Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that, I wanted to think about something.
How many times have you taken your teenagers to a high school basketball game, and when you entered into the gymnasium, they noticed that their friends from school were all sitting together in the upper bleachers. At that moment they looked at you and began to separate you from their company. You quickly tell them that you wanted the entire family to sit together and enjoy the game, but in the blink of an eye they were gone from your presence. They were ashamed to be around or with you.
Have you ever been embarrassed of something or someone? That is what the word ashamed means. You feel awkward or uneasy about doing something or being around someone. Have you ever known someone in school that most of the kids didn’t like? You wanted to go sit with him at the lunch table but you knew that if you did, the rest of the kids would not like you either, so you decided to keep away from him. You were ashamed of him. As a Christian there is one person whom we never want to be ashamed of, it is our precious Lord Jesus and the things that he taught.
Mark 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Sometimes a person can decide to become a Christian but when their relatives start to turn on them, and hate them, they decide that they don’t want to deal with these issues anymore. Instead of entering into the sufferings of Christ, they turn from Jesus and become ashamed of Him. Although he repented later, at one point in his life the apostle Peter was ashamed of Jesus, distancing himself from knowing him.
Matthew 26:34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
When you decide to follow Jesus and His teachings, you w I’ll have people who don’t like you, because they themselves don’t want to obey God. It comes with the territory. Sadly a lot of these people profess to be Christians. When Jesus came down to the earth, many Jews also were professing that God was their father, yet some participated in the unjust death of their Lord and ours. He was hated by many but was never ashamed of the teachings of His heavenly Father, even unto death. He is our example to be bold and stand up for God’s Word as He did.
People are unwilling today to preach God’s Word because they truly are ashamed of it. If they did, 75% of the congregation might get up and leave. When you are ashamed, it means that you want to keep away or distance yourself from doing something. It means to be deturred from a course of action because you fear people will shame or ridicule you. That’s exactly what happened to the Lord Jesus on the cross.
Matthew 27:39-44 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
They hated Jesus so much that they even wanted to kill Lazarus whom He had raised from the dead. Jesus is the truth and to be ashamed of Him and His teachings is to be ashamed of truth. As I have said many times before, the devil is a liar and can appear as an angel of light but he hates the commands and teachings of Christ. He is actively attempting to get people to disbelieve and disobey them. He wants you to believe a lie because he is a liar, and the father of it. The Apostle boldly preached Christ, completely unashamed of the truth.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
When you are ashamed, it means to be deterred from doing something because you are afraid or fearful of difficulty or even danger resulting from your beliefs and Christ centered choices. You may be afraid of entering into some sort of persecution, even among your own relatives. People are persecuted each day all over this planet for preaching the truth and doctrines of Christ. When you are persecuted, it means that others harass or punish you in a manner that is designed to injure and grieve you because of your religious beliefs. When this happens, we should rejoice, because God has found us worthy to suffer for His name’s sake.
Luke 6:22-23 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
These reactions from others bring a great blessing from God. One cannot receive these blessings if you are too fearful about taking a stand for Jesus.
1 John 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
Many people profess the Christian faith, but they really don’t believe in what Christ taught. They deny Christ and His Word. This is one reason why you must never be ashamed of God’s Word. It is a light unto our path to guide us through the darkness that surrounds us.
2 Timothy 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
When you are ashamed you become hesitant in doing something. You stop or pause a course of action and become reluctant to speak. When reluctant, it means that you are unwilling to do something or you choose not to do something because you fear repercussions will happen. Paul wanted the church to pray for him for boldness.
Ephesians 6:18-20 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Bold means fearless, brave and confident.
Philippians 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
2 Timothy 1:16 The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:
Psalms 40:9 I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.
So, are you taking a stand for Jesus and what He taught in the Scriptures? Are you speaking His Word boldly, even when surrounded by contention? Are you speaking up for the one who gave His life for you at the cross, or are you simply choosing to sit this one out, somewhere in…..
…..the upper bleachers?
Let’s think about these things for right now, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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