A Show Of Faith

A Show of Faith

Greetings Podcast Patriots. This is Perry Greene of GNA. Thank you so much for listening in today. I hope you are checking out our website at GodNAmerica.com. Please stop by occasionally. I am hoping to have some merchandise available for you soon. You may also donate to help us keep our light burning!

Today’s lesson is “A Show of Faith.” We will be focusing on Romans 1:16-17. I want to point out:

1. The Gospel and Its Personal Appeal

2. The Gospel and Its Universal Authority

3. The Gospel and Its Divine Appearance.

I will be using quite a few quotes from some of our Founding Fathers.

Did you hear the story back in 2017 of the veteran living in a retirement village who had decorated his mailbox with a wrap-around decal of an American flag? The village officers were afraid that the flag might offend someone. So they ordered him to remove that mailbox, and they are threatened to sue him if he didn’t.

How about the college which banned and removed all American flags from their campus, including cars that display decals portraying an American flag? They believe that seeing such a flag on their campus might offend someone.

It is not just flags that might offend. Several colleges have announced that any favorable mention of Jesus or Christianity will no longer be tolerated. And any campus groups or meetings that are considered "Christian" will no longer be allowed on college property. (Adapted from a Sermon by Melvin Newland on Sermon Central)

The “fear of offending” unbelievers is silencing Christians. In fact, many Christians are afraid, not just of offending, but of being harmed in some manner by unbelievers. So, they remain silent.

Is that what Jesus wants? Does Jesus want the voices of believers silenced? Does He want His name silenced before those who need to hear it?

There is a time when we are to express our faith in secret, by design. For instance, Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:1 (ESV):

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

“Practicing righteousness” is an idiom for giving to the poor. Here, God wants us to give, not to be seen and acclaimed by men, but in secret, seen by Him alone. He brings great reward for such action.

In that same chapter, Jesus tells us to pray in secret and God will answer openly (Matthew 6:7-8). He also tells us to fast without drawing attention to ourselves (Matthew 6:16-18). The only reward that people have who draw attention to themselves is that attention. God wants to give more.

While there are times to be secretive in our faith, there are also times to be outwardly expressive. Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33 (ESV):

32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Jesus identifies with us as the “God-Man.” He expects us to identify with Him. He expects us to confess or acknowledge Him before others. Our silence in those times is an actual denial of Him. Look at the consequences. If we acknowledge Him, He acknowledges us. If we deny Him He denies us. Which do you want?

The Apostle Paul was a die-hard bondservant of Jesus. That is, he was Jesus’ “slave.” He would go where Jesus sent him; he would what Jesus commanded him; he would, by the grace of God, live up to Jesus’ expectations. He made an important and relevant affirmation in Romans 1:16-17 (ESV):

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

When we are afraid to speak up for Jesus are we ashamed of the gospel? When we are afraid to be identified with Jesus, are we ashamed of the gospel? Paul met repeated opposition to the gospel. If that were many of us, we would become silent and try to blend into the crowd, not Paul. He stood up all the more. On one occasion in Lystra (Acts 14), there was so much opposition to Paul that the citizens stoned him outside the city and left him for dead. He revived, and instead of running away, he went back into the city until the next day!

I. The Gospel and Its Personal Appeal

Paul tells us that the gospel is the “power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” What happens if we separate ourselves from it? What if we are ashamed of it? What happens if we are silent in regard to it? What happens to salvation?