 The title of our sermon this morning is Grant Us Boldness. Grant Us Boldness, Romans chapter one, verses 16 through 17. Well, this morning we returned to our study of Paul's epistle to the Romans. We've been working our way through the prologue of this letter in chapter one. And having greeted the church in chapter one verses one through seven, Paul now continues with a general introduction to the letter in verses eight through 15. And then this morning we come to the conclusion of this opening prologue where Paul now turns our attention to the main subject of this letter with a statement of his theme in chapter one, verses 16 and 17. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek, for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the just shall live by faith. Now for a simple outline of the text, you can follow the contours of Paul's reasoning here by tracking his use of that little word for that little conjunction, sometimes better translated because in the English, at the beginning of each clause in the text, right? You can follow his outline by looking at each of those little word for, for's there at the beginning. Each of those clauses is an explanation or a clarification and Paul's use of the word for links that clause, it's subordinate to what comes before it. So if we climb back up the ladder, so to speak, we find the beginning of Paul's thought then in verse 15, as much as it's in me, Paul says, I am ready, I'm eager, determined, resolved to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. Why? Why? Because I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. But why is Paul unashamed? Because the gospel is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes to the Jew first, it's to the Jew first, native, for you Greek folks, and also to the Greek. Well, why is the gospel the power of God to salvation? Because in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written, the just shall live by faith. So why is the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel? Because, verse 18, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. So this is the way then that Paul lays out his argument, outlines his text. This is the way that Paul then chooses to transition from the introduction in his letter now to the main theme of his letter. His theme is the gospel of Christ. I don't think there's any confusion about that. It, the gospel is the power of God to salvation. It, the gospel is the righteousness of God revealed. So Paul then announces his great theme, verse 16. He gives a very broad explanation of that theme in verse 17. And then as we get into verse 18 and beyond, Paul begins to flesh out that theme in detail. That's what he's gonna spend his time doing in this letter. Romans is an exposition of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we have much joy in rejoicing and much to learn in the gospel as we work through this letter. Our plan over the next few weeks will be to flesh out this thematic statement of Paul in detail. And we're gonna look at that, we'll do that by looking at each of those subordinate four clauses one at a time, right? So this morning we begin that work with verse 16 where Paul says, I'm ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also for or because I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. So the great theme of this letter to the church at Rome will be the gospel of Christ. And Paul, it's interesting, isn't it? Paul begins his lengthy exposition to that theme by saying that he's not ashamed of it. Now Paul opens here with a figure of speech called a latities, a latities. It's a form of understatement. It's an understatement where a negative is stated in order to emphasize a positive. And some of you are used to it being rather chilly in the auditorium, I am not. However, you're sitting here, you know, bundled up with a blanket or you've got your hoodie on. You may say, well, I'm certainly not warm. What does that mean? It means you're freezing. It's a statement of a negative to emphasize a positive. It's a latities. Here, Paul is using that figure of speech. It's a latities, an understatement to emphasize a positive. Romans chapter 15 verse 17, Paul says, because of the grace given to him by God to preach the gospel of the Gentiles, Paul says, I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus and the things which pertain to God. In other words, Paul's not ashamed of the gospel. Paul glories in the gospel. He revels in it. Galatians chapter six verse 14. God forbid that I should boast in anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Paul's only boast is the gospel. Paul loved the gospel. Paul reveled in the gospel. How could Paul be ashamed of the gospel? This is a figure of speech that he uses to state the positive. Paul certainly knew what it felt like to be ashamed. And not ashamed of the gospel, but ashamed of his own sin. Listen to Paul's experience. For the sake of the gospel, Paul stood before a Jewish mob in Jerusalem in Acts chapter 22 and Paul recalled his former life. So I said, Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on you. And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him. Paul stood before the mob in Jerusalem knowing that they were a full aware of how Paul had persecuted the church. Stood by while Stephen was being killed, consenting to his death. To magnify the grace of God in the gospel, he recounts how he persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. Galatians chapter one, verse 13. Paul had asked for letters from the high priest that he could take with him to the synagogues in Damascus so that if he found anyone who was of the way, any Christians, whether men or women, Paul would bind them and haul them off to prison, ultimately