Authentic Faith - Part 3

In Luke 9:21-27, we encounter one of the most challenging yet liberating invitations Jesus ever extended: the call to take up our cross daily and follow Him. This isn't the comfortable Christianity we sometimes prefer—it's a radical surrender that costs us everything yet gives us something infinitely more valuable. Jesus doesn't hide the price tag. Right after Peter declares Him as the Messiah, Jesus immediately shifts the conversation from miracles to sacrifice, explaining that He must suffer, be rejected, and killed. Then He turns to the crowd with words that would have shocked them: to follow Him means denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily, and losing our life to find it. In that culture, the cross wasn't a religious symbol—it was an instrument of death. Everyone knew that those who picked up a cross didn't come back. Yet Jesus calls this path 'life.' The paradox is stunning: we die to truly live. We surrender control to find freedom. We let go of building our own kingdoms to inherit one that lasts forever. This message challenges us to examine what we've kept off-limits to God—our time, money, comfort, relationships, or reputation. Are we offering Him only what's easy, or are we willing to surrender what truly costs us? The beautiful truth is that Jesus never asks us to give up something unless He's ready to give us something far better. Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything—and it's still worth it.