Dale Partridge - August 18, 2024


Romans 10_11-15： The Impartiality of the Gospel with Dale Partridge


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46 minutes

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6,032

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319

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11

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00:00:01.000 Today Dale will be preaching Romans chapter 10 verses 11 through 15. I'm
00:00:07.120 going to be reading verses 5 through 15 just to add some context and I'll be
00:00:12.280 reading out of the ESV. Hear the word of the Lord.
00:00:20.840 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person
00:00:26.440 who does the commandment shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says,
00:00:32.680 do not say in your heart, who will ascend into heaven, that is to bring Christ down,
00:00:37.980 or who will descend into the abyss, that is to bring Christ up from the dead.
00:00:44.420 But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. That is the word
00:00:51.860 of faith that we proclaim. Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
00:00:57.060 and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For
00:01:03.120 with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
00:01:09.880 For the scripture says, everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. For there
00:01:15.260 is no distinction between Jew and Greek. For the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his
00:01:21.020 riches on all who call on it. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
00:01:27.840 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in him of
00:01:33.760 whom they have not ever heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are
00:01:40.360 they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who
00:01:47.060 preach the good news. And this is the word of the Lord. Well, good morning, and what a blessing it
00:01:56.960 is to continue through Romans chapter 10. Some of you guys know we are going to go through all the
00:02:05.280 way through 11, and then we're going to take a break, and I'm going to spend eight weeks talking
00:02:10.500 about eschatology. And so that'll be a really fun conversation. At the very least, you will walk
00:02:16.460 away knowing all of the views in eschatology and the view that we hold at this church.
00:02:22.020 You're free to hold any of the views of eschatology to be a member at this church,
00:02:28.740 but we are going to have a great time in that series. That'll be
00:02:33.100 probably about two months from now, but just wanted to give you a heads up on that.
00:02:38.860 so welcome back to chapter 10 to remind you of the context Paul opened this
00:02:45.880 chapter by further furthering his his expression of sorrow for his brothers
00:02:55.420 and sisters in the Jewish world they had a zeal for God but it was not according
00:03:02.560 knowledge a zeal for God but not according to knowledge they sought a
00:03:12.480 righteousness a perfection of morality not by faith in Christ but by works of
00:03:21.680 the law and we know because the law the prophets the apostles have expressed in
00:03:31.300 several places in scripture that no person will be justified that is to be
00:03:36.880 made righteous by works of the law morality obedience is not what makes you
00:03:45.520 righteous it's the obedience and perfect morality of Christ that makes you
00:03:52.360 righteous he gives you his righteous record through faith this also taught
00:03:59.480 us about this concept that sincerity is not a replacement for orthodoxy. There are many sincere
00:04:07.720 men and women in hell. Sincerity is not what we're going for. Lord, Lord, do we not cast out many
00:04:14.880 demons in your name and do many wonders in your name? Away from me, I do not know you.
00:04:18.480 sincerity without orthodoxy is worthless and so we need to anchor our sincerity in biblical truth
00:04:32.280 last week we learned that this truth of the gospel it's not complex
00:04:41.500 honestly it's not it's not out of reach yes theology is deep
00:04:50.180 yes eschatology is deep but the gospel is not it's it's not that christ is remote
00:05:00.580 that's what paul taught last week salvation is not attained by scouring the heights of academia
00:05:08.800 finally understanding the mysteries of God's ways.
00:05:15.400 It's not going down to the depths of human philosophy and behavior.
00:05:19.900 No, it's attained by faith alone in Christ alone.
00:05:25.940 It's so simple.
00:05:28.340 Paul says it's in your mouth, it's in your lips, it's right before you.
00:05:32.900 This is important because religion is complex.
00:05:36.840 the gospel is simple. I watch religious people all the time. I'm like, where do you get this
00:05:46.080 stuff? People love making up rules so that they can follow them, demand others to be like them,
00:05:56.060 and assert themselves above others. That's religion. That's not the gospel.
00:06:03.420 Jesus said in Mark 7 5 through 10 and the Pharisees and the scribes asked him why do
00:06:11.380 your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders and he said to them well did Isaiah
00:06:17.440 prophesy of you hypocrites he says as it's written this people honors me with their lips
00:06:22.480 but their heart is far from me in vain they do worship me teaching as doctrines the commandments 0.91
00:06:30.820 of men. You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men. You have a fine way of
00:06:38.500 rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your own tradition." That's Mormonism,
00:06:48.660 Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists. There are so
00:06:58.020 many that have moved away from the commandments of Scripture, the clear interpretation of
00:07:05.120 Scripture, to the commandments of men.
00:07:10.480 The gospel is simple.
