Romans 1:13-17
There’s no doubt about Paul - he was sold out for Christ! He could not have accomplished such a life of faith without this trait!
A verse that stands out regarding being sold out for God is...
Matthew 6:33 “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness...”
The word “seek” in not in the passive form but rather is passionate in action!
So as believers we are all called to seek after the Kingdom of God with a continual passion and power that’s fueled by the Holy Spirit in us. Maybe that happened to your life when you got saved last year or 10 years ago - but now that fuel source is 87 octane instead of 93 octane!
Are you SPUTTERING along instead of ZOOMING along like you use to!
SLIDE: Would the word curious or complacent best describe your hunger with God? Does inquisitive or insensitive best describe your obedience to God?
LifePoint: At times we have to strip ourselves of the stiff and wooden qualities and disrobe ourselves of the contentment and complacency that strangles our devotion to holiness and boldness.
A.W. Tozer wrote, “In the midst of this great coldness towards God there are some, I rejoice, who deliberately long after God. They want to taste,
to touch with their hearts, and see with their inner eyes the wonder of God.”
4 Principles To Being Sold Out
1. Eagerness. Vs. 13
Paul was saying to the church at Rome that he was experiencing some kind of hindrance that caused a great delay getting to Rome.
This wasn’t the first time this happened to him.
1 Thessalonians 2:18 “We wanted to come to you time and again, but Satan hindered us.”
What was behind his drive? To be fruitful for God!
Colossians 1:10 “Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
Does the word “Fully” describe our eagerness to be fruitfulness?
Bottom line - don’t let self or Satan hinder your commitment to being sold out for Jesus!
2. Indebtedness. Vs. 14
“Debtor” = being held by some obligation, bound to some duty.
He was obligated to the truth that had changed his miserable life!
Paul felt a great obligation to simply serving others! Wether they were rich or poor, Jew or gentile - he was obligate to the great message of Jesus Christ!
1 Corinthians 9:22,23 “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.
I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. NIV
3. Readiness. Vs. 15
Readiness comes in all sorts of different ways: ready to go, ready to pray, ready to give and ready to encourage!
The way I see this in Paul’s life had 3 components to it:
a. Faithful to the obligation to the gospel.
b. Flexible for the opportunity of the gospel.
c. Fearless at the opposition to the gospel.
How much of this is in each of us when it comes time to really live for Jesus?
David Livingston the great missionary to South Africa dared to pray, “Lord, send me where You will, but go with me. Lay any burden on my heart, but sustain me. Sever any ties in my life, but the one that bids me to Thee.”
4. Shamelessness. Vs. 16
Think a moment, Paul had a lot of reasons why he could have been ashamed of Christianity and the good news connected to it:
• Christianity belonged to a poor carpenter who was killed as a criminal. Imagine going to this mega city of 1 million and telling them about Jesus who died and paid for their sins!
• At this point in Christianity, there were no wealthy people, no great philosophers. Christians were considered 2nd rate folks, trouble makers to Nero. No special right only special persecution!
• This talk of the resurrection was silly in Rome and Athens as it is still today in America!
In all that, Paul was not about to step back from the miracle of the gospel and shut up with the message of grace!
3 Subjects Paul Was Not Ashamed Of:
a. The Person of Christ.
Augustine in the 4th century was seen by one of his old friends of his pagan days. This person came up to Augustine and said, Aren’t you ashamed of the terrible things you used to do?”
And to that Augustine replied, “Yes I am ashamed of the dirty things I did in my past, but I’m not ashamed of the One who saved me from my past!”
Hebrews 11:16 “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”
b. The Purpose of Christianity.
This is fundamental to each of our lives - to share this great life we have with God!!
No greater purpose then being connected and conformed to Christ! Knowing what he wants us to do on a daily basis! And each of us have one basic purpose in life - share the good news with other!
Let Hollywierd have their fame, let the military take care of the Middle East mess, let Wall Street take care of Main Street, let the politicians take care of our laws, let liberals have their so called tolerance - but let every Christian get the good news to everyone!
