“How Can They Call?” Part 2

Romans 10:14–21 CSB

14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. 16 But not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message? 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ. 18 But I ask, “Did they not hear?” Yes, they did: Their voice has gone out to the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world. 19 But I ask, “Did Israel not understand?” First, Moses said, I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that lacks understanding. 20 And Isaiah says boldly, I was found by those who were not looking for me; I revealed myself to those who were not asking for me. 21 But to Israel he says, All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and defiant people.

PRAYER

Introduction

We are considering THREE THINGS from our passage:

I. The OPPORTUNITY for Faith Must Be GIVEN! - (10:14-15)

II. The NECESSITY of OBEDIENCE to Faith! - (10:16-17)

III. The OBJECTIONS to Faith on the Part of ISRAEL - (10:18-21)

REVIEW:

Last week we considered the first point:

I. The OPPORTUNITY Must Be GIVEN! - (10:14-15)

John Stott refers to these two verses as, “The necessity of evangelism.”

A. The Gospel REQUIRES a RESPONSE! - (v.14a)

(v.14a) - “How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in?…”

B. The Gospel REQUIRES a MESSAGE! - (v.14b)

(v.14b) - “…And how can they believe without hearing about him?”

Romans 10:17 CSB

17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.

C. The Message REQUIRES a MESSENGER! - (v.14c)

(v.14c) - “…And how can they hear without a preacher?”

Lit., ‘without preaching’ which emphasizes the message, and not the messenger!

2 Corinthians 5:18–20 CSB

18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

If you are reconciled through Christ, then you are an ambassador for Christ!

D. The Messengers MUST BE SENT! - (v.15a)

(v.15a) - “And how can they preach unless they are sent?…”

“WHO SENDS?”

1. God the FATHER - (v.15b)

“…As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”

Isaiah 52:7 CSB

7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

2. God the SON - (John 20:21)

John 20:21 CSB

21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.”

3. God the HOLY SPIRIT - (John 20:22-23)

John 20:22–23 CSB

22 After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

When we go out in the PEACE of Christ, the POWER of the Spirit, with the message of FORGIVENESS, and they respond in faith, we can declare with the authority of Jesus, “You are FORGIVEN!”

THAT IS THE “GOOD NEWS!”

II. The NECESSITY of OBEDIENCE! - (10:16-17)

A. The REALITY of Disobedience! - (v.16a)

In spite of the gospel being, “…good news,” according to (v.16a) Paul states, “But not all obeyed the gospel…”

From ὑπήκουσαν - ‘to give ear; to listen; to obey; to render submissive acceptance; to be submissive.’

εὐαγγελίῳ - ‘glad tidings; joyful news; the Gospel’ - Of the 76 times this word occurs in the NT, Paul uses it nine times in Romans.

Romans 1:16 CSB

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.

CLEARLY the gospel necessitates FAITH/BELIEF, as we learned last week, but the gospel is also something to be “obeyed”!

The RATIONALE behind this is something we studied in Romans 6 regarding obedience revealing who we are slaves too!

Romans 6:16–17 CSB

16 Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed over,

I believe the “obedience of faith” is one of the MAIN THEMES of this letter, based on the ‘book-ends’ found in (1:5) and (16:26)!

Romans 1:5 CSB

5 Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles,

Romans 16:26 CSB

26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles—

And the letter to Romans is NOT the only place where obedience being connected to and/or revealing of salvation!

Acts 6:7 CSB

7 So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.

Philippians 2:12 CSB

12 Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

2 Thessalonians 1:8 CSB

8 when he takes vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Hebrews 5:9 CSB

9 After he was perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,

1 Peter 1:2 CSB

2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

The Word of God REPEATEDLY and CONSISTENTLY joins FAITH and OBEDIENCE with the work of God in SALVATION!

Matthew 28:20 NIV84

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.”

B. The REASON They Did Not Believe - (v.16b)

(v.16b) - “…For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message?”

Lit., ‘…trusted our hearing/report’

Which is from (Isaiah 53:1) - [TURN TO Isaiah 53]

The ANSWER: “Very few!”

“WHY?” - Because they REJECTED the Lord!

2 Chronicles 36:15–16 CSB

15 But the Lord, the God of their ancestors sent word against them by the hand of his messengers, sending them time and time again, for he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they kept ridiculing God’s messengers, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until the Lord’s wrath was so stirred up against his people that there was no remedy.

The notion that, “If only God’s people were more like Jesus, then people would believe!” is simply NOT TRUE!

Guess what! Jesus was very much like Jesus, and what did they do to Him?

We can surmise WHY Israel did not believe from the CONTEXT (i.e., the passages before and after) Isaiah 53:1!

