======================================================================== I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL by Malachi O'Brien ======================================================================== Summary: This sermon emphasizes the importance of not being ashamed of the gospel, highlighting the power of the gospel to bring salvation, the need for believers to be bold in sharing the gospel, and the transformative impact of the gospel in our lives. It calls for a commitment to live unashamedly for Jesus, to preach the gospel boldly, and to let the gospel dictate our actions and beliefs. Topics: "Boldness in Sharing the Gospel", "Living Unashamedly for Christ" Scripture References: Romans 1:16, Romans 1:8, Romans 1:13, Romans 1:14, Romans 1:15, Romans 1:17 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This sermon emphasizes the importance of not being ashamed of the gospel, highlighting the power of the gospel to bring salvation, the need for believers to be bold in sharing the gospel, and the transformative impact of the gospel in our lives. It calls for a commitment to live unashamedly for Jesus, to preach the gospel boldly, and to let the gospel dictate our actions and beliefs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Through one Romans chapter one I'm always trying to be sensitive to what the Spirit is saying. So for what and will I felt like the Lord said go straight to the message and You know, we'll have a time of prayer at the end and even at the end we're gonna pray we're still praying we're praying We're praying for Aidan today as it gets right off the military Rachel. We'll do that at the end You know, so Romans chapter 1 If I was to give this a title would be I'm not ashamed of the gospel I want you to notice three phrases in Romans chapter 1 where the gospel is brought into the picture Okay, and I will only focus on one of them Amen, amen Aidan good to see a man going off to the Navy. Amen, Navy Marines, okay. Sorry my bad. That's like a pray Mortal mistake. Amen. We love you, man. Glad you're here. We're gonna pray for you at the end Romans chapter 1 and verse number 8. I do not have time to talk through the first two examples I will briefly mention them I will land on the third but I want you to mark in your Bibles every time you see the word gospel Romans chapter 1 verse 8 first Now again, this is a very influential church This is a church that God is working and this is a church that God is moving in. This is a church that that Everybody is hearing What God is doing yet Paul is going to do something That I think that we need to constantly do ourselves and he's going to remind them of the power of the gospel You'll never get over the gospel The gospel is everything the good news of Jesus Christ is everything. It's the good news of Jesus Christ that delivers Okay Deliverance is a person and so the Bible says in verse 8 of Romans chapter 1 first I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all your faith is spoken throughout the whole world for God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his son. Let me just stop there and say this Paul says for God is my witness whom I serve With my spirit in the gospel You could take that word my spirit and you could easily replace it with with my worship So Paul says with I went with my worship in the gospel of his son What your worship will be fueled when you have a right? Understanding of the gospel your worship can be unceasing when you realize his love is unceasing Your worship can be loud when you realize that the lion of the tribe of Judah is loud The only power to give him worship that he is worthy of his worship that focuses not on me not on them But the gospel now that's not the sermon But you need to know that our worship is fueled by the gospel Now we go on and it says without ceasing. I make mention of you always in my prayers making requests if by some means at last I may find a Way in the will of God to come to you. Paul was wanting to go to the Roman Church He says for I long to see you that I may impart to you some spiritual gift that you may be Established that is that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith Both of you and me Paul said we get together your faith is going to encourage my faith My faith is going to encourage your faith. This is why you need to come to church every single week This is why you need to come more than once a week This is why we need to be together because it's you bring a gift that only you can bring that can encourage somebody else That's why in the days ahead. We'll have more testimonies. That's why some of their testimonies sparked something within you to go Wow, they were pretty vulnerable. They were pretty real. They were pretty honest Maybe I could share some things too that maybe you never thought you'd ever share and Paul says I want to come to you Why do I want to come to you so I can preach to you? No So we can hang out and my faith can encourage your faith and your faith can encourage my faith now Paul also Said that I may impart to you some spiritual gift Paul knew he carried something in the Holy Spirit that he wanted to give them There is a measure of the Holy Spirit that God will give you when other people can impart it to you that is why I do believe that the gift of tongues can come from the laying on of hands or Different gifts of the Spirit can come when other people impart them to you when you ask God That's not