I asked my 12 year old, Hey Josh where have I embarrassed you? And he answered, Everywhere.

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1 1 P age Show video - Set: choose 480p from settings menu. (Lower right of screen. Click on gear shape.) Set: start point to 1:01 mark. Press pause. (15 sec. commercial runs at start & if restarted.) Set: set to full screen. (Lower right of screen. Click on rectangle with arrows shape) Play: press at center screen to play. Stop: press pause at 4:27 mark. (Click esc key on keyboard to exit full screen after.) Our kids are embarrassed by us sometimes. I was thinking of how I embarrass my kids sometimes, And I remembered this new show Parenthood and found that clip with real parents on the NBC website. But, I was looking for the classic scene from the first season where the mom drives the teen girl to high school in the morning. But the teen girl is so embarrassed by her mom that she wants to get out of the car a block before they get to school. Anybody actually ever do that to your parents? Anybody actually think it s your job to embarrass your kids. I think it s my job to teach my kids that life is fun and what people think about you matters little, So I have been known to sing in public and dance and spin my wife in places where my kids were mortified that others were watching. I asked my 12 year old, Hey Josh where have I embarrassed you? And he answered, Everywhere. It s kind of funny when we think about light hearted ways that we embarrass them. But it s not funny really when you think about the real teenager that perhaps a is a little selfcentered and they genuinely dislike their parent for whatever reason, and who would really be ashamed to be seen with their parent and they say it & show it. I wonder if our Heavenly Father can feel that pain when we his children act ashamed of Him, when we shy away from letting others know about our relationship with Him. Did you know that Jesus said, Luke 9:26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man (Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man.) will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

2 Ashamed of what? Me and my words. Ashamed of Jesus and words about Jesus and the words of Jesus. 2 P age Does this apply to us? What happens if we re ashamed of Him? Jesus makes this pronouncement right after Peter professes his faith in Jesus as the Christ the Savior of the world. Jesus asked his disciples, who do you say I am? And Peter said, you are the Christ. Then Jesus said, If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. But... if anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. In the context of Peter speaking up and saying who Jesus is. Jesus says, to be his follower, we cannot be ashamed to tell people about Him. But we have a problem. In our world more and more these days it has become unpopular, unacceptable, frowned upon, criticized, hated, even some say unlawful to talk about Jesus. 1. Jesus said don t be ashamed of me and my words. Speak up for me. 2. But our friends, our family, our employers and coworkers, our teachers and leaders all say, we don t want to hear it. That s our challenge. Title slide. And the question becomes Is this us? (Drive in picture insert) How? can we not be ashamed of Jesus and his words? How? can we follow Jesus and speak up for Him with intentionality and when we have the opportunity? That s what we re going to talk about for the next few weeks. We ll look at how we cannot be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus of Him and his words. We ll look at practical ways to talk about Jesus. And we ll look at how to do it in our culture today.

3 3 P age Today I want to begin encouraging you to not be ashamed of Jesus and his words in your life and world, with another passage that clearly challenges us to not be ashamed. In the letter to the Romans 1:16 in the New Testament the Apostle Paul says, I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. Paul challenges us to not be ashamed of the gospel. Gospel means good news. It came to be used for the good news, the good words, about who JC is and what He has done. And in the beginning of this letter to the people at Rome, Paul tells them of what he is not ashamed. He explains for them in his words what he is not ashamed of. So, for us that seems like a good place to start. What are the words about Jesus of which we should not be ashamed? What Is the Gospel (we are not to be ashamed of)? So from the beginning of the letter to the Romans Paul gets into in verse 1. Look at it. Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God... The gospel is God s. 1. The gospel is empowered by God. Paul insists and repeats over and over that his gospel is of God, from God, and by God. Paul mentions God 156 times in the book of Romans. That s 50 times more than any of the gospels. And more than twice as many as most of the gospels. The gospel is God s message. Paul is telling us God s message. He is God s messenger. If you want to be a follower who is not ashamed to talk about Jesus and his words, remember You are just God s messenger I am just a messenger. If I write a note and tell you to give it to someone, and the note says, You re ugly and your mother dresses you funny, are you responsible for that message or am I?

