While the Lord's helping me this
morning, I would direct you to Romans 1 verse 16. Romans 1 verse 16. For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto
salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to
the Greek. Romans 1 verse 16. I have to
say I come with trepidation bringing this portion of Holy Scripture
to you. I'm sure a thousand sermons could
be preached on this verse and so I feel we are going to touch
the surface of it but may the Lord help us as we come then
to consider this portion of Holy Scripture. The Epistle to the
Romans was written by Paul the Apostle from the city of Corinth
between the years A.D. 55 and A.D. 58. It was not the
first epistle to be written by Paul. The two epistles to the
Thessalonians, the two epistles to the Corinthians, the first
epistle to Timothy, and the epistle to Titus were all written before
this epistle to the Romans. So why is this epistle placed
first, then, in the canon of Scripture? Well, this This epistle
to the Romans is placed first, as we see, at the head of all
the other epistles of the New Testament. But why? Why is that
the case? Well, maybe it's placed at the
head of all the epistles of the New Testament because it is the
longest of all the epistles. just as the major prophets are
put before the minor prophets of the Old Testament, purely
because of their length, even though some of the minor prophets
were actually written before some of the major prophets. Hosea,
for instance, which is one of the minor prophets, was written
before Jeremiah and Ezekiel, which are major prophets. And
yet, Hosea is placed before them in the canon of Holy Scripture.
Or perhaps another reason for this epistle being placed first
is because of the greatness and the excellency of the subject
matter. You see, the great aim of the
apostle in writing this epistle, and of the Holy Ghost in moving
the apostle and in inspiring the apostle to write this epistle,
is to declare and to set forth the great doctrine of justification. Now what is justification? Well
it is to be just, it is to be justified, that is, it is to
be declared to be righteous. It is to be accepted as righteous
before God, or in God's sight. It is the opposite of condemnation. That's the finding of guilt.
The law is the ministration of condemnation. It finds us guilty. The great question is, then,
how can guilty sinful men and women, how can sinners be accepted
and counted as righteous before a holy God? This is the great
question which Bildad the Shuhite asks in the book of Job, in Job
25. Dominion and fear are with him,
he maketh peace in his high places. Is there any number of his armies
and upon whom doth not his light arise? How then can man be justified
with God? or how can he be clean that is
born of a woman? Behold, even to the moon and
it shineth not, yea, the stars are not pure in his sight, how
much less man that is a worm, and the son of man which is a
worm. The answer to this great question
is not to be found in Greek philosophy, or in Roman paganism, or in any
of the heathen religions of the Gentile world. And neither is
the answer to be found under the law of Moses, or in the law
of Moses, which is the ministration of condemnation. The answer is
to be found only in the gospel, which is the ministration of
righteousness. Here, in Paul's epistle to the
Romans, we are shown that the Gentiles cannot be justified
by the light of nature, and that the Jews cannot be justified
even by the law of God, for both Jews and Gentiles are both alike
in a state of sin by nature, and are guilty. As Paul goes
on to say in chapter 3, for there is no difference for all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God. The great theme
then of Paul's epistle to the Romans is the gospel, the heart
of which is the doctrine of justification. Justification by the righteousness
of Jesus Christ. being imputed to the sinner by
God's free grace only, received and experienced in the heart
by faith, and the blood of the atonement
being shed for the sinner in the place of the sinner. This
alone can satisfy the just demands of the law of God and a guilty
conscience, whether a guilty conscience of a Jew or of a Gentile. But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of
Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. For there
is no difference. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. whom God hath
set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are
passed through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at
this time, his righteousness, that he might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. It is of this gospel And the
word gospel, of course, means good news. It is of this gospel
that Paul was not ashamed, for I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Now we
see four things in these spirit-inspired words of the apostle. These are
the things which I would like to consider with you this morning.