the crux of the message, but there is something of the Spirit we get from each other Do not be afraid of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is everything to make much of Jesus now That's not the message, but it's worth noting. Amen. All right, and he says here that you may be established, you know put together Now verse 13 everybody say Jesus. I Said now I do not want you to be unaware Brethren that I often plan to come to you but was hindered until now. We mean hindered shipwreck betrayal I Kicked out of town stoned like left for dead like I wanted to come to you, but these things happened It wasn't like man. I want to come to church today, but I like stubbed my toe and now I can't come, you know I remember one time Rachel and I used to do a bus ministry. I did a I did a bus route in Osake City, Kansas She did a bus route in Quintimo, Kansas And I remember one time I'd knock on doors invite kids to church and they'd ride the bus I remember one time it was Sunday morning. This just come to me right now So I'm telling you as a story, but I remembered it vividly I was going to the apartments the dogwood apartments in Osake City and I knocked on the door on Sunday morning said he'd come to Church and the little boy goes. No, I can't I go. Why not my turtle died That's new, all right, I guess that works, all right You know, don't let anything stop you. I mean it was this turtle. I don't know How special it was? I don't know if it was a ninja. I don't know but I know this don't let anything stop you Paul's Paul says hey if beatings aren't gonna stop me persecutions aren't gonna stop me. I'm coming to you Man, we need the church to rise up and be a little more resilient than we've been in the past So this could someone made fun of you on Facebook doesn't give you a right to quit serving Jesus just because things don't always go The way you think they should go and they never will and any church you ever go to doesn't mean you stop serving Jesus Okay, everybody will let you down. Jesus never will Paul wanted to come He says I was hindered until now, but why did Paul want to come he says that I might have some fruit among you Just as among the other Gentiles Paul wanted to see God work in their life. Now. Here's what I'm getting to. Okay, he says here I am a debtor both to the gent to the Greeks and the barbarians with the wise and the unwise So comma as much as in me is comma I'm ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also So you have Paul my worship is in the gospel. You're still with me now I'm ready to preach the gospel this idea of preaching the gospel is the job that everybody in this room has the job every one of you is supposed to be a preacher of the gospel Aiden when you go to the Marines you do have a responsibility to become a preacher of the gospel and although I'm We've known each other long enough. I encourage you to go to every chapel service. You can go to I Get you off of other thing other duties, but go to chapel service. All right, be there be a preacher the gospel You know the Lord Jesus Christ go there because you're gonna meet people that need something that you know That you have that they need and if you don't feel qualified none of us are tell them about Jesus Christ. Amen We're all to be preachers of the gospel. Nobody will ever feel worthy You know, you've been told a bunch of lies that it's your workplace You're not to talk about Jesus or at your school You're not talking about Jesus or you might get fired. You might lose your job now I'm not talking about going to school standing up on the lunchroom table at the worst possible time and start declaring Jesus is Lord, although that would be cool and worth videoing. Okay, I am saying don't let anyone tell you You're not allowed to do this The good news is because we live in the United States of America You have a First Amendment right to preach the gospel That is why we you know Why we defend the right why we want religious freedom in America is so that right to preach the gospel is always available to you And in the next generation and just in case you're unaware and this is not a political statement I'm just telling you there are people in this world that want to prohibit your ability to preach the gospel anywhere and everywhere That's why i'm involved in politics because politics literally means for the good of the city For the good of the city and I want the ability to preach the gospel that our founding fathers wanted in 1776 to be available in 2076 if the lord chitauri is coming Okay, preach the gospel preach the gospel preach the gospel live the gospel preach the gospel share it everywhere you go When we went to when when elijah and I and ken went to um To ohio to learn to be a paramotor paraglider. Um, I was the worst of the three of us, I believe Elijah was the best of us. I'm not resentful, but he was very quickly Our trainer was a gospel fanatic everywhere. We went he was telling people about jesus a a credit card company called Our trainer and he answered the call, you know those calls where your phone might say scam, you know He answered hello. Oh, no, I don't need a master card. I'm not in debt. I own everything I I pay everything out right but since we're on the phone, you know You need you need the gospel and he preaches the gospel to the per the scam, you know And then all right, thanks for calling and hangs up like, you know, that's a little radical No, it only seems radical because