Sermon 2
Ashamed Of The Gospel
Romans 1:14-17
I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. 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. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
In these verses Paul gives us the theme of the Book of Romans. Here is the essence of true Christianity.
Here is the answer to the ancient question of Job in (9:2), "How should man be just with God?"
"I am not ashamed of the gospel" is a negative way of saying something positive. It's like saying, "Not bad" when what you really mean is "Good!" Instead of saying he was proud of the gospel, he says he is not ashamed of the gospel. On other occasions, Paul says he glories in the gospel. But, here, as he prepares to come to Rome, "I am a debtor ... I am ready to preach the gospel... I am not ashamed of the gospel."
At one point, Peter was ashamed of Christ. Three times he refused to identify himself with Christ, denying that he knew the Lord.
Timothy was challenged not to be ashamed, II Timothy
1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.
God "is not ashamed to be called their God" (Hebrews 11:16). Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers (Hebrews 2:11). We must not be ashamed of the gospel. I Peter 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
In Romans 10:11, after calling on Christians to publicly confess (identify) with Christ, to openly profess their faith in Christ, Paul says, "Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."
"God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" II Timothy 1:7. If that is so, and it is, why are some ashamed of the gospel?
Some are ashamed of the gospel for....
For Intellectual Reasons
1 Corinthians 1:23 says the gospel is to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greek foolishness. Intellectually, the gospel is an offense to a lot of people. They ridicule the gospel on intellectual grounds
The Apostle Paul had known the ridicule of the gospel. Imprisoned in Philippi, chased out of Thessalonica, smuggled out of Damascus and Berea, laughed at in Athens, considered a fool in Corinth, declared a blasphemer and law-breaker in Jerusalem, stoned and left for dead in Lystra. Some pagans branded Christianity as atheistic because they believed in only one God and cannibalism because they didn’t understand the Lord’s Supper.
Paul took the abuse of all of that and now he is headed for Rome. In the midst of the Imperial City, the Roman Emperors, the Roman court - here comes a man who is going to tell them the Savior of the world is a Jewish carpenter from Nazareth. Paul can anticipate the scorn.
Some are embarrassed because they can’t deal with the intellectual simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
For Philosophical Reasons
I believe that we are seeing a battle these days that is philosophical. It is a battle of ideas about how we will reach our world. The gospel reverses all the world’s ideas. It is not in line with any other teaching that you will find. The unpopularity of a crucified Christ has prompted many churches to abandon the gospel message, to present a more acceptable Christ to the unbelievers of our day.
Preaching the gospel is not very popular in this present world. It is not uncommon to hear that churches have either eliminated entirely or largely reduced gospel preaching. Instead they are relying on music, skits, multimedia presentations to convey the message. An article in Time magazine quoted a pastor, "This is the generation that grew up on television. You have to present religion to them in a creative way." The philosophy being promoted today is that the church should "market" itself to the public as offering services which are appealing, entertaining, non-threatening to unbelievers. The Gospel regarded as threatening.
A Collection of Quotes Taken From Newspaper Clippings and Magazine Articles Where the Preaching in "User-Friendly" Churches is Described.
· There is no fire and brimstone here. No Bible thumping. Just practical, witty messages.
· Services at our church have an informal feeling. You won't hear people threatened with hell or referred to as sinners. The goal is to make them feel welcome, not drive them away.
· As with all ministers, the pastor's answer is God - but he slips God in at the end, and even then doesn't get heavy. No ranting, no raving. No fire, no brimstone. He doesn't even use the H-word. Call it Light Gospel. It has the same salvation as the Old Time Religion, but with a third less guilt.
· The sermons are relevant, upbeat, and best of all -short. You won't hear a lot of preaching about sin and damnation and hell-fire. Preaching here doesn't sound like preaching. It is friendly talk.
So the new rules may be summed up as follows: Be clever, informal, positive, brief and friendly. Never let them see you sweat. And never, never use the H-word.
I said to a preacher friend, "Most modern-day preaching sounds more like group counseling than proclamation of God's word." I was shocked when he answered, "That's what the people want nowadays." I said, "Since when did God call us to tell people what they want to hear?" We have replaced a sovereign God with a sovereign congregation. We have turned the church into a neighborhood pub. That may sound like an overstatement. But here is a direct quote...
