Main Passage: Matthew 16:24-26 “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?"

Core Message: The call for every Christian is to know and follow the Lord Jesus Christ with unwavering commitment. When we become true Christians, we willingly leave our “old life” behind (its habits, lifestyles, mindsets) and receive the gift of a new life filled with holiness, peace, and joy. This beautiful exchange occurs when we enter discipleship—the process of continuously surrendering our old way of living in order to enter into Jesus’ life of holiness. It is a total exchange, and the result is complete transformation. This transformation is empowered by the Holy Spirit, which serves as the mark and source of power for this new life.

Forfeiting Your Old Ways to Receive His Life

Ephesians 4:22-24 says “you were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” 

In these verses, Jesus tells us that in order to be His disciple, we must first deny ourselves by surrendering our desires, thoughts, opinions, and habits. It is through this surrender that we are able to enter into His life of righteousness and holiness.

• A Life Marked by Discipleship: The life of discipleship is an incredible journey, where we are marked and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live like Jesus—free from the burden of sinful desires, thoughts, and attitudes. 
• A Complete Exchange, Not a Compromise: Following Jesus is not a merging of our old life with His, but a complete forfeiture of the old self (Ephesians 4:22-24). When we truly come into Christ, we are transformed by the Holy Spirit daily to look more and more like Jesus.
• The Power to Overcome: Now, we are made new and empowered to overcome the impossible. As Romans 8:11 states, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you." Because the same mighty Spirit that lived in Jesus now resides in us, we are empowered to live as He did, triumphing over all sin and every obstacle—extinguishing every old habit, mindset, opinion, and desire. 
• Feeding the Spirit: Every day, we must choose who we are ‘feeding’—our old, selfish desires and indulgences, or the Spirit of God in us. To grow stronger in Christ, we need to focus on feeding the Spirit by praying and obeying God’s Word. By feeding the Spirit, we, in essence, ‘starve’ our old ways that once hindered our walk with God, and we come into victory after victory!

Taking Up the Cross and Counting the Cost

Following Jesus means receiving the invaluable grace of the cross, acknowledging that His sacrifice compels our total surrender—a death to our own will, status, and worldly desires.

• Rejecting ‘Cheap Grace’: Grace is free, but not ‘cheap.’ Cheap grace claims Christ without surrendering one's life. True discipleship requires willingly taking up the cross Christ carried and following in His footsteps daily, as stated in Matthew 16:23.
• Jesus—the Greatest Prize: The call is to die to self. Surrendering our lives to the Lord’s plan may take us in unexpected directions that may call us to give up various worldly pursuits. However, we know that whoever “loses their life” for His sake “will find it” (Matthew 16:25), gaining the infinitely greater prize of Christ.
• Unashamed Commitment: The cross cannot be hidden. When we carry the cross and live out its message of complete transformation, we demonstrate that we openly identify as followers of Jesus Christ. Christians are unashamed, standing firm even when our commitment brings persecution, rejection, or ridicule.

The Supernatural Life

The final component of the call is following Jesus into the supernatural life. Jesus tells us in John 14:12, "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these…”. These works are the many healings, miracles, and deliverances Jesus performed on the earth. Jesus calls us to continue these great works and achieve even greater things because He lives inside of us!

• Living the Extraordinary Life: God is calling us out of our comfort zone and into a life of the supernatural, where we perform miracles, signs, and wonders in His name.
• Divine Power: This life is not powered by your intelligence, your effort, or your natural abilities. Instead, we learn to completely depend on the Holy Spirit's power to move through us. When we step out in faith, the Spirit provides the strength, the words, and the outcome—allowing God to do impossible things through ordinary people.
• The Reward of Stepping Out: When we step out in faith and see God do the impossible, our relationship with Him grows deeper than ever before. This is where real trust is built. Every miracle, healing, and brave step out of our comfort zone is an opportunity to know God not just as a Savior, but as the powerful, active God who is very present within us!

Next Step: Ask yourself - Have you answered the call to become a true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ? Today, will you make the exchange—willingly surrendering your life to come into the new, victorious life of Christ?