Not Ashamed
Romans • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Last week we talked about finding the will of God, and focused a great deal on God’s providential will. By that we learned that God provides a way. He opens doors no one can close, and closes doors no one can open. We saw how God often will offer a path of “least resistance,” and at times can even “salt our oats” to get us to do something that we are reticent to do.
This week I want to talk about something a bit more practical and timely. Let’s pick up where we left off last week:
I have an obligation to both Greeks and barbarians, to both the wise and the foolish. So I am eager to proclaim the Good News also to you who are in Rome.
For I am not ashamed of the Good News, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who trusts—to the Jew first and also to the Greek. In it the righteousness of God is revealed, from trust to trust. As it is written, “But the righteous shall live by emunah.”
A few years ago, something amazing and controversial took place. It had to do with the Vice President at the time, and something he does and believes. It was so controversial that it made headlines.
Are you ready for this? You aren’t going to believe it. It’s so shocking! He talks to God, and believes that God answers him! I know! It is shocking! It isn’t? Well, it will probably come as no surprise to anyone who keeps up with these sorts of things that one of the women of “The View”—co -host Sunny Hostin said, “I don’t know that I want my vice president, um — speaking in tongues and having Jesus speak to him.”
Joy Behar responded: “It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another thing when Jesus talks to you. That’s called mental illness, if I’m not correct, hearing voices.”
I heard ministers from some main line denominations even apologizing for what occurred, saying that most “progressive sects of Christianity no longer do that kind of thing.” sadly this is all too true. Many Christians don’t even believe that they can hear from God. Sadder still is that this is exactly the type of thing Jesus said we should be doing! He said that not only would God speak to us, He said that He would tell us what to say, when we ourselves didn’t know! Seems to make perfect sense doesn’t it?
It made perfect sense to Paul too. He knew that his job was to preach to everyone; wise and unwise, Greeks, barbarians, Jews – anyone really. What empowered him to do so was (according to verse 17) a righteousness that comes as a result of faith in Jesus.
See, when we know the favor of God, we are better able to extend that favor outwardly. It doesn’t matter what people’s opinion of us is, as long as we are honoring God, that is all we care about. Look at how Paul put it to the Corinthians and later as he was instructing his young protégé Timothy.
For I am the least of the emissaries, unworthy to be called an emissary because I persecuted God’s community. But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace toward me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than them all—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether then it is I or they, so we proclaim, and so you believed.
Let’s start out with verse 11, “whether then it is I or they” what did he do? That’s right! He preached. Notice the way it’s worded, it says whether then, what does that then point to? It points to the sentence before it, because this, then… because what? Look right before it. Because I am the least of the emissaries (apostles)… not worthy…BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD - another one of God’s famous “But God” moments… what happened? Paul was transformed by the grace of God! So because of that grace, he preached. Now let’s see him instruct Timothy:
I thank Messiah Yeshua our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, appointing me to service— even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. Yet I was shown mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed with the faith and love that are in Messiah Yeshua.
See, Paul makes it clear that his ministry is done because of the grace of God. Having been transformed from what he was to a minister of the Gospel, Paul seeks only to bring others into this right relationship with God, and is not ashamed of what that means.
Let’s go back to verse 15, we read:
So I am eager to proclaim the Good News also to you who are in Rome.
Paul was eager to take this message into Rome where it was certainly not going to be appreciated. But here was Paul. He was ready for it! What I’d like to focus on is the “why”. Why would this man – well respected amongst the very upper class Jews of his day, be so willing – no, so desirous of doing something that seemed to be “foolishness?”
Paul was not ashamed
Paul was not ashamed
Let’s go back to verse 16.
For I am not ashamed of the Good News, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who trusts—to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
It is the power of God to salvation for EVERYONE! If it is the power of God to salvation to everyone, then to whom should we be preaching this message? Then does that include the people who would mock you because of it?
Well, what does verse 14 say?
I have an obligation to both Greeks and barbarians, to both the wise and the foolish.
Well, I guess those who would mock you would fall into the category of the unwise, but notice the interesting choice of words that Paul uses. “I have an obligation…” To what obligation do you think Paul is referring? Paul spells it out later in Romans:
Owe no one anything except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the Torah.
Would you allow someone who you love to go to hell? Paul says he has an obligation and therefore must preach the Gospel. The Greek word here uses obligation and debt interchangeably so if Paul was indebted to the world, how much more are we? Paul was convinced about something about the Gospel.
In it the righteousness of God is revealed, from trust to trust. As it is written, “But the righteous shall live by emunah.”
God is revealed in the Gospel! Can you imagine that? We have the ability to reveal the righteousness of God to the world?
Paul actually fleshes this out a little more fully later on in Romans:
But now God’s righteousness apart from the Torah has been revealed, to which the Torah and the Prophets bear witness— namely, the righteousness of God through putting trust in Messiah Yeshua, to all who keep on trusting. For there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are set right as a gift of His grace, through the redemption that is in Messiah Yeshua. God set forth Yeshua as an atonement, through faith in His blood, to show His righteousness in passing over sins already committed. Through God’s forbearance, He demonstrates His righteousness at the present time—that He Himself is just and also the justifier of the one who puts his trust in Yeshua.
