Alba 3-27-2022
FAITH COMES BY HEARING
Romans 10:14-21
I have read that there was a movie in which a random group of children were shown a picture of Micky Mouse. Most of them were able to recognize the most prominent of Walt Disney’s cartoon characters.
Then they were shown a picture of Ronald McDonald. All the children knew who he was. Lastly, they were shown the typical picture of “Jesus” that hangs in most Sunday school rooms across the country. None of them Recognized who that picture represented.
Think about it, a silly clown advertising hamburgers and a cartoon mouse are not going to save us. And they are not going to save our kids. Jesus alone is the answer.
That's why the apostle Paul wrote what he did to the Christians in Rome in chapter ten of his letter. We read it in Romans 10:14-21.
He asks, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent?”
Then he says, “As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!'
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:
“Their sound has gone out to all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world.”
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:
“I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation,
I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.”
20 But Isaiah is very bold and says:
“I was found by those who did not seek Me;
I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
21 But to Israel he says: “All day long I have stretched out My hands To a disobedient and contrary people.”
Look at verse seventeen again. It says, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Many people know all about Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald. But what do they know about Jesus? Obviously believing in Jesus is much more than just merely recognizing an artist's depiction of Him.
We need a real Savior! We need someone who can fix people! We need someone who can change hearts! We need someone who can give hope and encouragement that there is a better way to live, and there is power to help us live that way.
That one, that Savior, is Jesus. So Paul outlines how a person comes to a knowledge of and faith in Jesus. The first is...
1. The Word Must be Proclaimed (How shall they hear without a preacher)
A story has been told that Jesus went back to heaven and was greeted by the angels. They rejoice and praise Him for His victory over sin and Satan. And then they ask, “Now what, Lord? Who will bring the message of your grace to the world?”
Jesus proceeded to tell them about a small group of common men and women – tax collectors, fishermen, farmers, widows, some poor and homeless. He said, “I’ve appointed these to spread the gospel to others who would spread it to still others.”
The angels began to talk about this among themselves. Then one, with a worried look, turned to Jesus, and said, “Lord, what if they fail? What’s your backup plan?”
Jesus simply smiled and said, “I have no other plan.”
So, the Lord has a plan to save people. But notice that He plans to use people as His tellers or messengers to speak His eternal word.
God uses people like you and me to tell others that there is hope for forgiveness. There is hope for redemption. There is hope for deliverance. There is hope for healing! There is hope for freedom! There is good news that needs to be told!
And the scripture says how beautiful the feet of those who bring it!
Think of that. We usually don't describe feet as beautiful. Dusty, stinky, twisted, crooked often seem to be more fitting adjectives to describe feet.
But that's just how wonderful this Good News is! Even the feet of those who bring it seem beautiful.
God works through ordinary folks. People like you and me. God uses ordinary feet, and makes them extraordinary—even beautiful when we use them for the purpose of spreading the Good News!!!
There is a story about Leonardo da Vinci that he had once worked on a great masterpiece for a long period of time. There was a young student standing next to him as da Vinci worked, and the student watched the master work as the painting evolved in front of him.
The student was awed by da Vinci’s technique, and had been observing him in hopes of picking up some of the master’s skill.
Just before finishing the painting, da Vinci turned to the student and gave him the brush saying “Now, you finish it.”
The student backed away and protested that he wouldn’t dream of touching the Master’s work. But da Vinci said, “Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?”
God has stepped back and handed us the brush. The Lord believes that we are capable of telling others about Jesus. He believes we are capable of telling others the “good news”.... “The Good news”.
The news we often receive from the reporters and news anchors of the world cause us to fear, leave us with less hope than we had before we heard it, and certainly can bring on a growing anxiety.
Our little church ought to be a launching pad for the Good News. People should say, “That’s the good news bunch!” when they think about our church.
Jesus gave the church what we call the Great Commission, saying “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”
That is our commission. Our Lord has chosen us as His people to, as it says in 1 Peter 2:9, "proclaim the praises of Him who called (us) out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
So if faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, we have responsibility to proclaim the Word. But, if it is only proclaimed, but not heard, there is no benefit. So...
2. The Word Must be Heard (Faith comes by hearing)
This is the message that people need to hear! It’s through the Word of God that we learn what we must do to be saved. People need to hear that God sent His Son Jesus to the cross to die for us.
They need to hear about the crucifixion of Jesus and His resurrection, to believe in Him, to repent of our sins, to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, and be baptized into Him, cleansed by His shed blood.
