Scripture

16I 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.
17For in the gospel a righteousness from
God is revealed, a righteousness that is
by faith from first to last, just as it is
written: "The righteous will live by faith."
Romans 1:16-17
SSS: The scripture talks about the gospel as the power of God for salvation and reveals the
righteousness of God.
TSS: My sermon talks about the truths in the gospel that we should believe.
Introduction:???
JOY: LIVE THE GOSPEL
Message Title: REASONS WHY WE SHOULD NOT BE ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL?
We should not be ashamed of the gospel because;
1. It gives account about the life and works of Jesus
Explanation:
GOSPEL a word of Anglo-Saxon origin, and meaning Gods spell, i.e., word of
God, or rather, according to others, good spell, i.e., good news. It is the rendering
of the Greek evangelion, i.e., good message.
The gospel was originally proclaimed in oral form, but has been transmitted
through the writings called the "Gospels." Although Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
differ considerably in detail, they agree on the general outline of Jesus' career, on the
supernatural character of his life, and on the high quality of his moral precepts. From
the earliest period of the church they have been accepted as authoritative accounts
of his life and teachings.
Illustration: Written life stories and works of people
Application: How is your life today? Have you worshipped God by the way you
speak and do?
GOOD TIDINGS - good tidings!" it means they have information to share that you'll
probably like.
2. It changes lives
Explanation:
SALVATION is used as a word of the deliverance of the Israelites from the
Egyptians (Exodus 14:13), and of deliverance generally from evil or danger. In the
New Testament it is specially used with reference to the great deliverance from the
guilt and the pollution of sin wrought out by Jesus Christ, the great salvation
(Hebrews 2:3).
The author itself (Paul) was a very good example for he was once a great
persecutor of Christians (and of Jesus himself) but now a great missionary who
preaches the gospel with all of his confidence.
A change of life signifies a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17),
being born again (John 3:5), a renewal of the mind (Romans 12:2), and a change of
heart elsewhere spoken of as a passing from death to life (1 John 3:14).
Illustration: People who were changed by God.
Application: What is our lives compared from the past? What are the things that
may have changed within us? Hows our personality? How do we live? Is it pleasing to
God?
3. It is free for everyone who believes
Explanation:

Salvation is by grace, not by works. God saved us by this unmerited

favour for us. We dont have to work for it to earn it. We dont have to crucify
ourselves to attain it. All we just have to do is to achieve it. Grace is a gift
from God, but instead of kindly accepting it, some people neglect.
Illustration: Gift
Application:
4. It is essential for living
Explanation:

The verse covers 2 essential parts of righteousness:

a. Righteousness of God
b. Righteousness of men
Definition
Websters:
Righteous means doing what is right.
Bible:
The Lord God always acts in righteousness (Ps 89:14; Jer 9:24). That is,
he always has a right relationship with people, and his action is to maintain
that relationship. As regards Israel, this involved acting both in judgment
(chastisement) and in deliverance (Pss 68; 103:6; Lam 1:18). The latter
activity is often therefore equated with salvation (see Isa 46:12-13; 51:5). In
passages from the Prophets (e.g., Isa 1:2-9; Jer 2:4-13; Mic 6:1-8) the Lord is
presented as the Judge, and Israel as the accused party, with the covenant
supplying the terms of reference.
As God acts in righteousness (because he is righteous), so he called
Israel to be righteous as his chosen people. They were placed in his covenant,
in right relationship with him through faith (Gen 15:6; Hab 2:4), and were
expected to live in right relationship with others. The king was called to be in
a right relationship with God, his people, and the surrounding nations (Pss
72:1-4; 146:7-9). Righteousness begins as a forensic term but easily becomes
an ethical term in the OT. Much the same is found in the NT.
Righteousness means a right relationship with both God and one's
fellow human beings (Matt 5:6, 17-20; Luke 18:14). The gospel is effective
because, along with the proclamation, a righteousness goes forth (Rom 1:1617).
OT
The Hebrew words translated "righteous" and "righteousness" are
constructed on the stem sadaq. Saddiq means "just" or "righteous," sedeq is
"rightness" or "righteousness," and sedaqah is "righteousness."
The underlying idea is one of conformity to a norm. People are righteous
when their personal and interpersonal behavior accords with an established
moral or ethical norm. In the OT there is only one standard by which
righteousness can be measured--the revealed will of God, particularly as it is
expressed in the law.
Thus, the OT does not deal primarily with abstract or absolute
righteousness. When a person is said to be "righteous," no suggestion of
sinlessness is implied. Instead, the statement implies actions in harmony with
one's obligations in his or her relationship with God.
NT
A single family of words expresses the concept. Dikaiosyne means
"righteousness," "uprightness." Dikaios is "just," "upright," "righteous." And
the verb dikaioo means "to pronounce or to treat a person as righteous," or
"to acquit," "to vindicate."

In the Greek world, this family of words viewed persons within the
context of their society. The righteous or upright person was one who met
obligations to others in the community and to the gods.
In the Judaism of Jesus' day, righteousness was viewed as behavioral
conformity to written or oral law. There was no stress on and little awareness
of the relationship with God that generates the righteousness that the law
reveals. No wonder Jesus called his listeners to a righteousness that exceeds
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees of his day (Mt 5:20).
(Study the life of Abram as a righteous man)
Illustration:
Application: Are we living righteously?