Where Christ Is Not Known

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.