Romans chapter 1. I want to read
two verses. These verses are Romans 1 verses
16 and 17. Paul, continuing to write to
the believers at Rome, writes these words. For I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ. Now, notice he says, I'm not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ. He doesn't just say, I'm not
ashamed of Christ, though that certainly is valid. But he says,
I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Now, we already know
that this gospel is the gospel of God concerning his son, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, our Lord. So he
says, I am not ashamed, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ, for, here's why. for it is the power of God unto
salvation to everyone that believeth, that is, believeth by this gospel. Now not, they believe some other
gospel, some other message, some other thing, but 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. And look, for therein, that is
in the gospel of Christ. Now not just any gospel. We know,
everyone here knows, most listening to me probably this morning live
stream knows this. Paul says there are people who
preach another gospel. And immediately the spirit moves
him, not to correct him, The Spirit led him to say the first
part, but he says, there are those who preach another gospel,
and immediately he's moved, which is not another. But there are
those that pervert the gospel of Christ. That gospel is not
what Paul's talking about. Paul's talking about the gospel
of Christ. For therein, that is in the gospel
of Christ, for therein, is the righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall
live by faith. So then starting with these words,
Paul says, I am not ashamed. I must confess that there have
been many times that I have been ashamed of myself. I must also
confess there are times when I probably did not speak up concerning
truth when I should have. I know that probably surprises
most folk that I would do that. But I've been ashamed of myself.
I've been ashamed of myself for not speaking up when I thought
I should have. And I usually realize that after
the fact. But I know what Paul means when
he says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. I'm not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ. Because it's the power, that's
what the word for here means. Because it is the power of God
and the salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first
and also the Greek, and it's in this gospel. And I will add,
but it is not in addition to the word of God. but it is based
upon the preponderant testimony of the word of God, this righteousness
Paul's talking about here is revealed in no other place. The righteous judgment of God
is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness. As a matter
of fact, as we will see later, God willing, he says, for the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness
and ungodliness. And it does not say it will be,
He says, the wrath of God is. Now, think about that for a message
later on. The wrath of God is. But I want
this to be a message that encourages us this morning. Because we're
about to delve into some things that are not very encouraging.
Let me put it this way, and I'm sure it could be put better.
I'm sure someone else could say it better. Paul has given great
encouragement up till now. And he's expressed his great
desire to see, to come meet with these people at Rome, these believers,
and preach the gospel to them. But then he begins to tell us
who we are. And let us, when we begin to
read the rest of chapter one, chapter two, and specifically
the first part of chapter three, let us remember he's not talking
about them out there. He's talking about me right in
here. But before he does that, he says,
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. So starting with these
words, Paul enters in earnest into the heart of his letter.
Of course, my title for this morning is the gospel of Christ. It's that simple, the gospel
of Christ. I just happened to back up this
morning and look at this. Paul has mentioned the word gospel
five times already. you know, five times. Now, verse
16 doesn't explain the gospel to us. It doesn't explain the
gospel to us. Verse 16 simply mentions the
gospel, and it mentions what the gospel reveals, the righteousness
of God, but he doesn't give us the gospel yet. He tells us the
gospel is the gospel of God concerning his son, who the son is, what
he did, but he doesn't go into detail yet. This he will do once
he establishes what we are by nature and the absolute necessity
of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So five times he's already mentioned
the gospel. I'm reminded of what Henry Mahan
said years ago in a message, I heard it on tape. He said,
I hear all these preachers on TV, radio, whatever it was, the
different venues, always talking about preaching the gospel, preaching
the gospel, preaching the gospel. Send us money so we can preach
the gospel more. He said, but I never hear him
getting down to actually preaching the gospel. But Paul will. in this book, preach to us the
gospel. I then remind you of what another
preacher said one time. I'm sure the jaws dropped of
many good, sound religious folk in the congregation when he said
it, but he made the statement concerning John 3.16. He said,
there ain't a lick of gospel in John 3.16. He said John 3.16 is testimony
about the gospel. It's not the gospel. He said
the gospel's actually, and forgive me if I'm wrong, but John 3.14,
where Christ said in the Son of Man, as Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted
up. There's the gospel. There's the
gospel. So, as we look at this, let me
try to highlight a few pertinent facts. First of all, I wanna
approach this from, I guess I could call it the negative side. The
unregenerate, now you know what unregenerate means. I'm afraid
most folk don't. I would challenge you to go out
this evening, go to Walmart and just go up to people and say,
do you know what it means to be unregenerate? Even if they're
good church folk, I bet you most of them don't have any idea.