00:07:13.160 The gospel is this.
00:07:15.460 You and I are lawbreakers.
00:07:19.780 We have broken the eternal law of an eternal God and deserve eternal punishment.
00:07:28.020 As a result, we're eternally unrighteous.
00:07:31.380 We cannot be made righteous again.
00:07:34.780 The only way we can be made righteous is to receive an alien righteousness.
00:07:40.440 A righteousness that's not your own, that's given to you, imputed to you by faith.
00:07:48.480 And to have the sin, the cost, paid for by someone who doesn't have to pay for his own sin.
00:07:58.020 So we need a sinless, righteous substitute.
00:08:05.660 We need a Savior who can apply that perfect obedience.
00:08:09.580 This is the core of what we're going to be talking about today.
00:08:13.860 His perfect obedience to our account.
00:08:17.460 And that Savior is Jesus Christ, the righteous, the perfect law keeper.
00:08:22.600 and that salvation is received by faith alone.
00:08:32.440 But what type of faith am I talking about?
00:08:37.680 It's a faith that trusts that you're not a good person.
00:08:41.760 You're not a good person.
00:08:44.460 Self-love is blinding, I say it often.
00:08:47.860 When you realize that you can't even keep
00:08:51.000 the first and greatest commandment,
00:08:52.600 to love the Lord your God with all your heart,
00:08:55.280 with all your soul, with all your mind,
00:08:56.960 or the second, to love your neighbor as yourself,
00:08:59.320 you start to realize I'm actually quite terrible.
00:09:03.140 And I sin basically on an hourly basis.
00:09:09.580 You start to realize the sin of commission
00:09:12.140 or the sin of omission is kind of rampant.
00:09:16.180 And we are in a constant need of righteousness.
00:09:23.600 Faith means that you're trusting not in yourself
00:09:26.500 to earn a righteous verdict on judgment day,
00:09:29.900 but when that judgment day comes,
00:09:32.460 you're trusting in the righteousness of Christ.
00:09:37.280 His righteousness, I don't have any righteousness of my own.
00:09:41.160 That's what you're having faith in.
00:09:42.780 When someone says, do you have faith?
00:09:43.660 Yeah, I have faith.
00:09:45.100 What's your faith about?
00:09:46.320 Is it just believe that Jesus existed?
00:09:48.260 That's not going to save you.
00:09:49.520 No, the faith is that I am not good.
00:09:52.600 but he is. I trust that he can earn that righteous verdict that I can't earn on judgment day.
00:10:02.380 It's that simple. It can be explained in 60 seconds. You can write it on one sheet of paper.
00:10:10.580 It's not far. It's not high. It's not deep. It's right there.
00:10:15.420 it doesn't take much to be saved it just takes the realization that you're a pagan
00:10:23.520 who's not good who's a sinner and needs christ
00:10:28.440 last week's passage closed with paul saying if you confess with your mouth that jesus is lord
00:10:35.440 and believe in your heart that god raised him from the dead you will be saved for with the heart
00:10:42.460 one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
00:10:49.780 All right, today we see Paul move from the simplicity of the gospel to the impartiality
00:10:59.200 of the gospel or the universality of the gospel. And in order to understand this well, we need to
00:11:06.940 of step back into first century judaism and have a little bit of that context and that culture
00:11:16.060 paul says in verse 11 and 12 well let's just start with 11. for the scripture says
00:11:24.860 everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame i want you to notice how paul
00:11:31.500 leverages the testimony of the prophets to verify his claims regarding the gospel
00:11:35.800 Okay, the gospel that removes guilt and imputes righteousness,
00:11:41.140 it's not some invention that Paul came up with.
00:11:44.900 Paul constantly is referencing the Old Testament to back up his principles.
00:11:49.160 It's a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
00:11:52.700 This is a reference of Isaiah 28, 16.
00:11:55.140 It speaks to God laying this future cornerstone.
00:12:00.860 Jesus, and anyone who relies upon this cornerstone
00:12:04.760 is not going to have to run in terror of judgment day.
00:12:12.220 Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.
00:12:15.800 Yours might say disappointed.
00:12:19.520 Jeremiah 17, 7 echoes this.
00:12:21.420 It says, blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.
00:12:24.900 Now catch this, and whose trust is the Lord.
00:12:29.880 is your trust in the Lord?
00:12:35.660 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
00:12:37.360 and whose trust is the Lord.
00:12:43.800 Now, if Paul could have, you know,
00:12:46.060 had modern technology and emphasized his wording,
00:12:49.900 he would have italicized everyone in this verse.
00:12:53.900 Look at it.
00:12:55.640 Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.
00:12:59.880 He's drawing attention to the universality of the gospel.
