The Worst Deal Ever Made – Part 2

Wade Webster

The worst deal ever made involves the soul.  It involves trading the soul for the world.  Jesus asked, “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?” (Mt. 16:26). If someone offered you every house, every car, every boat, every plane, every acre, every diamond, every ruby, every sapphire, every pearl, every oil well, every business, and every dollar in the world for your soul, would you take it?  If you accepted the offer, you would live to regret it.   Your soul is worth more than all those things combined.  Yet, as you know, countless people trade their souls for the world every day.  In the first installment of this study, we noticed the first of three reasons.  Trading your soul for the world is the worst deal ever because the world is passing away.  In this installment, we will notice two additional reasons.

The World Cannot Satisfy

Trading your soul for the world is a bad trade because it involves trading your soul for that which cannot satisfy.  In the long ago, through the prophet Isaiah, God declared, “Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness” (Isa. 55:2; cf. Lk. 15:11-14).  In like manner, Solomon wrote, “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity” (Eccl. 5:10).  Man’s eyes are never satisfied (Eccl. 4:8) and his appetite is never filled (Eccl. 6:7).  He can always see something else that he wants (Prov. 1:8; 27:20; Hab. 2:5-9). The world is like saltwater, it doesn’t quench thirst.  It only magnifies it. Only God and His word can really satisfy man’s thirst. 

In His discussion with the Samaritan woman, Jesus explained the difference between well water and living water.  Well water, even that drawn for Jacob’s well, does not satisfy.  A person has to return every day to draw again.  However, living water satisfies.  Jesus declared, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst ; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14; cf. Isa. 58:11). Thankfully, the Samaritan woman found this living water.  However, others like those of Jeremiah’s day foolishly traded this water for that which could not satisfy.  They bought into the devil’s lie and traded their soul for the world.  Through Jeremiah, God declared, “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13).  They traded a fresh, flowing fountain for a broken and empty cistern.  How foolish! 

The World Cannot Be Taken With You

Trading your soul for the world is a bad trade because what is obtained in this world cannot be taken with you when you leave.  Paul declared, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Tim. 6:7).  When we die, we are going to leave behind what we have stored up here.  Solomon, an extremely rich man, understood this truth.  He wisely declared, “As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.  And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath labored for the wind?” (Eccl. 5:15-16; cf. Psa. 49:17).  Solomon knew that what he had accumulated on this earth would be left to the man that came after him (Eccl. 2:18-19).  Sadly, others like the rich farmer, missed this truth (Lk. 12:16-20).

Wise is the person that understands that we came into this world with nothing and that we will leave with nothing.  As you know, Job clearly understood this.  When he lost virtually all his material possessions, he declared, “Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). Clearly, Job’s treasure was not laid up on this earth.  His treasure and his heart were in heaven (Mt. 6:19-21; Col. 3:1-2).

The devil, the great deceiver, is trying to get us to trade our souls for the world.  For sure, he is a smooth salesman. As He did with Jesus, he will show us “all the kingdoms of the world” and “the glory of them” (Mt. 4:8).  If we are not careful, we will be taken in by his subtle sale’s pitch.  We must not be ignorant of His devices (2 Cor. 2:11).  If we will look at things closely, we will see that the deal that Satan is offering is a very bad deal.  Why would we trade our souls for that which is passing away, for that which cannot satisfy, and for that which cannot be taken with us?

The Worst Deal Ever Made

Wade Webster

Through human history, there have been some really bad deals made.  For example, in the Louisiana Purchase, the U.S. acquired 828,000 square miles of land for approximately three cents an acre.  While this wasn’t such a bad deal for our country, it was a horrible deal for the French who sold it to us. More recently, the 2007 draft was a disaster for two professional teams.  The Oakland Raiders had the first pick in the NFL draft and the Portland Trailblazers had the first pick in the NBA draft.  Both franchises spent millions to sign their respective selections.  Yet, just five years later, neither multi-million dollar pick was playing.  In hindsight, these were bad deals.   However, they were not the worst deals ever made.

The worst deal in history doesn’t involve land purchased for pennies or sports selections signed for millions.  It doesn’t involve Enron stock or swamp land.  The worst deal ever made involves the soul.  It involves trading the soul for the world.  Jesus asked, “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?” (Mt. 16:26). If someone offered you every house, every car, every boat, every plane, every acre, every diamond, every ruby, every sapphire, every pearl, every oil well, every business, and every dollar in the world for your soul, would you take it?  If you accepted the offer, you would live to regret it.   Your soul is worth more than all of those things combined and compounded a million times over.  Yet, as you know, countless people trade their souls for the world every day.  Likely, on a daily basis, Satan makes this sales pitch to you.  Let me give you three reasons why trading your soul for the world is a bad deal.

The World Is Passing Away

Trading your soul for the world is a bad trade because it involves trading the eternal (the soul) for the temporal (the world).   John declared, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:15-17; cf. 2 Cor. 4:18).  In like manner, Peter declared, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness” (2 Pet. 3:10-11; cf. John 6:27).  This world is passing away.  Therefore, we must not make it our home.  It makes no sense to trade that which is not passing away (the soul) for that which is passing away (the world).

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declared, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Mt. 6:19-21; Jam. 1:11; Prov. 23:5; 27:24; Eccl. 5:11-16).  Things in this world are corruptible.  In this life, we have to deal with rust, moths, and thieves. Why would we trade the incorruptible for this? Like Paul, we should be striving for incorruptible crowns, rather than for corruptible ones. Paul wrote, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Cor. 9:24-27).

