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Hello and welcome to the
Middletown Baptist Church Podcast,

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where we are proclaiming the
truth to the world.

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My name is Pastor Josh, and I
want to thank you for listening to

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this podcast.

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I hope that this podcast can
be a blessing to you and strengthen

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you in the word of God.

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Now, come along.

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Let's look into the Bible and
see what God has for us here today,

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we will be studying Romans
chapter 10.

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So if you have.

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Man, they're excited to get
back there, that's a good thing.

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It's better than the
alternative that they're not excited

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about getting back to church, but.

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Amen.

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Romans, chapter 10.

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We're going to start in verse
number 13 here.

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This morning, we're going to
pick up where we left off.

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It has been a few weeks.

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March 29, which was Palm
Sunday, Brother Ethan preached.

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And then last week we looked
at the resurrection in First Corinthians

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15.

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And so we're going to pick up
our study in Romans chapter 10.

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And the encompassing theme
throughout this whole study has been

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theology matters.

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Theology matters.

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There's a lot of things that
matter in this world, but what we

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would say is that as
believers, theology matters.

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And what is theology?

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Well, theology is what we
believe about God.

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It's.

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It's knowing God in a personal
way for the believer.

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And so what do we believe
about things?

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Well, for some people, that
might mean that I believe this or

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I believe that I believe that
God is this way.

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But oftentimes our theology
comes from the wrong place.

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Some people's theology comes
from the way that they feel.

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You've even heard people say
this, well, my God wouldn't be that

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way.

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The way that I believe God to be.

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He wouldn't do this, or he
wouldn't judge, or he wouldn't.

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He wouldn't extend this type
of wrath upon somebody.

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And the reality is, is that
sometimes people find their theology

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through their feelings.

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That isn't a place to be
because the Bible says that our feelings

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can lie to us, our heart can
deceive us, and so we can't find

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our theology through our feelings.

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Some people find theology
through Hollywood or entertainment,

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the newest Christian movie.

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And though there are some good
Christian media sources out there,

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I would say that we have to be
very careful of having our theology

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based in a portrayal through
some type of dramatic experience,

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whether it be through a movie
or a show or a play.

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So there's a lot of sources to
people's theology.

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But what we're going to see in
this passage, and I think that what

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we've seen throughout the Book
of Romans is that our theology must

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come from the truth of God.

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And we find the truth of God
here in his Word and what we call

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Scripture, the Bible.

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And so In Romans chapter 10,
we're seeing what it means to believe

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in the Lord.

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We're seeing what it means to
have salvation.

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And by way of context, Paul is
speaking about his people, the nation

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of Israel, as they have
rejected Christ.

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He says, oh, they're
religious, they're devout, but what

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they're missing in their faith
is a faith in the Messiah, the faith

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in Jesus, the faith in not
only Jesus coming to this earth and

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living a perfect life, but
then dying on the cross for their

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sins and conquering death
through the resurrection.

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He says, that's the gospel.

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That's what matters.

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That's what saves.

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And so here Throughout Romans
chapter 10, Paul has been discussing

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this idea of what truly saves
an individual.

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And what truly saves an
individual is faith in Jesus alone.

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But then he goes on to say
that there are people searching for

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righteousness.

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And what brings us righteousness?

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Well, it's not our hard work.

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I mean, because we could say,
I, I'm a righteous person because

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I work really hard.

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But then the problem with that
is that sometimes what happens is

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that we could find someone who
works harder than us and they're

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more righteous than we are.

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And so the comparison of man
is this.

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Well, I'm more righteous than
that person.

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But the Bible really mentions
that the true test of righteousness

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is not other people.

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The true test of righteousness
is God's holiness, and none of us

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match up to that.

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And so we can't find
righteousness by our works, by our

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effort.

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We find righteousness through,
you guessed it, faith in Jesus Christ.

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And God then imputes or gives
his righteousness to us so that,

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yes, we can live righteous
lives, but not in our own strength.

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And so he's explained that
through Romans chapter 10.

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And he gets down to verse
number nine, and he says that if

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thou shalt confess, and that
word confess has so much wrapped

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up in it, it's a Greek word
that means to say the same thing,

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to agree upon.

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And so he says here in verse
nine, that if thou shalt confess

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with thy mouth, the Lord Jesus.

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And so there's a proclamation, there's.

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There's a mental ascent to
believe that God is saying the truth

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and that Jesus did come and
that Jesus did die and that Jesus

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did resurrect.

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And so he says, if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus

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and believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the

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dead.

