In the business world, the bottom line is often all that matters. At the end of the day it is better to be in the black than to be in red. There is a gigantic gap between bankruptcy and turning a profit. This bottom line brings stress to countless people. Many of you struggle with this day after day, whether it is in your businesses, balancing your checkbook, or inspecting your piggy bank to make sure that you can go to the movies with friends on Friday night.

Jesus used business terms in the Gospel lesson before us this morning. It was very appropriate. Fisherman like Peter, James, and John made a living selling fish. Matthew had to run the numbers when was a tax collector. And Judas kept the finances for Jesus' ministry.

This morning we will consider these business-like words under the theme "The Christian and the Cross." Consider Christ's cross. Then take up your own cross.

I. Consider Christ's cross

Jesus changed the bottom line for us. Think about the huge debt we owed God. The liability was passed down from our parents. We inherited sin. King David wrote, "Surely I was sinful from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." We were bankrupt from the very start. Adam's sin made it that way.

We add to that huge debt every day of our lives. We spend sin like there is no tomorrow. You know how you should treat your spouse. Yet do you still insist on name-calling, angry fights, and selfishness? Do you insist on being mean to your husband or wife as long they are still being mean to you? Is this the way God intended marriage to be? This is disrespectful to the gift that God has given to you? This is sin. Add it to your bill.

The debt grows. Doesn't it? How many times have we dragged the good names of others through the mud? How many times have we put down others to make ourselves look better? This is sin. Add it to your bill.

And the debt continues to grow. Doesn't it? Neglecting God's Word. Sinful pride. Lying. Stealing. Lust. The bill of sin gets bigger and bigger every day. Because of our sins we are totally and completely bankrupt.

We can never pay the bill either. We can't even pay part of it. All we do is add to the bottom line in a negative way. Psalm 49:7 tells us, "The ransom for life is costly, no payment is ever enough." We do not have the means to pay off our debt to God.

Now consider Christ's cross. On his cross, Jesus made your payment for you. Jesus never sinned so he had no debt. But God made the one who had no sin to be sin for us. God demanded that our bills be paid up. Jesus was willing and able to do just that.

Hebrews 7:27 says, "He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself." Our debt was laid out in front of Jesus and he took it to his cross. There Christ bore the punishment for all of our sins. There Christ cried out, "Tetelestai!" "Paid in full." Our debt to God was completely erased. It was one perfect payment on the cross.

Consider Christ's cross. Verse 37 of the Gospel for this morning says, "Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" Nothing is the answer. Look at what God gave in exchange - the perfect life and death of his one and only Son, Jesus.

We are no longer bankrupt. Through the cross of Christ, we have been made rich through faith in Jesus. This makes us eternally wealthy. We have the forgiveness of sins which eliminated our debt. We have the treasure of heaven. We have the good fortune to be able to live new lives here on earth. Consider Christ's cross. It makes you rich for all eternity.

What kind of boss would you rather work for? What kind of employer would make you want to go to work early and stay late? Would it be the tyrant of a boss who demands more than you can give? Or is it the gracious boss who cares for the employees and leads by example. Jesus is that gracious and caring leader. We are his workers - his disciples. If you want to be Jesus disciple then take up your own cross.

II. Take up your own cross

Verse 34 says, "Then [Jesus] called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Jesus commands his disciples to do three things: 1. Deny yourself. 2. Take up your cross. 3. Follow Him.

Let's start with the denying yourself. It is a once for all time action, just like Jesus erasing our debt of sin once for all time. We are to deny ourselves. This means turning away from self-centeredness. Some people don't even realize they do this because they are so wrapped up in what is best for them, how they will get it, and how great it will be once it is theirs. It is not all about you. Really, it isn't. When you deny yourself, you will be able to consider Christ's cross. You also will realize that others around you are carrying their crosses too.

Then Jesus told his disciples to take up their crosses. The image in my mind is Jesus carrying his cross through the streets of Jerusalem out to Golgotha. But remember that the disciples had not witnessed this yet. Carrying the cross had a different mental picture for them. A criminal carried his cross as an act of submission. He put himself under the governing authority and carried that cross to the execution site.

When Jesus told those disciples to take up their crosses, he was telling them to submit to God's will no matter what would come. This was to be a continuous action. Not just once would they take up the cross, but day after day. This would mean persecution, suffering, and death for many of those disciples. Yet Jesus encouraged them to take up the cross because the bottom line was in their favor at the end of the day. They were not spiritually bankrupt any longer. They were eternally rich. Jesus removed the unbearable burden of guilt, so now the burden for Christians is not that big in comparison. No matter what happens we are told to submit to God's will.

Then Jesus said to follow him. He was saying that Christians should give their lives over to God. Will you squander the life God has given you? Or will you invest it for Jesus? There is a big difference between the two. I can take my paycheck and blow it all on worthless things. Or I can take my paycheck and invest it so that it will serve a useful purpose. It is the same for our lives. Invest your time, talents, and treasures for Jesus. Give yourselves one hundred percent to the work of his kingdom.

Being declared innocent through Jesus makes us rich for all eternity. Prove faithful with the riches God has given you. Take up your cross. Invest your life for Jesus. He has given you the capital. Put it to work.

Conclusion:

Jesus took us from bankruptcy to glorious riches. May we never be ashamed of Jesus and his words. Take up your cross and exclaim with the Apostle Paul, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." (Romans 1:16) Amen.