It was 2:41am, May 7th, 1945, in a small schoolhouse in Reims, France. The walls of the room were covered with military maps, casualty counts, and supply statistics. A folding table was set up with name cards and sharpened pencils. The room looked more like a business meeting than the end of the deadliest war in human history.

Three German officers walk in under temporary floodlights to sign their names on an unconditional surrender letter. After six years of war and tens of millions of casualties, it was all over in a few strokes of a pen.

In that room was 40-year-old American reporter Edward Kennedy. He was one of only sixteen journalists allowed to witness the watershed moment of history. He has just experienced the war end with his own eyes, and Allied command told him: sit on it. Don't tell anyone for 36 hours. Kennedy waited, but then, a German radio station broke the silence and announced to the world that World War 2 was over. Kennedy goes to the censor and asks, "it's already out, can I file it?" The officer just shrugs and says, "do as you please."

Kennedy then got his colleague to place a call to London on a crackling military line and started dictating: "Germany has surrendered unconditionally. That's official." Within minutes it's on the wire, by 9:35 that morning, the world knew: the war in Europe was over.

Kennedy paid for that decision to leak the news. Military command banned every reporter of the Associated Press in Europe from filing anything else about the war. Fifteen other correspondents who'd been in that same room and kept quiet signed a letter calling what he did "the most disgraceful, deliberate, and unethical double-cross in the history of journalism." The Associated Press fired Kennedy.

Kennedy spent the rest of his career editing small California newspapers, and never worked in a major newsroom again. It took the Associated Press 67 years to say what should have been obvious. In 2012, the president of the Associated Press looked back and said simply, "In every way, Kennedy was right."

Kennedy had the best news anyone in that war had heard in six years, sitting right in his hands, and he was told to keep it to himself. But he couldn't do it.[^1] The gospel, the good news of Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection, is the best news anyone has heard in human history, and we have it, living right here, in our hearts. Now take your Bibles and turn with me to Romans chapter 1, verse 13, and let's get started!

Now I don't want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I often planned to come to you (but was prevented until now) in order that I might have a fruitful ministry among you, just as I have had among the rest of the Gentiles.
–Romans 1:13

Remember from last week's message, Paul had big plans to come to Rome. But God had bigger plans for Paul. Paul thought he would be traveling through Rome to Spain. Paul had been prevented from traveling to Rome by any other way, other than God's plan that he would be arrested and taken there as prisoner, because God's plan was that he would share the gospel in every courtroom to multitudes of people on his way to Rome. You can read these accounts in Acts chapters 22-26 (Acts 22:1-21; Acts 23:1-10; Acts 24:24-25; Acts 25:6-12; Acts 26:1-29).

I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
–Romans 1:14-15

Now one clarifying piece of information, remember that these Roman Christians were most likely not Jewish by heritage because of Emperor Claudius's decree that expelled the Jewish people from the city of Rome.[^2] The original recipients of this letter were Greco-Roman Christians, and in that Greco-Roman culture, they referred to any non-Greek as a barbarian. Steeped in centuries of philosophy, the Greeks saw themselves as wise and everyone else as foolish.[^3] That's the context for this reference to the barbarians, the wise, and the foolish. God is sending them a message: the gospel is for everybody.

And Paul is eager to preach. πρόθυμον is the word used in the Greek. It means willing, ready, eager. It's the very same word Jesus uses in the garden of Gethsemane: "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). Paul's spirit was willing. Remember that Paul had been trying to get to Rome for years, but the work before him around Asia Minor and Greece had prevented him from coming (Romans 15:22-24). Scripture tells us to lay aside any encumbrances that would prevent us from the mission that God has set before us. Hebrews 12 tells us to lay aside every hindrance so that we can run the race set before us. Paul is saying, "it's go time!" And then he drops the hammer:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.
–Romans 1:16-17

I believe God is using the very words of Jesus right here, to remind us that being ashamed of the gospel is a sure sign of not having truly received the gospel. Remember in Luke chapter 9, when Jesus told us what it means to be His disciple, He said,

