E05: There Is One Gospel - Unashamed of the True Gospel

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Amen. What a day, glorious day that

will be. What a song to remind us of the

hope that we have for all eternity is.

Think about that hope. People often ask me, I guess

because I'm a preacher about heaven and I can just tell you

this, I don't know a whole lot about heaven.

I don't. Scripture doesn't speak on the

subject a whole lot. There's some things that we we

can gather and there's some things that just have not been

revealed to US. One, one thing I do, it's that

Jesus will be there and I long for him.

I pray that you long for him as well because the Apostle Paul

says that there's a crown of righteousness that awaits those

who long for him. What a day that will be.

We are privileged and graced with the opportunity to see the

Son of God through our glorified eyes to worship in His presence

forever. Thank you guys for that

reminder. Give your Bibles if you would

turn to Romans in first chapter, Paul's epistle throne.

As you know, we've spent several weeks, many weeks thus far

revisiting the one true gospel in a series entitled There is

One Gospel. And I do not retract that there

is still only one gospel. In fact, the gospel today is

going to be Speaking of that one true gospel.

And in looking at that one true gospel today, I want us to turn

to the life of the Apostle Paul in light of the verse that we

are going to be looking at today.

Yes, we're going to be looking at 1:00.

Verse. Romans chapter 1 And there Paul

Romans 1 · chapter mention

is going to remind us and remind those Roman believers that he

was addressing at the time the fact that he was not ashamed of

the gospel. I'm afraid in our day we need to

be reminded of what it looks like, is not ashamed of the

gospel Because as we were going to see today, many of us who

would probably not admit it, who may not even acknowledge it,

will have to agree with the fact that we live our lives ashamed

of the God. How many of you believers here

this morning believe that Second Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 is

2 Timothy 3:16

trustworthy? And it says there in second

2 Timothy 3:16

Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 that all Scripture is God breathes,

that it comes from God, that it is useful for teaching, for

rebuking, for correcting and for training in righteousness.

How many of you agree with that? I want you to acknowledge that

this morning because there will be much rebuke for us this

morning, Word of God, which to your testimony you said, I

believe that the Word of God is worthy of rebuking me because in

our day, unlike Paul, many are living their lives ashamed of

the gospel. And So what I want to do just

rather quickly is I want us to talk about Paul's life for just

a second. I want us to talk about how he

stood in boldness, how he was unashamed to proclaim the truth

no matter what audience he faced, be that chief priests,

kings, philosophers. Paul stood with boldness,

unashamed every time. And the gospel to Paul was not a

burden as it seems to be to so many in the church today, right?

It's just this thing that we have, thing that we have to

carry. Not so for the apostle Paul.

To him, the gospel was a privilege.

It was a privilege that had been given to him by God's grace.

God's grace saved him. God's grace called him.

God's grace made him the apostle.

He saw it as a privilege, one who had once blasphemed God and

persecuted the very Church of Jesus Christ.

Now, by the grace of God, he is proclaiming the glorious good

news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Paul of the gospel was a privilege.

Not only was it the Paul, the gospel was his passion.

It was the thing that I got Paul out of bed every single day,

motivated him, encouraged him, gave him the stamina to keep on

keeping on, to press on when others around him would fall.

It was the gospel passion and motivation for all that he did

in his life. The gospel being that passion

also defined his purpose, because our passion find our

purpose. It was his entire reason for

living. He loved the Lord Jesus and the

Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ so much.

There was the entire reason that he lived.

And as we will see in a month 3 waking moment, unashamedly

living for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, O Philippians

Philippians 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1 and his words there in verse 20 depicts this for us

perfectly. He says this I eagerly expect

and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have

sufficient courage. As always, Christ will be

exalted in my body, in His body, wherever, wherever He goes,

whatever He does, whatever He. Says whatever suffering,

whatever persecution he must face.

His passion and his purpose was that Christ be exalted.

He says, whether by life or by death or whether I'm dying, I

want Christ to be exalted in my life and in my death. 21 He goes

on and he says, for to me to live is Christ, and to die is

gain. Paul was consumed with Christ.

His purpose was Christ. His purpose was the message of

Christ. It was also power to Paul, the

gospel power to him. He's the one who will write what

we will read in a moment, in one verse, that the power of God

unto salvation. Paul understood this, the power

of God to save sinners. Shouldn't that be what the

gospel is to all of us who claim to be saved?

Because if you claim to be saved, you're saved because of

the power of God unto salvation, not to be the power behind your

life. Paul understood this.

He understood if the gospel being the privilege, that it was

the passion that drove him, the purpose for his very he could

not be ashamed of it. It had to be the power that

drove him to do all that he did. What did he do?

Let's look at his life briefly. I would encourage you.

I'm not going to read all of these passages to you, though I

will cite them back in your own time, and you can just hold my

feet to the fire. As I claimed that Paul lived a

life unashamed of the gospel. And because Paul lived a life

unashamed of the gospel, we too should look at his life and live

a life that's unashamed of the gospel as well.

Agree that Paul is an example of us to follow because he followed

Christ. In fact, Paul said that of

himself, Follow me because I follow Christ.

He was unashamed. He proved it.

In fact, in Acts Chapter 9, verses 23 through 25, they're in

Acts 9:23–25

Damascus. Shortly after his conversion.

Now I want you to watch that shortly after his conversion,

Paul's unashamedly preaching the gospel, and you know what

happened then? People plotted to kill him

immediately. People ask me, they say this,

Well Kirk, how long did it take you to be willing to be

unashamed and to share the godly?

Immediately after I was saved, I was on a shame to proclaim the

gospel. Why?

It is the power of God unto salvation.

