INTRODUCTION:

ROMANS:

Luther: Romans is the hcief part of the New Testament and the perfect gospel.

“Cathedral of the Christian faith” “The Constitution and Bill of Rights of the Christian faith.”

“It is the most profound work in existence.” “There is no greater exposition of the Gospel of God than
the book of Romans”

And so, this is a marvelous book.

What was responsible for your coming to Christ and this church? The answers were:

a. I had a special need— 3%

b. I just walked in— 3%
c. I liked the minister— 6%
d. I visited there— 1%
e. I liked the Bible classes— 5%
f. I attended a gospel meeting— 1/2%
g. I liked the programs— 3%
h. A friend or relative invited me— 79%

The vast majority of the lost come to saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and eventually to church
because a friend, a schoolmate, an officemate, or a relative was faithful to the privilege and task
of introducing them to the gospel message.

When was the last time you witnessed? When was the last time you shared the Gospel with
someone?

Do you pray fervently and go out intentionally EVERYDAY seeking for a soul to share the
Gospel with?

Why the SILENCE? Why the HESITATION? … I will tell you why…It has to do with a 4-letter word
spelled F-E-A-R. The greatest hindrance to our witness is FEAR. The fear of …rejection, ridicule,
ostracism, persecution, loss of social standing.

The reason for this fear is IGNORANCE. We are ignorant of so many things about the gospel and this
morning, we will navigate the waters of IGNORANCE and banish them with the KNOWLEDGE that comes
from the WORD OF GOD.

1st…we suffer from

I. IGNORANCE OF THE ORIGIN OF THE GOSPEL

- The Romans knew and understood authority. Any message from a
superior or higher authority demanded immediate attention.

- Much more so if the message came from the Emperor or Caesar. One
could not afford but to give it his full and utmost attention.

- The source and authority of Paul’s message was higher than any human
general, president, king, emperor, or any power.

- This message was from God. This message was from God about His
Son. V. 1 describes it as the Gospel of God while v. 9 describes it as the
Gospel of His Son.

- Who is this Son of God?

Alpha and the Omega… the Beginning and the End… the First and the
Last… the Final Amen… Bread of Life… the Creator… the Deliverer…
the Everlasting Father… God … the Good and Great Shepherd…

the High Priest… the Holy One… the Image of the Invisible God… the
Judge of the Living and the dead… Majestic and Mighty… No one
compares to Him…

the Only begotten Son of the Father, the glory of the One and Only, full
of grace and truth… the Power of God… the Resurrection and the Life…
the Way, the Truth, and the Life… the Word of God.

… the King of Kings and Lord of Lords…to whom one day, every knee
will bow down and every tongue confess that He is Lord.

This is the origin of the Gospel. How can we ignore and be ashamed of
such a message that comes from Him?
 II. IGNORANCE OF THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL

What is the Gospel?

In a prayer retreat we had earlier this year with the ministers and leaders of our church,
one of 3 questions we asked each one of them is: What in your own words is the
gospel?

The ambiguity, uncertainty, and difficulty that they had in expressing the Gospel
message led us to the need to further clarify, expound, reinforce, and to explain the
Gospel message both to the leadership and the membership.

One leader in another Church who had been a Christian for more than 25 years was
asked this question. The reply  “The Gospel is Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.” The
Pastor thought the person was trying to be funny only to realize that the person was
dead serious.

If the Gospel message is not clear to us, how can we share it with other people. We
cannot give what we do not have. Worst of all, there is a very big danger that we might
still be lost in our sins. Our understanding of it is crucial, critical, central, essential, and
foundational to our Christian faith and walk.

Gospel means “the Good News”. It is not based on man’s attempt or merit to be right
with God but it is about what God did to reconcile man to Himself.

It is not about what man has to do for God but what God already did for man. This is
why it is called “the Good News”.

The Gospel is the message that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again, and
now is able to save all who trust Him.
1 Cor 15:1,2-4

“Now brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you…For what I
received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third
day according to the Scriptures,”

Awhile ago, I said our understanding of the Gospel message is crucial, critical, central,
essential, and foundational. Paul declares it to be the most important message of all.

