Jesus Changed My Life

INTRO

Good morning!

Today we’re kicking off a brand new series called “Who’s Next?”

And we’re going to have a lot of fun in this series.

But it’s not just a fun series.

It’s a focused one.

Our goal for these next six weeks is simple.

It’s summed up in one line — a line that will become the heartbeat of this entire series:

The Gospel Moved You. Now Move It Forward.

Because here’s the reality:

Every year on Easter, people walk into church for the first time… or for the first time in a long time.

For some of you — that was you last year.

Easter is six weeks away.

Invites will matter.

Seats will be filled.

And for people…Eternity will hang in the balance.

So for the next six weeks, there’s one question I want you to wrestle with.

One question I want sitting in the back of your mind.

One question that might catch you off guard.

Here it is: Who’s next?

Who’s next to experience what you’ve experienced?

Who’s next to find the peace you found?

Who’s next to be forgiven like you were forgiven?

Who’s next to be set free?

Who’s next to meet Jesus?

Who’s next?

But before we start scanning the crowd…

Before we start thinking about coworkers and neighbors…

Before we start building invite lists…

We need to make sure we’re still amazed in here.

Because if we’re no longer moved…we won’t move anything forward.

If the gospel doesn’t still stir us…we won’t share it with urgency.

If we’ve grown casual about what Jesus did…we’ll grow quiet about what Jesus can do.

Turn with me to Romans 1

The Apostle Paul, the guy that wrote two-thirds of the New Testament is the writer of the book of Romans….Any guesses on who he was writing to?

If you guessed Rome, you get a gold star.

Let’s start in verse 1

Romans 1:1–7 ESV

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I’ve titled today’s message:

Jesus Changed My Life

Pray

TWO TYPES OF DRIVERS

There are two types of drivers in this world.

There are the people who see a speed limit sign… and slow down.

And then there are the people who see a police car… and slow down.

The first group adjusts when they see the sign.

The second group adjusts when they see consequences.

And the funny thing is, the second group always says the same thing:

“I didn’t realize I was going that fast.”

Yes you did.

You saw the sign.

You may not have liked the limit.

You may not have agreed with the limit.

You may have thought it was unreasonable.

But you saw it.

You knew.

Now listen…

I’m a good Christian.

Man of God.

Love Jesus.

I am also in the second group.

I don’t slow down because I suddenly respect the speed limit.

I slow down because I respect my bank account.

Come on — where are my Group Two people?

You don’t need conviction.

You need flashing lights.

And why can’t we just get off the hook by telling the officer,

“Sir, I wasn’t speeding…I was just trying to beat the GPS.”

“It said I’d be there at 10:42. I refuse to lose to a robot.”

And here’s the wild part — We act surprised when we get pulled over.

Like the speed limit snuck up on us.

But the sign was there the whole time.

We saw it.

We just hoped there wouldn’t be consequences.

But this isn’t just a driving thing.

This is a humanity thing.

This is an us thing.

We see the sign.

We know the limit.

We just hope there won’t be consequences.

THE GOSPEL IS POWER

Starting in Romans 1:16, Paul drops a truth about the human condition that is staggering.

Romans 1:16 ESV

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

He starts by saying, “I am not ashamed of the gospel.”

And I want you to think about Paul for a moment…

By the time he writes Romans, Paul has already been through it.

He’s been beaten so badly people thought he was dead — and they dragged him out of the city.

Because of the gospel.

He’s been opposed, slandered, run out of towns.

Rejected. Mocked. Misunderstood.

Everywhere he goes, somebody has an issue with him.

Because of the gospel.

And if anybody had a legitimate reason to be ashamed of the gospel… it’s Paul.

But he opens with: “I’m not ashamed.”

They beat him so badly they thought he was dead.

Dragged him out of the city.

Left him there.

And what does Paul do?

He gets up… and walks right back into the city.

Not because he loves pain.

But because he loves Jesus more than he fears people.

Now let’s be honest.

In Christianity today, we say inside this building, inside our small group, around people who already agree with us —

“We love Jesus.”

“We want people to be saved.”

“We’re not ashamed.”

But it’s easy to be bold where it’s safe.

