I Am Not Ashamed: Beautiful Feet

I Am Not Ashamed: Beautiful Feet

Text: Romans 10:13-21

Theme: The gospel is for "whosoever". Christians must preach it everywhere.

Date: 11/13/2016 File name: Romans_2016_31.wpd ID Number: 229

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (v. 13). Could the gospel message be any clearer than this? Where, within the compass of one short verse, can be found a better statement of the scope, the simplicity, and the substance of the gospel?

I. THE GOSPEL IS FOR EVERYONE

“for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13, NIV84)

A. THE SCOPE OF THE GOSPEL

1. the gospel is for whosoever

a. whosoever means anyone, and everyone can call upon the name of the Lord

1) Jew or Gentile can call upon the name of the Lord,

2) the young and the old can call upon the name of the Lord

3) the enslaved and the free can call upon the name of the Lord

4) the rich and the poor can call upon the name of the Lord

5) the cultured and the crude can call upon the name of the Lord

2. anyone can call upon the name of the Lord

a. the reach of the Gospel is not limited

B. THE SIMPLICITY OF THE GOSPEL

1. salvation is as simple as falling off the proverbial log

2. Paul tells us that salvation comes when one "calls upon the name of the Lord"

3. this harkens back to what he has just written to us in Romans 10:9-10

a. if the sinner will openly, unashamedly confess that "Jesus is Lord", and "believe in their heart that God has raised him from the dead" that person will be saved—they will be made righteous in God’s site because of the shed blood of Jesus

C. THE SUBSTANCE OF THE GOSPEL

1. the result of believing and confessing is that they "shall be saved"

a. to be saved is to be delivered from the power of sin and death

“He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,” (2 Corinthians 1:10, NIV84)

b. notice in that verse that our deliverance is past, present, and future

2. The Gospel Is for Everyone, and that means it’s for you if you’ve not yet been saved

II. THE GOSPEL IS OUR ASSIGNMENT TO SHARE

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14, NIV84)

1. most pastors like this verse—it justifies our existence

2. at the same time, I am under no illusion of what people think about preachers

a. we live in culture that finds preaching utterly ridiculous, and increasingly superfluous

b. I’m familiar with the general opinions people have toward preaching

1) it’s generally too long

2) it’s generally too boring

3) it’s generally full of too many personal opinions

4) it’s generally too judgmental

5) it’s usually a waste of one’s time

6) it’s usually irrelevant

ILLUS. An anonymous church goer of another time penned ...

I never see my preacher’s eyes

Tho’ they with light may shine—

For when he prays he closes his,

And when he preaches, I closes mine!

c. yet God still uses the preaching of his Word—an oral event—to edify the church, encourage the saints, and engage the lost

3. Paul tells us that it is through the foolishness of preaching that people will enter the Kingdom of God

a. the last clause in verse 14 is, And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

ILLUS. Imagine if the Apostle Paul could have been interviewed by TIME magazine or the New York Times newspaper 2,000 years ago:

Reporter, “So tell me, do you prefer Saul of Tarsus, or Paul the Apostle?”

Paul, “Just call me Paul. Or a ‘servant of the Lord Jesus Christ’ would be fine, too.”

Reporter, “OK. Paul. Christianity is a new religion that is taking the culture by storm. Can you tell us what your strategy is for reaching the Roman Empire? What’s your big weapon? Why are so many converting?”

Paul, “Our strategy is stand up in the Jewish Synagogue, and the Gentile market place, and preach about Jesus.”

Reporter, staring blankly, “That’s it? That’s your big plan? That’s your secret for changing the world?”

