“Never, Lord.” It may be one of the most honest—and revealing—responses in all of Scripture.

In Matthew 16, Jesus lays out God’s plan clearly: He must suffer, die, and rise again. It’s the only way to save us. But when Peter hears it, he pushes back. “No.” And if we’re honest… we get it.

We want Jesus—just not the cost. We want to say yes to God—without saying no to ourselves.

Then Jesus says something that turns everything upside down: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

In our message, we’ll wrestle with a hard but life-giving truth: The path to real life isn’t found in saying "yes" to yourself…it’s found in trusting the One who said "yes" to the cross for you.

If you’ve ever struggled with surrender, control, or trusting God’s plan when it’s hard—this message is for you.

The sermon entitled "Face to Face with the Self-Reliant" was preached by Pastor Dan Solofra at CrossWalk Church as part of the "Face to Face" message series.

CrossWalk Church - Sunday Worship:

Laveen Campus: Cesar Chavez High School - 9am/11am

Phoenix Campus: Camelback High School - 10am