The Cross Changes Everything - Champions Centre

Talk-It-Out | Key Scriptures | Transcript

The Cross Changes Everything

March 30, 2025

In this message, Pastor Brandon Stewart teaches that “The Cross Changes Everything”, revealing the profound power of Jesus’ sacrifice and the Kingdom of God’s upside-down logic. Drawing from Matthew 26:39 and the Garden of Gethsemane, Pastor Brandon shows how Jesus willingly surrendered to God’s plan—even in the face of fear, pain, and impending death. He emphasizes that the cross doesn’t just save us; it redefines us, reshaping how we live, serve, and pursue God’s better ways. Through real-life illustrations, from parenting to everyday struggles, and biblical examples, Pastor Brandon demonstrates how the cross flips worldly values: where the world seeks achievement, God calls us to serve; where the world seeks comfort, God calls us to sacrifice; where the world seeks revenge, God calls us to forgive. He also reminds us that even pain and suffering are redeemed through God’s plan, producing growth, resilience, and purpose. This message inspires believers to embrace the Kingdom of Opposites, follow Jesus’ example of surrender, and trust God’s perfect outcomes. Whether you are facing hardship, uncertainty, or simply longing for spiritual renewal, this message provides encouragement, hope, and a practical roadmap to live fully under the cross’s transforming power.

Talk-It-Out

Icebreaker

Share a time when something challenging in your life ended up producing growth or a blessing you didn’t expect.

Discussion Questions

Pastor Brandon said, “The cross doesn’t just save us; it redefines us.” What does that mean to you personally?
How have you experienced the “Kingdom of Opposites” in your life—where God’s way was different from the world’s expectations?
Jesus prayed, “Not as I will, but as You will.” How can we practice surrender in areas where we want things our own way?
How does forgiving someone who has wronged you reflect the logic of the Kingdom of God?
In what small ways could you serve others this week, reflecting the upside-down values of the Kingdom?

This Week’s Action Step

Identify one area of your life where you are holding on to control or resentment. Take one tangible step this week to surrender it to God—through prayer, forgiveness, or service.

Key Scriptures

Matthew 26:39 (NIV) – Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Luke 23:34 (NIV) – Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Romans 8:28 (NIV) – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Matthew 5:21–44 (NIV) – “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. Adultery “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. Divorce “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Oaths “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Eye for Eye “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Love for Enemies “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Mark 10:43–45 (NIV) – Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

View Transcript

Hello, good morning Champion Center. How is everybody this morning? Would you do me a favor, would you stand up to your feet this morning at all of our locations? It is good to be with you this morning. For those of you who I haven’t met, my name is Brandon Stewart. I am on the team here at Champion Center. I’ll be a remote part of the team; I’m away a lot of the year, but it is good to be home this morning, and I’m excited to bring the word. You’re stuck with me this morning, it’s going to be a fun morning. If you’re very disappointed in that fact, I promise you Pastor Kevin will be back next week, it’ll all be good.

Are you thankful for God’s house this morning? I don’t quite feel like I’m at Champion Center yet. Are you thankful for all that God’s house has meant to you, Champion Center? Okay, that’s a little bit more like it. God is so good and he’s been so kind to our family. I think you probably would agree with me—not just to save us, but to plant us in a brilliant local church here at Champion Center. I’ve been a part of Champion Center since I was one or two years old, my whole life in this house, and it’s a humbling assignment to give back this morning and serve the house that built you and the house that you call home. I just want to give honor to Pastors Kevin and Sheila. They’re away this morning; they’re in Red Deer, Alberta. You may have never been to Red Deer, Alberta, but they are. We had a great team church event up there. God is doing incredible things in the nation of Canada. I just want you to know, get a little bit beyond all the talk of tariffs and whatever, and just realize God is at work even when we can’t see it. We had like 800 leaders at an event in Red Deer, Alberta. Come on, God is doing great things; He is building His church. They are up there ministering today, and we bless them today that they, that Pastor would be faithful to help build the church in Canada. Amen.

