9/24 Sermon

                        "The Gospel is good enough."

Scripture: Romans 1:16

Sermon Summary: 
What apostle Paul means by saying, “I am not ashamed of the gospel”, is that he sees nothing in it to be shameful of. Shame, as we understand it, is a feeling of “you’re not good enough”. Shame comes to us when we don’t meet a certain expectation or shame follows the feeling of embarrassment. So for Paul to state that he is not ashamed of the gospel, we understand that he means the Gospel is good enough. And by the Gospel, we understand that Jesus, God’s one and only son, was sent to Earth so that through his life, death and resurrection, we may be restored, through salvation, by faith, to the glory of God. Jesus is the good news. 
Paul also states that this gospel/good news, is the power of God. Power of God for salvation. Many Jews understood the power of God in two senses: Deliverance and Judgment. But Paul demands that the power of God that we see in the Gospel is not a physical deliverance and judgment as we have seen in the Old Testament. But rather, the Gospel of Jesus is bringing to us a spiritual deliverance. From death and separation from God to a new life and reconciliation with God. And this Gospel ultimately requires from us a response of Faith. 
If we respond to this good news in faith and belief, we can enjoy this salvation promise and enjoy God’s glory. Paul’s statement in this verse can be reworded as the following: I have full confidence in the Gospel because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who responds in faith and believes in it. This is a clear declaration of the work of Jesus on the cross. So we ask ourselves these questions:
1) Is the Gospel good enough in our lives?
​2) Do we believe in this Gospel? 
We pray and hope that we may live a life that speaks “I am not ashamed of the Gospel”, “I have full confidence in the Gospel”.