"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it," MAT 16:24-25.

Taking up our cross to follow our Saviour is writing death upon the old man of sin. Joshua told the children of Israel in JOS 24:15, "If it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

King Hezekiah was a Godly man. "He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him," 2KI 18:3-5.

Through Satan's crafty designs, king Hezekiah lived in compromise with Sennacherib King of Assyria, whose name in the Assyrian language means "Man Of Sin". He paid tribute to the man of sin cutting "...off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD...and gave it to the king of Assyria," 2KI 18:16.

This is a picture of the compromise in today's church--bowing to intimidation, accommodating worldliness, afraid to step out boldly and call sin what it is! How sad when God's people pay tribute to that old man of sin by compromising God's Word for a social religion, i.e., popularity and friendship.

As long as Hezekiah paid tribute to the man of sin he was unmolested, but he found as Jesus said in LUK 14:27-30, "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, [i.e., marking death on sin] and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?"

Hezekiah counted the cost and stepped out by faith to stop paying tribute to the man of sin. "And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not," 2KI 18:7.

Hezekiah knew he had no might against this great enemy, but he found as our text says, "Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for [Christ's] sake shall find it." Such faith is sorely tried by those who serve the man of sin. Satan well remembers, and will remind you as he did Hezekiah, of all the tribute you have paid him, and then offer you a compromise.

He sent his ambassador to tell Hezekiah's men, "Thus saith the king of Assyria, [i.e., the man of sin], Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine...Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land," KI 18:31-32.

In other words, "You can take God with you! You will have to make some compromises, but you can still have peace through the blood of Jesus' cross without repentance.

Old Satan will assure you that if you will just compromise God's Word a little, you will have no need to be a nobody -- or loose all your friends you've gained through your social religion.

The old man of sin says, "Compromise just this once and be very rich with plenty of friends." Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Amen.