rom1!14!17(go tell others)

8/2/2019 Rom1!14!17(Go Tell Others)

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Lets Go TellEveryone (Boldness

for Christ)

(Rom 1:14-17 NIV) I am obligated both toGreeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and thefoolish. {15} That is why I am so eager to

preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.{16} I am not ashamed of the gospel, because itis the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, thenfor the Gentile. {17} For in the gospel arighteousness from God is revealed, arighteousness that is by faith from first to last,

just as it is written: "The righteous will live byfaith."

A. INTRODUCTION

B. CONTEND: LETS GO TELLEVERYONE

1. WHY DO WE NEEDTO TELL?

1.1 W E ARE INDEBTED TO TELL (V.14)

(Rom 1:14 NIV) I am obligated both to Greeksand non-Greeks, both to the wise and thefoolish.

The word obligated (opheiletes) means to

owe, to be bound by duty, be a debtor Two ideas are being expressed by Paul. He is

obligated because:

Christ had done so much for him (saved him)

Christ had called him to preach(given him a task to do)

We are compelled to preach the gospel

Paul felt that he could do nothing else, he

was obligated and duty-bound to preach it

If he kept quiet, it would beworse than knowing the cure for themost terrible disease of history andrefusing to share it

Paul felt that he owed the gospel to the world

He made a contrast between theGreeks and the Barbarians (non Greeks

the Greeks considered everyone abarbarian who did not speak the Greek language and adopt Greek culture ). Hemeant that he owed the gospel to allnationalities and cultureswhether

Civilized or uncivilized

Industrialized or primitive

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Rich or poor

He made a contrast between thewise and the foolish. He meant he owedthe gospel to the

Educated and uneducated

Learned and the unlearned

Motivated and theunmotivated

Seeking and the complacent

We who know the wonderful news areindebted to get the news out to the world

To keep the message to oneself is the mostinexcusable and criminal act in all of human history

The answer to eternal life isnow known and must be proclaimed tothe whole world

The glorious news that deathhas been conquered and that man canlive eternally must be proclaimed

(John 3:16 NIV) "For God so loved the worldthat he gave his one and only Son, that whoever

believes in him shall not perish but have eternallife.

(John 5:24 NIV) "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent mehas eternal life and will not be condemned; hehas crossed over from death to life.

1.2 T HERE IS AN URGENCY TO TELL (V.15)

(Rom 1:15 NIV) That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.

Paul wanted to take all that was in him and

pour it into the people There is nothing that could keep him from

sharing, he was using all the energy andeffort, all the truth and knowledge of thegospel

What we desperately need today is an armyof Christian who are willing to stand upand be counted as the people of God

People who can be tolerant of insignificant disagreements but who atthe same time will absolutely refuse to

compromise on the important watershedissue

People who have counted thecost and have decided that it doesn'tmatter how much it costs--they willstand up for what is right.

In preaching the glorious message of the

living God, moderation totallyunacceptable

You would not give a moderatewarning to a neighbor whose house is onfire.



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You would not make amoderate effort to save a child fromdrowning.

You would not seek to fight amoderate battle to protect your

homeland. To Paul the Gospel of Jesus Christ was

exactly such an issue. He believed it to bea life-or-death matter.

At times like these you do notequivocate, you do not excuse, you donot draw back.

We should allow no hindranceto enter our life that would affect our message

We should be possessed andobsessed with readiness to preach

(Jer 20:9 NIV) But if I say, "I will not mentionhim or speak any more in his name," his word isin my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my

bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, Icannot.

(Amos 3:8 NIV) The lion has roared-- who willnot fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken--who can but prophesy?

(Mat 10:27 NIV) What I tell you in the dark,speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.

(Mark 16:15 NIV) He said to them, "Go into allthe world and preach the good news to allcreation.

(John 9:4 NIV) As long as it is day, we must dothe work of him who sent me. Night is coming,when no one can work.

