Welcome back to Burnet Bible Church. Join us this week as Pastor Hopkins continues his sermon series through the book of Romans. We'll be returning to our study of the book of Romans today. So if you'll turn with me to the book of Romans chapter 10 and stand with me for the reading of the Word of the Lord. Let's read together verses 13 through 15, Romans 10 verses 13 through 15.

Let's read together the Word of the Lord. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. Let's pray. Father, you said in your word, to this man will I look, even to him that is humble and of a contrite spirit and who trembles at my word. Now Lord, as we open your word once again, help us God to be men and women and children who tremble at your word and open our hearts to receive truth for your word is truth and grant us understanding oh God by the Spirit for we ask it in Jesus name amen let's be seated great to be back in Romans again In our last session on Paul's Epistle to the Romans, we focused on verses 11 through 13 that there is no difference, no distinction between the Jew and the Greek with regards to our standing before God in our sins, nor in the way that we are saved from our sins.

All enter into the world in the same ruined condition and fallen state. All who are delivered from that state and condition are delivered in the same way. There is not one way of salvation for the Jew, and another for the Gentile. No matter one's background, ethnicity, religious heritage, or lineage, whoever puts their trust in Christ will not be disappointed, will not be ashamed, for the same Lord is Lord over all and abounding in riches for all who call upon him and whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Amen.

So we we pick up with verse 14 this afternoon where the Apostle Paul says in effect, seeing that that this is true, seeing that it's true that whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord is going to be saved. I have four questions for you that naturally follow. How are they going to call on Jesus if They haven't come to the place where they believe in Him. And how are they going to come to the place where they believe in Him if they've never even heard of Him? And how are they going to hear about Him without a preacher?

And how are they going to have a preacher to preach Christ to them unless one is sent to them? Charles Spurgeon refers to this as, quote, the whole machinery of salvation. The whole machinery of salvation. You may remember in our last session on Romans I said to call upon the name of the Lord is to call upon Him in prayer. Is to call upon him in prayer.

And no one is going to do that unless they've heard of him. And no one hears about him unless the gospel is preached to them, and the gospel isn't preached to them unless someone is sent. Again, Spurgeon says these are, quote, necessities upon which Paul insists this is the whole machinery of salvation. No matter who they may be, Whether Jew or Gentile, whether Hebrew or Greek, whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. But no one's going to do that if they don't first believe the message that Jesus will save them if they do.

Does everyone understand that? No one's going to call in the name of the Lord and pray, oh God, be merciful to me a sinner. Lord Jesus, I put my trust in You. No one's going to do that if they don't first believe the message that Jesus will save them if they do and thus the necessity of the preaching of the gospel. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

Dr. Sproul, nobody's going to put their trust in a Savior whom they do not believe is capable of saving them. Millions have never even heard the name of Jesus, and They're not going to put their trust in someone they know nothing about. They can't possibly believe in Jesus because they don't know anything about Him. Saving faith requires information.

It requires the information or the data of the gospel. The scroll goes on, that is why the church is commanded to go to every corner of the world and make that message plain to all people. It's the Great Commission. It is the Great Commission. We are called to go into all the world and to preach the Gospel to every living creature.

In Acts chapter 8, we're told that there was a great persecution against the church at Jerusalem. So you have the infant church. The church is now, it's in its infancy, but it's growing. You have the deacons were just put in place, the seven deacons, and we read there that quote, except for the Apostles, listen to this, except for the Apostles, believers were scattered abroad. So remember, this is right after the martyrdom of Stephen.

Stephen has just been stoned to death. And Saul, arch enemy of the church, was at that time wrecking havoc on the church and he's storming into the houses of believers and he's hauling away both men and women to prison but look what happens in Acts chapter 8 and verse 4 we read these words Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word. So you have this persecution. Stephen's been stoned. Nobody knows who's next And some Christians are staying there.

The apostles are staying there at Jerusalem. But you have Christians that are now scattering, is the word that's used in the scripture, into all of these other areas around in the region. And they're taking the gospel with them. They know the truth. They know the Word of God.