If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me… For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and that of the Father and the holy angels.
–Luke 9:23,26

And why would anyone be ashamed of Jesus? Well, how many times in your life have you been in a situation where you're around people who are opposed to Christ? I can remember my first job here in Denver 15 years ago, I'd been moved here from our company's Dallas office to help start the Denver office. In Dallas, almost everyone I worked with were Christians. I can remember moving here, and on my first day, I shared my faith. The managing partner of the office rebuked me for it, telling me to keep Jesus to myself. I decided not to, and God blessed it, but if this has happened to me, it's probably happened to you too. These Roman Christians were living in one of the most pagan societies in the history of the world. What they were going through makes Denver, Colorado look like First Baptist Dallas in the 1960's![^4] If they can do it, we can do it. Don't be ashamed of the good news of Jesus Christ!

The gospel is a life or death situation. No solution comes without there first being a problem. Over the next verses, we see the problem, and we see that people are without excuse to recognize God as the creator of the universe.

For God's wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them.
–Romans 1:18-19

In theological jargon, we call this "General Revelation." One author, Charles Ryrie, said, "General Revelation isn't enough to save a person, but it is enough to convince a person that they need to be saved."[^5] And next, we see the cause and effect relationship between being revealed that God is real, and choosing not to believe in Him.

For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.
–Romans 1:20-23

Now Romans is going to identify three groups of people who are guilty. The Gentiles, the Jews, and then the whole world. We start with the Gentiles. The idol worshippers. Now, back in this day, there were literal idols that were being worshipped. Golden and bronze images resembling men, birds, animals, and reptiles. In most cities, there was a pantheon, a place where are the idols were in one room together. But today, idols come to us differently. Sure, there are some world religions still worshipping literal idols, but for most of the world, the struggle is spiritual idolatry. We worship our things, our jobs, sports, our kids' sports. An idol is anything that you might put into your life ahead of God. And when this goes unchecked, it's a symptom of lostness. And look what happens with people go down the road of lost idolatry:

Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.
–Romans 1:24-25

Notice, we're talking about "them." Lost people. Now, don't get up on your "high horse" during this part, because you're next. But let's look at the outcome of lostness.

For this reason God delivered them over to disgraceful passions. Their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. The men in the same way also left natural relations with women and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the appropriate penalty of their error.
–Romans 1:26-27

Homosexuality was rampant in Rome. Same-sex relationships were open and embraced. They were woven into the culture, accepted at every level of society, right up into the Emperor. The Roman historian Suetonius records that the emperor Nero, who was the Emperor while the book of Romans was written and was absolutely brutal toward Christians, had a young slave boy castrated, then married him in a full public ceremony, complete with a dowry and a bridal veil, and had him appear afterward in the streets dressed and addressed as empress.[^6] This wasn't secret sin. It was public, normal, even celebrated by society. Sound familiar? And these Christians knew it was sin, no different than any other sin, but they were surrounded by it, every single day, everywhere they looked. There's a difference between sin you fall into and repent of, and sin you settle into and call home. For the Christian, that doesn't mean we won't sin. It means we won't continue in it. And there are consequences for unrepentant sin.

And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right. They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful. Although they know God's just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to die—they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them.
–Romans 1:28-32

Not too different from Denver, Colorado if you ask me. At this point, picture the church in Rome getting read this letter. I picture them giving all sorts of "Amens," fist bumps, thinking "Let's go! Roast those sinners!" But then, the letter turns it back to them:

Therefore, every one of you who judges is without excuse. For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things.
–Romans 2:1

Wait a minute! I thought we were talking about "them"! Those people! You're talking about…me? You've ever heard the old adage, when you're pointing one finger, you're actually pointing three back at yourself? It's not our place to judge lost people, it's God's.

Do you remember when Jesus was going around to all the towns and villages preaching the good news of the Kingdom, surrounded by people who wanted to kill him? You remember what it says in Matthew 9:36?