It’s easy to be unashamed where it’s applauded.

How many of your coworkers even know you’re a Christian?

How many of your neighbors even know?

How many of your family members even know?

You can say you’re not ashamed of the gospel…

But what you are silent about

eventually reveals what you’re ashamed of.

Silence is rarely neutral.

Silence is often fear wearing church clothes.

Paul says, “I am not ashamed.”

Not because it was safe.

Not because it was popular.

But because he had decided something:

The gospel is worth whatever it costs me.

Now here’s the question — Have we?

Here is a uncomfortable truth…

If the gospel costs you nothing, it may be because it governs nothing.

The Gospel is not advice.

It’s not inspiration.

It’s not behavior modification.

It’s exactly what Paul says it is:

The power of God.

Power changes things.

Power rearranges loyalties.

Power makes you unashamed

The Gospel is power.

It raises the dead.

breaks chains

Restores

Brings peace to chaos

Brings people from darkness to light.

If Jesus changed your life, it wasn’t self-help.

It was resurrection.

You are living proof that the gospel works.

THE REAL PROBLEM ISN’T IGNORANCE — IT’S SUPPRESSION

Paul say’s the gospel is power…then look at verse 18:

Romans 1:18–20 ESV

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Do you see the logic?

Paul says the gospel is power…because the problem isn’t ignorance.

It’s suppression.

He doesn’t say people don’t know anything about God.

He says what can be known about God is plain.

God has shown it.

His eternal power.

His divine nature.

Clearly perceived.

Since the creation of the world.

And yet…People suppress the truth.

That means this isn’t a knowledge gap.

It’s a surrender problem.

It’s not that the sign isn’t there.

It’s that we don’t want to slow down.

That’s why he says “without excuse.”

Not because people have perfect theology.

But because they have sufficient revelation…and choose resistance.

And here’s what we do:

We blame our silence on hypotheticals.

“What if they ask me something I can’t answer?”

“What if they bring up science?”

“What if they bring up suffering?”

They might.

But what if…

What if they’re not actually looking for a debate?

What if they’re wrestling with something they’ve been suppressing?

What if the reason they get defensive isn’t because they need better arguments…

But because the truth is already pressing on them?

What if you’re not introducing something brand new…

What if you’re naming what they already know deep down?

Paul says they suppress the truth.

That means the truth is there.

And the gospel isn’t just information to win arguments.

It’s power to break resistance.

They might ask hard questions.

They might push back.

They might resist.

But what if your job was never to win the argument?

What if your job was simply to be faithful?

Paul says this in another letter:

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”

Some plant.

Some water.

God brings the harvest.

Let me take some pressure off of you…

You are not the Holy Spirit.

You are not responsible for the outcome.

You are responsible for obedience.

And if Romans 1 is true — if people are suppressing truth — then you’re not creating something new in them.

You’re participating in what God is already doing.

Sometimes you plant.

Sometimes you water.

Sometimes you reap.

But God gives the growth.

Here’s what you need to understand:

Before Christ, we weren’t neutral.

We were resisting.

We weren’t just confused.

We were suppressing.

That’s why the gospel is necessary.

Because the gospel doesn’t just inform you. It confronts you.

It forces you to deal with what you’ve been pushing down.

It forces you to answer the question:

Is He Lord… or am I?

That’s why it feels disruptive.

That’s why it feels uncomfortable.

That’s why some people push back.

Because the gospel shines light into places we’d rather keep dim.

And every single one of us knows what that felt like.

When conviction hit.

When you realized you weren’t just “trying your best.”

You needed rescue.

That’s why the gospel is power.

Not because it makes bad people slightly better.

But because it brings dead people to life.

THIS CHANGES HOW WE SHARE

When you share the gospel, you’re not introducing someone to a brand-new idea.

You’re not unveiling a secret no one has ever heard.

You’re inviting them to stop suppressing what they already sense deep down.

You’re not just addressing the mind.

You’re calling the heart to surrender.

That’s why boldness matters.

Because this isn’t about winning arguments.

It’s about confronting resistance.

That’s why silence is costly.

Because silence leaves people alone in their suppression.

Silence lets them keep pushing it down.