Count Your Blessings – Name Them One By One – Part 2

Wade Webster

No doubt, you are familiar with the song, Count Your Blessings.  Among other things, the song encourages us to name them one by one.  For sure, naming our blessings helps them to seem more real to us. In this article, we want to name some of the spiritual blessings that we have in Christ (Eph. 1:3).

Reconciliation - “That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:12-13).

Peace - “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Eph. 2:14-15).

Boldness/Access - “According to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him” (Eph. 3:11-12).

Strength - “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”  (Ephesians 6:10-13).

Salvation - “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10).

Joy - “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

Completion - “and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:10).

Rest/Reward - “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” (Revelation 14:13)

Count Your Blessings – Name Them One By One

Wade Webster

No doubt, you are familiar with the song, Count Your Blessings.  Among other things, the song encourages us to name them one by one.  For sure, naming our blessings helps them to seem more real to us. In this article, we want to name some of the spiritual blessings that we have in Christ (Eph. 1:3).

Life - “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:11).

Eternal Life - “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

Escape from Condemnation - “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1). 

Sanctification- “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (1 Cor. 1:2).

Hope - “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable” (1 Cor. 15:19).

Victory - “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Cor. 2:14).

Newness of Life - “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Justification - “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” (Gal. 2:16).

Redemption/The Forgiveness of Sins - “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).

Inheritance - “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will”(Eph. 1:11).

Sealed with the Holy Spirit- “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13).

Grace/Kindness - “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:7).

If I Could Start Again As A Teenager

Wade Webster

I grew up in a small, rural town in Alabama.  There were woods to hunt, lakes to fish, and plowed fields to search for arrowheads.  There were no cell phones. There was no internet.  Pornography was not just a click away as it is for teens today.

I grew up in what is known as the Bible Belt - a belt-like swath across the State of Alabama and the South where religion was especially strong. It could have been called the Bible Belt for other reasons also.  After all, the Bible and the belt were the strongest deterrents to sin and stupidity in the region (Prov. 22:15; 23:13-14).  Almost every home had both and used them regularly.  I know that mine did.  I was blessed to grow up in a strong Christian home.  My dad was an elder.  My mom was a stay at home mom.  I wasn’t homeschooled, so I did experience the bus and other dens of depravity, but my exposure to evil was pretty limited.  I was wise to what was good and simple concerning evil (Rom. 16:19). We had a wonderful preacher who presented clear, Bible-filled sermons each week.   We had great men come to hold gospel meetings.  We had Bible classes that really were Bible classes.  We had a good youth group with a good man who worked with us.  The congregation was active and loving.  We had regular fellowships and outings.  I couldn’t have had a much better environment in which to grow up.

There aren’t even many things about my choices growing up that I would change.  Don’t get me wrong.  I wasn’t perfect; but, all in all, through the guidance of my parents, I avoided many of the youthful lusts that tripped up others (2 Tim. 2:22).  I didn’t drink alcohol (Prov. 20:1).  I didn’t smoke, unless candy cigarettes count.  What were my parents thinking letting us purchase them and pretend to smoke?  Though, I never smoked a real cigarette, I did light one.  Before I could try it, I heard my mom coming, and I tossed it out the window.  Thanks mom.  You knew I was being too quiet. I did pester my uncle for some RED MAN one time.  He gave me a huge chaw and told me to swallow it.  Thankfully, I didn’t swallow it, but I did turn ten shades of green before I could spit it out.  I will tell you this, I never asked again.  RED MAN, SICK MAN, NO MAN! I did watch things that I shouldn’t have watched on television and in movies.  I know this because on occasion I have gone back as an adult to watch something that I remembered from my youth and have been shocked and ashamed (Phil. 4:8).  I didn’t go to the prom or other dances (Gal. 5:19-21).  I kept myself pure (1 Tim. 5:22; Heb. 13:4; 1 Cor. 6:18). By the grace of God, I didn’t do a lot of the things that I could have done.

Though I wouldn’t change much about my surroundings or my choices growing up, there are things that I would do differently.  Mainly, there are some things that I would do more of if I could start again as a teenager.

First, if I could start again as a teenager, I would Slow Down More.  Young people are generally in a hurry to grow up.  They are in a hurry to drive and to date, to leave home and to go to college, and to meet someone and to get married.  I understand.  I was the same way.  If I could start again, I would slow down more.  I would enjoy being young more.  Youth really is a wonderful time of life.  It is gone too soon.  The Bible compares youth to dew (Psa. 110:3). Like dew, it appears quietly and disappears quickly.  We must remember our Creator when we are young because we will soon be at the end of our lives looking back (Eccl. 12:1).

Second, if I could start again as a teenager, I would Soak Up More. As I already noted, I was blessed with many wonderful teachers - parents, preachers, youth leaders, etc.  I was blessed with countless Christian camps and youth events.  However, I know that I didn’t soak up as much as I should have.  I wish I could go back and listen more attentively (Neh. 8:3). The seed didn’t always fall into good soil.  Sometimes, it remained on the top of the ground, developed no roots, or got choked out.  I didn’t always have ears to hear (Mat. 13:1-23).

Third, if I could start again as a teenager, I would Seek Out More. I don’t think that most young people realize the evangelistic opportunities they have.  I would suggest that at no time in life will they have more opportunities than they have in youth.  If I could do it again, I would evangelize more.  Like Phillip, I would invite my friends to come and to see (John 1:43-46).  I would be wiser and win more souls (Prov. 11:30). 

Of course, I can’t start again as a teenager.  I can only do as Solomon did and encourage you to listen to one who was once where you are.