I trust with the Lord's help and with his blessing. We see
four things. Firstly, an intimation that there
are some who are ashamed of the Gospel. And secondly, why Paul
was not ashamed of the Gospel. And thirdly, the great end or
purpose of the Gospel. And then fourthly, we shall and
see who are brought to the enjoyment of all the blessings of the gospel. So firstly then, we see in these
words an intimation that there are some who are ashamed of the
gospel of Christ. What a solemn word that is which
Christ speaks in Mark 9 verse 38. Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of
me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him
also shall the son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the
glory of his father with the holy angels. Now the Romans were a very proud
people. Had they not conquered the whole
world by their great power Were not the old gods better
than this new faith? Why, these Christians worship
a god they cannot see! And pagan Rome became a terrible
persecutor of Christ and his gospel. Imperial edicts were
issued requiring all the citizens of the empire to sacrifice to
the traditional Roman gods. Those who refused to do so who
were really the forerunners of our Protestant dissenters were
imprisoned or executed but the Apostle Paul was able to say
in spite of all opposition and beatings and imprisonment for
I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power
of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first
and also to the Greek And we know that he himself was martyred
for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. They were not only the proud
pagans who treated the gospel with such contempt, but proud
philosophers too. They were the intellectuals of
the day. The Greeks were renowned for
their great wisdom, and the gospel was to them but foolishness. Nevertheless, Paul was not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ. Writing to the Corinthians, he
says, For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the
gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should
be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross
is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it
is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise. I will bring to nothing the understanding
of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the disputer of this
world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom
of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews
require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach
Christ crucified. Unto the Jews a stumbling block,
and unto the Greeks foolishness. but unto them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom
of God, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and
the weakness of God is stronger than men. The Romans were well known for
being lovers of pleasures. And you know, those who are lovers
of pleasures cannot abide that gospel which says, whosoever
will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross
and follow me. But Paul is not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation and
he knows that in thy presence is fullness of joy at thy right
hand there are pleasures forevermore pleasures eternal, and pleasures
far more lovely and far more enjoyable than any pleasures
on earth, whether legitimate or otherwise. For I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation
to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the
Greek. And are not the proud pagans
and the false religionists still with us today? Indeed, there seems to be a resurgence
of paganism in our day. The so-called New Age movement
is nothing else but the old age pantheism with a new label. And it's now being integrated
into the so-called Green Agenda, of course. We now have a new
religion, Earthism. the worship of Gaia, Mother Earth. If you can find a bookshop on
the high street these days, and take a look at the religious
section, you'll find, inevitably, that it's taken up with books
on witchcraft and the supernatural, or psychological self-help manuals,
which promise to make you, or at least make you feel a better
person. And it's not just secular bookshops
either. You often find this rubbish in so-called Christian bookshops. We're incessantly being told
we're living in a multicultural, multi-faith society. And that
we must respect all religions as being equal. King Charles,
the supreme governor, of the so-called Church of England,
makes no secret of his interfaith views. In his speech on December
the 25th, just at the end of last year, he spoke of, and I
quote, the heart of the nativity story, and we can hear it's beat
in the belief of all the great faiths. He went on to say, and again
I quote, the message of the angels to the shepherds in fact echoes
through all faiths and philosophies. Really? Really? You know, when I used to work
in an office, I would usually be asked, what makes you think
you're right? There are all these different
religions in the world, how do you know that you're right? Well,
thank God we are able to say with the Apostle, I am not ashamed
of the Gospel of Christ. I know that it is right and that
it is true, for it and it alone is the power of God unto salvation
to everyone that believeth. And I have known and I have felt
the power of it in my own soul. And are not the proud philosophers
still with us today? Yes, they are. There are the
liberals and the modernists within the professing church, who deny
the Word of God, and who rest the scriptures unto their own
destruction. There are the Darwinists and
their theory of evolution, or as the scripture calls it, oppositions
of science, falsely so called. Paul warned the Colossians, beware
lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit. Well, Darwinism is a philosophy
and vain deceit. And of course the BBC, Beelzebub's
broadcasting corporation, is continually spewing out as a
flood its atheistic propaganda. How many are being deceived in
these days by the image of the beast? What fools they are, who
would deny the very existence of the true and almighty God
who created and made them, and to whom they must give account
in the day of judgment. Because that which may be known
