Ready? You ready?
Good morning, brothers and sisters. How good it is to be together in the Lord’s presence, putting Him in remembrance and fellowshipping together in the Lord. And how good it is to consider His Word. His Word is so full. How could we ever live without His Word?
So, I think all of you know I sent out an outline. Some of you even probably read it. There’s one brother, by the way—he’s my favorite brother because he tells me every time. William tells me, “Thank you for your outline. I read it.” He actually read it. So, if you have any questions, go to William. That’s what we’ll suggest.
We are finishing Romans 10. We’re looking today at Romans 10:14-21, but we want to start reading at verses 12 and 13 for context. This will help you understand, because it’s not a broken thought in Paul’s writing here. So, we want to step back to those verses.
This is reading from the Darby version. Verse 12:
For there is no difference of Jew and Greek:
for the same Lord of all is rich towards all that call upon Him.
For everyone, whosoever,
who shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
I want you to pay attention to that verse as we begin. Verse 14:
How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe on Him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without one who preaches?
And how shall they preach unless they have been sent?
According as it is written, How beautiful the feet of them that announce glad tidings of peace,
of them that announce glad tidings of good things!
But they have not all obeyed the glad tidings;
for Isaiah says, Who has believed our report?
So faith then is by a report, but the report by God’s Word.
But I say, Have they not heard?
Yea, surely, their voice has gone out into all the earth,
and their words to the extremities of the habitable world.
But I say, Has not Israel known?
First, Moses says, I will provoke you to jealousy through them that are not a nation;
through a nation without understanding will I anger you.
But Isaiah is very bold and says, I have been found by those not seeking Me;
I have been manifest to those not inquiring after Me.
But unto Israel He says, All the day long I have stretched out My hands unto a people disobeying and opposing.
Let’s pray.
Father, we are so grateful that You’ve given us this Word. How precious is this Word. How precious are all of Your words. Without Your words, the psalmist says, we would perish.
Indeed, we come to the One who has spoken words of eternal life, words of spirit and life. And we ask again today, as we consider these eight verses, that You would anoint them and You would grant us to hear those words of life.
Lord, we come to You. We bow before You. We thank You for all that You’ve given us, dear Father, in Christ Jesus. And we ask You to make these eight verses understood to us, deep in our spirit today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
You know, I mentioned something before. Bear with me. I’m going to mention it again until it gets through my thick head, and maybe yours. These three chapters have to do with the ways of God.
When I say these three chapters, it’s Romans 9, 10, and 11. We’re dealing with the ways of God. You get that from Romans 11:33:
Oh, depth of riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable His judgments, and untraceable His ways.
This was Paul as he concluded this great section. And this is, in fact, what we’re seeing in all three of these chapters.
Today, we’re going to look at a specific way. This is the way that, in some ways, is the most important way of God revealed. It’s the way of salvation—the glad tidings.
Now, just think about it for a moment. Without this way of salvation being revealed to us, we would have no fellowship with God. We would be dead in our sins. We would be without hope in this world, as Paul wrote to the Ephesians. Where would we be? We would be desperate.
So, this is the importance of the way—the way of salvation, or the glad tidings. I think all of God’s mercy, in one sense, is compressed into this way. It’s the door opening to us. It’s the way through. It’s the way into life. It’s the way into His abundance that He has manifested to us in Christ Jesus.
So, I think this way of salvation that these verses are dealing with is of supreme importance.
These eight verses—now, I know I read ten, so I hope I’m not confusing you at the beginning—but these eight verses are the revelation of God as to the way He will work to bring a people into His fullness. Without that way, it cannot happen. But through that way, we are divinely assured that it does happen, and it will happen, and nothing can prevent it from happening because, after all, it is God’s ways.
Now, when you come to the end of these verses—this may be the shortest introduction I’ve ever given—you discover there are those who refuse the way of glad tidings. They refuse it. They reject it.
If you can imagine this one and only way that God has made available to all the peoples of the world, yet in this marvelous grace, there are still those who reject. There are still those who refuse. But thank God, in His mercy, there are those who receive the glad tidings.
So, that’s the ending of these eight verses. Let’s look at three sections. I hope this little breakdown helps. Apparently, it’ll help me, or maybe it’ll help the rest of us if we think about it.
First of all, Paul deals with four vital questions concerning the glad tidings. Without an understanding of these four vital questions—what they mean—we cannot understand the way of salvation. That is Romans 10:14-15.
Secondly, there is believing the report. We need to believe the report. If we don’t believe the report, we can never enter into the way of salvation. And that is Romans 10:16-18.
