What shall it profit a man?

Jesus says in

Mark 8 [all verses from NIV]

³⁴   Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
³⁵   For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
³⁶   What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?

[KJV says "For what shall it profit a man"]
³⁷   Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
³⁸   If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

Talking with co-worker

had seen a show about the life of...

Ansel Adams

• A famous photographer who did a lot of his work in the darkroom after the picture was actually taken. He would lighten or darken the pictures to achieve whatever his vision of the scenery was. He mainly photographed natural scenes such as mountains rather than people. He eventually obtained presidential recognition for his work.

But as my co-worker noticed, this man never came to Christ. It just wasn't really part of his life as is the case with many in the world. That's kind of sad that a man who did so much in art and impressed so many people with his art. He could have surpassed all of this in turning his life over to Christ but he never did.

As we look around the world and see people who succeed and have fame and recognition and wealth for their art. But they have not come to Christ. They have gained the world but lost their souls.

We see people who do volunteer and help out in their communities and give generously to charities and have good reputations. But they have not come to Christ. They have works without faith.

Another man that we can perhaps see gaining the world but forgetting what's important is Martin Luther King Jr. [he was often addressed as "reverend"] He was greatly admired by a lot of people. His efforts greatly changed the country. But in some of his writings, he questioned that the bible was to be taken literally. He questioned the idea that Jesus Christ was actually equal with God, the idea that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was born and that Jesus was resurrected. He thought these ideas were just the ideas of men rather than historical fact. Perhaps is reputation and the power that went with it got to him, but he certainly didn't seem to believe in the Jesus Christ described in the bible.

During Jesus' ministry, he constantly warned his apostles and the people of the pharisees who were more interested in their reputations than the truth.

Mat 23

¹Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ²"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. ³So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. ⁴They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
⁵"Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; ⁶they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; ⁷they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'
⁸"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. ⁹And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. ¹⁰Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. ¹¹The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹²For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

So, titles like Rabbi and Reverend are not to be used because it elevates people above what they should be. Our master is Christ, not anyone on the earth.

Luke 6

²⁶   Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

Men are prone to become drawn up in the flattery of those around them. If someone is told by those around them that they are always right, they begin to believe it themselves. In the worst case, you end up with someone like Hitler or dictatorships we see in many of the poorer countries today who have no one to tell them they're wrong because everyone is too terrified to do so. So they just keep getting worse and worse and it snowballs. Then there are massacres and other terrible things as a result.

We read of a case of one of the false prophets mentioned in the above verse in the old testament

Jeremiah 14

¹¹ Then the Lord said to me [Jeremiah, a true prophet of God], "Do not pray for the well-being of this people. ¹² Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague." ¹³ But I said, "Ah, Sovereign Lord , the prophets keep telling them, 'You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.' "
¹⁴ Then the Lord said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. ¹⁵ Therefore, this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, 'No sword or famine will touch this land.' Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine. ¹⁶ And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them or their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.

Jeremiah is truly a follower of God. His prophesies from God are recorded in the book of Jeremiah. But there are were also false prophets who claimed to be bringing the word of God. But they were just saying what the people wanted to hear. God was going to punish the people for their disobedience but do you think the people wanted to hear that? So apparently, some took this opportunity to tell the people pleasant sounding things rather than the truth. God had not spoken to them so they had not right to speak in his name. Jeremiah had the burden of delivering the bad news but it was the truth. We read of many cases in the old testament where the people treated the true prophets of God very badly.

Jesus, himself, warns against those that would deceive followers of God

Mark 13

¹As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!"
²"Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
³As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴"Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?"
⁵Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁶Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. ⁷When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁸Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.
⁹"You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. ¹⁰And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. ¹¹Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
¹²"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. ¹³All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
¹⁴"When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not belong--let the reader understand--then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁵Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. ¹⁶Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. ¹⁷How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! ¹⁸Pray that this will not take place in winter, ¹⁹because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now--and never to be equaled again. ²⁰If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. ²¹At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. ²²For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect--if that were possible. ²³So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

One thing that Jesus talks about here is the problems that his followers were to go through...and we see that in the persecution of his apostles and followers later on. But he also discussed the false Christs and false prophets that would come. And we still see this deception going on today with television evangelists who use trickery to gain followers and money and especially to glorify themselves. As they gain notoriety, they may become more corrupt. As the saying goes, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

As we look around in the world, at the lives of celebrities, famous musicians, and others in the spotlight, we begin to see that they are often not followers of Christ. They lack the direction that Christ gives.

John 14

¹"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me. ²In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going."
⁵Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
⁶Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
⁸Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
⁹Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? ¹⁰Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. ¹²I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. ¹⁴You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Jesus emphasized that he was the way to God. We cannot come to God through nature, through our own philosophy, through false gods, or any other way except Jesus Christ. When we pray, we pray in Jesus' name. We come to God through him. We make requests in prayer through him. Most importantly, we are saved through him.

I've read previously to you about Solomon's writings in Ecclesiastes concerning the futility of wealth and worldly accomplishments. And again, that applies here. Solomon experienced all that the world has to offer and he decided in the end that following God is the main thing. Sadly, he didn't seem to implement it fully in his own life as he fell prey to what he warned against.

Nehemiah 13

²⁶ Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.

God had commanded the children of Israel that they were not to marry any who were not Israelites because they would be corrupted by the false gods and idolatry of the people around them. But Solomon married many wives who didn't believe in the one living God and got caught up in all of it and fell away from God.

As Christians, we give up the viewpoint that the world's priorities are most important. We don't try to impress others first and foremost.

Paul writes in

Phil 3

⁷But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

In our society today, a great importance is placed on possessions. Emphasis is placed on status as we saw with the Pharisees and any others who think that the way they appear to others is most important. Often, for women, it's how you look that is supposed to define you as we see unrealistic images in magazines and TV. What you wear, whether you have a new car, whether you do what everyone else is doing. But Paul here is writing that these things are rubbish compared to what can be achieved through Christ. What defines us as Christians is our discipleship in Christ.