2024-05-19-DOTRomans9a-10b

The host of Dwell on Truth discusses the questions of how people can believe in Jesus if they've never heard, whether God is unjust to pour out wrath on unbelievers, and the church's responsibility to send missionaries to the unreached. The text being discussed is Romans chapter 9 verses 23 to 33 and chapter 10 verses 1 through 16. The host emphasizes that God's love is great and extends to all nations, and that faith comes from hearing the word of God. He explains that anyone, Jew or Gentile, can become a child of God by receiving and believing in Jesus Christ. He also mentions that God's work on earth will be a short work, and that Jesus finished the work of redemption on the cross. The host encourages listeners to receive God's mercy and warns about the consequences of rejecting it. Good morning. You're listening to Dwell on Truth. I'm your host, Brenton Powers. How shall people believe in Jesus if they've never heard? Is God unjust to pour out wrath on unbelievers? Isn't it the church's responsibility to send missionaries to tell the unreached? What can I do to make a difference and help people find eternal life? Today we're going to find out the answer to these questions in the text. Let's seek to find the truth in the scriptures. Romans chapter 9 verses 23 to 33 and chapter 10 verses 1 through 16. If you stay tuned, you may find the solution that might surprise you and give you a new sense of purpose and honor for God's ways. As you see how great God's love is for the undeserving, you will be changed and filled with the same love and power to reach out to the lost, as I've experienced. So let's open our Bibles to Romans chapter 9 and begin our study. Tonight we're in Romans chapter 9 and we'll begin reading in verse 22. 9 22 through 24. What if God, wanting to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? Who's he talking about there? Well, he says, what if God, what if this is a desire in God to let us know that he does have wrath, but it comes after much longsuffering? In other words, much patience. Is he talking about Israel? I think it fits if you're looking at the context of Romans 9 through 11, that the way he describes his relationship with Israel in the whole Old Testament, from Genesis to Malachi, it's a relationship where he endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath. That in the end, he showed a lot of wrath toward non-believing idolatrous Israel. And those in the New Testament who didn't have idols of silver and gold, they still idolized their own righteousness and rejected Christ. As a result, Jesus couldn't take the place as God in their lives because they had their own God themselves on the throne of their lives. And so, what if God wants to show his wrath and his power? As it says in verse 23, what if he wants to make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy? Both groups are prepared for something. There's a group prepared for destruction, it says, and a group prepared for glory. One would receive wrath, one would receive mercy. And God is not choosing the Jews one day and then the Gentiles another day. God doesn't segregate them by race. God groups people in a different way. He says, verse 24, "...even us whom he called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles." So, the calling of God. God calls those who have believed and received the call of God on their lives to turn to Jesus. And they could be of the Jews and they could be of the Gentiles. So, God is prepared to show his wrath and he's prepared to show his mercy on people of any nation who would turn to Jesus. He's prepared to show you mercy if you would receive Jesus. But if you would reject him, he's prepared to show you wrath. And I would go so far as to say that he's prepared you for your response. You see, because we cannot believe unless we hear the word of God. As we'll read in the next chapter, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. I believe he had you tune into this radio station or download this podcast today that you may hear the word of God and believe. So, he's prepared the good thing for you to walk in. And that is what the Bible teaches. That apart from him, we could do nothing. Faith is a gift of God. But you need to receive it. And yet, if you reject it, then you are responsible for rejecting it. And God will call you to account. It's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God as a non-believer. But as a believer, you can cast yourself at the mercy of the court and fall into the hands of Jesus, the pierced hands, who took your punishment for you and extends mercy to you. It doesn't matter what family you're from. Perhaps today is the day to become a child of God. As we see in the next verse, Romans 9.25, as he says also in Hosea, I will call them my people who were not my people, and her beloved who was not beloved. So, God can choose to make you his child if you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. The Apostle John would write, He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God. To those who believe in his name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of men, but of God. So, how do you become one of the children of God? It's by receiving and believing in Jesus Christ. So, God can make a Gentile into a child of God. He can make a Jew into a child of God. Jews can be Christians, just as Gentiles can be Christians. And Paul continues to quote from Hosea in Romans 9.26, And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, You are not my people. There they shall be called sons of the living God. So, you're either in or you're out. You're either a child of God or you're not. You see, in the Old Testament, he raised up Israel as a nation in order that through them the Messiah would come. And he had prepared them to receive the Messiah, giving them prophecies about who he would be. But they didn't recognize him when he came because they didn't believe the prophets and they didn't believe Jesus's own words and his works that testified of who he was. And so, as God predicted, he was going to begin working through a new group of people. And we see in the book of Acts that it's the church that