Paul makes 3 strong statements about evangelism in that passage:

·        I am obligated – v.14

·        I am eager – v. 15

·        I am not ashamed – v.16

The reasons these statement are so striking to me if because they are quite contrary to my natural attitude towards evangelism. 

This week, I was working with a non-profit global missions organization that is based here in town.  I was in their office helping them with a website project that they are having some trouble with.  A man walked in the front door asking for directions to a counseling office in their complex.  My first response would have been to help the man find his destination and go on with my day.  One of the missionaries there did not see it that way.

He sat the man down.  Told him that he is glad to give him Biblical counseling and then proceeded to present the gospel to the man.  After he was finished, he gave him a DVD, a track and a book and then sent him on his way.  What I appreciate about the actions of this missionary, is that he displayed the heart of Paul.  He was not reluctant with the gospel.  He was ready.  He was eager.  He was unashamed.  

I’ve led many people to the Lord over the years, but honestly, I have some reluctance when it comes to sharing the gospel.  Maybe you do too.  I think my reluctance is because many people have a mixed response to the gospel in our country.  If you think that our country is reluctant to the message of the gospel, Rome was far more reluctant.

Rome was the international symbol of pride and power in Paul’s day.  When people spoke about Rome, they spoke about it with awe.  Most people who did not live in Rome dreamed of visiting Rome someday.  It was a spectacular, beautiful city that was the pride of the Roman Empire.

Romans had no special appreciation for the Hebrew people.  Jerusalem was just a little capital city of a little country that Rome had conquered.  Christians were certainly not among the elite in their society.  They were common people and some were even slaves.

Rome had many well-known philosophers and philosophies.  Romans were not likely to pay attention to a religious belief centered around a Jewish man in Jerusalem.  Especially since the Jew it centered around was a man who had been crucified.  Crucifixion was the lowest form of execution at the time.  AND this man was calling them to turn away from their sinful pleasures and to follow after him instead.  The Roman culture was very secular and steeped in sin. Rome was also a corrupt, wicked, sin-filled city.

A first century Philosopher named Seneca said that Rome was a “cesspool of iniquity.”  An ancient poet named Juvenal poetically stated that Rome was a “filthy sewer into which the dregs of the empire floods.”

Paul understood the corruption of the city.  Rome’s desperate need for the gospel stirred up Paul’s heart to visit them.  Paul had no interest in visiting Rome as a tourist (like most people) Paul had a deep desire to visit Rome as an evangelist. 

Paul had a longing to visit Rome as an Evangelist

⁹ For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you ¹⁰ always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. ¹¹ For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—¹² that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.  ¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.

The book of Romans was written in AD 56 while Paul was working with the church in Corinth.  Little did Paul know that God would honor his request to visit Rome, but it would not be how Paul expected it to happen.  Turn back a few pages in your Bibles to Acts 28.

Paul did eventually make it to Rome several years later.  Let’s take a look at that account.  In AD 61, Paul gets arrested in Jerusalem.  As a Roman citizen, he appeals his case to Caesar.  The Roman government puts Paul on a boat for Rome.  Luke, in Acts 27, recalls how that boat was shipwrecked in a violent storm on the Mediterranean Sea called a Nor’easter.  (There is a teaching on Act 27 on our website) Miraculously, Paul is able to swim to the island of Malta.  In AD 61, he and his captors are able to board another boat in Malta and he arrives in Rome as a prisoner.

What did Paul do when he finally arrived in Rome?  Let’s pick up the account in Acts 28.  Paul was under house arrest in Rome, but he was allowed to have visitors.  So people came to Paul’s residence listen to Paul preach about the Messiah

Verse 23a

²³ When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them,

When Paul did get a chance to visit Rome, Paul testified about the Messiah tirelessly.  He was faithful to proclaim Christ regardless of the outcome or the risk

Verse 23b

testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.