haul them off to their death. So if you think about that, because of Paul and Paul recounting this, Paul understands because of Paul, husbands and wives were separated. Children were separated from their, forcibly separated from their parents and not content with merely arresting them. Paul says he persecuted the way even to death. Acts chapter 22, verse four. And Paul says when the disciples were put to death, he stood there and cast his vote against them. Acts chapter 26, verse 10. So in Acts chapter nine then, verse 26, when Paul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him and did not believe that he was a disciple. You can imagine, can't you, Paul understood what it felt like to be ashamed. Paul knew what it felt like to be ashamed. It's striking, amazing how often Paul brings that up in the New Testament, brings up his shame. Later in life, Paul is still reflecting on his past in his first letter to Timothy. He said to Timothy, I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor and an insolent man. Why does Paul continue to do this? Think about his experience, what Paul's been through, what Paul has done, why does Paul continue to bring this up? Because he glories in the gospel, because he loves the gospel of Jesus Christ, because he's been saved from his sin, he's been forgiven of his sin, and now he's a trophy of grace. Paul brings it up because he glories in the gospel. He says to Timothy, the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I rake above all the others. Paul said, there's nothing within me, Paul would say, that would commend me to him. However, for this reason, he tells Timothy, I obtained mercy so that in me, the chief of sinners, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who are going to believe on him for everlasting life. Paul says, if he will save me, then he'll save you. The chief of sinners, if you will come to him in faith, the Lord Jesus Christ will save you. Why? Paul's an example of the patience of God in Christ. And Paul ends that statement to Timothy, now to the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory for ever and ever, amen. Paul worshiped God for the gospel. Paul's not ashamed of the gospel, Paul reveled in the gospel, but Paul knew what it felt like to be ashamed. Ashamed of the gospel? No way. The gospel was Paul's freedom from shame. Do you see? Paul's freedom from shame. Listen to Romans chapter six, verse 20. Listen, for when you were slaves of sin and free in regard to righteousness, right? When you were slaves of your sin, free in regard to righteousness, what fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? Why are we ashamed now of those things? Because of the gospel that we see with new eyes, the depth of our sin, the depth of our rebellion, our hard hearts and our stiff necks, our rebellion against God. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things, Paul says, is death. But now having been set free from sin, having become slaves of God, do you have your fruit to holiness and the end everlasting life for the wages of sin is death? But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Paul was ashamed of his sin, rightly so, and we may be ashamed of our sin rightly so, but we should glory in the gospel, revel in the gospel. So why then, why would Paul begin this statement of his theme in the negative? Why begin it this way? I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Paul could have said, couldn't he? I am confident in the gospel of Jesus Christ. He could have started it that way, couldn't he? I, my boast is in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I would submit to you that he states his premise in precisely this way for a reason. And the reason is this, we are tempted to be ashamed of the gospel. We are tempted to be ashamed of the gospel. It's amazing, isn't it? Those who've been blessed with such riches, stating how he feels about the gospel in this way assumes the temptation. It assumes the temptation. We are tempted to be ashamed of the gospel. You and I have our own stories like Paul, don't we? Think with me, right? Remember, I, I was formerly a blasphemer. I was formerly a persecutor, an insolent man. I deserve wrath and judgment and hell for my sin. You were a son or a daughter of the devil, an enemy of God, dead in your trespasses. Where does anger come from? Think about that for a moment. How does anger enter the world? Unjust, unrighteous anger. Where does bitterness come from? Where does hostility come from? Strive, contention. Where does lust come from? Where does greed and envy and pride come from? It is a filthy black tide that pours out of your own heart. My own heart, it doesn't come from God. Hateful thoughts, hateful lying words are vomited out of our mouths. And the gospel is good news, good tidings of great joy to all people with nothing within you and I to commend us to him, God simply according to the good pleasure of his own will because of the great love with which he determined to love us, even when we were dead in trespasses, he made us alive together with Christ Jesus and saved us by his grace. At great cost to himself, he redeemed us to himself by the blood of his own son. He has forgiven me of my sin, forgiven you of your sin if you're in Jesus Christ. He's reconciled you to himself. He's given me life for death, given me heaven for hell, given me himself, himself as my portion forever, the joy and rejoicing of my art. And all that is required of me is that I believe him, faith. Why would anyone ever be ashamed of the gospel? Why would anyone ever be ashamed? To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever. Amen. To our shame, there is a great temptation to be ashamed of the gospel. And Paul frames this