Finally, we get to this point I mentioned: the glad tidings refused or received, in Romans 10:19-21. So, that’s our outline, and may the Lord help us as we look at it.
First of all, I want to drop back to verse 13. I think this sets the whole context. And if we don’t understand the context, we can’t understand what Paul is talking about.
For everyone, whosoever, who shall call on the name of the Lord, shall be saved.
So, without a doubt, what Paul is dealing with is salvation. And if we accept this fact—that this is a revelation in these three chapters of God’s ways—it is the way to salvation that He is dealing with. Not just salvation, but the way to it: His divine way into it and how it has been made available.
Now, I believe this thirteenth verse is of extreme divine assurance. I mentioned that, I think, last time. But this is extreme divine assurance.
It says, “For everyone.” I just want to read Paul’s words and put my own emphasis in it: “For everyone.” Now, who does that leave out? Everyone should be included.
“Whosoever.” It’s a universal call to all of mankind, to all of His creation, to come into this way of salvation.
For everyone, whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Now, I think I’ve mentioned this before, but that word shall is what caught me so much. There’s an enormous difference between shall and may. You know, we can say, “You may do something,” but there’s a great difference when you say, “You shall do something.”
I’ll never forget, in my training as a young engineer, the older partners who had much more wisdom than I ever had would say to me, “We want you to understand the importance of ‘shall.’” And they did it, and it even stuck.
I remember, in the legal documents we produced—which are called construction documents, which is what you build by, plans and specifications—they said, “Make sure you put in those specifications ‘shall.’ Don’t put ‘may.’ Don’t leave it up to the discretion of the fellow that’s going to build it. He may substitute anything he wants. Tell him what he shall do.”
And, believe it or not, it stuck. I think I read something clearer than that illustration about the difference between shall and may.
You know, Romans is a legal document. We’ve talked about how we’re in the court—the highest court, the divine court. And this is a legal document. Within legal documents, there’s an enormous difference between shall and may.
One person wrote this in a legal document: “There’s an important distinction between shall and may. Shall is a command. Whatever follows a shall is mandatory. It is required. It must be done.”
On the other hand, may is discretionary. What comes after may is optional, and it is at the discretion of the person making the decision.
The Lord said, “Whosoever, everyone, that calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Now, I hope you have a deeper appreciation of that word. That one word gives us the fullest of divine assurance.
Now, let’s look at Romans 10:14-15. I think these two verses show us something wonderful. In verses 14 and 15, Paul asks four questions. How do you know they’re questions? He starts every one with “how.” All four of these questions begin with “how.”
These four questions are God’s secret as to how we enter into the way of salvation—how this door was opened to us. What is God’s dealing to make it available to you and to me? So, it’s important that we understand these four questions.
I think of that wonderful thing written by the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 2:3. He begins with the word “how,” and he says:
How shall we escape,
if we neglect so great salvation?
Brothers and sisters, think of the meaning of that. He’s impressing those Hebrew believers with the importance of this salvation. And there is the only place that phrase is used, which sets it in context: so great salvation.
So, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? It is an ominous warning, but it’s the very spirit of these eight verses. If we neglect what God has done, where will we be? What hope would we have? What would our future be based upon? What would our assurance come from?
So, I think that’s the importance of these questions. Let me read you the questions.
First: “How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed?” It’s a good question. How shall they call? That thirteenth verse said, “Everyone, whosoever”—three emphases, by the way—“shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.” But how can we call on somebody we don’t even know? How can we do that? It’s a good question. Think about it.
The second question, I think, is also important: “And how shall they believe on Him of whom they have not heard?” Another good question.
The third question: “And how shall they hear without one who preaches?” And the fourth question: “And how shall they preach unless they are sent?”
Think about those questions. They open to us God’s way of salvation, and we need, therefore, to understand the reality of them. They are so comprehensive. Just in those few verses is compressed the whole way of salvation.
When you look at it, they are so comprehensive that it can be made known to us and we can receive in full this so great salvation. It says we must call upon the Lord, right? It says we must believe on the Lord, right? It says we must hear the Word of God through His messengers and His message. Isn’t that what it says?
And then, if you look at the fourth question, it says these messengers must be sent of the Lord. That’s what it’s telling us.
Now, I think naturally speaking, we can break these four questions into two parts. I hope you can stay with me on this. I hope I don’t confuse you further with four and two and all these numbers, but they can be broken into two parts: man’s responsibility and God’s provision. That’s all you need to know.