of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed it unto them.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world
are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,
even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God,
neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and
their foolish heart was darkened. and change the glory of the uncorruptible
God into an image made like a too corruptible man and so on. Professing
themselves to be wise, the Apostle says. They became fools. And
we see it now, don't we? Professing themselves to be wise,
they became fools. They cannot even tell us the
difference between a man and a woman. Such is their foolishness. What confusion there is as a
result of atheistic theories like evolution or how we need
the grace of God to be able to stand with the apostle and to
be able to say with the apostle for I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ for he is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believeth to the Jew first and also to the gentile to the
Greek especially in the face of the opposition and the enmity
of those who so despise this gospel which we profess. And are not the lovers of pleasures
with us today? Are we not living in those perilous
times described by the Apostle in 2 Timothy chapter 3 these
days which he describes as the last days, when men shall be
lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection. truth-breakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors,
heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of
God. Our society and culture today
is characterized by hedonism. And I would say that this seems
to be the prevailing religion of the majority around us. But
what is hedonism? Well, the dictionary definition
is this. 1. Belief in pleasure as the
highest good and mankind's proper aim. And 2. Behavior based on
this. Or is that not the prevailing
religion of the majority in this nation today? hedonism, lovers
of pleasures more than lovers of God. Oh, how contrary is the
gospel of Christ then to the majority religion. For the grace
of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching
us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts. We should live
soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, looking
for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great
God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that
he might redeem us from all iniquity. and purify unto himself a peculiar
people, zealous of good works. By our good works we glorify
our Father which is in heaven. And this is our chief end and
our proper aim if we are real Christians. We are a peculiar people, zealous
of good works. And by our living soberly, righteously,
and godly in this present world, we are declaring with the apostle
that we are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. So we see in these words that
there are some who are ashamed of the gospel of Christ. But
we see secondly, why Paul was not ashamed of this gospel. For
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power
of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first
and also to the Greek. The gospel which Paul preached
was the gospel of Christ. To the Romans, lifted up in their
pride, and dead in trespasses and sins, the Gospel was merely
a message concerning a crucified man, and that's a Jew. To the Jews it was a stumbling
block. But to the Apostle, the preaching of the cross was the
power of God. It was the power of God, and
so he writes to the Corinthians, for the preaching of the cross
is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it
is the power of God. And what is it that makes the
gospel, or the preaching of the cross, the power of God? Well,
the answer is to be seen in the one who is hanged upon and nailed
to the cross. As Peter said in his preaching
to the Jews on the day of Pentecost, Therefore let all the house of
Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom
ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." He is both Lord
and Christ. And as Paul says later on here
in Romans, it is Christ that died. It is Christ that died. Yea, rather that he's risen again. He says here, in chapter 1, he
speaks of the gospel of God, which he had promised afore by
the prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning his Son, Jesus Christ,
our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the
flesh, and declared to be the Son of God, with power, according
to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. That crucified man, that crucified
Jew, was none other than the Christ of God, the Lord's Anointed,
the Saviour of the world. It was God's Son. It was at the death and resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ that the power of God was put forth. even more so than in the beginning
when the world was created. You recall that at his death
the creation itself hid as it were its face and retreated into
a shadow. Matthew 27 verse 45 Now from the sixth hour there
was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. Luke adds,
and the sun was darkened. This was the most stupendous
and significant event in the history of the universe. It was then that time itself
was divided into two. It wasn't just the veil of the
temple that was rent in twain, it was time itself. See, we read
of the rending of the veil again there in Matthew 27. And verse
50, Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded
up the ghost, and behold, the veil of the temple was rent in
twain from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake and the
rocks wrecked. It wasn't just the curtain, the
veil of the temple that was rent in twain, it was time itself. C.D. Alexander puts it very well
when he says, and I quote, the history of the universe clusters
around a cross and a thorn-crowned man, a scene of blood and anguish,
and a tomb that is empty. These may not be scientific subjects
properly so called, but science is impossible without their consideration,
for there are no answers, no reasons, no meaning or purpose,
except there, at the meeting place of time and eternity, of
God and man, at the place called Calvary." It was at the cross that the