opening statement of his theme in this way to draw our attention to that temptation. Consider with me from Paul's statement, the reality of this temptation, the reason for the temptation and our response to the temptation, reality, reason and response. And God grant us boldness, right? We can say with Paul, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. First, consider with me the reality of this temptation. The word for ashamed in verse 16, doesn't speak of public shaming. It's a word that refers to a personal or a private sense of disgrace. It's a feeling of embarrassment, a feeling of lost status, so to speak. What others think of us in the parable of the unjust steward from Luke chapter 16, the steward says within himself, what shall I do? My master is taking away my stewardship. I cannot dig and I am ashamed to beg. You can put yourself in the shoes of the unjust steward and understand exactly what he feels by that statement, right? That sense of shame. Let me ask you, it's the same Greek word there, the same Greek word, ashamed to beg. Have you ever experienced that sense of embarrassment? Have you? Have you ever experienced, felt that sense of shame? Have you ever been in a position to preach the gospel of someone? Maybe you felt the weight of the necessity to do that very thing and have you in that circumstance ever shrunk back, given in to that sense of shame. You know exactly what Paul's talking about. You know exactly what that word is, what that word refers to. It's apparent that there were those in Rome who faced the very same temptation. Paul framed his assertion in this way because he knew this would be a temptation to those who were in Rome. And down through the ages, brothers and sisters, this is a temptation for you and I. This is something that we must deal with, that we must face. Rome was a culture very much like our own. There were those in Rome who would be tempted to shrink back under the pressure that came at them from that culture. Just like people today, professing Christians today, would be tempted to shrink back under the pressures that we face in our own culture. Rome is at the heart of known civilization at the time. All the movers and shakers were in Rome. All the leaders were in Rome. Wealthy, influential, cultured, educated, highly opinionated. The wise of this world, the mighty of this world, all enraptured with their own prominence. Mockers and scoffers. Reminds me of those that Paul encountered on Mars Hill in Acts chapter 17, right? They sat in the gate and just wanted to hear these new things, what was new? These thinkers, these philosophers who mocked Paul, the apostle Paul as a babbler. And these in Rome were the same sort. Therein comes the reality then of this temptation, the danger of this temptation. In our weakness, you and I like to be respected. In our weakness, we want to be well liked. So listen, settle it in your heart right now. All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. It's not some of those who desire may suffer persecution, right? What is the one who desires to live godly in Christ Jesus? What does that one do? They take a stand for the cause of Jesus. And when they take a stand for the gospel and the cause of Jesus Christ, they will suffer temptation to shame through persecution just as Paul is talking about here in verse 16. Settle it in your heart and mind right now. You are going to have to deal with this temptation if you are going to be faithful with the gospel. Settle it in your heart and mind. Settle it in your heart and mind that you will be faithful with the gospel despite this temptation to shame. You're gonna have to deal with it. And it is, listen, it's a deadly, it is a deadly temptation. And let me tell you why. Turn with you to Mark chapter eight. Mark chapter eight, this is a deadly, dangerous temptation. In Mark chapter eight, the Lord is walking with his disciples. He asks his disciples, who do you say that I am, right? And Peter responds with his great confession. You are the Christ, the son of the living God. He begins to teach them then that he is going to suffer. He's gonna be persecuted. And at the hands of the Jewish elders, the scribes, the Pharisees, the leaders there, he is going to be killed and then he is going to be raised again after three days. So in verse 34 then, Mark chapter eight, verse 34, when he had called the people to himself with his disciples, also he said to them, whoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself, right? Let him give up any notion that in and of himself he is worthy of any respect. He is not, right? Let him deny himself. Let him renounce all confidence in himself and then conforming his life, conforming his life to that of a mocked, scorned, derided and crucified Christ. Let him take up his cross and follow me. Count the cost, right? Count the cost. Are the great eternal truths and blessings of the gospel. Are the riches that are to be found in the gospel won through the person in work of our Lord Jesus Christ? Are they worth giving up your very life for? Are they worth it? Are they worth it? Matthew Henry says, we must not dread even the loss of our lives provided it is for the cause of Christ. Amen, he's worth it. He's worth it. Amen, the gospel is worth it. Verse 35, for whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospels will save it. Don't dread the loss of your life, but rather dread the loss of your immortal soul. What will it profit a man? Verse 36, if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul, what will a man give in exchange for his soul? What men do, now listen with me, what men do to save their lives? What men do to gain the world is ultimately because men are ashamed to own his cause. Let's think in for a moment. What