Mark 8:34-38 Part 2 ~ The Cost of Discipleship Part 2

Excerpt:

Some present the gospel here in America as: you receive Jesus and receive the forgiveness for your sins but you take Jesus with you wherever you go and He becomes like a lucky rabbit's foot. He helps you get what you want out of life. He helps you fulfill the American dream. That is not what the Bible says.

The Bible says that when Jesus died on the cross, you died. You died to yourself. His death was to make it possible for us to be free from that old sin nature, that we no longer should live for ourselves. When Christ died on the cross, He died our death. The self-life has been crucified. My biggest problem is not carrying my cross. My biggest problem is trying to wiggle my flesh, my sin nature, down off that cross and trying to make it work for myself.