The Basic Mission
Back to the Basics: A First Century Church • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Opening Comments:
Opening Comments:
Please meet me in your copy of God’s Word in Romans 10:9-21. Page # 890 in our church bible.
Today we come to the last sermon in our summer series “Back to Basics: Becoming a First Century Church.” For the last 12 weeks. we’ve been asking:
What does God say the church is supposed to be?
What does God say the church is supposed to be?
We’ve been building that picture using the metaphor of a house.
Christ as the foundation, unity as the framework, leaders as the structure, and inside God gives discipline, preaching, worship, and gifts. Last week we turned on the porch light with our witness.
Today we step to the front door. Because a house with light but no open door is still closed in on itself. People may see the glow, but they cannot come in.
We’re not going to read the whole text at the outset, instead we will work our way through it as we go.
Introduction
Introduction
Romans is Paul’s “magnum opus” about the gospel of God. From the opening chapters he declares that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). But he also proclaims the good news that God justifies sinners by His grace as a gift, through faith in Jesus Christ. In chapter 8 he reaches the mountain peak - nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
But then in chapters 9–11 Paul wrestles with a painful question:
If God has promised salvation through Christ, why have so many of Paul’s own people, Israel, rejected Him?
Did God’s Word fail?
Paul answers, “No.” Israel’s unbelief was real, but it did not cancel God’s plan. In fact, God is using their rejection to fling the door of salvation wide open to the nations.
That’s where Romans 10:9–21 comes in. They show us the very heart of the gospel: how it’s entered, who it’s for, and how it must be carried to the ends of the earth.
Paul brings together both the tragedy of Israel’s unbelief and the triumph of God’s mercy to demonstrate not just the heart of the gospel; but the heartbeat of world missions by laying out five truths about this gospel door.
Together they form what I’m calling The Basic Mission.
A Simple Door. (v.9-10)
An Open Door. (v.11-13)
A Proclaimed Door. (v.14-15)
A Faith Door. (v.16-17)
A Still-Open Door. (v.18-21)
1.) A Simple Door. (v.9-10)
1.) A Simple Door. (v.9-10)
…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord…
A.) Confess- “To say the same thing, to declare openly”
Salvation is not silent. It is not just a private opinion in your heart. It involves confessing with your heart with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.
Confession is both vertical (before God) and Horizontal (before people).
Early Christians expressed this confession in baptism, openly declaring “Jesus is Lord” even when it could cost them their lives. In the Roman Empire, the required confession was “Caesar is Lord.”
To stand and say, “No, Jesus is Lord” was dangerous, but it was the mark of true faith.
…and believe in your heart…
B.) Believe- More than just agreeing with the facts.
James 2:19 reminds us
...Even the demons believe—and shudder!
They believe truth about God, but do not trust Him or love Him.
Saving belief is leaning your whole weight on Christ.
It is like sitting down in a chair — you don’t just look at it and say, “That will hold me.” You put yourself on it.
True faith entrusts your life, your eternity, your hope into Jesus’ hands.
Belief here isn’t casual opinion — it’s active trust.
C.) The resurrection is the hinge of salvation.
And Paul says specifically:
…believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,…
If Jesus remained in the tomb, He would have been just another failed teacher.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
But, Because He lives, He is Savior, Lord, and Judge.
D.) The Result of this kind of belief:
…you will be saved.
Not maybe. Not possibly. Not eventually.
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified (declared righteous before God), and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (giving public witness to the reality of your faith).
Imagine a child on the edge of a swimming pool. Dad is in the water and says, “Jump! I’ll catch you.” The child can know Dad is strong. He can know Dad is loving. But at some point, he must leap.
That’s what it means to believe in your heart and confess with your mouth.
Application: This is the message for the nations. The gospel door is not complicated. It is not bound to one culture. It is not dependent on works. It is confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in His resurrection. That’s the door of salvation.
2.) An Open Door. (v.11-13)
2.) An Open Door. (v.11-13)
A. No Shame for the Believer (v.11)
Paul says,
11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
In the ancient world, shame meant disgrace, dishonor, being cast aside.
But Paul declares that everyone who comes to Christ will never be abandoned by Him.
No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, faith in Christ means you will never stand before God in disgrace.
B. No Distinction Among People (v.12a)
Then Paul continues,
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;…
Those were the great categories of his day. The Jews saw themselves as insiders to God’s covenant; the Greeks were outsiders.
But the gospel makes no such divisions.
11 For God shows no partiality.
The door swings wide to all.
C. Riches for All Who Call (v.12b)
Paul adds,
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
“Bestowing his riches”- to give generously, to pour out from one’s abundance.
God never rations His mercy. He never runs out of grace. He is rich toward all who call on Him.
Ephesians 2:4–7 tells us:
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
D. The Promise Fulfilled in Christ (v.13)
Finally Paul concludes:
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Everyone. Not some. Not most. Everyone who calls.
The door is open and this ancient promise (Joel 2) now finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Imagine a massive stadium with a banner stretched over the gate that reads, “Entrance for All.” Everyone is invited. But when you draw close, you realize there is only one gate — and that gate is Jesus Himself. The invitation is universal, but the way is exclusive.
Application: This is why the church must always face outward. The gospel is for the nations.
This was God’s plan from the start — promised to Abraham (Gen 12), sung about in the Psalms. And Revelation 7:9 gives us the final picture:
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
The gospel door is wide, and God’s plan is global.
3.) A Proclaimed Door. (v.14-15)
3.) A Proclaimed Door. (v.14-15)
Paul lays out a chain of logic that cannot be broken.
A. People cannot call unless they believe (v.14a)
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed…
Salvation begins with calling on the Lord. But no one can call out to a Savior they do not trust.
