Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Attention - Podophobia is an extreme and unrealistic fear of feet.

Have you ever gotten a pedicure?

Need -

Textual Idea: Paul continues his teaching to the church at Rome.

His focus in this chapter is the human side of salvation.

Specifically, in verses 14-17 he is focusing on the Jews rejection of the gospel.

As we read through this passage you will notice some verses that have traditionally been preached to motivate missions.

And this isn’t necessarily a wrong application.

However, first and foremost, Paul is addressing God’s faithfulness in communicating the truth of the gospel to the Jews.

However, the Jews, en mass, rejected the gospel.

And this is the point of Paul’s teaching here.

There is a reason Paul is teaching this to the Church at Rome.

Do you think there is anything we, the church today can learn?

I do!

God sent true believers to the Jewish nation to communicate the reality of Messiah.

And it was the true believers that truly responded to the preaching of this beautiful message.

What is the principle for us?

Main Idea: True Believers Have Truly Beautiful Feet - The verbal communication of the gospel is of the utmost importance in order for people to be rescued from the wrath of God - And God wants to use you!

God sent prophets to the nation of Israel who faithfully proclaimed the truth to them only to have them reject it.

They, the prophets, had beautiful feet!

And guess what, friends!

God does not have Podophobia!

No, instead he LOVES BEAUTIFUL FEET! Feet that carry the good news of the gospel.

So this passage should cause you to ask the question about yourself - Do I have beautiful feet!

There are three truly beautiful things I want you to see in this passage.

A truly beautiful process, announcement, and word.

1.

A Truly Beautiful Process - You Must Go and Preach so Unbelievers can Hear, Believe, and Call on the Lord to be Saved.

(vs.

14-15a)

Paul is expanding on the concept of call in verse 13.

Verse 14-15a speak to the process of the call and the importance of the believer bringing the message (the word of Christ) so that the unbelieving can HEAR, BELIEVE, CALL, AND THUS BE SAVED.

Please notice the four questions that Paul lays out for the church at Rome.

Did you see the rhetorical questions Paul lists out for us?

I’d like to reverse their order as we analyze them.

And as you look at this order you can understand that just as he sent the prophets, Jesus.

and the Apostles, so he sends you.

You Are Sent To Preach - What is “sent?” the sense of “to dispatch.”

What is “preaching/preach?” the sense of “to announce/to herald.”

You Must Preach So They Can Hear - What is “heard/hear?” the sense of “to learn.”

They Must Hear So They Can Believe - What is “believe/belief?”

Belief and faith are the same greek word.

the sense is “to trust.”

They Must Believe So They Can Call on the Lord for Rescue - “To Call On as to Ask for Help - To ask someone for help is conceptualized as calling on that person.”

- LFLBG The sense is “to invoke.”

This is the Lord’s process.

Do you know what we typically do with a passage like this?

We use it at a Missions Conference to inspire people to consider global missions.

Do you think that was Paul’s intent when he penned these words?

I don’t think that was his direct intent with this passage.

It certainly can be applied in this way, but I think it is much more robust that only global missions.

As I said, God sent people/prophets to reach the Jewish nation that the messiah was coming.

He even sent His own son, who was a son of the jewish nation to rescue them.

What did they do?

They rejected the prophets and they rejected Jesus.

Do you see?

Over and over God’s people rejected God’s beutuful process.

Over and over God, through his prophets call his people to repentance.

And yet they killed the prophets and they killed the son as well.

After the resurrection, the mandate from the Lord to his disciples became clear.

Friends, you and I not only the recipients of the disciples faithfully following this process - because they did, you are now saved - but you hold the same responsibility that they held.

This isn’t about global missions this is about disciples reaching people with the gospel all over the globe!

In other words, we are to be doing the very same thing here that Nathan Muse is doing in Australia!

That Kaelynn was doing in South Korea!

That Larry and Donna Salisbury are doing in Thailand.

That the Lanes are doing in Haiti!

Do you understand your part of God’s beautiful process?

You are sent to preach (announce) - Your job is a means to enable you to announce that Jesus Christ saves.

Explain...

You are to preach with clarity so they can hear (understand) - Are you?

Do you know how? Do you want to learn?

I want to teach you.

And the other part of the process is for those here that have not come to a saving faith in Jesus.

You are lost in your sin and in need of redemption.

What your responsibility?

You must have ears to hear.

You must believe and CALL on the NAME of Jesus and be saved!

Have you hear?

Do you believe?

Have you called on the ONLY NAME under heaven by which you can be saved?

Today is a great day to do this.

Review - True Believers Have Truly Beautiful Feet

A Truly Beautiful Process

2. A Truly Beautiful Announcement - You Are the Vehicle for God’s Redemptive Message (vs.

15b-16)

Paul quotes Isaiah 52:7 that talks about “beautiful feet.”

Why does he use this metaphorical imagery?

Is there any significance to this imagery?

“The part of the body associated with moving and with foundation, direction and chosen path.

Feet may symbolize the response to God’s direction.”

- Logos Factbook

Preaching The Good News in the Old Testament - Two perspectives to consider (Isaiah’s meaning and Paul meaning behind usage) Paul quotes Isaiah’s Announcement regarding the good news to the Jewish Nation regarding their release from captivity to demonstrate that God is pleased with people who preach the good news.

Paul quotes Isa 52:7, which refers to those who announce the good news that the exiled people of Israel will be able to return to their own land.

Paul applies the verse to Christian preachers, who proclaim the ultimate “good news” about God’s intervention on behalf of all people in Christ (1:16).

By the way, do you see any parallels with our predicament as humans?

Just like the Jews were exiled in a foreign land and longed for freedom, so you and I were exiled in the foreign land of sin without any hope of obtaining freedom.

However, someone with beautiful feet came along with some very good news that we listened to, believed and then called on the Lord who was the only one that could deliver us from our exiled predicament!

You Preach Regardless if They Obey - The Jewish Nation, even though they had consistent, powerful witnesses throughout the ages still rejected the message of a coming Messiah.

This is Paul’s point in verse 16 as he quotes Isaiah 53:1

Paul’s point in quoting this passage in Isaiah is to prove that not all will believe the gospel message.