Dear Christian friends:

Does it cost anything to join God's kingdom? Perhaps you are surprised to see me ask that question. You think I should know better than to ask that question. You quickly answer, "No!" You say, "We join God's Kingdom by faith in Jesus Christ. Forgiveness of sins is free. God does not charge us for that and all the money in the world cannot buy forgiveness for one sin." And you are right. God does not charge us to join His Kingdom Jesus won the Kingdom for us and God gives it to us.

But here in our text Jesus says that following Him costs us very much. What does He mean? Let us attend to our text and learn about

What does it cost? Jesus says in verse 23, "If any man will (wants) come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." Since Adam and Eve fell into sin man's desires and man's ideas are opposed to God's desires and God's ideas. Instead of loving God man loves himself and serves himself SELFISHNESS is the great sin of man.

So when Jesus here says "deny yourself" He means give up selfish desires and ideas and live for God. You, too, if you live for God and seek to do His will, you will understand what Jesus means when He says "deny yourself." Often church members fail to live for God and are still very selfish. Are you?

One time a deaf man tried hard to live for God and not be selfish. He read his Bible every evening after work. He was a printer and worked until 12:00 midnight. He came to church every time and often visited other members and urged them about their sin and to confess and believe in Jesus. He also pledged 10% of his money for the church. He won many deaf for Jesus. But some of the deaf mocked him and stopped visiting his home. He lost some friends because He followed Jesus and denied himself.

Joining Christ's Kingdom will cost you the friendship and praise of the proud sinful world. The world mocks at the blood and cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. They are self righteous or hate God.

And if you deny your sinful self and follow Jesus, you, too, will get charged by the sinful world. You will lose some friends and pleasure, maybe jobs maybe even your life. Sometimes people lose a good job because they refuse to join in wrong doing and cheating with a crooked boss. And we know that many Christians in Communist countries today cannot get good jobs because they refuse to give up their faith and their church.

Now Jesus does not force us to pay that price of membership in His Kingdom. We do this cheerfully and gladly, for Him. He says in verse 24, "Whosoever shall save his life shall lose it: but if you will lose your life for Me, you will save it." Jesus says, "for Me" because He loved us and died on the cross for our sins therefore we now love Him and lose our old sinful life and find a new life in Him.

Yes, joining Jesus' Kingdom costs us a lot, but it is worth it. We lose sinful pleasures, money and friends here on earth, yes, but we find new and better friends in Jesus and His Church and we finally get eternal life and glory with him in heaven. The cost is high, but we get a wonderful crown of life and glory.

Jesus says in verses 25-26, For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

Yes, we often are tempted to be still and ashamed of Jesus and His words when going around the proud, sinful, self-righteous, world. But remember these words of Jesus: He, the Son of Man, will come again in His glory and in the angel's glory to give you glory. But now you must pay the price and deny you sinful ways. Soon this life will end but we will gain a new glorious life with Jesus in heaven.

Amen