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38th Street Church of Christ 3904 38th Street NW Canton, Ohio 44718 330-492-5523 Fax: 330-493-7119 |
“Don't Be Ashamed” |
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I. Introduction.
A. In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11th,
2001, many Americans instinctively sought solace and
support in Christ. In a service at the National Cathedral, in
Washington, D.C., broadcast live around the world, one
“Christian” minister offered a prayer in the name of Jesus
Christ, but “respecting all religions.” All religions?
Druids? Cat worshippers? Witches? No one, especially a
person who claims to represent the church Christ died for
and purchased with His Own blood, should ever feel
compelled to qualify through praying, or serving, the One
True Savior.B. The apostle Paul makes a remarkable statement in
Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ, . . .”1. Why would Paul say that? (“. . . I am not
ashamed . . .”).2. Who could, or would, ever be ashamed of such
good news? Think of it this way: would a person
who found the sure antidote to AIDS ever have to
overcome shame to proclaim the owe to the world?
Or, if someone discovered the real key to curing
cancer, would they have to be ashamed to proclaim
this to the world?3. Why – how – could it be so hard, so “shameful” to
mention the cross and its significance for every
person?C. Even though the message of salvation was the greatest, and
most important, message in history, both audiences and
authorities reacted in a negative manner to Paul’s teaching
of the gospel. He was treated rudely and harshly, often, for
preaching this “good news.”1. He had been beaten and imprisoned at Philippi
(Acts 16:23-24), chased out of Thessalonica
(Acts 17:10), smuggled out of Berea (Acts 17:14),
laughed at in Athens (Acts 17:32), labeled a fool
at Corinth (I Corinthians 1:18, 23), stoned in Galatia
(Acts 14:19).2. Through all this, and more, Paul never lost his
enthusiasm for the gospel message, never changed
the message to make it more acceptable to the
critics, or more appealing to the audience, and
never felt “ashamed” to deliver a message others
found unbelievable, or unacceptable.3. Paul could not stop telling the story of Jesus and the
truth about salvation, no matter what reaction it
received.D. There is a basic human need for acceptance by others. The
gospel of Jesus Christ is a message the world will always
reject, as it did when Paul proclaimed it.1. To be accepted, we might change the message.
2. To avoid ridicule, or rejection, we might “water
down” the message.3. The stronger we cling to the truth, the more hostility
we can expect from the world.4. Paul rose above this rejection, ridicule, and hostility
to say, “I am not ashamed . . .”.E. Human nature has not changed throughout history.
1. In the ninth century, B.C., the Greek epic poet
wrote: “The chief good was to be well spoken of,
the chief evil, to be badly spoken of by one’s
society.”2. In the first century, A.D., the apostle Paul worked
in a “. . . shame-sensitive, honor seeking culture,”
preaching a message about a publicly shamed
person. Some, therefore, found the words of Paul
offensive, foolish, even idiotic.3. I Corinthians 1:21 says: “. . . it pleased God
through the foolishness of the message preached
to save those who believe.”F. Roman authorities executed God’s Son by a cruel,
torturing method reserved for the worst of criminals. His
disciples had to be faithful enough to risk meeting the
same, shameful, end themselves. Rather than keeping
silent out of fear, rather than altering the message to make
it more palatable, rather than accommodating the world,
they “. . . went everywhere preaching the word.”
(Acts 8:4).II. The Shame Of The Cross.
