09 | Romans | Romans 1:16 | I Am Not Ashamed

INTRODUCTION

Last week we closed our time in Romans 1:15 with the words …

I am eager to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome.

It is a powerful reality that Paul’s desire is to preach the gospel to a people who have already received it with faith.

They already know the gospel, right?

They already believe the gospel.

In v8 Paul thanks God because their faith is proclaimed in all the world.

And yet, Paul is eager to preach the gospelto them.

There must be something about the gospel that is for not only those who have not heart nor believed …

… but is also for those who have believed and are nurturing their faith.

This is why we are a gospel-centered church.

We simply do not graduate from our need for the gospel to be proclaimed among us.

But what is more, Paul justifies his gospel proclamation this way in our passage this morning.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel!

Paul is eager to preach because he is not ashamed of the gospel.

Why would he be ashamed of the gospel …

… before a people who themselves have already believed?

Why would he be shy or afraid or timid or fearful?

Why would he have any cause to shrink back from gospel proclamation?

So, why is Paul eager to preach the gospel?

And, why is Paul compelled to preach specifically because he is not ashamed?

PRAY

7:00

Let me say that this passage is deeply personal for me.

For years now (not just as a pastor, but as a disciple), gospel proclamation has been the very contour and shaping-principle of my life.

And specifically, in church-planting ministry …

… so much of that gospel proclamation has been among those who have already believed.

One of the things that drew me to Brevard County is that as I visited here, I sensed that so much of the County reminded me of Jesus’ words …

… that they are like sheep without a shepherd.

So, why am I eager to preach?

And, why am I compelled to preach the gospel specifically because I am not ashamed?

What cause might there be for shame in preaching the gospel among those who have already believed?

10:00

I AM NOT ASHAMED

Shamed with No Shame

We need to think for a minute about the word “ashamed.”

Probably the most common use of the word is like this:

“You should be ashamed of yourself.”

epaischunomai, —omai, middle voice

ILL: When I was learning french in high school I learned that they also have this sort of middle voice (or reflexive voice.)

Why is it called reflexive voice? Because it reflects back on itself.

Example: wash yourself

When a person washes his hands, you can say he washes himself.

Well, when the word shame is in this middle voice, you say you shame yourself.

Or, you are ashamed.

Paul is not speaking of his concern that others would shame him.

He is not saying that others will not think less of him or mistreat him or shame him for his preaching of the gospel.

Paul is saying that while others my find it a shame to be eager to preach this gospel …

… something not worthy, something foolish or weak

… Paul has no shame in himself.

If you are ashamed of something …

… you are not eager to participate in it.

Rather, you avoid it, you put distance between yourself and what shames you.

But, there is no distance that Paul puts between himself and his association with the gospel.

He finds no shame by his preaching of the gospel.

And yet, he has been clear that the gospel has been the cause of much of his shame.

12:00

2 Corinthians 11:23–29 (ESV) Are they servants of Christ? I am [even more]—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

Much of 2 Corinthians is written as a defense of his ministry in the face of those who would shame him.

And yet, Paul is not ashamed.

How is this so? This is what Paul is saying.

1 Corinthians 1:23 (ESV) we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,

Yes, he has been shamed, abused and degraded many times on account of the preaching of the gospel.

But he continues to be eager to preach the gospel …

… because he refuses to participate in this shaming.

He finds no shame in the gospel.

He does not shame himself.

He is not ashamed.

Deny Self

Let’s consider Jesus, whom Paul preaches:

the Son of God in power … through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name

When Jesus is again tells his disciples that he is going to be betrayed, suffer and be put to death he tells them this way.

Luke 18:32 (ESV) For [the Son of Man] will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.

Jesus will be shamed! But he is not ashamed.

In Mark, when he is first telling his disciples about his impending suffering and death, he calls the crowd together and says:

Mark 8:34–38 (ESV) If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

So, yes, Jesus will be betrayed, suffer and die …

… but he will also rise.

And so, he will be shamed … and so will those who come after him.

But so also will he rise and be vindicated …

… and so too will those who come after him.

He and we will be shamed, but we ought not be ashamed …

… because we have confidence in Christ of victory.

Why does he tell the disciples to deny themselves?

Denial of self is compared to being ashamed "of me and of my words.”

The disciples is called not to be ashamed …

… but to deny the way the self will rise up in self-defense.

To deny the self is to despise the shame!

Paul is not ashamed of the words of Jesus.

He is often shamed by them, but he is not ashamed of them.

16:00

Jesus' response to shame

Hebrews 12:2 (ESV) … Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Mark Schledorn often prays in the name of the founder and perfecter of our faith.

