Rom. 1:16-17 A GOSPEL WORTH SHARING
Intro: After introducing the Messenger, the Message and his own Motives
in the first 15 verses of this book, the Apostle Paul turns the spotlight on the
Gospel that he is going to be writing about. In these 2 verses, we are given
one of the greatest summaries of the Gospel ever written by man. For it is
in these verses that we can see a clear declaration of God's power and
purpose in the Gospel message.
Paul's statements about the Gospel begin in a strange fashion. Out of
the blue he tells us that he is not "ashamed of the Gospel." In our day, this
sounds kind of awkward. Why should he be ashamed? Perhaps a little
understanding of that culture will help us to understand why some might
have been ashamed of preaching the message that Paul had been given.
There are at least 4 reasons why some would have been ashamed.
1. Because of the moral condition of that day. Nero was the Emperor
of Rome. He was a wicked, degenerate man. The city of Rome was
a cesspool of sin and wicked living. The Gospel Paul preached was
diametrically opposed to everything Rome was.
2. Because Paul was a Jew. Jews were considered by many to be a
sub-human race. They were fit for nothing but to be despised,
mistreated, and enslaved. Ordinary Jews would have been tempted
to shy away from non-Jews.
3. Because the Gospel Paul was preaching was almost unbelievable.
Think of it, the Savior Paul was preaching was a male member of the
despised Jewish race, He was said to be the Savior of man, He
claimed to be the Son of God, even God Himself, yet He claimed to
be a man. His death was different than other men in that He died on
a Roman cross, a symbol of shame, but in dying this death, He was
said to have died for all men. And, if that wasn't enough, this man
was said to have risen from the dead the third day after His death.
To many people, the claims of the Gospel were just too bizarre to
believe. (Ill. Things haven't changed much - 1 Cor. 1:18.)
4. Because everywhere Paul went preaching the cross, he was
ridiculed, cast out, imprisoned, or treated cruelly. Many would not
have been able to endure the shame of the cross.
With all these things in mind, it is easy to see why Paul would want to
be clear about his commitment to the Gospel message. He would want
these people to know that they were hearing from a man who believed his
message and was willing to pay the price to share it.
Now that we know why some would have been ashamed, why wasn't
Paul? After all, many in our day are ashamed of the Gospel message!
What did he know that made him keep on going for God? What was it
about the Gospel that invigorated the Apostle and kept driving him around
the world preaching the same hated message? The answer to those
questions is found in the truths that Paul reveals to us about the Gospel. In
these verses, Paul reminds us that we have A Gospel Worth Sharing.
Let's look into these 2 verses and see why.
I. THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL
A. Paul tells us that the Gospel is the "power of God". The word "power"
comes from a word that refers to the "might, energy, force and
strength that dwell within God."
B. God could have revealed His power against sin in any way that He
chose. He could have wiped men from the face of the earth. He
could have done anything that He wanted, because He is the all-powerful God. He can do anything! Therefore, it is a blessing to
notice that when the Lord moved to do something about sin, He
exercised His power in sending men the Gospel of grace.
(Ill. Nowhere is the power of God so visible as it is in the Gospel of
Christ! Think about it! When God takes a lost sinner and saves him
by His grace and makes him a new creature, that is a powerful thing.
God could have sent us all to Hell, but He instead chose to send us
His love wrapped up in His Son, the Lord Jesus. I thank the Lord that
He loved us first - 1 John 4:19.)
C. Notice that Paul's message is the "gospel of Christ." Make no
mistake about it, there are many different gospels being preached in
our day. There is the Gospel of religion that says, "Turn over a new
leaf." There is the gospel of materialism that says, "Your worth is
determined by what you have. Gain is the goal of life." There is
the Gospel of liberalism that says "I'm OK and you're OK. God
accepts us like we are and will take us to Heaven if Heaven
really exists." There is the Gospel of society that says, "Do as you
please for life is short." Paul's message, on the other hand, says,
"You are a sinner, and if you die in your sins, you will go the
Hell. However, God loves you and sent His Son, the Lord Jesus
into the world. Jesus died for your sins and rose from the
dead. If you will place your faith in Him, then you can and will
be eternally saved." Tell me, Which Gospel are you trusting in
tonight?
I. The Power Of The Gospel
II. THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL
A. Why did God go to such lengths for men? Why did He give up His
Son to die on the cross for the sins of humanity? The primary answer
is simply that He loves us. However there is more to it than that.
God's plan and God's purpose in giving the Gospel message is
"salvation."