Lord Jesus Christ spoiled principalities and powers. It was at the cross
that the Lord Jesus Christ redeemed his dear elect by suffering and
bleeding and dying on their behalf, enduring the curse of the broken
law for them in their room and in their stead. In my place condemned
he stood, sealed my pardon with his blood. Oh, can you say that? In my place condemned he stood,
sealed my pardon with his blood. Again Paul says in Colossians
concerning Christ and his cross, For it pleased the Father that
in him should all fullness dwell, and having made peace through
the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto
himself. By him I say, whether they be
things in earth or things in heaven, and you that were sometime
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now
hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to
present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight
if ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be
not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have
heard and which was preached unto every creature which is
under heaven, whereof I, Paul, am made a minister." It is there that we see the power
of God. In Christ and in His atoning
sacrifice. in the person of Christ and in
His finished work. Through the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the Christ of God, sinners are reconciled to God. Through the shedding of His precious
blood, His innocent blood, sinners are presented holy and unblameable
and unreprovable in the sight of God. In other words, they
are justified. They're justified. Such is the
power of the blood of His cross. And we note that the Gospel is
the power of God. It's the power of God. It's not
the power of man. There are those who would preach
the Gospel as if it were the power of man unto salvation.
But as our articles state, we deny that there is any capability
in man by nature to any spiritual good whatever. Yes, the gospel
of Christ is to be preached so as not to imply creature power. We preach the absolute sovereignty
of God. If the gospel of Christ were
the power of man unto salvation, we would have very good reason,
we would have every good reason to be ashamed of it. Because
it would utterly fail. It would utterly fail. There
is no power or strength in man to save himself. He's dead in
trespasses and sins. But because the gospel is the
power of God unto salvation, We can have absolute confidence
in it. The Lord our God says in the
Psalms, I have laid help upon one that is mighty. Oh, who is
that one upon whom help is laid? Why, it is Jesus, the Son of
God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is mighty to save. Mighty to
save is Jesus. And what is that help that is
laid upon him? It is salvation. O Israel, thou hast destroyed
thyself, but in me is thine help. I will be thy king, where is
any other that may save thee? In all thy cities. Here is good
news. Good news for fallen men, for
sinful men and sinful women. Here is good news for poor, weak
and helpless sinners. Those who know that they have
transgressed the law of God and they know that they cannot save
themselves. For when we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. The Gospel of Christ reveals
the power of God unto salvation. But you know, the preaching of
it also is the power of God unto salvation. The preaching of it
is accompanied by the power of God unto salvation. We read in
the Gospels in the Gospel of Mark, for example, after the
Lord Jesus had finished his work and had risen from the dead and
he had ascended up into heaven, we read concerning the apostles,
and they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working
with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. We read of the preaching of Peter
at Cornelius' house in Acts chapter 10. at verse 43. And to him, says Peter to those assembled
there together in Cornelius' house, to him, that is to Christ,
give all the prophets witness that through his name, whosoever
believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. What a word
that is! That's the gospel. Whosoever
believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. While Peter
yet spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them which
heard the word. Now the Holy Ghost could have fell on them
before they heard the word. But he didn't. He came with the
word. He always comes with the word. There is a peculiar power present
in the preaching of the gospel. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. But this power is not in the
preacher. It's in God. It's in God. But
we have this treasure in earthen vessels, Paul says, concerning
his own ministry. That the excellency of the power
may be of God and not of us. And this is the confidence that
we have in our day. Here is the reason why we need
not be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. This is why we need
not be ashamed to preach the Gospel of Christ in our day.
Because it is by this means that the Lord will call His elect
out of darkness into His marvelous light. Again, Paul says here
in this epistle to the Romans, So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God. Here then is the reason why Paul
was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, nor of the preaching
of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God unto
salvation. Then we see thirdly, In these
words of the Apostle, the great end or purpose of the Gospel. It is unto salvation. It's unto
salvation. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel
of Christ. For it is the power of God unto
salvation to everyone that believeth. To the Jew first and also to
the Greek. And what is salvation? What is
salvation? Well, the word salvation really
expresses all the blessings which a holy God bestows on undeserving,
or rather hell-deserving, transgressors of His law. Sinners. It is to be delivered from a
state of condemnation to a state of justification. It is to be
delivered from a state of guilt to a state of righteousness before
God. It is to be delivered from a
state of pollution and defilement into a state of holiness. It
is to be healed of soul sickness and to be made spiritually whole.