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Thou shalt be saved.

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And so really, the
proclamation is this.

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The way that we are saved is
not just by agreeing that God exists,

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not just agreeing that he is
good, not just understanding that

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he came, but that it says
there that we confess with our mouth

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and we believe in our heart.

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That's faith.

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Not just that Jesus died, but
that God hath raised him from the

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dead.

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So it's a complete mention of
the gospel.

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We looked at that in 1
Corinthians, chapter 15.

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A great definition of the
Gospel is given there by Paul.

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And it's essentially this,
that Jesus came and he lived, he

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died, he was buried, and he
rose again.

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And so that's the Gospel message.

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And so, yes, we have to
understand it mentally, that's important.

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What we think about does
matter, but also what we believe

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in our hearts.

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And that word there in verse
nine, believe, is something that

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we're going to see over and
over again in this passage.

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And it's not just a belief in
the existence of.

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It's a belief in something for salvation.

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We're going to see it said
again later on in this passage.

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And really, the word is faith.

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It's the same Greek word,
faith, believing in something that

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we don't see.

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Now, it doesn't mean that
there's zero proof.

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There is proof that God exists.

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There is proof that he came,
there is proof that Jesus died.

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There is proof that he
conquered death through the resurrection.

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But what we see here is that
ultimately it is faith that saves.

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And then he goes to verse
number 13.

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For whosoever, this is an open
invitation to all.

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God's message of the Gospel is inclusive.

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Now, some people hear that
word inclusive.

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We talked about this a few
weeks ago, and they go, wait, wait,

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wait, wait.

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I'm not all about that inclusivity.

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Well, it's not inclusive in
that everyone is saved.

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It's inclusive that everyone
can be saved.

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The Gospel message is for all,
for the rich, for the poor, for the

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people from across the ocean,
the people in this country.

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There is a message of the
Gospel that's inclusive to all.

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So it's open in that regard,
but it's narrow in how someone comes

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to faith.

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And it says, Verse 13, for
whosoever shall call upon the name

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of the Lord shall be saved.

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Now call upon the name.

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Well, does that mean just
anyone who says Lord is saved?

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No, because what we're going
to see in verse number 14 is that

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there's something connected to
that calling.

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There is a substance to the
call it says in verse 14.

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And, and what Paul is
basically going to do here is he's

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going to ask some questions.

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He's wanting the reader to
think about the point that he is

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making here.

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And by the way, again,
remember in context, he's speaking

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about the people of Israel,
the people that he loves, the people

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that he has a burden for, and
they're not believing.

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And so really the, the
underlying message here is that there

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are people out there that need
the message of the Gospel.

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There are people that need to
be saved.

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And he says in verse 14,
question, how then shall they call?

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There's that word call.

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So we're going to get some
indication about what that call is.

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He says, how then shall they
call on him, talking about Jesus

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in whom they have not believed?

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So the idea would be this, to
call, there must be belief.

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And that word belief is the
same word that's used later on in

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verse 17 when we see the word faith.

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It's, it's a Greek word that
means to believe in, to trust in,

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to put all of our weight upon.

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And so he says it's those who
believe who call.

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And so it's not just a verbal
hey, I. I need you, God.

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It's.

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It's a belief in the whole
message of the gospel.

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So he says they can't call
unless they believe.

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Verse 14.

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He says, how can they call on
him whom they have not believed?

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And so what we see here is, is
that what we're compelled to do is

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preach about faith, preach
about belief, not just about action,

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even though the church should
preach about action.

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Because what we believe does
indicate what we do in our life,

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but it starts with action.

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Because we do know that people
can act, people can put on a face,

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people can display a certain
spirituality publicly, but in their

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hearts not truly believe.

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So it starts with belief.

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And so he says here, how can
they call if they don't believe?

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And then another question is this.

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And how shall they believe in
him of whom they have not heard?

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So we ask a really pointy
question here.

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He says, how can people
believe in something that they haven't

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heard about?

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Really, what Paul is getting
to here is the need for the preaching

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of the Gospel, the need for
proclaiming the truth.

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So he says, they all need Jesus.

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They all need to call out to Him.

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They all need to believe.

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But how can they believe if
they have not heard?

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I think that's a good question
to ask.

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How.

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How can someone believe in
something that they don't know about?

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And then he says, and how
shall they hear.

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How can they hear without a preacher?

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And so he's giving a line of
thinking here.

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He's basically saying this,
There is a need in this world.