men do to save their lives? Verse 36, what men do to gain the whole world is ultimately because they are ashamed to own the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ? Verse 38, for whoever, because whoever is ashamed of me, of me and my words, in this adulterous and sinful and persecuting and mocking and scorning and deriding evil generation of him, the Son of Man also will be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father with the holy angels. Of him, the Son of Man will be ashamed. You may even now believe that the cause of Jesus Christ is a just one. The cause of Jesus Christ is a righteous one, is a good one, is a right one. You may believe that he is just and righteous and holy and good, but if you will not humble yourself to turn to him in faith, if you will not humble yourself to turn from sin to Christ in faith, then you are ashamed of him. If you will not turn from living life for yourself to bear his reproach, it is because of shame. You are ashamed of him, you are ashamed of his words. Of you, the Lord himself says, of you will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father with the holy angels. Matthew Henry says again, they shall not share with him in his glory then that we're not willing to share with him in his disgrace now. It's if we suffer with him, Paul says, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, right? If indeed you suffer with him, this temptation, brothers and sisters, is a great danger. It is a grave danger, a very serious danger. Timothy seemed to have faced this temptation. You remember from Paul's letters to Timothy. Second Timothy chapter one, verse eight, therefore Timothy do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God. Share with me according to the power which God supplies. Do you see? Paul commended on a syphorus for facing down this temptation. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of on a syphorus for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. There were those who knew Paul was in prison for the gospel. There were those in Rome who knew that Paul was imprisoned in Rome. The Lord's apostle imprisoned in Rome. There were people in Rome who knew it who were ashamed to be associated with him. Professing Christians, professing Christians in Rome who abandoned Paul in his chains. I've personally been most aware of that sense of shame or that kind of shame. The shame of others, right? Others being ashamed of you in this way. Ultimately ashamed of Jesus Christ. Ultimately ashamed of the gospel, but ashamed of you so to speak. I've often been most associated with that sense of shame when I've been out or we've been out with the brothers open air preaching or preaching in the park, preaching at an event, preaching at the abortion mill on the campus. And when you're out there preaching other professing Christians will come up to you and will attempt to rebuke you or correct you or instruct you that what you're doing is not right, right? That you preaching the gospel is a shameful thing. What is that? That is being ashamed of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember a brother one time was telling me he went to a park, brother from out of state, went to the park, was open air preaching in the park. There were people from his church that were coming down the sidewalk as he was preaching. And when they saw him and recognize what they were doing, they crossed the street and walked past him on the other side of the street. So it's not to be anywhere near him, not to be seen by him or seen around him. Ashamed of the gospel, do you see? You shouldn't be doing that. You're gonna turn people off. They're not merely ashamed of me or you, they're ashamed of him and they're ashamed of his words. Just like there were those in Rome who were ashamed of Paul by implication, ashamed of the gospel. What does the Lord himself say? Of you will the Son of man also be ashamed when he comes. I think we're convinced of the reality of this temptation. We sense it in ourselves. What's the reason that we battle this temptation? What is the reason for this temptation to be ashamed? I wanna give you two external reasons and two internal reasons. Follow along with me now. Two external reasons, two internal reasons. First, two external reasons. One, because the world hates the gospel. Two, because this world will heap shame upon those who preach it. This world hates the gospel and they will heap shame upon those who preach it. Paul says, verse 16, the gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek. And who is it that hates the gospel? But the Jew first and also the Greek, right? To the Jews a stumbling block into the Greeks foolishness. Term of the first Corinthians chapter one. First Corinthians chapter one. The Jew first and also the Greek to the Jews a stumbling block to the Greeks foolishness. First Corinthians chapter one, look at verse 18. For the message of the cross, which is the message of the gospel. It is the message of our Lord Jesus Christ and him crucified. The message of the cross, verse 18 is foolishness. The word there is Moriah or Moriah. Where we get our word, you may recognize it Moron or Moronic. The message of the cross is Moronic to those who are perishing. Do you see? But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. Paul says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ because it is the power of God to salvation. It is the power of God. What is there to be ashamed about that message? It is the power of God to salvation, eternal life. Forgiveness of sins, communion with a triune God in heaven, in eternity. Power of God to salvation. Why should we be ashamed of it? To those who are perishing, it is Moronic. To this world, the gospel is Moronic. It's