Matthew 16:26

Matthew 16:26

In Matthew 16:26-27 Jesus said, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."

We live in a country that has learned how to make a profit. And sometimes this is a good thing, if used in the right way. Profits are important. Any organization that does not do what is profitable will not survive. There must always be more income than outgo. Every family has to learn to live on a budget or go bankrupt. In the past politicians have talked about balancing the government’s budget. They need to stop talking balancing the budget, and they need to have the will to actually do it, or future generations will be in serious trouble.

We honor those who find a way to increase profits in our corporations, and rightfully so. When profits are increased, there is more job security for the work force. When profits are increased, even more jobs are created for the community. When you are a profitable individual, you can provide the necessities of life for yourself and your family. When you make a profit, you can save for a rainy day and plan for retirement. And when you make a profit, you can give to those who are less fortunate than yourself, and everyone is better off: the one who gives as well as the one who receives.

Making your endeavors profitable is a very important part of living in this world. If not enough people and organizations are profitable, many will suffer. But in spite of how important profits may be in this life from a practical standpoint, according to Jesus there is something even more important. Jesus said, "What is a man profited if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" There is something more important than your bank account, or your home, or your car, or your job: your soul. Death happens when your soul leaves your body. Your body will die, but not your soul. You will continue to live somewhere forever. One day your soul will leave your body and enter into an existence of either eternal bliss or eternal loss. The worse thing that can happen to you is to lose your soul, and the best thing that can happen to you is to have your soul saved.

No one can deny the temporary nature of life. It is a sad thing that some people will plan diligently for retirement, but not plan for what will happen after retirement. Not only is each of our lives temporary, but the very order of things as we know it on this earth is also temporary. We live in an age when God offers His grace and forgiveness through Jesus. The cycle of birth, marriage, and death continues generation after generation. One day the cycle will end. The same Jesus who died for the sins of the world will come again to judge the world.

Everyone will give an account to God. This should be a very sobering idea and cause us all to stop and reflect upon our spiritual condition. You will give an account for the words that you say. You will give an account for how you treat other people. You will give an account for the opportunities that God has given you. You will give an account for what you have done with your skills and abilities. You will give an account for the deeds done in your body. And unless you turn to Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, you will lose your soul and pay for every sin that you have committed.

When Jesus said, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul", He is declaring the value of just one human soul. One soul is more valuable than all the riches of the world. Sometimes we do not value every human life as much as we should. Whenever we see someone, we should remember that they have a soul. That certainly is what Jesus does. He came into the world to save souls. He is the lover of our souls. Charles Wesley wrote one of the old hymns entitled, "Jesus, Lover of my Soul" that is based upon this idea. The first verse starts out: “Jesus, Lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly.” And the second verse starts: “Other refuge have I none; hangs my helpless soul on Thee.”

Jesus is concerned about the soul of every lost person. He came into the world in order to address the problem of lost souls. Jesus said about Himself, "The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Why do souls need to be saved? Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Everyone needs to be saved because everyone has sinned. God loves us, but there is the sin problem that needs to be dealt with. When it comes to the problem of sin, we all have the same problem. Because God is perfect and because heaven is a perfect place, nothing sinful can enter into heaven. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." And because of our failures and sins, we have already missed the mark. We have already come short of the glory of God. There is therefore nothing that we can do by our own good works to gain entrance into the kingdom of God, because we have already come short of it.

Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." "The wages of sin is death." Every action has a reaction. Every deed has a consequence. What you have earned, what you merit, and what you deserve because of your sins is spiritual death. The just consequence of your evil deeds is your own spiritual death.

Thankfully for all of us Romans 6:23 does not stop with declaring our condemnation. It continues, and says, "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Because we have already failed and cannot earn heaven, God decided to make entrance into heaven a free gift. Eternal life (going to heaven) is a free gift. A gift that someone gives you does not cost you anything, but the person who gives you the gift had to pay for it. The gift of eternal life was paid for by Jesus Christ. When He paid for our sins by His death on the cross, He also paid for this gift. It was not purchased by money, but it was purchased by His blood that was shed when He was killed on the cross.

"The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." There is something else that must be remembered about a gift. When a gift is offered, it might be refused by the one to whom it is offered. When someone offers you a gift, the thing that they offer you does not become yours until you receive it. If you reject the gift, then it never becomes yours. If someone rejects the gift of eternal life that is in Jesus, then they remain under the guilt of their sins. Such a person remains spiritually dead, and remains totally incapable of arriving at the glory of God by his or her own efforts. Hopefully anyone who is in that condition will change their mind and turn to the Lord Jesus for forgiveness before it is too late.

Jesus purchased the gift of eternal life by His death. He rose from the dead, and now He is the giver of eternal life. If you receive the gift of eternal life, you must receive it from Jesus. You cannot receive the gift of eternal life from another human. You cannot receive the gift of eternal life from a church or a religious ceremony of any kind. And you cannot receive the gift of eternal life from baptism. You can only receive the gift of eternal life by going directly to Jesus.