Paul, “Yep.”

b. and that plan has not changed, because it’s a God-ordained plan

4. and if you think preaching is a strange way to change the world, the message of our preaching is even stranger

“For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” (1 Corinthians 1:21, NIV84)

a. if you read closely, it’s not the foolishness of preaching that the Apostle refers to in

1 Cor. 1:21, but the foolishness of what is preached

1) think about it—think about the message of the Church ... a Jewish peasant, a common tradesman, from an obscure village, in a backwater province of the Roman Empire, who became an itinerant preacher and miracle-worker, who opposed the status-quo of his culture, who was ridiculed by the religious intelligentsia of his society, whose core group of followers only numbered a little over 100, and who was publically executed by the state as a threat to social order is, in reality, the incarnate Son of God, the Anointed One of Israel, and the Savior of the world? ... OK, let’s get real

2) do you understand how foolish that message must have sounded to the culture and various subcultures of the 1st century Mediterranean world?

3) do you understand how foolish that message sounds to the technically sophisticated, thoroughly secular, biblically illiterate culture of 21st century America?

“but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,” (1 Corinthians 1:23, NIV84)

5. is preaching the only way of delivering the Gospel?

a. no, but it’s the primary way

b. and in vs. 14-15 the Apostle logically lays out how the process of spreading the good news of the Gospel works

A. 1st, SINNERS MUST CALL UPON THE LORD TO BE SAVED

1. Paul actually begins with the end product of preaching

a. how are people saved, how are they born again, how are they born from above, how are they delivered from sin and death, how does one become righteous in God’s sight?

2. by calling on Jesus

a. the verb call on in vs. 14 is synonymous with believing, but the Apostle uses the verb call upon or call on because it implies a desperateness

ILLUS. In the Gospel of Mark, we find the story of “Blind Bartimaeus.” Jesus, and his disciples, and a large crowd are leaving the city of Jericho headed for Jerusalem. Sitting alongside the road is a man named Bartimaeus who is blind. He is there to beg alms from passersby. However, when he hears that Jesus is coming by he began to shout “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” The crowd tells him to shut up, which makes him shout all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stops, calls the man over, asks the man what he wants, and restores his site.

1) the word shout in that story literally means to call aloud, and can even mean to scream or to shriek

2) when Bartimaeus learns that the miracle worker called Jesus is passing by he is desperate for healing—he is desperate for a miracle in his life, and so he calls out to the Lord

b. the apostle would remind us that is those who understand the desperate condition of their sinfulness, are those who call upon the Lord

3. also in vs. 14 we here again see the simplicity of the Gospel

a. it’s not about obeying a bunch of religious rules, religious rites, or religious regulations

b. it’s not about reaching a certain standard of moral behavior, or spiritual enlightenment

c. it’s about recognizing your total inability to save yourself, and God’s absolute competence to save you through the redemptive work of His Son, and thus you call upon, that is, you believe with every fiber of your being that Jesus is the Christ the son of the living God, and this is what saves sinners

4. have you called upon the Lord to save you?

B. 2nd, SINNERS CANNOT CALL UPON HIM UNLESS THEY HEAR ABOUT HIM

“ ... And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? ... “

1. the apostle here affirms the fundamental missionary impulse of the church—people have to hear the gospel from somebody

a. no one who goes to heaven will be able to say to God, “I am here because I figured it out by myself.”

b. no one will be able to say, “I was smarter than the rest”, or “I figured out the mystery of the gospel when others couldn’t.”

2. it doesn’t happen that way

a. the only reason we know God is because someone, at some time, somewhere brought us the “word of truth”

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,” (Ephesians 1:13, NIV84)

3. have you heard the Gospel? ... it’s a simple message ... Jesus saves

C. 3rd, SINNERS CANNOT HEAR ABOUT HIM UNLESS SOMEONE PREACHES TO THEM

1. evangelism is not theologically complicated

ILLUS. It is, as someone once said, One beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.

a. if people are going to be saved they must hear the gospel of our Christ

b. the word for preach that the apostle uses in this verse is very specific

1) it means to proclaim, to announce — it refers to someone who is the official Harold of another

ILLUS. In America, we do not have Royal Harold’s, but we do have press secretaries. When Josh Earnest stands behind the lectern of the White House press room to announce presidential news, or presidential policy, or presidential decisions, he is not speaking for himself, but on behalf of the President of the United States. The words may be his own, but they come with the force of our nation’s Chief Executive.

c. does God specifically call some people to be vocational preachers?