God calls sons of the living God. Behold what manner of love the Father has lavished upon us, the apostle John would write, that we should be called the sons of God. Being sons of God, think of the closeness in that relationship. Not only are we his people, but we're his sons. We're not only citizens of his kingdom through faith in Christ, but we're his dearly loved children. So, he's speaking about Gentiles there in the book of Hosea, those whom God would call. But it's not only about the Gentiles that God would call. God would also call the Jews, and some would receive him. And they also had the right to be called children of God. But it was just a small remnant, a small remaining portion of the Jews that live in our era who would receive him. And God predicted this as well through the prophets, this time through Isaiah. In Isaiah chapter 10 verse 22, as Paul is quoting from there, he says, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, even if the number of Israelis were that many, it's still only the remnant that will be saved. So, there's a faithful remnant of Jews who do believe in the Messiah. They may go by the name Jews for Jesus, or Messianic believers, or even Jewish Christians, which to some Israelis seem like a paradox. So, there's a cultural battle going on in Israel today, and all over the world, over what is a true Jew. But the Lord himself says, Though the number of Israel is many, it's only a remnant that will be saved. A few of them will receive the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ. But the great majority, sadly, will not be saved. And verse 28 goes on to say that God's work on the earth, as we know it, will be a short work, not a long-term work. Verse 28, For he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth. That's another prophecy about the Lord ending a certain work that he's doing on the earth. And he ends it because of righteousness. It's the right thing to do, to finish working just through the nation of Israel, as he did in the Old Testament, and begin working through the church, as he does in the New Testament. And ultimately, this whole earth, from God's perspective, is a short work. Though we've been here 10,000 years, compared with eternity, that's a short time. And if you look at Jesus' life on earth, and the work that he did then, finishing the work of redemption by living the perfect life in 33 years, and then in his last day, suffering for the sins of the entire earth, everyone in the world, your and my sins, fell upon him. And on the cross, one of the things he said was, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And it was, I believe, because of our sins upon him, the Father was punishing him in our place, in order to save us. And so, when Jesus was just about to die, he said these words, It is finished. He finished the work in a short time. What Israel could not do in thousands of years, Jesus did in a short lifetime, and in his short but painful and excruciating death. He did what we could not do, and fulfilled all righteousness. You see, the Bible says in other places, God will not strive with men forever. And if the Lord had not shortened, then no flesh would be saved. Really, this world is not the way that God intended it to be forever. He created a perfect world, a paradise and a garden, to walk with man and woman. But they sinned, and brought corruption and death into the world. And there was separation between them and God. And that's why now, there's still death and suffering, and corruption and wickedness running rampant through the world. God is not always going to endure this. He is patient, but his wrath is coming, and he's going to destroy the earth in a short time. And he has finished the work of redemption on the cross. And now he's waiting for his enemies to be made his footstool, as Jesus sits on the throne, preparing for the day to take his bride home, the church, and to finish his work of judging the world. That is still yet to come. And he will judge it in righteousness. Because there's lots of different kinds of work that God does. Redemptive work, judging work, working through Israel, working through the church. But in context, he's speaking about the remnant being saved. That it's a small number of Jews who will be saved, and it's for a short time, until we pass into eternity. Which, of course, is a long time. And I look forward to that era, because I'm saved. I'm glad to be part of this faithful remnant, small portion of people who believe. You know, we're living in an upside-down world. And so, for now, we seem like the radicals, or the unusual ones. But this world isn't normal. That's why it appears that way. And I hope the lessons from these verses are clear. First of all, that God is righteous, and he is sovereign. He has the right to choose who he will save and who he will condemn. And he chooses those who believe and receive Jesus Christ to be vessels of mercy. He chooses to reveal his glory and his power to all people. To those who reject him, he reveals his wrath against sin and his righteousness in not tolerating it. But to those who receive him, he reveals his mercy. Though we did not deserve him, we receive the riches of his glory. And he prepares all things, and he concludes all things. And he chooses whomever he wills. But you still have a human responsibility to receive Jesus Christ or not. God chooses to show compassion and salvation to those who build their life on Jesus. Not building their lives on their own righteousness, but casting themselves into Jesus' hands for mercy. Otherwise, you will fall into his hands and experience his wrath. And that is what happens to the majority of Jews today. As they've rejected Jesus Christ, they are under God's wrath. Sadly, it's only a remnant of Jews who believe and receive God's mercy. But you know, that also happens to the majority of Gentiles today. And it's only a remnant of Gentiles who believe and receive God's mercy. So how will you respond? You can either continue resisting God and his will, or surrender to his will. It's far better for you if you surrender to his will. Let him make you a vessel for honor, for glory, for mercy, by coming to Jesus. But if