I knew that Kurt did not save himself and I knew that if

anyone else was going to be saved, they must be saved

through the power of God that was proclaimed in the gospel to

me. I could I unfold for you all of

the technical things in regard to soteriology, an election and

predestination and those things that go along with salvation?

Absolutely not. I can simply.

Tell a man this, I once was blind, but now I see it is the

power of God that opened the eyes to this blind dead center

is the faith that God gifted me with as I believed and I trusted

in Christ that empowered me to repent and to turn from my sin

and to trust in Him and Him alone.

And if you too will trust in Christ alone, He will save you

by the power of God. Paul immediately preaching this

message there in Acts chapter 923 through 25 as they plotted

to kill him, but he escaped. Then we see him there in

Jerusalem in Acts Chapter 9 verses 28 through 29, still

Acts 9:28–29

shortly after his conversion, preaching the gospel, already

receiving more death threats. We're going to kill this man who

once persecuted the church, but now is preaching the gospel and

walking in the way. We see Paul there in Acts

Acts 13 · chapter mention

chapter 13 as we Fast forward in his life beside Antioch and

there city. You know why he was expelled

from the city? Not because he wasn't a good

citizen, but because he preached the gospel boldly, unashamedly.

We see in Acts 14 verses 5 through 6, Paul now in Iconium.

Acts 14:5–6

You know what they do there? Stop preaching the gospel where

we're going to stone you. He escapes that attempt on him,

only to now continue to preach the gospel in a place called

Lystra. Then in Acts chapter 14, verses

Acts 14 · chapter mention

1919 through 20. And here he's stoned and left

for dead. They thought they had gotten

this Saul of Tarsus who had been converted by the which is the

power of God unto salvation, but they failed.

Acts chapter 16, verses 22 through 24.

Acts 16:22–24

We see him in Philippi. We know the influence that he

had on those folks while he was there.

He was there beaten and he was in prison.

No, because he preached the gospel boldly in Acts 17, verses

Acts 17:5–10

5 through 10. We see him in Thessalonica and a

riot breaks out. I'm going to learn about the

apostle Paul and about those who preach the gospel when we, we

people don't like it and riots break out.

The riot broke out and he had to flee from Thessalonica, but not

before preaching the glorious gospel and leaving the gospel

footprints there. He finds himself in Acts 17

verse in Berea. He faced more opposition there.

Of course he did. He was forced to leave Acts 18.

We see him there in Corinth where he faces a false legal

attack, right? They're going to bring charges

against him that they have no charges that are valid.

Paul once again being persecuted for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Then in Ephesus in Acts chapter 19 verses 23 through 29, another

Acts 19:23–29

riot breaks out for preaching the gospel.

This time the riot broke out because the silversmith there

decided that if people gospel the one true saving gospel, then

they would turn from idolatry in the little silver silver trinket

idols that he was making, charging people for them.

They would no longer have need for these things, ultimately

putting him out of business. So a riot breaks out will change

the hearts of men, which it will.

Then in Acts chapter 21, verses 27 through 32, we see him back

Acts 21:27–32

in Jerusalem, the holy city of God.

He's again beaten, he's arrested because he continued to preach

the gospel. Acts 23, chapter 23, all the way

to chapter 26. We see him in Caesarea where

he's imprisoned, and he goes from this trial to that trial

before Felix, before Festus, before King Agrippa.

And each opportunity he boldly continued to proclaim the

gospel. Then in Acts 27, in route to

Rome, after he was sentenced to go back to Rome under house

erect, we see that he's he faces all kinds of hardships and even

in the midst of shipwrecks and hardships, hunger and pain, he's

still unashamedly preaches the gospel for those who need the

hope of Jesus Christ. We see 28 verse 16 and then all

the way through Acts 30 and the 31st See him under house arrest

there. In those verses, Paul sums his

life up for us, compromise, ensuring the gospel.

In Second Corinthians Chapter 11, verse 23, you have your

2 Corinthians 11:23

Bibles. You can turn there and you can

read along, but it says this Speaking of those false apostles

who had crept into the church, claiming to be apostles but

distorting the gospel, not willing to suffer preaching only

for false and altered gospel. Paul says this in verse 23 of

2nd Corinthians 11. Are they servants of Christ?

Am I out of my mind to talk like this?

I am more. I have worked much harder, been

in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely and been

exposed to death again. Bragging about himself, he's

saying these are the facts. He says five times.

I received from the Jews 40 lashes -1 I'm not very good at

math, but that's 39 lashes 5 different times.

Most scholars will agree to this, that 40 lashes was a death

sentence, Paul said. Five different.

Ash away from death. Three times I was beaten with

rods, once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked.

I spent a night and a day in the open sea.

I've been constantly on the move.

I've been in danger from rivers and dangers from bandits and

danger from my own countrymen, in danger from gentiles, in

danger in the country, in danger at sea, and in danger from false

brothers. I've labored and toiled.

I have often gone without sleep. I've I have known hunger and

thirst and have often gone without.

Food. I have been cold and naked.

That's for all the prosperity gospel preachers who lie to

people over and over and over again.

That God wants you to be healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Yes, He wants you to be wise, but He wants you to be wise in

the eyes of the Lord. He wants you to find your wealth

in Him. He wants you to find ultimate

healing in Christ. Stood this he understood all of

the opposition that he had faced?

And why did he do this? Why are we looking at these

things? Because today we're going to

read the words of Paul in one verse.

But before we read those words that proclaim that he was

unashamed of the gospel, I want you to understand that those

weren't just mere words. He didn't just talk a big game

and then deny it by his life. He said those words because he

meant those words, those words by the life that he lived, that

he truly was unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

These events that we've looked at this morning briefly prove

that that is the truth. And so now we turn our eyes to

Romans chapter one in our verse for today, verse 16 of Romans

Romans 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1. Paul says this.

