Sermon #1528                          Miscellaneous Sermons

 

     Title:            Not Ashamed

     Text:            Romans 10:11

     Subject:       Faith’s Steadfastness

     Date:            Sunday Morning—December 29, 2002

     Tape #         X-39a

     Reading:      Romans 10:1-21

     Introduction:

 

The title of my message is Not Ashamed. I have, in recent days given considerable thought to the first thing I want to say in this message.

 

1.     I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16-17).

 

That is no great claim to make. Indeed, it would be an abhorrent thing if I were. The holy Lord God declares that he is not ashamed to be my God (Heb. 11:16); and the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s darling Son, declares that he is not ashamed to call me his brother (Heb. 2:16). It would be unthinkable for me to be ashamed of his Gospel! Would it not? Yet, this I solemnly declare.

 

(Romans 1:14-17)  I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. {15} So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. {16} For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. {17} For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

 

I have been preaching the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ for almost thirty-five years. I began preaching this gospel when I was just a boy, barely seventeen years old. In all that time, my doctrine has not changed so much as a hair’s breadth. The message I preached then is the message I preach now. In those years…

 

·        I hope I have grown in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

·        I hope I have grown in faith and love.

·        I hope I have grown in commitment and consecration.

·        I hope I have grown in understanding and in wisdom.

 

But my doctrine has not changed. In the very beginning, my testimony was, “By the grace of God I am what I am.” My message was, “Christ and him crucified.” My very first message to you, as your pastor, was Christ our Substitute (2 Cor. 5:21). And my message is the same today, as it was then. Why? Because I am not ashamed of the Gospel. I am not ashamed

 

·        To Believe It.

·        To Confess It.

·        To Preach It.

 

Indeed, I am a debtor to all, duty bound and honor bound, to preach the gospel. I have this treasure trusted to this earthen vessel, trusted to me by my God, to proclaim to eternity bound men and women for the salvation of your souls and the glory of his great name. And I am not ashamed of it. Why?

 

·        It is the power of God unto salvation!

·        It is the power of God unto salvation—to everyone that believeth!

·        Therein is the righteousness of God revealed!

·        From faith to faith!

 

If God gives me grace to do so, this is the message I will be preaching to you when I draw my last breath. My doctrine is not going to change tomorrow.

 

     Illustration: My Conversation with John Griessel

 

2.     I am not ashamed of the Gospel because the hope it gives forbids shame (Rom. 5:1-5).

 

(Romans 4:25)  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

 

(Romans 5:1-5)  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: {2} By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. {3} And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; {4} And patience, experience; and experience, hope: {5} And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

 

Now, turn with me to Romans 10. I want you to know this Gospel. I pray that God the Holy Spirit will be pleased to make it the power of God unto salvation in your soul. Our text will be verse 11.

 

(Romans 10:1-3)  Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. {2} For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. {3} For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

 

(Romans 10:4)  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

 

(Romans 10:5-7)  For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. {6} But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) {7} Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

 

(Romans 10:8-10)  But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; {9} That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. {10} For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

 

Now, let’s look at our text.

 

(Romans 10:11)  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

 

Proposition: Here the Spirit of God declares faith in Christ makes sinners stand before God unashamed.

 

Let’s look at the text, line by line.

 

Divine Authority

 

I.                   The text begins with an assurance of Divine authority—“For the Scripture saith.

 

What a great basis that is for the message we proclaim!—“The Scripture saith.” In this age of enlightened darkness and learned ignorance, I stand before you to proclaim the Gospel with confidence and authority which cannot be gainsaid—“The Scripture saith!

 

Let others tickle your ears and flatter your egos by appealing to creeds, confessions, historical records and religious philosophy, if they dare. This is my only authority for anything I preach. Indeed, this is the only authority there is for faith.—“The Scripture saith!

 

The sole basis of my appeal to your souls is the Word of God. In making the Book of God alone the basis of my appeal, in making the Word of God alone the source of my doctrine, in making this blessed Book the solitary source of authority, I am in good company. That is exactly what our Lord and his Apostles always did in preaching.

 

The statement of Holy Scripture is conclusive. When God speaks, that is all there is to the matter. It matters not who may object.

 

Three Things

 

In these opening words of our text, three things are obviously implied.