It is to be delivered from a state of slavery into a state of liberty. Yes, the glorious liberty of
the children of God. It is a deliverance from the
curse of the law into a state of blessedness. It is to be brought
from a state of alienation from God to be reconciled with God.
It is a deliverance from the power of darkness and a translation
into the kingdom of God's dear Son. It is to be brought from
death to life. Yes, and that life eternal. Life eternal. Philip Doddridge
puts it like this in one of his hymns, it's not in Gatsby's.
Salvation, O melodious sound, to wretched dying men, salvation
that from God proceeds and leads to God again. Rescued from hell's
eternal gloom, from fiends and fires and chains, raised to a
paradise of bliss, where love triumphant reigns. Yes, that's
salvation. That's salvation. And this is
the great end or purpose of the gospel. It is unto salvation. And fourthly and finally, we
see in these words, who are brought to the enjoyment of these blessings
of the gospel. For I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek. It is
to everyone that believeth. Faith is the hand that receives
this salvation. Faith is the hand that lays hold
on this salvation. Faith is the hand that touches
the hem of Christ's garment and receives healing and wholeness
and holiness. And faith is wrought in the heart
by the power of God. is the faith of the operation
of God. In the New Testament, those who
are saved, those who are effectually called by grace, are described
as believers. And believers were the more added
to the Lord. Multitudes of men and women,
we read in Acts chapter 5. Or how often do we read in John's
Gospel, and in his first epistle, as well as in many other parts
of the New Testament, of believing in Christ. Believing in Christ. And it is always unto salvation. Paul says here in Romans, for
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with
the mouth confession is made unto salvation. He writes to
the Thessalonians, but we are bound to give thanks away to
God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Whereunto he called you
by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ. John says, for God so loved the
world. That is the Jew and also the
Greek, the world. For God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believe in him
should not perish but have everlasting life. And so we could go on. Now are we those who have believed
in Him and upon Him. Do you believe in this crucified
Jew? Do you believe in this man who
is God manifest in the flesh? Do you believe that Jesus is
risen from the dead? Is your hope altogether in Him,
knowing that you cannot save yourself? He must save and He
alone, for there is none other Savior None are the name given
amongst men whereby we must be saved. But if we are those who
have indeed believed on the name of the only begotten Son, the
Lord Jesus Christ, then we shall never be ashamed or disappointed.
We shall not be disappointed of our hope. We shall not be
ashamed at the last day, that great day of judgment. For the
Scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between
the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto
all that call upon him. And here we see the mark of the
true believer, though those that call upon him. So Isaiah says,
But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting
salvation. Ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded. World without end! World without
end! Christ himself will confess us
before his Father which is in heaven and before the angels of God well that being the case we ought
not to be ashamed of Christ nor of his gospel now let us never
be ashamed of confessing his name before men Jesus said, Whosoever
therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also
before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny
Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is
in heaven. Again there in Mark's Gospel,
which we quoted earlier, Mark 8.38, we read, Whosoever therefore
shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, in this adulterous
and sinful generation of him also shall the Son of Man be
ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the
holy angels. True faith, true faith will make
us ashamed of ourselves and of our sin but never of Christ. Then shall ye remember your own
ways your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good,
and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities
and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this,
saith the Lord God, be it known unto you. Be ashamed and confounded
for your own ways, O house of Israel." It is a solemn truth that either
sin will make us ashamed of the gospel, or the gospel will make
us ashamed of sin. May the Lord bless the truth
of his word to each of our hearts. May we each one of us be able
to say with the apostle and with all the elect of God in every
age, by a true and living faith, for I Oh yes, let the word come
to you personally, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth,
to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Amen.