(Acts 4:20 NIV) For we cannot help speaking

about what we have seen and heard."

(1 Cor 9:16 NIV) Yet when I preach the gospel,I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach.Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

1.3 W E ARE NOT ASHAMED TO TELL (V.16)

(Rom 1:16 NIV) I am not ashamed of thegospel, because it is the power of God for thesalvation of everyone who believes: first for the

Jew, then for the Gentile.

Paul had every reason to be ashamed

Pauls day was a day of moraldegeneracy, the hideous days of Nero

people were living in detestable andinconceivable wickedness, they

uprightly opposed to the moralrighteousness of the gospel

Paul was by nationality a Jew a race that was thought by many of thatday to be a despicable sub-human race,worthy only to be cursed, ill-used, andenslaved

The gospel preached wasalmost unbelievable A Jewish manclaimed to be the Savior of the world.He was a mere man but had a differentdeath of other men he died for all other men. He was said to have risen from thedead His resurrection was the proof that He is the Son of God. Suchunbelievable claims made the gospel acontemptible thing in the minds of many. A natural man would shrink frommaking such phenomenal claims

Paul was often rejected, not by just a few people, but by wholecommunities the authoritiesimprisoned him in Philippi (Acts 16:19-23); the religionists ran him out of

Thessalonica and threatened his life inBerea (Acts 17:5-15); the intellectualslaughed him out of Athens (Acts 17:32).His message was considered foolishnessto the intellectuals (the Greeks) andstumbling block to his own people (theJews)

Many are ashamed of the gospel. They fear two things in particular



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Fear of intellectual shame the fear that thegospel does not measure up intellectually

A man holds either to the philosophy and thought of the world, or to the philosophy and thought of the

Gods Son, the gospel of Jesus Christand His redemption

(Dan 2:22 NIV) He revealsdeep and hidden things; he knows whatlies in darkness, and light dwells withhim.

(Rom 11:33-34 NIV) Oh, the depth of theriches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths

beyond tracing out! {34} "Who has known themind of the Lord? Or who has been hiscounselor?"

(1 Cor 1:25 NIV) For the foolishness of God iswiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

(1 Cor 3:18-20 NIV) Do not deceiveyourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise

by the standards of this age, he should become a"fool" so that he may become wise. {19} For thewisdom of this world is foolishness in God'ssight. As it is written: "He catches the wise intheir craftiness"; {20} and again, "The Lord

knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile." Fear of social shame fear of being

Ridiculed and mocked

Rejected and ignored

Passed over and cut off

Left without job and livelihood

Left without family and friends

Abused and killed

(Prov 29:25 NIV) Fear of man will prove to bea snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is keptsafe.

(Isa 51:12 NIV) "I, even I, am he who comfortsyou. Who are you that you fear mortal men, thesons of men, who are but grass,

(2 Tim 1:7-9 NIV) For God did not give us aspirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of loveand of self-discipline. {8} So do not be ashamedto testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his

prisoner. But join with me in suffering for thegospel, by the power of God, {9} who has savedus and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own

purpose and grace. This grace was given us inChrist Jesus before the beginning of time,

"What is our shame quotient?" Are weashamed of the Gospel?

The Jehovah's Witnesses aren'tashamed of their gospel.

The Mormons aren't ashamedof theirs.

The atheists aren't ashamed of theirs.

The environmentalists aren'tashamed of theirs.



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One final point is made here in verse 16, andthat is that the Gospel is the power of Godfor salvation "to the Jew first and also tothe Greek."

That is speaking of a

chronological "first," not a first inimportance.

Historically the Gospel didcome first to the Jews, but today it is to

be offered to every man, regardless of his race.

(John 7:37 NIV) On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice,"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me anddrink.

(Rom 10:12-13 NIV) For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lordof all and richly blesses all who call on him,{13} for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

(1 Tim 2:4 NIV) who wants all men to be savedand to come to a knowledge of the truth.