 

A.   This Book, the Bible you have in your hand, is the Word of God, inspired, inerrant, authoritative and absolute.

 

(Isaiah 8:20)  To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

 

(2 Timothy 3:16-17)  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: {17} That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

 

(2 Peter 1:21)  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

 

B.    And the message of the Book is one.

 

The Gospel revealed in the New Testament is exactly the same as that revealed in the Old Testament. Abraham was justified by faith, without works, exactly as we are.

 

(Romans 4:20-25)  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; {21} And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. {22} And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. {23} Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; {24} But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; {25} Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

 

(Romans 5:1)  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

 

The passage to which Paul appears to be referring here is Isaiah 28:16. He does not quote the verse exactly. Instead, he gives us the sense of Isaiah’s word and uses it to give us the sense of the entire Old Testament. He is proclaiming the freeness of God’s salvation and the blessedness of faith in Christ.

 

(Isaiah 28:16)  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

 

(Psalms 112:7-8)  He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. {8} His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.

 

(Isaiah 45:16-17)  They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols. {17} But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.

 

(Isaiah 49:17)  Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

 

(Isaiah 49:23)  And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

 

(Jeremiah 17:5-8)  Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. {6} For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. {7} Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. {8} For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

 

C.   The Word of God itself is the solitary basis of true faith.

 

When witnessing to men, or when preaching the Gospel, we must never imagine that there is power in our reason, our logic, our argument, or our way of stating things. The power is in the Word of God itself. The bare, naked, unadorned Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation.

 

A Wide Door

 

II.                Next, our text sets before us a very wide door of hope for poor sinners, standing wide open.—“Whosoever believeth!

 

Read that word, “whosoever,” and rejoice.—“Whosoever!”—Whosoever!”—“Whosoever!”—Don’t be afraid to say that. “Whosoever” is a good word.

 

Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall he saved.”— “Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”—“Whosoever will, let him come!

 

·        There is no secret decree of God that will shut out any that trusts Christ.

·        No measure of sin in your past life can deprive anyone of grace.

·        God promises salvation to “Whosoever believeth on the Son of God!

 

I leave it to those who think they are theologians to wrangle about all the ingredients of the Water of Life, just as I leave it to scientists to examine water under a microscope. For my part, I just drink the Water and hold out the glass to “whosoever” crosses my path, saying, “Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely.”

 

The Way of Salvation

 

 

Look at our text again. Here is a very simple, concise, clear declaration of the way of salvation.—The Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” The way of salvation is to believe on Christ, whom God has laid in Zion for a foundation.

 

 

·        Salvation does not come by doing, but by believing.

·        Salvation is not obtained by believing facts about Christ, but by believing on the Son of God.

 

(John 3:18)  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

 

(John 3:36)  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

 

(2 Timothy 1:12)  For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

 

·        Faith stands on Christ alone, with both feet!—Not feelings, but Christ!—Not experience, but Christ!—Not ordinance, but Christ!—Not works, but Christ!—Not knowledge, but Christ!

 

Both feet must be on the Rock of Ages. The whole house must rest on the Foundation. Trust Christ as the sole Savior of your soul. Christ alone and Christ only is the hope of sinners. There is but one star in your sky, sinner, and that star is the Star of Bethlehem! There is but one anchor for the tempest-tossed soul, and that Anchor is Christ. “For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Trust Christ! Believe on him…

·        His Blood for Atonement!

·        His Obedience for Righteousness!

·        His Grace for Salvation!

 

Now, look at this text one more time. This is thing toward which I have been working all along.

 

A Glorious Promise

 

III.             Here is a glorious promise made by God the Holy Spirit to every sinner who believes on the Son of God.—“The Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

 

This promise is given many times in the Book of God. It is given in various ways, using different words. Each place where the promise is recorded, and each word used, conveys essentially the same meaning. But when you look at them together, you will see that there is a glorious depth of meaning to the promise.

 

A.   We find the promise first in Isaiah 28:16.

 

(Isaiah 28:16)  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

 

The day is coming when every man's work shall be tried. “The foundation of the God standeth sure.” But every other foundation shall be destroyed. He who is built on Christ and derives all his hopes of life and salvation from him, is safe in time and to all eternity.

 

This is our mercy. "He that believeth shall not make haste." He shall possess such serenity and composure of mind, that he shall not be frightened, in times of distress and calamity, to quit his confidence; not be ashamed of his hope in the Lord. Being well satisfied that the Lord Jesus Christ reigns, that the government of the universe is upon his shoulders, he will, by faith, patiently wait and quietly hope for the fulfillment of every promise.