stupid. It's unbelievable. It's foolish. It's a crutch used by uneducated and ignorant people to give them comfort. I mean, a brother was standing at a door step outside of a house, witnessing to a guy a while back and he proceeded with that line of argumentation. It's just a crutch. It's a warm blanket that needy people need to have in the face of death to comfort themselves with some empty false figment of their imaginations, right? This was his argument. It is Moronic to those who are perishing. For it is written, verse 19, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Now that's a quote from Isaiah chapter 29, verse 14, where God in Isaiah 29 pronounces the destruction of the Assyrians under King Sennacherib. Now, if you remember that story of King Sennacherib from 2 Kings chapter 18, Sennacherib sends the Rob Shaka. I remember that, I like that name, right? So it's a, you know, remember that story. The Rob Shaka comes and the Rob Shaka is taunting the people of God. They're the people sitting on the wall and the Rob Shaka, not speaking to them in Aramaic or any other language, he speaks to them in Hebrew because he wants them to hear, right? He's taunting them, taunting the leaders. Don't trust this deceiver Hezekiah. You trust in this God of yours? This God of yours is nothing but a crutch. Who among all the gods of these lands have ever delivered their countries from my hand? And the Rob Shaka then returns to Assyria to find his country in ruins. I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, God says. Bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Time is coming and is running out for those who will not turn to Christ. Paul says, verse 20, where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made moronic the wisdom of this world? Professing to be wise, they are fools. For since in the wisdom of God, verse 21, the world through wisdom did not know God. It pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. God will destroy the wisdom of the wise. For Jews request a sign, prove it to me, right? Prove it to me. The Greeks seek after wisdom, verse 22, this makes no sense. The Jews prove it to me. The Greeks, this makes no sense, but we preach Christ crucified. And listen, brothers and sisters, we don't deter from that message. We don't water that message down. We don't boil it down. We don't sidestep it. We don't take the rough edges off of it. We don't try to, you know, take out whatever perceived offense might be there. We preach Christ crucified to the Jews, a stumbling blocks to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are the 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 true gospel, brothers and sisters, will always be ridiculed by this world. It destroys their good opinion of themselves, right? It destroys their good opinion of themselves. It will one day prove them fools. It's easy in our environment today, in our culture today, to think about that and deride the lost or to the lost. To look on to them with anger, but these are lost people who are perishing and they need the gospel. And they may, like that man, stand and proclaim this vomit out of their mouths. But who knows if God might not grant them repentance to life at the preaching of the gospel? Brothers and sisters, we can't be ashamed of this message. For all of that vitriol, for all of that hostility, the gospel is the power of God to salvation. We just have to be faithful to preach it, not to be ashamed of it. Five reasons this world hates the gospel. First, we are created. Seems simple. We're created, meaning we have accountability to our creator and we don't want to be accountable to anyone. God has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness. And he has given evidence of this to all by raising that one whom he's appointed from the dead. As soon as they heard Paul speak of the resurrection of the dead, they mocked. It's appointed for men to die once after this, the judgment. There is no autonomy for man. You are not the master of your fate. You are not the captain of your soul. You have an accountability to your creator. And the world hates that. They rebel against it at every turn. Second, the natural man does not receive the things of the spirit of God for they are moronic foolishness to him nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. Our message is not a message of human wisdom. Our message is not a message of worldly philosophy. It's a statement of historical fact. It is an absolute assertion of truth. And you can't argue with it. It is true whether you believe it or not. It's true. Declaring what God has done, frankly, because men are ignorant and wicked and believe they're entitled to their own truth. There's only one truth, right? Absolute truth. Worldly wisdom, worldly philosophy, right? If you think in that way, worldly wisdom, worldly philosophy puts wicked men in the position of being able to make judgments about those things, right? They become the arbiter of what is true and what is false. They put themselves in the position of making judgments on what is true, what isn't. It fuels men's pride. Like those in Athens on Mars Hill, right? Do nothing but go up there and evaluate new things. What do they do to Paul? They mocked. Some mocked as soon as they heard about the resurrection. Some said, well, we'll hear him out. Others believed, didn't they? Third, this message crushes the pride of man. It crushes his pride. We are dead in sin. We are deserving of eternal hellfire. We are under the wrath and condemnation of Almighty God. You are seed of the serpent. There is none righteous, no not one, how many times the Bible, over and over and over again, attest to the utter depravity and wickedness that pours out of men's hearts. Furthermore, there's