00:13:03.700 He wants the Jews to see that God's plan
00:13:06.080 has always been to expand from a locality
00:13:12.000 to a universality.
00:13:15.520 To go from the nation and the borders of Israel
00:13:18.360 to the whole world.
00:13:21.800 He's about to demonstrate that.
00:13:24.200 He wants them to see, well, actually I'll say this.
00:13:27.820 Let me paraphrase this.
00:13:29.880 Everyone who sees the simplicity of the gospel and puts their trust in Christ,
00:13:33.760 who alone will earn their righteous verdict on judgment day, will not be put to shame.
00:13:37.860 That's what he's saying when you kind of bring the context in here.
00:13:42.260 Now, we know the emphasis was on the word everyone
00:13:46.420 because verse 12 opens with an explanation clause.
00:13:52.180 We know that anytime you see the word for, it's an explanation clause.
00:13:56.220 It's explaining the content of the previous verse.
00:14:01.460 And we're not going to be those people that are 30 years in to Christianity
00:14:05.020 and you still don't know how to interpret your Bible.
00:14:07.280 We're tired of biblical amateurism in America
00:14:09.840 because it results in a country that transes kids
00:14:12.660 and has all types of things that the church doesn't stand up against
00:14:16.120 because we don't know scripture.
00:14:17.840 It looks like a small thing.
00:14:19.680 Oh, yeah, I'm not a theologian.
00:14:23.860 Well, you need to be.
00:14:24.580 bad theology hurts people and bad theology hurts our town it hurts our
00:14:28.980 community and so we need to be willing to say you know what I'm actually gonna
00:14:33.820 learn how to study the Bible so that I can actually teach my children and then
00:14:37.420 we can change this place through the generations because we're not sitting
00:14:42.080 here as biblical amateurs not knowing how to understand the complexities of the
00:14:47.020 gospel. Verse 12 opens up with this explanation clause, and it speaks to the inclusivity of the
00:14:59.120 gospel. It says, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord
00:15:08.720 of all, bestowing his riches on all who claim, or who call on him. Okay, the animosity that the
00:15:18.940 Jews had for the Gentiles, you kind of can't comprehend it, okay? If you think the 1950s were
00:15:30.460 racist, you don't even understand the extremeness of the hostility that the Jews had for the
00:15:41.300 Gentiles.
00:15:44.040 This statement that there's no distinction between Jews and Greek is basically saying
00:15:50.200 there's no distinction between dogs and humans.
00:15:56.400 That's how it would have been heard.
00:16:01.020 One commentator said,
00:16:02.380 the gospel broke down the religious walls
00:16:04.300 that the Jews had constructed over many centuries.
00:16:10.620 To give you an idea just of how intense
00:16:13.420 this Gentile hatred was among the Jews,
00:16:15.860 they would not buy from the Gentiles, 0.72
00:16:17.960 eat with the Gentiles, talk to the Gentiles,
00:16:21.320 work for or with the Gentiles.
00:16:24.480 If they were walking through their town,
00:16:27.100 They would literally shake the dust off of their clothing and their feet
00:16:31.480 because it defiled them.
00:16:34.880 Okay, there's a book called The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah.
00:16:39.260 It's Alfred Edersheim.
00:16:41.800 He had this really great quote.
00:16:43.480 He says,
00:16:43.800 to the Jew, the Gentile was an unclean creature, to be utterly shunned, to avoid pollution from 0.70
00:16:52.560 them. Even the dust of a heathen land was defiling, and to be shaken off of their feet, end quote.
00:17:01.160 This is extreme hostility. And so this phrase, there's no distinction. No distinction.
00:17:10.920 you know again we look at the 1960s and you think about the racism of you know there's
00:17:18.680 no distinction between black and white there was some hostility it's not even close to the
00:17:27.660 centuries deep hatred that the jews had for the gentiles
00:17:34.320 now this idea of no distinction essentially what it did is that it removed the superiority
00:17:43.060 complex of the jews it was a massively humbling statement honestly you could only receive it
00:17:48.660 through the holy spirit you just could not receive that truth unless you were saved
00:17:53.900 the other thing i want to talk about
00:17:58.440 is, and I was wondering if I should go down this rabbit hole,
00:18:04.180 but I'm going to.
00:18:06.740 It tears down dispensational theology of the day.
00:18:11.300 We're going to talk about it just for a minute.
00:18:13.760 Okay, dispensationalism teaches that Israel and the church
00:18:17.220 are two separate entities with distinct promises and destinies.
