Where Christ is Not Known
“It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.” Romans 15:14-20
I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness,
filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another.14
Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again,
because of the grace God gave me15
to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.16
Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.17
I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me
in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—18
by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God.
So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.19
It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known,
so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.20
Intro: A pastor walked into room filled with people and asked the question:
How many of you here are NOT Christians? That is a very important basis question.
There was an article written by the lead trauma doctor of a large hospital ER
It talked about how foundations are essential for success in medical treatment.
He said, in the trauma center…, when life hangs in the balance…, and the pressure is on---
There is a formula to remind everyone of the priorities. He calls them the ABC’s of trauma.
Airway…, Breathing…, Circulation.., then Disabilities…, and Exposures.
He recalls a patient being rushed into the ER after an accident.
Her leg was broken and the bone was sticking out at a 90 degree below the knee
it was a terrible break
and everyone in the ER was paying attention to this obvious fracture. (which is D--- Disability)
But they had forgotten A--- Airway…, Which was blocked.
The lack of air into the lungs is what will kill you first.
As the one running the trauma center…, it was his job not to get carried away with what looks terrible,
but isn’t the eminent threat.
The patient couldn’t breathe.
So they secured her airway…, assisted her breathing…, got IV’s in to support the circulations,
Then eventually gave attention to D--- Disabilities, the broken, fractured leg.
Then he added that even the most experienced Physicians
have to go back and review the basics and foundations regularly.
We as believers today desperately need to return to the basics and revive the foundations of our faith.
We are in a season of moral emergency.
The bells and whistles are going off.
The alarms are sounding all around us.
If we are to survive spiritually we must have a solid grasp of the foundations of our faith.
With all the pressures and stresses in life we often forget that God create us to have a relationship with Him.
We have broken that close relationship with God and choose to go our own way.
But God continues to love us.
Even though He says that “the wages of sin is death Romans 6:23,”
and either I have to die for my sins or someone else had to pay the penalty for me.
Jesus became God in the flesh.
Jesus is fully God and fully human.
This is known as the incarnation.
Jesus lived a human life.
He was tempted in every way…, the same as we are…, but he never sinned. Hebrews 2:14-18; 4:15.
Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin.
God had said, “without the shedding of blood--- there can be no forgiveness”
Hebrews 9:22 so he loved me and sent his son, Jesus, to die for me.
And Jesus was raised from the dead to give them new life.
And that someday Jesus will return again and judge the world
And bring the Kingdom of God to its fullness.
1 John 2:24 says, “see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you.”
These Christians John speak to had heard the Gospel.
It had been preached by John himself.
But their fellowship was in danger of crumbling around them.
Because there were many among them who were denying Jesus as the Messiah.
He says, anyone who does so denies Jesus denies God the Father as well.
And such people are antichrists. 1 John 2:22
In other words they are enemies of Jesus fighting against him.
I don’t think that anyone here denies that Jesus was not truly who he said he was.
But do we deny Jesus in other ways?
As I preached last Sunday, do we take up the cross daily?
Do we put our relationship with Jesus above all else?
Do we serve God and others more than taking care of our own desires and wishes?
The Apostle Paul said, “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known,
so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.” Romans 15:20
I. Ambition to Share the Gospel
We read about places in the bible where the Gospel is preached and people get saved.
There is this one place in the book of Acts that Peter preached and 3000 people heard the Gospel and were saved.
Another place it records and when the Gospel was preached 5000 people got saved.
And another place it says and there was added to the church daily people who were being saved.
It is exciting to me to know that we pray to the same God
Like right now…, I can pray…, we can pray and there could just be this outpouring of the Holy Spirit
And it would just fill us
And we would become so filled with the power and the spirit of God
That we could go out and share the same Gospel that Peter Preached in Acts
And people could just start being saved.
Is that wonderful to think it could happen.
We see so much more of God in the bible than it seems like we do today.
But when we want more of God it can happen.
But we must first have an Ambition for it to happen.
I mean don’t you want to come to church and something happen!?!
It is like I work week after week on a sermon and we practice hours and hours in the choir and praise team.
We pray and pray.
And it is like God I want something to come of this.
I want something to happen.
I mean don’t you just want something supernatural to happen?
So, this week I was on my knees praying
Why don’t we see more people saved in the church today.
It was like God just spoke to me and said, People have lost their “Ambition to Share the Gospel.”
I sat their quietly for a minute and I said, You know God you are right.
So, I invite you to pray with me.
Lord increase our Ambition
Will you pray that with me this week?
Lord Give me More Ambition to Share the Gospel.
More Drive
More Determination
More Get-Up-And-Go----Get up and Go is half the battle
More Motivation
More Desire
More Spirit
No matter how you say it you will always come back to God we need more Ambition to share the Gospel.
I. Ambition to Share the Gospel
II. Where Christ is Not Known
What is Paul talking about here?
Isn’t it funny, in an odd sort of way, that Paul says to preach where Christ is Not Known
But what do we do?
We do exactly the opposite.
We preach to a room full of Christians week after week after week.
And we wonder why people are not getting saved?
Do you see something missing in that?
I do.
People who are near and dear to us are lost…..
1. Lost ?- Luke 19:10
2. Blind ?- 2 Peter 1:9.
3. Under God’s wrath ?- John 3:36
4. Spiritually blind ?- Ephesians 4:18.
5. Far away have been brought near through blood ?- Ephesians 2:13.
I. Ambition to Share the Gospel
II. Where Christ is Not Known
III. Not Building on Someone Else’s Foundation
Paul preached in cities where the Old Testament Law of Moses was still taught as the means of forgiveness.
Paul preached in cities where other prophets were teaching false doctrine. Some to other gods/themselves
Hard Head in the room?
Once someone believes something one way it is very difficult to change their mind.
What about changing their faith.
This is why God allowed so many miracles to be performs not only by Jesus but also by the disciples.
The Foundation Paul is building on is Christ
I Corinthians 2:2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
The world is full of problems.
The church and the people of God must be full of hope.
That is what the Crucifixion became--- God took a cross where a criminal was killed
And turned it into a symbol a parable of sinner becoming saved.
That’s what the cross is.
Used to mean death.
But to the believer it now means life.
We must spread that message more.
Redeem is a good word.
Redeem means to pay the required price to secure the release of a convicted criminal.
In other words in the bible when God’s people suffer and are in pain
God has paid the price through Jesus to turn our hurts into Hallelujahs
God has paid the price through Jesus to turn our brokenness into praise in the middle of the storm.
God has paid the price through Jesus to turn our places of sorrow into places of sanctuary.
The words to Matt Redman’s song
I'm trading my sorrows
I'm trading my shame
I'm laying them down for the joy of the lord
I'm trading my sickness
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying it down for the joy of the lord
We say yes lord yes lord yes yes lord
Yes lord yes lord yes yes lord
Yes lord yes lord yes yes lord amen
I'm pressed but not crushed
persecuted but not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I am blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
His joy's gonna be my strength
Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning
That’s how we go on living and serving when you don’t feel like singing.
That’s how we go on living and serving when you don’t understand why something is happening in your life.
In other words you believe that Christ is in the middle of you situation
In a place where otherwise it might seem like “Christ is Not Known.”
I know what foundation I am building on. Do you?
Closing: Dear Lord. Thank You for those people who sacrificed their own ambitions
so that other can hear about Jesus and learn to grow up in my faith.
I am sorry for giving in to the temptation to focus on my own interests,
and forget the call of Jesus to help others have a relationship with you.
Please give me a new desire, a new spiritual ambition
to see Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