you continue to resist his will, you're choosing a path that will lead you to destruction. And on the Day of Judgment, God is prepared to judge you. So turn to him today. Because you don't know when the Day of Judgment will be. You don't know when you will die. The Bible says it's appointed for a man to die once, and after this, the judgment. So therefore, it's urgent for you to come to Christ. Surrender to God's will. Believe in him as your Savior and Messiah and Lord. And he will deliver you from your sins. And from the world. And from Satan. That's my hope for you. Thank you for listening, and I pray that God will bless you as you turn to Jesus, even now, in your prayers. You are with us. You are with us. You're listening to Verse by Verse, and my name is Brenton Powell. Tonight, we're going to continue our study through Paul's letter to the Romans, in chapter 9, starting verse 29. And hopefully we'll reach the end of the chapter within the next 15 minutes. These five verses contain a prophecy, an interesting fulfillment, and two questions and two answers. The first question is, what shall we say then? The second question is, why? So let's read Romans 9, verse 29 through 33. Romans 9, verse 29 through 33. And as Isaiah predicted, if the Lord of Hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah. What shall we say then? That the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it. That is, a righteousness that is by faith. But that Israel, who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness, did not succeed in reaching that law. Verse 32. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith. But as if it were based on works, they have stumbled over the stumbling stone. Verse 33. As it is written, Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense. And whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. That's Romans 9, verse 29 through verse 33. Five verses, and yet it tackles some of the most controversial issues and questions that people have today. First of all, he points out Isaiah's prophecy, that Isaiah predicted God would leave Israel offspring, speaking of the faithful remnant of Israel, those who would believe in Jesus as their Messiah. And unless the Lord did that, then Israel would have become like Sodom and like Gomorrah. Well, what did Sodom and Gomorrah become like? Like a heap of ashes, burnt up in a raging fire. Thank God that the Lord did leave some offspring of Israel. He didn't allow Israel to be totally consumed by their enemies, though He did allow chastening and discipline and even punishment as they had turned their back on the Lord, many of them. Yet a few stayed faithful, and a few believed in the Messiah through the last 2,000 years of history. And God will stay faithful to this prediction. He will leave offspring for Israel. And we'll talk more about Israel's future in the future broadcasts as we get into Romans chapter 10 and 11. But as we consider Israel's present and the past, why didn't most of the Israelites receive Jesus as their Messiah? What was the stumbling block that kept them from believing in Jesus and having this righteousness by faith that Paul's been talking about, the gift of eternal life and forgiveness that Jesus came to give? Why didn't they receive it? Paul says, What shall we say, then, verse 30 of Romans chapter 9, that Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith? So it wasn't mostly Israel that received the righteousness God offers to anyone who would believe in Him. It was the Gentiles who weren't even seeking that righteousness. Oh, the depths of the wisdom of the knowledge of God! He's able to reveal Himself to those who didn't seek Him and to give a gift to those who didn't even realize that they needed to seek it. The gift is His righteousness. And the Gentiles, the non-Jews, like you and me, we didn't naturally pursue righteousness. As many in Israel did. And yet, we attained to righteousness as we heard the gospel that Jesus died for our sins and He rose from the dead, that He is good and He offers His righteousness to us because He's taken our sin upon Himself and He has power over life and death and He offers us forgiveness if we would believe in Him. He will count that as righteousness. When we heard that gospel and we believed it, we received His righteousness. Therefore, God accepts us because He sees us as righteous as Jesus is. He sees us through the blood of Jesus as if our sins have been removed. And that's a great thing that we can say we have attained to. This is the justification by faith that Paul had amazingly described in Romans chapter 1 through 4. And we receive this righteousness not by pursuing it by works, trying to be good enough to go to heaven. Many of us know that that would never work. We didn't even try. However, there are people who try, not only of Israel in the ancient times, but in present-day Israel, the Orthodox Jews today are still trying to attain to righteousness that is by the works of the law. And so, Paul's conclusion here is that there will be some Jews who do receive the righteousness of faith, but mostly it will be the Gentiles who receive this gift that Jesus came to offer. Verse 31, Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness, thinking that, okay, if I just focus on the law and put it in a box on my forehead and wrap it around my hand, if I pursue legalism, that's the way to fulfill the law. But what's the report card here? It says those who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. They tried to live up to the law, but they didn't succeed. They failed. Was it because they didn't try hard enough? No, it's like Joshua said to them in Joshua chapter 24. Are you sure you're going to vow that you will serve the Lord and love him and be devoted to him? And they said, yes, we're sure. And he said, are you sure you don't want to go and worship idols? Because you're not able to serve and worship God as he deserves with all of your heart. If you go back and worship idols, then he will punish you. And they said, let it be. We agree to that. We can do it. And they made a covenant with God. This is known as the Old Covenant. But there was a problem. There wasn't a problem