Rom 1:16

1. A Message Worth Preaching

a. The Gospel—a message of which to be proud
(1) What does “ashamed” mean?
(a) First, shame is not felt by many about anything these days, even when they should feel shame.
(b) The root word means to be disfigured; we are ashamed when we don’t want to face…
(c) Biblically, it means to regard the Savior or the Truth with embarrassment and low esteem, and to fail to confess allegiance to Christ Jesus.
(2) “I am not ashamed” is a colloquial way of saying, “I am proud of,” or “I want it to be seen.” It is a use of the figure of speech called a "litotes."
(3) This, of course, is not false human pride, but it is a God-glorifying attitude
(4) Not Ashamed— 2 Tim 1:8, 2 Tim 1:12, 2 Tim 1:16, Heb 2:11, Heb 11:16

b. Those who are ashamed of the Gospel are the same ones who would be ashamed of the reproach of Christ—Mk 8:34-38

c. Those who are ashamed of the real Gospel will author a different Gospel about a different Jesus.
(1) The Judaizers who had undermined the faith of the Galatians had a perverted “gospel” of works, but that is not a real gospel, BECAUSE THERE IS NO GOOD NEW IN THAT MESSAGE—Gal 1:6-9
(2) The Colossian heretics had a “gospel” that combined Greek Philosophy, mysticism, and works into one sludgy mess—Col 2:4, 8, 16-23.
(3) The false “gospels” found within some of the seven churches—Rev 2, 3
(a) Ephesus—Rev 2:1—cold orthodoxy—
(b) Pergamos—Rev 2:12—Sexual immorality and idolatry.
(i) It was “some” of the people
(ii) The leadership was tolerating them
(c) Thyatira—Rev 2:18—Sexual immorality and idolatry—They also had the “gospel” of sex and idolatry
(d) Sardis had a “gospel” of deadness
(e) Laodicea: a “gospel” of self-satisfied apathy
(f) Only persecuted Symrna and faithful Philadelphia were unaffected by these false gospels.

(4) Today’s false gospels
(a) Works—still around after all these years
(b) Sexual immorality—the same
(c) New Age religion—the same
(d) The Gospel of Health and Prosperity
(e) The Gospel of inclusiveness—where anything goes and everything is alright.
(f) The Gospel of the Seeker churches—how can there be seeker churches WHEN THERE ARE NO SEEKERS? Isa 64:7, Rom 3:10-11

2. A Savior Worthy of the Message—“…the Gospel of Jesus Christ…”

a. What is the Gospel Of Jesus Christ? It is a story about Him, written by Him, that leads to Him
The Gospel
(1) Good news—an Old Testament Concept!
(a) Good News of Salvation—Ps 96:5, Is 40:9
(b) Is 52:7—The good News of God’s Reign
(c) Is 61:1-2a—A prophecy of the Gospel preached by Jesus

(2) The Gospel of the Kingdom—not some “other” gospel, nor something different than the Gospel, period, because there ARE NO OTHER GOSPELS (Gal 1:6-9)—Mat 24:14
(a) The Gospel: who Jesus is—Mark 1:1, Mt 16:16-7
(b) The Gospel: what Jesus Did—1 Cor 15:1-4
(c) The Gospel—repent and believe—Mk 1:15
(d) The Gospel—all the facts and doctrines of Jesus—Jn 20:31
(e) The Gospel is simple—1 Cor 1:17, 2:1-5
(f) The Gospel is deep and complex—1 Cor 2:6-12
(g) The Gospel is about confession and faith—Rom 10:8-10
(h) The Gospel is about the Trinity
(i) The seeking, loving, plan of the Father—Jn 3:16, Gal 1:15-16
(ii) The Sacrifice of the Son—1 Cor 15:1-4
(iii) The power of the Spirit—1 Th 1:4-5
(i) The Gospel is about Christ’s Return—Mat 24:14
(j) The Gospel is about the whole counsel of God—Acts 20:25, 28-29

b. Confessing Him is confessing His Gospel.

