| Not Ashamed….The Power of the Gospel As we look throughout history, we
can recall men of conviction that stood for a cause or country even though
the cost to them personally was high. We take courage in those sacrifices as
they help us develop our own character and establish our stand for matter
that are important to us. So as we
consider our faith, God calls us to stand for Him and His purpose; to be
people who are willing to trust in His power and in the message of His plan
that is accomplished through Christ. The devil would try to distract us with
fear and shame. Satan’s desire is to weaken us-to keep us from standing strong.
(Matt. 26:69-75) But the gospel message is one of power, God’s power! To
those who are willing to use it, the gospel can accomplish all that God wants
from His people. (1 Cor. 1:18-25) God
always prevails! The gospel is His message of power about His Son, His plan,
and how He will save us from sin. What can we learn that we might be
persuaded to boldly speak about Him?
I. Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ a. Saul was faced with a choice to accept
or deny the truth when he met the Lord (Acts(:1-6, 17-20, 23) Later, as Paul,
He proclaims His allegiance to the message (Rom. 1:16) b. Accepting Jesus can bring criticism
form the world (2 Tim. 3:12) c. It
takes a diligent effort to continue in the truth and uphold the gospel.
Pressure, ridicule, and persecution can be strong influences. (Heb 10:29, 2
Tim. 4:9-10, Phil. 3:18-19, 2 Tim. 2:12, 1 Pet. 4:16) II. Speaking Boldly or Shying Away? a. Confidence or boldness in declaring
something comes from having knowledge and faith 1. Jesus (John 7:26 2. Saul (Acts 9:27, 29) 3. Early saints and apostles (Acts4:31) 4. Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:3) b. What leads to not having confidence in
the power of the gospel? 1. Lack of
Understanding 2. Lack of Faith (Heb.
11:6) 3. Afraid of the Consequences
(Acts 6:8; 7:55; Gal. 2:11) III. The
Nature of the Gospel-Why it has Power
a. The message is not about man – it’s about Christ (John 12:32) b. The message about Christ is designed to
produce faith-the power is in Him! (1 Cor.2:1-5) c. It is an inspired message (1 Cor.
2:9,10,12) The Bible shows us many
reasons why we should not be ashamed of the gospel. We have a powerful God, a
victorious Savior, and a revealed Word; let us give our best effort to use
the gospel to glorify our Father. |
