Matthew 16:24-26 (NKJV) Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Jesus has warned us that no one can serve two masters at the same time, for we will either love one and hate the other. We should regard the things of the world as temporary while cherishing the eternal things. We must also consciously choose to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, and minds. This is the greatest commandment in the New Testament, for without this love, we would not honour God and His call to preach the gospel to the lost.
God made us new creations when we were born again. Jesus came to die for the ungodly, so all sinners have the right to be saved if they call upon the name of Jesus. We were accounted as righteous when we believed in Jesus’ work of redemption. We are saved by God’s grace because of His unconditional love. He has purchased us with the blood of Jesus Christ.
Nonetheless, the soul is the part of us that needs daily work. The soul comprises our emotions, mind, volitions, will, and personality. Because the soul remains self-centred even after we are saved, we need to live as living sacrifices, offering ourselves to God and living for Him.
Without a renewed mind and a surrendered life, a born-again Christian will still pursue the world. Life has no meaning when we chase fame, social position, and material things, because they do not fulfil us and we risk losing our soul in their pursuit. We will pierce ourselves with many sorrows.
“Whoever desires to save his life will lose it” is the great paradox of the Kingdom of God. If our primary goal in life is self-preservation—playing it safe, avoiding risk, gathering wealth, and protecting our reputation—we will ultimately find that we have wasted our life. We will “lose” our true selves. In contrast, if we “lose” our life—by spending it in service to Jesus and others, taking risks for the gospel, and letting go of selfish ambitions—we will discover our true, eternal identity and purpose.
When Jesus said, “gains the whole world, and loses his own soul”, He was pointing out the ultimate bad trade deal, where we could achieve every earthly goal: become a billionaire, gain worldwide fame, and have perfect health. But if we achieve all that by compromising our integrity, ignoring God, and neglecting our eternal spirit, we have traded something infinite (our soul) for something temporary (the world).
Reflection: Have you considered what pursuing the things of this world has cost you? How is the Holy Spirit leading you to repent and to do differently?
Sermon Series: Pick up the cross to follow Jesus
得与失
马太福音 16:24-26 于是耶稣对门徒说：“若有人要跟从我，就当舍己，背起他的十字架来跟从我。因为，凡要救自己生命的，必丧掉生命；凡为外丧掉生命的，必得着生命。人若赚得全世界，赔上自己的生命，有什么益处呢？人还能拿什么换生命呢？”
耶稣曾警告我们，一个人不能同时事奉两个主，因为我们要么爱这个，要么恶那个。我们应当将世界上的事物视为暂时的，而珍视永恒的事物。我们也必须有意识地选择尽心、尽性、尽意地爱主。这是新约中最大的诫命，因为如果没有这种爱，我们便不会尊重神以及祂呼召我们向失丧之人传福音的使命。
当我们重生时，神使我们成为了新造的人。耶稣来是为罪人死，因此所有罪人只要要求告耶稣的名，都有权利得救。当我们相信耶稣的救赎之功时，我们便被算为义了。我们得救是因着神的恩典，因为祂无条件的爱。祂用耶稣基督的宝血买赎了我们。
尽管如此，灵魂是我们每天都需要下功夫的部分。灵魂由我们的情感、心思、意志、决断力和个性组成。因为即使在我们得救之后，灵魂依然是以自我为中心的，所以我们需要作为活祭来生活，将自己奉献给神并为祂而活。
如果没有更新的心思和降服的生命，一个重生得救的基督徒仍然会去追求世界。当我们追逐名利、社会地位和物质财富时，生活毫无意义，因为它们无法填满我们，并且在追求它们的过程中，我们冒着丧失灵魂的风险。我们会用许多愁苦把自己刺透。
“凡要救自己生命的，必丧掉生命”是神国度中伟大的悖论。如果我们生命的首要目标是自我保护—求稳、逃避风险、积攒财富和保护自己的名誉—我们最终会发现我们浪费了生命。我们将“丧掉”我们真正的自我。相反，如果我们因着服侍耶稣和他人、为福音承担风险以及放下自私的野心而“丧掉”生命，我们就会发现自己真正、永恒的身份和命定。
当耶稣说“赚得全世界，赔上自己的生命”时，祂指出了一桩最终亏本的交易。在这桩交易中，我们可以实现地上的每一个目标：成为亿万富翁、获得世界闻名的声誉并拥有完美的健康。但如果我们是通过妥协我们的正直、忽视神并轻忽我们永恒的灵来实现这一切的，我们就是用某种无限的东西（我们的灵魂）换取了某种暂时的东西（世界）。
默想： 你是否考虑过追求这个世界的东西让你付出了什么代价？圣灵正在如何引导你悔改并做出改变？
讲章系列：背起十字架跟随耶稣