1) of course He does

2) but, in a very real sense, all Christians are called to be preachers — preachers with a little “P”

3) we are all called to share the gospel

2. to say it another way, God has decided to use human beings in his redemptive plan

ILLUS. There once was a monastery at which several dozens of young monks were receiving their training. As part of their monastic rule, during each Wednesday evening's Vespers, a homily was preached by one of the novitiates as part of his training. Brother John, one of the novitiates, was terribly worried about not being able to deliver a sermon, and became increasingly anxious as the day of his turn came nearer and nearer. When the evening arrived for him to deliver his homily, he stood up, surveyed the dozens of faces staring at him and said to all the assembled monks, "Do you know what I’m going to say this evening?" The monks looked at each other with confusion. Some shrugged. Most shook their heads. A few even answered, "No." Bro. John then said, "Neither do I," and sat down. The next day he was called into the Abbot's office and, much to his surprise, the Abbot was very understanding. “Bro. John,” he said, “You shall bring the homily next Wednesday evening.” Bro. John promised to try to do better. For another week he anguished over what to say. When the time came around again for him to deliver his sermon, he stood up and asked, "Do you know what I’m going to say tonight?" Based on his previous attempt to deliver a message, this time his fellow monks smiled a smile and answered, "Yes." Bro. John then said, "Then there’s no need for me to say anything," and sat down. The next day he was again called into the office of the Abbot, and again the Abbot was very understanding, but very insistent that Bro. John bring the homily the following Wednesday night. Again, Bro. John promised he would try to do better. The following Wednesday when he stood up to preach, he again asked, "Does anyone here know what I’m going to say tonight?" Well, by this time his fellow monks were throughly confused. Half the monks said, "Yes," and the half said, "No." At this Brother John replied, "If those of you who know will tell those who don’t know, everyone will know," and he sat down. The next day he was once more called into the office of the Abbot, and naturally expected a reprimand. Instead, the Abbot congratulated him and declared that he had given the finest evangelistic homily that had ever been delivered at the monastery. The Abbot said, "You shared the very essence of our faith. If those who know, will tell those who don’t know, then everyone will know.”

3. for whatever reason, God has providentially decided that human beings are the main channel by which other human beings will hear about his redemptive plan

4. you have people in your sphere of influence who may never hear the Gospel if you don’t explain it to them

D. 4th, SOMEONE CANNOT PREACH UNLESS THEY ARE SENT

1. the verb sent in this verse is the same word from which we get our word apostle

a. it refers to someone who has been sent out by another for a particular cause

b. in other words, to be sent means that you are not carrying your own message

1) the gospel is not something the early church dreamed up on its own

2) 12 men didn’t get together and conspire to subvert Judaism and replace all of the pagan gods of the Greco-Roman world just for grins

a) if that were the case, it didn’t work out very well because most of them were martyred

“For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16, NASB95)

2. just as the apostles were sent out into the world by Jesus, so too Jesus sends us out into the world with the same message that the apostle had

a. we even have a name for it—it’s called The Great Commission

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20, NIV84)

b. why over the course of 170 years have southern Baptists alone spent billions of dollars, and sent tens of thousands of people to distant places, both in the United States and the world—some of them very dangerous places?

1) we do so because we really do believe the gospel alone saves

3. those who faithfully go, those who faithfully preach, those who faithfully tell the good news are to be commended

a. the apostle concludes this section by quoting the prophet Isaiah (Isa. 52:7)

“ ... As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:15, NIV84)

III. THE GOSPEL IS SOMETHING NOT ALL WILL GLADLY RECEIVE

1. God uses the preaching of the gospel to bring his redemptive plan to the ears, the hearts, and the minds of lost people

a. unfortunately, not all who hear will believe

b. this was and remains true of the Jewish people

“But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” 19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, “I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.” 20 And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.” 21 But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” (Romans 10:16–21, NIV84)

2. in this passage, the apostle says three things about Israel

a. 1st, Israel heard gospel preaching—vs. 18

b. 2nd, Israel understood gospel preaching—vs. 19-20

1) Paul cites Deuteronomy 32:21 to show that Israel was aware that God was going to save Gentiles and it would make Israel jealous

2) and God did save the Gentiles, they came to Jesus in droves

c. 3rd, Israel still rejected the gospel preaching—vs. 20-21

ILLUS. Have you ever held your hand out to somebody, only to have it ignored, or even slapped away? This is what the apostle is referring to in verse 21. Israel heard the message, understood the message, and said “no thanks.”

