[English Sermon 영어 설교]
Sunday, September 18, 2024 - Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn
Faith comes from hearing (Romans 10:14-21)
2024. 11. 24. 주일예배 설교- 로마서 강해 25
본문: 로마서 10:14-21
제목: 믿음은 들음에서 나며
설교자: 손진국 목사
Today's message continues with the Apostle Paul discussing the issue of salvation for Israel, the descendants of Abraham chosen by God.
Who can be saved? An astonishing proclamation regarding this question is found in verse 13.
[Romans 10:13] Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Anyone who calls on the name of Jesus—without discrimination—believing in Him as the Savior who died on the cross and rose again, will be saved and become a child of God.
This leads us to ask: Paul was deeply troubled and anguished over his own people, Israel, not believing. But is it that Israel does not believe, or cannot believe? Do they refuse to call on Jesus’ name, or are they unable to?
The difference between not believing and not being able to believe is significant. When someone does not believe, who is responsible for their lack of salvation? The responsibility lies entirely with the individual. But who is responsible if someone cannot believe? Is it God? Is it those who have not preached to them?
This is a question often heard during Bible studies: "What happens to our ancestors or young children who never had the chance to hear the gospel and died without believing?" What happens to them?
Today’s theme is salvation. Three things are necessary for salvation, as highlighted in today’s passage: (1) the message, (2) the messenger, and (3) the work of the Holy Spirit (God’s mercy).
Let us first discuss the message, the first essential for salvation.
1. Faith and the Word of Christ (Message)
The Apostle Paul declares that salvation is for those who call on Jesus Christ, that is, those who believe in Him. This is why the core of the gospel is often summarized in four characters in Korean: "이신칭의" (justification by faith). Through faith, a person is considered righteous. Those whom God deems righteous will not face judgment for their sins; they are saved and will enter heaven. Conversely, those whom God does not deem righteous are sinners. Sinners face judgment for their sins and are sent to hell. This is God’s law regarding salvation.
Paul reveals where this faith comes from. Today’s key verse is found in verse 17. Let’s read it together: [Romans 10:17] Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
To be saved, one needs faith. But where does faith come from? It comes from hearing the word of Christ.
What is the word of Christ? It is the gospel message: that Christ came to this earth in the flesh, bore the judgment for sin on the cross in our place, died, and was raised by God, becoming our Savior. Whoever believes in Him will be saved. This is the word of Christ.
When you came to believe in Jesus, did you hear the word of Christ? If you believed without hearing it, your faith might not be true faith. It could be fake. Why? Because believing without knowing what you are believing in cannot be true faith.
This is why, when newcomers join the church, we share the gospel message with them. We take time to present the word of Christ so they can hear it and believe.
We also hear statements like these: “I want to have greater faith.” “I want to improve my faith.” If you feel this way, what should you do? What does it mean to have greater faith or improved faith? It means desiring to become more like Jesus, the author of our faith, and to live a holier life. This is called sanctification in theological terms.
What is needed for sanctification? The Word and prayer. [1 Timothy 4:5] because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
Surprisingly, many believers want to grow in holiness but neglect the Word and prayer. Can holiness be achieved without the Word and prayer? Can we become more like Jesus? Can sanctification occur? No.
For us, listening to the Word and praying are not obligations; they are essential. Just as we breathe and eat to stay alive, reading the Word (spiritual food) and praying (spiritual breath) must happen naturally for our spiritual survival.
If breathing or eating becomes difficult or burdensome, we consider it a sign of illness and seek treatment. Otherwise, we would die.
However, many believers feel fine despite not reading the Word or praying. But this is not fine. While our physical bodies experience hunger and pain, alerting us to a problem, our spirit does not sense pain, making us unaware of the severity of the issue.
Are you going a day without spiritual food or breath? That’s a serious problem. Has it been a week? This is extremely grave. Let those who have ears to hear, hear.
[Application] Have I heard and believed the gospel properly to receive salvation? Am I reading the Word, the essential spiritual food, and praying, the breath of the Spirit, every day?
2. The feet of those who bring good news (messengers)
It is said that those who believe and call on the name of the Lord will be saved. But what about Israel? Did Israel not believe, or were they unable to believe? To say they did not believe means they heard the gospel but rejected it, whereas to say they could not believe means they did not hear the gospel and thus could not believe. One must hear the gospel to either believe or reject it; if they do not hear it, such results cannot occur. This is explained in [Romans 10:14-15]: “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? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”
This passage uses a chain of rhetorical questions to explain how one comes to call on the name of the Lord, with the statement in verse 13 as the conclusion and standard: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” If we follow the sequence, it goes like this: A messenger is sent with the message of the gospel. The messenger goes and proclaims the message, enabling people to hear it. Hearing leads to believing, believing leads to calling on the name of the Lord, and calling on His name leads to salvation. The order is: sending, proclaiming, hearing, believing, calling, and being saved.
But who does the Apostle Paul praise? He praises those who bring the good news, saying their feet are beautiful. This is a quote from [Isaiah 52:7]: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”
The passage in Romans 10:14-15 refers to three types of people. First, there is the one who sends; second, the one who is sent and proclaims the gospel; and third, the one who hears the proclaimed gospel, believes, and calls on the name of the Lord. The one who sends is the Lord Himself. Those who are sent to proclaim the gospel include the apostles and believers. And the ones who hear, believe, and call on the name of the Lord are the unbelievers.
