Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses, and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24
The stuff Jesus said while he walked this earth was, and still is, radical and even offensive to our ears. Deny yourself and take up your cross? What a thing to say! Aren’t we supposed to look out for number one and stand up for ourselves? His words made no sense to the natural mind. He encouraged things like forgetting about self-protection, self-interest, and self-promotion. Jesus asked people to consider themselves significant only insofar as they were slaves to the master (see Matt. 6:24). And he said that out of that way of thinking comes all kinds of good stuff like love, blessings, and wisdom (see Matt. 7:24–27; Luke 11:28; John 9:31; 15:10).
Before Jesus got here, humans had to offer animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins. The blood of an animal would clear them of the wrong they had done. But now, on this side of the cross, you have a permanent sacrifice for your sin: the blood from the lamb they call Jesus. But not only that—you now have the power that was not available before to get it right the first time, and that comes from the Holy Spirit that God has sent to you. If you’ll trust him, he’ll give you all the power you need to do just what needs to be done.
When he taught, Jesus pushed the envelope and said things like that anger is just as bad as murder and lust is just as bad as adultery. He set such a high standard because God, through his Holy Spirit, now lives in you. He has set up residence. You are his temple, the place he stays, and your life is now a living sacrifice. Your life is no longer your own but has been given to him, and that is why your life needs to be focused not on yourself but on the God you live for.