I am not ashamed of the gospel and.

He's going to going to answer for us why he's not ashamed of

the gospel, because it is God for the salvation of everyone

who believes, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

As we read those words today, I invite you to ask yourself this

question. Are you ashamed of the gospel?

Are you ashamed of the gospel, or are you unashamed of the

gospel? Paul has showed us through his

life with every occasion that we have and there are others that

we did not mention. He's shown us what it looks.

Like, to be honest, shame. And so as we consider that

today, may you ask yourself that question.

Am I unashamed of the gospel? Pray with me, Father, in the

name of Jesus, as we have opened your word today and as we have

already been challenged by your faithful servant Paul, and the

fact that he is unashamed in his proclamation and in unto the

gospel and the gospel alone. God.

I pray that we would see him as an expert in being unashamed of

the gospel and that we would compare our lives today to

through the Apostle Paul who you have left for us in your word to

see. No, God, I pray that we would

get honest with ourselves, that we as a church as a whole would

get honest, that the church in this country would get honest,

that the church around the world would get honest about this

subject. Answer the question, are we

unashamed or speak truth to us now?

But even truth that hurts and rebukes so that we will know the

truth, so that we can declare as the apostle Paul did, that I am

Gospel of Jesus Christ. For it is the power of God unto

salvation for all who believe. First for the Jew, then for the

Gentile. Speak to us, change us, mold us

into obedience for your Kingdom. And we pray these things in

Jesus name, Amen. So we ask the are you ashamed of

the gospel? And before you answer that

question, I want to take the time today in comparing our

lives to the life of the Lord Jesus, of course, and his

follower here, the apostle Paul, who made this claim, backing it

up with his life. Are you unashamed of the gospel?

Or we could word it, Are you ashamed of the gospel?

Either way, it's the correct question.

Either way, it's a question worth asking today because I'm

afraid that many who would no, I'm not ashamed of the gospel

are going to learn today that yes, yes you are.

There's a problem there in and being ashamed of the gospel.

So you're taking notes. Write this down.

You're ashamed of the Gospel. If if you're ashamed.

If you aren't sharing it, Apostle Paul giving us the

example of his life over and over and over again of sharing

the gospel no matter where he was.

Some of you are ashamed of the gospel, and that shame is

evidence that you are refusing to speak the truth of the

gospel. I know you've got your laundry

list of reasons why. And every single one of them are

unacceptable. Paul not making excuses as to

why he shouldn't proclaim the He was looking for every

opportunity where he was able to proclaim the gospel.

And for some of you, your shame is evident because you're

refusing to speak the truth. Your silence reveals your shame.

You say nothing while those around you are perishing, and

God forbid you were ashamed of the gospel to the degree that

you will not even open your mouth for the one who you

claimed rescue you and saved you from the wrath of God that is to

come. Luke 9, as we saw in our

Scripture reading, says this again.

Let me remind you in verse 26, if anyone is ashamed of me and

my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of Him when He comes in

His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy

angels. What is he talking about?

If you're ashamed of him and his the gospel that he taught to his

disciples, who then taught to those who would follow?

And if you were silent about the gospel, it reveals that you are

ashamed of not only the message of the gospel, but the Savior to

which that message contained. Paul knew the power of the

gospel. He says it's the power of God

unto salvation. He knew that anyone who was

going to be saved had to be saved by the power of God.

He knew that our own works wouldn't save us, our own deeds

wouldn't save us, wouldn't save us, our baptism wouldn't save

us. He knew that the only way that a

man was going to be saved as if God powerfully saved that man.

And he also knew that it was impossible apart from the

gospel. That's why he says I'm unashamed

of it, because it is the power of God unto salvation.

Who believed Paul would not be silenced in regard to the

Gospel? Second Timothy chapter one,

verse 9, Paul says this to Timothy.

He says this about Christ. He saved us and called us to a

holy life, not because of anything we have done, but in

grace. This grace was given us in

Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has

now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ

Jesus, who has destroyed to death and has brought life and

immortality to light through the gospel.

And of this gospel he says, I was appointed a herald and an

apostle and a teacher. I am suffering as I am, yet I am

not ashamed because I know whom I have believed, and I am

convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to

him for that day. He says I'm not ashamed of that

gospel because that gospel gives me.

Hope. And we when we refused to share

the gospel with those around us who have no hope, we're ashamed

of it. John Owens said this in

reference to being silent Gospel.

He says the gospel is to be professed openly, confessed

boldly, and preached without fear.

He goes on to say to be ashamed of it is to.

Deny him who bought us Paul. Oldness for Christ revealed that

he was not going to deny the very one who bought him.

He understood the power of God that had been revealed through

the gospel that changed him from the inside out immediately.

When we refuse to speak the truth, we don't just deny the

gospel to those in need of the gospel, we deny the very Savior

of the Gospel. In fact, Matthew chapter 10,

Matthew 10:32

verse 32, here's what Jesus said.

He said whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also

acknowledge Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before

men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

When we deny the Lord Jesus Christ by refusing to speak the

truth of the gospel, we confirm that we will be those who He is

ashamed of for all eternity, never knowing Christ at all.

Christ could never disown those who are truly His, all who

saved. He is talking about those who

profess Christ but yet who are ashamed of Him and refuse to

speak the truth. Those who are refraining to.