with the law. The law was perfect. The problem was with man. Man is not perfect. Since Adam and Eve fell, we've all been born into sin, and none of us can keep the law. We naturally are lawbreakers, rebellious, sinners. And if that offends you, I'm sorry, but you need to hear this. You will not succeed in reaching righteousness if you are pursuing it by the law alone. You see, the law that was written, the Ten Commandments, was written on stones by the finger of God. But human hearts are not able to do it. That's the Old Covenant. Man trying to be good according to an external standard, but it's not according to his own internal nature. So that's the problem. What's the solution? The New Covenant. That God would write his law on our hearts. Not because we're trying to be good, but because we trust that he is good. Not because we've paid our punishment, but because Jesus paid our punishment. So why does it work that way? Verse 32 asks, why? And the answer, because they did not pursue it by faith. They didn't pursue what by faith? They didn't pursue righteousness by faith. The Bible says, apart from faith, it's impossible to please God, Hebrews 11.6. And so if you're not trusting in God, you're not going to believe that God is there. You're not going to seek him, and then you're not going to be rewarded by him. You're going to instead pursue righteousness by pursuing yourself, by pursuing self-discipline, self-control, self-help. This is self-made religion. This is not the way God intended it to be. He gave the law to show us that we need a savior, and Israel illustrates this very well. Because if anybody tried their hardest to keep the law, it was the Orthodox Jews. But Jesus said, your righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and the Pharisees to enter into heaven. Self-righteousness is not enough. You need perfect righteousness. And the only one who lived perfectly according to the will of God was Jesus Christ himself, because his nature is good. He is God in human form. He was tempted as we are, yet he's without sin. And so he attained to righteousness, and his righteousness is a gift. You can receive it by trusting in his righteousness and in his finished work on the cross, or you can reject it by trusting in your own goodness, that you're able to do it by your own work. But you can never finish. You can never do enough. You can never be good enough without Jesus. And with Jesus, even though you are not good enough and you still cannot keep the law, he counts you as if you are righteous, just like Abraham in Genesis 15, 6. We've talked about this before, but it's one of my favorite verses, and it's quoted in the New Testament a few times, that Abraham believed in God, and God counted it as righteousness. That's how you attain to righteousness, if God counts you as righteous. Based on what does God count people righteous? Based on their faith or based on their trying? Based on their faith. Because if you're trying to be righteous, your faith is in yourself. But if you're trusting Jesus to be righteous, your faith is in him, and he's pleased by that, because he's faithful, and he's true, and he's good, and he's reliable. So we can trust him. We should trust him. That's the only moral thing to do. The Jews were following Jesus because they gave him bread, and he said, don't work for the food that perishes, work for the food that endures to eternal life. And they said, what should we do so that we can have more bread, the bread of life? And he said, this is the work of God. If you want to do something, even though it's not a work, but if you're really looking for what you can do, here's what you can do. This is the work of God, that you believe in him who God has sent. So that's the good news. You can succeed in reaching righteousness by believing in Jesus. That's all you need to do. Turn from trusting in your own righteousness and transfer your faith to Jesus. Because they did not pursue it by faith, but they pursued it as if it was based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone. Jesus Christ is that stumbling stone. You can either build your life upon him, or you can trip over him. But you must encounter Jesus. Every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. Either you will bow in this life and call upon his name to save you as your Lord and Savior, or you will call upon him after you die, saying, yes, you are Lord, but I did not receive you as Savior because I trusted in myself. I was stumbling over the rock of offense. You see, it's an offense to our self-righteousness to believe that Jesus is the only way. We want to think that we're also a way. We have a way. Where there's a will, there's a way. But no, Jesus is the only way. He is the only chief cornerstone, and yet the builders rejected him, and they couldn't build without him. And so God rejected them, and he accepts anyone who would believe in him. As the last verse here in Romans says, Romans chapter 9, verse 33, Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. That's a promise. If you believe in Jesus as your rock, you can count on him, and you won't be put to shame because you won't be disappointed. But if you trust in yourself, you will be put to shame because you'll disappoint yourself, and you'll disappoint God, and you'll disappoint everyone who has a high standard, and God has the perfect standard. So if you trust in the perfect Savior, you will not be put to shame. So, in conclusion, I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it's the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, for the Jew first, but also for the Gentile. Would you put your trust in Jesus today? Would you call upon him? Would you seek his righteousness? Do it before it's too late. Repent and believe the gospel. Thank you for listening, and tune in again next week. My name's Brenton Powers, and you've been listening to Verse by Verse. You can download more broadcasts on versebyverse.podomatic.com. I'd like to thank our sponsors, Top Grade Paving. Call Robert at 408-455-8723 for a free estimate on your paving project. Secondly, Dwell on Truth Missionary Media is funded in part by Brenton Powers Audiovisual Services. So give me a call at 831-594-2633 for a free quote for your upcoming event. If you own a business and you'd like to become a sponsor of Dwell on Truth, you can call me too. I'll help you to create a compelling ad on KSCO AM 1080 in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Salinas. So give me a call at 831-594-2633. My name is Brenton Powers, and this is our weekly English Bible study at versebyverse.podomatic.com. We'll begin studying Romans chapter 10, verse by verse. So let's open our Bibles and begin reading in Romans chapter 10, verse 1. I'm reading from the English Standard Version. Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved, for I bear witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, do not say in your heart, who will ascend into heaven, that is, to bring Christ down, or who will descend into the abyss, that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith that we proclaim. Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how shall they hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what He has heard from us? Verse 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses said, I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation. With a foolish nation I will make you angry. Then Isaiah is so bold to say, I have been found by those who did not seek me. I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me. But of Israel, he says, all day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people. That's Romans chapter 10, verse 1 through 21, in its entirety. Now let's begin our in-depth study, verse by verse. In verse 1, as we remember, the context is, Paul is talking about Israel in Romans 9, 10, and 11. So in the beginning of chapter 10, he continues his point from the previous chapter of why Israel needs the gospel to be saved. He says, in Romans 10, 1, Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God is for them. So he's speaking about his heart for Israel. He has a desire, and he has a prayer that he lifts up to God. Paul intercedes for Israel, just as all the men of God in the Bible intercede for the people of Israel. And we should pray for Israel. Jesus said, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We see that Moses interceded in the Old Testament for the people of Israel. And Joshua. Down through the history, Daniel interceded for Israel as a nation, that they would be saved. Jesus prayed for Israel. He wept for Jerusalem and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And Jesus' heart for the world is for their salvation. That is God's heart. That is God's desire. That's where Paul got his heart from. And if you lack a heart to pray for Israel or to pray for the rest of the world to be saved, then maybe you need to draw closer to God and to His heart, that you may be a person after His own heart, like David was, like Paul was. And what did Paul pray for Israel? He said that they may be saved. So that raises a question in some people's mind. Is that the way that we should pray for people? Should we pray, God, save Israel? Because that apparently is what Paul said that he prayed. Now, if you look in other parts of the Bible, it does tell us to pray for other people. But how do we pray for those who are not saved? How do we pray for people who have heard the gospel but have rejected it? Can God save them if they don't believe in the gospel? It's through faith in the gospel that you are saved. And I'll remind you what the gospel is. That although we are sinners deserving of God's wrath, God came down in the person of Jesus Christ. He lived a perfect life that we should have lived. And yet He willingly gave His life and died on the cross for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserved. Not only the torment and death and shame that we deserved, but also the wrath of God being separated from a holy, loving God. Jesus as God the Son was separated from the Father for that moment when He cried out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And the answer is because He knew that is the only way to save us. If there is any other way, then that cup of God's wrath would have passed from Him and we could have been saved another way, perhaps through being good enough. But since that's impossible, there is no one good but God. The only way to fulfill the righteous requirement of the law was if Jesus did it for us and if He took the punishment that the law required for us. And then not only did He die, but the good news is that He rose from the dead, defeating sin and the death that hung over us. So that if anyone believes in Him, God will count their faith as righteousness and they will be considered justified and saved because they're forgiven from their sins. There is no more judgment hanging over our heads through faith in Christ. So Paul, he prayed for Israel that they may be saved, but he also tried to preach the gospel to Israel. His heart and prayer was that God would save, but his actions were to preach the gospel that they may be saved. You see, it takes a combination of praying and doing in order for the gospel to spread to people. And that is why I would encourage you to pray for those who are preaching the gospel, that they would receive power to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. Pray for me. I'm a missionary and I'm teaching at a Bible college and I'm also preaching the gospel every week through this radio show. At the moment, I am in California and believe it or not, I'm recording this radio show in a rental car. I'm on the road in California and I'm preaching the gospel. It's a great opportunity, but I ask for your prayers that I may continue to make known the mystery of the gospel. It truly is a mystery. Why would God love us so, so much that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life? It's amazing that though we sinned against a holy and just God who hates sin, yet He loves us and He wants to save us from our sin and from His own wrath. So He paid the highest price for us. That is an amazing message, the gospel. So we shouldn't just pray for people to be saved. We need to pray with understanding of how they get saved and what we can do to be a part of that process. They're