They know the gospel of Jesus Christ that is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. And they're taking that message to the world. And they're scattered everywhere, it says, scattered abroad, and they went everywhere Preaching the word and I bring this in to make a point here Preaching the word is not limited to Theologians it's not limited to those with a PhD to those who have been to a Bible college. Preaching is not limited to ordained ministers. It is the responsibility of every believer to tell others the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

It's my responsibility, and it is your responsibility to tell everyone the good news that Jesus is the Christ, that He is the Son of God come from heaven to earth, that He came into the world to save sinners, that He is the Savior of the world, that He has power to forgive their sins and save them from the wrath to come, that He has power to reconcile sinful man to a holy God, that He has power to give us resurrection life. And that whosoever, whosoever, no matter his background, no matter his ethnicity, no matter how great a sinner, no matter how great a sinner, No matter how far he's gone in his sin, no matter how deep that stain in the wool, whoever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Whosoever. They went everywhere, everywhere, preaching the Word. The mandate that Christ gave to his apostles before he ascended was this, going into all the world.

How many know it by heart? Going into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, okay? That's his mandate.

These are his words before he ascends to heaven. He looks at his apostles and he said, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. And brothers and sisters, that apostolic mandate has never been rescinded. It has never been rescinded. It has rested upon the church ever since.

And that means upon us. Martin Lloyd Jones, quote, the church is not a society of people who come together to enjoy certain benefits. The church is a body of people sent out to proclaim the message of Christ to the world. Amen? That's the mission.

That's the mission, that's the purpose. Why does this church support missionary work? Why do we? Because we love people? Yes, we love people.

Praise God. Because we want everyone in the world to know the one true and living God through his Son Jesus Christ whom he sent. Yes, yes, yes. But above all because Jesus said to. Because Jesus said to.

Lord, we're gonna do this because you said to. Lord I'm gonna share the gospel with this person because you said to. Lord we're gonna give to missions and spread the gospel into all the world because you said to. Why should we evangelize our neighbors and friends and coworkers and family members? Because we love them?

Yes. Yes, because we love them. Out of gratefulness that the gospel was shared with us by someone, yes absolutely, but above all because Jesus said to. Jesus said go. Jesus said preach the gospel to everyone and understand that whosoever calls on him on the name of the Lord is going to be saved.

What a privilege to share in that. Many times we're praying before our street ministry, we'll pray, Lord, what a privilege to be able to participate in what you are doing. To be able to participate in what you're doing, oh God. All glory to God. All glory to God.

All glory to God. Brothers and sisters, how are they going to call on him if they don't believe? And how are they going to believe unless they hear? And how are they going to hear without a preacher? How is anyone going to preach unless they're sent?

Isaiah said, here are my Lord, send me. I was listening to a Charlie Kirk message on that. He was talking about all the times throughout the scripture where a person effectively said in different ways, the prophets and all, said, Lord, here I am, send me. Remember Samuel, you know? Lord, here I am.

Over and over again, Jeremiah, here I am, Lord, send me. You know, what if we just took a moment and we prayed, got along with God, said Lord, I don't know exactly what you want me to do, but I want to do what you want me to do. Here am I Lord, send me to that neighbor, that coworker, that friend, that family member, maybe that you've talked to them again and again and they've rejected you and they've turned you away and ridiculed you maybe or mocked you or whatever. Lord should I go again? Here am I, Lord, send me.

Here am I, Lord, send me. Where do you want me to go? Who do you want me to share the gospel with? John Bunyan. I will never be content until I see all the world, the greatest and the least, brought to the knowledge of Christ and made partakers of his salvation." Close quote.

Not going to be content. Can we be content until That flag, that banner of Christ is everywhere in the world and even in our own neighborhoods. When I was a boy there was a great focus in the church I was in on missions and you put your money in the envelope and some of it went to missions and that's great, it's wonderful, it needs to happen. But no one knew their neighbors or stepped outside of their own four walls of their house and was giving, not no one, but it was not really encouraged to get outside their four walls and share the gospel with neighbors and friends and other people. We need to be doing that.

