Rom 10-Hearing Understanding and Embracing

| Hearing, Understanding & Embracing! Romans 10:14-21

October 28, 2007Reformation Day (NIV) 14How, 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?  15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” 16But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.  18But 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.”19Again 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.”20And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”21But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”PRAY Scripture Memory: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? (Rom. 10:14 (NIV)) Intro:This morning is “Reformation Sunday.” What does that mean to you?Several centuries ago questioning the doctrines of the church was life threatening. Although many saw great need for change or reformation in the church, only men and women of great faith and conviction could take a stand against the sin and false doctrine which had permeated the church of that time.Reformation day is a day to celebrate those brave men and women, many of whom gave their lives rather than compromise the truth.This morning’s message, while it does apply to the passage we are studying, it not really and expositional message. My goal, this morning is to show the main reasons why the Reformation was necessary, so that we do not lose sight of these crucial, foundational truths.I will be referring a lot to a document called the Cambridge Document, which we, as a church, have used to formulate our core values.This document is the product of a meeting in Cambridge, MA, on April 17-20, 1996, called by the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, and based upon a summary of the foundational issues which brought about the Reformation.Three reasons the reformation was necessary:1. The church had replaced the Bible as the source of truth2. The church had replaced Christ as the source of salvation3. Works had replaced grace as the key to justification. Three reasons the reformation was necessary:1. The Church had Replaced God’s Word as the Source of Truth (v. 17)17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.  ☞   The Danger of Subjective TruthFor the Roman church the word of Christ was defined by the church to include, equally, the words of Scripture AND the words of the church.The Pope or the councils of the church could define truth in a way which bound men’s consciences equally… which, in effect, meant that the former carried the more weight because it could constantly be revised. – Truth was what the church said it was, and if what was being said now contradicted what had been said previously…The Scriptures came to carry little or no weight unless they supported the mandates of those in authority in the church. People were discouraged from examining Scripture for themselves because that would inevitably lead to error—defined as any dissent with the teachings of the church. (Don’t try this at home…)Truth had become SUBJECTIVEDifferentiate between subjective & objective truth…Like the wise Christian leader said to me as a young Christian: If you begin to pick and choose which parts of Scripture you accept and which parts you do NOT accept…Once we remove the base of authority from God’s Word, we are left with each man doing what is right in his own eyesØ   The temptation put forth to Eve…Ø   The problem with cults and other religions…Ø   The danger of seeking “God’s Word for ME today ☞   The Danger of Dismissing TruthThe problem with different interpretationsThe Phil. Presby of the PCUSA…Deuteronomy 29:29 – The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. The problem most people have with Scripture is not what they do NOT understand, but rather what they understand only too well.Truth is truth. It does not change…It is not, as post-modernists today would say, relativeIf it works for you… ☞   The Need for Objective TruthØ   Being BereansActs 17:11 – Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.Scripture is the best interpreter of ScriptureIt’s amazing how much light the Scriptures shed on the commentaries.Ø   Scripture is SUPERnatural.2 Timothy 3:16-17
16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.Isaiah 55:11
11so is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty,  but will accomplish what I desire  and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. It was Scripture that our Lord used to rebuke the devil in the wilderness.It is Scripture that transforms our minds and hearts into what God wants us to be.  |   | ☞   Some Practical Application Reminders:Ø   The value & importance of Investigative Bible StudiesØ   The value & importance of regular study of the BibleØ   The value & importance of expository preachingØ   The Scriptures are the only infallible source of truth we have. The Bottom Line:Sola Scriptura (Scripture Only)We reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience.  The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured.We deny that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian’s conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation. The Cambridge Declaration 2. The Church had Replaced Christ as the Source of Salvation (vv. 14-15)14How, 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?  15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” How can anyone call on Christ is Christ is not being preached? How can anyone call on Christ if those purporting to represent Him are lifting themselves up in the place of Christ?What is the #1 reason given for people to reject the church? – The CHURCH☞   The Church is Made up of Sinners.The apostle Paul saw himself as the chief of sinners. We are all saints, but not because a group of men, claming to represent Christ, have so decreed…If we doing our job, the church will be filled with needy, broken people… (note: what about those who are “NOT” broken and needy?) ☞   Jesus Christ is One Who Needs to Believed in, not the Church. (v. 14)14How, 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?He is the only One who can forgive sin.He is the only One who heal and protect ☞   The Church is Precious to Christ.Ø   We are His BrideAs such we, as a church, are the apple of His eye.Ø   We are His BodyBut HE is the Head.Ø   We are His Holy TempleBut HE is One who is to receive all the glory. The bottom line:Solus Christus (Christ Alone)We reaffirm that our salvation is accomplished by the mediatorial work of the historical Christ alone.  His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father.We deny that the gospel is preached if Christ’s substitutionary work is not declared and faith in Christ and his work is not solicited. The Cambridge DeclarationSoli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be Glory)We reaffirm that because salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God’s glory and that we must glorify him always.  We must live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God and for his glory alone.We deny that we can properly glorify God if our worship is confused with entertainment, if we neglect either Law or Gospel in our preaching, or if self-improvement, self-esteem or self-fulfillment are allowed to become alternatives to the gospel. The Cambridge Declaration 3. Works had replaced grace as the key to justification. (vv. 20-21)20And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”21But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”During the time of the Reformation any who preached and taught men to put their faith in Christ and to read their Bibles were being martyred by the church. Assurance of salvation had become a matter of the church’s pronouncement. Righteousness, like sainthood, had become a matter decided by the church, on the basis of outward obedience to the mandates of the church. Purgatory had been invented as a way of dealing with the ongoing problem is sin in the lives of believers.Righteousness was viewed from the perspective of external conformity to the church.Externals were everything. From the value of relics to the selling of indulgences.This feeds our natural desire to EARN our standing before God.Earlier I mentioned how we, as a church, are not doing our job if we are not filled with broken and needy people. How did you react to that? Did you see yourself as one of them? Were you offended that I might consider you one of them…?17Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.  Eph. 2:8-9 (NIV) – It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.  The bottom line:Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)We reaffirm that in salvation we are rescued from God’s wrath by his grace alone.  It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life.We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work.  Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation.  Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature.  The Cambridge DeclarationSola Fide (Faith Alone)We reaffirm that justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone.  In justification Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God’s perfect justice.We deny that justification rests on any merit to be found in us, or upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ’s righteousness in us, or that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church. The Cambridge Declaration Summary / Conclusion:Hearing, understanding and embracingThe Reformation was necessary because we need to HEAR the gospel. That means we need to hear the Bible. We need to have our minds and hearts transformed by the supernatural work of God’s Word.It is only when the true gospel is heard, that we THEN can understand it. This true gospel is all about Jesus Christ. All glory belongs to HIM and to Him alone.As was true in the time of the Reformation, understanding is useless unless we embrace it, by grace, through faith.What does it mean, in practice, for us to truly EMBRACE the gospel? A Truth to Remember: God has revealed Himself to us in the pages of Scripture. Scripture is our only infallible source of truth. A Challenge to Consider:Are you committed to doing whatever it takes to write God’s word on your heart, that you might think more naturally the way God wants us to think? One thing I heard this morning was…   |