We have a responsibility, and then God makes a provision. In man’s responsibility, we see the first two: call upon the name of the Lord and believe in the Lord. With God’s provision, we see the last two: the preaching of the Word, and God sends His messengers. That’s what makes it possible.
Now, I think naturally, we would like these things answered in the order they’re given: one, two, three, four, right? Makes sense. That’s how we did it in school. I don’t know how young people do it in school, but that’s how we did it in school.
But actually, I think there’s a secret. You need to look at it four, three, two, one. If you don’t look at it in reverse order, all the responsibility is put upon man. If you look at it in the right order—which I think is the right order—then you begin to understand what God did to make it possible.
He sent Someone. He made His Word available. And then, only then, can we call upon the name of the Lord and believe in the Lord. So, I think this is a very right way to look at this.
You might ask, “Why would you, brother, look at this backwards?” Some people might say, “Why are you backwards, brother?” But believe me, the reason is because God is the initiator. Man is the responder.
We get it backwards. We don’t initiate it. God initiated it. And because He initiated it and made available in His provision everything we need to enter into the way of salvation, we can know this so great salvation.
So, that’s the point I want you to think about. We will consider it backwards, therefore, if you don’t mind. First of all, the Sent One.
It says, “And how shall they preach unless they have been sent?” Think about it. God sent His only begotten Son. That’s the secret of everything.
The way of salvation literally hinges upon that single act of God. Had He not sent His only begotten Son—the Sent One—salvation would never be available to you and to me and to the whole world.
How shall they preach unless they are sent? God sent His only begotten Son. You’re familiar, I think; someone mentioned it during our remembrance time. John 1:14:
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us,
and we beheld His glory,
even as the glory of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth.
Thank God He sent His only Son. Where would you be without that? You wouldn’t be here. You would be hopeless. But because He sent the Sent One, we are here and we are saved.
Please remember that above everything else. Don’t get the order in the natural way. Give thanks that salvation—the door of salvation—has been opened to you by the sending of the Sent One.
You know, He’s the Messiah. It means the Anointed One, right? Did you know that Messiah only occurs four times in the Bible? I would have thought it occurred more than that, but it only occurs four times.
It occurs twice in Daniel, in back-to-back verses: Daniel 9:25 and Daniel 9:26, in the Old Testament. It occurs in the New Testament only in John’s Gospel—in John 1:41, I think, but don’t hold me to it—and then, I think, somewhere in John 4. I can’t tell you for sure, but only four times.
This Anointed One was sent to us. Not only is this Anointed One the Anointed One—because in the Old Testament Messiah means the Anointed One—it’s interesting: when you translate Hebrew Messiah into Greek, it means literally Christ.
There’s only one Anointed One that was sent. And only because of that Anointed One that was sent do we have this wonderful experience and reality of the way of salvation.
This is of great importance, brothers and sisters. We need to understand that this One is not only God’s message; this One who was sent is God’s Messenger. And that is foremost when we study these four questions.
He’s the only way to salvation. Do you remember in those wonderful chapters, John 13 through 17, that are only recorded in John’s Gospel? Do you remember, before the cross, the Lord was giving the highest assurance to His people?
He was telling them He was going to the Father, and they knew the way. Of course, Thomas—one of the few times we hear Thomas speak in the Bible, and at least we can say for him he was a consistent person—he was a doubter in those cases we read about.
He said, “We don’t know the way, and we don’t know where You’re going.” And the Lord said the most profound thing in John 14:6. He didn’t say, “Well, I’ll tell you what the way is.” He said to those—and they must have been astonished—“I am the way.”
Do you understand the difference? The way of salvation is not some process we bring people through to get saved. The way of salvation is literally the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s discovering Him as everything. It’s discovering Him as, I think, that old expression, the kit and caboodle. And if you need translation on that, please ask someone else.
He’s the whole of it. God gave us everything when He gave us the Lord Jesus—the Sent One, the Anointed One. And then, of course, without that, we would never know salvation.
Because of Who He is and what He did—I may have got so excited I didn’t finish that verse on John 14:6. Did I finish it? Let me do it again just so I remember it.
I am the way, and the truth, and the life:
no one comes to the Father, but by Me.
Isn’t that powerful? There’s no other way. There’s no other door. There’s no other access.
You know, the world gets furious at us believers when we say that. “Do you mean somebody can’t come through Buddhism? Do you mean someone can’t be a Hindu, a Shinto, a whatever-too?”
These are not our words. These are the Lord’s words. Either—forgive me for this when I say it—either the Lord was the most profound liar that ever lived, or this is true. Well, this is true.