I'm always interested in conversion testimonials. Don't you love conversion testimonials? I could sit all day and just watch people, you know, how did you come to the Lord? What was it that God did? Who did God send to you?

Who was it that God sent to you? And you know, they're all different, right? But there's one way in which they're all the same. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Who was it that first shared the gospel with you?

Can you remember? Maybe a parent. Maybe a relative. Maybe in church. Maybe one planted the seeds And another watered those seeds before God caused them to root and grow and to spring up into life eternal.

Praise God for the seed planter. Right. Praise God for the one who waters and above all for the one who causes the seeds to grow. It's God who makes them grow. It's God who makes them grow.

When I was a teenager playing heavy metal in Tucson, Arizona, I was walking down the street one day and going to the Chicago store. I don't even know if it's still there anymore. It was the place everybody went to get their equipment and I was going there to look at Marshall stacks and flying Vs. Some of you all don't know what those terms mean. Marshall stacks are like the big wall of speakers behind you made by Marshall, okay.

Anybody know what those are? Flying V is a V-shaped guitar, okay. V-shaped guitar, anyways. And I'm walking along the super busy sidewalk after lunchtime and I saw my first street preacher. First time I ever saw a street preacher.

I'd never even heard of such a thing. And he was standing on a little box. You know, they talk about get off your soap box, that's what they mean. And he was standing on this box, I don't know if it was a soap box or what, but he's got a Bible in his hand and he's preaching the gospel. And he was a hell, fire, and brimstone preacher.

That was his message. It was hell, fire, brimstone, you know, repent of your sins, turn from your sins, and put your trust in Christ. There's a judgment day coming and hell is real. That was his message. And you know I hear a lot of people say at times or I'll read these quotes on the internet you know they'll say well those kind of people do more harm than good.

That wasn't my experience. They were seeds well planted that day. And I think we have to be careful about making blanket condemnations. Blanket condemnations. Well, all those people that do it that way, you know, well those guys, Be careful of blanket condemnations.

They're not doing it with us, Jesus. Whoever's not against us is for us. Whoever's not against me is for me. Anyways, that wasn't my experience. They were seeds well planted.

So anyways, this man is on this box and he's preaching and talking about hell and he's saying, you know, the day of judgment's coming and I just stop. I just stop for a minute, you know, with my hair down on my shoulders and everything and you know I just turn and I start to to listen to him and I'm listening and he singles me out. Some of you probably heard me say this before, he singles me out in the crowd. I don't know maybe because the way I look I don't know. No I wasn't wearing spandex.

He singles me out and he just points at me and it's a busy there's hundreds of people on the street going different directions and everything and he singles me out, he points his finger at me and he says, young man, and I'm like, yeah, has God called you to look upon a woman to lust after her? I'm just standing there, you know, And he goes, then why do you do it? And then he went on with this gospel message. And you know, as I said, those were seeds that were well planted. I made a profession of faith that was baptized at the age of seven, but I needed to hear that I needed to hear that And I thank God he had the boldness to say that because it stuck with me and I've never forgotten it all these years I don't know his name.

I don't have any idea who he was or what his name was. I don't know if anybody else knew his name or anything about him. Maybe nobody remembers his name. The name of the guy standing on the soapbox in 116 degree Arizona sun. But it's not about the preacher, right?

It's about Christ, the gospel, and the saving of souls. Obedience to God. Paul says one plants and another waters. How are they going to call upon them unless they believe? How are they going to believe unless they hear?

How are they going to hear unless there's someone preaching the message and someone to preach unless they're sent. Some Christians, you know, might say, well, I'm not qualified to preach. I don't feel qualified. We need to take notice here. Notice it doesn't say how shall they hear without a person who thinks they're qualified or a person with a doctorate in theology.

It doesn't say that. Just a preacher. Just someone who will speak the truth to another person about Jesus Christ and what He has done. That's it. You know the thief hanging on the cross next to Jesus, the one who was saved that day, There were two, right?

