Folks, turn back with me in your Bibles to Romans and chapter 1 for a short time this morning,
! And with the Lord's help, let's see what we might glean from it.
If you'll permit me, let me begin by asking a question, particularly perhaps to those of you who would profess Jesus as Lord.
How many people have you spoken to about Jesus this week?
Not how many church services have you attended, not how many podcasts have you listened to,
not how many Bible verses or passages have you read, but how many people have you shared the gospel with this week?
How many people have you articulated your faith or the truth about Jesus to in the past number of days?
I'm sure, like me, for many of us, that question makes us uncomfortable.
Because we know the gospel and we love the gospel.
We know that the gospel has changed our lives and transformed our experiences.
And yet so often, when the opportunity arises, we struggle to take up these opportunities.
Why? Well, for a variety of reasons.
We might think that the scenario in which we find ourselves isn't conducive to sharing or articulating our faith.
Maybe we're afraid of saying the wrong thing or tripping over our words or being questioned for the things that we say.
Perhaps we're worried about what people may think.
They might think that we're narrow-minded or bigoted or old-fashioned or maybe just simply strange.
We live in a culture where faith is often expected to remain a private faith, a personal and a private faith.
And we're speaking openly of Christ Jesus and the great hope that is ours in and through his gospel comes at great cost to ourselves.
And therefore, it's easy or becomes easy for us to remain silent.
Now, the remarkable thing about that is that it's not a new struggle.
It's not a struggle that is confined to modern-day Scotland.
Paul, as we've just been reading, is preparing, longing to come to preach the gospel in Rome,
in the heart of the greatest and strongest, most powerful empire on the earth.
Now, what do we know of Rome?
We know that Rome celebrated power and wealth and status and philosophy and military might.
So, the message of a crucified Jewish savior might sound a little weak, perhaps a little foolish,
maybe even offensive to the power of Rome.
If anybody had good reason to remain silent, it's surely Paul as he enters into that arena.
And yet, as we read in verse 16 of Romans chapter 1, after he's alluded to the fact that he longs to come to the people in Rome,
he says,
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,
to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
An amazing statement, a bold statement for Paul to make,
made all the more amazing when we consider the experience that Paul himself has had up until this point.
When Paul was first saved and taken to Damascus,
he had to sneak over the wall to escape persecution because of the gospel.
He was stoned and left for dead in the town of Lystra because he preached the gospel.
Later, he was jailed in the city of Philippi because he preached the gospel.
He was chased out of Thessalonica for preaching the gospel.
He was laughed at in Athens for preaching the gospel.
He was assaulted and arrested in Jerusalem for preaching the gospel.
And so when we consider all of these encounters, all of these realities for the apostle Paul,
it would be very easy for Paul to say,
Well, I'm going to Rome and after all that I've experienced and all of these hardships that I've survived,
is it wise of me to preach the gospel?
But it's unambiguous for Paul.
He says, Listen, I'm not ashamed of the gospel regardless of what has come to pass,
regardless of the experiences that I've had, good, bad, and ugly.
I am not ashamed of the gospel because of a number of things.
It's quite a statement.
So Paul's coming to this great superpower of the world,
unashamedly longing to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ.
Nothing intimidated him.
Whether it was Herod Agrippa,
Governor Festus,
Governor Felix in Caesarea,
Nero in Rome,
These were, let's make no mistake,
strong, powerful, brutal, power-hungry leaders,
but they didn't intimidate Paul.
Why?
Because Paul feared the Lord.
Paul feared the Lord.
And we know that Scripture reminds us that the fear of the Lord
is not only the beginning of wisdom,
but also a great source of confidence.
The basis of Paul's confidence was his fear of the Lord.
Elsewhere, he reminds us that his boast,
his only boast,
is in Christ.
That was the source of his confidence.
That's what gave him such confidence
as he entered into this intimidating arena.
And he reminds us today
that the gospel is good news
and it's worth standing for unashamedly,
even when we're faced with great power,
authority, and influence
from worldly leaders or those before us.
And so I'd like to just look this morning
for a few moments with the Lord's help
at some reasons why we, like Paul,
can say,
I am not ashamed of the gospel
because it's good news.
It's God's power
and it's given freely.
It's good news.
It's God's power.
It's given freely.
Firstly, then, it's good news.
Summed up by the word itself, gospel.
That's literally what it means.
It is good news.