we're not radical enough All right, and we need people say well, yes, it's not very loving No What's unloving is not to tell your neighbors and your friends and your co-workers that jesus is the only way When this world is is coming quickly to a head-on collision with eternity And what it's time for pleasant ridge in the midst of being a house of his presence and a house of prayer To start telling everybody everywhere that they need jesus And to and if you if you want to invite them to church, they'll hear the gospel But it's up to you to share the gospel not whoever's preaching behind this pulpit to share the gospel So let's start inviting people Let's start inviting people now. We're not we're not here to try to trick them to leave their church come to our church No, that's not what it's about at all. Okay I mean, yeah, we have a much more beautiful building than everyone else possibly has I mean We're so much easier and convenient to get to than any other church You could possibly go to you know, uh, and our services are so much shorter than everybody else's services, right? um, but let's preach the gospel now that's still not the sermon but It leads me to the part of the gospel. I want to tell you about verse 16 paul says for I am not ashamed of the gospel of christ For it is the power of god to salvation For everyone who believes for the jew first and for the greek for in it It being the gospel in the gospel The righteousness of god is revealed from faith to faith from person to person As it is written the just shall live by faith I am I want to implore you and exhort you today to be the kind of person that's not ashamed of The gospel i'll tell you something. It's kind of been fun to watch these last several weeks is um You know someone you're probably very aware of now. It's coach prime deon sanders Okay, how many guys know who i'm talking about raise your hand? Okay. I don't care if you're a colorado fan or not, but He's deon sanders is in one of the most liberal cities In our nation boulder colorado and yet everywhere he goes he tells people about jesus christ He has preached the gospel to every player in that locker room there for for for the buffs I mean he is bold about his faith. There's a video out there He says hey i'm not listening to any of you because you didn't make me you can't break me God made me and i'm the one i'm listening to if coach sanders can be bold about the gospel. Why can't we you know? We go well, what if people get offended they will always get offended when you tell people that they need jesus christ It's the gospel is an offense It is meant to offend people It's because it confronts them with their sin now We are not to like, you know beat them over the head with the bible and tell them they're evil But the idea that they must surrender their life to the man that died on the cross and rose again is offensive to the world To the world they don't want to hear that They don't want to hear that but paul says I am not ashamed of the gospel And I love the part that if you go back he says for as much as in me is He says for as much as for as much as in me is I preach the gospel I'm ready to preach the gospel to you for i'm not ashamed I wonder if you could say all that is within me is not ashamed of the gospel When people that are ashamed of the gospel what that tells me is there's something not in them That needs to be in them If paul said as much as in me is i'm ready And i'm not ashamed that tells me that whatever was in him I must get in me So I am not ashamed of the gospel There have been many times the holy spirit's told me to share the gospel somebody or pray for somebody somewhere and I still Get a little nervous. I still go. I don't I don't I don't know About that. Are you sure god? Are you sure this is a little awkward? You know, it's an airplane, you know, it's a restaurant. What will people think? well I want to be able to say like the apostle paul for as much as in me is I am not ashamed He's not intimidated by he's not he's not trying to you know, well, I'm not I there's a lot of people I think are just embarrassed by the gospel. They're embarrassed About the man who died on the cross Who shed his blood for their sins and three days later rose again, they don't want to be identified with the risen savior they they don't they I mean, I like jesus and i'm saying but I don't I don't know that's a little much I mean, that's a little extreme preacher. Don't you think I mean I still want my way in the world and every now and then I want god but god wants to raise up a holy remnant a church within a church That says monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday and sunday I will not be ashamed of the gospel if the gospel dictates how I live the gospel dictates what I say The gospel dictates what I believe because that means my life must conform to his word and the gospel and what that means It's not about me trying to make excuses for my sin and get away with this. It's not a big deal No, it's a very big deal If you are living an unrepentant sin that you know God's told you get rid of you will be ashamed of the gospel because every time you think you're in that sin You're reminded that's not how i'm supposed to live God wants to raise up a church that's not ashamed of the gospel a church that says you Even if you try to kill me, i'm not afraid of that Well, well, I don't want to get made fun of on facebook Well, i'm i'm sorry And other snowflakes will