Offer. Hope to others, as I began to

say a moment ago, how can we have this hope, the power of

God, and claim that it is real, but yet in our cubicle at work,

the person next to us is hopeless and we have the message

of hope, and we never open our mouths to offer that hope to

them. How can we claim to know that

the gospel is the power of God unto salvation?

Open our life and yet we ride in a work truck all week long with

another soul who is hopeless and helpless and enslaved to their

sin, and yet we never open our mouths.

You know how we do this? It is because we are ashamed of

the gospel. And it is revealed in the fact

that we refuse to speak the truth.

It is revealed in the fact that we refrain to.

Offer hope to others. We withhold from them the very

hope. That we profess to have.

There's no concern and no regard for their desperate situation.

This is akin to someone in this congregation this morning having

the cure to cancer, then walking through the Anderson are the

halls of Texas children and offering it to no one, but

keeping it for yourself. And it is an even greater sin

because the cure for cancer is not the power of God unto

salvation. The cure for cancer would human

health. Yet we have the hope of eternal

life in the gospel, and we're ashamed withholding it from

those who are perishing, refraining to offer hope to

others, contrary to what to do. In first Peter chapter 3 verse

1 Peter 3:15

15 he says this, but in your heart set apart, Christ is Lord.

And. Always be prepared to give an

answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope

that you have. You know the reason for any hope

that any of us have. It is the gospel of Jesus

Christ, of Christ. None of us have any eternal

hope. And so when someone asks you

about that hope, don't give them some kind of inspirational

speech. Don't give them something that

you read on a placard in Kirkland's God for the Glorious

Gospel of Jesus Christ. For is the power of God unto

salvation for all who believe, and if you withhold that from

them. It shows you're ashamed of the

gospel. You have a hard time.

Anyone who has any sense that you are unashamed of the gospel,

that you do not share, you're not boldly proclaiming this

truth. There is an element of shame and

you need and ask yourself why. Secondly, as we answer this

question that no one wants to ask, are you ashamed of the

gospel? You're ashamed of the gospel if

you aren't sharing it. That's obvious.

You can come up with all the excuses you want.

I don't know how we'll teach you.

I don't know where to go anywhere, what will happen?

Who cares? But secondly, I want you to see

this. You're ashamed of the gospel if

you're my Isn't there enough of that in our culture?

Many show their shame for the gospel by the fact that they

sugarcoat it, that they water it down, that they make it

something that it's not because they're afraid of facing the

criticism of others. Right if we.

Stand up and we boldly proclaim the gospel.

The fact that man is a sin and is totally depraved and he is

heading straight long into the wrath and the judgment of God.

Unless God intervene by His grace and His mercy through the

Lord Jesus Christ, man has no hope.

We tell them you must trust in Jesus.

Christ, repent of your sin, believe on Him.

Only way that you're to be saved.

People get offended by that message, don't they?

Especially in our time. Any exclusive message they get

offended by the gospel is an exclusive message.

It is only for those who repent and believe, however.

Many are sugar coating that. Aren't they concerned more about

their own acceptance instead of that sinner's soul?

Oh, I just want people to like me.

So I want to make this message a likable message.

And in doing so, you reveal your shame being the true message.

You, unlike Paul, are not standing there saying that I'm

unashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto

salvation. You are saying I am ashamed of

the gospel and I'm going to alter it a little bit and I'm

going to change it and I'm going to make this thing a little more

palatable. A little more acceptable to our

culture. Many try to do this, attempting

to make the message less offensive.

Let me just help all of you out. The gospel that Paul preached,

which was given to him by himself, is an offensive

message. It will never be anything other

than an offensive message. You can't change that.

It is what it is. In fact, in First Corinthians

chapter one, verse 22, here's what Paul says about it.

Jews demand miraculous. Wisdom, but we preach Christ

crucified, the Gospel, a stumbling block to the Jews and

foolishness to the Gentiles. It is by nature a stumbling

block. It is by nature foolishness to

the unbeliever. It is by nature offensive.

That's why Paul in Galatians chapter 5, verse 11, the offense

Galatians 5:11

of the cross. It is offensive to a lost person

to tell them that they are on their way to hell and

everlasting judgment, lest they repent and turn to the one who

died on the cross to save them. We hear it all the.

Time. But who are you?

Oh, don't worry, friend, I'm not going to judge you, but you will

be judged. Who's appointed unto man wants

to die. And after that, the judgment you

will stand before a holy God and you will give an account and

those who stand before the Father, not clothed in the

righteousness of Jesus Christ, you will perish for all eternity

gospel and apart from Jesus Christ, there is no saving hope

for man. So what we do, we try to make

this message a little less offensive, softening the blow,

softening the truth, sanding the edges just a little bit, because

we're more concerned about offending people.

And you are about the wretched condition of their souls.

And I tell you, this preacher stands before you today, a one

who was once offended by the gospel.

But I'm so thankful that one was willing to offend me by it,

because in the offense of hearing the gospel, I realized I

had offended my Creator. I needed redemption and I needed

forgiveness and I needed cleansing from sin.

And in the gospel we find that hope, but many sugar coat it,

water it down, because we don't want.

People to push them away. They're already away.

What are you going to do, push them all the way to hell?

They are condemned already Stop thinking like the world and

start thinking like the apostle Paul.

If I don't present to them the gospel, they it's not that they

might perish. They are condemned already.

See it from what it is, See it from what Scripture says.

You can't make that less offensive.

You can't send that down. You can't soften it in any way.

It is the gospel. Stop being concerned with

offending people. Be concerned with people

hearing. That offensive truth and

repenting and being turned to Christ.

Paul tells Timothy in second Timothy chapter 4.

2 Timothy 4 · chapter mention

He says this to him boldly preach the word, be prepared in

the season and be ready all the time no matter what culture

accepts, no matter what culture declines.

