In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of not being ashamed of the gospel. He draws inspiration from Hebrews 12:2, which states that Jesus despised the shame for the joy that was set before him. The speaker encourages listeners to overcome their feelings of shame by focusing on the power of the gospel to bring salvation. He warns against seeking approval from others and being a slave to their opinions. Instead, he urges listeners to follow Jesus' example of boldly facing shame and refusing to let it rule over them. The sermon also highlights how the preaching of the gospel can bring shame upon believers, but they should not be ashamed of it, as it is the power of God for salvation. The apostle Paul is cited as an example of someone who faced shame for preaching the gospel but remained unashamed.

The gospel creates shaming Behavior in those who don't like it That's their only defense to shame you Invite you to open your Bibles to Romans chapter 1 verse 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 you see believing and preaching the gospel Is what's bringing shame on to Paul Before this verse functions To deliver him from shame it functions to shame him Let me just give you some examples of how this works for the Apostle Paul 2nd Corinthians 11 23 when he preaches the gospel in far more labors He says I am in far more labors in more imprisonments beaten times without number often in danger of death Five times I received from the Jews 39 lashes three times. I was beaten with rods Once I was stoned three times. I was shipwrecked Paul's way of not being ashamed Was not that he keep himself in a good light with other people It was not that he had enough savvy so that he could always maneuver his way through life Getting people to approve what he did That's one way to avoid the shame problem in the world Always calculate your behavior so that people like you you will be a slave If you do that, you will be a second-hander and in bondage all your life long If you try to avoid shame by pleasing other people Jesus looked at shame in the face and said I Despise I Despise I Will not yield to you I will not give you any satisfaction You may do with me whatever you please in the short run I Will not obey you. I will not follow you. I will not give in to you I despise you shame and I will not let you rule me That's what Jesus did with shame he despised shame he gave shame no place And with every truckload of shame that was dumped on Jesus. He said I despise it all I will give it no Space in my heart. I will not be ashamed of my father How did he do that? How did he get the power to despise the shame verse 2 of Hebrews 12 says for the joy that was set before him He despised the shame So how you gonna overcome your feelings of shame today and tomorrow and the next day You're gonna say this The gospel is the power of God to bring people to salvation You're gonna look beyond the immediate shame and you say that's how And so the way you're gonna be shamed today is not by being accused of being wrong But believing that others are wrong or that there is such a thing is wrong So mark it. Here's my closing word you will be shamed for the gospel, but you do not have to be ashamed of