00:18:23.320 uh it's not an old doctrine it's a new doctrine 1840s is when this doctrine came to prominency
00:18:33.700 uh it came from real prominency through the Schofield study bible
00:18:38.500 many of the boomers grew up on that Schofield study bible
00:18:42.660 um it's it's the doctrine and eschatology that's held by Calvary Chapel
00:18:49.560 It's held by the Left Behind series that we all grew up with. We were afraid that our parents
00:18:57.560 would be raptured without us. It's held by even John MacArthur. And I think John MacArthur is
00:19:05.680 probably the only real impressive theologian that holds this view. Now, the dispensational
00:19:15.440 camp affirms the equal opportunity of the value of the Jews and the Gentiles
00:19:20.680 in terms of redemption. But what they do is they retain this distinction that Paul eliminates.
00:19:32.300 They retain the distinction that Paul is getting rid of. Ephesians 2, why don't you guys turn
00:19:38.260 there. Ephesians 2, 12 through 16. Ephesians 2, 12 through 16. I want you to think about
00:19:46.400 how you could possibly come to the conclusion of two separate peoples of God
00:19:50.720 after reading this passage of scripture.
00:19:57.100 Ephesians 2, 12 through 16, it's speaking to the Gentiles in Ephesus. It says,
00:20:00.460 But remember that you were at that time separated, here's a distinction, from Christ, alienated
00:20:10.060 distinction from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers distinction to the covenants
00:20:15.520 of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
00:20:21.080 But now, in Christ Jesus, you who were once a far off distinction have now been brought
00:20:27.780 near.
00:20:28.180 removing distinction by the blood of Christ for he himself is our peace who has made us both
00:20:37.180 one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
00:20:44.080 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create in himself
00:20:51.960 how many people? One new man in place of the two. So making peace and might reconcile us both to
00:20:59.920 God in how many bodies? In one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. Now there's
00:21:07.820 so much complexity here. And there's so many things that you can be confused about. What is
00:21:13.560 he talking about when he says one in the body? We don't have time to get into this because this
00:21:20.820 sermon's not on dispensationalism, but I want to say a few things. Why is this important?
00:21:27.780 First, because dispensationalism makes Christ a polygamist,
00:21:31.620 that he has two brides, two peoples of God.
00:21:37.220 He doesn't have two distinct people. He has one body, one bride, the church. Second,
00:21:46.480 Because Christians today still look at the Jews
00:21:48.940 as in the happenings of the nation of Israel
00:21:53.340 as if they have some sort of special significance
00:21:56.660 for the future.
00:21:58.540 Okay, this is called newspaper eschatology, right?
00:22:02.400 We're like, you know, oh man,
00:22:04.620 did you see that there was a thousand dead seagulls
00:22:06.340 on the beach in this Middle Eastern place?
00:22:09.240 And oh, that must mean this part in Revelation. 0.96
00:22:11.640 You know, and you come up with these ridiculous applications 0.70
00:22:14.540 because you're watching the news hoping that whatever's going on with Israel, 0.67
00:22:20.020 this is classic Calvary Chapel, Jack Hibbs eschatology.
00:22:26.760 That somehow a war in Israel has more to do with the end times events
00:22:31.400 than a war in Japan or German.
00:22:33.800 We have this special kind of focal point.
00:22:38.860 This is bad theology.
00:22:41.240 The nation of Israel is no longer the focal point of the future.
00:22:44.540 there is no distinction anymore the church is the true Israel this is the
00:22:55.660 fundamental flaw the truth is that the church is the true Israel and the true
00:23:05.260 Israel is the focal point of the future the church is the focal point of the
00:23:11.520 future. The promises, the unfulfilled prophecies of the Old and New Testament that are directed
00:23:20.960 at Israel, they're truly directed and fulfilled at the true Israel, the church. When you get this,
00:23:28.220 it changes the whole Bible, changes the whole Bible, especially the Old Testament.
00:23:32.300 this is the position of basically every theologian until a handful in the 1840s
00:23:43.180 martin lloyd jones rc sproul all of the puritans all of the reformers jonathan edwards
00:23:52.160 this idea of creating two distinct different peoples is not a historic, biblically-rooted
00:24:01.500 theology. And when we get into our series on eschatology, you understand the
00:24:07.200 implications that this has on your day-to-day life.
00:24:14.400 Romans 9, 6-8 says, for not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel. Wait, what? We
00:24:21.600 already went through this a couple of weeks ago, right? Not all who are descended from Israel
00:24:26.020 belong to Israel and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring. Wait,
00:24:31.820 so you could be a child of Abraham and not actually be born of Abraham? Not be actually a Jew
00:24:36.940 and still be a child of Abraham? It says, but through Isaac shall your offspring be named.
00:24:45.180 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God,
00:24:49.720 but the children of the promise
00:24:51.700 counted as offspring.