3. the gospel is something not all will gladly receive, but many will

IV. APPLICATION

1. Verses 9-10, 13 Are a Classic Summary of the Gospel That Defines Saving Faith

a. here we see a confessing with the mouth and a believing with the heart

1) this is the core of the Gospel

a) simply stated, those who do not believe in the resurrection are not believers

b) simply stated, those who will not confess that Jesus is Lord are not believers

2) salvation involves an inner faith, and an outward response

b. openly confessing Christ would have involved a political cost, and a public risk for anyone making this confession

1) Paul is writing to a group of Christians in the Imperial City of Rome, home of he Caesars

2) the Empire demands that all its citizens declare that “Caesar is Lord”

3) it is therefore a highly risky, a highly courageous, a highly confrontational, counter-cultural, and even a seditious act to say that “Jesus is Lord”

c. but Paul asserts that this is God’s requirement for receiving His righteousness

ILLUS. Confessing Jesus as Lord remains a highly risky, a highly courageous, and a highly confrontational, counter-cultural, even in surprising places. Just last week, in the Nov. 4 issue of The Telegraph of London, the following headline appeared, “Parents Fear That Religion Will Make Their Children Outcasts.” Danny Boyle, author of the article, writes, “Almost a quarter of religious parents are not passing on their faith to their children for fear they will be alienated at school.” That’s astounding. We’re being told in this study that a quarter of those who are parents in the United Kingdom who self-identify as religious—a country where Anglicanism is the State Church, a nation that officially declares itself Christian—that these parent were not going to be passing on their religious faith to their children because, after all, that religious faith might cost their children. It might even mean that they will be alienated at school. In previous generations, we expected that people would gain social status—it’s otherwise known as social capital—by identifying with Christianity. But now we have to recognize as the society around us hardens and grows increasingly secular, those who are confessing Christians and who identify with historic biblical orthodox Christianity will increasingly pay the price of social ostracism.

2. Preaching the Gospel Is God’s Primary Means of Delivering God’s Message of Grace

a. this passage has tremendous implications about how we think of missionary work

b. Paul is clear—Salvation comes by hearing the gospel and receiving it, but you’ve got to hear it first

1) the unspoken implication is that there can be no salvation where people do not hear the gospel

2) there is a theology, held by a few other Christian denominations, called “anonymous salvation”

a) it’s the idea that God will save some even though they’ve never believed upon Christ as Savior

b) according this theology there are Christians all over the world who simply do not know that they are Christians

c. in this chapter, Paul clearly refutes that notion

1) there is no backdoor channel into the kingdom

ILLUS. Because this congregation actually believes what the Apostle writes in this passage, we support three major missions offering each year. One for mission work right here is Missouri. One for missions work in North America. One for missions work around the world. Not only that but another 12% of our weekly budget goes to the Cooperative Program, our convention’s unified giving plan, that also goes to a variety of mission work.

The heart of evangelism is helping another person understand that worthy priorities will leave them spiritually thirsty if their first priority is not Jesus. To that end, we seek to persuade men. ILLUS. Acts 28 is the story of Paul’s arrival in Rome for trial. He meets with some of the local Jewish leaders and tells them that he has been unjustly accused by fellow Jews back in Jerusalem, to which they respond, We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.” (Acts 28:21-22, NIV). This is where we pick up the story ... "When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening." (Acts 28:23, NASB95). Like Paul the Apostle, we are to persuade people concerning Jesus. There is salvation for all who will turn to Christ. "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, ... ." (1 Timothy 1:15, NASB95)