The Gospel is the good news in that it reveals that Jesus is the righteousness of God. Not just his righteousness, but his forbearance or mercy! God passed over our sins in order to demonstrate the righteousness of God. You see, what the world really hates about Christianity is exactly this. The world hates that we reveal the righteousness of God. What it often fails to see, that the righteousness of God also includes an escape from our lifestyle of sinfulness. It reveals the propitiation that was made for us. How can we be ashamed of that? If the world has a problem with that, it has a problem – period. Nothing about the Gospel was intended to be judgmental; rather it was made to reveal the true sinfulness of man, and the true righteousness of a loving God who desires to bring that man into fellowship with Himself.
It is because of the power of this very message that Paul was not ashamed of what he was preaching – it made more sense to him than anything he had preached as a Pharisee.
Paul’s Message
Paul’s Message
So what exactly was Paul’s message?
Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the Good News which I proclaimed to you. You also received it, and you took your stand on it, and by it you are being saved if you hold firm to the word I proclaimed to you—unless you believed without proper consideration. For I also passed on to you first of all what I also received—
that Messiah died for our sins
according to the Scriptures,
that He was buried,
that He was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures,
and that He appeared to Kefa,
then to the Twelve.
Then He appeared to over five hundred
brothers and sisters at one time—
most of them are still alive,
though some have died.
Then He appeared to Jacob,
then to all the emissaries,
and last of all, as to one untimely born,
He also appeared to me.
And here is the theme of Romans- the theme of the Bible really.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
along with...
For sin’s payment is death, but God’s gracious gift is eternal life in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.
Jesus said that there was no other way.
Yeshua said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life! No one comes to the Father except through Me.
He told them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to every creature. He who believes and is immersed shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak new languages; they will handle snakes; and if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.”
The second part of this was once considered not to be part of the original and most reliable manuscripts, but as we get additional archaeological evidence, scholars are more convinced that verse 17 and 18 belong. But here is the main point of all this: the first half is evidenced by the second half. You know, it has recently been ruled illegal for church groups in Great Briton to state that God can heal people. Is that ridiculous or what? But see, without the second half of the equation, we are just another system of faith. The second part- the signs and wonders – that is what makes us different! That is what reveals Jesus as the righteousness of God – the one who has come to lovingly restore us to fullness!
So how about us?
So how about us?
How do you and I go about taking these truths and weaving them into our character? How do we go about having the boldness to stand for the Gospel in spite of what the world believes?
1. Remember that we no longer belong to ourselves.
1. Remember that we no longer belong to ourselves.
and it is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me. And the life I now live in the body, I live by trusting in Ben-Elohim—who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
2. Get an urgency about the destiny of the unbeliever.
2. Get an urgency about the destiny of the unbeliever.
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we are trying to persuade people, but what we are is known to God—and I hope it is known to your consciences as well.
3. Consider your obligation a debt
3. Consider your obligation a debt
I have an obligation to both Greeks and barbarians, to both the wise and the foolish.
If you make yourself available to spread the Gospel, I guarantee you, you will have an opportunity to minister this incredible gift of salvation, but you must make yourself ready. Peter says:
But how do we get ready?
But how do we get ready?
Instead sanctify Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you,
Move from just the very basics of the Word of God and partake in a feast of the hidden truth. We need to submit to a course of hardcore discipleship, consider what the author of Hebrews has to say:
For although you ought to be teachers by this time, again you need someone to teach you the basics of God’s sayings. You have come to need milk, not solid food. For anyone living on milk is inexperienced with the teaching about righteousness—he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who through practice have their senses trained to discern both good and evil.
It is not enough for you to merely sit here Sunday after Sunday, not digging in to the word in some disciplined and thorough manner during the week. Scripture is very clear that you need someone to teach you the more substantial things of the Lord. It is beneficial for discernment- of which we need tons when ministering to people in this day and age. If you put other things ahead of a scholarly systematic and disciplined study of the Word, you will never be more than a babe and Christ, and usable only to a very minute degree. To be fully equipped to be used by God in all situations, you need to be discipled.
If you submit yourself to a thorough discipleship however, you will see that you will actually be looking for open doors to share the Gospel because you will be much better equipped to answer people’s questions and objections correctly.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Are you ashamed of the Gospel of Christ? Are you ashamed to be called a Christian? Are you ashamed of the stuff we do? Speak in tongues? Lay hands on the sick? Well, perhaps the problem is that you have not understood before today, what the Gospel really was. Perhaps you have not known that the Gospel is the very means by which God reveals his righteousness to the world. It is not a righteousness that condemns, but in revealing that Jesus is the righteousness of God, we know that God has made a provision for us to be reunited to Him. It is this Gospel of salvation and of healing and of power that God uses to transform the world around us. Perhaps our understanding is dimmed due to lack of knowledge, and this lack of knowledge is the result of not becoming Disciples of Christ. We need to heed the warning of scripture and become hard core students of the Word.