(Rev 22:17 NIV) The Spirit and the bride say,"Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!"Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of

life.

2.2 B ECAUSE IT REVEALS A RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM G OD (V.17)

How are you trying to achieve righteousnesstoday?

Is it by avoiding the grosser sins, doing deeds of mercy andkindness, giving generously , practicingreligious rites and rituals faithfully, or

even weighing yourself morally againstothers who call themselves Christians?

Now in order to understand this point wemust realize that there are two kinds of righteousness--God's and man's. And thesetwo kinds of righteousness are literallyworlds apart.

It is a great mistake for anyone to think thathuman righteousness is just a lesser formof divine righteousness or that there is acertain degree of righteousness in man thatis acceptable with God and when a manreaches that point he will find peace withGod and get to Heaven.

Everywhere the Biblerepudiates such an idea. The OldTestament prophet called out, "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags."

And in Titus 3:5 we read, "Not

by works of righteousness which wehave done, but according to His mercyHe save us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the HolySpirit."

It really could be no other way,for if God had set some level of humanrighteousness as the standard for receiving eternal life it would be veryunjust, for some people are brought upin a better environment than others,some receive the benefit of better education than others, some receive

better parenting than others, etc.

God comes to us, however, with a standardof righteousness that is impossible for anyof us to attain

and when we finally accept thehopelessness of ever attaining it, God thensays He will credit that righteousness toour accounts as a free gift if we willsimply put our confidence in His Son.

As Romans 4:5 puts it, "To the

man who does not work but trusts Godwho justifies the wicked, his faith iscredited as righteousness."

Lets consider the illustration from Dr.Donald Grey Barnhouse:

If we take absolute perfection as the norm of human righteousness, we might say thatthe convict has fulfilled 20%, the averageman 50%, and the ethical leader 80%. Noman who has ever lived has achieved the100%. . . .

Unfortunately there are some people whospend their time trying to increase the

percentage of their human righteousness,and thus fail to lay hold upon the totallydifferent divine righteousness, which is

provided by the gospel.



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Do not think that the convictcan say, " God, I have done twenty per cent by myself and so I need eighty per cent from you ." And do not think that theethically good man can say, " God, you

see that I have done eighty per cent by

myself and so, fortunately, I need trouble you for no more than twenty percent tomake up that which is lacking ."

On the contrary, the convictmust learn to curse his twenty per cent of human righteousness , abandon all hopeof salvation by means of it, and come tothe cross of Jesus Christ to receive theone hundred per cent of a totallydifferent righteousness which is provided

by the Lord Jesus Christ on the basis of His atoning death for sin and sinners.

And what is much harder, thegood man must curse the eighty per centof human righteousness, abandon allhope of salvation by means of it, andcome to the cross of Jesus Christ toreceive the one hundred per cent of atotally different righteousness whichdoes not come from man at all, butwhich is provided by the Lord JesusChrist on the basis of His atoning deathfor sin and sinners.

(Mat 5:20 NIV) For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees andthe teachers of the law, you will certainly notenter the kingdom of heaven.

(2 Cor 5:21 NIV) God made him who had nosin to be sin for us, so that in him we might

become the righteousness of God.

2.3 I T MAKES POSSIBLE A LIFE OF FAITH (V.17)

(Rom 1:17 NIV) For in the gospel arighteousness from God is revealed, arighteousness that is by faith from first to last,

just as it is written: "The righteous will live byfaith."

Some might ask if God is all He claims to be.They might ask

"How does God propose to fixyou when you're broken?"

"How does God propose to loveyou when you're unlovable?"

"How does God propose tocleanse you when you are dirty?"

"How does God propose toreconcile the irreconcilable?"

"How does God, who is Right, propose to take wrong and make wrongright?

"How does God propose to takea crooked pencil and draw straightlines?"

"How does God proposes totake a messed up, broken up, and

patched up life and make it a life worthliving?"