 

Sin and Satan shall not overcome him. In the awful hour of death he shall not be confounded, because his heart stands fast, believing on the Son of God. And when Christ appears in his glory, he shall stand forth with boldness; and shall find an abundant entrance into the presence of God and the Lamb, to live, and love, and reign in glory for ever and ever. "Ye are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief corner-stone" (Eph. 2:20)

 

When a sinner builds his hope upon Christ, he is not driven into worry and hurry. He quietly walks with God, and does not haste through fear (Ps. 23; John 14:1-3).

 

(Jeremiah 17:7-8)  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. {8} For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

 

B.    This glorious promise is given again in Romans 9:33.

 

(Romans 9:33)  As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

 

The word translated “ashamed” here, means to dishonored, disgraced, put to shame, made ashamed, made to blush with shame. A person is said to be put to shame who suffers a repulse, or has deceived by a false hope. Adam and Eve were ashamed in the Garden, after the fall, because they were naked. We shall never know such shame and confusion of face (Rom. 8:1, 28-39).

 

The Holy Spirit’s reading of the Holy Spirit’s Word in the Old Testament is, “He shall not be ashamed,” and the meaning is—“He shall not be put to shame and confusion at any time by discovering that he has been deluded.

 

C.   Next, we find the promise in our text, Romans 10:11.

 

(Romans 10:11)  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

 

Here the word is exactly the same as in Romans 9:33. But here the promise is speaking specifically of our confessed faith in Christ. The intent is this.—“He who believes on Christ shall not be ashamed to own his faith.”

 

This word from God pierces like a razor sharp sword.—“Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Some vainly imagine that they believe on Christ, who are ashamed to confess their faith in the his divinely appointed way. They do with their faith as they do with their children when a friend comes for a visit. They say, “Sit down and be quite.”

 

Some of you have confessed faith in Christ. Let me read the passage to you beginning at verse ten.—“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

 

The passage speaks of confessing Christ, and declares that he who really believes on him will not be ashamed of it. If we are ashamed of our Lord, our faith is not real. To be ashamed of Christ is to be an unbeliever. “For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

 

“I’m not ashamed to own my Lord,

Or to defend his cause;

Maintain the honor of his Word,

The glory of his cross.”

 

“E’er since by faith I saw the stream

His flowing wounds supply,

Redeeming love has been my theme,

And shall be till I die.”

 

Still, there is more. The believer shall have no cause to be ashamed.

·        We shall not be ashamed because our faith is proved to be unreasonable.

·        We are not ashamed because our faith has been disproved; for it has never been disproved.

·        We shall never be ashamed of believing on the Son of God, because we shall find faith in Christ unsatisfactory to our conscience.

D.   This promise is found again in 1 Peter 2:6.

(1 Peter 2:5-10)  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. {6} Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. {7} Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, {8} And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. {9} But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: {10} Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

 

Here our translators translate the very same word that is used in Romans 9:33 and 10:11 for “ashamed” “confounded.” Why do you suppose they did that? Well, I wasn’t there to discuss it with them, but I have an idea. It is because there are such variations to the word that one English word could not adequately translate it and give out the fullness of the promise.

 

He that believeth on the Son of God shall not be confounded”—

·        By men or devils.

·        Neither in this world, nor in the world to come.

·        We shall have confidence before Christ, and not be ashamed at his coming.

·        We are safe now, being laid on this stone, and we shall not be removed from it, or so intimidated by any enemy that we are made to flee from it.

·        We shall not make haste to lay another foundation.

·        We shall be found on this Foundation before the Great White Throne judgment, and shall not be confounded then.

·        Believing on the Son of God, we shall never have cause for shame, confusion, or consternation, neither in this world nor in the world to come.

 

I’m built upon the Rock, On the Rock of God,
Built upon the Rock, Christ Jesus;

God dug down deep And built me on the Rock,

Built upon the Rock of God.

Chorus: I hold not the Rock, But the Rock holds me

The Rock holds me, The Rock holds me;
I rest on the Rock, And the Rock holds me,
Resting on the Rock of God.

 

Why should I fear When the winds sweep by?
Built upon the Rock, Christ Jesus;
Or shaken be when The waves roll high?
Built upon the Rock of God.

Hush, raging billows at His command,

I’m built upon the Rock, Christ Jesus;

Oh, peace be still 'neath His loving hand!
I’m built upon the Rock of God.

Praise God for our foundation sure!
Built upon the Rock, Christ Jesus;
No storms can harm our house secure,
We’re built upon the Rock of God.