“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37. Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38. Whosever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous generation: of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He comes in the glory of his Father with His holy angels.”
Recently, Mary and I were watching a telecast on Trinity Broadcasting Network, called “Billy Graham Classics.” The telecast that we saw was first shown in 1986. It was great to see and hear a younger Billy Graham preach. He preached on the text that I have printed above. He pointed out that we have a body and a soul. The body will die, but the soul will live on. Billy pointed out that a thousand years from today our souls will still exist either in heaven or hell. If the soul is eternal, how can we lose it? People lose their souls by going into eternity without Jesus. We do not lose the soul per se, but without Jesus a soul is lost forever in hell. It is only through faith in Jesus that our soul wins – so to speak. After Billy’s sermon, I reread the scripture and saw something that I have not noticed before. In verse 38, Jesus said, “Whosever therefore shall be ashamed of me and my words….of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed.” What I have missed in previous readings is the adverb “therefore.” This word refers back to verses 36-37. The point is that we can lose our souls eternally by being ashamed of Jesus and His words. If we are ashamed of Jesus and His words, we will not hear His message of salvation for ourselves. I have heard people say about the gospel of Jesus that it was not for them. Perhaps, these people would be ashamed to admit their need for a Savior. We hear it said today that we should do “whatever works” for us. The thinking is that If being ashamed of Jesus, and refusing to hear His word, works for you, then you do not need Jesus or His gospel. If Jesus and the gospel does not work for a person, what in the world will? If we are ashamed of Jesus and His words, it means that we have been intimidated by this “adulterous and sinful generation.” Even in the days of Jesus, people succumbed to popular culture. It is much the same now as it was then. Those who know such things, tell us that our culture is similar to first century culture, which was predominantly pagan. If we are not moving toward paganism today, I don’t know what we would call it. The epitome of pagan culture was in the city of Rome. Paul told the church in Rome in Romans 1:15-16, “So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. 16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes: to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Paul was not intimidated by Rome’s pagan culture and we should not be intimidated by our pagan culture. Why should we be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which will enable us to live a better life, and spend eternity with Jesus in heaven? What is the result of being ashamed of Jesus and “His words”? Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation: of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” This is how people “lose their souls.” Their shame keeps then away from the hope of eternal life, and their souls are lost forever. Being lost means to be separated from the Lord Jesus Christ forever. Don’t be ashamed of Jesus “and His words.” If you haven’t received Him as your Savior, do that now by confession of your sins and by inviting Jesus into your life. (Revelation 3:20 is a good illustration of this transaction. Read it.) If you know Him by faith, share the good news with someone who needs it. Bro. Joe
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