And, you know, from a rational point of view,
we say, well, how could anybody be ashamed
of good news?
Good news is to be shared.
Good news is to be disseminated.
It's to be celebrated.
It's to be rejoiced in.
Well, let me give you a couple of reasons
why somebody might be ashamed of the gospel,
especially in somewhere like Rome.
Rome would have been a terribly intimidating place
2,000 years ago.
If you were to travel to Rome back then
and look around,
you would have thought,
wow, Rome has it all together.
These people want for nothing.
They have everything that they need.
Out of all of the places on the earth,
Rome, well, it has it all.
And in ancient times,
Rome wasn't just another European capital.
It was the center of everything.
The nickname for Rome back then was Caput Mundi,
which literally means the capital of the world.
It was the center of civilization.
It was the seat of influence and power.
The Roman Senate there in Rome
would make laws that affected the entire world.
And therefore, it would have been an inspiring
and yet intimidating place.
Certainly somewhere that you might think twice
of bringing a message of challenge.
You might be ashamed of the gospel
because not everybody in Rome
saw that the gospel was good news
or that they had any need for the gospel.
In fact, they might think,
well, that actually sounds like bad news,
not good news.
Because the gospel comes along and says,
listen, you're not all together
and you haven't arrived
and you're not eternally secure,
but you can be.
You can be not through your wealth,
not through your power,
not through your prestige or your status,
but through Jesus Christ,
the one who has died in your place,
the one who has shed his blood,
that you may be free.
They say, really?
Look at us here.
Sophisticated, advanced, affluent, wealthy, comfortable.
We could translate that into the modern day, couldn't we?
The same arguments, the same reasoning
can be put forward by those who live today.
I have no need of Jesus.
I have everything that I need.
It's the great lie of the secular world, isn't it?
Just a little bit more.
If I have these things,
then, well, I'll be secure and I'll be fine.
But of course, that's not the case, is it?
Because without Christ,
we are without hope and without God in the world.
To many in Rome
and to many in the modern day,
if you go out into the street
in Stornoway or Ullipool or anywhere else,
and you tell them about the wonder of the gospel,
they will find it offensive.
What do you mean I'm not good enough?
What do you mean my good deeds don't warrant reward?
What do you mean by that?
We say the gospel exposes the pride of the human heart.
The gospel unmasks the condition of the unbeliever.
The gospel strikes a blow
to the heart of people's ego.
And as a result,
people react.
React often negatively towards the gospel.
And as a result,
Christians often become embarrassed
or shrink back as a result of that.
Often we become timid and silent.
But you know,
the truth is,
the gospel still changes lives.
The gospel still changes hearts.
Jesus still saves people.
His story is a story of hope and meaning
and inspiration and transformation.
It's good news.
So why would we be ashamed of good news?
There are many things in life
that we share with people.
The arrival of a child or a grandchild.
The news of an engagement.
There's one in your intimations today
for Aaron and Eve.
We rejoice in these things
and we share these good news stories.
Surely the greatest message,
the greatest news of all,
is though we are sinful,
for all sin and fall short of the glory of God,
there is no one who is righteous,
not even one.
No one who seeks God, Paul says elsewhere.
Surely the good news then
is that there is provision
and that there is a hope
and that there is an answer
to the greatest need of the human heart.
Because for as much as we amass
and as much as we succeed in
and as much as we achieve
and as much as we own,
we know that,
that there's still a yearning,
a gnawing.
There's something not quite.
There's something missing.
We may have made it in business.
We might have secured our retirement.
We may have our funds in place.
We may have all of these things.
But without Christ,
we have no hope of eternity.
The gospel is good news.
Part of that good news is exposing
the waywardness of the human heart,
which is often something
that is intimidating for us to do.
But the gospel doesn't just expose.
The gospel also clothes.
It points to the righteousness
and that's here later in this verse as well.
We have the best news,
the greatest news,
the greatest hope
that this world can ever know
in Christ Jesus.
That's why we share it.
That's why we're unashamed.
Because it is the best news
that meets the greatest need
of the human heart.
Paul says,
listen,
Rome
or Judea,
doesn't matter.
I am unashamed of the gospel
because it's good news.
Secondly,
he's unashamed of the gospel
because it's God's power.
I am not ashamed of the gospel
for it is the power of God
for salvation.
It's the power of God
for salvation.
Now,
Paul's coming to Rome
and Rome loved power.