I would have thought maybe He would say, “I’ll show you the way.” He didn’t say that. “I’ll teach you truth.” He didn’t say that. “I’ll tell you about life.” He didn’t say that.
He said, “I am the way. I am the truth.” Notice those two words: “I am.” They knew exactly what He was saying.
These Jewish people were brought back to Exodus 3, when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and said to him, “I AM hath sent thee.” They knew. This was the ultimate affirmation: “I am.”
So, first of all, He is the Sent One. Because of Him, we can call upon the Lord. Because of Him, we can believe in the Lord. Because of Him, you shall be saved. That’s it: the Sent One.
But it’s interesting to me, when I considered these points, that not only was He the Sent One, but He continues in this way of salvation. He sends others.
You remember the apostles? Most of you probably know this, but the Greek word for apostle, I think it’s something like apostolos. I can’t tell you, and don’t hold me to Greek. Some people hardly hold me to English, so don’t hold me to Greek here. It means the sent one—an ambassador, one who is sent.
So God continues in His way. Not only was He the Sent One; as a matter of fact, He is the Apostle. Do you remember Hebrews 3:1?
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling,
consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Jesus.
Isn’t that wonderful? That’s wonderful to me. He’s the Apostle. And yet, in His way to ensure that we can come into this way of salvation, He continues to send, and He sent His own twelve apostles.
How wonderful. We have their writings, many of them. How wonderful we have the Word of God because of these ones that were sent. An apostle is an ambassador of the gospel. That’s their one job—an ambassador of the gospel. They are a messenger that has been sent.
Paul was explaining who the apostles are in 2 Corinthians 5:20. He said:
We are ambassadors therefore for Christ,
God as it were beseeching by us:
we entreat for Christ, Be reconciled to God.
You know, it is the practice, I think, of every nation on this earth to send ambassadors to other nations they have dealings with. Those ambassadors are responsible for one thing: to bring the sovereign message of that kingdom, state, or country from which they came to the nation they go to.
I thought it was interesting. I didn’t know how many ambassadors the United States had. I don’t know if I really care, but I found out they have 168 ambassadors. That’s a lot of sent people.
Do you know what country has the most ambassadors in the world? Brother, you’re too spiritual for me. Let me ask my question another way: what country has the most ambassadors in the world? By the way, you’re right. What country has the most ambassadors? This shouldn’t be too hard. Well, it’s China. I’m surprised.
China has 173 ambassadors. I don’t know a single ambassador in the United States. I know one ambassador—only one. Don’t hold that against me, okay? My politics isn’t very good, all right? I don’t know these things.
But Mike Huckabee has been sent to be the ambassador to Israel. What I love about the only ambassador I know by name is he’s an ambassador for Christ. He’s a true believer. He’s a Baptist minister. He’s somebody that knows the Lord.
I think that’s wonderful, that he got sent to Israel. Maybe he can show them the way of salvation in between his national dealings with them and speak of the Messiah, the Sent One.
So, ambassadors are sent of the Lord. That’s who the apostles are.
The heavenly ambassadors carry a far more vital message than these earthly ambassadors. Think about it. They are entrusted, according to Paul, with the message of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. That is a tremendous responsibility.
They’re sent out to tell this sin-sick world, “Be reconciled to God.” What a message. That’s the message this world needs. God wants to reconcile with you. Be reconciled to God.
So think about it. When the Lord was caught up to heaven to be seated by the Majesty on high, He continued to send His ambassadors to the world. I think that is wonderful.
1 Corinthians 1:17 says what they are to do:
For Christ has not sent me to baptize,
but to preach the glad tidings;
not in wisdom of word,
that the cross of Christ may not be made void.
Now I want to take you a step further. This is not the end of the sent ones. You are a sent one. I am a sent one. Every believer is a sent one.
We are to continue to be the ambassadors that bear this heavenly message, this way of salvation, to this world. Without us bearing this message, this world will die in sin. What a responsibility. What a responsibility.
Oh, I think we need to consider that we are the sent ones as well. Thank God for the Sent One. Thank God for the sent ones, the apostles. But we too have a responsibility. Did you know that?
Did you know you were an ambassador of the kingdom of heaven? You are. Your one job is to bring that message from this King on high, this exalted King, the only King, to a dying world. And that is God’s way of salvation.
I’ll never forget Brother Kong used to say to us young fellows, who weren’t very clear, by the way—I don’t mind confessing that. We weren’t very clear. But I remember he would say something quite often, and it finally sunk in after years.
