Living Unashamed In A Foolish World

Secular -

"A scientist once told God, 'We don't need you anymore. Science can create life from dust now.' God said, 'Show me.' The scientist reached down, grabbed a handful of dirt, and God stopped him and said, 'Hold on now—get your own dirt!'"

Historical/Cultural Context -

Paul wrote Romans to explain the gospel and to establish the theological foundation of the faith. It was written between A.D. 56-58.

Biblical Text -

Romans 1:8–23 NKJV

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle - Unashamed faith trusts the Gospel's power and warns against the world's idolatry.

Life Point- Unashamed Faith Is Life In Christ.

Exegetical -

Romans 1:8–17 BSB

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed all over the world. God, whom I serve with my spirit in preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times, asking that now at last by God’s will I may succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, how often I planned to come to you (but have been prevented from visiting until now), in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles. I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Homiletical -

What is the first thing that Paul says in our verses today. He says I thank MY God through Jesus Christ.

The first thing Paul has done is make God personal. He doesn’t God or The God. He says my God. Christianity is not about rules and regulations it is about relationship with God. God should be speaking to you through the Word of God and making lively and applicable to your inner man. You should be sensing the Holy Spirit when you pray and when you read scripture.

You should also notice a change in your life. What I find interesting about Paul is that he is a man’s man. No one here would call Paul a wimp. He was stoned, shipwrecked, and bitten by a poisonous snake yet he did not die. As a matter-of-fact that snake on the Isle of Malta did nothing to him.

Yet here he is talking about being intimate with God. Gentlemen, If you want to be a true Christian man then get close to God. Ladies, if you want to be a true Christian wife then get close to God.

Notice he says through Jesus Christ. Why? Because as we will find out later in this book it’s all about Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection that gives us access to God. It is because of what He did on that cross that we have access.

We know that he is thankful to God for them. But why is he thankful? Because their faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole church, wherever in the world the Gospel has already touched at this point.

Paul says that he constantly lifts up the church at Rome in prayer. When was the last time you lifted up your church in prayer. If you don’t like something, then pray the Lord either open your eyes to His work in the church or, if your sure it’s God’s will, pray that leadership’s eyes would be open.

I once heard someone say the way they pray in a situation like that is they make sure they know that they know that they know it is God’s will and they start praying for a change of heart, change of address, or a home-going.

Let me challenge all men in the church for a minute. You should be praying for God’s direction in your life to lead your household well and then to help you to lead your church well. When that is line, then step up and do something with your faith.

Ladies let me challenge you for a minute. You should be praying for God to show you how to be a submissive wife, biblically and you should be praying for your husband to lead you well.

We should all be praying for the people in the congregation and praying for the leadership of the church.

In his prayer he now asks that by God’s will he may succeed in coming to them.

Why? Because he loves God’s people. We should all love one another. I am not talking about worldly hippie love. I am talking about Biblical love. We can’t show God’s kind of love if we are out of relationship with God.

The longer you spend away from God and the Bible the more of the world you’re going to absorb. Like the kitchen sponge I talked about last week.

Paul was planning on doing some visiting with them like he did with other Gentiles, but was hindered in coming to them. We are not told how Paul was hindered, whether it was spiritual, physical or what. Just that he was hindered.

In his ministry he says that he is obligated to preach to Greeks, non-Greeks, wise and foolish. Now who does that cover? Well that covers just about everyone. He is obligated to share the Gospel with everyone around him.

Guess what? So are we. So are you. Take ownership of that for minute you are obligated to share Jesus with everyone around you. Everyone, means everyone.

It can be uncomfortable. But so was every first time you have ever had. Were you 100% comfortable when you first learned to drive? How about when you first learned to swim? How about when you first came to this church?

As to the last thing I said, we want to make people’s visits as comfortable as we can, but there is always some level of uncomfortability in it.

God is always wanting us to grow and move. If you don’t feel like you’ve been growing, then is the problem with the church? Or yourself?

9 times out of 10 you will find the problem is with yourself.

Paul also says that he is not ashamed of the Gospel. Why?

Because it is the power of God. Think about that. That means there is God’s power behind it for the salvation to everyone who believes.

This reminds me of a pastor I was working with and some years ago the SBC had an emphasis on Evangelism. So the were working with a curriculum on how to share the Gospel called Evangelism Explosion. He excelled in the methodology of it.

He got to his first stop, knocked on the door and messed the whole presentation. Stopping, starting, fumbling his words. He thought to himself there is no way this lady is going to accept Christ. He said it was so bad he cringed inside.

So he finally gives up tells her about Jesus, Him crucified for her sins and resurrected on the third day. Then asks her if she wants to become a christian.

Much to his surprise she prayed to receive Christ right there.

