Post by SOS_Brandon on Apr 3, 2013 3:53:38 GMT -8
Not Ashamed Of The Gospel.docx (24.93 KB)
“Not Ashamed Of The Gospel”
Romans
1:16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is
written, The just shall live by faith.
These two verses present one of the greatest summaries of
the Gospel ever written by man. Within these two short verses, Paul gives a
clear declaration of God’s power and purpose in the Gospel message.
Paul’s statements about the Gospel begin in a strange way.
In verse 15, he tells his readers that he is “ready to preach the
Gospel to you that are at Rome”, then seemingly out of the blue, he tells
them that he is not “ashamed of the Gospel” that he is ready to preach.
Why would anyone be ashamed of a message as powerful, profound, and needed as
the Gospel?
A little understanding of the culture of the time that
Paul ministered will help us understand why some people were ashamed to preach
the gospel. There are four reasons that I believe some people were ashamed of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
- The moral condition of that day:
Nero was the Emperor of Rome and he was a wicked, degenerate man. The city of
Rome was virtually a cesspool of wicked living and sin. The Gospel that Paul
preached, with its demands of repentance, holiness, and godly living, was
completely opposed to everything that Rome stood for. (Sounds a lot like America
today, doesn’t it?) - The fact that Paul was a Jew:
During this period of history, the Jews were considered to be a sub-human race.
They were hated, mistreated, and enslaved. The Gospel that Paul preached
originated in and rose out of a Jewish background. Many Jews would have been
hesitant to share such a message with non-Jews, because many non-Jews would not
have listened to a Jewish preacher preach about a Jewish Savior. - The message that Paul preached was
incredible and nearly beyond belief: Think about it. The Savior Paul
preached about was a male member of the despised Jewish race. He was said to be
the Savior of men. He claimed to be the Son of God. He even claimed to be both
God and man at the same time. His death was surrounded by shame. He died on a
Roman cross, which was the very symbol of shame during this time. Despite all of
this, Jesus claimed to have died for lost sinners. If that wasn’t enough, Paul
preached that this same crucified Jesus rose from the dead on the third day
after he died. - Everywhere Paul went preaching the cross,
he was ridiculed, cast out, imprisoned, or treated cruelly.
- He had been imprisoned in Philippi (Acts
16:23-24) - He was chased out of Thessalonica (Acts
17:10) - He was smuggled out of Berea (Acts
17:14) - He was mocked in Athens (Acts 17:32)
- He was called a fool in Corinth (1 Cor.
1:18,23) - He was stoned in Galatia (Acts
14:19)
Despite all of this, Paul remained eager to preach the
Gospel in Rome, which was the seat of contemporary political power and pagan
religion. Many people would not have been able to endure that kind of shame.
With all of these things in mind, it is easy to see why
Paul would want to be clear about his commitment to the Gospel message. He would
want these people to know they were hearing from a man who believed his message
with every ounce of his being, and was willing to pay the price in order to
share it.
Now that we know why some would be ashamed, why wasn’t
Paul? After all, many of us today are ashamed of the Gospel message. What did he
know that made him keep on preaching the hated Gospel for the glory of God? What
was it about the Gospel that revitalized the Apostle and kept driving him to go
around the world preaching the same hated message? The answer to those questions
is found in the truths Paul reveals about the Gospel.
In these verses, Paul reminds us that we have a Gospel to
be proud of. In this study, I want to teach on the thought “Not Ashamed of the
Gospel”. I want each of you to see that the message of Jesus Christ and the
salvation he provides is a message that we should share with EVERYONE,
EVERYWHERE, without fear or shame. Let me share with you the marks of the
Gospel that make it a message of which we do not need to be ashamed of.
- The Gospel Is Marked By Sovereign
Power:
Paul tells us that the Gospel
is the “power of God”. The word “power” comes from a word that refers to
the “might, energy, force, and strength that dwell within God.”
God could have revealed His
power against sin in any way that he chose. He could have wiped men from the
face of the earth. He could have done anything that He wanted, because He is the
all-powerful God. He can do anything! It is a blessing to notice that when the
Lord moved to do something about sin, He exercised His power in sending men the
Gospel of grace.