You preach the word instant in season and out of season.

He says correct rebuke and encourage with great patience

and careful instruction. Why for the time will come when

men will put up with will not put up with sound doctrine

desires. They will gather around them a

great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to

hear a less offensive gospel, he says they will turn their ears

away from the truth and turn aside the myths.

Oh, the easy believism Gospels. And I need We've covered it in

this series, those easy believism Gospels.

Are easy for people to swallow. But they are not the power of

God unto salvation for all who believe.

They are a poor sub and they are not the message that Paul

preached. They're not the message that

he's encouraging Timothy to preach there in Second Timothy.

But what many do because of those who want to have their

ears tickled, well, I'm thankful to pastor a Church of people who

don't want to have their ears tickled.

Who will say, yes, we believe that there is rebuke in

Scripture and to welcome it, rebuke us, Pastor.

Oh, I'm thankful for the rebuke and the correction that I have

received through the Scriptures throughout the years.

But there are those, in fact the majority, who just want to have

their just enough Jesus to make them feel like they're on their

way to heaven. But let's don't get into the

offensive parts of it. Let's don't get into the fact

that Jesus tells us to forsake everything and follow him, and

that those that don't forsake everything aren't really follow.

Let's don't speak that kind of hard truth.

So they make the message less offensive, moving the truth,

removing certain elements right involving God's wrath and His

justice towards sinners. Removing even the very word sin

because we don't want to offend those who are trying to reach.

If you're not willing to offend them with the true gospel,

you're not trying to reach them. You are tickling their ears.

Buying them, you are pampering them.

That's why so many of these churches that call themselves

churches are nothing but a nursery school for lost people.

The gospel will be offensive. We can't make it less offensive.

You show your shame when you sugarcoat it.

You make the message less offensive.

Or where you manipulate the message for comfort and ease.

Let's take the gospel and let's just add a spoonful of sugar.

Because a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,

doesn't it, Mary Poppins? And that's the problem.

You believe in Mary. You don't believe the one true

gospel. Because the one true gospel

needs nothing added to it, nothing taken away from it.

And when it meets us, it is designed to do what only that

message can do, need us to alter it or to fit it to fit the

crowd. Notice the apostle Paul.

Though he always related to the crowd, he never changed the

gospel to so that it would fit the crowd.

He related to the crowd, and then he gave them the gospel.

Right. Where they were, and every time

he gave it, it was the same. He was unashamed of it.

When we change the gospel to fit the culture or the audience that

we're addressing, we air. What do you think?

I don't know this by now. We could fill this building 20

times over if I was willing to preach a sweeter, unbiblical

gospel. My prayer has always been for

this church and God would raise up a group of believers that

believe in the one true God, ashamed of that one true gospel,

and who will live and die for that gospel just as the Apostle

Paul did. I've watched God do this work

over and over and over again. Not by manipulating the message

for comfort and ease. By boldly proclaiming the

message of Jesus Christ. Paul preached the same gospel

message to the Jew and to the Gentile.

How do I know this? It's the power of God unto

salvation for all who believe. First for the Jew and then for

the Gentile. He included both of them in the

same God, not ashamed of. So we need not alter this

message or manipulate it for any reason.

He was unashamed of the gospel just as it is.

Have you ever met those people who they began to proclaim the

gospel and then they somehow through the middle of it, feel

like they need to apologize for God being a God of justice and

wrath? I don't have to apologize for

God. In fact, no one has to apologize

for God because everything that he does is right.

When he exercises his wrath and his judgment, it is absolutely,

positively right. And.

Holy, I don't have to. Soften that up to make it true.

It is true. Soften it up so that you can

somehow swallow it. Paul was unashamed of the

message. He knew there was no need to

alter. In fact, as we learned in our

first message in this series, did he not rebuke the Galatians

and those who were there stirring up chaos in regard to

the gospel Galatians, chapter one, verse 8, he says this.

But even if we are an Angel from heaven should preach one we

preach to you. Let him be eternally condemned,

as we've already said. So now I say again, if anybody

is preaching to you a gospel other than what is, except you

accepted, let him be eternally condemned.

Am I now trying to win the approval of men?

Why would he throw that in there?

Because there were many who were altering the gospel.

How received the approval of men?

They were sending it. They were shaving it.

They were sugar coating it. He.

Says I'm, am I trying to please men?

He says if I were still trying to please men, I would not be a

servant of Christ. You know what, Paul?

Says there are often times we miss If you're trying to please

men, you're not pleasing Christ. Don't miss that.

And so when we share the gospel, if we share the gospel in a way

that is somehow appealing to men.

We reveal that we're ashamed of Christ.

Let that be heard. Because those who are unashamed

of the true gospel, they will like Paul listen to me church.

They will like Paul unabridged, on a bass, unedited, untouched.

They will preach the people that they.

Received Paul here the gospel that he received personally from

Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus personally as Christ

took the time to teach him wisdom and knowledge straight

from Christ himself. The message for comfort and

ease. We don't have to make the

message less offensive a sugar coating it.

We reveal we're ashamed of it and sadly so isn't a church.

Thirdly, you're ashamed of the gospel, putting it aside.

We learned last week in First Corinthians chapter 15, as we

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

covered those few verses there, that the true gospel, the

elements that it contains, are to be of first importance, that

that's the burial of the resurrection of Christ.

Paul was saying that the gospel ought to be.

And when we set aside the gospel for any reason.

Or even any element of that gospel.

We reveal our shame for the gospel.

So you're ashamed of the gospel if you're What does that mean?

Give us clarity. I will.