Romans 10:13 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." We receive the gift of eternal life by calling upon the name of the Lord and asking Him to save our souls. The name of the Lord is Jesus. It is Jesus who gives eternal life. It is Jesus who gives the forgiveness of sins. If you ask Jesus to save you, then you will be saved from hell and from the guilt and penalty of your sins.

Notice that Romans 10:13 says, "whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." This is more than fire insurance. If you acknowledge Jesus as your Lord, then you are willing to follow Him and to surrender to Him. Repentance is both a sorrow for sin and a determination to do what is right next time. If Jesus becomes your Lord, you become willing to go His way instead of your own way.

Jesus reminded us of the importance of being saved when He said, "what shall it profit a man should he gain the whole world and lose his own soul." The prophet Jeremiah lived at a time when a majority of people in the nation of Israel had turned away from God and had committed many horrible sins. They were therefore doomed to bear the horrible consequences of their sins. Jeremiah lamented over the condition of the people and the impending judgment that they were going to receive because of their sins, and he said in Jeremiah 8:20, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." And then in Jeremiah 8:22, "Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?"

The good news is that we live in a day when salvation is possible. No one needs to stay in a lamentable spiritual condition. There is a Great Physician, who is more than able to save your soul. It is simply up to you to turn to Jesus in prayer for the forgiveness of sins and for the salvation of your soul.

In Matthew chapter 16 Jesus had foretold His death and resurrection, and the disciples and especially Peter were troubled by such news. The transfiguration of Christ is recorded in Matthew chapter 17. Perhaps the transfiguration took place in front of the disciples in order to encourage them in spite of the news that they had just learned about the coming death of Jesus. In Matthew 16:28 and 17:1 Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. And after six days Jesus takes Peter, James, and John his brother, and brings them up into a high mountain apart." Jesus often went into the mountains and other deserted areas when He could. We know that one of His reasons for doing so was to get away from the crush of the crowds from time to time. Maybe He also did it because He was inspired by the beauty of nature just like we are.

Matthew 17:2 says, "And he was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his clothing was white as the light." The word that is translated “transfigured” is the Greek word, metamorphosis, which means “a change in form.” Evidently, in this event Jesus was transformed from His human form to His divine form. This was another of the many miracles that proved who Jesus really was.

The same word, metamorphosis, is used by scientists today to describe what happens when a butterfly or moth changes form within a cocoon. There is no scientific explanation for the dramatic change in form that takes place when the adult butterfly is transformed from the pupae, other than using the word metamorphosis to describe it.

The word, metamorphosis, is used elsewhere in the New Testament to describe the change that can take place in the behavior of a believer when that believer gives enough time and attention to the Word of God. For example, Romans 12:2 says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind..."

Matthew 17:3 says, "And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him." The fact that Moses and Elijah appeared when Jesus was transformed tells us that there is no such thing as reincarnation. Moses and Elijah were still alive hundreds of years after their death, and they retained the same identity that they had during the time that they were alive as humans on the earth.

Matthew 17:4 says, "Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if you will, let us make here three tabernacles; one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." The word tabernacle means “tent,” a temporary dwelling. Starting with Moses, God commanded the Israelites to build a tabernacle (a tent) where the priests would enter and symbolically approach the presence of God. The fact that Peter would think of building tabernacles in this situation after the fashion of the teachings of the Law of the Old Testament shows that he still understood very little about the spiritual nature of the teachings of Jesus.

But the biggest mistake that Peter did this time was to put Jesus on an equal plane with Moses and Elijah. There are religions today that make the same mistake by saying that Jesus is just another prophet. The first six verses of Hebrews chapter 3 point out the superiority of Jesus compared with the great prophet Moses. Hebrews 3:3-4 says of Jesus, "For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who has builded the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by some man; but he that built all things is God." This verse is clearly saying that Jesus is God.

We have been hearing a lot about angels in the last couple of years, and angels certainly are special servants of God, sent to do His will, and to help the believers. But even angels are far inferior to the Son of God. Hebrews 1:4-5 says of Jesus, "Being made so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?"

It is a major mistake to not give Jesus the proper place of preeminence as the Son of God. The Moslems make this mistake. The Koran does mention Jesus as a prophet, but only a prophet. We must point out to the Moslems that if Jesus was a prophet, then the things that He said were true. And if the things that Jesus said are true, then the Moslems need to turn to Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

Peter was speaking, making the mistake of putting Jesus and Moses and Elijah as equals. But God the Father clarified the situation to Peter very quickly. The Bible says in Matthew 17: 5-8, "While he yet spoke, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear you him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only."

In Matthew chapter 16 Jesus revealed to the disciples His own future on the earth, which was death on the cross and then resurrection. Jesus also talked about the importance of the salvation of our souls. In chapter 17 the magnificent glory and the preeminence of Jesus are presented. We see the disciples making mistakes. They say things that they ought not to have said. They were misunderstanding the plan and the will of God. And then they fell to the ground in fear in the presence of the mighty God.

This was fear that the disciples did not need to have because Jesus said to them in Matthew 17:7, "Be not afraid." Jesus says the same thing to us today in the situations that we face. He says, "Be not afraid." Concerning your eternal destiny, if you have trusted Jesus to save your soul, then He says to you, "Be not afraid." In John 10:9 Jesus said, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."

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