ROMANS 10:13-17
NO TIME FOR SILENCE
When is it good to remain silent?
When is it bad to remain silent?
There was once a court case lost by the silence of the attorney. “The distinguished lawyer, Samuel Hoar (1778-1856) was representing the defendant. When it was time to present his case, he told the jurors that the facts favoring his client were so evident that he would not insult their intelligence by arguing them. The jury retired to deliberate and returned in a few minutes with a verdict of guilty.
“Samuel Hoar was astonished, ‘How,’ He asked, ‘could you have reached such a verdict?’ The foreman replied, ‘We all agreed that if anything could be said for a case, you would say it. But since you didn’t present any evidence, we decided to rule against you.’” Silence had lost the case.
There is much that can be said for silence but not when it comes to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a silence that keeps people out of Heaven. This is a silence which we should avoid.
In Romans 10:9-17 I believe that we are taught that we need to speak up for Christ, not only as evidence that we are really saved, but also as a means of sharing God’s plan of salvation so that others will come to know Christ as Savior.
In the last two Sundays we have heard reports from missionaries who have been on the foreign mission field. Matt and Angie Hall have been reaching the Maleu people in Papua New Guinea with the message of salvation and Josh McKinley has been doing the same with foreign students in Italy.
Their lack of silence has resulted in people hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ as many believing on Christ as their Savior. There are many others who need Christ as their Savior, so this is no time for silence. In our text this morning we want to see:
THE MESSAGE OF SALVATION – Vss. 9-13
THE METHOD OF EVANGELISM – Vss. 14, 17
THE MANDATE FOR MISSIONS – Vss. 14-15
THE MISTAKE OF HEARERS – Vs. 16
THE MESSAGE OF SALVATION – Vss. 9-13
The most important message in the world is the message of salvation. The message of salvation is important because of the sinful condition of every person who ever lived with the exception of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 64:6 - But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Romans 3:10 - As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Ezekiel 18:4 - Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
God, being a just God requires that righteous people enter into Heaven. The problem, as we have just seen, is that nobody is righteous.
God in His love had a plan to rescue us or save us from the plight of eternal punishment for our sins.
Romans 5:6-9 - For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. [7] For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. [8] But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. [9] Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
It is God the Son acting as our substitute taking our place. He suffered for us.
Based on Christ’s death for sin, forgiveness and admission to Heaven is available for each and every one of us.
What is the key issue in the message of salvation?
It is belief, or trust or faith.
Romans 10:9-10 - That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
When men try to “make points with God” or please God, they try to earn their way into Heaven. They try to do good works, be nice people, or keep commandments in order to gain God’s pleasure.
The trouble is that man’s works are faulty.
Man’s commandment keeping is faulty.
No man or woman is always nice.
And besides, it is an insult to God work for something that is already paid for.
Let’s say you and I went out for lunch after church. You, being the gracious person you are, paid the bill before I realized it. Do you think that I would insist on paying too?
Of course not! You’d be insulted if I did such a thing. I’d just catch you next time and pay the bill.
If Jesus already paid for our sins, why should we try to pay for what is already paid for? It is an insult to pay for what He has already paid for.
Let’s follow the concept of belief through this passage.
Vs. 9 – If I believe in my heart that God has raised Jesus
from the dead, I am trusting or relying on the resurrection of Christ as a fact of life.
If I believe in the resurrection, it implies that I also believe in the atonement of Christ for my sin. I see the death, burial and resurrection as sufficient for me to get into Heaven.
Vs. 10 – When I believe in Christ, trusting in His finished work, I believe unto righteousness.
God declares me righteous in His eyes because I have trusted in the work of His Son.
Before believing on Christ God saw Jack Peters as an unrighteous sinner, and I was.
After believing on Christ God sees Jack Peters as a righteous individual, one of His saints, and one of His children. God declared me righteous based on the shed blood of His Son and my faith or belief.
Romans 5:9 - Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Romans 5:1 - Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Vs. 11 – Those that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, whether they be Jews and Gentiles will not be ashamed when they stand before God in Heaven. The word ashamed in this verse has been translated “disappointed”.
· You won’t be disappointed when you see Jesus face to face.
1 John 3:2 - Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
· You won’t be disappointed when you spend eternity in Heaven.
· You won’t be disappointed with the type of life you will live in Heaven.
Vs. 12 – It doesn’t matter whether you are a Jew or a Gentile. If you have believingly called upon the Lord Jesus Christ, He is rich towards you. He is not only rich towards you now in His ministry in your life, but He will be rich towards you for all eternity.
Vs. 13 – If you have called on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in believing faith, you are saved, not only from the penalty of sin, but also from the power of sin in your life now, and from the presence of sin once you arrive in Heaven.
So we see in this passage a basic truth. There is no salvation without belief.
Now let’s return to verses 9-10 for another thought.
Vss. 9-10 – The person who has believed will not be silent.
