The Cost
"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.'"
Matthew 16:24
We know from Scripture that salvation is a free gift that Jesus gives us when we believe in Him. But just because our salvation is free—that doesn’t mean the rest of our lives with Jesus will cost us nothing as well.
Jesus says that following Him will cost us everything. This doesn’t mean that we have to earn our salvation or work for acceptance, but it does mean that following Jesus requires everything we have.
1 Corinthians 6:19–20
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
When we become disciples of Christ, we follow in His footsteps. We LET Jesus teach and guide us.
The power of LET
- To accept the Word as TRUE
- AGREE that the Word APPLIES to you
- ALLOW the Word to guide your decisions
- ACTUALIZE the Word which means "JUST DO IT"
Why does the Lord hate pride? Because pride does not allow us to be taught or to be led, it allows us to be destroyed.
Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.”
James 4:6 “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
If we are serious about being a disciple, then our lives will become patterned after His life.
1 Peter 2:2 “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.”
This means that just as Jesus took up a cross and gave up everything He had, by following Jesus we must also do the same.
DO THE TWO. When we do the two, then unity begins from the inside out.
His command: Mark 12:30-31
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Why does God want ALL? EXCLUSIVITY. "ALL" signaled that loyalty could not be divided among multiple deities or competing priorities.
Remember the very first commandment.
(Exodus 20:3)"You shall have no other gods before me."
Rather than focusing on ourselves, we center our lives around God’s mission in the world: loving Him and loving others as we make disciples and strive to be unified.
Yes. There will be a cost that is worth it. - Let God be glorfied
1 Corinthians 9:27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
When you say "No" to a physical urge (comfort, food, laziness, or pride) for the sake of God’s work, you are declaring that God is more valuable than that urge.
God is most glorified in us when we find Him so satisfying that we are willing to endure the "buffeting" of our own bodies to stay close to Him. (Relationship)
Think of the displacement of the "Self" from the throne of one's life.
Matthew 10:38 – "Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me."
How do I know when I am on my throne and not God?
1. The Decision-Maker Test
When you face a major choice or a tempting opportunity, is your first instinct to ask, "What do I want?" or "What does God want?" If you only consult Him after you’ve already made your move, you’re likely still on the throne.
2. The Peace vs. Panic Indicator
Who is responsible for the outcome of your life?
You on the throne: You feel constant pressure, anxiety, and the need to control every variable because it’s all on you.
Jesus on the throne: You still work hard, but there is an underlying peace because you trust that the "King" is capable of handling the results.
3. The "My Rights" Reaction
Watch how you react when you are mistreated, overlooked, or inconvenienced. If your
immediate response is a fierce defense of your "rights" and your ego, you are protecting your own kingdom. Letting Jesus sit on the throne often looks like being able to let go of an insult because your identity isn't tied to your own reputation, but to His.
4. The Calendar and Currency Check
Money and time are the most honest reflections of our priorities. If Jesus is on the throne, your spending and your schedule will eventually start to look like His interests—prioritizing people, service, and generosity over purely self-serving comforts.
5. The Response to "No"
How do you feel when a door closes or a prayer isn't answered the way you wanted? If you become bitter or resentful, it usually means you were demanding a specific outcome from a "servant" rather than accepting a direction from a "Master." Surrender means being okay with His "No" because you believe His perspective is higher than yours.
Food for thought: If Jesus is just a "consultant" you call when things go wrong, He isn’t on the throne. A King doesn't give advice; He gives commands. Is He your advisor, or is He your Authority?
The HEAVY cost for unity.
Unity in the Body of Christ is often mistaken for simple "niceness," but true biblical unity is a hard-won achievement. It isn't the absence of conflict; it is the presence of a love that has cost us something personal.
Isaiah 43:7 (NLT)
“Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.”
Matthew 5:14-16 - EXPECTATIONS
14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Esther 4:14 (Mordacai to his cousin Queen Esther)
If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”
1. The Death of the Ego
The biggest obstacle to unity is the "I." For a body to function as one, individual members must surrender their need to be right, to be seen, or to be in control. This is the cost of humility. You cannot sit on the throne of your own life and be perfectly joined to others who are doing the same. Unity requires us to lay down our reputations for the sake of the whole.
2. The Debt of Forgiveness
Unity is expensive because people are messy. To stay unified, you must pay the "tax" of constant forgiveness. This means absorbing the cost of an insult or a misunderstanding rather than "charging" the other person back with bitterness or retaliation. As Christ absorbed our debt on the cross, we absorb the debts of our brothers and sisters to keep the connection unbroken.
3. The Sacrifice of Preference
In a diverse Body, you will rarely get your way 100% of the time. The cost of unity is often the laying down of your personal cultural, musical, or even secondary theological preferences. It asks the question: Is my comfort more important than our communion? True unity is forged when we choose to love a "different" brother or sister more than our "preferred" tradition.
4. The Labor of Proactive Peace
Unity is not a natural state; it is a maintained one. Paul tells us to be "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit" (Ephesians 4:3). This costs time and energy. It requires the difficult conversations, the "long-suffering" through disagreements, and the refusal to gossip when it would be easier to vent. You pay with your silence when you want to speak, and with your presence when you want to withdraw.
5. The Loss of Tribalism
The world thrives on "us vs. them." It is easy to be "unified" with people who think, look, and vote exactly like you. But the Body of Christ is called to a unity that defies natural logic. The cost here is the loss of our "tribes." We have to give up the security of our bubbles to embrace those who are vastly different from us, proving that Jesus is the only common denominator strong enough to hold us together.
In Conclusion
Ephesians 4:1–3 (NLT)
Apostle Paul speaking:
"Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace."
So choose today. Will you take up your cross and pay the cost?
LW motto.
LET Jesus, Love and Unity be THE FIX in 2026.