B. The word "salvation" is a very important word. It means, "safety,
preservation, deliverance." It carries the idea of "being rescued from
all harm and danger." God's desire in saving sinners is to forever
deliver them from spiritual death, spiritual defilement, spiritual
deception and spiritual destruction. Lest we forget, the end of all
sinners, outside the Lord Jesus, is the fire of Hell. God purpose in
giving the Gospel is to change man's destination in eternity and his
life here on earth as well.
C. The primary purpose of the Gospel message is the salvation of the
lost. I don't know about you all, but I truly enjoy being saved! I am
grateful to the Lord that He gave us a salvation that we do not have
to worry about. It is good for as long as He lives!
I. The Power Of The Gospel
II. The Purpose Of The Gospel
III. THE PLAN OF THE GOSPEL
A. Verse 16 tells us in no uncertain terms exactly how this Gospel
message of salvation is activated. Notice that it is "to every one
that believeth."
B. This makes it perfectly clear that biblical salvation does not involve
complicated religious rituals or ornate and elaborate religious
exercises. Salvation is the product of faith and faith alone! (Ill. Eph.
2:8-9; Titus 2:5).
C. This is the point where many people stumble. People like to do things
for themselves. They like to feel that they have a part of everything
in their lives. However, in the matter of salvation, the sinner can have
no part. It is all God, all the way. Salvation comes to the person who
is willing to simply receive the message of Christ be faith, John 6:47;
John 3:16; John 5:24; Acts. 16:31.
D. I am thankful that the Lord kept His Gospel inexpensive and easy to
understand! My question for you is this, "What are you trusting in this
evening?"
I. The Power Of The Gospel
II. The Purpose Of The Gospel
III. The Plan Of The Gospel
IV. THE PLEDGE OF THE GOSPEL
A. This great, saving Gospel message is for every single person in the
world! No one is beyond the reach of the Gospel of grace. Notice
these words from our Savior: Rev. 22:17; John 6:37. The pledge of
the Gospel is that any one who hears the message and needs the
cure can be saved by God's precious grace!
B. Many have labored over the term "to the Jew first and also to the
Greek." This shouldn't bother us! God didn't give the Gospel to the
Jew first in reference to priority. He gave the Gospel to the Jew first
in reference to time. He had been dealing with the Jewish people for
thousands of years, and when He sent His Son into the world to be
the Messiah of the Jewish people, they rejected Him, John 1:11. Now,
the Lord has turned to the Gentile peoples of the world to offer them
salvation as well, John 1:12. Therefore, salvation is available to every
person on the face of God's earth.
C. These verses make it clear that salvation is for anyone regardless of
their race, their social standing, their education, their ability, their
wickedness, etc. There is nothing which can prevent anyone who
wants to be saved from being saved. The pledge of the Gospel is for
every man, everywhere! Thank God that it is so!
(Ill. If there had been restrictions on salvation, then I surely would
have ben left out! I am glad that it is free, by faith and absolutely
foolproof!)
I. The Power Of The Gospel
II. The Purpose Of The Gospel
III. The Plan Of The Gospel
IV. The Pledge Of The Gospel
V. THE PRODUCT OF THE GOSPEL
A. The product of the Gospel in the life of the believer is "righteousness."
You see, man has 2 great problems. 1.) He thinks he is righteous and
is therefore acceptable to the Lord. 2.) He is absolutely wrong about
#1! Man is not righteous, and cannot produce righteousness by self-will, or his own works.
B. However, when faith is placed in the Gospel message and Jesus is
believed on in the heart, God takes the sinners and declares him to be
righteous. What man cannot do by effort, God does by His power, 1
Cor. 6:9-11; Rom. 8:33.
C. Simply stated, everything man looks for in religion: peace with God,
acceptance by God, a right relationship with God, etc, are all given to
the believer when he receives the Gospel message. That is a message
worth sharing!
D. What does the phrase "from faith to faith" mean? It simply refers to
the fact that the believer's life is to be one of faith in God, and as life is
lived in faith, the righteousness of God is revealed in the believer's life
from "beginning faith" to "ending faith." As this verse concludes, faith
is to be the way of life for the child of God.
Conc: We have been given a Gospel worth believing and one that is worth
sharing. The questions as we bring these thoughts together are these: Are
you trusting in the Gospel of Christ for salvation? Are you sharing the
Gospel like Paul did? Are you ashamed of the Gospel of Christ? The same
message that was able to save then, can save now. The same power that
worked in Paul's day is working in our day. All we need to do to see the
Gospel work in power is to believe it and to share. When we do these, God
will do the rest!