nothing that I can do to change that. Nothing that I can do to save myself. Can a leopard change his spots? Can the Ethiopian change his skin? You racist. Right, do you see the foolishness? The morality of men is filthy rags. The effort of men is worthless. The religion of men is an abomination. What we need is the free gift. The free gift, grace alone through faith alone. The world says, you know, give me a religion of can do. Give me a religion that I can do. And maybe I'll be okay with that, maybe. Maybe I'll be content with that. Give me a religion of no guilt, because I'm a good guy. Give me a religion of no shame, right? That's the world's religion today. The world has been laboring, laboring tooth and nail to offload the guilt and the shame associated with what God says is sin. And they have gotten pretty good at it. Laboring to offload it. Shout your abortion, right? Why? These are trying to drown out the shame and the guilt of it. They go in the way of Cain, right? Cain knew that his offering, that he himself was not acceptable to God. And so what did Cain then do? He turned and murdered the one who was. You see, it's where persecution comes from. Fourth, the exclusivity of the message. The exclusivity of the message. We must insist that there is only one way that anyone can be saved. There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me. I am determined to know nothing Paul says among you, but Christ and him crucified. All other religion is false and damning. All other teachers are false and damned and the cardinal sin of our day is intolerance, dogmatism, right? You're a bigot, which in their eyes is worse than a murderer. You have your truth, I have my truth. Fifth, it's a message about a crucified savior. It's a message about a crucified savior. These are things that are embarrassing to the world. Archaeologists uncovered a graffiti scratched wall in ancient Rome and the picture there is called the Alexa Menos Grafito, the Alexa Menos. It's dated around 200 AD, so 200 AD, it may be the earliest surviving depiction of the crucifixion, shows Jesus Christ on a cross, shows a young man, Alexa Menos, at the foot of the cross where Jesus is hanging there, and the inscription on the drawing is Alexa Menos worships his God. That's interesting to think that they knew of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and even scribble a picture on a Roman wall of a young man worshiping his God. The problem with it is that it depicts Jesus Christ on the cross with the head of a donkey. In other words, it's mocking him, mocking Alexa Menos, mocking Christianity, mocking Jesus Christ, mocking the crucifixion. To the Greeks, it's moronic, it's foolishness. We believe in miracles. It's a problem for a lot of people. It's a problem for professing Christians who somehow can't believe that God has the power to supersede the quote unquote laws of nature. We believe in angels and demons. We believe that a crucified savior was raised from the dead, that he ascended bodily into heaven, that he will one day soon return in the clouds, in great power to destroy the wicked with the brightness of his coming and rule and reign with his saints in eternity. We believe these things and the Bible clearly teaches these things. God's word has always been true. It's proven to be true. These will come true as well. And the world is ashamed of them. Two external reasons for the temptation. Men hate the preaching of the gospel and men heap shame on those who preach it. Paul, 2 Corinthians chapter 11. Men would heap shame on the apostle Paul for preaching this message. Paul says in labor is more abundant and stripes above measure, prisons more frequently and deaths often. From the Jews, five times I received 40 stripes minus one, three times beaten with rods, once stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. The night and day I've spent in the deep, in journeys often and perils of waters, perils of robbers, perils of my own countrymen, perils of the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils among false brethren, in weariness and toil and sleeplessness often and hunger and thirst and fastings often and cold and nakedness. They would heap shame upon the apostle Paul. Paul was often shamed, but Paul was never ashamed. Do you see? Brother and sister, that's the attitude we need to have. Paul was often shamed, but he was never ashamed. Jesus said to his disciples, if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yeah, because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. Two external reasons for the temptation to be ashamed of the gospel. The world hates the preaching of the gospel and the world will heap shame upon those who do. With that, brothers and sisters, there are two internal reasons, internal heart reasons, why we may be tempted to be ashamed of the gospel. And those are reasons that come out of our own flesh, come out of our own fallen hearts. There are several reasons that the Bible gives, I think. So this may come across as a bit of an oversimplification. Forgive me if it does. But I believe that scripture alludes to two primary underlying causes for this temptation to shame. One is a lack of faith. Unbelief. Two is a lack of love. A lack of faith and a lack of love. Timothy, we've talked about, Timothy was tempted to be fearful and ashamed. Look at second Timothy chapter one. Second Timothy chapter one, Paul exhorts Timothy in verse six, he tells Timothy, therefore I remind you stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For Timothy, listen, God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. So second Timothy chapter one, look at verse eight with me. Therefore, he's not given us a spirit of fear. He's given us