Paul was convincing.  He had well researched and document arguments established from the Old Testament scriptures that clearly pointed to Jesus as the promised Messiah.  Any God fearing Jew would have realized this incredibly good news and received it with joy.  But some accepted Jesus and sadly some rejected Him

 ²⁴ And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved.

Paul was not deterred from sharing the gospel because it met resistance. We do not have an account of Paul retreating in discouragement. Paul feels more than an obligation for the gospel.  Turn back in your Bibles to Romans 1 and let’s jump back in time again to AD 56.

Look at Verse 14

¹⁴ I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.

The original Greek word, translated here are “obligation,” means “one who owes another, a debtor.”  I think in this case, the old King James Version reflects the original meaning of this text accurately when it translates it this way: “¹⁴ I amdebtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians…”

The gospel is a debt to the world

So how was Paul in debt to the Greeks or to the Barbarians?  He had not even met these people before.  What did Paul borrow from these people that he needed to pay back?

There are 2 possible ways to get into literal debt:

1.      The first way is to borrow money.

2.      The second is to be given money for someone by a third party

For example.  In the first scenario, if I were to borrow $100,000 from you, I would be in your debt $100,000 until I paid you back.  I got myself into debt by borrowing your money.

In the second scenario, let’s say that Publishers clearing house called me up. They told me that Bob had just won $1,000,000.  They wanted me to deliver the check to Bob for them.  Now the money is not mine, but I get the privilege of showing up to Bob’s door and to be the one who says, “guess what!?  You just won $1,000,000!”

If I had that kind of gift to give to a friend, do you think I would drag my feet and take my time?  NO WAY!  It would be so exciting to give you that gift.  I know that it would change Bob’s life.  I know that Bob would be thrilled with the news.

Now when Publishers clearing house gives me the money, I am now in Bob’s debt – Bob does not even know it, but I am in his debt.  I have $1,000,000 that is not mine.  It’s his.  My job is to deliver it and I’m indebted or obligated to get it into Bob’s hands (and to take a few pictures for the media).

It is in this second sense that Paul is in debt.  He had not borrowed anything from the Romans that he needed to repay, but Jesus Christ had entrusted him with enormous gift, called the gospel.  The gospel was intended for them.  Paul is so excited to deliver it to them.  It will change their lives for eternity.  They can finally be right with God.  It is so exciting to Paul he can hardly contain himself.

Let me give you one more scenario… one not of financial indebtedness but of a moral indebtedness.  Let’s say that a huge fishing boat hears a distress call over the radio. A cruise ship is going down in a storm in the icy waters in the middle of the Atlantic.  The weather won’t allow for a helicopter to land.  A rescue boat is still more than a day away.  The ship is going down fast and they need help now or everyone on the boat will die. 

The captain of the fishing boat is only a few miles away from the sinking ship. The fishing boat is huge.  It has more than enough room for all the passengers and it’s full of fish.  There is plenty of food to feed the passengers for several days.

The captain has a moral indebtedness.  He has resources that someone else desperately needs.  If he does not change course and head for the cruise ship, all the passengers are going to either freeze to death or drown.  What do you think the captain would do?

Given the resources and the opportunity, the captain has a moral obligation to the drowning people to save them.  I think he would feel so strongly obligated, that he would order his men to change course immediately, and go full steam ahead.  He would be eager to help.  He would desperately want to help save those drowning people.  He would not care if it costs him everything he has and he lost every fish he caught.  Those people are in trouble.  The fishing boat can help.  They are indebted to go on a rescue mission to save them.

Paul was in trouble before he met Christ on the road to Damascus.  He was persecuting the church.  He was an enemy of God’s.  Then, out of an abundance of Grace, the Lord Jesus, Himself, called out to Paul and revealed the message of the gospel.  The grace that Jesus gave to Paul was more than enough to cover Paul’s sin.  It was enough to cover Paul’s sin and the sin of every man, women, boy and child that Paul ever met or ever would meet.  It was more than enough grace.

