“I Am Not Ashamed Of________”
Text: Romans 1:8-17
6-14-2026 (Zion & St. John)
In the name of Him who has made us righteous in God’s sight, dear friends in Christ. If you’re over the age of 3, then it’s pretty safe to say that somewhere along the way you have been ashamed of something in your life. It may have been something you said or did. Even though you apologized and the matter was put to rest, you’re still embarrassed by the memory of it years later. In other words, you’re ashamed of it. Those incidents are quite often our deepest, darkest secrets. Many of us go through life hoping that those things will never be revealed. That’s true in my own life. There are things in my past that I am deeply ashamed of. Some of them are things that only God and I know about. I know He has forgiven me, but even so, the memory of my shame lingers on. Now before your minds get too busy trying to conjure up guesses about what kind of past secrets I’m ashamed of, I’ll make it easy for you. Just think of some of the things in your life that you’re ashamed of. Well, those are probably some of my same secrets. And here’s the deal we usually make with each other: I won’t reveal your embarrassing secrets if you’ll leave mine alone. That’s because we’re ashamed of them.
But to be totally honest, we’re getting to the point in our society where less and less things make us ashamed. Just look at all the personal information people share on internet sites like “Facebook.” Things that normally would be considered very private. People post embarrassing pictures of themselves, drunk at a party or smoking pot and a variety of other embarrassing things. But there’s no apparent shame associated with it. Well, that is, until it’s discovered later by someone you wouldn’t want to see it. Many employers now are searching the internet when they receive a job application to see if there’s any dirty laundry that might cause them embarrassment down the road if they hired this person.
That’s not to say it’s just the younger generation which is becoming desensitized when it comes to being ashamed. You older folks just think about it and you’ll find numerous things which used to make you blush that don’t even raise your eyebrows today. Want some quick examples? It wasn’t all that long ago that men would be ashamed to swear in front of women and children. Not anymore. And now, some of the women and kids cuss worse than the men! In that same vein, on TV there are words uttered and racy scenes on display which were banned in the not-too-distant past. But it’s acceptable now. That’s because we’re not ashamed of it anymore.
But you know, sometimes people are wrongly ashamed. That is, when they’re ashamed of someone else. For example, it’s so sad when a person is ashamed of a friend or family member who has a disability. They’re embarrassed to be seen in public with a handicapped person because other people might stare at them or the handicapped person might do something that’s considered “socially unacceptable.” I think my mother was behind this {and I’m thankful she was}, but when I was a teenager, my neighbor asked me to help her take a group of mentally handicapped kids to the Detroit Zoo. I learned firsthand how loving those kids can be. I also learned firsthand the demeaning stares and the pointing fingers from so-called “normal” people. And why? Simply because, through no fault of their own, these kids looked and acted different. That’s just plain wrong in so many ways.
All that being said, let’s do a little “fill-in-the-blank” exercise. Don’t say it out loud, but in your mind finish this sentence: “I am not ashamed of...” Hopefully you didn’t insert any of the previous negative examples I shared. Instead, I hope you were able to say, “I am not ashamed of... my spouse, my children, my parents, my siblings, my friends.” Since we’re about to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the United States, I hope you can say, “I am not ashamed of... my country or the soldiers who are serving this nation.” I also hope you can say, “I am not ashamed of... my Christian faith or being a Lutheran.” Most of all, I hope you could join with St. Paul and say, “I am not ashamed of… the Gospel.”
So why did Paul say that? Well, he knew that the Gospel was viewed by many as a silly, new philosophy that was being spread by gullible and unintelligent people. Why was it viewed that way by some people in Roman? Well, in the panorama of religions, Christianity was unique. It tells of a God who loved us so much that He came here to earth to fix the problem of sin. It tells of the Son of God who humbled Himself by willingly enduring the shame of crucifixion in order to save us. The skeptics ask, “But how could anything good come from a defeated, dead Savior?” As Paul says in 1 Corinthians, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing...” Here in Romans, Paul was writing to people who lived in the capitol city of the world. It was a place of influence and power. And Paul knew that the message of the cross would be viewed as pure foolishness. Would he be ashamed to go public with the Gospel in Rome? Paul’s answer was, “No way!”
