Not Ashamed of Jesus

Mark 8:38 “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
 
JESUS draws a very distinct line between faith and unbelief. To be ashamed of Jesus is to reject him. It’s simple: Jesus rejects those who reject him.
   The apostle Paul admonishes us to put aside shame of Jesus’ gospel: Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Paul effectively said, “I receive Jesus. Jesus saves!”
   The Jews needed to hear this to know God had moved from the law to the gospel of grace. To the Jews, Jesus’ crucifixion was God’s shame – his rejection – on Jesus of Nazareth as the law recorded: Deuteronomy 21:22 If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, 23 you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. A Jew telling the gospel of Jesus crucified, dead, buried, risen and ascended was quicky rejected. After all, God cursed the man hung on a tree! How did Paul – and the other apostles – overcome this?
   They knew the gospel’s power to remove sin’s curse. They had no shame in Jesus and his life-giving salvation; they fully accepted the gospel because they experienced the power of the risen ascended Jesus of Nazareth. Paul’s life was so dramatically transformed from Christian killer to Christ’s evangelist, that Jesus is the only explanation for his born again life! The same is true of the other apostles. And the same transforming power through the risen Jesus became true for thousands of new converts in the church’s early years. The evidence became clear: the gospel power is for the salvation of many! Paul would have written, “I am not ashamed of the gospel.” to confess he fully accepted the Lord’s power to change.
    Do you believe the gospel of Jesus Christ saves and transforms people’s lives? It’s easy to say to other believers, “Yes, I do.” Is it more difficult, though, to tell unbelievers?
   The world may cause shame to overwhelm our faith. We may reject Jesus’ message because we question its power in our everyday lives. Or we may be ashamed of Jesus in the sense we are embarrassed to tell someone, “Jesus is the only way to heaven.” If we reject Jesus’ message, then we reject Jesus.
   Some of you, though, have lived very hard lives, and the gospel has saved you! Your dramatically changed life has given you a strong faith. You know, as Paul, that Jesus saves. You are not ashamed; you are eager to tell the gospel, even when people reject or mock you.  
   Let us understand the gospel’s power. The LORD God has shown the world he saves with the spoken word throughout history. Transformation comes because God comes into our souls to reveal his new life. Be convicted of Jesus’ salvation. Be faithful to tell the Lord’s good news. Stand with Jesus now. Stand with him forever.