To be unregenerate means this, you are like you are and only
like you are as you were born into this world. Dead in trespasses
and in sins. Unable to believe God, unable
to repent, unable to seek Christ, unable to follow Christ, you
have no love of the truth, that is unregeneracy. But the same
reason that the unregenerate hate the gospel, that's the same
reason that the regenerate love the gospel. First thing, unregenerate
men and women, since the gospel's all about Christ, and if it's
the gospel of Christ, it's going to be all about Christ. You see,
the gospel is not for God so loved the world. The gospel is
that Jesus Christ suffered on the tree and accomplished some
things when he suffered on the tree. That's the gospel. God's
love for the world is the reason he sent Christ into this world.
For God so loved the world that he gave. But he gave him and
his birth, Joe. But his birth didn't save a one
of us. Had he only been born into this
world and died the common death of all men, we would have all
perished in our sin. He had to go to Calvary and suffer
and die on the tree, and that is the gospel. But again, I say,
unregenerate men and women, since the gospel's all about Christ,
then their egos make them embarrassed by the gospel. Why ain't this
message about me? Why does not this message include
me? Here's what the gospel says.
There's only one righteous man. For therein is the righteousness
of God revealed. Christ, according to the truth
of God, Christ is the only means of justification before God.
Chapter three, verse 24, being justified freely by his grace,
by God's grace, that's the last person he talked about, the glory
of God in verse 23, and that's a negative, for all of sin to
come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his
grace, but look, through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus. Not only that, even our legal
deeds don't cut it, verse 19. Same chapter three, now we know
that what things so ever the law saith. So it doesn't matter
what part of the law you're talking about. We know that what things
so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law
that every mouth may be stopped. And I remember when Earl Cochran
said it years ago, it just hit me like a ton of lead. He says
the law says shut up. Shut up. that every mouth may
be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be
justified, and here it is, in God's sight. Now you and I, people
listening to me out there, we may try to keep the law, we may
try to do things in the law, we may justify one another, but
that's not the question. The question is, are we justified
in His, that is, God's sight? Therefore, by the deeds of the
law, there shall no flesh be justified in His sight, for by
the law is the knowledge of sin. So that's the first reason why
the unregenerate men and women are just, Some men are not only
embarrassed by this gospel, they are overtly opposed to this gospel. Now we live in a day and age
in which many people are just live and let live. They could
care less what you believe, they could care less what you think,
and you could sit down and discuss with them in detail what you
believe, and they could care less and just blow it off as
just somebody else's opinion. But this, what we preach, what
we believe, is the Christ of God and his message. There is
no other message that's not a perversion. There's a second reason why unregenerate
men and women are embarrassed by the gospel. A third reason,
I'm sorry. The first one is Christ's the
only righteous man. The second one is Christ is the
only means of justification before God and even our legal deeds
don't cut us. As a matter of fact, the more
we try to keep the law, the more we're under the curse. Galatians
chapter three. Here's the third thing. Christ did save. This is the
gospel. Christ did save. And I mean that
in the sense of reconciling men and women to God. Christ did
save by his death. Look at chapter five and verse
six. For when we were yet without
strength. Now how much strength did we
have? None. None. Paul speaks of when I'm
weak, then am I strong. But he's not talking about even
his natural state there. He's talking about his spiritual
state. Because God never uses the natural
state of his people to accomplish anything to the glory of his
son. We are weak spiritual beings at best. Our faith is even smaller
than a grain of mustard seed at best, and yet it is the faith
of God's elect. But he says, for when we were
yet without strength, in due time Christ died for who? People
say you believe Christ died only for certain people. I can tell
you exactly who they are. The ungodly. If you don't taste
that, if you don't know that about yourself, if you've never
been revealed by the Spirit of God, your ungodliness, you got
no reason to believe Christ died for you because he died for the
ungodly. If you're a righteous person,
if you're a good person, if you're a decent man or woman, you got
no right to think Christ died for you. Isn't that what that
says? Our Lord himself said, the whole
need no need of a physician. And there's a lot of people that
are whole in this world. Just go ask them. Now are they
really whole? Of course not. But you can't
convince them of it. I can't convince them of it.