THIS, Paul says, is the main thing. Nothing else—not even things that are biblical and
honorable—are of equal or greater importance than this: God sent His Son to the
cross to bear His wrath for sinners like you and me.

If there is anything in life we should be passionate about, it is the gospel. And I don’t
mean just passionate only in sharing it with others; I mean passionate in thinking about
the gospel, reflecting upon it, rejoicing in it, allowing it to color the way we look at the
world and all of life.

The depth of our saturation, meditation and understanding of the gospel will bring about
the response that will love God with all our heart, mind, strength, and soul. For in the
gospel, the love of God is expressed. It is there that we love Him because He first loved
us.

The gospel writes Jerry Bridges, “is not the only the most important message in all
history; it is the only essential message in all of history.” Therefore, we cannot
allow thousands of professing Christians to live their entire lives without clearly
understanding it and experiencing the joy of living by it.

Martin Luther: “The gospel cannot be preached and heard enough, for it cannot be
grasped well enough… ”
 III. IGNORANCE OF THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

We can be ashamed of many things. I for one have reason to be ashamed of many
things. I am ashamed of my sinfulness…. I am ashamed of my weaknesses…. I am
ashamed of my pride…. I am ashamed of my neglect of my lack of prayer…. and the list
goes on and on.

We can be ashamed of many things BUT we have no reason to be ashamed of

POWER. The human tendency is to covet it, proclaim it, display it, flaunt it, and bow
down to it.

The POWER behind the Gospel is no ordinary power. There is no human comparison
to it. It is not earthly, it is heavenly. It is not human, it is divine. IT IS THE POWER OF
GOD. THE GOSPEL IS THE POWER OF GOD.

For us to capture a miniscule and microscopic picture of the POWER OF GOD, allow
me to show you the various descriptions of this power as revealed in Scripture:

PP

GLORIOUS (Ex 15:6)

IRRESISTIBLE (Deut 32:29)
UNSEARCHABLE (Job 5:9)
MIGHTY (Job 9:4)
GREAT (Ps 79:11)
INCOMPARABLE (Ps 89:8)
STRONG (Ps 89:13)
EVERLASTING (Isa 26:4)
EFFECTUAL (Isa 43:13)
SOVEREIGN (Rom 9:21)

There are only 2 objects referred to in the N.T. as the “POWER OF GOD”
.
PP
Rom 1:17

“I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God unto salvation….”

1 Cor 1:18

“  For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to
us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

1 Cor 1:23, 24

“ 
but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to
Gentiles,   but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the
power of God and the wisdom of God.”

THE POWER BEHIND JESUS CHRIST AND THE POWER BEHIND THE GOSPEL IS
THE POWER OF GOD.

THE POWER OF GOD IS THE INFINITE RESOURCES (SPIRITUAL ABILITY) OF

GOD, IN THIS CASE, APPLIED/EXERTED TOWARD THE GOAL OF SALVATION.

Let me make this VERY, VERY CLEAR. Nothing of our doing or undoing. Nothing of
our programs or inventions. Nothing of our strategies or creativity. Nothing of what we
do can make the GOSPEL attractive or acceptable to man.

IT IS ONLY THE POWER OF GOD WORKING IN A SINNER THROUGH THE HOLY

SPIRIT THAT WILL BRING HIM TO the conviction of sin, the repentance of sin, and
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as his only Savior and Mediator.

No matter how beautiful our church building may be, no matter how gifted our preachers
may be, no matter how friendly and loving and giving our congregation may be, no
matter how solemn and grand our worship service may be, no matter how organized our
discipleship program may be, no matter how wide and spacious our parking space may
be….. although good and admirable in themselves (nothing wrong in them), they have
no power to bring a person to salvation. They have no power to attract people to God.

There is nothing within ourselves or our programs to attract people to God. It is only the
POWER OF GOD that will bring people to the saving knowledge of God.
This power is released by God according to His sovereignty when we PROCLAIM THE
GOSPEL MESSAGE.