He said to us, “God may change His methods, but He never changes His ways.” I thought that was profound wisdom.
He is still sending forth people. He is still sending ones. As a matter of fact, let me read to you some verses you’re very familiar with in Matthew 9. You know these verses. We often pray these verses when we’re talking about the gospel.
Matthew 9:36-38:
But when He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them,
because they were harassed and cast away as sheep not having a shepherd.
Then saith He to His disciples, The harvest is great, and the workmen are few;
supplicate therefore the Lord of the harvest,
that He should send forth workmen unto His harvest.
Brothers and sisters, I believe this should be our often-made request to heaven: that God would still be sending forth ones with a burden for the way of salvation; that God would put upon us what He put upon the apostle Paul: “A necessity has been laid on me. Woe unto me if I do not preach the glad tidings.”
I believe this is that fourth question—the third question. It says one vital thing that these sent ones are commissioned to do: they are sent to preach the message. This is their one thing that they’re called to do.
We need, brothers and sisters, to understand the importance of preaching. Now, we may not put a high regard on it. We may think this is God’s Word. But God, somehow in His mysterious ways, has chosen preaching as the way for this gospel to go out to the world.
Think of it. Corinthians talks about the foolishness of preaching, right? You remember those verses? It talks about the foolishness of preaching. 1 Corinthians 1:21 says:
For since, in the wisdom of God,
the world through its wisdom knew not God,
God was pleased through the foolishness of the preaching
to save them that believe.
To the world, preaching is foolishness. But to God—and we know from 1 Corinthians 1:18—it is the power of God unto salvation. Think of it: preaching. Isn’t that amazing?
I don’t know about you, if you can remember back before you were saved. Some of you, that’s a long reach. For Jerry, it’s a much longer reach than it is for me, by the way. But for me, it’s fifty-three years ago.
I remember one time—I’m talking about the power of preaching, if you understand; that’s where I want to go with this—I remember one time as a young boy in high school, I went to get tires for my poor little ’62 Ford Falcon. This was a terrible little car that Ford made, by the way.
I remember going—I can’t say that part. I’d say I remember going to Virginia Tech and going across Afton Mountain, and I got passed by an eighteen-wheeler in my ’62 Ford Falcon.
But one day, I went to get tires for that little jalopy. While I was getting tires, there was a tire mechanic. I was just waiting to put my tires on. He shared the Lord with me.
I’d never heard it. It was alive. It was full of conviction. He said things. I think he said something like, “God wants you.” I thought, “Who is God? And why would He want me, if He were God?”
Those words were laid upon my heart for about four years, until I was saved. And I knew that tire mechanic wasn’t in the business of putting on tires, but he was an ambassador of the gospel.
As that ambassador, that sent one, he shared with me the way of salvation. Well, that’s how important preaching is. It may be a word, but when the Holy Spirit is behind a word, it can change. It has power to convict men of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.
Brothers and sisters, how powerful is preaching. Preaching is the only thing, in God’s view and in the way of salvation, that will change this sin-sick world. I think that’s marvelous.
So, not only does He provide sent ones, He provides His Word to be sent forth—His living Word. Now, the second question—remember, going backwards; this might still be a little confusing—is the importance of hearing.
Do you know how important hearing is? It’s quite important. I’m getting in the crowd where everyone tells me, “I have hearing aids.” Well, thank God, we have a better hearing aid than the one you got at Costco. We have the Holy Spirit, the indwelling Holy Spirit, who can speak to us, and we can hear the heavenly words.
You’ve got divine hearing aids. What are you, twenty years old? You’ve got divine—You’re not twenty. Forgive me. I’m so sorry. Do you understand the importance of hearing?
That was what that second question was: “How can they believe unless they’ve heard?” God makes sure we hear. He sends forth His ambassadors, and those ambassadors have the one mission to bring the kingdom message of heaven to us. Then our ears can be opened and we can hear.
Now, if you don’t think hearing is important in the Bible, just read Revelation 2 and 3. Revelation 2 and 3 are the heart of Revelation. It was the message to the churches. It was Christ, the risen Head of the church, coming into those seven churches of Asia, walking among them, and examining whether they were a true testimony of Jesus.
When you read those seven messages to those seven churches, you discover many of them had amazing problems. Many of them. And the Lord speaks directly to those amazing problems, individually. He knows the situation, and He deals with it.
You know, it’s pretty hard to be told your church has Satan in its midst. But the Lord knew how to deal with it.
But here’s the point: at the end of each one of those individual messages, there was a specific message. That specific message was the same to every one of those churches. Now, to me, that raises that to a higher level.