Nowhere is the power of God as
visible as it is in the Gospel of Christ. Think about it. When God takes a lost
sinner and saves him by His grace and makes him a new creature (2 Cor.
5:17- Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new). That is a
powerful thing. God could have sent us all to Hell, but He instead chose to send
us His love wrapped up in His Son, the Lord Jesus. I thank the Lord that He
loved us first (1 John 4:19 - We love him, because he
first loved us).
Notice that
Paul’s message is the “gospel of Christ.” Make no mistake about it, there are
many different gospels preached in our day.
- The gospel of religion that
says “Turn over a new leaf”. - The gospel of materialism
that says “Your worth is determined by what you have. Gain is the goal of
life. - The gospel of liberalism
that says “I’m OK and you’re OK. God accepts us like we are and will take us to
heaven if heaven really exists”. - The gospel of society that
says “Do as you please because life is short”.
Paul’s
message, on the other hand, says “You are a sinner, and if you die in your sins,
you will go to hell. However, God loves you and sent His Son, the Lord Jesus
into the world. Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead. If you will
place your faith in him, then you can and will be eternally saved”.
The Gospel
of Christ is a simple message. It is clearly stated in 1 Cor. 15:3-4
“For I delivered unto you first of
all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to
the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day
according to the scriptures:” Romans 4:25 states it in even fewer words,
“Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again
for our justification.”
Paul knew first
hand about the power of this Gospel (1 Tim. 1:12-15 -
12And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath
enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the
ministry;13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and
injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.14
And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which
is in Christ Jesus.15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am
chief.)
His was a life
that was changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every life that is redeemed by
the Gospel of grace is a life that is forever changed (2 Cor. 5:17 -
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new).
It is a life that becomes a
thing of praise and glory to Almighty God (Eph. 2:10 - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them).
It is a life
that has a new description and a new destiny (John 10:10 - The thief
cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they
might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly).
Some of us
know about this power too!
- The Gospel Is Marked By A Singular
Purpose:
Why did God go to such lengths
for fallen sinners? Why did He give up His Son to die on the cross for the sins
of His people? The primary answer is simply that He loves us. However, there is
more to it than that. God’s plan and God’s purpose in giving the Gospel message
is “salvation”.
The word “salvation” is
a very important word. It means “safety, preservation, deliverance.” It
carries the idea of “being rescued from all harm and danger.” God’s
desire in saving sinners is to forever deliver them from spiritual death,
spiritual defilement, spiritual deception, and spiritual destruction. Lest
we forget, the end of all sinners, outside the Lord Jesus, is the fires of Hell.
God’s purpose in giving the Gospel is to change man’s destination in eternity
and his life here on Earth as well.
The primary purpose of the
Gospel message is the salvation of the lost. I don’t know about all of you,
but I truly enjoy being saved. I am grateful to the Lord that he loved us enough
to give us a salvation that we do not have to worry about. If you are in Jesus,
you are secure in Jesus for as long as He lives (John 10:28 - And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.)
- The Gospel Is Marked By A
Simple Plan:
Verse 16 tells
us in no uncertain terms exactly how this Gospel message of salvation is
activated. Notice that it is “to everyone who believeth.”
That makes it
perfectly clear that biblical salvation does not involve complicated religious
rituals or ornate and elaborate religious exercises. Salvation is the product of
faith and faith alone (Eph 2:8-9 – For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.)
This is the
point where many people stumble. People like to do things for themselves.
They like to feel that they have a part of everything in their lives.
However, in the matter of salvation, the sinner can have no part. It is all God,
all the way. Salvation comes to the person who is willing to simply receive the
message of Christ by faith. (John 6:47 - Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.) (John 5:24 - Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent
me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed
from death unto life.) (John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.) (Acts 16:31 - And they said, Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.)
I am thankful that the Lord
kept his Gospel inexpensive and easy to understand. Have you believed the
Gospel?