A. To preach “. . . Jesus Christ and Him crucified”
(I Corinthians 2:2), is to preach a shameful message of
degrading death. So it was in Paul’s time. Because we
don’t see people so-executed now, as did Paul’s hearers and
leaders in the first century, its significance is lost on us, and
the impact of such a message lessened for us.1. Paul knew full well what he was up against: “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.” (I Corinthians 1:18). The word
translated “foolishness” is the Greek, MORIA, from
which comes the English word “moron.”2. The Greeks wanted wisdom, the Jews a “sign”
(I Corinthians 1:22), but God gave them exactly the
opposite. The Jews got a “SKANDALON”, a
crucified, humiliated Messiah. And the Greeks,
nonsense about the eternal Creator of the universe
being put to death. These were: “. . . to the Jews a
stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness”
(I Corinthians 1:23). From both the Greek, and
Roman, points of view, the degradation of
crucifixion made the whole idea of the gospel
proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah absurd.3. Crucifixion was a form of execution meant for the
worst of criminals. Roman citizens could not be
crucified, except for the crime of treason. The cross
was for slaves and conquered people, contemptible
in the sight of their Roman masters. But, all Paul
spoke about, his whole message centered on, the
cross.B. Martin Henzel, in his book “Crucifixion” says: To believe
that the one preexistent Son of the one true God, the
mediator at creation and the redeemer of the world, had
appeared in very recent times in out-of-the-way Galilee as a
member of the obscure people of the Jews, and even worse,
had died the death of a common criminal on the cross,
could only be regarded as a sign of madness. The real gods
of Greece and Rome could be distinguished from mortal
men by the very fact that they were immortal – they had
absolutely nothing in common with the cross as a sign of
shame . . . and thus of the one who . . . was “bound in the
most ignominious fashion” and “executed in a shameful
way.” -- pp. 6-7.C. No wonder both Jews and Gentiles alike hated Paul’s
message. It was a message beyond belief. It was either an
absurdity or an obscenity.III. Wisdom Made Foolish.
A. Along with the shameful stigma of the cross there was its
shameful simplicity, a repudiation of worldly wisdom
(READ, I Corinthians 1:19-21).1. Both Jews and Greeks relished debate and took
pleasure in philosophical discussions and
complexities. They believed truth could be known,
but only by those with greater intellect.2. In Paul’s time, there were at least fifty (50) different
philosophies being espoused in the Greco-Roman
world. Paul’s teaching, the gospel itself, now says:
“None of these matter. We’ll destroy them all.
Take all the wisdom of people, of the best, most-
educated minds, the cleverest orators, the most-
logical scholars and experts, the sharpest debaters,
and they will all be called fools.” What God did
through His Son makes foolish the so-called
“wisdom” of men.3. Paul, in I Corinthians 1:19, quotes Isaiah 29:14.
That must have been especially offensive, because it
says: “I’ll dispose of all you philosophers, and of
all your philosophy.” But, the message wasn’t
Paul’s (“It is written. . .”, meaning, “It stands
written.” It is a divinely-revealed truth). Paul was
just the instrument through which the message was
transmitted.B. God makes it clear that no one can know, and come, to Him
by human wisdom. The only way to know God is by
divine revelation, through His Holy Spirit. Do you want
people to know about God, the Father? Do you want
people to recognize Jesus as His Son? Then, just teach the
message, in all its simplicity, and apparent foolishness.1. We have no right to deliver any other message to
people for their salvation (RE-READ,
Romans 1:16).2. Paul had only one message: the power of God,
through the preaching of the cross and the
crucifixion, is what saves people. Any other
message for salvation is false and unacceptable
(READ, Galatians 1:8-9).3. The “new age” Christianity does just this:
substitutes another message, another “gospel” for
the simple message of the cross. There is a lack of
tolerance for the exclusivity, and supremacy, of
Christ. Today’s new gospel is to be inclusive, and
people get top billing.4. Just imagine, today, what would happen if some
well-known political figure, or celebrity in some
other field were to make the statement: “You must
become a Christian in order to go to heaven. If you
don’t, you’ll be condemned to hell, forever.” What
a mighty uproar such a politically incorrect
statement would cause!5. The politically correct, or acceptable, point of view
is that Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and everyone
else can go to heaven. Indeed everyone can, but not
on our terms, but only on God’s terms, and only by
obeying the gospel Paul said he was not ashamed to
proclaim. (II Thessalonians 1:7-9, READ).C. The cross itself proclaims a verdict on sinful men. The
cross says God requires death for sin, but it also proclaims
the glory of substitution. If we don’t acknowledge, and
obey, the substitute who died for us, then the only
alternative is to die ourselves – forever.1. The message of the cross is not about how we feel.
It’s not about Jesus loving us so much he wants to
make us happy. It’s about atonement for sin and
rescue from condemnation, because all people are
guilty of sin (Romans 3:23).2. God is sovereign, and we are not. God’s righteous,
and we are not. Look at Paul’s conclusion in
I Corinthians 2:1-5 (READ).IV. Conclusion.
A. Paul didn’t shy away from the message of the cross. He
told his audiences: “I preach the shameful cross because
that’s what I’ve been told to preach.”B. Paul left salvation in the hands of the sovereign God, not
the whims of – or supposed wisdom of – sinful people.
He was not ashamed of his message; neither should we be.