3. A God With The Power to Save

a. Supernatural Gospel Power, which can break the bondage of Satan and Sin.
(a) Barrier—The Impenetrable Wall of Fallen Human Nature
(b) Barrier breakers:
(i) The Absolute Power of an Omnipotent God
(ii) The Application of Omnipotence in the Gospel

b. The Impenetrable Wall of Fallen Human Nature—The Lost are Dead, The Lost are sinners by nature—Eph 2:3
(1) It is beyond our power to change our nature
(2) Christ Died for us when we were “without strength” (Rom 5:6), not weak, but without strength, period.
(3) We can no more change ourselves than an Ethiopian can change his color or a leopard his spots (Jer 13:23)
(4) We are born sinners—Ps 58:3—
(5) The Natural man is totally insensitive to God (1 Cor 2:14)
(6) The Lost are blinded slaves of Satan 2 Cor 4:3-4, Eph 2:2
(7) The Lost mind is enmity—total antagonism—against God. The mind of a lost person cannot be subject to God—that is one of many reasons why salvation cannot be by works—Rom 8:6-7

b. The Absolute Power of an Omnipotent God—1 Cor 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
(1) God can do all things—Job 42:1 –2, Isa 26:4 , Isa 43:13, Psa 33:8-9
(2) The absolute Sovereignty of the God of absolute power—Ps 135:6, Dan 4:34-35

c. The Application of Omnipotence in the Gospel
(1) God Sends the preacher, missionary, witness, etc. Acts 9:10-16, Rom 10:14-15
(2) The Drawing and Teaching of the Father, and the Conviction of the Spirit all work together— Jn 6:44-47, Mat 11:25-30
(3) Divine Revelation--Mat 16:17, 2 Cor 4:3-6
(4) The Gospel is the Power of God
(5) The Gospel is the dynamite which no wall can resist
(6) the Gospel is the application of Omnipotence to preaching

4. A Salvation for Everyone Who Believes

a. What Salvation Is
(1) An Act of God—The principle that “salvation is of the Lord…” is a basic fact of the universe. We cannot save ourselves, in whole or in part—Jonah 2:9, James 1:18, 1 Pet 1:3 , Acts 16:14
(2) The responsibility of man—Rom 10:8-10
(3) A change of nature—John 5:24
(4) Three Tenses—
(a) Saved—instantaneous and permanent change of state—John 5:24, Eph 2:8-10
(b) Being Saved—being changed to be like Him—beholding His glory in the cross—1 Cor 1:18, 2 Cor 3:17-18
(c) Will be Saved—Rom 8:23
(5) Salvation is Eternal——John 10:27-28, 1 Pet 1:4-5
(6) Salvation is restricted—it is for everyone who believes, but only for those who believe. Jn 6:37, Mat 11:25-28, Isa 45:22, Rom 10:11-13

b. Faith That Does NOT Save—There are types of faith that do not save
(1) Inherited faith, Show faith, Know faith—
(2) Faith without works does not save—that is, the kind of “faith” that does not produce a changed life is not real faith. James says—James 1:22 , James 2:17-18
(3) Biblical references to lost “believers”—James 2:19, 1 John 2:18-19, Mat 7:21-23

c. Saving Faith—
(1) Jn 10:27—Saving faith is that quality of faith which makes us want to follow Christ—
(2) The Author of Faith—Eph 2:8-9, Heb 12:2
(3) The Substance of Faith—Believing in the promises of God, regardless of the circumstances—Heb 11:1-3
(4) The Results of Saving Faith—
(5) Justification—legally right before God
(6) Sanctification—being conformed to the image of Christ in our life
(7) Glorification—the Certain hope of Glory

5. The Human Race is One Race, with one Savior—“...for the Jew first and also for the Greek...”

a. One Race, One Blood-- (Acts 17:26 KJV) One Species—proof positive is that all races can have fertile children
b. No race is superior when you take the historical view—Europe vs Africa 1300 years ago: Who were the savages then? Who were the slaves in those days?
c. The race comes from One Branch of Adam—Noah—Gen 9:18-19
d. From whence the different races?
(1) Ham—“dark”, Shem—“Brown”, Japeth—“fair” –Chances are very good that Mr. and Mrs. Noah were a mixed couple
(2) The fabled “curse of Ham” on the Black race—Gen 9:25-27:
(a) Canaan was cursed—not Ham
(b) Curse only applied to relations between the Semites/Japethites and the Canaanites
(c) The children of Ham were a highly civilized group, who built the first civilizations—Gen 10:6-20