4 If I write a note and tell you to give it to her, and that note says, I will give you $5 if you cluck like a chicken, who has to pay the $5 if she does it? (bok, bok, bok, begok!) 4 P age We are just called to be the messengers. God is responsible for what the message is and for how it is received. Paul says Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God... And you can make a lot of what he means by power there, but I think he s saying, the gospel is God s way to save people. It s God s power. It s God s message. And it is God s method. 2. The gospel is promised in Scripture. Paul continues Romans 1:2 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. Paul says, I m called to tell people the gospel of God dash now let me tell what that gospel is: It s the gospel he promised through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. The Holy Scriptures are the Bible. It s in the Bible. Dismissing the Bible a priori as unreliable or irrelevant is an easy and popular way to avoid talking about Jesus and his claims. But everyone who truly accepts Jesus, accepts the Bible as true. You have to go there. You have to know it. If you want to be a follower who is not ashamed to talk about Jesus and his words, remember Then read and learn the word of God. Then you ll be able to talk about it.

5 5 P age The early Christians, Peter, John, Stephen, Paul, all used the Scriptures as a place to start or end up at when telling others who Jesus was and what He did. That s even what Jesus did. After He rose from the dead after he died on the cross, Jesus is talking to a couple men. And Luke says, Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the prophets He explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning Himself. If you want to be a follower who is not ashamed to talk about Jesus and his words, remember Then read and learn the word of God. Everyone who truly accepts Jesus, accepts the Bible as the source of truth about Him. You have to go there. You have to know it. You cannot be ashamed of his words, Jesus said, or He will be ashamed of you. What is the gospel that we are not to be ashamed of? 3. The gospel is centered in the man, Jesus Christ. Paul continues, Romans 1:3 Regarding His Son, who as to His human nature, was a descendant of David. The gospel is regarding Jesus who was a man, a person, who was a descendent of David. That was important for the Jews. They were expecting a Messiah, a Savior, who would be from the family of King David. Jesus was that. For us today, I d say, look how quickly Paul turns it to be about Jesus. The gospel is not about religion or doctrine. The gospel is not about arguments of science or philosophy. The gospel is not about opinions or ideology. The gospel is not even about morality or values. Have you seen the new TV commercials that end with My name is and I m a Mormon? They are well done.

6 6 P age They show people you and I would respect, like an athlete, a doctor, a administrator for the Library of Congress. And they discuss values that you and I would agree with like hard work, fairness, respect, and others. Then they end with... My name is and I m a Mormon Those commercials are about values. Following Jesus certainly includes definitely a certain set of virtues and values. But the gospel essentially is not about values. The gospel is about a man, dying on a cross, saving the world. The gospel is about a person, Jesus. If you want to be a follower who is not ashamed to talk about Jesus and his words, remember Make it about the man and his words. Make it about Jesus. What is the gospel of which we are to be ashamed? 4. The gospel is proven by his resurrection. Paul continues explaining his gospel. Romans 1:4 Who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Jesus is Lord because He rose from the dead. Paul absolutely saw it that way. Lord was a name for God. Jesus had died. Jesus appeared to Paul in a vision on a road to Damascus Therefore Jesus is alive. Therefore Jesus must be the divine Son of God God Himself. Paul says, declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection. Declared here is the NT Greek word horizo horizon. Which means boundary, marked, determined. What is it that proves that Jesus Christ was God? The resurrection proves that JC was God. 1 Corinthians 15:14 If Jesus Christ had not raised from the dead then our faith is in vain.

7 If you want to be a follower who is not ashamed to talk about Jesus and his words, remember Jesus is alive! He is risen. He has overcome. He is Lord. 7 P age 1. The gospel is empowered by God. 2. The gospel is promised in Scripture. 3. The gospel is centered in the man, Jesus Christ. 4. The gospel is proven by his resurrection. 5. The gospel is received by grace. Paul continues Romans 1:5 Through Him and for His name's sake we have received grace. Grace in the Bible is unmerited favor Grace is getting what you have not earned nor do you deserve. Grace is getting a free gift. Through Jesus and for His sake we have God s free gift of love and forgiveness. This is the gospel: John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. He gave his Son, that s grace. If you want to be a follower who is not ashamed to talk about Jesus, talk about God love for us talk about how God gave his Son for us. Hell s Kitchen is now the name of a cooking show with bleeping Gordon Ramsey. But before it was the name of a TV show, it was the name of the worst part of New York City. It was once known as the "most likely place in the world to get killed." A pastor who served a church there named Bill Wilson had been stabbed twice, shot at once, and a member of his ministry team killed. He wrote about how in the late 1970 s his church grew the largest bus ministry in America in Hell's Kitchen. And after getting saved in their church through the bus ministry, a Puerto Rican lady went to him with an urgent request.