a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore, Timothy, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord nor of me his prisoner but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God. And then Paul wanting Timothy to come alongside wanting Timothy to share with him in suffering for the gospel. Paul then reminds him of the truths of the gospel that Timothy believes it's a matter of faith. Right, it's a matter of faith. Verse nine, who has God who has saved us and called us with a holy calling not according to our works, Timothy but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began but has now been revealed by the appearing of our savior Jesus Christ who has abolished death brought life and immortality to light through the gospel to which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason, Timothy, I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed. You see the connection, right? It's an overwhelming sense of the reality of those magnificent and glorious truths, right? Our hearts lifted up to the third heaven, so to speak, and considering what God has done in Jesus Christ for us in the gospel that then propels, compels, constrains Paul to labor for Jesus Christ in this way. For this reason, I suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed for I know that's a statement of faith, right? I know whom I have believed and am persuaded faith that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him until that day. Paul is saying I'm invincible until he's done with me. So he turns to Timothy then verse 13, hold fast Timothy, hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me in faith and love. Do you see? Timothy's response to this, to his fear. Timothy's response to the temptation that rises up within his own heart and mind to be ashamed of the gospel. Timothy's response is to hold fast in faith and in love, in faith and in love, in faith and in love. What is the content of our faith? What fuels our faith? The mighty, glorious, magnificent, treasured truths of the gospel, right? Love for Jesus Christ, love for the Lord's people. Hold fast in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. This you know that all those in Asia have turned away from me. Why? They're ashamed of him. They're ashamed of Jesus Christ. They're ashamed of his words. Among whom are Fajelis and Hermogenes. The Lord grant mercy to the household of Anaciferous for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain. You see the contrast there? But when he, Anaciferous, arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. He wasn't even from there. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that day. The day of his coming, the day of visitation, the day of judgment. And you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus. Timothy, put feet to your faith in faith and in love. We are tempted to fear man, aren't we? There's a temptation to fear men. We're tempted to find joy and acceptance in the praise of men. We're tempted by that. But no Christian, right? No Christian could convictingly say that he craves that more than Jesus Christ. More than the approval of Jesus Christ, the acceptance of Jesus Christ, the joy of Jesus Christ, the fellowship with Jesus Christ. We may be tempted to fear man. We may be tempted to find some worth in the acceptance or praise of men. But if you are a genuine Christian and dwelt by the Spirit, you and I both would agree, those things pale, far away, pale, in comparison to love for the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to remind ourselves of why and hold fast our faith in love. We need to remember the gospel. Faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. The gospel is the weapon with which we fight temptation to be ashamed of the gospel, right? The gospel, faith in Jesus Christ. Love for him through the gospel. All of a sudden, when you've got that in your mind, in your sight, then suddenly you're willing to be a fool for the Lord Jesus Christ, right? Willing to be a fool. And brothers and sisters, we need to be willing to be fools for Christ. We've discussed the reality of the temptation. We looked at reasons for the temptation. That is the response to the temptation. That's the response, the gospel itself. What's the wrong response? We see professing Christians today, professing churches all over the place that respond ungodly in a wrong way. What's the wrong response? One, changing the message. Two, changing the methods. Changing the message, changing the methods. And some avoid it all by not preaching the gospel at all, right? Wrong response, brothers and sisters, wrong response. They change the message. They take the offense out of the message. Do anything besides preach. They change the method, right? We're not gonna preach. We're gonna do anything but preach. Come to our church. We have sermons. Frankly, we're ashamed of them and they're really short, right? We have long music and it's the kind of stuff that's gotta be, you can dance to it. Why is the message of the modern professing church watered down? Why? Because they are ashamed. Why the lack of emphasis on preaching the word of God? It is because they are ashamed. They don't believe that it's the power of God to salvation. Other things, the power of persuasion is the power of God to salvation. We just need to say the right words in the right way. We need to have an auditorium that's sort of slanted toward the front and we gotta dim the lights, play soft music, get them to come, right? Gotta work up the tears so they'll be willing to, right? Absurd, absolutely manipulation, absurd. They water it down. They change the message. Can't preach on sin or judgment. They seek other methods, right? Other message, the music is a method. Music is a method