They boasted about their power.
They were a nation of conquerors.
They had the power of the Roman legions
that were legendary.
They had the best trained armies
in the world.
They had access
to the best weapons
in the world.
They stationed their military might
all over the conquered world
to keep the peace.
Rome was so powerful
that Caesar Augustus
could order a census,
remember,
to be taken
that forced people
to go to their homes towns
to register
across the entire empire.
Such was the influence.
Such was the power
that the Roman emperor held.
And the truth is,
when a Roman emperor
became agitated,
everybody got nervous.
Because if the king was mad,
everybody else was on edge.
You know,
if mum's not happy at home,
then tread carefully.
Kind of amplify that
for a dictator
that's seated on his throne.
If Caesar's not happy,
nobody's at ease,
nobody's at rest.
And yet,
for all of this power,
for all of this influence,
Rome were powerless,
Rome was powerless,
to change a single life
from the inside.
All of that Roman power
could not morally
fix a person.
It couldn't change a life.
Because though Rome
and the Romans
were outwardly powerful,
militarily strong,
they were morally bankrupt.
And that was well known.
A couple of Roman writers
mentioned that,
well,
Seneca the Younger wrote,
Rome is a cesspool
of iniquity.
Juvenal wrote,
it's a filthy sewer
into which the dregs
of the empire flood.
And here's the apostle Paul
saying,
I long to go there.
I long to go to Rome.
And I want to preach the gospel
because I'm not ashamed of it.
Because it's good news
and it's God's power.
I've seen the gospel
working powerfully,
Paul could say.
I've seen it work in Corinth.
I've watched it flourish
in Ephesus.
I've been to Thessalonica.
It's happened in Philippi.
Philippi.
Imagine what would happen
if God's spirit
came in power in Rome.
Imagine the influence.
Imagine the fallout
in the positive sense
of that,
the positive impact
that it would have
in the world.
It's God's power
into salvation.
Now,
notice how he speaks
about that.
He speaks about
the gospel
being the power.
Not that it had power.
But it was itself
the power.
The word of God.
The good news.
Who is the word?
Jesus.
In the beginning
was the word
and the word was with God
and the word was God
in the beginning
was the word.
Verse 14,
John 1,
the word became flesh
and made his dwelling
among us.
The word of God,
Jesus,
the living word.
He is the one
who has the power
to transform a life
because he is the one
who has brought
everything that we know
into being.
He is the one
who holds all things
together.
There is no
worldly power
that comes close
to his power.
He is the one
who has all dominion,
all power,
all authority.
He is the one
who can change people.
Rome couldn't change people.
But Jesus
can.
Jesus saved Paul.
Paul was an antagonist
of the gospel.
He was a persecutor
of Christians,
sworn enemy
of the church
on his way
to persecute
people further
when Jesus
arrests him
and convicts him
and converts him
and saves him
on the road
to Damascus.
Transformed
through an encounter
with the living
Jesus Christ,
the one who has risen
and is ascended
and is seated
at the right hand
of God
in the throne room
of heaven.
The gospel
preached,
God's word
expounded by Peter
was powerful enough
to save
3,000 people
in the day
of Pentecost
and thousands
since every day
more were added
to their number.
That's the power
of the gospel.
Not to win a war
or conquer a nation
here or there
but to change
the human heart
to give us
a new heart
and a new hope
and a new direction
of travel
and an internal
inheritance
that cannot
be matched.
It's the gospel
that changes people.
Ask Billy Graham,
the great evangelist,
the numbers,
they say
2.2 million people
under his preaching
came to know the Lord.
Was it his opinion?
Was it his gravitas?
Was it his engagement?
No, it was the gospel.
It was the truth
of the Lord Jesus Christ
that he preached
that changed people
as the Spirit of God
moved within them.
The gospel is powerful.
We know not
what it will do.
D.L. Moody said
that the world
has yet to see
what the Lord
can do through
somebody who is
totally devoted
to him
and the preaching
of his word.
The gospel
is powerful enough
to save Paul,
Augustine,
Martin Luther,
C.S. Lewis,
atheists,
investigative journalists,
whoever they may be,
you and I.
The gospel
is God's power.
It is a power
that is unmatched.
It is unrivaled
and it is the only one
that can save a soul
from death.
The gospel
is good news.
The gospel
is God's power
and the gospel
is freely given.