8 8 P age She didn't speak a word of English, so she told him through an interpreter, "I want to do something for God, please." "I don't know what you can do," he answered. "Please, let me do something," she said in Spanish. "Okay. I'll put you on a bus. Ride a different bus every week and just love the kids." So every week she rode a different bus. They had 50 of them, and she just loved on the children. She would find the worst looking kid on the bus, put him on her lap, and whisper over and over the only words she had learned in English: "I love you. Jesus loves you." After several months, she became attached to one little boy in particular. "I don't want to change buses anymore. I want to stay on this one bus," she said. The boy didn't speak. He came to Sunday School on the bus every week with his sister and sat on the woman's lap, but he never made a sound. And each week she would tell him all the way to Sunday School and all the way home, "I love you and Jesus loves you." One day, to her amazement, the little boy turned around and stammered, "I, I, I love you, too." Then he put his arms around her and gave her a big hug. That was 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon. At 6:30 that night, P. Wilson wrote, the boy was found dead in a garbage bag under a fire escape. His mother had beaten him to death and thrown his body in the trash. I love you and Jesus loves you, were some of the last words he heard in his short life from the lips of a Puerto Rican woman who could barely speak English. You don t have to know all the answers to be a follower who is not ashamed to talk about Jesus. I don t always know what to say. Who among us always knows what to say? Not her. Not you. Not me. But she said what she could. And so can you. 6. The gospel is believed for salvation. Romans 1:16

9 9 P age I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. The gospel is the way to salvation for everyone who believes. Later in this letter Paul will say Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. If you want to be a follower who is not ashamed to talk about Jesus, Encourage people to believe in Jesus in their heart, and confess him with their mouth That s like what Peter did, When Jesus said that s what it takes to come follow me. What is the gospel that we are not to be ashamed of 1. The gospel is empowered by God. 2. The gospel is promised in Scripture. 3. The gospel is centered in the man, Jesus Christ. 4. The gospel is proven by his resurrection. 5. The gospel is received by grace. 6. The gospel is believed for salvation. 7. The gospel is a way to righteousness from God. Romans 1:17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." This is the key. In the gospel a way to be right with God is revealed. We are sinners and God is holy. Sin is rejecting God s way. But the gospel shows us that through what Jesus did on the cross we could be made right with God again and it is a gift from God.

10 10 P age In the book The No-Guilt Guide for Witnessing, George Sweeting tells of a man by the name of John Currier who in 1949 was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Later he was transferred and paroled to work on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee. In 1968, Currier's sentence was terminated, and a letter bearing the good news was sent to him. But John never saw the letter, nor was he told anything about it. Life on that farm was hard and without promise for the future. Yet, John kept doing what he was told even after the farmer for whom he worked had died. Ten years went by. Then a state parole officer learned about Currier, found him, and told him that his sentence had been terminated. He was a free man. Sweeting concluded the story by asking, "Would it matter to you if someone sent you an important message -- the best news in your life -- and year after year the urgent message was never delivered?" And the good news of the Gospel is exactly the same. We will all stand before God one day and we will be judged according to what we have done. In the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, Paul says here. That means a right standing before God the judge - a pardon - because Jesus died in your place. We are declared not guilty. And we have been given this message to tell to others. We cannot keep it to ourselves! They have been pardoned, but they have not heard! And there is no way for them to get the message of their pardon, unless someone with the message who is a faithful follower of Jesus Christ who is not ashamed of Him and his words and who is not ashamed of his gospel opens their mouth and tells them

11 11 P age If you want to be a follower who is not ashamed to talk about Jesus and his words, Remember 1. You are just the messenger. Because the gospel is empowered by God 2. Read and learn the word of God. Because the gospel is promised in Scripture. 3. Make it about the man and his words. Because the gospel is centered in the man, Jesus Christ. 4. Assert that Jesus is alive! He is risen. He is Lord. Because the gospel is proven by his resurrection. 5. Talk about how God gave his Son for us. Because the gospel is received by grace. 6. Encourage people to believe in Jesus in their heart, and confess him with their mouth. Because the gospel is believed for salvation. 7. Tell them that we can have a new right relationship with God because of Jesus Because the gospel is a way to righteousness with God. Luke 9:26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. If you are his follower, you cannot be ashamed of Him or ashamed of speaking up for Him.