Unashamed

But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them... All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work... Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season... do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Timothy 3:14–4:5)

Many believers stay silent about Christ out of fear—but the power of God is in the gospel, and you are equipped to share it.

Why a Detour This Week

Several things this past week led me to take a brief detour from our study in 1 Timothy. First, I hit a wall in my preparation—eight hours in my study on Friday and I had nothing. So I'll do what preachers do and blame God: He wanted us to talk about something different.

Second, I've been teaching a new class called Pastoral Preaching at the Bible college in Murrieta, and this week we discussed how a preacher chooses a text. Often we go book by book, paragraph by paragraph, so I know months in advance where we'll be. But there are other reasons a preacher selects a passage—pastoral and personal reasons. John Stott said, "The best preachers are always good pastors, for they know the needs and the problems, doubts, fears, and hopes of their people."

Third, my wife came home discouraged after a conversation with a co-worker about faith—she felt she hadn't done a good job defending it. Have you ever walked away from a conversation about God feeling that way? I have, many times.

A Culture That Doesn't Know the Gospel

Finally, I played golf with a friend and a couple of other men, one of them a Jewish retiree. On the eleventh tee box he asked, "So, what is a pastor?" In just a few minutes I realized this man, who'd spent nearly thirty years in a professional environment surrounded by Christians, had almost zero understanding of the Christian faith. He knew the word Catholicism, had never heard the word Protestantism, and had heard something about "the Father and the Son" but didn't know what it meant.

That shouldn't surprise us. There are far more people around us than we realize who know nothing of the Christian faith. In pop culture and the news media, evangelical Christians are portrayed as a weird, backwards, crazy group. If you attend this church, you are an evangelical Christian—we believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ and that people must put their trust in Him for salvation. But we live in a much more biblically illiterate culture than we probably realize, and that means we as Christians need to do a better job representing the faith of Christ.

You Are in a Mission Field

Our vision here is life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus. There are many people in our community who don't know the life Jesus offers. The Southern Baptist Convention researched San Diego County in 2010 and found that of the 3.2 million people here, only about 9.8 percent have any connection to a gospel-preaching evangelical church.

Think that through. Within five miles of this building there are more than 360,000 people who probably don't know the gospel. Within ten miles there are 825,000. And they will not know unless someone shares with them. The people you interact with at your kids' little league game, at your office, on your school campus—very few of them really know much about Christ.

Jesus commissioned His followers to go into all the world and make disciples. When we hear "missions," we think of a passport, a plane ticket, and a country far away—we think of Dave Everett in Cambodia. But every single time you and I walk out those doors, we step into our mission field. God has specifically and strategically placed each of you where you are to be a light. When I say that, your heart rate may rise—not from excitement, but from fear. So today I want to do three things: remember the purpose for which Christ came, remind you of the importance of the gospel you have, and teach you a simple way to answer the tough questions of a skeptic.

The Purpose for Which Christ Came

It's trendy today for organizations to craft purpose, mission, and vision statements. But did you realize that in the New Testament, Jesus clearly articulates His purpose? Let me show you four of these statements.

The first is in **Luke 19**. On His way to Jerusalem, Jesus passes through Jericho and encounters Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax collector—an outcast lumped together with "harlot and sinner." Short of stature, Zacchaeus climbs a sycamore tree just to see Jesus. Jesus invites Himself to his house, and the people grumble that He has gone to be the guest of a sinner. In response, Jesus says:

Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:9–10)

The second is in **Mark 10**. Teaching about servant leadership, Jesus says the leaders of this world lord their authority over others, but in His kingdom the great will be servants. Then He says:

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

The third is in **John 10**, where Jesus contrasts His work with the work of the devil:

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

The fourth is in **John 12**, where He contrasts light with darkness:

I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. (John 12:46)

What Christ's Coming Means for Us

So here are four concise statements of purpose from the King of Kings, the Creator of all things, God incarnate: He came to seek and save the lost, to serve and give His life a ransom for many, to give abundant life, and to bring light to those in darkness.

Point number one: Jesus came to seek those who were lost in darkness and to give His life in order to win abundant life for us. He fed multitudes, healed the sick, and cast out demons—but those were byproducts of His coming. The prime product is this. Many in the church focus on those byproducts—feeding the hungry, tending the sick—all good things, but they make them the prime product. The prime reason Jesus came was to seek and save the lost.

Every person is born into lostness, darkness, iniquity, and sin. Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin. Why are there bad things in the world? Because we live in a broken, fallen world. We were all born dead, alienated from God, without hope. People all around us may find things that make them happy for a little while, but ultimately they are separated from God and hopeless.

But God, Who Is Rich in Mercy

In Ephesians 2 there are two beautiful transition words:

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)... For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:4–9)

If we wrote down every attribute of God revealed in the Bible, it would be a huge list. And if God ordered them in a hierarchy, how would He identify Himself? We see the answer in Exodus 34:6, where He introduces Himself to Moses: "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful." The first thing He chooses to identify Himself with is mercy.

