We started a new series at Gateway Church in Austin called “Unstoppable.”
The Gospel of Mark reveals Jesus as more than a teacher or miracle worker—He is the unstoppable force of God, bringing a Kingdom that cannot fail. In the first two chapters, we encounter His unmatched authority, radical forgiveness, and unrelenting mission. This series invites you to discover how Jesus transforms lives, disrupts systems, and advances a movement that nothing can stop. Whether you’re devoted to following Him or just exploring, see how His power touches every corner of life.
Digging Deeper:
Work through the following questions and scriptures on your own or get together with your group, spiritual running partners, or family to talk through what you are learning.
Message Video:
Message Notes by Carlos Ortiz, Jr.:
“Dad, when I’m playing high school football, I’m going to be unstoppable!”
That’s a direct quote from my nine year old son Maxwell. He’s a massive football fan. He trains every single day, watches film, and he loves playing the game of football. He loves to challenge himself and he has this big picture of what life‘s going to look like for him as a football player.
So as a good dad, trying to plan out the next few years, and what it looks like for my son, I looked up some coaching videos about how to prepare kids for the next level of sports. I’m not one to really push my kids towards my own goals for them, but when they have big goals, I want to come alongside them and help them. I came across this international YouTuber, who is a coach to a lot of top athletes. I won’t say who it is so that you’re not distracted with looking it up right now, but I will tell you the five pillars they gave to becoming unstoppable when it came to sports:
- Have a clear vision and goals
- Have a plan and a strategy to reach those goals
- Flip the negative script that will inevitably come
- You have to Take massive action
- You need to Know your purpose (and it has to be bigger than the sport you’re playing)
We do these types of things, right? It’s not just a 9 year old with big dreams and aspirations, there are things we desire as teenagers, young adults, parents, entrepreneurs… We look to the guidance of others, mentors, coaches, pastors, bosses, who can help us come up with a gameplan to win at the next level of whatever we want to win at. We want to become unstoppable in whatever we do.
The inherent problem with our version of unstoppable is that we are human, we’re finite, we really don’t control every aspect of our lives and destiny. We have limitations, thus we are stoppable! I know that can be frustrating, and for some it can feel hopeless. But we believe in a God, and for some you are exploring a God, who is truly unstoppable. And the first aspect of being unstoppable, is that the good news of Jesus cannot be stopped.
So we’ve titled this series UNSTOPPABLE to truly understand the measure of God, and his intentions and plans for humanity. To guide us through this series, we’ll be parked in the New Testament book of Mark, and this week, we’ll go right to chapter 1. So let’s take the first step of reading this chapter as a story:
1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”
4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted[g] by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. – Mark 1:1-20
1. Begins with a Promise (Mark 1:1-3)
When verse 2 mentions having a forerunner, one being sent. That is an OT reference to:
Malachi 3:1 – “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.
Then the line after that (verse 3) is a reference to Isaiah 40:
Isaiah 40:3 – A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
You see, God’s promise doesn’t begin with us, or the disciples, or Jesus being baptized, or John the Baptist…no, it goes back almost 800 years before. God sees it fit to speak to the prophet Isaiah, and he then gives a prophecy of what we are now reading in Mark chapter 1. The OT reference is written more than likely in the 8th century BC, and Mark is written in the middle to late 1st century.
The Gospel is unstoppable because it is rooted in God’s eternal promises. What God has declared, He will bring to pass, and the good news of Jesus is the realization of that promise.
When we embrace the Gospel, we are connecting to the faithfulness of God throughout history.
2. Call to Transformation (Mark 1:4-8)
And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
The Gospel’s momentum is unstoppable because it always invites us to change. It doesn’t just inform us—it transforms us. John’s baptism is an outward symbol of an inward reality. It’s not enough to just know about Jesus; the Gospel requires a personal response: repentance and transformation. It isn’t just about believing a set of facts; it’s about a radical shift in how we live.
In this passage John the Baptist is being used by God to call people to repentance, to turn from their ways, and being baptized into a new way of living. We then read a description of John’s diet and clothing, and we can look at face value at someone who we would consider “living off the grid,” but those details are important.
I believe that those descriptions are there because John is modeling, for those who are hearing him, a life that is set apart. He has nothing of earthly significance that is taking precedence over his love and devotion to God. He’s a powerful teacher, people follow him, people come from Jerusalem to hear him and be baptized by him, and yet he takes the posture of a humble servant by his dress and the words he uses.
