News Worth Being Unashamed Of | Cooper Seidman | October 4th, 2026

Hills, church, greetings to each of you in person at any one of our five locations in Weatherford, West Fort Worth, NRH, Keller, Dallas, or if you're with us online. My name is Cooper Seidman, and I am one of the ministers on staff here at the Hills, and I already know what you're thinking this morning. Is this kid really wearing a sweater right now? Yes, I am. We have had some fall-like weather. I woke up this morning. It was a little rainy. Temperature was a little cool, and so I seized the opportunity, and I just want you to consider this your pastoral blessing this morning. I am wearing a sweater to work, and so you should wear one to work this week as well. But also, in light of some fall-like weather that we're getting, I wanna begin by telling you about the very first time I met my in-laws in the fall of 2022. Now, for you to appreciate this story, I need to give you some necessary background information. So my wife, Lexi, she's from Midland, Texas, the home of pumpjacks and tumbleweets. Her mom is from Odessa, Texas, and comes from a family of cotton farmers. Her dad is from Stephenville, Texas, and comes from a family of cattle ranchers.

Okay, I'm from a suburb. My hobby is golf. Before I met Lexi, I had never been hunting. I had never laid my hands on a gun, and I had never owned a pair of boots or jeans. And to make things worse, on Saturdays, I root for the Texas Longhorns. And she tells me that if you're from Midland, you either root for tech or nobody, but you definitely don't root for that weird school in Austin. And so, as you can imagine, I've got some ground to make up. When the time came for me to meet her family. And so, it's November of 2022. I'm set to meet her family at the Gaylord Hotel in Grapevine, Texas. And so, I put on my best. I'm gonna meet the family for Midland outfit. Tight, lululemon joggers with low top, spotless, white, converse. And when I showed up by the look Lexi gave me, I mean, you would've thought I showed up wearing a shirt that said I hate Midland across the chest. I mean, she was so ashamed. I believe her words were, "I can't believe your ankles are showing." And apparently, my ankles were such a thing to be ashamed of that after her dad and I shook hands, we didn't speak the rest of the time. Now, my father-in-law is just a man of few words.

She was not that ashamed of my ankles. But the point of the story is this. We all have things, whether they be lifestyle choices or beliefs, that people, whether they be family or friends or coworkers or strangers, think that we should be ashamed of. And yet, we are unashamed. And so I don't know what comes to mind for you when you think about what you are unashamed of. But I do know if you're a follower of Jesus, what should come to mind. And we're gonna talk about what that is this morning. But we're gonna do it by discovering what one of the most influential men in Christian history was unashamed of and more importantly, why he was unashamed of it. Romans 1 and verse 16, Paul writes, for I am not ashamed of the gospel. Now, the word gospel is a pretty loaded word, but for Paul and his culture, it was a word that meant good news or news that brings great joy because it was going to affect people's lives in some way. So think of somebody sharing news of an engagement or of a pregnancy or a great result on a medical test or a surgery. Any of those are announcements about something that has happened that was going to have an impact on people's lives and even their outlooks in some way. And so in ancient times, the term gospel

was generally an announcement when a new king was born or when a new king had taken a throne or when a really important battle had been won and it was going to affect people's lives in some. Way, and so in Romans chapter one, when Paul is talking about not being ashamed, he's talking about being unashamed of something that has happened through Jesus Christ, that is good news and that is going to have an impact on life. "For I am not ashamed of this good news about Christ." But what's interesting is that this isn't the only time in the scriptures where the topic of being ashamed when it comes to Jesus comes up. Paul said to Timothy, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, so never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord." More on that later. The disciple Peter wrote, "If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name." Even Jesus in Luke chapter 8 and Mark chapter 9 had something to say about the temptation or the pressure to be ashamed of him in his words. And what this tells us is that there were forces at work in the first few centuries of the church pressuring Christians to be ashamed of Jesus, to be ashamed of his gospel. In fact, the earliest visual representation we have of Jesus is actually a drawing of him meant to shame a Christian worshiping him. It's known as the Alexa Menos graffiti. And this is literally graffiti scratched into the plaster or stone of what some scholars believe was a Roman boarding school. So you can imagine this might have been a bullying tactic. And it's dated somewhere between the first and third centuries. Here's a better image of what you're looking at there. So what you'll see there is that this artist drew a man on a cross, but he has a donkey's head. And standing next to that cross is another figure with their hand raised as if in worship. And the inscription reads, "Alexa Menos worships his God." This is the type of world that Paul and other Christians are living in when he writes, "I am not ashamed of the gospel." In fact, this is why he says, "I am not ashamed and not just I am proud of the gospel." Because to be unashamed of something implies that you might have a reason