They both start off, you know, and they're railing against Christ. And then one of them gets saved on the cross. And he's just a newly converted sinner, hanging on the cross next to Jesus, right? And yet, what is he doing? He's preaching to another sinner hanging on the cross on the other side of Jesus we deserve punishment this man has done no wrong gospel stuff He's about to enter into his kingdom.

I'm putting my trust in him. Lord, remember me when you enter into your kingdom. Today you'll be with me in paradise. He was preaching without credentials. He was preaching without qualifications.

He was preaching without, what is this thing coming into my mind? Papers, boxes, or bags. Oh, it's Dr. Seuss, sorry. He was preaching without certificates and boxes and bags.

He didn't have the plaque on his wall. He wasn't educated. He hadn't gone to seminary. He's preaching. He's preaching.

And guess what? His sermon has been heard by hundreds of millions of people ever since. Hundreds of millions of people have heard the things that that man said on the cross to the other man, to the thief, while he was hanging on that cross, newly converted. And then of course there's that wild man who lived in the graveyard, right? The suicidal demoniac.

He's trying to kill himself. He's cutting himself with stones and he's bleeding everywhere and he's sleeping in the tombs and he's running around. They can't chain him down. He's breaking the chains when they try to chain him, he's howling at the moon. And Jesus saves him and puts him in his right mind and then he sends him back to his hometown.

No seminary, no credentials, no qualifications whatsoever. He's sent by Jesus back to his hometown. He says, go home and tell your friends. I just want to be with you Jesus. I just want to be with you.

No, no, go, go home. Go back to your hometown and go to your friends and tell them what wonderful things God has done for you. Tell them how I changed your life. And he goes and tells everyone what mighty things the Lord has done for him. That's the story.

No credentials, no plaque on the wall, no Bible college, not even a Bible. Go and tell everyone what Jesus did for you. When is the last time you share with another person the mighty things that Jesus has done for you and saving you. Brothers and sisters we need to be sending out missionaries, we need to be ordaining elders and ministers to preach in our churches and feed the flock of Christ. We need to be doing all these things that the scripture requires of the church, but we also need to be encouraging the people of God in our churches to go everywhere preaching the word, like those in chapter 8 of Acts who were scattered abroad.

Every believer, yes, needs to be a member of a local body and under ecclesiastical authority into the oversight of elders to whom they are accountable. We don't need any lone rangers. We've had that in this church, right? We don't need any lone rangers. Well, I get my orders directly from God and there's no accountability on earth, no.

I'm hearing directly from God and I go out and say whatever God, no, no, no, no, no. Everyone needs to be under authority, but every believer has a responsibility to be sharing the gospel with others, even if it's just to publish their own testimonial of how Jesus saved them. What did Jesus do for you? It's our responsibility as recipients of God's amazing grace and it's our great privilege. God of course doesn't need us, right?

He could rip open the heavens, he could just rip open the heavens and come down and shout the message and broadcast it all over the world, but that's not his chosen method. First Corinthians 1, 21, for since in the wisdom of God The world by its wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching That is to preach what we preach preaching what we preach to save them that believe Yet I wonder you know we can get discouraged right we wonder is a message being heard? What's God doing with it? Does it even matter what I'm doing? It matters.

It matters. This past week I went to the barbecue place here in Burnet and I'm paying for my meal and the man behind the counter says, just out of the blue, I'm paying for my meal, he says, He goes, I enjoy listening to you preaching on the street corner there at Burnet when you're preaching. I was just kinda shocked for a second. And I said, well, you know, a lot of people don't like it. He goes, I can't remember how to put it, but a lot of people don't.

He said he really loved listening. I said, well, a lot of people don't. He said, well, I do. And you know, God just gives us once in a while some encouragement, right? Some encouragement.

I've had the FedEx man and the UPS man in my driveway saying the same thing. Grateful for you guys being out there. I sit and listen sometimes in the park and a lot of Walgreens. It's an encouragement to press on with that weekly ministry. You guys, young men that have given out now 4, 000 Bibles on the street corner there.