Only the Spirit of God, John chapter 16, only the Spirit of
God can convince a man or a woman that they're ungodly. But if
God showed you you're ungodly, you got reason to know Jesus
Christ died for me. I like that, don't you? Now isn't
that good news if you're ungodly? Now if you're a pretty good old
boy, pretty good old girl, I understand, it offends your ego. Why must
God come down in human flesh and die for me? Of course, I
realize people have been so brainwashed, they think God did this for everybody. Because God just oozes with love
and is trying his best to save people. But you're saying he
would slaughter his son under his wrath on Calvary and that
slaughtering death did not accomplish something? It was just to make
something possible for men? That's not much love, is it? If that's the kind of love you
want from your spouse, I feel for you. I feel for your spouse
probably more than I do for you, if you're that way. Look at what
it says. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Somebody say,
well, I thought nobody was righteous. They're not in God's sight, but
they are in their own sight. Are they? For scarcely for a
righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man.
Now Paul is seen somewhat sarcastic here. Because did our Lord not
say, there is none good but God. But, yet peradventure for a good
man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, you see it? This is good news, much more
than being now justified by his blood. We shall be saved from
wrath through him. And people say, well, see right
there, he made it possible. That's not what it says. Four,
I'm going to explain, Paul said, because if when we were enemies,
that is ungodly sinners, It is, I may have told you all about
this, I went to get a x-ray or something at Parisburg Hospital,
that's been several months ago. And I was just sitting there
waiting, there's a couple elderly couple that come in to I guess
have one of them have an x-ray. And they said, how are you today?
I said, I'm doing a lot better than I deserve. I borrowed that
from Moose Parks, who says that almost every time you ask him
how he's doing. I'm doing a whole lot better
than I deserve. And they said, that's exactly right, because
we're all sinners. Now, what they knew, who they
knew, I do not know. I was soon called to go in and
have my x-ray. But you know, it's getting kind
of the thing to say nowadays, if you're a religious person,
well, I'm a sinner. But here's the question. Are you an ungodly
sinner? Isn't that what Paul's put it
so far? No strength, a sinner, and an ungodly sinner at that.
We're not even at the top of the heap of the sinners, Joe.
We're the ungodly ones. We're the ones way down here
at the bottom. For if when we were enemies,
now there's another description of us, enemies. When we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God when we finally believed
on him. Is that what it says? Now do
these men and women believe on him? Oh yes they will. But here's the gospel. For if
when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death
of his son, Much more, being reconciled, and I have, there's
nothing wrong with me saying, all of those who have been reconciled. That's the whole meaning of this
thing. Not some who've been reconciled. Being reconciled, we shall be
saved by his life. And not only so, he's just not
done with the good news yet. And not only so, but we also
joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received,
and the word can be read, reconciliation. Now if you're an ungodly sinner,
if that's not just a cliche thing for you to say, well that's the
end thing, I should say, for me to say today, if God has shown
you how corrupt you are, you can rejoice in that. You can
rejoice in that. But this is why the unregenerate
are ashamed of the gospel. Yea, sometimes even outwardly
and overtly vitriolic toward the gospel. You see, our living,
our doing, our dying just adds to our condemnation outside of
Jesus Christ. You hear what I'm saying? Look
at chapter two and verse five. but after thy hardness and impenitent
heart treasureth up unto thyself. Can't blame God for this one.
We get the blame for this one. But after thy hardness and impenitent
heart treasureth up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath
and revelation of the righteous judgment of God who will render
to every man according to his deeds. And he will. And either God sees your deeds
that you do in yourself, or God sees your deeds done in Jesus
Christ. This is not the gospel, but it
is a summary of what the gospel is at Calvary. When Jesus Christ
was born, if I believe him today, even though I did not exist then,
when Jesus Christ was born into this world, I was born into this
world. When Jesus Christ went into the
temple at 12 years old and was about his father's business,
I was about the father's business. When Jesus Christ was being about
30 years old and was baptized of John the Baptist, I was baptized
by John the Baptist. Why? Because I was in his loins. I am his seed. When Jesus Christ
lived in perfect obedience to the Father, I lived in perfect
obedience to the Father. When he suffered on Calvary's
tree and paid the debt of sin, my debt was paid if I'm in him. And this is the exact reason
why the regenerate are not only not ashamed, but they glory in
the gospel. And that's what Paul says. I'm
not gonna take time to read it, but it's Galatians 6, chapter
6, verses 12 through 18. Paul said, I'm not glorying in
circumcision. And also, I'm not glorying in
uncircumcision. You know, this is just me talking
now. And this is my take on some things.
