In the middle of chapter 10 Paul talked about salvation by faith. In other words, faith is not just being zealous. The important thing is the direction that the faith comes from. The Israelites were certainly zealous towards God, but their direction was wrong. Their zealousness didn’t flow from a knowledge based upon the Bible. Their righteousness was not God’s, but they tried to stand in their own righteousness. This was their problem. The right direction is Jesus Christ. Christ was the end of the law so those who believe in Him are all made righteous. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (9) In today’s passage Paul is explaining to us how such a faith is born. Please look at verses 14 and 15.
In order to emphasize the point strongly, Paul uses a form of grammar where the word order is reversed. Therefore in order to understand the verse, you need to look at the end of the verse first. In other words, if someone is sent out, then the Word of God can be preached. If someone preaches, then people can hear. If people hear, then people can call on the name of the Lord. If they call on the name of the Lord, they can believe. Here it is telling us that three things are necessary for believing.
1. Hearing the Word of God
2. Someone to preach the Word of God.
3. Someone to be sent out.
Today I would like to talk about these three things. I. Faith comes from hearing (vs. 14)
First of all in order to believe we must hear the Word of God. Verse 17 says, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Faith is conceived by hearing the Word of God. The key to non Christians having a faith in Christ is to use every possible opportunity and method to give them chances to hear the Word of God. In order to believe in Christ they must hear the Words about Christ, the Gospel. Faith is only conceived by hearing the Word of God. Therefore, we need to make opportunities for non Christians to hear the Word of God. Sometimes Christians say that they are being a witness by their lives. This is extremely important, but besides this it is necessary to share the Word of God. “God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” (I Cor. 1:21)II. Someone who preaches (vs. 14) The second point is that people are needed to preach. In verse 14 it says, “how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” Someone is needed to preach in order for them to hear.Jesus said in Matt. 9:37 and 38, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” People are needed for the harvest. People who will work are needed. Jesus didn’t say that a tractor was necessary for the harvest. He said that workers are needed. People are needed who are bound by the love of Christ, that are willing to do anything for the gospel and who are full of love and zealousness for the preaching the Word of God. God made the heavens and the earth. He is omniscient. He said, “I am who I am.” In other words, even if nothing else exists God exists because he is a self existing God. This God, is looking for people to share the Gospel. John the Baptist said, “I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children from Abraham.” (Matt. 3:9) In another place Jesus said, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:40) This God is looking for workers to preach the words of salvation. In every age God uses each one of us to preach the Gospel. III. We must be sent out (verse 15)The third point is that that we must be sent out. Verse 15 says, “How can anyone preach unless they are sent?” To preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not an easy thing to do. There is no one who wants to say, “You are a sinner!” Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel.” (1:16) Why would Paul say this? Probably because he himself was ashamed. Such feelings keep us from talking about the Gospel. It causes us to not to want to talk with others and to keep our faith within ourselves. However, evangelizing is fun. When a person you have evangelized to is saved, you feel like you are flying in the heavens. Even so the thoughts of the flesh keep us from sharing the Gospel.
John 20:21-23
Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (John 20:21) We are weak and are ashamed of the Gospel. We don’t have knowledge and experience. However, Jesus knows this, but even so he says, “I am sending you.” (John 20:21) He says that he will go with us, that he will give us the authority from heaven, that the Holy Spirit will teach us what we are to say, that the Holy Spirit will encourage us and give us strength so we are to “GO”. He says that before the world was formed I chose you. I have given you joy and glory on earth and heaven, but on the earth there are still a lot of people that don’t know the Gospel. Therefore, I send you. Just “as the Father sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21) with the presence of God and power. Will you go? Will you go? Will you go?
This is what God really desires. Paul after this from the end of verse 15 quotes from the Old Testament. “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Isaiah 52:7) The feet of those who share the Gospel are beautiful. That doesn’t mean that everyone has to become a pastor, or a teacher, or an evangelist. If that was so, who would be left here to witness in society? However, there is something that God desires from all of us. That is when Jesus Christ says, “Will you go?” to answer, “Yes, I will.” What we do after we go is different for each individual person. The important thing is when we hear, “Will you go?” to answer, Yes, I will.” This is what God desires of us.
Before when God appeared to Moses who had sheep on Mt. Sinai and asked Moses to go to Egypt and lead God’s people out of Egypt, Moses answered, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11) He thought that he couldn’t, that that was impossible for him. Even though Moses objected God said that he was to go. Next Moses asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” (Exodus 3:13) Then God answered, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14) Moses had “I AM WHO I AM” with him and was sending him so he thought that was enough. There was nothing more that he could ask for and so he followed the Word of God and set out for Egypt.
Before the Southern kingdom, Judah, was captured by Babylon, God asked Jeremiah to go. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) However, Jeremiah said that he couldn’t. He said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.” (Jeremiah 1:6) He thought that he was too young, but God said to him, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you.” (Jeremiah 1:7,8) It didn’t matter whether Jeremiah was young or old. What was important was that God was with him.
The year that Uzziah, the King of Southern kingdom died, probably about 740 B.C., God called Isaiah. This was in a vision in the worshipful temple. It was filled with the presence of God and there were seraphs above God who called out, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isaiah 6:3) The temple “doorposts and threshold shook and the temple was filled with smoke.” (Isaiah 6:4) Isaiah was moved by the holiness of God and cried out, “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.” (Isaiah 6:5) Then one of the seraphs took a live coal from the altar and touched Isaiah‘s lips saying, “your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” (Isaiah 6:7) Then God’s words sounded, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8) Since he had experienced God’s forgiveness, Isaiah answered, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8)
“Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8) Isn’t this how we should respond to God’s calling. We maybe weak humanly speaking, we may have weak points, we may be young, we may not know what to say, we may be old and our body isn’t working, we may be full of sin and think that we are not fit do the Lord’s work, but God wants us to say, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8) The Lord wants to send you. By your small faith the Good News will be preached, and many people will hear and believe the Word of God. That is how God wants to use you. “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (15) That is because “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” (17)