saved because of what Jesus has done. Putting their faith in Him, they have access to that forgiveness. But how can they believe, He says in this chapter, unless they hear? And how can they hear unless they are preached to? And how can someone preach unless the preacher is sent? So God sends us, but we also have a part to play in sending out missionaries. You can pray for me, but you can also support the work. So say, for example, you're a listener to this radio show in Latvia, and you're blessed to listen to this show on a regular basis, and you're thankful for that. There is a way for you to give financially to support this work. As I've been doing this radio show for the last year and a half, I haven't received one penny from any listener for the work that I put into this show every week. It's great. I actually can boast about that. I don't do it for the money. And most shows, I'd say 99% of the shows, until now, I haven't asked for support. I did have one sponsor who gave a little bit to the radio station. But you know, we're a faith-based ministry, and we trust God to provide. We trust Him to put it on people's hearts to give to support the work. Or if you just want to write and give me an encouraging word, that will also help me to continue putting my heart into this work. You can email me. Again, here's the email address. BrentonPowers at gmail.com. B-R-E-N-T-E-N-P-O-W-E-R-S at gmail.com. So as Paul prayed for Israel, I also pray for you in Latvia. And I pray that you would continue studying God's Word, and through it, that you would believe in Jesus. Through faith in Him, you would be saved. Because you believe so much in your heart, you'll call upon Him with your lips. And God sees your heart, and He hears your cry, and He knows your need for the gospel. So He's done everything for you to be saved. Now it's your turn. It's your part. Would you put your faith in Him? Would you call upon Jesus? Do you want to ask Him now to be your Lord and your Savior? You can pray and receive Jesus Christ into your life, because all who call upon the Lord shall be saved. Call upon His name, as Paul said here, if you confess with your lips the Lord Jesus. So call on Him. Begin your prayer something like this. Lord Jesus, I believe You are the Son. Dear God, I want You to be my Lord and my God. Jesus, please take away my sin and give me the righteousness that I couldn't earn. I couldn't live a good life, but You did. I don't want to die for my sins, but You did die for my sins. So Lord, I want to receive that. So pray something like that in your own words, trusting Him to save you, and you will not be ashamed. He'll take away your shame and your guilt, and He'll give you His righteousness. That's the good news. The righteousness that God gives is His righteousness, and He gives it to whoever believes. So next we'll continue with Romans chapter 10, verse 2. We only covered one verse, but also some of the context of this chapter in Romans 10. But what about Israel who heard that gospel, but they did not believe? What about those who are zealous for their father's traditions? The Orthodox Jews who have a great amount of zeal and sincerity. They are trying really hard. Is that good enough? What are they ignorant of? And what's the difference between a righteousness that's based on law and a righteousness based on faith? And when you put your trust in God's righteousness rather than your own, how does your speech change as a result? And how can others be saved after I receive the gospel? What is their part? What is my part in order to share the good news with them? Am I a sender? Am I a goer? Am I a preacher? We'll consider those questions next as we're planning on continuing this radio show. May God continue to bless you as you continue to study His word. I want to give a little background as this is usually a Bible teaching program, and I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I want you to know that this message and this passage about missions, motives, and meaning, it's not just theory to me. This passage did not just move me to change my attitude, but it moved me to action, and it literally moved me to reach other nations on the other side of the world. I served in Austria, Germany, Romania, Ukraine, Latvia, and Hungary, and short-term trips to Israel, Italy, and Russia. I learned to speak Russian and Latvian and a little of several other languages. My own daughter, who was raised by us in Eastern Europe, is now in Southeast Asia reaching out to the unreached in Thailand as an intern with David Joanne's organization Within Reach Global. So you see, Christianity to us, and theologically, biblically, is a missionary faith. We have a missionary God, the God of heaven and earth, humbled himself to be found in the appearance of a man, as it says in Philippians 2. So, I'm continuing to live as a missionary, and you can too. We're going to continue our study in the book of Romans, chapter 10, continuing where we left off last, where we saw in Romans 10, Paul's prayer for the people of Israel, that they may be saved, and Paul's actions to preach the gospel to Israel, so that they may hear of Jesus, believe in his name, and call upon him in order to be saved. As it is written, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. And it's a beautiful thing, as we read in Romans 10, 15, and how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news. It's a beautiful thing when you get up off of your bottom, off your couch, and out the door, and you go out intentionally to talk with people about Jesus. You know, you'll find opportunities to tell people about Jesus. And if you pray, God, lead me to the people that need to hear about him today, he'll guide you. You see, it's not enough just to pray for people to be saved. They also need to hear about Jesus. God wants to save them. It is God's will to save as many as believe. It's not his will for any to perish. He said, pray that the Lord would raise up laborers and send them into the harvest, because the harvest field is great. There are many lost sheep out there, but the laborers are few. The shepherds are few. The preachers are few. The missionaries are few. So the biblical