I Am Not Ashamed Of The Gospel Series

Notes from: Sermon and Outline Bible for Romans & Utleys Commentary on Romans

Title: For I am not ashamed of the gospel

Theme: To show the importance of witnessing

Text: Romans 1:16-17

“ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; 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.” (Romans 1:16-17 AV)

Introduction

These two verses contain one of the greatest summaries of the gospel ever written. It is a clear declaration of God’s power to save all who believe, no matter their nationality or condition.

It begins with Paul’s clear proclamation that he is “not ashamed of the gospel of Christ”

The word ashamed means, “feeling shame, guilt, or disgrace; feeling inferior or unworthy”.

Inferior or Unworthy

We are familiar with the feeling shame and guilt. Jesus tells us that if we are ashamed of Him with others He will be ashamed of us before the father _ Luke 9:26 But the focus I see is the “inferior and unworthy”. The trick of the enemy.

Romans 8:37-39 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (38) For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, (39) nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Isaiah 54:17New King James Version (NKJV)

17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper,

And every tongue which rises against you in judgment

You shall condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,

And their righteousness is from Me,”

Says the LORD.

The dread of hell is that you'll wake up to the power that God has given you.

THE WORST NIGHTMARE TO THE DEVIL IS THAT YOU WILL DISCOVER WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST.

HELL’S WORST NIGHTMARE IS THAT YOU WILL WAKE UP AND BELIEVE THAT

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me Phil 4:13

Greater is he who is in me 1 John 4:4

No weapon formed against me shall prosper Isaiah 54:17

I am more than a conqueror Romans 8:37

I am not bound I am free

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Now if we have read just a small section of Paul’s writing we would not be surprised by this verse. He did not believe that the gospel of Christ was inferior nor was he embarrassed to tell everyone he met about this gospel of Christ.

But don’t be fooled he could have been ashamed (feel inferior).

Why?

1. Because of the moral degeneracy of the society. The sinfulness. And the awesome promises of the gospel.

2. Because he was a Jew.

3. The unbelieveablity of the Gospel. A man came and claimed to be God and died on a cross and now we can all be forgiven. This had never been heard before.

4. It was not uncommon in Paul’s ministry to be rejected. Not just by people but by whole communities. His life was threatened in Berea, he was laughed at in Athens, and the Greeks mocked his message.

Yet Paul still proclaims, I am not ashamed. These are some of the excuses that we use not to witness to the lost. 1) Because society is so bad we don’t want to tell them that they are wrong. We don’t want to embarrass them. We even say, “There is no hope”. Yet there is hope and his name is Jesus

Luke 9:26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 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; 9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

2) Because of our differences in race or social status we don’t try to reach everyone. We limit ourselves to those whom we are most familiar with and then we don’t take the plunge

3) We feel that we are not smart enough, or we don’t know enough to witness. Well you will never feel like you know enough. We must witness. God can use any ones testimony or witness to win a soul. Yet it is hard for him to use our silence with out a “reason for the way we live”.