melt too when the heat comes. Okay But there's coming a day and age that the church must Be courageous And kind but courageous You will be called all sorts of things But i'm not ashamed of the of jesus who shed his blood for my sins I'm, not ashamed to live a to to desire to live a life different than everybody else Why don't you drink? Why don't you smoke? Why don't you do weed because i'm not ashamed of the gospel It dictates my life when I got saved. I fully surrendered my life to jesus My ears are not my ears. My eyes are not my eyes My hands are not my hands. My feet are not my feet. My thoughts are not my thoughts They belong to jesus for I have been bought with a price the shed blood of jesus christ The problem is in the american church We have an anemic church that has heard so many things but not heard that you must live and die to the gospel Must live and die to the gospel So now you have a church that thinks well if I go to church once a month i'm, okay And if I you know if I give if I tip god every now and then i'm okay No, what god wants you to do is to live every second of every day with a passion for the glory of god That's what god wants for you. I am not ashamed of the gospel Paul, let me tell you about paul paul was imprisoned Okay, he was chased out of thessalonica. He was smuggled out of berea. He was laughed at athens He was regarded as a fool at corinth and he was stoned in galatia, but he remained eager to preach the gospel Even at the seat of contemporary political power and pagan religion neither ridicule Criticism or physical persecution persecution could curb his boldness now Why was paul not ashamed of the gospel because he says here it's the power of god and his salvation That word power is from the greek word where you get the word dunamis. It's where we get the english word dynamite The gospel is dynamite power It's explosive power to break away sin and to break away strongholds and to break away addictions. That's the power of the gospel Deliverance is about a deliverer. You want to be delivered set your eyes on jesus. There's power. There's power There's wonder working power in the blood of jesus christ. Amen. Somebody clap. Thank you. Thank you There's power in that There's there's power. I mean listen 95 of most medicines people take Just placate you they don't heal you They just keep everything under control But jesus can set you free Jesus can heal you There's power in the blood Power dynamite power. I don't I don't know all these. Oh, I mean what the whole world. It's it's becoming darker and darker Yeah, but there's dynamite power in the gospel dynamite power. What's going to change society? Is us preaching the gospel? Hi, what about a person who's in this center? That's it. I'm not focused on that. I'll preach the gospel I told them they must turn from their sin and turn to jesus christ That's what they must do He says it's the power He says it's the power of god to salvation that word salvation Literally means if you're a translator if you look in that word and study it out It literally means to rescue or to deliver To rescue Or to deliver the reason why I believe in deliverance ministry Is because it's gospel ministry that rescues people from the demonic influence and strongholds all in the world It rescues it delivers salvation for everyone Everyone who believes to the jew first and also for the greek he later on he says about the barbarians the barbarians Were not seen as they were kind of the social outcast But you know those who receive the gospel first are normally the outcast The hardest people to reach oftentimes are those who are the elite of the elite of the elite Because they think they don't need god. It's the people that understand they need god that go after god He says for in the gospel. The righteousness of god is revealed The gospel is jesus is holy and jesus is good and jesus is everything And when I give my life to god god sees me as he sees his son. Jesus. I am going to heaven not Because I prayed a prayer when I was 12, although I prayed a prayer when I was 12 I asked jesus christ to save me i'm not going to heaven because I was baptized twice the first time Because it looked like something cool to do the second time because I was really saved. Okay You do get baptized after salvation, okay Um i'm saved because there's something beats in my heart today that wants god today and if people are out there who tell you I got I said a prayer when I was four years old five years old six years old and I haven't been to church in 20 years since I Am not god and I can't make a final declaration But i've said it before and i'll say it again and it's offended people and people have left this church over this statement Those who don't want god don't go to heaven I'll say it again those who don't want god don't go to heaven Jesus didn't say come and make converts. He said can't make disciples. Jesus's altar call was follow me Follow me follow me And when you follow jesus, it's going to be a life of pain heartache betrayal and joy and miracles signs and wonders There'll probably be a judas in your life And they're not sitting next to you. I promise they are not sitting next to you. Okay, don't even think that right now All right, there'll probably be a bunch of people that you thought were your friends. It'll leave you in your darkest hour But jesus never will Because he's always running back after you Peter was a good fisherman, but god knew there was a higher