00:24:54.640 The church is the children of the promise.
00:24:58.620 You're the children of the promise.
00:25:00.740 You're not Jewish.
00:25:04.260 But you're still part of the offspring of Abraham
00:25:08.700 making you the true Israel.
00:25:13.200 Believers are the promise.
00:25:16.040 The church with people from every tribe, nation, and tongue.
00:25:19.720 the nation of Israel, and I'm almost done here,
00:25:23.080 the nation of Israel and their temple
00:25:25.640 was judged and destroyed in 70 AD.
00:25:31.060 Is it just like, was it just an accident
00:25:33.440 that Jesus comes, says that he's gonna destroy the temple
00:25:36.940 and says that he is now the temple
00:25:40.020 and that his body is the temple?
00:25:43.360 And then all of a sudden, just randomly,
00:25:45.980 the temple is destroyed and has never been rebuilt
00:25:48.860 since 70 AD. No, it was Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24
00:25:54.140 that God's judgment will come down upon Israel for the rejection of the Messiah
00:26:01.040 and the temple will be destroyed. The old covenant era will end and the new covenant era will begin.
00:26:08.400 The old people have become the new people.
00:26:12.400 Again, Paul says,
00:26:17.940 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek,
00:26:21.300 for the same Lord is Lord of all,
00:26:24.180 bestowing his riches on who?
00:26:26.660 On all who call upon.
00:26:30.080 Paul then offers a final statement.
00:26:31.680 If you look in explanation, verse 13.
00:26:35.160 Again, we see the word for.
00:26:37.460 So we know that he's right about to explain the previous verse.
00:26:42.400 he says for everyone who calls on the name of the lord will be saved this is another reference to
00:26:49.260 the old testament joel 2 32 it's confirming this kind of predicted inclusive reality of the gospel
00:26:57.400 the gospel is about to go from the nation of israel to explode to be a global worldwide thing
00:27:03.820 Jesus is actually trying to get
00:27:10.900 all the nations
00:27:12.280 go therefore
00:27:13.920 make disciples of all nations
00:27:16.780 the term call
00:27:23.200 here in verse 13
00:27:24.120 it's not merely an audible call
00:27:26.280 there's lots of people that
00:27:28.680 prayed the sinner's prayer
00:27:29.900 they called 1.00
00:27:31.360 that was a stupid invention of this 19th or what 20th century 0.98
00:27:37.000 you never see that in previous generations now what you see is true biblical preaching 0.99
00:27:45.680 that sends people by the holy spirit's power the holy spirit becomes the midwife
00:27:52.540 to the new birth and people are absolutely crushed by their own sin
00:27:57.480 they don't come forward.
00:28:03.600 They go home and they weep as their heart is made new.
00:28:08.800 That's the historical reality of the church.
00:28:10.900 We don't do altar calls here.
00:28:12.840 I'm trying to persuade intellectually
00:28:15.840 and coax somebody into a redemptive situation.
00:28:18.200 No.
00:28:19.580 We preach the gospel.
00:28:21.020 We let the Lord do the heavy lifting.
00:28:25.180 Now the word call here is a synonym for faith.
00:28:27.480 It's the act of truly calling upon the Lord.
00:28:30.580 Have you, just ask yourself, have you called upon the Lord?
00:28:35.660 Be my righteousness.
00:28:37.800 Have you done that?
00:28:40.100 I'm wicked. 0.70
00:28:41.800 I'm wicked. 0.96
00:28:43.800 I don't care if you're seven or 70.
00:28:47.800 Have you done that?
00:28:52.500 Teenagers die all the time, okay?
00:28:55.000 Okay? Teenagers walk out, get in a car accident. The truth is, have you called upon the name of
00:29:05.640 the Lord? Now, what are you calling on? Well, not Mary, not angels, not Buddha, not Allah.
00:29:18.680 And we're calling on the name of the Lord
00:29:22.140 Only Christ can save you from God's wrath
00:29:25.280 Acts 4.12 says
00:29:27.280 And there is salvation in no one else
00:29:29.960 For there is no other name
00:29:32.880 Under heaven
00:29:34.140 Given among men
00:29:35.580 By which we must be saved
00:29:37.860 Jesus says
00:29:40.200 I'm the way, the truth, and the life
00:29:42.200 And no man comes to the Father
00:29:44.080 Except through me
00:29:44.920 Paul then asks the natural question,
00:29:51.620 well, if everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
00:29:54.060 will be saved, then, look down, let's read verse 14,
00:29:59.040 how then will they call upon him
00:30:00.820 in whom they have not believed?
00:30:04.360 And how are they to believe in him
00:30:06.480 whom they have not heard?