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And I think we all agree with
Paul's proclamation here that there

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is a need for salvation.

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There's a lot of problems that
we see in this world today.

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There's a lot of division.

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There's a lot of pain, There's
a lot of dangerous actions and thoughts.

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And actually what we see is
evil actions and thoughts that are

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being played out today.

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And a lot of people have their
understanding or their theory about

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what would fix all of that.

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There's a lot of people that
think that if we just do certain

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laws, then it'll fix all of
these problems.

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Or there are some people that
think that if we just have a certain

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way of doing things here, or
throw money this way or do things

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programs in this regard, that
all the problems of this world will

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be solved.

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But the Bible says clearly
that there is one solution to all

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of our problems of sin, and
that is salvation in Jesus Christ.

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It's what changes the heart.

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It's the Holy Spirit that
changes us from the inside out.

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And so what Paul is saying is
that the answer to all of the problems

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is Jesus and the message of
the Gospel.

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Therefore, he says, we need to
have those people that need the salvation

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to believe.

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And what do they believe in?

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Will they believe in what they hear?

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And how can they hear unless
they have a preacher?

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And so he's posing a question,
but really he's challenging the reader

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to understand the importance
of preaching the gospel.

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Now, all of you here this
morning to some degree agree that

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00:11:02,140 --> 00:11:03,300
preaching the gospel is important.

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00:11:03,300 --> 00:11:04,340
Why do I know that?

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Well, you're here.

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You're here to not only hear
the preaching of the Word, but hopefully

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have fellowship.

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00:11:09,660 --> 00:11:12,340
But really the reality is, is
that if you're in church, you understand

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00:11:12,420 --> 00:11:14,420
to some degree that preaching
is important.

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00:11:14,660 --> 00:11:18,020
But oftentimes we think about
preaching only from behind the pulpit.

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00:11:18,740 --> 00:11:21,020
And so someone might come to
church and they say, well, yeah,

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00:11:21,020 --> 00:11:23,780
preacher, you better get your
message straight, because that's

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important.

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00:11:24,100 --> 00:11:28,640
But really, the Bible doesn't
isolate from preaching to the pastor

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00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:31,320
of the church, even though the
pastor should be a preacher.

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But the Bible actually says,
as we read this morning in Matthew

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00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:37,720
chapter 28, that the great
Commission is that all believers

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00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:40,680
go into the world and preach
the gospel.

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00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:44,760
And so the question might be
asked, well, how could I be a preacher?

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Not all of us are called to be
pastors, but all of us are called

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00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:49,000
to be preachers.

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And so the Bible says that we
should preach the truth to the world,

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the ones that need Jesus.

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00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:56,520
Now, what does that word
preach mean?

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It just means to proclaim, to
announce, to explain.

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00:12:00,970 --> 00:12:03,690
And the Bible tells us that
there's many ways in which we can

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preach the gospel.

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00:12:05,570 --> 00:12:07,370
We preach by the way that we live.

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We preach by the way that we respond.

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00:12:09,690 --> 00:12:11,210
We preach by the way that we love.

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00:12:11,210 --> 00:12:13,490
We preach by the way that we
give a testimony.

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We preach by the way that we work.

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00:12:15,090 --> 00:12:17,170
We preach through every
element of our life.

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00:12:17,170 --> 00:12:21,410
The Bible says, whether
therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever

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00:12:21,410 --> 00:12:23,490
you do, do, all to the glory
of God.

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00:12:24,300 --> 00:12:27,060
And so the Bible tells us that
in every element of our life, we

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00:12:27,060 --> 00:12:30,220
can proclaim the truth of God
to other people around us.

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00:12:30,540 --> 00:12:33,500
And so it's not just from
behind a pulpit that the message

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of the gospel is preached, but
it's in the workplace, it's in the

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00:12:36,820 --> 00:12:40,700
home, it's on the ball field,
it's everywhere that we are, that

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00:12:40,700 --> 00:12:43,340
we as Christians should be
taking the gospel with us.

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00:12:43,420 --> 00:12:47,020
And so what he's really saying
here is this, there are so many people

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that need the gospel.

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00:12:47,980 --> 00:12:49,580
What are we going to do about it?

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00:12:50,130 --> 00:12:53,610
And then he says in verse 15,
how shall they preach except they

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be sent?

289
00:12:54,530 --> 00:12:58,010
And so he actually asked
another question here, and it's an

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00:12:58,010 --> 00:13:01,730
interesting question to ponder
because what he's basically said

291
00:13:01,730 --> 00:13:02,610
so far is this.