Have you been sent? Are you someone who proclaims the gospel? Let me rephrase the question: Do you believe in Jesus? If so, Jesus has given you the mission to share the gospel and has sent you. [Matthew 28:19-20] says: “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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
All believers who have been saved and have become disciples of Christ have also been called to be messengers. In today’s passage, what does it say about these messengers? A messenger is someone who delivers a message. So, shouldn’t it say their mouth or tongue is beautiful? Why does it say their feet are beautiful? What does the Great Commission that the Lord gave us begin with? It starts with “go.” He says, “Therefore go…” Going is not done with hands, mouths, or eyes, nor with ships, but with feet.
One of the hardest things about sharing the gospel is going to meet people. How often do you go to meet unbelievers? If you are not doing so, why not? Is it because you fear rejection, dislike, or strained relationships? How can we overcome these fears and achieve our ultimate goal? What is our ultimate goal? It is for unbelieving souls to call on the name of the Lord and be saved.
Who has led the most people to Jesus by preaching the gospel globally? I asked ChatGPT, and one name came up that I agreed with: Billy Graham. It is estimated that about 3 million people came to believe in Jesus through his ministry.
Billy Graham held numerous crusades and reportedly never had a single failed event. At each crusade, thousands to tens of thousands of people came to believe in Jesus. Do you know why his evangelistic efforts were so successful? The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association officially revealed the reason: it was because of the “Andrew Operation.” This Andrew Operation has been implemented in every Billy Graham crusade since 1955.
What is the Andrew Operation? Before each crusade, churches create lists of people they want to evangelize and pray for their salvation. Over a set period, they pray and build relationships with these individuals and then invite them to the crusade. The Holy Spirit works through these efforts, leading many of the invited people to hear the gospel at the event and accept Jesus as their Savior.
Do you know why it is called the Andrew Operation? Andrew was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples and the brother of Peter. He was among the first to follow Jesus. The Bible highlights Andrew’s characteristic of always bringing people to Jesus. After meeting Jesus and realizing He was the Messiah, Andrew immediately brought his brother Peter to Him. At the miracle of the five loaves and two fish, it was Andrew who brought the boy with the lunch to Jesus. When Greeks sought to meet Jesus during the feast, Philip told Andrew, and Andrew brought them to Jesus.
I have personally experienced how effective this Andrew Operation is in evangelism. When I was pastoring a church, I didn’t realize it was called the Andrew Operation, but I gave each cell group a form to list people they wanted to evangelize. Each member would write down at least three names, and then the group would select three people who seemed most open to evangelism and pray for them intensively. Once or twice a year, we held a special event for these people, inviting them to join us for a meaningful time, after which we would invite them to Sunday worship. Many of these guests heard the gospel, believed in Jesus, and were baptized.
To my surprise, many people were baptized this way. During my ten years of pastoral ministry, I looked back to see how many people were baptized. There were 107 baptisms, which means about 10–11 people were baptized each year. Some of these individuals were on our evangelism lists, while others were not. What I learned from this is that when we pray for a lost soul, God is pleased and brings us someone to be saved.
Next Sunday, I plan to collect lists of people you want to evangelize. Over the next week, I encourage you to pray and see who God places on your heart. Keep that person in your prayers. Starting next year, I hope to launch cell groups. Through these groups, we will share the gospel and Christ’s love with one another and with our neighbors. Please join me in prayer and anticipation for God’s work.
[Application] As a messenger of the gospel, am I carrying one soul in my heart and praying for them? Is there anyone who has been saved through me?
3. God who stretches out His hands all day (God's mercy)
Let me ask the question from the beginning of the sermon again: Did Israel not believe in Jesus, or were they unable to believe? Paul answers this question as follows: [Romans 10:16] “But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?’” Paul states that the Israelites did not all accept the gospel. What does this mean? It means that they heard the gospel but rejected it. This is explained more clearly in verse 18: [Romans 10:18] “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.’”
They heard the gospel from messengers but rejected it, and as a result, they were not saved.
Was it because they did not know God’s plan of salvation that they were not saved? Verse 19 shows that this was not the case either: [Romans 10:19-20] “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.’ 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.’”
What does this mean? God repeatedly revealed His plan of salvation to them. Even though they heard and understood it, Israel continuously disobeyed. Therefore, God worked among the Gentiles—those who did not seek Him or ask for Him—to provoke Israel to envy and anger. Yet, what is the condition of Israel, God’s covenant people? They are still rejecting His plan of salvation.
So, what is God’s heart toward Israel? We find a surprising reversal in verse 21: [Romans 10:21] “But concerning Israel he says, ‘All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.’”
What is God’s heart toward Israel, who hears the gospel but rejects it and opposes His Word? Is it a heart of anger, thinking, “Let them taste death and feel the fires of hell to come to their senses”? No. Instead, God says that He holds out His hands all day long to those who reject the gospel and disobey His Word. What does this mean? It means that God, in His mercy and patience, is waiting for them to return.
Believe that God is still holding out His hands to those around us who stubbornly reject the gospel, who react with anger and irritation, and who call it a nuisance despite our love and efforts to share with them. And He does this not for a moment, but all day long. Like the father who ran to embrace his prodigal son, who returned home in rags, God is holding out His hands to us and to those who have not yet come back to Him.
This is the heart of God. When this merciful heart of God is conveyed through the Holy Spirit, many people around us who have rejected the Lord will return to Him. With this hope, I bless you to carry out the precious mission of being messengers of the gospel, sharing the message of the cross.
[Application] Do you feel the love of God, who stretches out His hands toward you all day and embraces you? Who is the one person who needs to know God's mercy and patience and return to Him?
하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.
Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.