00:30:10.160 And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
00:30:14.920 all right these are what i call cascading rhetorical questions they're obvious
00:30:22.680 their their questions the obvious answers but they're cascading they're interconnected
00:30:28.840 they're deduced
00:30:32.520 and what's happening here is the aim is to clarify that the means the means
00:30:38.040 to fulfill the prophetic ends
00:30:41.260 of a universal gospel
00:30:43.100 is preachers.
00:30:47.020 If everyone who calls on Christ,
00:30:49.160 both Jew and Greek,
00:30:50.180 will be saved,
00:30:51.360 the most natural question becomes
00:30:53.540 how can they believe and call on Christ
00:30:57.080 if they have not heard the gospel?
00:31:01.700 And how can they hear the gospel
00:31:03.220 without someone proclaiming it,
00:31:06.040 preaching it,
00:31:07.060 heralding it,
00:31:08.040 This is an important passage of Scripture.
00:31:11.160 It demonstrates a few vital points.
00:31:13.320 Okay, number one, the gospel must go out, starting with your children.
00:31:23.120 Catechize your kids in the gospel.
00:31:25.160 It's not my job to catechize your kids.
00:31:30.540 Catechize your kids in the gospel.
00:31:33.440 If the gospel is for the whole world, then the gospel must be proclaimed to the whole
00:31:38.020 world second God's means of the gospel or the proclamation of the gospel are human
00:31:48.780 preachers or human evangelists this is important in just a few minutes we'll get there this is
00:31:58.300 especially true in a generation that had no digital media no printed media no books in the sense of
00:32:07.180 printed books the gospel had to go out verbally you don't have libraries in the 6th century at
00:32:16.460 your house okay now since the death of the apostles salvation has only come
00:32:25.260 through the gospel being preached by the means of human lips or the gospel being read in the
00:32:34.060 the bible or through some theological documents by the means of human writers god has always used
00:32:41.180 humans to proclaim the gospel outside of the apostles and the prophets themselves
00:32:48.940 this is the normative reality for church history third this proves that god did not
00:32:55.500 chose or choose to reveal the gospel by the heavens can't just look in the mountains
00:33:04.060 God didn't look down on humanity and call them and say,
00:33:08.020 let me tell you the gospel.
00:33:12.260 It proves that God did not choose angels to teach the gospel
00:33:17.260 or just kind of the Holy Spirit to go individually to elect people
00:33:23.120 independent of evangelism.
00:33:25.820 No.
00:33:28.080 You never see that reality in scripture.
00:33:33.920 The gospel has gone out by the means of men,
00:33:38.760 accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit.
00:33:42.200 It's kind of like Jesus has a head and we're his body.
00:33:45.680 And the body actually does the work of the head.
00:33:48.220 That makes sense, right?
00:33:51.140 This has always been the way of God.
00:33:54.920 It's why Jesus or why God has chosen prophets
00:33:58.320 instead of just communicating himself.
00:34:00.640 He would communicate to Moses
00:34:01.800 and Moses would communicate to the people.
00:34:04.520 He would communicate to the prophets
00:34:06.040 and they would communicate to the people.
00:34:08.320 He chose the apostles.
00:34:10.400 They would communicate to the people.
00:34:13.380 This is the normative order.
00:34:16.640 Matthew 9, 37, 38, Jesus says,
00:34:19.120 the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
00:34:23.920 Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of hosts
00:34:27.180 or the Lord of the harvest to send out angels.
00:34:30.660 No, it doesn't say that.
00:34:31.800 to send out laborers into the harvest.
00:34:39.400 1 Corinthians 1.21 says,
00:34:41.300 For since in the wisdom of God,
00:34:43.480 the world did not know God through wisdom,
00:34:46.040 it pleased God through the folly of what we preach
00:34:49.860 to save those who believe.
00:34:53.660 Now this is, I would say, of course,
00:34:55.660 most clearly seen in the Great Commission,
00:34:57.660 Matthew 28, 18 through 20.
00:34:58.760 Go, therefore, go, you humans, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
00:35:08.900 Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
00:35:14.420 Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Now, you might be going, hey, Dale,
00:35:19.920 we already know this. We already know these things. Why are you telling this to us?
00:35:25.360 I want you to see how this passage,
00:35:29.500 I already picked on dispensationalism,
00:35:31.920 I'm gonna pick on something else.
00:35:33.020 I want you to see how this passage runs contrary
00:35:36.760 to the current and insistent charismatic testimony
00:35:42.480 of Jesus personally saving Muslims
00:35:46.180 through dreams in the Middle East.
00:35:48.260 Okay, we're gonna talk about that
00:35:49.480 because this intersects in this reality.