I'm eternally grateful for that. God is holy. God is just. But if He placed His holiness and justice at the top of the list, all of us would be toast. Instead He puts mercy above—"merciful... even when we were dead in trespasses." We did not rise to His holy, righteous standard, yet by grace He saved us. That is why we call it gospel: gospel means good news.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) > For the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) > But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) > If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved... For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:9–13)

The Power Is in the Gospel

Many of you know and believe these truths. You've sung, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me." Yet when I say God has called you to share these things, anxiety rises—you're afraid you'll fail, because you've failed before or walked away discouraged.

Paul has a word for us:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. (Romans 1:16)

How many of you have wished God's power would show up when someone asks you about the things of God? Point number two: God's power is in the gospel. I don't think it would be wrong to say God's power is the gospel—but at the very least, His power is in it. If you desire the power of God to show up, then share the gospel, for it is the power of God to salvation. Don't be embarrassed or ashamed. Don't believe the lie of the enemy that keeps Christians quiet.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. (1 Peter 3:15)

In our culture, gentleness and respect in debate are completely lost. Turn on the news any hour of the day and you'll see people yelling at each other—no civility at all. But for you as a follower of Jesus, be prepared to give an answer with gentleness and respect. You don't have to be obnoxious or nasty.

Notice that Peter says be prepared to give an answer—not the perfect answer. Your co-worker, neighbor, or family member may be skeptical and may ask a question you can't answer. That's okay.

Answer Questions With Questions

With the time remaining, I want to teach you a simple way to answer a skeptic, drawn from a passage recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. We'll look at Matthew 19.

Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" ... Jesus said, "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, "You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." ... "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Matthew 19:16–22)

Notice how Jesus responds. Point number three: be prepared to answer questions with questions. This is what Jesus did constantly—with Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, and commoners alike. Yes, it sometimes frustrated people, and that's perfectly fine.

The number one question Christians are asked by non-Christians today is this: If God is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-wise, why is there pain, evil, sorrow, and suffering in the world? It's a good question, and there are good answers—C.S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain is a beautiful place to start. But that's beside the point of what I want to show you, because Jesus always spoke to the heart, and I want to encourage you to do the same.

A Conversation That Reaches the Heart

Someone asks, "Why is there suffering if God is good and loving and wise?" You can say, "That's a really good question. Let me ask you another question. If you died tonight, do you think you'd go to heaven?" "Well, that's beside the point." "No, this is exactly the point. Just humor me—do you think you'd go?" "Yeah, I think I would." "Why?" "I'm a pretty good person."

"Are you? Let's test it. Have you ever told a lie?" "Well, yeah." "What does that make you?" "A liar." "Have you ever stolen anything—anything small, anything insignificant?" "Well... yeah." "What does that make you?" I'm always surprised how often they say it themselves: "A thief." "Have you ever used God's name in vain?" "All the time." "The Bible says that's blasphemy. And Jesus said if you look upon someone with lust, you've committed adultery in your heart. Have you?" "Yes."

"So by your own admission, you've just told me you're a lying, thieving, blaspheming adulterer at heart. If God judged you by these four of the Ten Commandments on judgment day, would you be guilty or innocent?" From their conscience they say, "I guess I'd be guilty." Then you simply ask, "Does that concern you?" I've never had a person say no. They always say, "Yeah, that concerns me." And you can say, "It concerned God too. That's why Jesus came to die."

The hard questions can be dealt with later—there are volumes of apologetics books answering every objection Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens could throw at you. But the bigger issue is the heart, not the head. The head is out of order because the heart is broken by sin, and Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

Do Not Be Ashamed

God has placed you in places I will never go, among people I will never meet. As I told my wife this week, I wish I had the kind of conversations with co-workers that she has—mine are all Christians. But God has positioned you. Paul writes to Timothy:

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling... Nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. (2 Timothy 1:8–12)

So may God remind you that you carry the power of God unto salvation in the gospel. The enemy wants you embarrassed, fearful, and anxious—but God has called you with a holy calling to be an ambassador of His kingdom, and He will empower you by His Spirit and grace to do just that. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Father, I thank You for the truth revealed in the Scriptures, that You loved this world so much that You gave Your only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus, You demonstrated Your love toward us in that while we were still sinners You died for us in our place. I pray, God, that You would enable and empower us to share the good news of this grace with the people we come in contact with—because in this county there are hundreds of thousands who do not know the gospel and have been robbed by the devil. Help us to give forth this abundant life to others.

And it may be that as we stand here, this is the first time these things have come together for you—the truth of our brokenness and the truth of salvation in Jesus—and you would like to call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. If you'd like to put your trust in Jesus and receive His forgiveness, pray this with me: Dear Jesus, I know that I need You. I cannot save myself. I pray that You would come into my life, that You would forgive me of my sin, and that You would help me to follow You by faith and to trust You with my life. In Jesus' name, amen.