by which they bring people into the church and sit them under wicked false teaching and seal their fate for many of them. They change the method, they rely on hype, right? Hype, entertainment, what is the right response? The right response I think in one part is the example of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Listen to Hebrews chapter 12 verse one, listen. Therefore, we just came out of the hall of faith and all that God accomplishes through faith in his servants, through the faith of his servants, all that God does through faith. And in the basking as it were, in the glow of all those glorious examples of what God is able to do through faith, our author says, therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, that's faith, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame. Sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Lord Jesus Christ, they heaped shame upon him, right? They mocked him and derided him and scourged him and killed him. And Jesus Christ counted the shame that was heaped upon him, nothing. That's what it means there, that we're despised in the shame. Despised in the shame means to just, but that's all that is, all that is. Why? We look at that, right? There's an awful component, right? To that death, to that mocking, that derision, that hate, that envy. And yet Jesus counts it a common thing. Why is it a common thing? It's a common thing in light of the joy that was set before him. The joy that was set before him, that's faith. For consider him then, verse three, consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Lest you become tempted, brother, sister, lest you become tempted, consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself. You've not resisted yet to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons. My son, do not despise the chastening of a Lord. Often that's what persecution, what that suffering is. It's the chastening of a Lord. Don't be discouraged when you're rebuked by him in this way. The Lord loves those whom he chastens. He scourges every son whom he receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as sons. Listen, in the face of temptation, settle in your heart and mind, I'm going to be persecuted. I'm going to suffer because my Lord suffered. And he has told me beforehand, if the world hated him, it's gonna hate me also. How do you conquer temptation, the temptation to be ashamed in the power of the Holy Spirit through faith and love which are in Christ Jesus? You endure that chastening because God through it is dealing with you as a son. He's dealing with you as a daughter. For what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we've had human fathers who corrected us. We paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chasing us has seemed best to them, but he for our profit, it is profitable in teaching us to overcome the temptation to be ashamed of the gospel, right? One of the many ways in which it's profitable, it grows us in our faith. That we may be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening seems joyful for the present, but painful nevertheless afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Do you think that Paul had to deal with this? Of course, Paul boldly preached the gospel from the time that Paul was converted. He went straight back and preached the gospel and the Jews plotted to kill him versus later. Therefore, brothers, sisters, verse 12, therefore strengthen the hands which hang down and the feeble knees, make straight paths for your feet so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather healed. You've got to deal with this temptation to be ashamed. Why else would Paul put this statement this way? I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. One other reason, and I believe that's because Paul intends to strengthen and encourage and embolden them to do exactly what we're talking about here. He intends to strengthen and encourage and embolden you. Paul says, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Brothers and sisters, imitate me as I imitate Christ, don't be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. The pressures to compromise are great. And listen, it's going to get far worse. I think it's bad now, we don't face temptation like that which is coming. Pressures to compromise will get far worse. What we preach is not popular. We're going to have to stick to his message and stick to his methods relying upon his might. And you must be willing to be thought a fool. It's worth it, isn't it? We must not be ashamed. Why? It is the power of God to salvation. We'll look at that clause next week. Brothers and sisters, as Paul said to Timothy, right, share with me in the sufferings of the gospel according to the power of God. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for his sake. Rejoice, brothers and sisters, be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven. And may the Lord our God grant us boldness in the gospel. Pray with me. Father in heaven, Lord, we praise you and thank you that someone was bold to preach the gospel to us and that through it, the power of God, you saved us, forgiven us of our sins and reconciled us to yourself and given us an inheritance. I pray, Lord, that in light of the gospel, we would with that great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us take courage and to be strong in the power of his might and in the power of the spirit through faith and love would ourselves not be ashamed of the gospel, but with boldness would proclaim it for your glory, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ and for those whom he intends to save. We thank you for this text. Thank you for these lessons. Help us to live in light of them in Jesus' name. Amen.