plan for his life. You may be a good singer musician uh, you know Carpenter I don't I can I can't think of many things right now But whatever you're good at jesus can make you a better preacher of the gospel and he can use what you're good at as an opportunity for the gospel Now i'm not preaching long so and you can come up I'm, not ashamed of the gospel. I'm, not ashamed of the gospel. I'm, not ashamed of the gospel rachel You grab grab it. I'm not ashamed of the gospel what i'm saying in this hour Is you will be ashamed of the gospel if you're living an unrepentant sin You will be ashamed of the gospel if you only go to church once a month You will be ashamed of the gospel if you know You kind of got a sunday life and a monday life. I am asking you to be the kind of person That says I am going to take my stand and say nope. I don't care what people say about me I'm, not going to be ashamed. I'm going to love jesus and love the gospel and love his church and love others That means let me tell you what the gospel means you must forgive everybody who's ever hurt you You don't know what they did. I know I know what it's like to go to facebook and want to see people fail You know don't judge me You all have done it too I noticed I noticed like to go to facebook and go they unfriended me That was the biggest mistake they've ever made, you know, uh, you know, I know what that's like I know what that's like But I know because i'm not ashamed of the gospel. I'm a slave to christ. I don't get to make that option I must forgive everybody who's ever hurt me. I must forgive everybody who's ever betrayed me I must forgive everybody who's ever hurt me in any way shape or form And I have the power to do it because as much as the gospel is flowing through my veins The power of god is flowing through my veins It's insane to think that when you get saved god lives within you And the same power that raised jesus from the dead is within you And so when people tell me I don't believe people can be healed today. Well, then I I don't I don't know what's in you Because I know what's in me is the power that raised jesus from the dead is within me and I know that's power And I know that everywhere I go i'm to be a gospel preacher The best preaching will ever take place will never happen on a church on a sunday morning It'll happen monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday then sunday So i'm asking for you to be an army of gospel preachers who will not be ashamed Everywhere you go everywhere you go. Take your stand for christ. Take your stand for jesus Worship in the gospel be ready to preach the gospel. I want someone else to tell my kids No, you tell your kids. I want someone else to tell my family members No, you tell your family members do it today on facebook before when you get don't do it while you're driving Don't judge me. Don't do it while you're driving But when you get home say I am not ashamed of the gospel and tell people what how How thankful you are to have been forgiven by jesus christ and when they say I never knew well Let me tell you about it If you want to talk just put on there if you want to talk about the gospel message me i'll talk to you about it You know, but they don't you don't know what i've done don't have what you've done. Saul killed people I mean peter betrayed jesus I mean I could go through the list of the bible and know that that god sometimes uses The worst of the worst to reach the best of the best Because my hope is not in me what i've done or what I will do my hope will always be in what jesus has done for me And I want to love jesus more tomorrow than I did today And I want to listen when when people begin to leave the church i'm talking about the big church not our church But any churches and it seems like that we're losing. I know this the gospel is always advancing I know there's miraculous gospel power in iran right now. I know there's miraculous gospel power in india right now I know that god's army is always advancing forward god doesn't do great things and then weaker things He does great things and greater things and even greater things and I know that i'm 40 now But when i'm 50, I want to love jesus more and I want to be more radical when i'm 60 I still want to be radical and i'm 70. I want to be radical and when i'm 80 And tony's 120. I want us both to be radical. All right, and uh, I I just I I want from the day from this day forward to the day I die I want to go say i'm not ashamed of the gospel. I don't want to be distracted by 25 000 other things I believe eternity is coming fast and I have a mission and a mandate to tell other people about jesus I want his house to be full not so we go. Look. Wow. We got a lot of people heavens No, I want people to know the gospel of jesus christ It's everything Deliverance will always be tethered to the good news of jesus christ the work of the gospel You don't well, you may not feel very valuable. You were valuable enough for jesus to die on the cross for you You were valuable enough for jesus to say I love you and I forgive you and I don't care what you struggle with What you identify with I know that jesus wants to be your obsession Jesus wants to be your identity and jesus can set you free I know that the devil if he can't get to you, he'll get to a family member He'll get to a close friend and he'll use those people to try to stop you But you got to kind of be like you didn't make me you can't break me You didn't