to be ashamed of it. And Paul has every reason to be ashamed of this good news about Christ. Let me share with you a few. Rome said that there were many gods. The gospel says that there is one God. Rome said that these gods were proud and distant. The gospel says that God is humble and near. Rome says that Caesar is Lord. The gospel says that Jesus is Lord. In fact, it says he's Lord of Lords and King of Kings. The Romans did not believe that the gods would come down to humanity for the good of humanity. If gods were coming down to humanity, it was for self-seeking purposes. And if anybody was dying in this relationship between human and the gods, it was humans on behalf of the gods. But the gospel says that God became a man. That God took on flesh and bone. And that he was nailed to a Roman cross because his love for the world and for the sin of the world. This is why Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 18 that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. It's foolishness in the ancient world because gods aren't supposed to love the world. And they definitely don't love the world enough to die for it. And we haven't even begin to discuss the way the embodiment and the implications of the gospel for real life go directly upstream against Roman culture. Let me share with you a few of those. The prising of humility is a virtue. The care for the poor and the stranger and the widow and the orphan in the pursuit of a community that is not bound by ethnicity or gender or social standing. Everything that Jesus and his gospel are about is foolishness to ancient Rome. And so they make Christ a donkey. And they shame those who worship him. And Paul has every reason to be ashamed of this good news about Christ. And yet he stands firm and proclaims, "I am not ashamed of the gospel." Why? Well, I'll tell you why. He tells us why and I'll give you a hint. It's because he has even better reasons to be unashamed. You keep reading in Romans 1 and verse 16. Paul tells us why he's not ashamed of the gospel. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that That brings salvation to everyone. This is why Paul is not ashamed, because the gospel is God's power for salvation. It is not merely information on how to be saved. It is the means through which God's power goes out into the world, and you don't have to be a Christian to know that the world needs saving. You don't have to read Genesis chapter three,

or have a theology of sin to know that there is something deeply wrong with humanity. Have you watched the news? Are you on social media? Just take an audit of your own life, and some of the brokenness you may have experienced, or your family may have experienced our greatest need. I'm not saying that we don't have other needs, but our greatest need is not more money, it's not better government, it's not pleasure, it is salvation, we need saving. And when you read what Paul says in Romans one, in the context of the entire letter, you begin to realize that the salvation he is talking about is so much more comprehensive than just having our sins forgiven. It's about being made right with God. It's about being reconciled to God, and to one another. It's about being liberated from the tyranny of sin and death. Set free, it is about a present reality, and a future hope, life before the grave, life right now, and life after it. And Paul says that this gospel, the good news of Jesus' life and teachings, his death on the cross, his resurrection, and the reality that Jesus is Lord of all, is the power of God that brings this salvation. It is the message that the salvation we need is available because a Savior has come. You don't have to stay in your sin.

You do not have to live under the weight of guilt and shame and condemnation. And you do not have to be a certain color or of a certain social or economic status to receive this gospel. This is also why Paul is not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone. There is not a soul on earth whom Jesus cannot save. There is not a person in your office or at your gym or in your neighborhood or in your family for whom the gospel is not for. Our world is divided by lines of class and race and all sorts of opinions on all sorts of matters, but the gospel transcends every barrier that humanity creates because it addresses a need that we all have. And can we please just remember that as we approach another set of elections that has the potential to be divisive? The gospel is for everyone. And it brings salvation to everyone who believes, who keeps on trusting and ordering their lives around the reality that Jesus is Lord. This is why on November 8 at every campus, we are having harvest Sunday. Because we believe that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone. And we want to see it preach to everyone on the earth. And so we are not ashamed to take up a harvest offering

because we are not ashamed of the gospel. And Paul wanted to see it preached all over the earth as well, which is why though he had every reason to be ashamed. He saw even better reasons to be unashamed and we have those same reasons today. And I can recognize that the temptation and the pressure to be ashamed still hasn't gone away. My wife, Lexi, and I enjoy working out together. And we do a style of workout called CrossFit, which by the way, if you know anybody who does CrossFit, you know that those people are unashamed, that they do CrossFit, which should be obvious because I've already managed to find a way to tell you that that's the way I work out. And this is only my second time preaching here. Unashamed. Anyway, last summer, while Lexi and I were doing our internships here, we joined a gym in the area. And CrossFit is their group workouts. And so you kind of get to know the people that you work out with and you put all your stuff in the same area at the gym before the workout and you kind of talk to each other and things like that. And so after a couple of weeks, I showed up for a workout one afternoon, and I had this water bottle with me. It's a simple water bottle. And the only thing on it is an emblem of what is supposed to be Jesus' face. And it doesn't take a long look.