We're setting the gospel aside when we find ourselves putting

it on the back burner on our list of things to do.

Oh the Co worker that I mentioned to you before that you

see every enslaved by their sin in need of Christ and you put it

on your list of things to do on the back burner, neglecting to

offer hope to them. How about this neglecting for

your fleshly desires? Right when I, when I get through

taking care of all the things that I wanted to take care of on

my list, I, when I eventually get through sharing the gospel

with others, then and then only will I do that.

The interesting thing is scripture actually speaks on

these things. It actually takes all of our

excuses away. Gospel.

In fact, in Mark's Gospel, the 8th chapter verse 31.

Jesus teaching here it says this.

He then began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many

things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and

teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three

days rise again. Sounds like Jesus was preached

that Paul preached. The death, the burial.

The resurrection prior to it ever happening.

Watch what he continues to say. He spoke plainly about this, and

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

I don't think some of you caught that the gospel and Peter's

going to pull him aside and tell him Jesus, you're not doing this

correctly. He rebukes him because Peter

didn't like the news that he had.

Heard. So he took him aside, and he

began to rebuke him. Can you imagine rebuking the Son

of God? Not a smart move, but when Jesus

turned and looked at his disciples.

He rebuked Peter. Get behind me, Satan.

Why? Because anything that interferes

with the true gospel is not from God.

It is from the enemy. Get behind me, Satan.

You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of

men. You're worried about what people

are going to think. Peter, stop it.

You're ashamed of me. You're ashamed of the death that

I'm going to die. You're ashamed of what I'm going

to endure. History that you have walked.

With me in. And he called the crowd to him,

along with his disciples, and said this, If anyone would come

after me, he must. Underline that, highlight that.

Make sure you see that in the Word of God.

He must. This is not this is not

something you do later on down the road.

If anyone is going to come after Christ, he must deny himself and

take up his cross and follow me. Why was Jesus saying that?

Because he just told him I'm going to take up my cross and

I'm going to die for the sin of all those who will believe and

trust in me myself. I'm going to be buried and then

I'm going to rise from the grave to prove that I am who I say

that I am. Peter, you're acting like Satan.

Shut your mouth and listen to the truth.

This is the gospel if anyone does not deny themselves and

follow. Christ, they're not saved, he

says. Forever wants to save his life.

We'll lose it. Forever loses his life for me

and for the gospel. We'll save it.

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet

forfeit his soul? What can a man give in exchange

for his soul? If anyone is a.

High words in this adulterous and sinful generation.

The Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his

Father's glory with his holy angels.

American Church, please hear the words of Christ Paul here in

Romans chapter 1 saying I'm not ashamed of the gospel because it

Romans 1 · chapter mention

is unto salvation. You know why so many Americans,

so-called Christians are ashamed?

Because they've not experienced the power of God unto salvation.

They're ashamed of him, setting him aside constantly for other

things, for their own fleshly desires, negating their own

Christian duty. What do you mean by Christian

duty? Our God-given mission as the

church. And what is that?

Well, we can look at Mark's account in Mark chapter 16.

Mark 16 · chapter mention

We can look at Matthew's account in Matthew 28 Commission.

Let's look at Mark 16 and see how it's worded here.

Verse 15. He said to them, Jesus, go into

all the world and preach the good news.

That's the gospel, that's the UN galleon.

That's what we've been talking about for weeks.

He said and preached the good news to all creation.

Baptized will be saved. What does that mean?

Whoever has faith and repents, and they show that repentance

through obedience, though baptism is the first step.

Of obedience, it says he who believes and is baptized will be

saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Why? Because they're already

condemned. You about that church?

We are to follow the command of Christ, the Great Commission.

We are to go and to preach the good news to all creatures, to

not be ashamed of that good news, putting it on the back

burner with every little excuse that we can come up with.

Good at talking to others. Neither were some of these guys,

for the power of the Holy Spirit interrupted their lives.

Well, I don't know what to. Say, well, the Bible says you

don't have to worry about that because he's going to give you

the words to say. I don't want to seem.

Judgy. You're worried about what?

You're more worried about you seeming judgy than the fact that

the person who you're withholding the gospel from will

be judged by God and is in the gospel that we warn them of

this. Stop negating your Christian

duty. Stop forsaking your mission.

You write this down. The omission of the Great

Commission is admission to being ashamed of the gospel.

I'll say it slower so that you can get it.

The omission of the Great Commission is admission to being

of the gospel. And the Church for years has

omitted the Great Commission for so many other things, putting

the gospel on the backburner. We put the gospel on the

backburner because we're ashamed of it.

Paul wouldn't said the gospel Christ and the gospel, as we saw

a moment ago, was his entire life and it should be yours.

Oh, before you say, but Kirk, that's the apostle Paul.

Yeah, a man just like you, a Sinner just like the rest of us,

redeemed by the of the Lord Jesus Christ, purchased by the

blood of our Savior, just like us, commissioned to go and to

tell others the good news, just like us.

So stop with your excuses. Stop making excuses while you're

putting the gospel on the back burner as people are going to

hell all around you. Stop saying that you care,

because you don't. Care you, care about you and

what people think about you. But Paul said this in Acts

Acts 20 · chapter mention

chapter 20. He says this in verse 24.

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me.

Oh, I wish the American church would get there.

I consider my life worth nothing to me if only I may finish the

race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me.

He says I want to finish the task the Lord Jesus has given

me. What is that task?

The task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

He said this is the whole reason that I exist and I'm not going

to put this gospel on the back burner because it is my life and

I consider my life worth nothing apart from the gospel mission

that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has given unto me.

