FOOLISH BARGAINS
Mk. 8:36-37

Introduction:
A. Do you ever go to garage sales? How about to close-out 
   sales? Some people are great bargain hunters. When you go to
   these sales you are usually looking for a bargain; trying to
   get something of greater value for lesser cost.
B. That does not always happen, however. We have all made some
   foolish bargains in our lives. We buy something or trade for
   something and then find out that it's not everything we had
   hoped it would be. What appears to be a bargain is sometimes
   really no bargain at all. 
C. The bargain of this text is gaining of the world. The fool-
   ishness of it is losing our soul.

I. Biblical Examples Of People Who Made Foolish Bargains.
   A. Look at Adam & Eve - Gen. 3
      1. They lost the Garden of Eden.
      2. For a taste of the fruit God had forbidden them to 
         eat.
   B. Esau - Gen. 25:29-34
      1. Sold his birthright
      2. For a bowl of stew
   C. Achen - Josh. 7 (Israelites defeated at Ai -Josh. 6)
      1. Lost his life and that of his family
      2. For a Babylonian garment, 200 shekels of silver & a 
         50 shekel wedge of gold
   D. Demas - 2 Tim. 4:10
      1. Lost fellowship with Paul
         a. More importantly, he lost fellowship with God
      2. For love of the present world
   E. Judas - Matt. 26:14-16; Matt. 27:3-10
      1. Lost the Savior
      2. For 30 pieces of silver

II. How People Make This Foolish Bargain.
   A. In trying to gain this world's good & wealth - 1 Tim. 
      6:9-10; 17-19
   B. Trying to gain the pleasures of this world
      1. 2 Tim. 3:4 - traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of 
         pleasure rather than lovers of God,
      2. 2 Pet. 2:10 - and especially those who walk according 
         to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise 
         authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They 
         are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries
   C. Trying to gain the favor and friendship of the world
      1. James 4:4 - Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not 
         know that friendship with the world is enmity with 
         God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the 
         world makes himself an enemy of God.
      2. 1 Jn. 2:15 - Do not love the world or the things in 
         the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the 
         Father is not in him.

III. The Foolishness Of Such A Bargain.
   A. It is a supposed profit - no one can gain the whole 
          world
   B. The duration of such profit is brief
      1. Lk. 12:20 - "But God said to him, 'Fool! This 
         night your soul will be required of you; then whose 
         will those things be which you have provided?'
      2. Heb. 11:25 - choosing rather to suffer affliction 
         with the people of God than to enjoy the passing 
         pleasures of sin,
   C. The enjoyment of it is impossible. "Man needs but 
      little here below, nor needs that little for long."
   D. The unsatisfactory nature of it
      1. There is no lasting joy or peace.
      2. Examples of those rich who always seem to be unhappy.
   E. The real loss - loss of the soul.
      1. Mk. 8:34-37 - When He had called the people to 
         Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, 
         "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny 
         himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. {35} 
         "For whoever desires to save his life will lose 
         it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the 
         gospel's will save it. {36} "For what will it 
         profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses
         his own soul? {37} "Or what will a man give in 
         exchange for his soul?
      2. Ezek. 18:4, 20 - "Behold, all souls are Mine; The 
         soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is 
         Mine; The soul who sins shall die. "The soul who
         sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of 
         the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. 
         The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon 
         himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be 
         upon himself.
      3. The souls value
      4. The loss of all losses, no compensation, irreparable.

Conclusion:
A. The real bargain - Isa. 55:1-3 - "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, 
   Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy 
   and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and 
   without price. {2} Why do you spend money for what is not 
   bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen 
   carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul 
   delight itself in abundance. {3} Incline your ear, and come
   to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an 
   everlasting covenant with you; The sure mercies of David.