The person who truly believes will, if not right away, very shortly after salvation start confessing that Jesus is Lord.
What are the implications of confessing Jesus as Lord?
James Montgomery Boice gave us three implications:
· To say Jesus is Lord, is to say that Jesus is God. In the Greek Old Testament, this was the word for Jehovah. When we believe on Jesus Christ as Savior, we are believing on Jesus Christ as God.
· To say that Jesus is Lord is to say that Jesus is Savior. He came as Christ or Messiah. The Messiah came to save His people.
· To say that Jesus is Lord is to say that Jesus is my boss.
James Montgomery Boice, Romans Volume 3, God and History, (Grand Rapids Michigan, Baker Books, 1993) pp. 1191-1193
Don’t expect to truly believe on Jesus Christ as your Savior and have life remain the same. One who is truly saved will experience a change of life that is inevitable.
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
John 3:5-8 - Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. [6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. [8] The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
John 14:16-18 - And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. [18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Because God is present in your life, you will not be the same! And you will not be silent!
You will confess with you mouth your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, if the Spirit is dwelling in you. He will not let you remain silent.
You will confess with you life the Lord Jesus Christ. You will show by the way you live what kind of change Christ has made in your life.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 - Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
I am scared.
So many people profess the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
But there are so few people live like they are saved.
Salvation is radical.
It is turning from an old way of life to embrace forgiveness.
It is turning from sin to be forgiven and changed for ever.
Perhaps some of you who have professed salvation have failed to actually repent or turn from sin to embrace what will bring you new life now. You want fire insurance from hell, but have no desire to be changed by Christ now. Salvation is not only deliverance from the penalty of sin but from a sinful life style!
1 John 2:3-6 - And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. [4] He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. [5] But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. [6] He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
THE MESSAGE OF SALVATION – Vss. 9-13
THE METHOD OF EVANGELISM – Vss. 14, 17
So how do we get out the message of salvation?
It is through evangelism, or proclaiming the Good News.
Folks who are without Christ can not hear unless there is a preacher according to verse 14.
Vs. 17 tells us that “faith comes through hearing”. An unsaved person needs to hear the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
What they need to hear is the Word of God proclaimed to them!
When a person does come to faith in Christ, it is because someone has shared the Gospel message either by sharing verbally the plan of salvation, or writing it.
There are people who are gifted evangelists according to Ephesians 4:11. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
But everyone of us who are saved can confess our faith in Christ and share the plan of salvation.
1 Peter 3:15 - But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
How often have you hoped that God would send someone to share the Gospel with a friend or loved one? Has it ever occurred to you that you might be the one God wants to talk to that person?
You can not save anyone. That’s not your job or mine.
Our job is to share the plan of salvation.
And besides sharing the Gospel yourself you can encourage folks to come to church to hear the preaching of the Gospel here.
And I would be glad to help you by visiting your friends and loved ones with you, and help explain the gospel.
The method of Evangelism is the preaching of the Word of God, the sharing of the Gospel Plan.
It is not time for you to remain silent if the Word of God is true and it is.
For the Word of God says in John 3:36 - He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
And the Word of God says in Rev. 20:15 - And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
THE MESSAGE OF SALVATION – Vss. 9-13
THE METHOD OF EVANGELISM – Vss. 14, 17
THE MANDATE FOR MISSIONS – Vss. 14-15
Our evangelism should not be limited to our own doorstep.
There are those called to take the Gospel beyond their local area.
This is what the Great Commission is all about.
Matthew 28:18-20 - And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. [19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Notice the pattern for reaching a lost and dying world.
It requires that we not be silent!
Vss. 14-15
People can’t call unless they believe.
People can’t believe unless they hear.
People can’t hear unless someone preaches.
People can’t preach unless they are sent.
Those who are sent have “beautiful feet” in God’s Eyes.
We can all have beautiful feet if we preach the Gospel.
And we can also ask God what part He wants us to have in reaching the world.
We can help world missions by supporting those who are sent.
We can help world missions by praying for those who are sent.
We can help world missions by praying for more missionaries.
Luke 10:2 - Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
We can help world missions by being available to go, if God so wills. We need more with the attitude of Isaiah the prophet who said in Isaiah 6:8 - Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
MESSAGE OF SALVATION – Vss. 9-13
THE METHOD OF EVANGELISM – Vss. 14, 17
THE MANDATE FOR MISSIONS – Vss. 14-15
THE MISTAKE OF HEARERS – Vs. 16
Not everyone is going to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved.
That is a mistake.
It is the only sin that God will not forgive.
It is my prayer that you have not made that mistake.
Realize that not everyone you are not silent towards will be saved, but some will
And realize that if you have not truly believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are making the biggest mistake of your life.
This is not the time to be silent. It is time to believe and confess Jesus as Lord.
This is not the time to silent. It is time to share the Gospel with your friends and loved ones.
This is not the time to be silent. It is time to support missions and to consider going yourself!