You don't have to be a Christian to know that that might be Jesus there on the water bottle. And so I have this water bottle with me. I show up to the gym, I'm putting all of my stuff down, and I set down my water bottle with the emblem facing outward toward the rest of the gym. And I notice it, and very quickly I grab it and I turn it around. And I face his face toward the wall. And almost as soon as I turn that water bottle, I heard what Jesus said in Mark 8 and 38 ran across my mind. If anyone is ashamed of me, in my message, in these adulterous and sinful days, the son of man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his father with the holy angels. See, and I think what was happening in that moment was the Holy Spirit was reminding me of the words of Jesus, which Jesus said he would do in John chapter 14 and was convicting me, that I was acting ashamed of the gospel. It did not matter what excuses I had, that I was tired, and that I just wanted to focus on my workout, and I didn't want to have any important conversations that day, or that I didn't want to think anybody thought, I didn't want people to think I was weird for having a water bottle like that, or they didn't want, I didn't want people to ask me any questions.

The Holy Spirit, by the words of Jesus, was revealing the inner realities of my heart. I was acting ashamed of the gospel. Now thankfully, the gospel that I was acting ashamed of is the same gospel that saves. And so I repented, I received forgiveness. I turned my water bottle around, but after that, I knew I never wanted to act ashamed of the gospel again, and neither should you. So that leaves us with a question. How do we know if we're living unashamed? Two questions for us to reflect on this morning. Two questions for us to ask ourselves, first is this, how have you been living it recently? How have you been living it? So you see, the good news about Jesus is not only what he's done, it's also what he taught. And his teachings are good news, because by them, we can walk the narrow road that leads to life. This is why the gospel isn't only something to be taken in, or received, it's something to be walked out. This is why Paul and Galatians two confronts a group of disciples, because they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel. See, part of what it means to grow as a follower of Jesus is to begin to live a life in light of, and in line with the truth of the gospel. And these disciples were ashamed of what living in line with the truth of the gospel

meant for their life, and in particular, how it would make them look to certain people. There are some things that Jesus teaches us to do, or that the gospel compels us to act in line with that are not controversial in the West. In most cases, you are not going to be shamed for extending mercy, or grace, or forgiveness, in most cases. You are not going to get looked down upon for acting with radical generosity. In fact, in our culture, you might be honored for acting with radical generosity. But you may get shamed. You may get looked down upon for holding to the traditional Christian sex ethic that sex is reserved for the marital covenant between a man and a woman, or you may get shamed for accepting the Christian call to be gracious and kind to those who don't share your same sex ethic. Are you embarrassed, ashamed of these things? You see, because the gospel is worth being unashamed of, it is worth asking ourselves this morning, is there an area of my life that is not in line with the teachings of Jesus, or the truth of the gospel, because I am ashamed of the way it might make me look So, how have you been living it? And how have you been sharing it recently? This is a hallmark of knowing what somebody is unashamed of, right? They share about it all the time, almost as if they can't help themselves. I'll never forget one Sunday morning when I was growing up in church.

I was in the fifth grade and I was the preacher's kid at my church and we were in our kids large group worship setting so it's kids and volunteers. And our large group leader, she gets up on stage and she says, you know, I need a volunteer for the game or the skit or something like that. And so we all start raising our hands, right? And we're not talking because you wouldn't get picked if you start talking, but we all have our hands raised in the air and fifth graders, we're in the back of the room. So I'm working to, I mean, I'm working hard to get this hand in the air. I want to get picked and as she surveys the room, she says, I need someone I can trust and in a moment I stood up. You can trust me, I'm the preacher's kid. Now I didn't get picked and I later found out that being a preacher's kid isn't always a sign of trustworthiness, if you know what I mean. But one thing is for sure, I was unashamed and we share about the things we're unashamed of. Often we love to do it boldly, we love to get asked about it. And here's the thing, we have this sad thing going on in Christian culture right now where you can talk about Jesus in the gospel too much. Where people who love to talk about Jesus or who love to talk about what he's done in their lives and always are trying to start those conversations are seen as weird or too religious or super Christian. And listen, I'm guilty of cultivating this type of culture in my own life. I will confess to you that I've purposely steered conversations away from being spiritual because I don't want to be seen as that person that's super religious. I have agreed with others when they have commented on how somebody we know wants to talk about the things in the Bible or the things of the gospel too much. And in the course of writing this sermon, man, I've had to repent. How can you talk about Jesus in the gospel too much? It is God's power to save. It is the greatest news on earth and the people who love to talk about it and the people who