That message was:
He who has an ear to hear,
let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
That’s the most important message. Unless we hear, we can’t know the way of salvation. This is why this is so important.
Brothers and sisters, the reason I’m going backwards in this is to assure you that a hearing ear doesn’t come from you, but a hearing ear is provided by God Himself. What a difference.
You know, if it depended on me to have a hearing ear, I would never hear. I would be—well, deaf as a doornail. Dead as a doornail, I guess, is the proper expression. Linda tells me I get these idioms messed up, so you’ll have to forgive me. But I would be deaf as a door. Let’s put it that way.
But God, in His mercy, gives to His people hearing ears. And when He gives hearing ears, we can call upon the Lord, and we can believe upon the Lord, and we can be saved.
How marvelous this is. The way of salvation, in other words, begins when God gives a hearing ear. Without it, we can never be saved.
So, we need to pray for people. When we pray for the gospel, when we pray for our loved ones that seem to be deaf when it comes to the Lord and can’t hear anything, we need to pray, “Lord, give them a hearing ear.”
If we stand upon, “Lord, they’re deaf. They can’t hear You. But it’s Your desire that all men”—I think it’s 1 Timothy 2—“might be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth,” give them a hearing ear. And that will make the difference.
I think this is quite important that we understand this. It’s only after these things are done that we can call upon the Lord and be saved.
Now, let me go back to Romans 10. You may have thought I got off track. But going back to Romans 10, verse 15 says something marvelous:
And how shall they preach unless they have been sent?
According as it is written,
How beautiful the feet of them that announce glad tidings of peace,
of them that announce glad tidings of good things!
Now, brothers and sisters, what this says is that the announcement by the sent ones of glad tidings is beautiful to God. He says, “You have beautiful feet.”
You may not have beautiful feet, but you understand what I’m saying. In the spiritual sense, you have beautiful feet. This is what He is looking for in His people: those bearers of the glad tidings, bearing it to a dying world, bringing this message of life to a world that is dead.
There’s such a contrast when you read Proverbs 1. I think you probably know this verse, but I’m going to read it to you. It’s Proverbs 1:15-16. What this is talking about is consenting to be with sinners.
My son, walk not thou in the way with them;
keep back thy foot from their path:
for their feet run to evil,
and they make haste to shed blood.
So think about that. There are two kinds of feet in this world. In God’s view, there are only two kinds of feet. There are those with beautiful feet. That is the verse from Isaiah Paul shared, Isaiah 52:7.
Do you have beautiful feet? Are you one of those sent ones? Are you bearing that message to the kingdom? If you are, God rejoices. But if not, your feet are quick to run to evil. Quick. They make haste. There are only two kinds.
Well, I think you get it: by this calling, the world is changed. This is the highest message we can bring. This is the highest privilege made to man, that we can be bearers of the heavenly message of the way of salvation.
May the Lord help us to be those bearers. I think we’re becoming quite burdened about that lately. Let’s pray the Lord would do that.
The second thing is believing the report. We must believe this report that has been announced. Now look at verse 16:
But they have not all obeyed the glad tidings.
It’s interesting that Paul said, “obeyed the glad tidings.” He didn’t say, “believed the glad tidings.” That would be appropriate. That’s what he’s saying all the way through there. But here, for some reason, this anointed man of God said, “Not all have obeyed the glad tidings.”
Do you know why that is? Because when you believe the glad tidings, the concrete evidence will be that you obey. That’s the difference. That’s why he didn’t say it. He knew it.
As a matter of fact, when he wrote this wonderful book of Romans, he has his own particular phrase about obedience. It’s only a Pauline phrase. It only occurs in two places, and it only occurs in the book of Romans.
In Romans 1:5, he says this gospel is given for the obedience of faith to all the nations. Notice what he said: not believing; it’s the obedience of faith.
When you come to Romans 16, at the end, that same identical phrase is again: it is for the obedience of faith to all the nations.
Brothers and sisters, if you’ve really heard the way of salvation, the evidence will be obedience. No longer a struggle, it will be the manifest evidence of believing the report.
Paul quotes from Isaiah 53:1:
Who hath believed our report?
And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
This was the report of the unimaginable sufferings of the Lord Jesus in Isaiah 53. This was the report of the Sent One and what the Sent One—the Apostle and High Priest of our faith—had to go through so that you may be brought into this salvation.
It’s extraordinary. I think when we read Isaiah 53, we ought to read it with reverence and awe. Can you imagine what it says? It pleased God to crush His Son. Can you imagine? That’s what the way of salvation cost.
