Beautiful Feet for Empty Ears

INTRODUCTION

*Open your Bibles to Romans 10

Have you ever been the last to hear something?

Everybody in town knew that the shoe store was clearing out their inventory

Everyone in town got amazing deals

Nobody told you, and when you got there, all that was left were toddler’s flip flops

It stinks when others have good news that they fail to tell you

Have you ever received critical information too late?

You found out the fuel light on your car wasn’t working when you ran out of gas

The enrollment deadline for your college classes was moved to last Friday, but you didn’t get the message

You find out that they are hiring for your dream job, only to learn that the application deadline has already passed

You find out that your child is sick just after you got done sharing a milkshake with them

Learning critical truth too late can be devastating

TRANSITION

Last week, our journey down the Romans road took us through a discussion of righteousness and salvation

We talked about the righteousness that we can earn

A form of righteousness that looks good to me but that fails to live up to God’s Standard for us

The righteousness we can earn is incomplete because we still sin

The righteousness we earn is focused on us and not on God

true righteousness can only come from God

We talked about Jesus Christ as our only source of Righteousness

Righteousness that brings salvation can only come through faith

belief in Jesus Christ, trusting Him as the ruler of our lives is our only hope for salvation from sin

It isn’t something that we can earn for ourselves, but only what He can give us through faith

This faith in Him, though, will change everything about how you live your life

And, as we were ending last week, we were talking about the fact that true belief always ends in confession

Christians tell others about Jesus because He is what is in your heart

Jesus said that whatever is in your heart will be what comes out of you!

Matthew 12:34 NASB95

“You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.

Christians will share the Gospel, because confession is the first fruit of salvation

And this discussion continues as we move forward in our text this morning, starting in Romans 10:13

Romans 10:13–16 NASB95

for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”

Pray, invite the church to sit down

*LISTENING GUIDES OUT

This morning, our text begins with the same verse that we ended with last week:

Romans 10:13 NASB95

for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

And, if you’ve got your listening guides out, I want to jump right in this morning with what I hope is a reminder, that

Jesus Christ, our only hope, will only save all who call Him Savior and Lord

Anyone and everyone can be saved;

but only those who pace their faith in Jesus will be saved

We know that not everyone will come to faith in Jesus Christ

We know that God knows already who will and who will not be saved,

but He still lets us choose

I am repeating this to you today because this is to be the song of our lives

It is crucial for us to understand that salvation comes only through faith in Jesus Christ

John 14:6 NASB95

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Jesus is the only way to the Father

Jesus is the only way to be saved

The only way you can be saved is to put your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord

This must be our song. It must be our testimony. It must be what is on our lips in the morning, in the noontime, and at night

There are many who would call themselves Christians who never tell others about Jesus

I would ask you today-when did you last share Christ with another?

This day? This week? This month? This year?

Jesus is the only way to the Father-

But if you have to believe to be saved, and you have never heard, where does that leave you?

Romans 10:14 NASB95

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?

I Hope that you are listening. I hope that you are awake and with us right now

If you don’t hear anything else I say this morning, hear this next point this right now, and write it down:

If a christian fails to share Christ, those they did not tell will be condemned

Our task of sharing the Gospel is literally life and death

To come to a place of belief, you have to hear the Gospel

To hear the Gospel, someone has to share it with you

You are tasked by God with sharing the Gospel with others around you

The word that is translated here as “preacher,” is not the word for “pastor” or for “teacher”

It isn’t even the word for “evangelist”

The word translated preacher literally means “one who proclaims” or “one who tells”

I share the Gospel, but so must you! You and I are to share the Gospel

And if you don’t share the Gospel with them, no one will

In other words, how will the lost and dying souls around you come to Jesus if you never share the Gospel with them

I hear a lot of Christians talking about how unhappy they are with the world

How people pay no attention to God

my question is, how many people have you told about Jesus?

Worse than the condition of our world is that the lost are going to Hell

If we share the Gospel and it is rejected, that rejection is on the hearers

If we fail to share the Gospel, then their blood is on our hands

It should be the life plan of every believer to do two things:

1) assume that every other person you meet does not know Jesus

2) assume that they would like to know Him

You and I are the only way that those who have not heard will hear before it’s too late

And it isn’t just those that live right where we are

Jesus said

Acts 1:8 NASB95

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

You and I are responsible to share the Gospel where we are, but also far and wide

Look at verse 15 with me:

Romans 10:15–16 NASB95

How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”

Knowing that if we don’t share, then no one will,

knowing that Jesus is the only way to salvation,

knowing that you and I are called by Christ to share the Gospel,

knowing that those who haven’t heard are bound for Hell, leads us to our next point, that

Where the Gospel has not been heard, the church must send and support proclaimers

As a church, we must share the Gospel with those around us...

but we must also share with those that are far away

We must send out church planters

we must send out foreign missionaries

Sending out workers is the hardest thing a church can do, but is the most important!

It means denying ourselves the fellowship and sharing of gifts in this body so that there can begin a new work elsewhere

Sending workers is the only way we will be found obedient in the call to proclaim Christ in far off places

And those that cannot go must support the workers we send

In the New Testament, Paul wrote to the churches he and others had started to support Him in starting new ones

Philippians 4:16–19 NASB95

for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

What he is saying is that in giving prayers and financial support to those that we send, we are participating in the work that God is doing through them

Our sacrificial giving to start new churches and to support missions is an act of evangelism

Not everyone can go, but those cannot go can give to sacrificially support the work

Sending and supporting missionaries is glorifying to God

It is beautiful to aching ears, that until now have been empty of the Gospel

Those that give to support our missionaries and church planters own a share of the glory their work brings to God

TRANSITION

In all these things, we are not only meeting an obligation, we are participating in the most beautiful work in God’s Kingdom

How amazing it feels to receive good news!

Do you remember that moment when you were saved?

How did it feel to know your sins were washed away?

How does it feel, now, to revel in the hope of heaven?

But as amazing as these things feel, there is something that feels even better:

What a blessing it is to be the one that shares it with others!

I promise you that if you will get in the habit of sharing Christ regularly, you will never stop

It is the missions drug-Sharing Jesus makes you want to share more

Once you start, you’ll never be satisfied not sharing Him again

Remember- you are responsible to share, not for the response

We’ll discuss this more next week, but some won’t receive Him

You can’t control that, any more than I can control you receiving this message

INVITATION:

But the fact remains, you have been called to be a proclaimer. Today, won’t you answer that call?

Who is ready to say I will go where you send me?

Who is ready to start sharing the Gospel as Christ calls you to share?

Who is ready today to become beautiful feet for empty ears?

PRAY