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Sermon
Outline Prepared by Joseph
P. Metoyer, Jr., D.D., Pastor/Teacher February 17, 2002
Text:
Romans 10:14-17 Subject: “Have
You Heard The Word To The Point Of Obedience?” Introduction: Faith
comes from a message that is heard. Faith
does not come from a message that is merely listened to.
I.
Faith (Vv. 14-17) The
first thing we have to do is like Paul, (10:1) pray that those we love and
care about would be saved. Secondly,
please don’t just pray but exercise the faith we have in Jesus to the point of
obeying Him and witness to those we love. Faith
comes from a message that is heard. Faith
does not come from a message that is merely listened to.
Listen to the question from the text:
Have you heard the Word to the point of obedience? A. The whole process of blessings is given to us in the scripture as a chain of several links: The sinner stands before God with all his needs and he must call on God. 1.Before he can call on God he must believe in God and he
must also believe God. (Romans 10:14a) How then shall they call on Him in
whom they have not believed? To
believe in God is to believe that HE is and that He answers when men call upon
Him. (Hebrews 11:6) says, without
faith it is impossible to please Him. For who ever would draw near to God must believe that He
exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.
Vincent says, “in addition to believing that He exists, the
individual must believe God when He speaks. It is impossible to believe in God without believing
God”. 1.(Romans 10:14b) contains another question:
How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? The
follow up question is, and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Men cannot hear saving faith without a preacher.
1.Jesus says tells us that every person that preaches a message is not a sent person in (John 8:38-44)… 2.God must do the sending. When God sends a person to preach about His Son there is a yearning, churning, burning inside of him or her. (John 20: 19-21)… This divine sending was not confined to the twelve disciples. (ACTS 1:8, 15)… Those that are saved are those that are sent! What is the message that we should preach? The Word! II.
The Word (Romans 10:15b) Paul quotes from the Prophets, How
beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad
tiding to good things! The
message that we bring is a message of personal redemption. Christians know from our own experience that salvation
comes to those who call upon the name of the Lord.
But how can our friends and colleagues call on Him of whom
they have not heard? How can they
hear without a preacher (and you are the preacher) and you have been sent by God
to preach a message about Jesus to them. Those
who carry the good news of salvation have not only special honors given them by
God but the miracle power of the Word of God accompanies their message.
(Romans 10: 15b) It is a wonderful thing when someone tells somebody
about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Have you shared the message entrusted to your
care? (Romans 10:16) They
have not all obeyed the gospel. “Faith comes from a message that is heard. Faith does not come from a message that is listened to.” III.
Faith and the Word So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the
Word of God (Romans 10:17).
The interrelationship of faith and the hearing of the Word of God
is at the heart of the whole process of transforming an individual from a child
of wrath into a child of God. It is
by the transforming power of the Word, faith laying hold on the Word, that a man
ceases to be a child of disobedience and becomes a child of obedient faith.[1]
Please allow me to say it as the Greek translates it: “The Word about Christ”. Phillips says, “Belief, you see, can only come from hearing the message and the message is the Word of Christ.” A.So then faith comes out of what is heard, and what is heard comes through the Word of Christ. We need to understand that we are not talking about the ear as receiving communication. The hearing we are talking about is down in the soul. The Word does its work and faith does its work; the tow combine to bring life from the dead and light out of darkness. B.Reading the Bible is important, memorizing scripture is important, but it is the personal absorption of the truth that is going to cause growth in the life of faith. Faith must be rooted more deeply than merely in mind and memory. “Faith comes from a message that is heard. Faith does not come from a message that is merely listened to.” This is what our Lord meant when HE said so often, “he that has ears to hear, let him hear.” C.As we study the written Word we must never loose sight of the living Word which is to know Christ Himself. Paul said, “That I may know Him in the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed unto His death” (Philippians 10:3). Christian person you can never come to a great knowledge of the Savior without a great knowledge of the written Word of God. Faith comes from getting to know God personally. Application: Christians,
real faith will no doubt produce righteous behavior.
(James 1:22) Be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving
yourselves. The word hearer
comes from a word that means “Audit” as a student audits a class.
They usually listen to the lectures but permitted to treat the
assignments and exams as optional. The
hearer only is enlightened but not regenerated. (Matt. 7:21-22)… Are you auditing? Or have you heard the Word to the point
of obedience? |
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