The reason Paul was so bold and confident about the Gospel is because he knew that it wasn’t just another philosophy in the arena of ideas. The Gospel has power to change people’s lives, as he himself experienced. The Gospel, he says, is the “power of God for salvation.” The word there for “power” in the Greek is “dunamis” and we get our English word dynamite from it. Certainly, dynamite is powerful, but the Gospel is even more powerful. As Paul goes on to say, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed...” No pun intended, but Paul said something really powerful there in two short verses. Let’s unpack that.
So, what’s this business about the “power of God for salvation”? Well, all throughout the Bible, God is consistently portrayed as being all-powerful, while we humans are powerless. Because of our inherited, original sin, we are powerless to save ourselves from its damning effects. We are totally dependent upon God to do something powerful for us and within us. 2 weeks ago, on Trinity Sunday, we heard in the reading from Genesis 1 how, by the power of His creating Word, God simply spoke all things into existence out of nothing. And that creative power continues as He performs an even greater work by creating faith in us. We were spiritually empty, dead, and powerless. But by the gift of faith that God creates in us, we are empowered to receive His salvation which is found in the Gospel message. As Paul says, the Gospel’s power is the righteousness of God which is revealed in it.
I’m going to take a stab at an illustration which I hope will help explain this. Think of your life being like the chassis of a car. You may have 4 wheels and a transmission, but without the engine, you’re not going anywhere. Faith is the “engine” which God “installs” in you. And yet, you know that an engine alone is not going to make a car move. It needs fuel. Likewise with the engine of faith. The fuel which faith runs on is the Gospel. Just as gasoline produces power in an engine, the Gospel produces power in our souls.
The power of the Gospel rescued Paul and converted him from an enemy of Christ to a grateful servant of Jesus. Paul recognized the powerful change that God had performed in him. It saved him from eternal destruction. How could he possibly be ashamed of it? Rather than be ashamed, he was excited to share it.
Friends, the powerful Gospel which rescued and saved St. Paul has done the same for you. But we’ll never fully apprehend the true power of the Gospel until we have been shamed by God’s Law. As a Pastor I have the worst and the best job in the world. It is my unenviable duty to tell people about God’s Law which convicts them of their ugly sins. I’ve had people tell me that I made them feel dirty by pointing out a sin. Folks, I can’t make you feel anything. But the power of God’s Law can. When it hits the mark, people often feel shame. And you know what? That’s a good thing. We should be ashamed of our sins, no matter how big or small they may seem. Because that shame then opens the door for sincere repentance and then hearing God’s Word of forgiveness, which is the power of the Gospel. As a Pastor, there is nothing more satisfying than when I have the privilege to announce God’s powerful forgiveness of confessed sins.
So, knowing the power which God has poured out on you, are you ready to say with St. Paul, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel”? Hopefully, you said yes. But what exactly does that look like in our day to day lives? Well, perhaps the best way to answer is by telling you what it ISN’T. Not being ashamed of the Gospel is more than just putting a religious bumper sticker on your car or wearing T-shirts with Christian slogans on them. It’s more than just wearing jewelry with a cross on it. And this one may shock you, but as important as regular worship is, it’s more than just going to church. Not being ashamed of the Gospel is best displayed by living it; by living in the power it produces in your life. It’s one thing to nod your head here in worship when you recognize that the way you’ve been thinking or acting is sinful. But it’s totally another to not be ashamed of letting others see the changes God’s forgiveness makes in your daily life. Not being ashamed of the Gospel means living out your faith with no apologies for what you believe.
You see, the reason why we can be unashamed of the Gospel is because of what Christ did on the cross. He endured the shame of the cross so that you and I could be freed from the shame of our sins. That is the power of Gospel. And so, along with St. Paul we can boldly say, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… and that includes ME!” Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!