It is the same, and to all of you who profess Christ in this

room today, and to all who profess Christ around this

world, it has not changed. Stop setting it aside, putting

it on the back. Burner How about prioritizing it

over other things? Boy, don't we see this a lot

when we give the gospel a lesser place of this world.

What a sad day when the church no longer prioritizes Christ and

his gospel, but we are so distracted by the lesser things

of this world. 9 verse 57 it says as they were walking along

the road, a man said to him, Man comes up to Jesus.

He says, I'll follow you wherever you go.

Jesus, of course, knowing his heart, it says Jesus replied.

Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son

of Man has no place to lay his head.

Oh, what a comfortable gospel. Follow me, you might be

homeless. Follow me, you might be less off

than the foxes and the birds, he said to another man.

Follow me. But the man replied, Lord, first

let me go and bury my father. Now what you need to know about

this is his father wasn't even dead.

He wanted to go and wait for his father to boy his inheritance

that the father was going to give him for just a little while

and then maybe after that, maybe after that, then he would follow

Jesus if it was convenient for him.

Jesus said to him, just like this, how insensitive of our

Savior. Let the dead bury their own dead

but you. Proclaim the Kingdom of God.

Let the dead bury their own dead.

You go proclaim the gospel. Still another said, I will

follow you, Lord, but first let me go back and say goodbye to my

family. Well, let me go back and then

take care of these worldly things, these fleshly thing.

The things that are priority in my life.

And Jesus replied, No one who looked, who puts his hands to

the plow and looks back, is fit for service in the Kingdom of

God. Why did he say this?

He said this in the hearing of his true disciples, so that they

would know the truth. Because there are so many

tiesing other things over the gospel, putting their hand to

the pilot and looking back on what all they're missing out for

the sake of the gospel, let me just tell you this, You will

miss out on some things involving this world.

You will miss out on earthly pleasure, but you much more in

eternity as promised by the Lord.

Just as he told his disciples, of any of you have lost family,

fortunes or homes in eternity, I'm going to repay that to you

substantially, multiple folds to you, with eternal rewards for

for forsaking everything for the gospel.

Yet in the church today, we're still prioritizing other things,

putting Jesus in a lesser place than he belongs.

Can we all agree that Jesus and his gospel deserves for him 1st

place? He said.

Well pastor, does that mean that I can't do things?

No, it doesn't mean that you can't do things.

It means that everything you do, you will have in the forefront

of your mind. This is an opportunity for the

gospel. When I go to work, it's a gospel

opportunity. When I go to a football game,

it's a gospel opportunity. When I play sports gospel

opportunity. That's how the true believer

thinks. I'm not going to be ashamed of

the gospel and put the gospel in a back burner or reprioritize it

in my life to where it is something less than preeminent.

Fur giving it a lesser place and the gospel deserves how about

this a lesser placement it once had in your life?

Isn't that what happens to the church at Ephesus?

Paul addresses them in Revelation chapter 2, verses 4

Revelation 2:4–5

through 5. He gives out messages and

mandates to certain churches there in Asia Minor and Ephesus.

And he says this. He says in verse 4 of chapter 2.

Yet I hold this against you. You have forsaken your first

love. Remember the height from which

you have fallen. Repent and do the things you did

at first. If you do not repent, I will

come to you and remove your lampstand from his place.

Their first love. They had forgotten their first

love. And who's their first love?

Christ. And if Christ is your first

love, what does he say if you? So they were obviously at one

time obeying Him by preaching the gospel unashamedly, and he

says you've lost to that. What does he say?

Repent and do the things you first did, the things you did

first. Get back to where you know you

need to be. The first love was once Christ.

The first love was once the true gospel of Christ.

And here they had drifted away for this because they had

reprioritized everything. Even good thing some of you have

good priorities that are not gospel priorities, your family,

your marriages, your homes. Have you ever noticed when you

talk about the family, you talk about the home, you talk about

the marriage, the people flock to it.

They want to have a marriage conference.

They won't have a family conference.

But if you say come on Sunday afternoon and learn how to share

the gospel, for it is the good news of God and it is the power

of God unto S leave. Come join us.

We'll teach you how to do it and no one shows up.

Why? Because you have re prioritized

the gospel. You're ashamed of it.

That is, you can teach your sons and to be good husbands, but if

you are not teaching them to prioritize the gospel of the

Lord Jesus Christ, you have failed them as a Christian

Father, you're ashamed of Christ and His message worthizing other

things. It's sad to think that daddies

will spend countless hours teaching their son to throw a

football. And there's nothing wrong with

teaching your son to throw a football.

Please teach him to throw a football so he doesn't look like

a girl in the playground. But you spend teaching him how

to do that and countless hours teaching him how or paying good

money to teach him how to swing a a stick and hit another ball.

And your Son doesn't learn from you and your example how to

unashamedly share the gospel of Jesus Christ with that clerk or

that homeless man in his own vomit in the street who needs

the same hope that we have in Christ.

Shame on you. You are ashamed of the gospel of

Jesus Christ, forgetting that it is the power of God unto

salvation. And my prayer for you is that

God allows you a moment this morning to repent, to receive

His mercy. You're ashamed of the gospel if

you're setting it aside. Anything your own mission of it

reveals your shame. I mean practically.

Speaking, how can one claim that the message of the gospel saved

them and rescued them, only to turn and set it aside for the

things of this world? God, wake us up.

Let us hear the rebuke from the Word today.

Let us hear the truth. Lastly, I will make it as

quickly as possible. You're ashamed of the gospel if

you aren't surrendered to it. Many of you have heard the truth

of the gospel in this very church over and over and over

and over again. And you reveal that you were

ashamed of the gospel, not yet run to the feet of Jesus Christ,

proclaiming Him as Lord and Savior.