sequence is to see the multitudes, to see their need. The desire is born. There's the prayer to pray for them according to the scriptures. And then there's the sending. And then to do something, because God wants to answer prayer, but he will often answer our prayer through his body, the church. Through other believers. And so how is Israel to be saved? How are people from any nation to be saved? Well, it's by believing in Jesus. As the Bible says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. But Paul here raises an important question. How does that end result happen? God did something. God sent his only son. God gave his only son. Jesus lived the perfect life, and he died for our sins, and he rose from the dead. You see, God wanted us to be saved, but he didn't stop with just the desire. He followed through with action. He did something. He traveled the farthest distance from his seat of glory in heaven to a humble manger on earth. He humbled himself. He came to earth on a mission, and he calls all of us Christians to follow him. He sends us out as the Father sent him, so he sends us. He said, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. That means to every person. He also said, Go make disciples of every nation. It's through preaching that people hear the gospel. Preaching is the public proclamation as a herald cries out the news from a king and proclaims the way of the kingdom, the desire and the decree of the king. So we go into all the world and proclaim the way of salvation, the good news of our king, that he has conquered sin and death by coming in the person of Jesus Christ. And whoever believes in him shall not perish, but shall have eternal life. So we call people to a decision. We preach that they may hear about Jesus, and then they have a choice to make. Will they believe or will they continue in their sin? Are they willing to turn from their sin to Jesus, trusting him to save them? Or will they continue on their path to destruction? God's desire and the desire of every follower of Christ is that they would believe. But how can they make that choice if they haven't heard about him? See, God here raises the issue. What about those who have not heard? How can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? It says in Romans chapter 10, verse 14. And the implied answer is they cannot. They can't believe in Jesus's name if they have never heard of Jesus's name. And therefore, they can't be saved because they can't believe, because they can't hear, because no one has gone to preach to them. But have they not been sent? Have we, you and me believers, have we not been sent? Yes, we have been sent. So whose fault is it if people die in their sin without receiving the salvation that comes through faith in Jesus? It wasn't their fault for not hearing about Jesus. It was our fault. But wait a minute. They're dying in their sin. Didn't they know that sin was wrong? Aren't they accountable for their own sin? Well, the Bible says, yes, they are without excuse. We cover that in Romans chapter 1. The problem is not that they don't know that God exists. The problem is that they sin against God because that which they know about God, that he is good and a just judge, they know this intuitively. And we also know by our consciences when we do right and when we do wrong. All over the world, in every society, there are laws against lying and stealing and adultery and murder and disobeying parents. Now, if the nations don't hear about Jesus, they only know that there is a God out there that we are accountable to, but we don't have any excuse for our sin. And so it creates a fear of judgment. And that's why everyone is afraid of death. Because we know that justice is not happening on this earth. There must be an ultimate sense of justice that happens after people die. Otherwise, there's no such thing as justice. And we know there must be justice. There must be a God. That is the default position. We're all wired with that understanding. And yet people suppress the truth to try to deny that God. And they don't seek after God to see if he's ever sent a savior to us. You see, it's not just the church's fault if we don't preach the gospel for people to be saved. Ultimately, every individual is responsible for their own sin and their own failure to seek to know God. As the Bible says, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There was no one righteous. No, not one. No one seeks after God. And that's why Jesus came. He said, I came to seek and to save that which is lost. So we need to have Jesus's heart for the lost. They're not going to be found unless Jesus through us is seeking them out and we're lifting up the name of Jesus. If we are silent about our savior, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, shall the rocks cry out? Well, unfortunately, to our shame, there are some places in the world that have not yet heard about Jesus in our day and age. In spite of radio, internet, television, all of these forms of mass communication, multitude of books, magazines, articles that have been written, tracts that have been written and published and distributed, there are still people that I meet on a fairly regular basis that have never heard that Jesus Christ came to take away our sins by dying for us on the cross. They've only heard religion and rituals and rules and traditions of men that tell them you have to be good to go to heaven. But wait a minute. No one is good. So then what must I do to be saved? Who will deliver me from this body of death? And we know the answer. It's Jesus. So let's tell the world. Let's go out and proclaim the good news. Everyone is responsible. God took responsibility by sending his son, by giving him up on the cross for us. And then the church believers should take responsibility to bring that good news to the world. Because the world has their own responsibility. Every individual must give an account to God for what they have done. And apart from them receiving that gift of forgiveness, there is no way they can be saved. God has chosen the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. It seems foolish, but that's the way that God wants to save people. Now, there