"Ashamed of Jesus"
Scripture Reference: Matthew 10, Mark 8, Luke 9
Preached at Mount Zion Baptist Church on May 9, 2021
Delivered by John Daniel Johnson
www.mountzionfamily.com
Opening—
Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers this morning. I must confess to you that I had a simple Mother’s Day message all planned out. I had the sermon had been printed, the Power Point was completed, and I had been studying over the text again this Friday for the Scripture to be on my heart. However, the LORD changed the message.
Even though the Mother’s Day Message was done, the LORD changed the message. Something happened this Friday, and the LORD began to speak a new message into my heart. I tried to put it aside and say, “LORD, I’ll study on that one in a couple of weeks. I’ve already got the message for this Sunday.” That’s when the LORD reminded me…
“My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways…
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
(Isaiah 55:8-9)
It was Friday morning and I was working a graduation detail. The speaker was introduced and approached the podium. He was the minister of one of the largest churches in Alabama with a membership of nearly 60,000 people. For roughly forty combined minutes this minister stood before a combined attendance of over 6,000 people and did not mention the name of Jesus one time. As I heard this man speak, I kept waiting to hear him say the only name that has the power to change lives, but it was never uttered. Not even a prayer in Jesus' name for the future leaders of America. Nothing.
After the speaker stepped down, I was literally filled with holy anger. I was angry that a preacher could be offered a chance to speak before such a huge congregation but not mention one time the name of Jesus. I started immediately texting all my preacher friends and began to ask how a preacher could not tell someone about Jesus?
For the next few hours, I took my notepad from my shirt pocket and wrote as the LORD spoke. It was from that little notepad the LORD’s message was given to us today.
I wanted to come up with a title that could be really impactful. I wanted to show you the title and you all just say “wow.” I wanted to have a title that was filled with power, so I chose the only title that was fitting… “Jesus.”
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. (Romans 1:16)
“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10:32-33
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38)
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”
(Luke 9:23-27)
There are two phrases that stand out:
“Ashamed of Me and My words”
“Deny Me before man”
The Greek word of “deny” is and literally means “refuse to affirm, state a belief confidently, or to not confess publically.”
Definition—
Ashamed: Same as the ashamed that happened in the Garden of Eden. It means they were embarrassed or humiliated.
How We Can Deny Jesus
1. WE CAN DENY JESUS BY OUR ACTIONS
In the Book of Titus, Paul gave the instruction for Titus when choosing church leaders. Paul said that there were many leaders in the church that were "empty talkers and decievers." He said this about these leaders, "They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed. (Titus 1:16)
Your words may acknowledge Jesus, but do your works deny Him? Are you loving others (John 15)? Are you obeying Him (John 14:15)? Are you bearing fruit (Galatians 5:22-23)? Are you sacrificially giving yourself and your resources to others (2 Corinthians 8:1-5)? Are you seeking God in His Word?
2. WE CAN DENY JESUS BY OUR WORDS
3. WE CAN DENY JESUS BY OUR SILENCE.
John MacArthur once preached, "You can deny the Lord by silence. Did you know that? You could deny the Lord by just not saying anything. "
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. (1 John 4:15)
Signs That You Might Be Ashamed of Jesus
1. RARELY IS THERE A PASSION TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT JESUS: YOUR SILENCE SPEAKS VOLUMES
2. RARELY IS HOLINESS CONDUCTED IN PUBLIC AND IN PRIVATE: YOU FIT THE WORLD’S MOLD
3. RARELY IS EVIDENCE SHOWN OF FAITH: YOUR FAITH EMBARRASSED YOU
4. RARELY WORSHIP IS DONE WITH THE FAMILY: YOU’RE THE LONER "CHRISTIAN"
5. RARELY SIN IS CONFRONTED BECAUSE OF BEING OFFENSIVE: YOU'D RATHER FIT IN THAN STAND OUT