And that shame that you have for the gospel and for Christ is

evident. How?

Because you're unbelieving toward Christ.

Week after week we open the pages of Scripture.

You see the life in the ministry of Christ.

You see the message of Christ. You see the miracles of Christ.

You see Him unveiled through God's Word over.

And over and over and over. Again, yet you will not and do

not believe. Why would you not believe in

such a great Savior that we look at over and over and over again?

It's because you are ashamed of Him.

John's Gospel. John highlights a group of

people who are the same chapter in the 19th verse.

It says this is the verdict. Light has come into the world,

Jesus proclaiming the gospel. But men love darkness instead of

light because their deeds were evil.

They were ashamed of the gospel but rather have their evil

deeds. 20 says evil hates the light and will not come into the

light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

And I proclaim to you this morning, unbelieving Sinner,

your deeds have already been exposed before you ever

committed the first one. God has already known the

beginning from the end, and you are not sin from God.

And if you do not repent of that sin and trust in Jesus Christ as

your Lord and Savior, you will stand before God.

And as Scripture declares, books will be open.

And of those books, one of those books will be books that give an

account of every wrong. And since we're done and you

will be judged. For every single one of them

apart from Jesus Christ. And I implore you today, turn

from your sin, believe in Jesus Christ.

He's the only hope that any if you continue to neglect

acknowledging him as Savior and as Messiah, you are simply

confirming that you are ashamed of the person and the work of

Jesus Christ. Can I remind you?

All who are ashamed of him on this earth, he will be ashamed

of them before his Father in heaven.

You don't have to do any hermeneutical tricks to

interpret that and to understand that it means exactly what it

sounds. Like it means if you've not yet

believed in Christ, you're openly admitting that you're

ashamed of him. And how could we be ashamed of

Christ, the God man embody coming to this earth, die in the

place of undeserving and wicked sinners.

The Christ who bore the wrath of our sin on his back, only to

turn and give us his own righteousness so that we can

stand before God accepted. And you were ashamed of that

kind of savior for himself, for those who would spit in his

face, who would look at the ones who drove nails in his hands and

his feet, and say, Father, forgive them, for they know not

what they do. How can you still be ashamed of

such a savior? Believe on Christ today.

There's no need to be ashamed. The message of Christ is the

power of God unto salvation for all who believe.

So you're ashamed of the gospel if you aren't surrendered to it,

you're still unbelieving toward Christ, or you're still

unsubmitted to Christ? There's a life that's ashamed

of. Christ won't repent.

And life won't and life won't submit to Christ fact Jesus

Matthew chapter 21 verse 32. It says this for John came to

Matthew 21:32

you to show you the way of righteousness.

Speaking of John the Baptist and you did not believe him?

But the tax collectors and the and even after you saw this,

Hugh did not repent and believe him.

I want you to see what he's saying there.

He's telling the Pharisees you saw me saving prostitutes and

tax collectors. You saw me saving the scum of

the earth because they believed I was who I said that I was.

You saw it and you're still ashamed of me, and you still

don't believe. What a sad reckoning a person

will have who said week after week in church services seeing

all that Christ has done, but they still remain ashamed of

Him. Not believing, not submitting,

there's no real evidence in their life of any change.

Repentance. Continuing to refuse to turn and

believe so that they won't perish.

Not only is it sad to think about, it's a sad reality that

eternity will expose. Second Thessalonians chapter 1

2 Thessalonians 1:8

verse 8, it says he will punish those who do not know God and do

not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut

out from the presence of the Lord and from the magic of His

power. The fact that you haven't

surrendered to Christ reveals you're ashamed of Him.

And if you're ashamed of film here, he will be ashamed of you

on that day before and the holy angels.

So to the professing believer here today, I ask you, are you

ashamed of the true gospel of Christ based on what we've

looked at today? Paul tells Timothy again, second

Timothy one verse 8. He says so do not be ashamed to

testify about our Lord. He's giving instructions to

another pastor, another man of God.

Do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord or shamed of me,

his prisoner Timothy to do something.

I want to invite you to do the same today, He says.

But join with me in suffering for the gospel by the power of

God. Well, I don't invite you today

to receive a better life. I don't invite you today to to

receive a world or notoriety. I invite you as Paul.

Invited Timothy Dear professing believer, suffer with us to have

people think that you lunatic who has lost their minds so dead

focused on the gospel of Jesus Christ that nothing else

matters. I invite you as Paul did, join

join in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.

It is his power that saves you and it is his power that will

sustain you to the unbeliever. Simply put, you've spent enough

time ashamed of Christ, neglecting the only one, whoever

died as a sacrifice to rescue Sinner.

You spend enough. Time neglecting the one, shame

and suffered agony and rejection and even a brutal death in the

place of undeserving sinners like you.

Like me, you spend enough time ashamed of him.

Why would you be ashamed of such a loving, this merciful Savior?

Why would you not surrender to Him wholeheartedly this very

day? As the scripture says, today is

the day of salvation. Now is the appointed time.

Oh, don't try to put it off until tomorrow.

Why is here? Who is guaranteed tomorrow,

today? Stop being ashamed of Jesus

Christ and run to Him as your Lord and your Savior and your

Master in the only forgiveness that there is to be received for

sinners. Come to Him today and believing

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank You for Your word.

We thank You that it is true. We thank You that it does not

return void, Lord, it has gone forth and it will do exactly

what you desire for it to do. And we rest in that.

And we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus for

your sacrifice and for the gospel message that reveals that

sacrifice. To all who believe in trust in

Christ, we love you. We thank you for loving us.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen. You've been listening to Key

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