love to have those conversations aren't weird or super Christian, they're just Christians who are unashamed and we ought to be convicted by their witness, not annoyed with it. Now, I know that there are some of us in this room that are thinking right now, I'm not ashamed of the gospel. I'm just unsure about how to share it. So let me share a couple of things with you this morning as we close. First is this, Paul writes to Timothy and 2 Timothy 1 and verse 7, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." This is one of those verses that we love, right? God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, so we can win the super bowl and we can slay our giants and we can do hard things and we can, but notice what Paul tells Timothy right after he tells him about the spirit God has given him, 2 Timothy 1 and verse 8, "So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord." In other words, in light of God giving you not a spirit of fear, but one of power and love and self-control, never be ashamed to share with others about Jesus. Don't be ashamed of the message of the gospel because for some it's going to be hard to swallow, but also don't be afraid of the shame that may come from being rejected or from looking silly or from looking too religious. God has not given you and he hasn't given me a spirit of fear. He's given us a spirit of power so that we can share with others boldly. He's given us a spirit of love so that we can love those who need the gospel more than we love the safety of not taking a risk and he's given us a spirit of self-discipline so that we can share the gospel even on the days when we're not up for it. And when you do share the good news, let me remind you that there is no formula or right way to do it. the power of God for salvation is not in the way that you share it as long as you are being gracious and kind. When you read the letters of the New Testament, you begin to notice that the apostle Paul

uses this language. He says, "My gospel." He calls the gospel his gospel. In fact, he does this twice in his letter to the church in Rome. Once in chapter two and another time in chapter 16, he says, "My gospel," it's his good news. He feels some ownership. And so in one sense, the gospel, the good news about Jesus is the same thing to everyone. It's the same message about who he is and what he's done and what he is doing. And we've all, every single one of us, have been entrusted with this message. And at the same time, the good news about Christ can mean something different to different people. It can be good news for different reason. For example, part of the reason the good news about Christ is so good to me is that I don't have to live for anyone's approval. I can live from his blessing this morning and not for your blessing, which is good news because most of you are probably wishing I was done by now. (congregation laughing) I almost stand. For some of you, the gospel might be, the good news about Jesus to you might be so good because your marriage is restored. The gospel of Jesus Christ might be so good to you because because of Jesus, you've been set free

from any number of addictions or sin patterns. The gospel of Jesus might be such good news to you because someone you love has passed. And because of Jesus, you have hope and confidence that you're gonna see them again one day. See, the good news of Jesus reaches in to every aspect of our lives. And so every aspect of our lives, if we have eyes to see it, can bear witness to the good news about Jesus. It does not have to be complicated. Do not be deceived into making it complicated. Gospel means good news. Why is the gospel of Jesus Christ? Good news to you. Don't be ashamed. Go and share it. Well, as we close this morning, I've asked you a lot of questions today. But give me the chance to ask you one more. Have you ever wondered what Jesus is on a shame death? Hebrews chapter two, 10 and 11. In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy, that's Jesus and those who are made holy, that's you and me are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.

Listen, the scandal of the gospel is that we have given Jesus every reason to be ashamed of us, and yet he thought we were worth being unashamed of. And so we came to the earth. And you went to a Roman cross, a tool used by the Romans, not just for punishment, but for shame. And he bore our sin and shame upon that cross so that today, as he reigns from a throne in heaven, he is unashamed to call us brothers and sisters, even on the days when we are acting ashamed of his gospel. And that is news so good. You should be unashamed of it. So how are you living it? And who can you share it with this week? Would you pray with me? Jesus, your gospel, it really is the best news in the world. There's grace and love that we don't have to earn. There's mercy that's new every morning. There is the opportunity to have guilt and shame and condemnation lifted off our shoulders. There's the chance to cast our burdens upon you. It's all a free gift. That is the best news in the world. And so Lord, forgive us for where we have been ashamed of it. Empower us to be unashamed. Give us the eyes to see the areas of our lives where we are acting ashamed and give us eyes to see those around us who need to hear this gospel. We love you Lord, we pray all this through Christ.