The Quest For Beautiful Feet

Title: The Quest For Beautiful Feet

Text: Romans 10:13-15

Theme: Our commission is to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

Introduction

Illustration: Unnecessarily Blind

A woman named Rose Crawford had been blind for 50 years. "I just can’t believe it!" she gasped as the doctor lifted the bandages from her eyes after her recovery from delicate surgery in an Ontario hospital. She wept for joy when for the first time in her life a dazzling and beautiful world of form and color greeted eyes that now were able to see.

The amazing thing about the story, however, is that 20 years of her blindness had been unnecessary. She didn’t know that surgical techniques had been developed, and that an operation could have restored her vision at the age of 30. The doctor said, "She just figured there was nothing that could be done about her condition. Much of her life could have been different."

As I consider this story, some questions come to mind. Why did she continue to assume that her situation was hopeless? Had no one told her about the wonderful advances in eye surgery?

And what of plight of those unreached by the Gospel. How many will go on living in moral blindness unless we bring them to the Savior? Millions will never know anything but spiritual darkness because no one has shared with them the Light that has come into the world. (Source unknown)

Romans 10:13-15

13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

14 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? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

I. A COMMITMENT TO SAVE THE LOST.

Romans 10:13

13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

2 Peter 3:9

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

II. A CHALLENGE TO REACH THE LOST.

Romans 10:14

14 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?

Illustration: The Definition Of Ministry

Ministry is…

Ø giving when you feel like keeping,

Ø praying for others when you need to be prayed for,

Ø feeding others when your own soul is hungry,

Ø living truth before people even when you can’t see results,

Ø hurting with other people even when your own hurt can’t be spoken,

Ø keeping your word even when it is not convenient,

Ø it is being faithful when your flesh wants to run away.

(John A. Holt, Leadership, Vol. 10, no. 1.)

A. A Lost Soul Must Believe Before They Can Call.

Romans 10:9-10

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

B. A Lost Soul Must Hear Before They Can Believe.

Acts 19:1-2

1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit."

C. A Preacher Must Proclaim So A Lost Soul Can Hear.

Romans 10:17

17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Illustration: “Preacher” Means Everyone

When I Say "PREACHER," what mental picture comes to mind? Most of us just saw the same thing, yet in the light of the entire New Testament, that image would be correct in only six instances. Watch this...

The meaning of preaching can be learned from four Greek words used in the New Testament that when translated mean "to preach."

1. Kerusso (kay-roos’-so); of uncertain affinity; to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel). This is the public proclamation of the gospel.

2. Euaggelizo (yoo-ang-ghel-id’-zo); from NT:2095 and NT:32; to announce good news ("evangelize") especially the gospel. From this word, we get terms like evangelist and evangelism (Matthew 11:5; Hebrews 4:2).

3. Kataggello (kat-ang-gel’-lo); from NT:2596 and the base of NT:32; to proclaim, promulgate. This word means to tell thoroughly (Colossians 1:28).