This abundance of grace created an indebtedness in Paul’s heart.  So Paul, seeing a world on a sinking ship called sin, reached out over and over again (gave everything he had) and extended Christ’s offer of salvation to all who would believe.  It is good news that he was eager to get to those who were sinking.

Understanding the Value of God’s grace results in an eagerness to share it.

We have no liberty to keep the gospel for ourselves.  Nobody can claim a monopoly of the gospel.  Good news is for sharing, not for keeping to ourselves.  If God had entrusted Paul with the Good news of the Gospel, he is obligated to get that good news out to those it was intended for. 

But, don’t think it was a “have to” in Paul’s life.  If you have good news like:

·        A million dollar check

·        Or rescue from a sinking ship

You can’t wait to tell people about that news.  Even better, if you have the news that someone can be:

·        right with God,

·        forgiven of their sin,

·        rescued from hell and

·        promised of eternal life with Jesus

Isn’t that better news than just a million dollar check?  Paul thought so and that’s why he could write these words…look at verse 15

¹⁵ So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Mini Application:

We might not have a specific call to reach the gentiles like Paul had, but every believer is called upon to get into the game and make disciples.  Every believer is called to make disciples. We are all called upon to “¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matt 28:19-20a) 

We want to be a church that learns together and serves together.  We learn how to be disciples here on Sunday mornings and in our midweek Bible studies. This semester we will be giving you several ways to serve the Lord together in our community as well.  The Christian life is not like a sport team where some kids get into the game and others sit on the sidelines the whole season because they are not good enough to play.  If you are saved, you are good enough to get into the game!  The commission to go is given to all disciples.

The compulsion of the gospel, the power of its message and the call to make disciples of all nations (including Cottonwood) led Lara and I to move our family over here to plant this church.  I’ve faced some conflict for doing so.

Martin Luther gave a warning about preaching the gospel.  He said that when the gospel is preached accurately and passionately, it will bring conflict.  Since people tend to flee from conflict, every generation will tend to water down or hide the gospel and allow it to be eclipsed by darkness.  Would you pray for me and our elders that we would not let that happen here?

In every age and in every culture, it is possible to be ashamed of the gospel. Some people don’t want the stigma of being called “holier than thou” or “Jesus freak.”  (Lately I’ve been called, “the printing pastor)  Many go underground and undercover as if they were in the Christian “secret service” so that no one will connect them with the church.

Every Culture is Hostile to the Gospel

Look at first part of verse 16:  When Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel,” it is not a literary technique meaning “I’m proud of the gospel”.  (Like when a person says “I’m not amused,” to mean that they are angry)  He is saying that there is something about the nature of the gospel that offends people.  In fact, the Greek word for “ashamed” can also be translated as “offended.”  So how is the gospel offensive? 

The hardest part of sharing the gospel is not the message of salvation.  If people came walking up to Christians all the time asking, “How can I be saved?” and then eagerly listening for the answer, then sharing our faith would be much easier.  The hard part of the gospel, though, is convincing people that they need a savior…is convincing them that they are lost…. Men don’t like to be told they are lost…

What if the passengers on the cruise liner I mentioned before looked at the rescue ship – the fishing boat – and refused to get on board?  They took one look at the fishing ship and said:

·        I’ll take my chances with the cruise ship.

·        It has better food over here

·        Your ship is ugly.  It’s offensive.  It stinks.

·        Besides, what right do you have to tell me that my boat is sinking anyway?

Sometimes our pleas fall on deaf ears.  Sometimes the temporary luxuries of this fallen world will look more appealing than the way of the cross.  The gospel offends people.  Here’s how

1.      The gospel declares that without a Savior, people are going to Hell. Usually when you tell someone they are going to hell, they get offended.

2.      The gospel declares that our salvation is free and undeserved.  No matter how hard we try, we can’t earn our way to heaven.  In fact, if we try to pay for it, that will offend God.  It has to be received as a free gift.
When you tell an American that they can’t earn something, that’s offensive.