At the heart of the Gospel is the truth that Jesus Himself said: He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Apostle Peter in Acts 4:12 spoke these words: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
We want people to hear the truth. The truth that Jesus died on the cross to pay their sin's penalty, the truth that He rose triumphant from the grave and ascended to Heaven.
The truth that one day He will return. The truth that we are assured of a place in Heaven because of what Jesus has done, if we are His.
I heard about a man named Lamak. Lamak was born into a wealthy, powerful Muslim family in South Asia. His family’s reputation put pressure on him to live like a Muslim.
Everything changed when Lamak turned his life over to Jesus Christ while working in Singapore. When he returned home four years later, he accepted the risks of living out his faith.
Despite the danger, Lamak shared Jesus with his family. His father-in-law reacted violently. He strapped Lamak to a chair and pumped volts of electricity into his arms. He tried to force Lamak to denounce his faith in Christ. Lamak refused.
Though scars remain on Lamak’s arms as a result of this torture, he uses his wounds to share his testimony with others. He now works with short-term mission workers, and has helped plant 32 churches and has baptized 500 Muslim believers.
But Lamak would never have had the opportunity to do so much for Christ had he never heard the Gospel and turned his life over to Jesus Christ.
It is God's Word that makes the difference. When it is proclaimed, and when it is heard, really heard, it changes lives.
If the plain Gospel is offensive to someone, then there is nothing we can do about it. The fact is that sometimes the truth hurts. We still must share the Gospel with those people.
But when we are communicating the Gospel we must be sensitive to the person. 1 Peter 3:15-16 reminds us to, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (NIV)
That is because our goal is that people truly “hear” the Word of God in a way that impacts their hearts. It is when that occurs, that people come to faith. So...
The Word Must be Believed
John 3:16 reveals how much God loves people on this earth. He sent His only Son to die a cruel death upon the cross so that every human being could live with Him forever.
A sinner may go to hell unsaved, but he will not go to hell unloved. Out of a sacrificial love, God pleads for man-kind to believe and obey His Son so they can be saved.
In verse 13 of this chapter we are told that those who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. For someone to be able to call on Jesus as Lord, they have to be a believer. They have to believe in Jesus as Lord!
After all, if they don’t believe, how can they call out to Jesus as their Lord? The same goes for confessing Jesus as Savior.
Why would anyone confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior if they did not believe Him to be Lord… it just doesn’t happen! Ultimately we want people to believe in Jesus, and to be obedient to Him.
In this chapter, the apostle Paul addresses why many Israelites were not saved. Like so many people today, the Jews had rejected God's plan to save the world.
They had rejected Jesus as the Messiah basically because they had rejected God's Word. Verse 18 asks, “Have they not heard?” and answers “Yes indeed.” They heard, but they did not believe.
When Galileo was summoned before the Roman Catholic inquisition for teaching that the earth revolved around the sun rather than the sun around the earth, he was charged with heresy.
When he offered to demonstrate his findings by having them look through his telescope, they refused. Their minds were already made up, and they refused even to consider evidence to the contrary.
With that same obstinacy most of Israel has refused even to consider Jesus or the claims of the gospel. Consequently, they have failed to find God-Jesus Christ, and saving faith.
For faith to be produced, there must be a hearing and a response to the Word of God, specifically the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And yet concerning Israel, God has been gracious in spite of the disobedience. Verse 21 quotes from Isaiah 65:2 “to Israel he says:
“All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
Even when we are disobedient, or even obstinate, God still calls out to us. He still desires for all of us to turn to Him and to seek Him out in all things.
And verse 20 gives us assurance that no matter who we are, Jew and Gentile alike are invited to the faith that comes from hearing the Word of God and results in salvation.
It says, “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
This shows us that God's salvation is for all people! The nation of Israel is God's chosen, but He has extended that ‘choosing’ to all of His creation through His Son Jesus Christ!
So what is the conclusion to what we read in these verses?
1. People need to call on the Lord
2. People need to believe the Good News
3. People need to hear the Good News
4. Someone needs to tell them the Good News
Will that be you?
CONCLUSION:
Two strangely connected events occurred in 1865 that greatly impact American lives even today
General William Booth founded the Salvation Army. And now millions are fed, clothed and given shelter in the name of Jesus. As Booth proclaimed "A heart to God and a hand to man".
The other event involved another man named Booth (who some think was a distant cousin to William). His name was John Wilkes Booth who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.
One cousin blessed a nation, the other cursed it.
The Gospel makes a difference.
Without the truth of the gospel this world is lost! This world will remain lost unless there are feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace that bring the good news.
The Gospel, this good news, God's Word, is the needed ingredient that has the power to change the lives of millions. Because life changing faith comes by hearing and believing God's Word.