The third reason
that Paul
is not ashamed
of the gospel
is because
it's freely given.
For I am not ashamed
of the gospel
but it is the power
of God for salvation
to everyone
who believes.
To the Jew first
and also
to the Greek.
Now he's talking
chronologically there.
First it came
to the Jews.
Of course it did.
Jesus.
It came through Jesus.
Jesus and his line.
It came to the Jews
but now it is
to the Gentiles.
Indeed if you go back
a couple of verses
to verse 14
you'll read Paul
writing there
I am under obligation
both to Greeks
and to barbarians
both to the wise
and to the foolish.
Now the Jews
divided the world
into two groups.
The Jews
and everybody else.
You were either a Jew
or you were a Gentile.
You were one of the
everybody else.
Indeed
strict Jews
back then
used to hate everyone
who wasn't
a Jew.
Rabbis even said
that God used
the Gentiles
to stoke the fires
of hell
which was
pretty grim.
But Paul said
yes the message
did come to Jews
first
but it has also
come to Gentiles
to Greeks
and to the whole world.
There's a chronology
here
that he is
speaking.
The Greeks
also divided
the world
into two groups
the Greeks
and everybody else
and that's been
something
that has been
characteristic
of people groups
down through
the generations.
But Paul says
here I am under
obligation
to both Greeks
and barbarians.
The AV captures
it slightly better
I am debtor
it says
to both the Greeks
and their barbarians
both to the wise
and the unwise.
That is why
so therefore
I am eager
to preach
the gospel
to you also
who are in Rome.
Now a barbarian
was somebody
who simply
hadn't been swayed
by Greek influence
they hadn't been
Hellenized
or they weren't
under the Greek
culture.
So what Paul
is saying
by using the terminology
that he's implying
here as he writes
to Rome
is that the gospel
is non-discriminatory.
It's non-discriminatory
it is universal
in its scope.
It's freely given.
It's an offer
that is extended
an invitation
that is given
to the Greeks
and to the barbarians
to the wise
to the unwise
to the Jew
to the Gentile
to the high class
to the low class
and so on.
It's good
if you studied
Socrates
it's good
if you can't
even pronounce
Socrates.
It's good
if you're down
and out
it's good
if you're
on the up.
But notice
he says
I am under
obligation
I am a debtor
he says.
What does he mean?
Well there are
two ways
in which we can
be in debt.
Number one
we can borrow
from somebody
and be in their debt
until we pay
that back.
But number two
we can be in debt
if we are given
something
entrusted with something
to pass on
to a third party.
Some people might say
that's money laundering
but we're not going
down that route.
But say we're
entrusted with something
to pass on
to somebody
it's not ours
to keep
but it is to pass on
we are in debt
to that person
and indeed
to the giver
until we have
fulfilled
the obligation
that we have been given
and we are freed
from that debt.
That's what Paul
means when he speaks
of being a debtor.
He's not in debt
because he borrowed
anything from the Romans
or the Greeks
or the barbarians.
He's a debtor
because he has been
entrusted
with the gospel
of Jesus Christ
and until he has
shared that
with everyone
he has the opportunity
to
he is a debtor
to the gospel.
That which is
freely given
becomes
a liability
if it stops
with us.
And that's a challenge
isn't it?
Are we debtors
to those around
about us?
Are we debtors
to our family?
Are we debtors
to our colleagues?
Are we debtors
to our communities?
Because we have
taken the good news
and we're hoarding
it to ourselves.
Holding it
to ourselves.
Ashamed.
Frightened.
to share it
with those
around
about us.
The gospel
is good news.
Indeed as the angel
said right at the beginning
good news
of great joy
for
all
people.
The Lord
will use us
if we
are willing.
What was it that Augustine
said?
God demand
whatever you will
for you
will supply
whatever
you demand.
How much confidence
do we have
in the Lord
the one
who can
provide?
So why is Paul
unashamed of the gospel?
Because
he recognizes
that it's
good news.
He understands
that it's
God's power
and he affirms
that it is
freely offered
to
everyone.
I wonder
if we would agree
this morning.
Do we see it
as good news?
God's power
and a gracious
and free
universal
invitation.
We don't know
who will take it up.
We don't know
who will reject it.
But by the same token
we don't know
who will accept it.
We don't know
what ground
has been
cultivated
in preparation
for us to come
and speak
that there might be
a rich
harvest.