NOTE: THE QUESTION “…who has believed” WAS AFTER the promise of the beautiful “…feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” - (Isaiah 52:7)

Isaiah describes the successful servant:

Isaiah 52:13–15 CSB

13 See, my servant will be successful; he will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted. 14 Just as many were appalled at you— his appearance was so disfigured that he did not look like a man, and his form did not resemble a human being— 15 so he will sprinkle many nations. Kings will shut their mouths because of him, for they will see what had not been told them, and they will understand what they had not heard.

Again, it was AFTER this rather unflattering description, that Isaiah asks the question in (53:1):

Isaiah 53:1 CSB

1 Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

Isaiah then goes on to describe God’s “servant” AND His work in very un-Messiah-like terms:

Isaiah 53:2–6 CSB

2 He grew up before him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground. He didn’t have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at him, no appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him. 4 Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds. 6 We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:10–11 CSB

10 Yet the Lord was pleased to crush him severely. When you make him a guilt offering, he will see his seed, he will prolong his days, and by his hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished. 11 After his anguish, he will see light and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many, and he will carry their iniquities.

This is NOT a picture of a conquering Messiah who would destroy the nations that Israel hoped for!

They didn’t RECOGNIZE Jesus because they didn’t accept Isaiah’s DESCRIPTION of what He would do—they didn’t believe the Word of God!

C. The UNCHANGING Necessity of the Word of Christ! - (v.17)

Two things Paul says:

1. “So faith comes from what is heard…”

ἄρα ἡ πίστις ἐξ ἀκοῆς… - ‘Then the trust from hearing...’

2. “…and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.”

…ἀκοὴ διὰ ῥήματος Χριστοῦ - ‘...hearing through word of Christ.’

David Hocking - “The source of faith is the message of Christ. He is the only way! If we don’t present the message, people cannot respond. Salvation comes by faith; faith comes by hearing the message of Christ!”

III. The OBJECTIONS on the Part of ISRAEL - (10:18-21)

Paul raised TWO OBJECTIONS in the form of QUESTIONS and ANSWERS on behalf of the unbelieving Israelites:

Q#1 - (v.18a) - But I ask, “Did they not hear?…”

Someone may say, “If they had not heard, then how can God hold them accountable for what they did not know?”

HE DOESN’T!

A#1 - (v.18b) - “…Yes, they did:”

God holds them accountable for WHAT THEY DID KNOW!

(v.18c) - “…Their voice has gone out to the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”

Psalm 19:1–4 CSB

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge. 3 There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. 4 Their message has gone out to the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun.

Romans 1:20 CSB

20 For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.

Colossians 1:23 CSB

23 if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.

The Israelites could not be excused on the basis that they had not heard the message.

Q#2 - (v.19a) - But I ask, “Did Israel not understand?”…

Whereas Paul provided a direct answer to the FIRST question (v.18 - “…Yes”), his answer to this second question is an EXPLANATION, which comes in three parts:

A#2a - God’s PURPOSE toward Israel - (v.19b) - “…Moses said,”

Paul’s quotation was part of the Song of Moses - (Deuteronomy 32:1-43):

Deuteronomy 32:16–21 CSB

16 They provoked his jealousy with different gods; they enraged him with detestable practices. 17 They sacrificed to demons, not God, to gods they had not known, new gods that had just arrived, which your ancestors did not fear. 18 You ignored the Rock who gave you birth; you forgot the God who gave birth to you. 19 When the Lord saw this, he despised them, angered by his sons and daughters. 20 He said, “I will hide my face from them; I will see what will become of them, for they are a perverse generation— unfaithful children. 21 They have provoked my jealousy with what is not a god; they have enraged me with their worthless idols. So I will provoke their jealousy with what is not a people; I will enrage them with a foolish nation.

Israel PROVOKES God; God in turn will provoke them to jealousy!

Were they provoked to jealousy?

Acts 13:45 CSB

45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what Paul was saying, insulting him.

Acts 17:5 CSB

5 But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly.

A#2b - God’s PLAN for Gentiles - (v.20) - “And Isaiah says boldly…”

Isaiah 65:1 CSB

1 “I was sought by those who did not ask; I was found by those who did not seek me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that did not call on my name.

Mounce - “It is an argument from the greater to the lesser: if the Gentiles, then certainly the Jews.”

In other words, if Gentiles (who were not seeking God, nor where they asking for God) in fact, find God, then the Jews are without excuse!

A#2c - God’s PATIENCE towards Israel - (v.22) - “But to Israel he says,”

Isaiah 65:2 CSB

2 I spread out my hands all day long to a rebellious people who walk in the path that is not good, following their own thoughts.

To say that the nation of Israel was STUBBORN is an understatement! But that in no way changes God’s love for them!

Matthew 23:37 CSB

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

WHICH sets us up for the opening question in next week’s study of (Romans 11)!

CONCLUSION:

What did we LEARN?

The OPPORTUNITY is TODAY and it MUST BE GIVEN!

OBEDIENCE is absolutely NECESSARY!

No OBJECTIONS are VALID!

Romans 10:8–10 CSB

8 On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim: 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.