But I'm afraid there's some people who profess to believe in grace
that try to live just like they want to live. Doesn't matter
how they live. They don't care what it is they
say, they don't care what it is they do, because they're afraid
they might be trying to work for their salvation. So they
just continue in sin. Why? Because it's all by grace.
And you know what? Paul deals with that too, doesn't
he? Shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? The question is rhetorical. God
forbid. The regenerate are not only ashamed,
they glory in the gospel. You see, the gospel is God's
dynamite. Now I gotta move through this
quickly. Right here, look what Paul says.
What is this glory, this power, this dynamite of the gospel?
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed. The power of
the gospel is not in the delivery of the preacher. Now some of
you, maybe some of you weren't. Maybe you weren't raised up under
false religion. I was. I was brought up to think
when the preacher gets up and he just rants and raves and gets
into this rhythmic mode and I thought that was the power of God. That's
not the power of God, that's a man being an idiot. The power
of God is a man or a woman, for that matter, giving testimony
to the truth of the person and work of Christ. And it's just
a message. It's just words that are said. That's all it is. It could be
done with a little animation as I do, or Joe, or Paul does,
or others do. It may be done with eloquence.
It may not be done very eloquently at all, but it's not in the delivery
or the person who's doing the delivery. It's in the truth that
is spoken, and God uses that truth to blow apart a man or
a woman. Bow them down to Jesus Christ.
God shows a man or a woman how corrupt and miserable and wretched
they are. And when they hear this truth,
it captivates the heart and the mind and the soul. You see, it says from faith to faith.
Now, I don't have time to deal with this much. When a person
hears the gospel, faith has to be in that person before the
gospel preached will ever help that person. And yet the gospel
is said to be that by which faith cometh. Now not cometh into be,
not cometh into be, not cometh into existence. Faith is a quality,
a perfection in God alone. And God in his good time gives
a portion of that faith to individuals here and here and here. And that
faith must be there first before the faith that is preached in
the gospel is of any value. Look, from faith to faith. It's the old argument. Are we
regenerated by the gospel or are we converted by the gospel?
People debate on that. Even some grace people still
debate on that. But that's not the point here. If all you see
here, I see the truth that regeneration is the work of the spirit and
conversion is the work of the gospel, you've missed the whole
thing. Because the whole thing is this, for therein is the righteousness
of God revealed. If you're not seeing the person
of Christ in the gospel, then you ain't really getting the
gospel. If it's just a point of contention
for you about a point of doctrine, what you're hearing, though it
may be the gospel, you're making it a point of contention. Do
you get what I'm saying? I used to argue with men about
regeneration and conversion. Regeneration is God's work and
God's work alone. Therefore, I don't have to argue
about that. He's gonna do it in his own good time. But let
me tell you, you don't know. You cannot know. You can never
know you're regenerated until you hear the gospel and you believe
the gospel. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ, is born of God. And that's the only person I
can say it about. You ever said, well, I think God's done something
for them. Do they believe Christ? You got no reason to think he's
done anything for them. They may just have their conscience
all stirred up like those folks who were wanting that woman taken
in adultery, stoned. Their conscience has bothered
them, did it not? They were moved by what he said,
did it not? The gospel is God's dynamite,
but God's the one who determines that it take place. Our desire
is not trying to figure out who's regenerator or not. Our efforts, everything, Joe,
is not about trying to figure out who the regenerate are. It's
preach the gospel. That's what it is. Give testimony
to the gospel. Now God'll do his work. He don't
need us arguing about it. Getting into fuss with our other
brothers and sisters in Christ about it. Do we, Joe? Is it going to do any good? If
I've convinced them that the Spirit regenerates in the Spirit
alone, and the Gospel converts by the power of the Spirit, what
have I accomplished? Doctoral correctness, but if
we're not both seeing Christ, we've missed the whole point
of the Gospel. We don't understand all that
you do in this world. Sometimes things perplex us.
See the present place we're in right now. It perplexes us, but
God, we bow to you. Oh God, teach us the truth that
Joe preached to us this morning. In Christ's name, amen.