“Who has believed our report?” It’s the very beginning of Isaiah 53. “And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” It cost Him everything to bring this way of salvation. It cost Him everything to bring this way.
It is the unimaginable sufferings of the Lord. I think when we read this chapter, we ought to really fall before the Lord and say, “You did this for me? You did this for the world?”
The only One became sin—somebody prayed it in the remembrance time—that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ. Who could have imagined? He did it all to bring in this way of salvation.
You know, brothers and sisters, yet in all that God did, some still don’t believe. How terrible. Can you imagine?
Try to think of it. This is the highest insult to God that has ever been. He didn’t send a prophet. He didn’t send an angel. He didn’t send Gabriel. He sent His only Son.
If you read Isaiah 53, it says He was smitten of God. It says in Isaiah 52, His visage was marred more than any man. I think that’s incredible.
This is the way of salvation that He brought. I read something that touched me deeply. It was from W. H. Griffith Thomas. He said of the Jews that still failed to believe, “Opportunities were therefore afforded and were deliberately refused.” How strong.
He said another thing that touched me. He said the national and almost universal rejection resulted in the national and almost universal rejection of the gospel by Israel. When you read these three chapters, only a remnant was saved. How terrible that is.
Then I read another thing that encouraged me, at least as ambassadors and sent ones: the responsibility for proclaiming this rests with us. The responsibility for receiving or rejecting it lies with those who hear it.
May the Lord, in His mercy, help us to be those faithful sent ones.
Now look at verse 17. This is a very important thing. Without it, you’ll never understand the way of salvation.
So faith then is by a report—that same report: “Who has believed our report?” Isaiah 53—but the report by God’s Word.
This is very important. We need to understand it. I like what Darby says when he talks about this report. He said the word for “report” here, twice in verse 17, includes what is heard and the hearing.
Did you understand that? I think Brenda’s shaking her head. “I don’t get you. I don’t get you,” right? It includes the heard—what is heard—and it includes the hearing.
This is very powerful. This is God’s way. People may hear sounds. It says later that the words went out to the Jews. People may hear words, but do they have hearing? That’s the difference. That’s the keen difference in verse 17.
This is what we need to have. We need not only to have the report, which is the words, but we need the inner hearing that comes from that report.
I thought this was magnificent. I’ve never heard anybody else say it, and I like it very much. It’s not just the outward and the written Word, but the living Word.
You know, there’s a difference. The Jews had the Word. They loved the Word. They read the Word. They pored over the Word. They memorized. Do you think you could memorize the first five books of the Bible—the Pentateuch? Do you think you could? Try it. I have trouble remembering a handful of verses.
They loved the Word, but they never had the hearing that comes here. That was the problem. They had the heard, but they didn’t have the hearing. That explains the dilemma of the rejection of the glad tidings.
You know, in the original Greek language, there are two Greek words for “word.” Most of you know that. There’s logos. It’s the most common.
As a matter of fact, when you read John 1—“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”—that is logos. That is fact. That is the written Word of God. That is the manifest utterance. The written Word of God is Christ. He is the Logos.
But then, when you go to other places, more rarely, there’s that second Greek word, which is rhema. Now, rhema means the living Word. And to me, that is the hearing. You understand now? Yeah, Brenda, you got it now? The rhema is the hearing.
It is when the Word of God—which we need, the written Word of God—is made alive in our spirit, and it becomes the living Word of God.
So, when we read of the feeding of the five thousand, John 6:63—pardon me, not John 6:53—after the feeding of the five thousand, you remember there were those who were offended and went away because they thought that to eat of His body and drink of His blood was offensive.
If you read the Old Testament, you can understand why the Jews were offended, right? Without understanding. But He said something:
The words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life.
There is the occurrence of the Greek word rhema, the living Word. You remember He turned to His disciples. Then He said to them, “Will you also go?”
You remember Peter’s response. He said:
To whom shall we go?
Thou hast the words of eternal life.
Now, do you know that again is rhema? Both those occasions. That is the hearing.
We not only need the Word of God. I am not belittling the Word of God—do you understand that? The Word of God is of absolute importance. But for us to enter into the way of salvation, there must be something deeper. We must be granted hearing. We must be granted a hearing from the living Word of God.
Well, I think you begin to understand. As a matter of fact, it talks about that in the second phrase in verse 17: “But the report by God’s Word.” The word there, the second word, is rhema. That’s how the report gets into us, and we believe it, and we call upon the name of the Lord, and we are saved.
