Hearing In Faith

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We must hear the gospel with the intent to understand.

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Romans 10:17 KJV 1900
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10 is a continuation of Paul expressing his deep concern for his Jewish brethren that have rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ while highlighting the goodness and mercy’s of God. Romans 9 starts by Paul saying he has “great sorrow and continual grief in his heart” for his brethren, the Israelite people. He explains that, it was God who had given these people the divine oracles, the great covenant and law, the glorious tabernacle, and the services of that tabernacle(9:4). Yet in all this, many had rejected the Christ that was at the center of all the God-given gifts they had recieved. Instead of understanding, this all lead to Christ, it became a stumbling block to them.

Zeal Without Knowledge

1. Here in Romans 10, Paul says Romans 10:2 “2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.”
Paul gives us some insight into those who have an intense desire or zeal towards God, but the zeal is in vain if the knowledge is lacking. The leaders of that day went about preaching, teaching, and working among the people in the name of God. The common Jew was trained day and night in the ways of God from birth, yet all their training left them without Godly knowledge, which changed their salvation into reckless ignorance even though they were hearing the word of God, they had not believed from the heart.
Luke 11:52 “52 “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.””
These lawyers were the ones entrusted with expounding the truth of God to the people but they had taken away the peoples ability to understand God because they themselves were more concerned with their own knowledge and righteousness than the knowledge of God. They themselves did not understand, and anyone who came against what they said, were stamped out quickly.
Knowledge in Luke refers to the “faculty of knowing” or “insight”. In that the scribes robbed people of seeing the righteousness of God in the law by using that law to try and establish their own righteousness rather than directing them to have faith in God.
But in Romans 10:2 knowledge refers to clear, authentic and exact knowledge — not simply head knowledge. They stumbled because of their own doctrine and became a group of blind people leading other blind people.
2. No doubt, the challenge Paul faced was persuading men that their belief was right — There is only one righteous God — but their understanding and knowledge of His righteousness was completely wrong.
Paul was in no way denying their zeal, but said what they believed was in direct contradiction to the righteousness of God that they were proclaiming.
They had replaced faith in God for faith in their own abilities to please God.
Because of their ignorance, they began to justify themselves by works of the law. But the law was a representative and Jesus Christ was the one being represented. This was the righteousness of God, looking forward to when God would be manifest in the flesh. This is what the lawyers should have been proclaiming — that the law is a foreshadow of the Messiah, but they had lock that knowledge away — making men twice the child of Hell as they were before according to Matthew 23:15. However, there were some — who did not go along with the self-righteous salvation.
Today, We are surrounded by people who have a certain zeal for God but they go about it their own way — not Gods way. They believe in God, many will even confess to be Christians but they follow God according to their own rules saying “God judges the heart” they do this trying to establish their own righteousness as if their heart was continually righteous and able to stand blameless before the Holy God — this is also the reason we need a zeal according to knowledge because the knowledge of God tells us that our heart is deceitfully wicked above all else.
Maybe they will say they have a relationship with God — so they feel saved.
Cain had a relationship with God, he spoke with God several times, but God rejected his offering. The works of his hands did not match his heart and he killed his brother. The New Testament labels his life as “a wicked way” that we should not follow.
King Saul had a relationship with God. He was anointed to be the very first king Israel ever had. He fought for Israel against the Philistines and Amalekites. He even worshiped and built alters unto God — But he disobeyed God and instead, tried serving God his own way, in-turn, he was tormented by evil spirits, was rejected by God, and in the end his sons were killed fighting the same Philistines that he was once victorious over — and Saul would take his life with his own sword, abandoned by God.
In our life, we must have a consistent zeal towards God and our knowledge must come from God because to have a zeal without knowledge will always end in self-righteousness. And that knowledge is that the “Just shall live by faith in God (Romans 1:17)” — not in ones own ability.
Transition: Here in Romans 10, Paul continues pouring his heart out about his brethren.

Faith Comes By Hearing

Romans 10:16–17 KJV 1900
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
1. Paul begins to explain the fact that, while they have had every opportunity to hear the gospel, they have not believed nor obeyed it.
There is a major link here between V. 16 and V.17 with the words “report” and “hearing”. [Awk-way] which means to hear someone with an emphasis on gaining an accurate understanding of what is being spoken. Here Paul tells us in order to build faith one must hear the word of God.
Now, we know that faith is a gift from God and every man is given a measure of faith. — Air is also a gift but you must breath it in. Bread is a gift from God but you must eat it for it to be useful to you. What do i mean? — If you waiting for some miraculous event to take place to where your faith is mystically grown in a moment… that is not faith, that is emotion and emotions waver. Paul tells us Faith comes by the word of God, that is where faith comes from. Your faith will not grow by sitting and waiting for faith to pour on you like rainfall but faith comes when you simply take God at His word — no strings attached. We must listen and read His word with the unwavering intention to understand.
2. And here we begin to understand the need for preachers, teachers and ministers of the gospel.
Romans 10:14 KJV 1900
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?
Paul is telling us that Hearing the words of Christ are essential for one to believe and develop faith in Christ.
Sometimes we can put it off on God for lack of “hearers” but the truth of the matter is, we have been placed here as the hands and the feet of Jesus, we are the body of Christ — sent out into all the world by his authority.
How can they call upon the Lord if they don’t believe — how can they believe if they have never heard the gospel — and how can they believe the gospel if there is no one to tell it to them?
3. The conversion of a soul, is going to require a preacher. We see this in the very life of Paul himself.
In Acts 9, He was traveling down the road of Damascus on a mission to execute the disciples of the Lord when he was struck down by a light from heaven saying “Saul, Saul, Why are you persecuting me?” After a short conversation with Jesus he was told to enter the city of Damascus and there he would be told what to do. Saul, who was now blind due to the light, was lead into the city by those who had accompanied him where he was met by a man by the name of Ananias.
It was here that Paul had his conversion experience as Ananias prayed from him to receive his sight, baptized him, and prayed him through to the Holy Ghost. Now, this man that had entered the city blind could now not only see physically — but spiritually because he believed the words of a preacher that God had sent to him.
He had believe and confessed Jesus Christ which is the outward and inward example of conformity to Gods word. Paul heard the word of the Lord from the mouth of Ananias and because of the faith that was instilled by hearing the word of the Lord — Paul became the most prolific writer in the New Testament.