- The Gospel Is Marked By A Solemn
Pledge:
The great, saving Gospel
message is for every person in this world. No one is beyone the reach of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. Notice these words from our Savior: (Rev. 22:17 -
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that
heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him
take the water of life freely) (John 6:37 - All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.)
The pledge of
the Gospel is that anyone who hears the message and sees their need of salvation
and comes to Jesus by faith will be saved by God’s precious grace!
Many have
labored over the term “to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” This
shouldn’t bother us! God didn’t give the Gospel to the Jew first in reference to
priority. He gave the Gospel to the Jew first in reference to time.
He had been
dealing with the Jewish people for thousands of years, and when He sent
His Son into the world to be the messiah of the Jewish people, they rejected
Him, (John 1:11 - He came unto his own, and his own received him not.)
Now the Lord has turned to the Gentile people of the world to offer them
salvation as well, (John 1:12 - But as many as received him, to them gave
he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name). Now,
salvation is offered to “whosoever will”.
These verses
make it clear that salvation is for anyone, regardless of their race, social
standing, education, ability, wickedness, etc. There is nothing that can prevent
anyone who wants to be saved from being saved. Nothing, that is, except for the
sin of unbelief, (John 8:24 - I said therefore unto you, that ye shall
die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your
sins). The pledge of the Gospel is for every man, everywhere! Thank God that it
is so! If there had been restrictions on salvation, then I would have most
definitely been left out. I am glad that it is free, by faith, and completely
foolproof.
- The Gospel Is Marked By A Satisfying
Payoff:
The product of the Gospel in
the life of the believer is “righteousness”.
Man has two great
problems: Number One, He thinks that he is righteous and is therefore
acceptable to the Lord. Number Two, He is absolutely wrong about number
one! Man is not righteous, and cannot produce righteousness by self-will, or his
own works.
When faith is placed in the
Gospel message, and Jesus is believed in our heart, God takes the sinner and
declares him to be righteous. What man cannot do by effort, God does by His
power, (1 Cor. 6:9-11 - Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with
mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified,
but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our
God.) (Romans 8:33 - Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's
elect? It is God that justifieth.)
Simply stated, everything man
looks for in religion: peace with God, acceptance by God, a right relationship
with God, etc, are all given to the believer when he receives the Gospel
message. That is a message that is worth sharing!
What does the phrase “from
faith to faith” mean? It simply refers to the fact that the believer’s life
is to be one of faith in God. As a believer’s life is lived in faith day by day,
the righteousness of God is revealed in the believer’s life from “beginning
faith” to “ending faith.” As this verse concludes, faith is to be the
way of life for the child of God.
In conclusion, we have been given a Gospel worth believing
and one that is worth sharing. The questions as we bring these thoughts together
are these:
- Are you trusting in the Gospel of Christ for
your salvation? - Are you sharing the Gospel like Paul
did? - Are you ashamed of the Gospel of
Christ?
The same message that was able to save then can save now.
The same power that worked in Paul’s day is working in our day. All we need to
do to see the Gospel work in power is to believe it and to share it. The Gospel
of Jesus Christ does not need modification. It does not need alteration. All it
needs id for those who know it and believe it to share it with those who do not
know it. When we do, the Holy Spirit will take that Gospel and He will draw
sinner to faith in Christ.
Isn’t it amazing that God would take the most important
message that the world has ever heard and place it in the hands of redeemed
sinners?
Isn’t it amazing that He would give us His Gospel and then
command us to take it to the world, knowing that no one is ever saved apart from
the preaching of that Gospel?
1 Cor. 1:21 - “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God,
it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe,”.
Romans 10:13-17 – “13 For whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in
whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have
not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except
they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach
the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the
gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God,”
How are you doing when it comes to
sharing this message?
Who do you know in your life who needs
to hear the Gospel?
Why not bow your head and pray for those
people, and ask God to give you the opportunity to tell them about
Jesus?
If you are saved, you are not ashamed of
the Gospel! You know it’s power and there is a desire within you to share it
with those who do not know it’s power. There is no better time to get busy
telling others about Jesus.