Do you love God’s word this morning? Are you thankful for God’s word? Has God’s word changed your life? I know it’s changed mine. I ask you if you want to grab your Bibles. We’re going to read from Scripture for just a minute this morning. I just ask you to stand so we could honor the word of God. I’m going to share with you what’s going to be the centerpiece of the word that we’re going to look at this morning. I’m just believing today that God has something for you.

I’ll tell you, when Pastor Kevin called me a few weeks ago and asked me to bring the word this morning, I spent a few days praying about it. Three weeks ago, I had a morning where God put this message on my heart, and I just felt very strongly in that moment that there was going to be someone here today this message was for. I think many of you are going to be blessed by the word, but I think at one of our locations today, it could be very possible this word is for someone—like this word will be everything for you. It won’t be because of my words; that’s not the sermon. The sermon you need to hear is the sermon of the Holy Spirit on the inside of you today at work, showing us what He would show us and asking us to move forward.

I’m going to read to you out of Matthew chapter 26, verse 39. It says, “Going a little further, he fell with his face to the ground, talking about Jesus, and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'” Father, right now we come around Your word this morning. I thank you that Your word transforms, I thank You that Your word changes lives. Your word, Jesus, rewrites stories. I thank You that at Your word the captive is set free today, in the name of Jesus. In fact, my prayer right now is that Jesus be revealed today in every heart, in every life, in every situation. If there’s something that You’re calling us to do today, Father, that would require some faithfulness and some diligence in us, we just make some space for You today to talk to us and help us. I pray that I would be faithful, Lord, to get out of the way so that You can have Your way, in Jesus’ name. All God’s people said, amen, amen, amen.

All right, you may take your seats at all of our locations. Good morning Bellevue, good morning Dupont, good morning Yakima, good morning online, and good morning Champion Center Tacoma. We’re going to have a good day in God’s house today. I want to bring a message on the title, “The Cross Changes Everything.”

Sometimes it seems like we say we want something only to find out you have to play by a different set of rules. Isn’t that true? I woke up this morning saying, “All right, today is the day I never eat sugar again. I’m going to eat clean.” Last night’s dessert—has anybody ever done this? Like every morning, “Today’s the day, right? Today’s the day. I’m eating clean from here on out.” Only for it to be 5:00 p.m., and everyone’s staring at you, looking, “What’s for dinner?” And it’s Chick-fil-A for the third time this week, and you throw on that milkshake because, you know, “I’ve been so good today, I’ve been so good.”

I was born in 1980; do we have any 80s or 90s kids in the room this morning? Sometimes you say you want one thing, but you have to play by a different set of rules. I remember growing up; I wanted, as a teenager, freedom, independence, but remember back in the day, we all shared one phone line. Anyone could pop on the phone at any moment. And it was like you finally get up the nerve to call that girl, and Mom gets on the phone, “Are you still on the phone?”

I wanted to talk to my friends on my new cell phone when I got one late in high school, early college, whatever it was, but I had to wait until 9:00 p.m. when the minutes were free. We said we wanted to be productive and get our homework done, but it took like 40 minutes to get connected to the internet. Sometimes you say you want one thing, but you have to play by a different set of rules.

It’s Easter season at Champion Center and at each of your locations today, you’re going to see a cross displayed. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be talking about the cross. We’re going to be bringing our prayer requests to the cross, our needs to the cross. It’s going to be a powerful few weeks, and we’re believing as a church to mark this very important season as we approach Easter.

The cross is one of the centerpieces of the Christian faith. Jesus was arrested, put on trial, whipped, and ultimately executed on a Roman cross in the first century. The cross was not a symbol of hope; it was a symbol of horror. The Romans had perfected crucifixion as a method of execution that was brutal and intentionally shameful. It was reserved for the lowest of the lows—slaves, rebels, criminals—and it wasn’t just designed to kill; it was designed to crush dignity. Victims were beaten, stripped naked, nailed to wooden beams, and left to die in public areas. The pain was excruciating, but the humiliation was just as intense. Crucifixion was about disgrace. The Romans were saying, “Don’t cross Rome.”

