom price for it. But in the other world there will be no redemption; the loss of a soul is irrecoverable: a soul once lost and damned, can never be retrieved.
Genesis 50:1 – Exodus 2:10
Matthew 16:13-17:9
Psalm 21:1-13
Proverbs 5:1-6
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New Testament: Matthew 16:13-17:9
Summary:
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
The Transfiguration
Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ~ Matthew 16:16-17
With his dramatic confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mat 16:16), Peter declares his faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah. Have you declared your faith in Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah?
It is Jesus who is the Messiah, the Anointed One, and the Son of the living God. It was out of perfect love for His children that Jesus, the King of Kings, came to earth. You can receive this great love from Him today if you reach out to Him.
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? ~ Matthew 16:26
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Overview: Matthew 14-28 – Click Here
There are some among the charismatics, for example, who say that Jesus is here to make you healthy, wealthy, and happy. And they tell us Jesus wants you well or Jesus wants you rich, and if you aren’t all those things, then you’re not demanding your rights or you don’t have enough faith to appropriate what’s yours because Christianity is designed for you to get everything you need and want.
And even the fundamentalists and evangelicals through the years have been guilty of propagating a Jesus who is offered to men as a panacea for everything. Wouldn’t you like to be happy? Wouldn’t you like to have abundant life? Wouldn’t you like to know peace? Wouldn’t you like all your problems solved? It’ll make you a better salesman and a better athlete, et cetera, et cetera. And we advertise the get without the give, the gain without the pain.
And then there are the self-esteem cultists and the self-image cultists who tell us that Jesus came to boost our self-esteem and our self-image. They have fallen victim to the narcissism, the self-love of our contemporary society.
But I submit to you that to view coming to Jesus Christ as simply to get is to prostitute the divine intention. To come to Jesus Christ, yes, is to receive and keep on receiving forever and ever. But there is pain before the gain and there is a cross before the crown and there is suffering before the glory. And there is sacrifice before the reward. And I believe that’s what our Lord is teaching us in this critical passage. We are called to win by losing, that’s the heart of discipleship. We are called to give up before we gain.
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