What Are You Ashamed Of?

What Are You Ashamed Of? Romans 1:1-16

Meaning of Ashamed

Ashamed = affected by shame, conviction of some criminal action or conduct; conviction by the exposure of some gross error or misconduct thinking to be wrong which tends to impair his honor or reputation; reluctantcy or unwillingness to do something because of shame or embarrassment.

Are You Ashamed of Salvation?

Paul’s Deliverance (vs.1) - Salvation!

Paul’s Debt (vs.14)

1 Corinthians 9:16 “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”

Paul’s Devotion (vs.15)

Paul’s Declaration (vs.16)

Paul’s Defense (vs.16b)

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power to save sinners.

1 Corinthians 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.”

Titus 3:3-5 “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

The only thing that has power to change people is the Gospel.

The reason people are rewritting the Bible, taking “church” off their sign, having wordly music and churches, is not because they want to bring people in. It’s because they’re ashamed of Jesus Christ.

Are you ashamed that those you work with will find out your a Christian?

Are you ashamed that your neighbors might find out that you go to church?

One thing we can learn from Sodomites, perverts, drunkards, and fornicators is that they are not ashamed of who they are and what they do. THEY SERVE THE GOD OF THIS WORLD AND ARE NOT AFRAID TO TELL ABOUT IT.

The Sodomite is prideful about their erroneous sin.

The drunkard will tell you how many they’ve drunk today and how they partied and had a good time, followed by the worst hangover they ever had.

The fornicator will tell of all the women he’s had, or the woman of all the men she’s had in days past.

THEY DO NOT FEEL LIKE THESE AWFUL SINS ARE HINDERING THEIR REPUTATION. THEY ARE NOT ASHAMED. WE AS CHRISTIAN SHOULD NOT BE ASHAMED FOR WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN OUR LIVES BY SAVING US BY THE BLOOD OF HIS SON!

Are You Ashamed of Sin? (Romans 6:15-21)

Slavery to Sin (vs.20)

Jeremiah 6:13-16 “For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.”

Seeds of Sin (vs.21)

Ezra 9:5-7 “And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God, And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.”

The fruit of sin will never bring anything but shame, sorrow, and slavery.

Sanctification From Sin (vs.22-23)

You have the ability to choose whether you want to be the servant of sin or a servant of the Sovereign. Are you ashamed of sin, or the Sovereign? Which ever your ashamed of, you’ll be a servant of the other. You can serve God with everything in you if you want!

Are You Ashamed to Suffer (2 Timothy 1:7-12)

We Have Power (vs.7)

Romans 1:16 “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.”

1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”

Don’t be afraid to tell someone about Jesus Christ. When you are in fear about doing anything for God, it’s not of God, it’s of Satan. (vs.7)

We have the Promised One (vs.8a)

Testimony = the witness of Jesus Christ.

John 1:32-33 “And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.”

John 20:31 “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

1 John 1:1-3 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

We Need to Partake (vs.8b)

Afflictions - to suffer hardships together with one another.

The Christian life is not supposed to be easy. If it’s going easy, you’re doing it wrong. If you’re not facing persecution, you’re doing it wrong. We’re not to be ashamed to face persecution for the cause of Christ!

2 Timothy 3:12 “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

Psalms 25:2-3 “O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, Let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: Let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.”

Philippians 3:8-10 “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

2 Corinthians 11:23-30 “Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.”

Hebrews 11:35-38 “Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”

Paul was beheaded.

Peter was crucified upside down.

William Tyndale, who translated 90% of the KJV, was arrested, put into prison for a year and a half, brought to trial for heresy, was strangled and his body was burned at the stake.

IF WE WANT TO DO SOMETHING FOR GOD, WE NEED TO BE WILLING TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET THE GOSPEL OUT!

We Need to Be Persuaded (vs.12)

1 Peter 4:19 “Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”

Psalms 119:2-6 “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, And that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: They walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us To keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed To keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, When I have respect unto all thy commandments.”

Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Are You Ashamed of the Savior? (Luke 9:26) (context is sinners)

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 his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.”

This ashamed deals with rejection and ridicule. Sinners have no place in God’s kingdom until they get saved.

Hebrews 2:9-11 “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,”

When we get saved and adopted into the family of God, we become heirs and joint-heirs with Christ. We obtain all the things that the Father has given Christ. In a sense, we become brother’s with Christ. Christ is not ashamed to call us brethren. Why in the world would be ashamed of Him?