00:35:53.200 I don't know about you,
00:35:53.880 Maybe it's just because I'm a theologian
00:35:55.140 and I'm a pastor that I hear about this all the time.
00:35:58.300 But I feel like all I hear about
00:35:59.840 is these mystical, subjective testimonies of,
00:36:05.220 and it's always from somebody
00:36:06.260 who has very low biblical literacy
00:36:09.000 communicating about these events
00:36:11.740 that the Muslims are now being saved
00:36:13.760 personally by Jesus, Esau, in dreams.
00:36:18.200 Have you heard this?
00:36:18.820 Raise your hand if you've heard this.
00:36:20.360 Okay, all right, I'm not alone here.
00:36:23.040 All right.
00:36:23.320 Question. Has something so radically occurred in redemptive history that God has chosen to intervene
00:36:35.880 and accomplish evangelistic work without the use of his body, the church? Has something happened?
00:36:45.540 Because I'll tell you what, there is not one example in the entire Bible of Jesus saving
00:36:52.520 anybody in a dream. It literally does not exist. There are visions to the apostles,
00:36:59.340 but there is no statement. There is no description. There is no prescription.
00:37:05.540 It is not in the Bible. Was the legal system too hostile to send a missionary?
00:37:16.460 Was the risk just too great to send an evangelist?
00:37:19.140 is god just struggling to order all things to get one of his men in that city to preach the gospel
00:37:28.120 to one of those people i thought god causes all things to work together for good for those who
00:37:32.600 love him and are called according to his purpose i thought god is providential and in control of
00:37:36.500 all things is he struggling you know what i can't seem to get an evangelist in there maybe i'm just
00:37:43.500 going to go do the work for them. Should we start praying that God would save people without
00:37:52.120 missionaries and evangelists? Because that's really what this makes you question. Should we
00:37:59.300 just start saying, oh Lord, not like a Isaiah moment, like here I am, Lord, send me. You know
00:38:08.480 what? Why don't you just go on your own, Lord? You can do it. Honestly, you'll do it better
00:38:15.000 than I can. No, no, that's not how it works, according to scripture. We send missionaries
00:38:25.420 and evangelists according to the Great Commission, the command of Jesus himself.
00:38:34.060 Is this the new normative means of redemption?
00:38:40.740 Should we expect that Christ is now appearing to people in dreams?
00:38:44.840 Is that how Jesus said he's going to return bodily in people's dreams?
00:38:51.040 Are these individuals receiving new information or words from God?
00:38:54.220 Should we learn about what he's saying to them?
00:38:58.360 Is it authoritative?
00:38:59.500 1 John 4.1 tells us, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits. What are we to test them
00:39:11.140 against? Say it out loud. The Bible, right? Scripture. Truth. You're not testing them
00:39:19.940 against your emotions. No. Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they
00:39:28.540 are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. When I was studying this,
00:39:35.680 one author wrote, and I thought it was really good. He says, I know you might be thinking,
00:39:38.940 why make an issue of how Muslims come to faith in Christ as long as they come to faith?
00:39:43.960 And doesn't the fact that they come to faith legitimize the means by which they come?
00:39:49.080 It's a good question. He says, those are fair questions. And the most concise answers are,
00:39:54.160 one, God commands us to be discerning in all things. Question things. Number two,
00:40:03.460 the end doesn't justify the means if the means fails to pass the test of scripture.
00:40:11.240 That's important. That's what separates us from Roman Catholicism.
00:40:19.280 the number of practices that have nothing to do with the Bible and the Roman Catholic Church
00:40:28.040 is why we are Protestants. We believe that Scripture, they have a philosophy of worship
00:40:38.920 that if it's not forbidden in Scripture, you can do anything. The Protestants believe
00:40:44.580 if it's not explicitly stated in Scripture, you can't do it.
00:40:49.280 That is the two philosophies of worship.
00:40:53.680 And number three says,
00:40:55.700 because this isn't merely a one-off experience
00:40:57.860 and a significant spiritual movement
00:40:59.160 based on subjective mystical encounters,
00:41:01.960 we must have objective biblical support
00:41:04.220 before they can be classified
00:41:06.120 as true Christian conversions, end quote.
00:41:10.740 So biblically speaking,
00:41:12.500 I don't want you just to go,
00:41:15.300 of course that's what's happening in the Middle East.
00:41:17.580 at least be willing to go, let me examine that.
00:41:21.940 Let me examine these claims.
00:41:25.780 But God sends men to proclaim the gospel.
00:41:28.920 This is affirmed in the next verse, which we are almost done.
00:41:31.380 Verse 15, turn your Bible.
00:41:32.400 It says, and how are they to preach unless they are sent?