"Remember how the corner tavern used to be the place where the men of the neighborhood would congregate to watch major sports events, the World Series or championship boxing? While times have changed the same concept can still be used to great impact by the church. Most churches have a large hall which could be used for special gatherings around major media events - sports, political debates, entertainment specials and the like." (George Barna - The Frog In The Kettle. pp. 94-95).
But the church is not a lodge recruiting members. It is not a pub for the neighborhood. It is not a frat house rushing pledges. It is not a community center where parties are held. It is not a country club for the masses. It is not a town hall where the community's problems are addressed. It is not a court to rectify society's injustices. It is not an open forum or a political convention. The church is the body of Christ which assembles for worship and instruction from the word of God! The church exists to fulfill the great commission which is to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." If you make the church anything else, you mock God, and you say, in essence, that you are ashamed of the gospel, that the gospel is good enough, that we need something else to reach our world.
For Social Reasons
The Bible says. "Not many wise...not many mighty...not many noble" are called, 1 Corinthians 1:26. Have you noticed the crowd who is drawn to the crucified and risen Savior? The gospel starts from the bottom up in so many circles. It is rare to find sophisticated, wealthy people who embrace the gospel. Jesus himself spoke of the difficulty of a rich man entering the kingdom.
Sometimes the problem is that the rich don't think they need anything - including a Savior. But sometimes the problem is that we are inhibited and embarrassed about approaching those who are classier than ourselves. You see, the poor can be just as ashamed of the gospel for social reasons as can the rich. There is a universal need - sin. There is a universal provision for that need - the gospel. On that level all men are equal. We just think that some are more equal than others and, hence, are ashamed of the gospel.
For Moral Reasons
Galatians 5:11 speaks of "the offense of the cross." Many people find Christianity unattractive because of its emphasis on sin and the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. Have you ever heard anybody refer to Christianity as a "slaughter house religion"? That offense has not ceased. The true message of the cross means separation from the old ways, old habits, old tendencies - even old friends.
Some people don’t like the gospel because the gospel has moral implications. Like a man who was being witnessed to by a preacher and encouraged to receive Christ. The fellow replied, "Pastor, I’ve thought about it. And frankly, right now it would be downright inconvenient." The gospel does demand something of those who receive it.
It is easy to be ashamed for intellectual, philosophical, social and moral reasons. But let me remind you of what Jesus said, (Luke 9:26) "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in ... glory ..."
Let us affirm the testimony of the great Apostle Paul in his last letter who said, "Nevertheless I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day," 2 Timothy 1:12.
We must not be ashamed of the gospel.
And I want to show you why Paul was not ashamed - he was not ashamed. He would walk into any city, any circumstance and preach the gospel in all its power. He gives us the reason for his resolve. "For" is critical, vs. 16, 17, 18. It means "because."
Paul was not ashamed of the gospel because it was...
1. The Proclamation of the Good News. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel..."
The word "gospel" in the Greek is for good message - good news.
Good news...
· Student..."I passed."
· Soldier..."The war is over and I’m coming home."
· Young married couple..."We’re having a baby."
· Married couple with 9 kids..."We’re not having a baby."
· To the heir - "You're in the will."
The gospel is good news. Why should we be ashamed of "good news"? The gospel is the best good news of all times.
What is the gospel? If I asked you for a definition, what would you say? v. 1...Gospel of God. v. 9 "Gospel of His Son."
1 Corinthians 15:1-5a - The death, burial and resurrection of Christ for our sins and according to the scriptures. That’s the good news. The good news of the gospel is... · There is an answer for sin.
· God welcomes the lost.
· Jesus paid it all.
· You don’t have to spend eternity in hell.
· You can go to heaven free and forever!
2. The Power Of The Good News. "For it is the power of God unto salvation..." Believing the gospel saves. It brings salvation.
What is salvation? It is the deliverance of a person from the consequences of the fall of Adam and one’s own personal sin. To be saved means to be free from the greatest evil and to be given the greatest good.
Sinner, repent and believe the gospel!. Trust in Christ and be saved from sin and hell! Christian, don't be ashamed of the gospel. After all, it is the only message that we have to preach!