Actually his sacrifice on the cross included not just providing a way to get people reconciled and in right standing with the Almighty, but also gave us access to divinely mediated or enacted healing, empowerment to live in obedience to his instructions (commandments), life essentials including material necessities, as well as supernatural resources to deal with difficult spouses or friends, demanding bosses, acts of cruelty and injustice, and much more.
At the time Yeshua spoke of taking up one's cross and following him, the cross meant one thing: death. It was the brutal method the Romans used to execute those guilty of sedition against the Empire or other grievous crimes. And by invoking the cross Yeshua was saying that we must be willing to die in order to follow him. This actually dovetails with what he said about being willing to love and obey God's commandments more than one loves one's job or career, social standing, possessions, and even one's family.
He often challenged people to consider the cost of following him. And yes, the cost in his time was considerably more than in ours, at least here in the US. But even so there is a cost involved which will likely grow in scope and magnitude in the coming years and decades (Go read the books of Daniel and Revelations).