Introduction:
What is this? A starfish! At one time, this starfish was alive and swimming in the ocean. You probably know what happened. As so often happens, this starfish was washed up on the beach and because a starfish can't live out of water, it died.
I heard a story about a man who was vacationing in Mexico. One day he was walking along a deserted beach when he saw a man approaching from the opposite direction. As he watched the man, he saw that the man kept bending down, picking something up and throwing it into the water. As he got closer, he could see that the man was picking up starfish that had washed up onto the beach and he was throwing them back into the water.
As the two men met, he said, "Good morning. I was wondering what you are doing."
"Why, I am throwing these starfish back into the ocean, because if I don't, they will die."
"I understand, but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach and you can't possibly get all of them. Can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?"
The man bent down and picked up another starfish and threw it back into the ocean. He smiled at the man and said, "I made a difference to that one, didn't I?"
All over the world there are people who are like a fish out of water. They are dying because they don't know about Jesus. Can we make a difference? Maybe we can't get to all of them, but we can tell those that we meet each day about the love of Jesus. Each time that we tell someone about Jesus, we can say, "I made a difference to that one."
http://www.sermons4kids.com/one-at-a-time.html
WBTU:
Read Romans 1:8-17.
In our series through Romans focusing on grace through Jesus Christ, we come to two verses in the middle of ch. 1 that summarize what Paul is going to talk about throughout ch. 1-8.
Up to vs. 16 Paul has used the word gospel 4 times. One each in vs. 16 and 17.
The word gospel simply means “good news.” So much bad news, good to hear good news.
Thesis: Let’s talk about the gospel from vs. 16
For instances:
The Pride of the gospel- I am not ashamed of the gospel
If one of my sons was to do something daring, courageous, or outstanding, I would be proud of him and boast of him. “He is my pride and joy.”
Not saying that we shouldn’t do that, but the one thing that we need to be proud of is Jesus Christ and the gospel. We need to brag on God for what he has done for us. Galatians 6:14: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ
The opposite of boasting is to be ashamed of something or someone. For some, if their children are disappointments or do something scandalous, then we try to avoid discussing anything about that child. If they are brought up we try to cover over their faults and failings.
Some Christians do this with the gospel of Jesus Christ. They avoid discussing it and if it is brought up they try to cover over the possible negative aspects of it.
I remember a time in my life when I was like that. Had difficulties in junior high, high school
I am so thankful that there are youth today who are not ashamed of the gospel and take a stand for Jesus by openly praying in public. September 28 is See You At the Pole. See You at the Pole began in 1990 as a grass roots movement with ten students praying at their school. Twenty years later, millions pray on their campuses on the fourth Wednesday in September. See You at the Pole is simply a prayer rally where students meet at the school flagpole before school to lift up their friends, families, teachers, school, and nation to God. See You at the Pole is a student-initiated, student-organized, and student-led event.
Now Paul did not have confidence in his own powers and abilities to proclaim the gospel, but he had every confidence in the gospel itself, or rather in the One of whom it speaks- Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:12: I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
One time a young Christian tried to preach; he could not preach very well, but he did the best he could- but someone stood up and said, “Young man, you cannot preach; you ought to be ashamed of yourself.” The young man said, “I am, but I am not ashamed of my Lord.” Do not be ashamed of Christ- of the man that bought us with His own blood.
Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir- WE'VE BEEN RIDICULED BY THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW HIM, AND MOCKED BY THOSE WHO DON'T BELIEVE. STILL, I LOVE STANDING UP FOR MY JESUS CAUSE OF ALL THAT HE'S DONE FOR ME. THAT'S WHY I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL, THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. NO, I AM NOT AFRAID TO BE COUNTED, BUT I'M WILLING TO GIVE MY LIFE.
This was Paul’s testimony about the gospel. But why is he not ashamed?
The Power of the gospel- because it is the power of God
Power is the same word from where we get the word dynamite.
The story my grandfather told of how his neighbor made a pond. Got a ton of dynamite (in the days before any regulations on dynamite) and put it in a low spot on his land. Ignited it and made a pond!
1 Corinthians 1:18: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God
1 Corinthians 1:23: Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God
2 Corinthians 10:4: The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
To the Romans this would have meant something. They had power through their military, through their engineering of roads, buildings, and weapons of war, through their government, and through their wealth. Through these things, they had all the power at that time.
No matter how much power Rome had, they could not save themselves from their sins, from the grave or from hell. They put their faith in all the external things of the world, but forgot about the spiritual things of the soul. 2 Corinthians 4:18: we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
The gospel has power, but power to do what?
The Pardon of the gospel- for the salvation
What is the gospel? The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:1- 4: Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
These are the facts of the gospel found in the first 4 books of the NT. However, what does this mean for us? Vs. 3- Christ died for our sins. This is what Paul is saying in Romans.
1 Peter 2:24: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
Ch. 1-5 talks about the pardon and ch. 6-8 talks about living for righteousness.
our hymns- “It as on that old cross Jesus suffered and died to pardon and sanctify me”
What does it mean to be pardoned? Pardon is a cancellation of a penalty for a crime. Isaiah 55:7: Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
How does he pardon? Someone has to pay. Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins. We are like Barabbas in Matthew 27:26: Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
The People of the gospel- everyone who believes
There is an idea out there that God chooses who will be saved. Jesus Christ came only to die for the elect. Those who are not a member of the elect because God did not choose them, Jesus Christ did not come to die for them- limited atonement. No, it is for everyone.
Hebrews 2:9: We see Jesus... now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
This is great. Jesus took our penalty and everyone is going to heaven. No, it says for everyone who believes. The gospel is conditional. John 6:40: My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life.
What about this Jew first and then the Gentile? Paul will discuss this more in the rest of ch. 1 to ch. 3. It is sufficient to leave it at everyone who believes. Romans 3:22: There is no difference (distinction). The ground is level at Calvary. The gospel is for all people regardless of, race, social condition, or community standing There is no difference between people.
A presentation of the gospel is not complete until one is taught how to look to the Son or how to respond to the gospel. Hear, believe, confess, repent, and be baptized.
Mark 16:15-16: Jesus- “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
In order to see a professional ball game in person, it is necessary to have a ticket; but it is also necessary to go to the place where the game is played at the time it is played. In this analogy, faith is the ticket that secures admittance to the game. But the ticket will do the ball fan no good unless he goes to the place where the game is to be played. Baptism is equivalent to going to the stadium, since this is where God says the action will take place.