“After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
Jesus is also a standard bearer for a life of humility. We are told in Philippians 2:5-8
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross
We may have limitations because we are finite, but we are constantly encouraged to be like the one who is unstoppable and has no limitations. Whether it is with our dress, our way of being, our mindset or our actions, we are called to a life of transformation. This good news is for us, and it changes us.
3. Divine Validation (Mark 1:9-11)
The Gospel is unstoppable because it is validated by God. Jesus is the Son of God, and His mission is backed by divine authority.
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
We’ve been doing this the last few months, showing us some of the maps that represent these important stories in scripture. On this map you’ll see an estimated place of Jesus’ baptism along the Jordan river in Judea, but Jesus’ travels from North of here in Galilee.
This commencement of Jesus’ public ministry starts off with a public display of God’s stamp of approval. What Jesus will teach and proclaim is not just the message of a teacher or prophet—it is the message of the Son of God, confirmed by the Holy Spirit and the Father’s voice. There is no higher authority to affirm the truth of the Gospel.
Notice the expression of the Father’s love for His Son before He ever performed one miracle or spoke one message or had one follower. Think about that for a moment. Many of us see God like we may see our parents, teachers, professors, or people you’ve tried to impress. We try to earn their favor or earn their love or earn their acceptance. In essence, that is religion. It’s believing you can earn God’s favor by following the rules and looking down on those who do not. That’s cultural Christianity but not what we actually see in the Scriptures. God proclaims His love for His Son and proclaims His love for you before you were even born. It’s out of gratitude for His love for us that we turn from going our own way, from our sins. When we turn to Him, He rescues us, forgives us, and empowers us with His Spirit to live a new life. We sacrifice the ways of the world out of gratitude for all He sacrificed for us.
we can find assurance of God’s validation over our lives when we say “yes” to His invitation to be our Heavenly Father by acknowledging our need of a savior, we acknowledge our sin and shortcomings, we acknowledge, the way John the Baptist taught, we repent, we turn, and not only turn from what we know separates us from God, but move towards that which looks and represents Christ.
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. – Ephesians 1:4-8
We can fully experience Our validation from knowing Christ and him crucified! Proof of our validation comes when we accept the invitation to be adopted in the family of God.
4. Called to Follow (Mark 1:14-20)
The Gospel is unstoppable because it doesn’t just inform us—it calls us to follow. Jesus’ invitation is clear: repent and believe, and then step into the Kingdom of God. This is not passive news—it requires a response. To accept the Gospel is to follow Jesus, to enter His Kingdom, and to live under His rule. It’s an invitation to embrace the good news in such a way that it changes the course of our lives.
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
At first glance it may seem like Jesus just walked up to some dudes and they met him and left, but the reality is that they already knew of Jesus. In John 1, Andrew spent a day with Jesus and came home to tell Simon that he had interacted with Him. He takes Simon to see him, and Jesus gives him a new name…Cephas (which translates to Peter).
Then in Luke 5 Simon has a miraculous encounter with Jesus and his fishing nets are filled even though he had fished all night and caught nothing on his own.
So when Jesus makes the call to follow him, they have an idea of who he is, they have seen some of his goodness on display. But Jesus doesn’t want them to just know…he’s calling them to fully follow.
You and I are called and compelled to know Christ, and to also follow Him!
This following brings an inherent understanding that to follow Jesus means that we are laying it all down to do so! Before I came to Christ I was afraid to say yes to Jesus, because I was afraid he would ask me to be a missionary or god forbid, a pastor. I knew in my soul that I believed that I wanted to say yes, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to say yes to the following of Jesus. Would I be willing to say the ultimate yes, leave my nets, leave my boat, leave my family, leave what I know, and take the step of faith to truly follow Jesus.
Do you recognize that Jesus is calling out to you? His spirit draws us in to know him, but he also compels us to follow him, with all of our heart, soul and strength. I know many of us believe, but are we truly following?!
When we look at the Good News that Jesus brings we see that:
God’s plan has been thousands of years in the making
Do you see the Gospel as part of God’s grand narrative of redemption, unfolding through time and into your life?
God uses people to challenge us to be transformed.
Is there any area of your life where you need to turn from your old ways and embrace the new life Jesus offers?
God has already made a way, through Jesus, for us to be validated in Him.
Do we live with the confidence that the Gospel is the truth of God?
Have we accepted the invitation to live in that truth?
God’s action step is for us to then follow.
Are we ready to follow Jesus wherever He leads, living out the good news every day?
God invites those who follow Him to bring more of heaven to earth.
How can you bring more beauty to our world? How can we bring more of God’s peace and presence to our family, neighbors, friends, and co-workers? How can we bring more of heaven to our world?