make me you can't break me. You're not going to stop me You're not going to stop me You're not going to stop me So come hell or high water may we be the people say I am not ashamed of the gospel I go to the voting booth to vote the gospel I go to I go everywhere I go and believe that the gospel changes america not politics I'm for politics, but the gospel changes america. The gospel changes the world the gospel changes everything the gospel is my obsession It's time that we we get back to that Back to that so we're going to worship The offerings you can give if you want to you can come kneel if you want to But we're going to have a time of invitation some of you need to rise up in holy boldness with the gospel It's time for some of you to say Put on the jersey And say i'm on god's team. Let's all stand our feet You're in this room today And you may not be a christian You may have never given your life to jesus christ for salvation The only thing that will save you is what jesus did on the cross for you I don't I don't want you to people say how do you know you're going to heaven never started with this sentence. I started with jesus jesus Did this for me and jesus rose again for me? And because of what jesus did he gave me The ability to follow him jesus saved me that's a way Better statement than I did this. You did nothing. He did everything So some of you in this room today, you may not be a christian So let's all keep our eyes open. Let's not bow our heads. Just repeat after me dear jesus. Everybody in the room dear jesus I believe the gospel I believe that you died on the cross I believe you was buried in the grave for three days And I believe that you rose again three days later Come into my life And save me Forgive me of my sin in jesus name Now with everybody looking around every eye open and no one's head bowed if today You prayed to ask jesus christ to save you for the first time. You don't have to do it 20 times But you today ask jesus to come into your life and save you from your sins I always want to give a gospel invitation with everybody looking around. Yes. I said that would you raise your hand? Does anybody like that today? I pray to ask jesus christ to save me anybody like that All right. Now, I want you to pray another prayer with me dear jesus Forgive me For being ashamed of the gospel Help me now to live for you Help me to worship in the gospel Help me to preach the gospel And help me to never be ashamed of the gospel From this day forward I'm gonna tell everybody about jesus Because he's everything If you prayed that prayer today, would you raise your hand? Amen, let's give the lord a round applause. We do that Yes so I I or I Under the power invested in the authority invested in me by the state of missouri. I don't know You're all gospel preachers You're all you're all ordained to the gospel ministry to live for jesus christ and to preach the gospel everywhere you go your pulpit Can be this Unless you're kin and you have an android i'm sorry, but your pulpit can be can be can be your apple iphone Your pulpit can be your place of work. You'll come run up here Your pulpit can be your motorcycle your pulpit can be your paraglider your pulpit can be wherever you are That can be your pulpit. All right, we're gonna have a time of worship. You're free to come pray. You're free to give Now's a good time to give but let's just uh, let's just worship jesus because of the power Of the gospel and we're done doing the invitation. We'll have a special time of prayer Over here for aiden as he gets ready to go off But you guys worship you give you pray whatever you need to do, but we've been commissioned in gospel ministry. All right Let's go for it. I searched the world They couldn't feel me Man's empty graves and treasures of faith are never enough That you came along Put me back together And every desire is now satisfied Oh, there's nothing Better than you. Oh, there's nothing Better than you. Oh, there's nothing Nothing is better than you I'm not afraid Show you my weakness Is And you still call me Is Find me Oh Better than you. Oh, there's nothing Better than you. Oh, there's nothing Nothing is better than you Turn mourning to dancing Leave for ashes You turn shame into glory You're the only One who cares You turn mourning to dancing You give beauty for ashes You turn shame into glory You're the only one who can you took? You took raisins You turn bones into armies You turn she's into highways You're the only one who can you to raise you turn raising to god You turn bones into armies You turn seas into highways You're the only one who can You're the only one who can Oh, there's nothing Nothing is better than you So lord we just say there's nothing better than you there'll never be anything better than you There's nothing that we'll see this week that'll ever compare to the beauty of jesus nothing Nothing nothing. We love you lord. Jesus The highest achievement of our lives is to love you You can learn to love you more We praise your name. There's no one like you. You've been so kind to us today to visit us this this day Jesus name we pray and all god's people said give the lord ======================================================================== Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/Q8dQ1Yx4Y6Q.mp4 Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/malachi-obrien/i-am-not-ashamed-of-the-gospel/ ========================================================================