B. People cannot believe unless they hear (v.14b)
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?…
Faith is not generated in a vacuum. People must hear the message of Christ before they can believe in Him.
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
C. People cannot hear unless someone preaches (v.14c)
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
The gospel spreads through proclamation.
Preach-to proclaim good news, to herald a victory.
This is not limited to a pulpit. It’s any proclamation of Christ: from missionaries in distant lands to ordinary Christians speaking to their neighbors.
D. People cannot preach unless they are sent (v.15a)
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent?…
This is God’s method. He calls, equips, and sends His people.
The church is not merely a house to gather in, it is a launch base to go out from.
E. Beautiful Feet (v.15b)
Paul quotes Isaiah 52:7
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Feet aren’t beautiful in themselves, but when they carry the gospel, they are called beautiful.
Picture a runner in the ancient world bringing news of victory from the battlefield. His feet are exhausted, dusty, even bleeding — yet they are beautiful because they bring life-changing news.
Application: This is why the church exists.
Jesus said,
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…,20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…”
How do we do this?
We pray for laborers (Matt. 9:37–38).
We give so others can go (Phil. 4:15–16).
We go ourselves—across the street, across the world.
The farmer in the field, mother in the park, student in the classroom, the tribes in the Amazon, and the billions across Asia and Africa, will never know unless someone is sent.
If the church closes the door, the nations remain in darkness. The gospel must be proclaimed.
4.) A Faith Door. (v.16-17)
4.) A Faith Door. (v.16-17)
A. Rejection Does Not Cancel the Promise (v.16)
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us? (Isa 53:1)
Unbelief is not a surprise to God. But rejection does not cancel the promise. The gospel is still God’s power to save.
B. Faith Comes by Hearing (v.17a)
Paul then draws the conclusion:
17 So faith comes from hearing,…
Not by watching Christians from a distance. Not by osmosis. Not by absorbing morality.
Faith comes only through hearing the message proclaimed.
C. The Word of Christ (v.17b)
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
This is not vague spirituality. It is the specific word about Christ: His cross, His resurrection, His lordship. Faith is born when people hear the gospel of Jesus.
D. True Faith Produces Obedience
17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Real faith is not empty words. True faith hears, understands, trusts, and surrenders and always shows itself in obedience.
Think of a doctor prescribing life-saving medicine. It’s not enough to hold the prescription and agree the medicine works. You have to take it.
In the same way, faith is receiving and resting in Christ alone.
Application: Our mission is to faithfully proclaim Christ’s Word and trust God to create faith through hearing.
5.) A Still-Open Door. (v.18-21)
5.) A Still-Open Door. (v.18-21)
Paul closes this section by addressing Israel’s rejection by quoting Psalms, Moses and Isaiah:
A. Israel Heard the Message (v.18)
Paul asks,
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:4)
The answer is yes. The message of God had gone out. Israel was not ignorant of His Word.
B. Israel Understood the Warning (v.19)
19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”(Deuteronomy 32:21)
They knew God’s plan extended beyond them; and yet they resisted.
C. The Nations Received the Grace (v.20)
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” (Isaiah 65:1)
God turned to the Gentiles, showing Himself to people who weren’t even asking for Him. This is the wideness of God’s mercy.
D. Israel Resisted God’s Grace (v.21)
Paul concludes with heartbreaking words:
21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” (Isaiah 65:2)
What a picture of grace!
God with arms outstretched, longing to receive His people; yet they resist.
E. God Opened the Door Wider
Israel’s rejection was not the end.
11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.
Israel closed the door, but God opened it wider for the nations.
Application: Rejection is real, but it’s not final. God still holds out His hands. And until Christ returns, the door of salvation remains open to the nations.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Let’s step back and see the house we’ve been building together.
Christ is the foundation.
Unity is the framework.
Elders and deacons provide the structure.
Inside, God gives discipline, preaching, worship, and spiritual gifts so the house is alive and healthy.
The porch light is our witness, shining into the neighborhood around us.
And today, we have come to the front door. The gospel door.
It is a simple door — confess and believe.
It is an open door — for all peoples, every nation.
It is a proclaimed door — for they cannot believe unless we go.
It is a faith door— for faith comes only by hearing the word of Christ.
And it is a still-open door — until Christ returns, His arms are stretched wide to welcome all who will come.
So if you have never entered through this door yourself, today is the day. Confess Jesus as Lord. Believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. Be saved. That is the invitation to you.
But for those of us who are in Christ, hear this clearly: the mission is not finished.
Billions still have little or no access to the gospel; entire nations who have never heard the name of Jesus.
Church, this is why we exist. Not to build our own comfort, but to open wide the door of Christ to the nations.
Invitation
Invitation
So this morning, the invitation is twofold.
If you are not yet saved: come to Christ. The door is open for you. Don’t delay. Step through by faith.
If you are in Christ: commit yourself again to the mission of God.
Pray for the nations.
Give to send the gospel forward.
Be willing to go wherever God might send you.
The front door of the gospel must be flung wide open until the nations are gathered in.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray.
Father, we praise You that in Christ the door of salvation is open. We praise You that it is wide enough for every tribe, tongue, and nation. Thank You that though Israel resisted, Your mercy overflowed to us, and we Gentiles have been welcomed in.
Lord, I pray for any here today who have not yet believed; may they walk through the open door today. Bring them to confess Jesus as Lord and believe in their hearts that He is risen. Save them by Your grace.
And I pray for our church, Lord. Do not let us grow inward. Keep us outward. Keep us on mission. Give us a heart that beats for the nations like Yours does. Raise up missionaries from this very body. Use our prayers, our giving, our going — to hold the gospel door wide until all have heard. Keep us faithful to the mission.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
