Evangelism and the Local Church
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Evangelism and the Local Church
Evangelism and the Local Church
Call to Worship Text - Psalm 96
Call to Worship Text - Psalm 96
1 O sing unto the Lord a new song:
Sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing unto the Lord, bless his name;
Shew forth his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the heathen,
His wonders among all people.
4 For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised:
He is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols:
But the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honour and majesty are before him:
Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
8 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name:
Bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:
Fear before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth:
The world also shall be established that it shall not be moved:
He shall judge the people righteously.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein:
Then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice
13 Before the Lord: for he cometh,
For he cometh to judge the earth:
He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the people with his truth.
Text - Romans 10:13-17
Text - Romans 10:13-17
13 For whosoever shall call upon 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, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 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.
Introduction
Introduction
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Many of us can quote Romans 10:13 in our sleep. But most are unaware that Paul is quoting Joel 2:32 in this passage that says,
32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.
God has promised deliverance. God has provided deliverance. And he is calling to himself a particular people of every nation, tribe, and tongue as Revelation 7:9 reveals. Here, the apostle is relating the promise of God made through Joel to his day and it is still relevant to ours. The declaration is simple, but powerful. The word, “whoever/whosoever” in Romans 10:13 is conditional. Not everyone will be saved. Not everyone is called. But everyone who comes to Christ does so by calling on the name of the Lord. That does not mean a sinner’s prayer. It means trusting Christ by faith and acknowledging him as Lord as Romans 10:9 says.
How do people come to the knowledge of Christ and the gospel?
The Importance of the Evangelist
The Importance of the Evangelist
…through evangelism.
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?
God uses means. Salvation requires calling, calling requires faith, faith requires hearing, and hearing requires a preacher. This sequence emphasizes human responsibility in the process. The preacher becomes God’s instrument to draw sinners to himself.
Now, let’s focus on the word, “preacher”. Too many limit that to the role of elder, bishop, or pastor. But that is not at all what is being stated there. Evangelists are not limited to pastors or elders. The word preacher is not a noun. It is the Greek verb “κηρύσσοντος”. It means to preach or to proclaim. Every single believer is called to proclaim the gospel. That is the very definition of an evangelist — one who proclaims good news.
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
κήρυξον τὸν λόγον, ἐπίστηθι εὐκαίρως ἀκαίρως, ἔλεγξον, ⸉ἐπιτίμησον, παρακάλεσον⸊, ἐν πάσῃ μακροθυμίᾳ καὶ διδαχῇ.
You have good news. I am not the only one with it. I’m not the only one qualified or equipped to do it. Everyone who knows and believes the gospel has an ethical responsibility and a Biblical command to share the good news, the gospel of Christ.
The Evangelist is to Glorify God Alone
The Evangelist is to Glorify God Alone
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
As important as the evangelist is in the spreading of the gospel, the evangelist is not the message. We are merely the messengers. We are heralds. We have been sent. We have been commanded. We are but slaves to our Master who is Lord and Christ. It is not about us. It is all about him.
We have not sent ourselves. We have been sent.
Here is another verse that Paul pulls from the Jewish scriptures. He is quoting Isaiah 52:7
7 How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
I mentioned this past Wednesday how that I will often sign the letters SDG after my name. In Latin, it stands for Soli Deo Gloria. That means glory to God alone. If the feet of those who proclaim good news are beautiful, may it be the beauty of Christ that is reflected. May we go in the power of the Holy Spirit. May we proclaim the gospel of Christ in the power of Christ for the glory of Christ alone.
The Sovereignty of God in Salvation
The Sovereignty of God in Salvation
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
Here, Paul quotes Isaiah 53:1
1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?
Paul presents the heartbreaking truth that not everyone who hears the gospel believes the gospel. This is not the result of your not trying hard enough. It is not the result of your ability to present the gospel in an appealing way. It does not mean that you should have begged and pleaded more fervently.
You are the messenger. You are not the one who does the saving. One sows the seed of the gospel. Another waters that seed. But only God gives the increase. Understand that God’s word will not return void. Your witness; your proclaiming the gospel has a 100% success rate everytime you engage. When you faithfully present the gospel, it has its intended effect. What is that effect? There are multiple:
God is glorified by your faithfulness and by the spreading of the gospel.
To those who believe the gospel, God is glorified in their salvation.
To those who reject the gospel, God will be glorified in his righteous judgment in the Last Day.
Faith Comes By Hearing
Faith Comes By Hearing
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
This verse wraps this section neatly in a powerful statement: faith comes by hearing. You cannot believe in something you haven’t heard about. You cannot come to Christ by faith if you never hear of Christ.
But there is another important fact in this statement. Hearing comes by the word of God. What brings people to saving faith in Christ? At the end of the day, it is not a drawn out invitation that produces faith. It is not 14 verses of Just As I Am. It is not a teary eyed, heart breaking illustration. It is not how scary I can make hell seem. It is not about how lovely I can make heaven seem. None of this produces faith. Faith is produced by hearing of the word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit to remove that heart of stone that hates God and give a heart of flesh that is tender and open to the gospel. And so the Spirit, working with the hearing of the word, lovingly draws the sinner to the cross where he sees himself as a hopeless rebel God-hating sinner who, if he turns to Christ, will find a greater savior than he is a sinner.
Application
Application
If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.
— Charles H. Spurgeon