00:41:41.660 Well, again, if we're back to the muzzles,
00:41:43.480 let's just send Jesus.
00:41:44.120 is. No. How are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful
00:41:52.800 are the feet of those who preach the good news. Okay. The argument in this verse concludes
00:42:00.620 that if people cannot believe without hearing, and they cannot hear without a preacher, then
00:42:09.300 logically follows that preachers must be sent basics right and we know that preachers
00:42:17.060 that are in view here are human preachers because the apostle offers another quotation
00:42:22.500 from the old testament which is talking about human messengers that are bringing good news
00:42:26.740 isaiah 52 7 nahum 115 how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news i mean i guess
00:42:32.660 I guess angels have feet and so does Jesus,
00:42:34.200 but the context is a human messenger
00:42:39.480 bringing great news of peace.
00:42:42.080 Now, this is the passage that's rightly used
00:42:45.200 for the rationale for mission organizations.
00:42:51.280 This is a good verse for why we should send people
00:42:56.640 to proclaim the gospel.
00:42:59.220 Missionaries are men who bring about the good news.
00:43:02.660 of peace and reconciliation between God and man through Christ.
00:43:08.260 And just as it's this beautiful place, beautiful picture,
00:43:12.220 of a messenger who brings peace in a war-torn land,
00:43:16.900 how much more beautiful is it to send a missionary
00:43:20.140 to bring the message of peace through the gospel of Jesus Christ?
00:43:27.860 It's a great thing.
00:43:29.760 So, conclusion.
00:43:32.660 The gospel is universal, and it must go out.
00:43:37.300 It actually has to be preached.
00:43:39.540 Starting with your kids, starting with your sphere of influence, it must be preached.
00:43:46.560 There's an old African proverb.
00:43:49.340 It says, there is only one crime worse than murder in the desert,
00:43:54.160 and that is to know where water is and not tell about it.
00:44:00.240 We have the words of life.
00:44:02.660 we have the bread of life.
00:44:05.900 We have the water of life.
00:44:10.800 The primary responsibility for evangelism
00:44:13.600 falls upon the ministers of the church.
00:44:15.820 I don't think when Jesus is giving the Great Commission
00:44:19.640 to the apostles,
00:44:21.840 he means that the mother in the room
00:44:25.100 with four little kids
00:44:26.160 needs to go out and fulfill that Great Commission.
00:44:28.720 Well, no, it's fulfilled by telling the children
00:44:31.700 at your feet, the gospel. The missionary call is to men, it's to ministers, to those that
00:44:39.680 are called to ministry. But anybody that God places in your life, you should be ready,
00:44:50.300 prepared to give an answer for the hope that is in you. That's why our focus at Kingsway
00:44:56.580 is on gospel fluency.
00:45:01.160 Gospel fluency.
00:45:03.940 The bricks of God's kingdom are stacked
00:45:05.840 by the proclamation of the gospel.
00:45:07.740 If you can't communicate the gospel,
00:45:09.500 you can't even participate in the building of the kingdom.
00:45:13.240 And so let's pray as we close
00:45:15.640 that the Lord would continue to give us gospel clarity
00:45:18.980 and gospel fluency,
00:45:20.780 that you would actually tell it to someone.
00:45:26.580 you know the vast majority of christians like i think it's like 11 percent have never shared
00:45:33.380 the gospel with anyone ever they've shared their testimony they've talked about the bible they've
00:45:38.560 mentioned jesus but they've never actually given a good news or a bad news good news gospel
00:45:45.160 please let's not have that statistic true in this church amen let's pray
00:45:56.580 Father, we thank you
00:45:59.020 for the simplicity of the gospel,
00:46:02.480 the universality of the gospel.
00:46:06.060 Lord, we ask for your wisdom and guidance
00:46:09.340 that you would bless us with an understanding
00:46:13.500 that we might go out and proclaim the gospel,
00:46:18.100 starting with our children and families,
00:46:20.100 into our society and town,
00:46:22.680 that we would send preachers to go get the sheep,
00:46:25.280 that you would do the call
00:46:27.500 to your people
00:46:28.880 through the mouths of men
00:46:30.380 or that you would guide us
00:46:32.860 in wisdom
00:46:33.320 you would help us
00:46:35.840 to have discernment
00:46:36.700 that our theology
00:46:39.440 would be sound
00:46:40.280 that we might proclaim
00:46:43.740 and worship you in truth
00:46:44.980 we thank you
00:46:48.180 that you've not left us
00:46:49.040 confused
00:46:49.640 or wanting more
00:46:52.020 but you've given us
00:46:52.860 this passage in Romans
00:46:53.980 for the clarity of your will.
00:46:56.600 In Jesus' name, amen.