That’s of utmost importance. Well, I think you understand it. I hope you understand it.
As a matter of fact, let me say this. I don’t like the way the version says in verse 17, “The report by God’s Word.” I don’t like the way the King James Version says it: “The report is by the Word of God.”
I like what one has said—I think it was Wuest—that in all the best manuscripts it says, “The report is by the Word of Christ.” That’s where the living Word is made alive in Christ. You understand how important that is?
I think that explains everything: why some are saved and why some are not saved. They may have heard words. They may have heard sounds. But they never heard the living Word of God made alive that transformed them. That’s the whole secret of the way of salvation.
As a matter of fact, those of you that have the New American Standard Bible may like it because it says, “the Word of Christ.” I think that’s accurate.
Well, you get the point. Let me read verse 18 to get to the close:
Have they not heard?
Yea, surely, their voice has gone out into all the earth,
and their words to the extremities of the habitable world.
It means yes. It’s an insistence: certainly they have heard. But they haven’t gotten the living Word. Rhema hasn’t become their own word, made alive to them by God. That’s what explains the dilemma of the Jews.
This means certainly the Word has gone out. Their voice has gone out. But they were not quickened by the living words of Christ. That is the thing.
Now let me finish as quickly as I can. The last section: the glad tidings refused and received. Believe it or not, with all that God’s done, there are those who refuse the glad tidings.
It says, “But I say, Has not Israel known?” They heard, but they didn’t know.
Do you remember what Paul said in Philippians 3:10? It’s the difference between knowing the way of salvation and not knowing it. He said, “That I may know Him.” It’s not just an outward hearing, but to know Him. That was the difference.
I think this is key when it comes to the glad tidings refused or received. One brother wrote, “There are no excuses for Israel’s neglect and rejection. It was not merely an instance of not hearing and not believing, but of something far worse. It meant definite neglect and deliberate refusal, rejection, and contempt.”
Well, brothers and sisters, this is the mercy of God to us Gentiles. You know, when they didn’t believe as a whole nation, the door of the gospel was flung open to us, the Gentiles. Can you imagine what mercy of God?
The door—that was the second part of the promise of the covenant to Abraham: “And the blessing shall be to all the nations.” It was the first time it happened.
We have been blessed with the highest blessing, with a hearing of the way of salvation because of the Jews’ rejection. This is those that refused, and we are those that have received.
Now, did God’s plan fail? You might say, “God’s plan failed, and He went to His second-best way.” God’s plan didn’t fail. He knew the Jews would refuse it.
He knew the Jews as a nation—the only nation ever chosen by God on the earth, the only people as a nation that were chosen—would refuse Him. He knew it. Yet it was the opportunity to open that door to those of us who believe.
This is the mercy of God. This is the mercy of God.
When you look at that last verse, it says:
But unto Israel He says,
All the day long I have stretched out My hands
unto a people disobeying and opposing.
Now think of that. There was one brother—his name was James Denney. He was a Scottish theologian whom many people quote. He was a brilliant man. He had a fairly short life, but he was a brilliant brother in the Lord. Many of the authors that we know quote James Denney.
He went on to explain that here God is still, even in the midst of rejection, holding out His arms all the day long to the Jews.
Now, do you think that’s mercy? He’ll never give up. When you come to chapter 11—we’ll get into that later—all Israel will be saved. They will become objects of mercy just like we are objects of mercy.
But those that have refused—it was only temporary. And God will bring the way of salvation to them.
Now, I like that verse 21. Just try for a moment—not now; go home—try to hold out your arms all the day long. You might last five minutes. I might last two. If you’re Jeff Holder, you might last an hour.
But God never lowers His arms. You know, Peter said, “A day with the Lord is as a thousand years.” He, through all eternity, will never lower His arms until those unbelieving and rejecting Jews come home. That will be His joy.
And that is what chapter 11 deals with. Well, I think this is enough.
May we realize that because of His way of salvation, He can never fail. His purpose will never fail. His having a people for Himself will never fail. It is impossible.
Let’s have a word of prayer.
Lord, we thank You for the fullness of these eight verses. We’re still telling You, Lord, we don’t know that we understand them completely, but we want You to give us a hearing ear.
We want You to make Your Word alive to us. We want You to make it real to us. We want You to breathe upon it, and we want those words of life to change us forever, that we would know the way of salvation, the glad tidings.
That we would be Your sent ones in this age to bring forth that message to a world. And that You would ultimately, in Your enduring patience and unrelenting love, holding out Your arms all the day long, ultimately save the Jews.
This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.