Communicating The Gospel With Confidence Series

Communicating the Gospel with Confidence

Romans 1:15-17

Series: Living the Abundant Life”

Intro

The apostle Paul stood with his face toward the city of Rome, the queen city of the empire, the place of poets and legislators, the scene of imperial grandeur where the magnificence of wealth and power was on constant display. With great confidence in his gospel to meet the deepest need in the hearts of the people in this mighty metropolis, Paul was eager to preach the gospel to them. Paul was convinced that the gospel of Jesus Christ was the only solution to the problem of the world’s sin.

Paul gracious enthusiasm grew out of his confidence in the power of divine love, the power of eternal truth, the power of moral judgment, and the power of the living Spirit of God, which had been demonstrated time and time again when the gospel was communicated.

Paul used a negative approach to express a positive truth. He was declaring that the gospel had never caused his face to blush. If has never let him down.

We need to be infected with Paul’s enthusiasm. We need to be possessed by a passion for souls. We need to be convinced that the gospel is the solution to our problems: individual problems, national problems, and international problems.

I. Paul was confident of the source of his gospel

a. The gospel was born in the heart of God.

b. It was disclosed in Bethlehem.

c. It was demonstrated on Calvary

II. Paul was confident of the substance of the gospel

a. Many have thought of Christianity as primarily in terms of good advice

b. The gospel is good news about God as he has revealed himself in the person, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

c. Many sermons fail to be gospel sermons because they do no contain the good news about God.

d. You personal witness to an unsaved friend should center in the good news of God’s love demonstrated in the gift of Jesus Christ for us.

III. Paul was confident of the scope of the gospel

a. The angelic announcements to the shepherds declared, “Fear not: For behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:10).

b. The gospel invitation includes all people irrespective of color, class, condition, or station in life.

c. The blessings of the gospel are needed by all.

d. The blessings of the gospel are easily within the reach of all.

IV. Paul was confident of the success of the gospel (v. 16)

a. Even a little child can trust.

b. Salvation comes to us through the channel of faith, that it might be by grace

i. Romans 4:16

“For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”

ii. By faith a sinner could receive Jesus Christ from a grounded submarine on the bottom of the ocean.

iii. By faith an astronaut speeding through space or living at the space station could accept the gospel invitation and entrust his or her soul into the care and custody of the Savior.

Closing

As followers of Jesus Christ, we, like Paul, can communicate the gospel with great confidence. Our Savior came to save. Our Savior did to save. Our Savior lives again to save. Our Savior will use our mouths to communicate the message of God’s great salvation if we will make ourselves available to him and cooperate with him in his continuing quest to save.