The power of salvation is not how eloquent you are but in the Gospel itself. If you would just grab hold of that and challenge yourself to share Christ, then this church will be full of new believers. Not unbelievers, but believers in Jesus Christ, His crucifixion and subsequent resurrection.

Speaking of Jesus did you know Christ is not His last name? It is the Greek word Christos. Which means saviour. I like to say it is the greek form of calling him Messiah. Just like Jesus’ name in Hebrew is Yeshua.

The Gospel reveals the righteousness of God. We live by faith in Jesus’ righteousness because of the Gospel. The good news that you don’t have to be separated from God. You can be made right with Him through the shed blood of Jesus.

If that don’t start a fire inside you then you need to check your salvation.

We live by faith, from start to finish. There is nothing you can do to gain salvation. That is called works salvation, and it don’t work. The only thing you can do, is when the Holy Spirit draws you when the Gospel is preached is respond.

If that isn’t simple enough then I don’t know what else to do for you. Gospel is preached, you respond in faith. That’s how it works.

Illustration -

Think of a lighthouse standing on a rocky, storm-swept coast. It doesn’t need a complex speech or a polished presentation to save lives in a storm. It doesn't worry about how eloquent its light is, nor does it hesitate because the waves are rough. Its power isn't in how impressive the tower looks on the outside; its power is in the light source inside it. Day in and day out, it simply sends out its beam to direct vessels safely home.

Many believers act like a lighthouse trying to manually flag down ships with a small flashlight, worrying, "What if I don't wave it right? What if I fumble?" Paul says that the Gospel itself is the power, the beacon of God's salvation. Just like that pastor earlier I was talking about, the one who fumbled his words on the doorstep, the effectiveness of the signal didn't depend on his polish. It depended on the source.

When your faith is personal, when God is truly "my God;” you stop relying on your own strength. You simply plug into the power source and let the light of the Gospel shine through you.

Life Point - Be The Watchman, Point Out Idolatry & Worship God

Exegetical -

Romans 1:18–23 BSB

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Homiletical -

Now Paul changes what he is talking about.

Notice Paul says God has some wrath to Him. He does folks. God is love and if you’re a Christian God has some chastising for you too.

Hebrews 12:6 BSB

For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.”

But on the ungodly things and people there is wrath. People who suppress the truth of God in their lives.

Paul is talking about what we call the general revelation of God. Now we split God’s revelation into two parts. The general and the special or specific revelation.

Paul tells us that if you just look around at the creation that it shows all was created by God. Yet, we have so-called atheists who will look at the complexity of life and call it all an act of chance.

Now I say so-called atheists because you can’t know for certain there is no God. You would have to have all knowledge to know there is no God. Which would in effect make you God. So there are no true atheists. in the world and anyone who believes in atheism is suppressing the truth of God.

Folks, people who reject God though they see all His attributes, are in dire straights. They need the Gospel shared with them and if they don’t get the Gospel shared with them and you had the opportunity to share it, then their blood is on your head.

Ezekiel 33:1–9 BSB

Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: ‘Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land choose a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against that land and blows the ram’s horn to warn the people. Then if anyone hears the sound of the horn but fails to heed the warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the horn but failed to heed the warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes away a life, then that one will be taken away in his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’ As for you, O son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word from My mouth and give them the warning from Me. If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from it, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

Now this is specifically for Ezekiel, but the principle still stands.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:16

1 Corinthians 9:16 BSB

Yet when I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am obligated to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

Now Paul talks about those that worship the creation. These kinds of people became fools, thinking they were wise. They worshipped the created and not the creator.

Well, you may say, pastor that doesn’t happen anymore. Well, I beg to differ.

When you put your faith in Atheism and other things than the God of the Bible. Have you not become worshippers of the creation over the creator?

Let me say it, I have examined Atheism and it’s so-called evidence extensively for over 20 years and all I can say is; I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist.

Yes, atheism takes faith to believe some of the garbage they tout as evidence. Whereas the evidence for God is so much stronger, so much more coherent than that of atheism.

How about those that put their faith in the world’s financial system. The almighty dollar. They worship and they put it before everything else in their lives.

I am not picking on people with money either. Did you know you can be poor and still worship the dollar?

1 Timothy 6:10 BSB

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Matthew 6:24 BSB

No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Notice it says the love of money, not that you love the money you have. Money in and of itself is neither good nor bad. It is what you do with it. Are you worshipping it? Is it the god of your heart? Or is God on the throne of your heart?

How about those that worship their stuff? Their motorcycles, cars, boats, 4 wheelers and so forth. Is that not trading the worship of God, for the worship of the created thing?

God says unless you have Him at the center of your lives as the one to be worshipped then you are a fool, though you think you are wise.

Proverbs 9:10 BSB

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Be the watchman, point out idolatry of the heart, and worship God.

Life Principle– Unashamed faith trusts the Gospel's power and warns against the world's idolatry.

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