What are the attributes of God that Hebrews associates with this foundation and perfection? SHAME!

When Jesus endured the cross he endured the shame that others were casting upon him.

But how did he endure?

He despised the shame.

He counted it nothing.

He gave shame no quarter, no home in his soul.

Jesus was not ashamed to accomplish the gospel …

… because he was confident in the victory of his own work.

Paul’s response to shame

I am not ashamed.

Paul has been shamed …

… but he will not participate in that way of thinking and living.

No, he will preach because he is confident in the victory of the gospel he proclaims.

Confidence …

18:00

Association (MAYBE SKIP)

One of the most devastating results of shame is that we disassociate from those we deem to be shameful.

We create distance between ourselves and those we deem filled with shame.

Hebrews 2:11–12 (ESV) For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers …

Jesus is not ashamed to call us brother.

Hebrews 11:16 (ESV) But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

God is not ashamed to be called their God.

Confidence

2 Timothy 1:8 (ESV) Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God …

Prisoners are often imprisoned because of some shameful action.

Paul writes 2 Timothy from prison.

Paul is not a prisoner in merely some metaphorical sense.

He is literally a prisoner because of Jesus.

He is shamed because of Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:12 (ESV) … which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.

This is the most important cross reference for our passage this morning …

… because Paul is both not ashamed and he is convinced of final salvation.

It begins in v8 with a call not to be ashamed of the testimony of Christ nor of Paul.

There is reason for shame.

The gospel and its proclamation has brought great shame from man.

But Jesus has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light.

And so, in the end there will every hint of shame will be erased!

21:00

APPLY

The gospel brings great shame, great suffering and weakness and abuse upon those who associate with Jesus …

… with Christ and his gospel.

… with Jesus and his word.

But we can be confident that this same Jesus is able to guard …

… even those who are in prison for the sake of his name.

Jesus guards the gospel!

He stands watch to ensure that the grand purpose and victory proclaimed in the gospel …

… is fully executed!

So, do not be ashamed.

22:00

THE POWER OF GOD FOR SALVATION

No shame because of power!

Specifically, the power of God for salvation.

The word “saved” is a funny world around the church.

There is a manner in which a person is saved when he believes.

I once was lost by now am found, was blind but now I see.

Before I believed … before I confessed faith the gospel, I was lost.

Romans 10:10 (ESV) For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

There is a manner in which a person is saved when Jesus’ secured their salvation on the cross.

Romans 3:23–24 (ESV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

We are justified not because we believe …

… but because of the grace of Jesus Christ

… to give himself on the cross in the place of sinners.

We are not justified because we believe.

We believe because we are convinced that in Christ and his cross we have been justified.

There is a manner in which a person will be saved on the day of judgement and into the eternal kingdom (always saved).

Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.

Romans 5:9 (ESV) Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

We have been justified by the blood of Christ given in our place on the cross.

We put our faith in this gospel.

And we will be saved when the wrath of God is revealed because we have been justified by his blood.

Romans 5:10 (ESV) For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

We who have been reconciled will be saved in the age that is to come.

This is one of the glories of heaven!

We are saved, day be day, for eternity …

… because we are covered by the redeeming grace of Christ.

If God leverages his power for something, does it happen?

Yes!

This is why week after week we declare the blessing of God to bless us and to keep us!

This blessing is founded on the power of God to bless and keep.

Hebrews 7:25 (ESV) Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

30:00

APPLY

Why is Paul eager to preach the gospel?

Because he is not ashamed,

Why is Paul not ashamed of the gospel?

Because it is the power of God to save.

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APPLY

Why is Paul not ashamed of the gospel?

Because it is the power of God!

The gospel is not cause for shame, but for confidence and rejoicing.

So, why is Paul eager to preach the gospel to those who have already believed?

Because those who have believed will not be put to shame.

Romans 10:11 (ESV) For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

test

Romans 9:33 (ESV) as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

This world sees Christ and his gospel as a stumbling weakness and a offensive foolishness.

But, there is no real shame!

The shame is a momentary affliction.

The shame is the guttural reaction of a rebellious world to the presence of the grace of the God whom they have rejected.

Paul is eager to preach the gospel because it is by this gospel that the believers in the church in Rome have been saved, that they are saved and that they will be saved.

This is the difference between the gospel and idolatry.

Idols make many promises in this world.

And if you follow after them, you will often find your way uninterrupted.

Romans 1:32 (ESV) Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

But they cannot deliver on their promises.

They have no power.

But then there is the way of the gospel.

You will be shamed in this world.

But it rests on the power of God himself.

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