“UNASHAMED!” Romans 1:16-17
FBCF – 3/23/25
Jon Daniels
INTRO – Swayze Bozeman read Scripture & share.
God has given you a platform. Use it to tell others about Jesus! Let’s do some “PINE TREE EVANGELISM.”
Driving to church – coming up 1st Street – Wind blowing out of the west. About halfway here, there is a pine tree in a yard. B/c of location of the tree & the direction & force of the wind, I had to drive through a yellow cloud of pollen – that stuff that’s got some of you sniffling & sneezing right now (Wichita KS – worst US city for Allergy sufferers) – that stuff that is coating our cars & trucks (appreciate the “Wash Me” message on the hood of my truck Wed night after church!) – that stuff that gets all over the seat of your pants when you forget to wipe off your chair before you sit down on your patio or porch.
Thought hit me: That pollen is necessary for the life of pine trees. Think about this analogy.
- Last year, pine trees decimated by the southern pine beetle infestation. Still see evidence all over the place. Massive swaths of forests are gone. Dead trees still standing everywhere. Many have fallen or been cut down. But that cloud of pollen represents the potential of new life as the wind carries it everywhere to reproduce new pine trees – an amazing display of the power & plan of our Creator God.
- He’s got plan for the pine trees, & He’s got an even more amazing plan for us: Sin decimates the lives of people everywhere – Romans 6:23 – “The wages of sin is death…” – Right now, in this room & all over this community & world, there are people who are like those dead pine trees, their lives decimated & devastated by the infestation of sin. And God’s plan for those people to hear the Good News about Jesus is for you & me to go to them & tell them about the life that is found in Jesus Christ alone. Just like that pollen is blown by the wind to produce new life, you & I are empowered by the wind of the Holy Spirit to go to those who are dead in their sins. That pollen is necessary for life – The Gospel of Jesus Christ is necessary for eternal life!
- What a vision for us as a church to see & take hold of! How awesome to think about a great cloud of witnesses leaving this building today & going all over the place to take the Good News of Jesus to those who need it so badly!
And the only way we will do that is if we are unashamed of the Gospel!
EXPLANATION – Romans 1:16-17 (Read again)
Title sermon series – “Sold Out!” – When we are sold out to Jesus, it means that we understand & believe & have staked our life on Jesus & Jesus alone – that nothing else matters to us – that our love for the things of the world is completely depleted – that we are totally surrendered to Him – His plans, His will, His purpose over our personal desires & ambitions.
No doubt that described the Apostle Paul.
- V. 1 – “a servant of Christ Jesus” – slave, bond-servant – “called” by God – “set apart for the Gospel of God” – Sold out for the Gospel!
- V. 14 – “It doesn't matter if people are civilized and educated, or if they are uncivilized and uneducated. I must tell the good news to everyone” (CEV).
- V. 15 – “eager” – Can’t wait! Let’s GO!!!! We have people all over this church like this!
- V. 16 – “not ashamed of the Gospel” – He had full confidence in the Gospel & had no reason not to proclaim it.
- “Sold-out & unashamed” described Paul’s life.
QUESTION: Does it describe YOUR life?
APPLICATION – Are you a sold-out, unashamed Christ-follower?
“How do I know?”
DO YOU TRULY BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF GOD? – “…the power of God…”
Gk word – dunamis – dynamite – affects & impacts & transforms everything around it. A dynamo is a generator that creates electrical energy.
Sold-out, unashamed Christ-followers believe in the power of God. They believe that it affects, impacts, & transforms people’s lives. They’re blown away by it. They’ve seen it & experienced it in their own lives. They are in awe over it. They rely on it in their lives. They want to see it at work more & more.
- It’s the power of God that can take a smalltown Delta boy, save him & transform his life & allow him to be the pastor of a great church like this where the power of God is working everywhere!
- It’s the power of God that I’ve seen work in a marriage that should have ended due to the husband’s long-term unfaithfulness, & turn it into a wonderful, deep story of forgiveness & reconciliation.
- It’s the power of God that took Rosaria Butterfield, a tenured university professor & radical lesbian, & transformed her life forever – “This was my conversion in a nutshell: I lost everything but the dog.” But in return she found Christ! Now she’s sold out & unashamed!
- And for YOU to be sold-out & unashamed, you’ve got to truly believe that the power of God is real & that it still radically transforms lives b/c it has radically transformed YOUR life!
DO YOU TRULY UNDERSTAND WHAT SALVATION IS ALL ABOUT? – “…for salvation…” Somebody here today needs to hear this:
Some think salvation is all about being a good person, doing good works to earn your way into heaven. But salvation is all about FAITH:
- FORGIVENESS
- AVAILABLE
- IMPOSSIBLE
- TURN
- HEAVEN
Do you understand that? And now that you do understand it, do you need to be saved right now? If so, pray w/ me right now.
DO YOU TRULY BELIEVE & DESIRE THAT ANYONE CAN BE SAVED? – “…for everyone who believes, to the Jew first & also to the Greek.”
Verse 14 again: “It doesn't matter if people are civilized and educated, or if they are uncivilized and uneducated. I must tell the good news to everyone” (CEV)
- Paul not only believed that anyone could be saved, but he was also passionate & intentional about sharing the Gospel w/ them.
- If we say we truly believe that anyone can be saved – if we truly desire that anyone be saved – it must translate into passion & intentionality to take the Gospel to anyone & everyone.
o “God give us Flora!”
o EVERY person in Flora hear the Gospel
o VISION – “FBCF is making much of Jesus by being a people & a place of GRACE where anyone can meet Jesus & grow in their relationship w/ Him.”
- Michael Catt: “How can we reach the world w/ the Gospel & say we’re committed to the Great Commission if we think that ‘whosoever will’ only means ‘people like me’?”
DO YOU TRULY LIVE & WALK BY FAITH? – v 17 – “The righteous will live by faith” – A sold-out, unashamed Christ-follower not only understands that they are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, they also strive daily to truly live & walk by faith. We aren’t saved by faith in Jesus & then sent us out to fend for ourselves in our own power.
- We are saved by faith in Jesus – We live by faith in Jesus – We continually grow in our faith in Jesus – We learn to trust Him more & more – We come to realize that everyone in the W of G was was truly sold out & unashamed lived a life of deep, radical, dangerous faith.
- And the same must be true of us if we want to be sold-out, unashamed Christ-followers.
CONCLUSION – “Fellowship of the Unashamed”
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED
I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power.
The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.
My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I’m finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, applause, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer and labor by power.
My pace is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road is narrow. My way rough. My companions few. My guide is reliable and my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I’ve stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go ‘til He comes, give ’til I drop, preach ‘til all know, and work ‘til He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He’ll have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear.