When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.
–Matthew 9:36

We have to look at lost people with compassion, not judgment. We have to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them. We're surrounded by ideologies that go right against what the Bible teaches us. We can argue all day long that we're right. Perhaps we can be convincing enough to a lost person that they should be pro-life, pro-family, pro-God's design for gender. But if we haven't shared the gospel with them, guess what? They're still going to hell. If we reach the people who don't agree with us with the gospel, the Holy Spirit will take it from there, and not only will they be pro-life, pro-family, pro-God's design for gender, because Holy Spirit conviction will guide them there, they will be saved from hell and delivered to Christ!

Now we know that God's judgment on those who do such things is based on the truth. Do you think—anyone of you who judges those who do such things yet do the same—that you will escape God's judgment?
–Romans 2:2-3

Notice the break here, this is saying, "I'm talking to you!" All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). It's an unfortunate reality that not everyone who goes to church is truly saved. There is an epidemic of self-righteousness that has plagued the church since the very first century. The Pharisees did it, and non-Christians in the church do it too. Self-righteousness is a rejection of God's grace, thinking we can do this on our own. Look at what the text says:

Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? Because of your hardened and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment is revealed.
–Romans 2:4-5

Self-righteousness comes from a hard and unrepentant heart. And there are two conditions for humanity. Saved, and lost. Nothing in between. A person is either alive, or dead. Forgiven, or not forgiven. Some people like to point to the section we read about homosexuality earlier as a standalone callout for sin. And it certainly is a callout for sin. Homosexuality is a sin. No question. But that's not the whole point. The point is, our job is to share the good news about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus with lost people. All of them. Homosexuals, liars, thieves, murderers, idolaters, all of them. The point is, if you're sitting back and judging sinners instead of sharing the gospel with them, you've missed the point. God will take care of the judgment. We're not on the judgment committee. We're on the invitation committee. To proclaim the good news about eternal life.

Don't confuse the instruction we just read not to cast judgment on individuals with our right, and our responsibility, as citizens to influence the direction of this country. Those are two different things. We're called to leave the judgment of people's souls to God. We are not called to be silent in the public square. We should absolutely participate in guiding our local and national governments toward biblical truth. Historians have shown that it wasn't secular philosophy that shaped how our founders actually thought about government and community. It was Christian conviction.[^7] That conviction helped build this country. It can still shape it today. There's an election coming up, and we need to do everything we can to keep the democratic party, who advocates for policies that go against God's Word, from succeeding in this election, for the sake of our children. It should be impossible for the Christian to vote for a candidate who endorses abortion, same-sex marriage, or gender changes for children, not because we're judging the people who disagree with us, but because we love them enough to want what's actually best for them and for the next generation. We don't judge people. We speak truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). And the most unloving thing we can do to a person is affirm unrepentant sin and withhold the good news about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He will repay each one according to his works: eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality; but wrath and anger to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth while obeying unrighteousness. There will be affliction and distress for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
–Romans 2:6-10

You might be sitting here in this sanctuary and thinking, I want to do what is good. How do I do what is good so that I can get the glory, the honor, and the peace. Do you know who else wondered that? Do you remember when Jesus fed the 5,000 people, then he walked on water? He amazed everybody. That whole crowd, looking at him, they said, "What can we do to perform the works of God?" (John 6:28) Jesus looked back at them and said:

This is the work of God — that you believe in the one he has sent.
–John 6:29

The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him (Hebrews 11:6). We finish our message tonight with our last verse:

For there is no favoritism with God.
–Romans 2:11

In the eyes of the Lord, it is no different whether you have come to him as a murderer, a liar, a slanderer, a homosexual, a thief, or a crook. A Jew, a gentile, or a barbarian. We are all born the same, we are all born into sin. There is one remedy for the disease: faith and trust in Jesus Christ. For those of you who are here tonight and are yet to be delivered from your sin through the salvation that is in Jesus Christ, I want to invite you to place your trust in Him right now.

For those of you who are saved, who can you snatch from the fire? (Jude 23)

Who can you share the gospel with?