But when you speak…

You’re not creating conviction.

You’re cooperating with it.

You’re not manufacturing truth.

You’re naming it.

And when the gospel is spoken, Suppression meets power.

YOUR STORY IS SPIRITUAL WARFARE

So what is the gospel?

The gospel is simple.

Jesus — God in the flesh — stepped into our world.

He lived the life we couldn’t live.

He died the death we deserved.

He was buried in a borrowed tomb.

And three days later,

He walked out of that grave, conquering sin, conquering death, conquering hell, so that we could be raised to life with Him.

That’s the gospel.

Not advice.

Not improvement.

Not religion.

Resurrection.

The gospel is simple:

What Jesus did for you…and now what He’s doing in you.

And every time you tell that story, darkness loses ground.

Every time you speak it, suppression weakens.

Because testimony isn’t bragging.

It’s warfare.

John writes in the Book of Revelation

“We overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of our testimony.”

YOU ARE THE FIFTH GOSPEL

Most of us are familiar with what we call the four gospels

Matthew.

Mark.

Luke.

John.

But a lot of us may not be familiar with the 5th.

Yes there is actually a 5th gospel that people need to know about…

There’s

Matthew.

Mark.

Luke.

John.

And You.

You are the 5th gospel.

For many people:

you are the first Bible they’ll ever read.

You are the first evidence of Jesus that still changes lives.

You are the first proof that resurrection still works.

You don’t need a platform.

You don’t need a theology degree.

You don’t need to win every debate.

You need proximity.

And you need your story.

Because when you speak, suppression meets power.

And when suppression meets power, darkness loses ground.

APPLICATION: MOVE TOWARD SOMEONE

I’m giving you homework this week…

Not busy work.

Kingdom work.

Here is what I want you to do…

This week:

Write your story down, just a three minute version (not 30)

Who were you?

How did Jesus meet you?

What changed?

2. Identify one name.

Who’s next?

3. Share it.

Coffee.

Text.

Conversation.

Dinner table.

WHAT KIND OF CHURCH WILL WE BE?

Let me be very clear about something.

Growing Anchor City Church is not the motivation for this.

We have to get something straight…

The church does not exist to fill a room. The Church exist to fill heaven.

If all we care about is filling a room, we’ll protect comfort.

But if we care about filling heaven:

We’ll embrace inconvenience.

We’ll have awkward conversations.

We’ll pray bold prayers.

We’ll invite people who might say no.

RETURN TO VERSES 1-7

Now…

How many of you have still been thinking about verses 1–7 that I read and never came back to?

I talked about Paul.

I talked about his suffering.

I talked about how he wrote most of the New Testament.

But in verse one…He says something powerful.

He doesn’t start his letter with:

“I, Paul… the great apostle.”

“I, Paul… church planter.”

“I, Paul… miracle worker.”

“I, Paul… blessed and highly favored.”

Nope.

He says: “I, Paul… a servant of Christ Jesus.”

Before he was called…He was a servant.

Before he was sent…He belonged.

Before he had authority…He had surrender.

And here’s where this lands on us:

Before you are a leader…

Before you are gifted…

Before you are influential…

Before you are “ready”…

You are a servant.

We don’t move toward people because we’re impressive.

We move toward people because we belong to Jesus.

Servanthood isn’t a personality type.

It’s our identity.

If we’re going to be the kind of church that fills heaven, we don’t seek attention.

We seek obedience.

We serve.

And if I’m going to stand here and call you to move toward people…

Then I need to be a servant too.

PASTORAL MOMENT: MODELING MOVEMENT

If I’m calling for you to move towards people.

Then I need to move toward you.

I want to pastor you better.

Not just from a stage.

Not from a distance.

So, I’m opening up my schedule for discipleship, counseling, for anything you need.

I want to be available to you.

If you call this church home and you want to talk, pray, process your story, ask questions, or just connect — I want you to schedule time with me.

No hoops. No filters. Just access.

You can use the disc if you’re watching online you can use the QR code.

Click Pastor Kyle’s calendar and pick a time.

The gospel moved toward me.

So I want to move toward you.

FINAL LANDING

Jesus changed my life…the only question left is:

Who’s Next?

Pray