You see
the Lord
doesn't ask
people to behave.
to be saved.
He asks us
to believe
to be saved.
And who do we
believe?
In Jesus.
And how can they
believe if they
have not heard?
And how can they
hear if nobody
speaks?
And how can they
hear if nobody
goes to them?
the gospel
of grace
is good news
but it requires
articulating.
You know
there's that saying
you know
preach the gospel
use words if necessary.
It's nonsense.
Of course
words are necessary.
We must hear
that doesn't mean
to say that we
shouldn't demonstrate
or cultivate
a lifestyle
that demonstrates
or that bolsters
or that is in
harmony with
the faith that we
profess with our lips.
Of course we should.
But we should be
a people
who delight
with the apostle
Paul in the gospel
because we're
unashamed of it.
Not ashamed
because we recognize
it as the power
of God
and to salvation
for all
who will
believe.
Religion
will never
set us free.
Ceremony
will never
set us free.
Morality
will never
set us free.
But Jesus
will.
Jesus
will.
And that's
good news
because it's
God's power
in his
living word
and is offered
and given
to us
freely.
Let me
conclude with a
short story
about Fritz
Kreisler.
I'm sure some
of you may have
heard of him.
He was a
well-known
violin player.
And the story
goes that he
came across
a violin,
a Stradivarius
violin,
that he thought
I must have it.
But he didn't
have the funds
to purchase it
at the time.
So he went
away and he
played at
different concerts
and he saved
money and he
came back to
buy that violin
but it had
been bought.
It had been
bought by a
great and
wealthy
collector.
Well, he
found out who
the collector
was and he
went to visit
the man.
He said to
him, I saw
the violin,
I wanted to
buy it.
The man said,
no, I have
bought it.
It's part of
my collection.
It's prize of
place now.
I have it in
this beautiful
cabinet.
Would you
like to come
in and see
it?
Fritz goes in,
he has a
look and he
turns to leave,
sad that this
man will not
sell it to
him.
And he
says, before
I go, may
I play it?
May I play
the instrument
just once?
So he takes
out the case
and Fritz
tunes it up
and he
plays.
And this
beautiful
melodious music
sings from
this instrument
under the
talent of this
man who is
playing.
And the
collector has
moved to
tears.
And he
says to
him, I
have no
right to
consign this
instrument to
silence.
The world
needs to
hear the
beauty of
its music.
Take it,
play it,
let people
hear it.
Jesus says
the same to
us.
When he
says, go
into all the
nation and
make disciples,
tell people,
about the
goodness of
God in
the gospel
of grace.
Be not
ashamed, for
the gospel is
the power of
God and to
salvation for
everyone who
believes.
May the
Lord empower
us.
Let's pray.
God, our
Father, we
thank you for
your word and
for its
instruction and
for its
challenge and
inspiration.
And we pray
that we would
indeed be
challenged and
inspired and
that we would
recognize the
great wonder of
the gospel of
Jesus, that it
is the one
thing that can
change a
heart from
the inside
out.
Lord, may we
be bold as
we proclaim
unashamedly the
gospel of
grace, which is
the power of
God, and to
salvation for
all who will
believe.
We ask in
Jesus' name.
Amen.
Folks, we're
going to conclude
by singing to
God's praise from
Psalm 107 in
the Scottish
Psalter.
Psalm 107 on
page 382 of
your psalm
books.
Psalm 107 on
page 382, and
we're going to
sing the verses
marked 1 to 7
to God's
praise.
Praise God, for
he is good, for
still his
mercy's lasting
be.
Let God's
redeemed say,
so whom he
from the
enemy's hand
did free.
Verses 1 to
7 to God's
praise.
If we're able,
let's stand and
sing together.
praise God, for
he is good, for
still his
mercy's lasting
be.
Let God's
redeemed say
over me
from
enemies
counted
free
and
gather
them
of
the lands
from north
south
east and
west
they
streamed in
desert
pathless
with
no city
unto
rest
for
first
God
hung
in them
face
their
soul
rest
is
tempest
they
cry
unto
the
Lord
and
he
then
preached
from
their
dishes
they
fall
in
a way
to
war
that
might
deep
defy
that
they
might
do
a
city
go
where
in
they
might
die
time
and
now to
him who is able to do more abundantly than all we ask or think according to the power that is at work within us to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever and all God's people say amen
amen
to