Almost 4, 000 we're approaching with tracks in them, gospel tracks in them. You guys that have been given those out, what if only one person you found out that only one person was saved And you're out there week after week after week after week handing out bibles people rolling down their nose handing out bibles handing out tracks praying you know or Nate when you're preaching what if only one person was saved wouldn't it wouldn't it all be worth it wouldn't it all be worth it I venture to say that's more than that it would be worth it I encouraged the flock a few months ago to pray and seek God as to how you can share the gospel with others. Everyone isn't gonna do the street ministry thing. Everyone's not gonna be able to do it even. There's different things that everyone can do.

And I said, you know, when you do family worship, you're doing evangelism, right? Dads and moms, you know, when you're sharing the gospel with your kids, when you're sitting with your kids, you're talking about the things of God, you're reading the scriptures together, you know, you're engaging in evangelism. So you know, don't get discouraged if you say, well, I can't get out there and do all of these things. But I also suggested maybe nursing homes, memory care facilities, It's a field wide under the harvest. Maybe adopt a grandma or a grandpa.

Just walk in. They'll let you come in. Go in, minister to them. Love them. Just love them.

And they're wide open, wide open arms. Wide open arms. The one that I go to each week I have, oh I didn't write down all their names, I shouldn't say I'm on the speaker here, but I can see all their faces. I can see all their faces. And they come, and some of them don't remember me from the week before, because they're in the memory care place.

A handful of them do. But they're listening. And it's a field that is white under the harvest and it's receptive. They're open, they're open. And you know what, I gave you the stats and that message, right?

How many are dying every year in nursing homes and they're open for the gospel and they're open to be loved and to be cared for when they don't have anybody. It's a captive audience, it's a lonely audience, it's a grateful audience. Or maybe you could you know carry some tracts and Bibles around. I so meant to bring a box of Bibles and tracts here but you can get them from me I'll deliver them to your house 24 hours a day. You just call me text me say Steve deliver these to me I'll make sure you get them within 24 hours You could take them with you to the grocery store shopping or hand them out at work or wherever You know, everybody knows tracks have a special place in my heart, right?

Because my bride was saved, you know from reading attract Didn't grow up in a Christian home, she was saved from reading a tract. God used it, the word of God in there. Somebody had to make that tract. Somebody had to put it together, somebody had to print it, somebody had to put it on that table, you know, and of course God brought her to pick it up. As we close, when I was a teenager, there were these two brothers, David and Johnny.

They lived in Marana, Arizona. Probably need to go look them up sometime. I know their last name, David and Johnny. They were both handicapped. They both had different various handicaps, some rather severe, and they talked really slow and they had heavy speech impediments and they worked in the farms picking lettuce with the migrants and David and Johnny would buy gospel tracts with their earnings.

Couldn't wait to get their paychecks so they would buy gospel tracks with their earnings and then they would put them around all over the place and I would see them. You know in restrooms and everywhere made a great impression upon me. They were so on fire about it and they're just putting out a track here and there. I wonder, you know, how many people came to saving faith. Maybe they laid out a track that my wife, you know, Who knows how many souls are brought to Christ through the ministry of these two brothers Paul ends our message This afternoon with a partial quote from Isaiah 52 7 How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.

In Isaiah it goes on, who proclaims salvation. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who proclaim salvation. Brothers and sisters, the feet of those who bring the good news of Jesus to sinners are beautiful feet in the eyes of those who come to believe and call on the name of the Lord. Let's pray. Father, give us a heart for the lost.

Help us to remember that someone shared the gospel with us. Help us to proclaim the gospel of peace to those who are at war with you. Of reconciliation with God and the forgiveness of sins through your Son. That Christ died for our sins and rose again the third day and that all who call in the name of the Lord in Faith shall be saved. Help us to proclaim the good news when it's convenient and when it's not, in season and out of season.

For the glory of the name of your Son, Jesus, we pray it. Amen.