The social engineers think they know how to change our country - they’ve been at it for 40 years and have failed miserably! Every Sunday on NBC, CBS, ABC, and CNN, the pompist political pundits preach their puny promises to people who will listen to their platitudes.
For over 50 years, crack pots have socially engineered America for failure, it’s high time Christians begin to socially energize faith back into America again!
That’s the purpose of Christianity!!
There is an old story about a lighthouse keeper who worked on a rocky stretch of coastline. Once a month he would receive a new supply of oil to keep the light burning so that ships could safely sail near the rocky coast. One night, a woman from a nearby village came and begged him for some oil to keep her family warm. Another time a father asked for some to use in his lamp. Since all the requests seemed legitimate, the lighthouse keeper tried to please everyone and grant the requests of all.
Toward the end of the month, he noticed his supply of oil was dangerously low. Soon it was gone, and one night the light on the lighthouse went out. As a result, that evening several ships were wrecked and countless lives were lost.
When the authorities investigated, the man was very apologetic. He told them he was just trying to be helpful with the oil. Their reply to his excuses, was simple: “You were given oil for one purpose, and one purpose only - to keep that light burning!”
The foundational purposes of a church must remain supreme - never be ashamed of the gospel and share it, share it, share it!!
Think about it - the gospel is not intended to save civilization from wreckage. Instead, the gospel is intended to save people from the wreckage of civilization!
c. The Power of Calvary.
If you live in forgiveness today over your past - you’ve been hit with the power of Calvary! If you’re free today from yesterday’s addictions - you’ve been hit with the power of Calvary! If you’re faithful to your spouse - you’ve been hit by the power of Calvary!
The dynamite found in calvary’s gospel is the only power that can heal a broken body and heal a broken spirit!
The gospel is the only power that can clean up a prostitute and give her a new vision of herself. The gospel is the only power that can sober up a drunk and make him live for another Spirit! The gospel is the only power that can make an ex-drug pusher - push the gospel. The gospel is the only power that can make a pervert straight again.
“There is power, power wonder working power in the precious blood of the Lamb!”
There was a young boy who at the age of 6 lost his mother rather suddenly. He struggled for most of his early life over her death. At 20 a friend gave him a picture of his mother. That spurred him to write this about the day of her death...
“My mother...I heard the bell tolled on thy burial day, I saw the hearse that bore thee slowly away and turning from my bedroom window, I drew a long, long sigh, and wept...”
After years of mental meltdowns this man had a major nervous breakdown, he then threw his mother’s Bible away and cursed God as he was ushered into a mental hospital after trying to commit suicide.
In 1764 and still in the mental hospital, he happened to pick up someone’s Bible that fell from their hands, as he picked it up off the floor, it just happened to open to Romans 3:25 which just happened to be highlighted for his eyes to catch it.
Romans 3:25 “We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed His blood, sacrificing His life for us.” NLT
William Cowper,the great hymn writer, was saved right on the spot and out of that experience came these words... “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains. When this poor lispering, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave, then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy power to save, I’ll sing Thy power to save!”
The way I see it, the world is screaming at evolution saying, “Save us from this life!” The world is screaming at philosophy, “Save us from ourselves!” The world is screaming at education, “Save us from our ignorance!” The world is screaming at government, “Save us from our problems...” And the world is still in despair!
Close your Bibles and listen to this true story...
A terrible fire broke out in a one room school house in 1896. The men of the small town rallied to get the fire out quicky but the fire soon was completely out of control!
The men were able to get all but one child from the fire. In the midst of it all a desperate father saw his son in the flames and his son saw him also. As their eyes met in complete desperation, the son screamed, “Daddy, can’t you save me, Daddy can’t you save me?”
By now the fire fighters had to drag the father away from the fire and his son was finally consumed by the blazing inferno! The father died 2 years later in total despair knowing that he was powerless to save his own son from the flames of death.
Without the gospel we will never be able to put out the flames of hell that are already burning around the unbeliever’s life!
HEAR THIS SERMON PREACHED @ www.fbcac.org