are a few exceptions in the Bible and today where people hear about Jesus apart from someone telling them. It's possible that through dreams or visions that God can reveal himself and his son to tribes that are out of our reach. But you know, in today's society with our transportation, cars, planes, boats, motorcycles, there shouldn't be any tribes that are out of reach. I have a friend who's a missionary in China and he has a ministry called Within Reach. The world is within reach. It's a finite place. And there's enough Christians in the world. If we are to spread out and all of us took responsibility to share the gospel, then there wouldn't be such a burden on the few that are sharing the gospel. We need to all participate in this. And so we need to all be equipped for this. So if you're interested in getting further equipped so that you can be a preacher of the gospel, you don't have to be called to be a pastor. You don't have to be a professional preacher to preach the gospel. You just have to be a believer in the gospel to know what the gospel message is and to live in accordance with what you're preaching. We don't need more hypocrites to tell the world how to live when they're not living it themselves. But you don't need to be perfect. You just need to confess that you're one sinner that has been saved by a great savior. Paul said, God has shown mercy to me, the chief of sinners, as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life. You don't have to convince people to trust you before you convince them to trust Christ. That would be a miserable mission. Christ is the trustworthy, the faithful one. So let's not put any extra hindrances in front of anybody. You don't have to even build a long-term relationship with someone and, quote, earn the right to preach. Jesus has all authority and he has told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel. He'll show you a person that you're supposed to go up and walk up to and say, excuse me, can I ask you a question? If they say yes, you have their permission. You don't have to take a long time waiting for them to ask you, excuse me, what's different about you? You can go and tell them, something happened to me that I want to share with everybody. Jesus saved my life and he can save you too. Now, that message might not make much sense to somebody who thinks that they're a good person and doesn't need saving. So sometimes we need to take an evangelism class and learn how to share the bad news as well as the good news. Because today, in our feel-good, self-esteem, self-help society, many people believe a lie that they're good enough or that they're not really that bad. And to give you a very brief lesson here, here's how you do it. You open up the divine law, the 10 commandments, and go through a few of them. You say, it is written, you shall not lie. But have you ever lied? If yes, well, then what does that make you? Someone who lies is a liar. But it's not just lying that's wrong. The second command that I often go to is stealing. Have you ever stolen anything? If you've stolen, then what are you? See, what I'm doing is asking questions, because the people that I share with, mostly I don't know them, and I don't want to go up to a stranger and accuse them, you're a liar and a thief. I ask them, have you ever lied? And if they admit to it, then I ask them another question, what does that make you? Then they're the ones calling themselves liars, thieves. And you're seeing that their eyes are being opened to their need for Jesus, their need for a Savior. And it opens up the door for us to preach who the Savior is. Time does not take away sins. There's only one thing that can take away your sin of lying, and that's the blood of Jesus. Either you have to be punished for that sin by God, or you can receive that Jesus was punished in your place, and that will count on Judgment Day. Sin is breaking of God's law. And so we open up the law to show people that they need a Savior, because Judgment Day is coming. And this is the biblical gospel. Talk about sin, or the consequences of breaking God's law. Ultimately, it leads to death and hell, and separation from our holy and good God, separation from His love forever and His comfort. And the only other alternative to heaven is the lake of fire that burns forever and ever. There is no way out of it, because once you die, then comes the judgment, and those who will be condemned will be sentenced to eternity in the everlasting fire. That's the bad news, folks. And that's why we should be compelled. Our heart's desire should be for the lost to be saved. That's my desire. Once you accept that challenge with me to go and preach the gospel to as many people as possible until the last one hears, until the lost are saved, let's go. Let's reach the nations with the gospel. Is God calling you to be a missionary or to come alongside missionaries? Contact us. Find out more at oacnorcal.org. The director of the Northern California branch of open-air campaigners, Dan Bodwin, likes to conclude his messages with saying, all sin will be paid for. The question is, who pays? Repent and believe in Christ while He's giving you time. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Will you go to Him? Will you embrace Him? Will you follow Him and lead others to follow Him? Do it. Do it with us. He's worth it. Let's go. So, thank you so much for listening to Dwell on Truth. I'm Brenton Power. Tune in again next week as we continue verse by verse through the book of Romans. I'd like to thank our sponsors, Top Grade Paving. Call Robert at 408-455-8723 for a free estimate on your paving project. Top Grade Paving has been a sponsor to help me be on the air, so give them a call. Say thank you. 408-455-8723. Secondly, Dwell on Truth missionary media is funded in part by Brenton Power's audiovisual services. So, give me a call at 831-594-2633 for a free quote for your upcoming event. Thirdly, if you own a business and you'd like to become a sponsor of Dwell on Truth, you can call me too at 831-594-2633. I'll help you to create a compelling ad on KSCO AM 1080 in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Salinas. And may God richly bless you.