Introduction

We should be careful to note the two things here contrasted. It does not necessarily mean the gaining of the present and the loss of the future, for those who lose the future do not necessarily get the most out of the present. Nor does it mean that in order to gain the future we must lose the present – for those who gain the future really get the best out of this life too.

1. What is the world that is gained and soul that is lost?

A. The world, (1 John 2:15-17)

I. everything in the world appeals to senses.

II. The lust of the flesh; the lust of the eye; the pride of life

III. To gain the world means to get all it has to give along these lines.

B. The soul, (Luke 9:25 – The man “himself”

I. The inner, real manhood and womanhood.

II. To loose the soul means to lose oneself.

2. Every person has a soul of infinite value

A. The existence of the soul, (Genesis 2:7)

B. The value of the soul:

I. Because of its divine origin

II. Because of the price paid for its redemption

III. Because of the great contention for its possession.

IV. Because of the eternal destiny awaiting it.

3. There’s great danger of losing the soul

A. There’s a sense in which it is already lost.

B. But there is a final loss that takes place in the future.

C. The soul may be lost by trying to gain the world.

I. A supposed gain “if”

II. An uncertain gain, (Luke 12:20)

III. A difficult gain, (1 Timothy 6:10)

IV. An unsatisfactory gain, (Ecclesiastes 1-2)

D. The loss of soul is permanent and irretrievable. No exchange can save it when once its doom has been pronounced.

Conclusion

This text invites you to picture yourself at the judgment bar of God, hearing the sentence of doom pronounced upon you. Then ask yourself the question of this text: “What shall it have profited me, gaining as I did the whole world, seeing I have now lost my soul, for which loss there is no exchange, no redemption?”

(It might be well to close with a striking illustration)