We are the bearers of this good news… we are God’s ambassadors of reconciliation…
we are the beautiful feet that bring hope to the lost and hopeless.

We have a trust. Let us be careful to be faithful.

IV. IGNORANCE OF THE EXPERIENCE OF THE GOSPEL

Passion come from experiencing the reality of the transforming power of the gospel. It
cannot be manufactured. It cannot be faked.

Unless you are convinced of its power based from personal experience, you will not
have the confidence nor the boldness to proclaim the Gospel.

We need the entire body of Christ to take evangelism seriously, as it did in the first century.
Acts 8:4 tells us, “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”

Note that this was not just the apostles. It was all of them. This is how the church exploded
exponentially—because every part of the body, no matter how seemingly insignificant, was
directly and personally proclaiming the gospel.

A story was told about parents who were amazed to hear their five-year-old daughter, Lindsay,
telling her little friend about Jesus. The children were sitting on the front steps of the house,
and the parents tiptoed up to the window to see and hear better.

Lindsay told her friend that if she believed in Jesus and prayed, he would forgive her sins and
she would go to heaven. The little girl was convinced, and prayed.
When she was done praying, she looked up at Lindsay and asked, “Will my mommy be in
heaven too?” Lindsay thought for a moment and replied, “Yeah, if she believes in Jesus. But if
you don’t want her there, don’t tell her about Jesus!”

We MUST understand that Jesus didn’t come to Earth, live here for 33 years, give HIS life for us,
and then return back to heaven to intercede for us so that we could get in really little circles
and talk about ourselves and condemn those who are not as good as us.  We are called to
REACH PEOPLE FOR GOD — PERIOD! Do I hear an Amen?

WHY SHOULD EVANGELISM BE ONE OF THE HIGHEST PRIORITIES IN OUR CHURCH?

Let me share a few major reasons why we should be actively engaged in it:

1. Because Christ commands it. Matt 28:18-20 which is typically referred to as the Great
Commission is our evangelistic and disciple-making command. Christ commands it, we
must do it. Stop arguing, stop debating, stop believing the lie of Satan that you are
inadequate and have no competence…. Don’t just sit there…go, go, go reach out to a
soul.

2. Because Christ is the only way of salvation. Jesus could not have made it clearer in John
14:6. There is only one way. Salvation is exclusive. It is an urgent message. It is an
exclusive message. It is the only hope for ANYONE and EVERYONE … and we have the
privilege of knowing, experiencing, and declaring it. Amen?

Evangelism is dying… Churches are dying… People are going to hell without Christ… It is perhaps
the greatest tragedy today that we who hold the message that will cross over people from the
dominion of darkness to the kingdom of light….

from separation from God to intimacy with God….. from the curses of God to the blessings of
God…..from the wrath of God to the love of God….. from being damned eternally to enjoying
pleasures forevermore…

We have chosen to be afraid, to be ashamed, and to be silent.

THAT WAS YESTERDAY. TODAY, BY THE POWER OF THE WORD OF GOD DELIVERED, WE
DECLARE IN FAITH, OUR DELIVERANCE FROM OUR IGNORANCE, FEAR, HESITATION, AND
SHAME… and say: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation for
those who believe. For in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed. A righteousness
that is by faith from first to last. For the just shall live by faith.”

In 1980 a young man from Rwanda was forced by his tribe to either renounce Christ or face certain
death. He refused to renounce Christ, and he was killed on the spot. The night before he had written the
following commitment which was found in his room:

I am a part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed." The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I
have stepped over the line. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense and my future is secure. I'm finished and done
with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions,
mundane talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I don't

have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean
on His presence, love with patience, live by prayer and labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my
companions are few, my Guide is reliable and my mission is clear. I cannot be bought,
compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face
of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at
the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up or slow up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up
and spoken up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I
drop, preach till all know and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will
have no problem recognizing me. My banner is clear: I am a part of the "Fellowship of the
Unashamed."