If you want to know the answer to thesequestions, all are answered in this passage:this righteousness is revealed "from faithto faith."

What faith? - From what faith to what faith?It is to believe that

One Thursday night, they took Jesus from Gethsemane's garden, toCaiaphas' palace and to Pilate's

judgment hall.Then, they took His clothes from Him,and put on Him a purple robe, a crownof thorns and then beat Him all throughthe night.

On Friday, they gave Him across and walked Him up the ViaDolorosa. Then they nailed Him to thatcross on the hill of Calvary and He diedand was buried

One Sunday morning before the break of day, sorrowful women came tothe tomb and saw an angel announced tothem,"He is not here. He is risen. He defeateddeath.

Death, has no more victory?And Grave, has no more sting?"



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The essence of Paul's meaning is: you canhave the assurance of your salvation, butit's done by faith from beginning to end.

You must start out in faith in order to end upwith faith.

In the morning my faith saysthat " without faith it is impossible to

please Him ." In the evening my faithsays that " he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is arewarder of them that diligently seek

Him." That's "from faith to faith."

In the morning my faith says,"Therefore, being justified by faith wehave peace with God through our Lord

Jesus Christ ." In the evening my faithsays," God so loved the world, that He

gave His only begotten Son! " That's"from faith to faith."

In the morning my faith says," Jesus came to seek and save the lost ." Inthe evening my faith says,"Salvation belongs to our God, who sitsupon the throne. And unto the Lamb ."That's "from faith to faith."

In the morning my faith says,"You are the love of my life. You aremy purpose for living" In the eveningmy faith says, "I walk by faith, each step

by faith. To live by faith, I will trust inYou" That's "from faith to faith."

In other words, in spite of what happens inany day -- sickness, sorrow,unemployment, poverty, famine, distress,depression, desertion, anxiety, burnout,and...

God has fixed it so that thefaith which I begin with in the morningof life is the same faith which I come torest with in the evening of life.

What is faith?

Faith is Noah building a boatwith no water in sight.

Faith is Moses marching to theRed Sea with no means to get across.

Faith is three Hebrew boys withno worry on their faces in a fieryfurnace.

Faith is Ezekiel standing to

preach in the midst of a cemeterycongregation.

Faith is Job testifying aboutGod's goodness while he was situated onan ash pile.

Faith says, "My hope is built onnothing less than Jesus' blood and

righteousness.I dare not trust the sweetest frame, butwholly lean on Jesus' name."

Faith says, " 'Tis so sweet totrust in Jesus, just to take Him at Hisword.Just to rest upon His promise. Just toknow, Thus saith the Lord."

Faith says, "By and by, whenthe morning comes, all the saints of Godcome gathering home. We'll tell thestory how we've overcome and we'll

understand it better buy and by." Now, if you're still not clear about the

meaning of "from faith to faith?" If youstill have trouble how the just can live byfaith?

It means... just trust Him.When troubles come, trust Him.

When the wind blows, trustHim.

When sickness comes, trustHim.



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When depression strikes, trustHim.

When you don't have a dime,trust Him.

When you can't make endsmeet, trust Him.

When the way grows hard, trustHim.

When friends are few, trustHim.

When you don't know what todo, trust Him.

Whatever life brings, trust Him.

This is the way you will be able to travel"from faith to faith."

C. CONCLUSION

Someone has said, "The Christian must becontent to be a nobody who is willing totell everybody that there is Somebodywho is able to save anybody ."

There is no purpose in the life or ministry of the church unless somebody is beingsaved .

There is no point in maintaining thestructures of stone we called churchesunless somebody is being saved .

Everything we do should be for the purposeof somebody being saved .

We need to tell, because

We are obligated to tell

We have the urgency to tell

We are not ashamed to tell, because

The gospel has the power tosave

The gospel reveals therighteous of God

The gospel enable one to live alife of faith


rom1!14!17(go tell others)

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