3.      The gospel declares that we are desperately wicked.  So wicked that God himself had to intervene and send His Son to pay for our sins, personally. No greater sacrifice could have been made by God.
In a culture that that believes that people are basically good, it is an offense to call them utterly wicked in the eyes of God.

4.      The final offense is the Christian life itself.  Salvation was accomplished through the service, the sacrifice and the suffering of Jesus.  He didn’t come conquering and destroying.  The life of a disciple is one that follows Jesus.
Every disciple is called to serve.
Every disciple is called to sacrifice.
Every disciple suffers.
Every disciple is called to lay down their life and let Christ live through them.  It wars with our flesh.  It is difficult.  It is not easy and it offends people who want nothing but safe, comfortable, easy lives.

Jesus anticipated that His disciples might be tempted to be ashamed of Him and warned them against it in Mark 8:38, “³⁸ For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Paul gave Timothy a similar exhortation in 2 Tim 1:8 when he said, “⁸ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God…”

A preacher once pointed out that there is no sense is saying not to be ashamed of something unless you have felt the temptation to be ashamed of it.  Paul knew about this temptation.  He knew that the message of the cross would be “folly to those who are perishing” (1 Cor 1:18) and “a stumbling block” to others (1 Cor 1:23). 

So how did Paul (and how can) we overcome the temptation of being ashamed of the gospel?  He tells us in verse 16.  ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

He keeps from being offended by the gospel by remembering that the gospel is the power of God for those who believe.  How do we know this is true? 

·         Those who have experienced the gospel are changed by it. 

·         Those who reach out to Jesus as Lord are transformed by the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. 

o   The gospel lifts people up. 

o   The gospel transforms people. 

o   The gospel changes people. 

o   It changes everything about them

Everything looks different when you look at it through the gospel. 

·         Relationships are different. 

·         Jobs are different. 

·         Possessions are different. 

·         Families are different. 

But the most significant thing the gospel changes is our eternal destination.  I was once going to hell – destined to pay for my own sin for an eternity, but Jesus saved me from that. 

Only the Gospel leads to Salvation

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

The gospel does what no other power on the earth can possibly do: 

·         It saves us. 

·         It reconciles us to God. 

·         It guarantees us a place in heaven for all of eternity…

·         and that it NOTHING to be ashamed of!

Application

Notice the last part of verse 16.  Salvation is offered only to those who believe. The gospel is both boundless and boundaried.

It is boundless in that it the offer of salvation is extended to “everyone who would believes” in Jesus and receives him as Lord by faith.

It is boundaried in that there is a limit on it.  It does not extend to everyone, butonly to those who believe in Jesus and receive Him by faith.  There is no other way.  There is no 2^nd option.

Maybe this morning you feel the calling of the Holy Spirit to turn to Jesus in faith and to give your life to Him as Lord.  If that is you, there are some men who would love to pray with you after the service this morning.

For the rest of us, let me challenge you and I to feel an indebtedness to the lost. (not to God – salvation is a free gift, but to the lost)  I heard a story about DL Moody this week.  He had finished giving a gospel presentation.  After his message, a man walked up to him and said, “I don’t like the way you explained the gospel and did the invitation at the end.”  Moody said to him, “I don’t really like my method either.  I’d love to find a better way.  Can you tell me how you explain the gospel?”  This other man said, “well, I don’t’ really have a way.” Moody replies, “I like my way better.”

This week, when I listened to that missionary explain the gospel to that young man, I found myself thinking, I would have done it a different way.  Then I thought, at least he did it.  He stepped out in faith God will honor it.

Paul felt a since of indebtedness.  He was eager to share and he was unashamed.  We don’t have an obligation to God for the gospel.  He gave it to us as a free gift.  We have an indebtedness to all the lost people around us for the gospel.  It is such a good gift, that we owe it to people who don’t know Jesus to share it with them.  We have been entrusted with a gift that will change people’s lives for an eternity.  We have been given a means of rescue for those who tragically sinking in sin.

Let’s you are I treat the gospel like it is good news… the best news anybody has ever heard.