Faith Unto Obedience

For someone hearing us speak about faith for the first time — it can be a little confusing. ‘What are you talking about’ ‘what is faith — what does that mean’. To put it very simply faith is trust, believing to the point of complete trust. Faith is not stepping out on to nothing and hoping for the best — faith is believing when you take that step, God is already there even when you can’t see him.
This is why we stand up here every week and proclaim the word of God. — To the seasoned saints it is still encouraging to hear the word of God even after walking with him for 30 or 40 years. And to the ones who have never placed their faith in Jesus Christ we strive to activate your faith by the preaching of the word of God that you might believe unto salvation.
Where do you stand today? Are you a soldier in the army and you’ve come here today to build your faith? Are you someone who once served God but let your faith dwindle to nothing? Maybe your someone who has never believed — Do you believe today — or will you become like the Jewish people of Paul’s saying ‘i refuse the Christ’ or ‘I don’t want to believe because then i would have to change my life’.
1. The Reward
I tell you today — there is a great reward to those who hear and obey the word of the Lord but there is also a reward for those who turn away from the salvation of God — to those who do not believe our report as Isaiah says. They will harvest just what they have planted, unrighteousness — anger — bitterness — hatred — strife — pain — suffering — which end in death.
2 Thessalonians 1:8–9 KJV 1900
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
What an awful day it would be to stand before the Lamb of God on judgment day and have to explain that you heard his message — you heard about his birth — you heard about his life — you heard about the beating he took for you — you heard about the crown of thorns that were placed in his head — you heard about the nails that were driven into his hands and his feet. Imagine standing before the one who did all this for you — then telling him ‘i didn’t care about the blood you shed’ ‘I didn’t care that you defeated death and rose on the third day’ — ‘I didn’t care that you loved me’. What a dreadful day that would be — what a hopeless day that would be.
Imagine standing before the face of the one who loved you, and reached for you, and bled for you. As his eyes look at you in great sorrow. Time after time in this life he stretched his hand out toward you saying ‘give your troubled to me, i can bare them’ — ‘All your pain, i know what it’s like, let me carry that for you’ — ‘I know your sins are great, but my blood is greater’ — ‘Come unto me’.
But you just didn’t have the time and now your time has ran out. As you see that gentle lamb that was broken and bruised for your healing turn into the lion of the tribe of Judah to meed out the wrath of God on all unrighteousness.
What a hopeless day that will be as the hand of the mighty angel grabs you without any notice and case you into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. A fire that is never quenched — A place of eternal unrest — A place of pure hopelessness — A place so terrible that even Satan himself is tormented there. What a hopeless day that would be if you find yourself there.
2. The call
But once again today, Jesus extends his great hand of mercy and invites us to come unto him. He gives us away to escape all the powers of Satan. Because that lake of fire is not where you are suppose to be, that is not Gods desire for you. God loves you and wants to spend eternity with you.
Romans 10:10–11 NKJV
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
He has given us a great escape where he will take all of our guilt, all of our pain, and all of our shame, and all of our sin and cast it into the sea of forgetfulness. He does this when one obeys the gospel. By Faith, you are able to repent of your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of every sin you have ever committed. The power that sin once held over you — is no longer. Because the blood of the Lamb is able to overcome all that Satan had planned. But Jesus did not just leave it there. He promised a comforter, the Holy Ghost and Peter said “This Promise is to everyone near or far, young or old, then or now… This promise is unto you”
Do you know him today? If you don’t, would you like to — because i know he desires to know you.
Do you already know him today? Would you like to draw closer to him today?
Where is your faith today? Will you put action with your faith?

We must believe

We have been made partakers of the goodness of God. We have experienced his love and His mercy but we must remember that Satan is always working to destroy the faith of the saints. Just like the Israelites who had heard the word (10:18) and had know the word (10:19) — there came a point where their treasure was taken away. Where faith once lived, the enemy had chipped away until all that was left was a people who had forsaken the kingdom of God — in order to build their own kingdoms.
Satan is not a in-your-face kind of adversary — Satan is a deceiver. He is crafty in his plan and well practiced in its application. He knows he dons’t have to get you out of church in one day… he just needs your belief to begin to morph into unbelief. ‘Is what that preacher saying really true”. “Do i really need to have a pastor”. “I have the Holy Ghost — i can do this by myself”. He is sly in that he will use humans natural desire to ask questions but turn them from questions in search of a godly answer into a root of doubt.
The scriptures have good reason to say Hebrews 10:25 “25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
It is in the ‘assembling together’ that we have the ability to stir up love and good works. It is here we become a community of believers rather than a lone ranger. It’s here we can hear the word of God go forth in power and demonstration allowing our faith in God to come into being — grow — flourish — and overflow into someone else.
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