#soap # Matthew 16 ## Title: The Price of Life ## Scripture: (Matthew 16:24) Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. (NET) ## Observation: I have heard it said many times that salvation is free, and it is. However, we need to break this down a little for clarity. First of all, salvation was not free for Jesus. It cost Jesus the suffering of the Cross, death by the Romans, and Resurrection. Our salvation was actually very expensive. It is free for us to receive because Jesus paid so high a cost. The next aspect to be considered is that many think that ends the story. Salvation is free, but it also comes with a promise on our end. We say to God, “I receive Your salvation and will now follow You.” Jesus says in the passage today that the cost of salvation is living our lives for Him. By taking up our cross, Jesus means we follow Him without looking back. For some, that may sound like false advertisement. They may say, “When someone told me about salvation, they told me that Jesus wanted to wash away my sins. That’s all. I did not realize I had to live for Him, too.” That’s a feature, not a bug. With the Lord comes all His goodness, mercy, and kindness. The One who loves you the most desires to now lead you into all life. Jesus did not come to take away our lives, but to give us true life. Instead of saying, “I have to follow Him, too,” our response should be, “You mean I get to follow Him too?!” ## Application: Celebrate the reality that God does not just want to save you, He wants to do life with you. ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for wanting to be a part of all of our lives.