When Jesus took up His cross and called His followers to do the same, you have to understand the magnitude of this. It flipped everything upside down. This was not said to Americans in a Western free context; this was said to people, offering them a new way forward, if not a dangerous one. The early Christians didn’t just preach the message of the cross—they lived it. What Rome used to shame and silence, God used to save and redeem.

The very thing designed to crush hope became the doorway to eternal life. This is the tension we live in today: The cross, if you’re His disciples and your beloved Jesus is nailed to the cross, looked like the worst possible ending—shame, suffering, defeat. But here’s the mystery of the Christian faith: What if the very thing the world called failure was actually the greatest victory in history? What if the thing designed to crush actually glorified? What looked like a horrible outcome was actually part of God’s holy plan?

When we sing about the cross and preach about the cross, we are standing in the beautiful mystery of God: Through shame and disgrace, Jesus Christ was obedient to death—even death on a cross. Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above every name. What was meant for shame brought glory, and through the cross, we have the hope of eternal life.

Mark Batterson puts it like this: “God says, ‘I’ll take the blame for everything you did wrong and give you the credit for everything I did right.’”

Think about where your life would be if it weren’t for the cross. Where would your life be if it weren’t for the saving love and grace of Jesus Christ? The truth of the Gospel today: Because Jesus submitted Himself to death, you can be saved. Because Jesus was faithful, Champion Center, you can be free. Because Jesus died, you can live today.

At the end of our service, we’re going to give you an opportunity. If you’ve not made a decision to follow Jesus, we’re going to give you an opportunity to do that. The cross can change everything. Are we thankful for the cross this morning, Champion Center? Are we thankful for Jesus?

Here’s the thought I want to offer us: The cross doesn’t just save us; it redefines us. The cross doesn’t just save us; it redefines us to the world. To the believer, the cross is everything. Living in surrender to the cross doesn’t make sense by the world’s standards. The world says, “Live your truth, be happy, indulge in what makes you happy.” As Christ-followers, we live with a different conviction: The cross doesn’t just save us; it redefines us.

Being redefined by the cross means choosing God’s way over our own. Sometimes, like children, we want our way, but God has a better way for us. Being redefined by the cross means living in the Kingdom of opposites—everything is upside down from the world. What feels like death is often the path to real life. The way forward is often the way down.

Jesus redefined our life. In the Sermon on the Mount, He said, “You have heard it said… but I say to you…” He flipped the script on the world: Don’t murder, don’t even be angry. Don’t commit adultery, don’t even lust. Love your neighbor, but also love your enemies.

The world says greatness comes through achievement; the kingdom says greatness comes through service. The world says hold on to power; the kingdom says surrender it. The world says live for yourself; the kingdom says die to yourself. The world says follow your heart; the kingdom says follow Jesus. The world says seek revenge; the kingdom says forgive freely. The world says pursue comfort; the kingdom says embrace sacrifice. The world says the first will be first; the kingdom says the last will be first.

The kingdom of opposites invites us to forgive, to serve, to bless others, and to steward what seems small. Just as Jesus’ ministry in Capernaum was small in size but enormous in impact, our service, however small, matters greatly in God’s kingdom.

Finally, the kingdom of opposites brings redeemed purpose out of pain. Romans 8:28 reminds us that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him. God doesn’t always save us from pain, but He redeems it. If God isn’t removing your pain, He is transforming you through it.

Let’s thank God for the cross. Thank You, Jesus, for obedience, for surrender, for Your life, death, and resurrection. Your horror gave us hope, and we rest in that today.

If you’ve never surrendered your life to Jesus, here’s your moment. Pray: “Lord Jesus, I’m sorry for living my life my own way. I want to be a follower of You. I confess with my mouth and believe in my heart Jesus is Lord. I declare today I will never be the same. The past is past; I am a new creation today because of Jesus.”

Amen, amen, amen. Welcome to the family of God.

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