292
00:13:02,690 --> 00:13:05,889
We should go, and then we
should send.

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00:13:06,770 --> 00:13:07,130
So.

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00:13:07,130 --> 00:13:11,650
So individually, as a
believer, I should go to wherever

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00:13:11,650 --> 00:13:12,770
my mission field is.

296
00:13:13,010 --> 00:13:15,660
For some people's mission
field, it's local.

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00:13:15,980 --> 00:13:17,620
For some people's mission
field, it's.

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00:13:17,620 --> 00:13:18,660
It's a little bit broader.

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00:13:18,660 --> 00:13:22,060
We see that in Acts, chapter
one, verse eight, that we should

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00:13:22,060 --> 00:13:26,340
start in Jerusalem and spread
to Judea and then into Samaria, which

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00:13:26,340 --> 00:13:28,620
are places that we're
uncomfortable with, and then to the

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00:13:28,620 --> 00:13:29,740
uttermost part of the earth.

303
00:13:30,540 --> 00:13:34,460
And so he says, yes, there is
a call for all of us to go.

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00:13:35,180 --> 00:13:35,580
We've.

305
00:13:35,580 --> 00:13:36,300
We've seen that.

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00:13:36,300 --> 00:13:40,540
Even Last year, in 2025, our
theme was to go, to go for the gospel.

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00:13:41,430 --> 00:13:44,870
So all of us are to go, but
corporately, as a church, we are

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00:13:44,870 --> 00:13:46,070
also to send.

309
00:13:46,710 --> 00:13:48,110
And so there's something more
to that.

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00:13:48,110 --> 00:13:49,910
There's something more to sending.

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00:13:49,910 --> 00:13:53,270
And that is, yes, I
individually go, but I also prepare

312
00:13:53,270 --> 00:13:57,190
and equip others so that we
can send others out into the community.

313
00:13:57,270 --> 00:14:01,630
So it is my goal at Middletown
Baptist Church, not just to go myself

314
00:14:01,630 --> 00:14:06,150
and preach on Sunday mornings,
but it's also to prepare and disciple

315
00:14:06,310 --> 00:14:08,830
and pray for and train others
so that We.

316
00:14:08,980 --> 00:14:12,540
We can send people into the
Middletown community, the Odessa

317
00:14:12,540 --> 00:14:14,260
community, the Townsend
community, the.

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00:14:14,260 --> 00:14:17,180
The New Castle county area,
the Delaware state.

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00:14:17,180 --> 00:14:20,900
The farther, farther we think
we can actually send people across,

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00:14:20,900 --> 00:14:23,060
as the Bible says, to the
uttermost part of the earth.

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00:14:23,860 --> 00:14:28,180
And so what we see here is not
only a challenge to go ourselves,

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00:14:28,500 --> 00:14:30,900
but also we see a challenge to send.

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00:14:31,220 --> 00:14:34,100
And one of the things that
we're seeing in the world today is

324
00:14:34,100 --> 00:14:35,020
a lack of.

325
00:14:35,170 --> 00:14:38,290
Of individuals that are being
sent to do the ministry.

326
00:14:38,530 --> 00:14:41,650
There are so many churches in
America looking for pastors.

327
00:14:41,730 --> 00:14:43,610
There's so many places in.

328
00:14:43,610 --> 00:14:46,770
In areas that are not church,
that need a good church, that need

329
00:14:46,770 --> 00:14:49,850
a missionary, that need a lay
person who's going to preach the

330
00:14:49,850 --> 00:14:50,290
gospel.

331
00:14:50,610 --> 00:14:53,130
And one of the goals of
Middletown Baptist Church should

332
00:14:53,130 --> 00:14:57,890
be not just to go ourselves
individually, but also to find avenues

333
00:14:57,890 --> 00:15:01,510
in which we can send people to
do missions, to.

334
00:15:01,660 --> 00:15:05,420
To do evangelism, to do
church, to do all these different

335
00:15:05,420 --> 00:15:07,180
things that God has called us
to do.

336
00:15:07,580 --> 00:15:10,300
And so he says, how shall they
preach except they be sent?

337
00:15:10,460 --> 00:15:14,300
It is my heart, and I believe
God's heart, that we see people sent

338
00:15:14,460 --> 00:15:18,540
from Middletown Baptist Church
to the local community to present

339
00:15:18,540 --> 00:15:21,820
the gospel in areas that
possibly are not reached yet.

340
00:15:22,620 --> 00:15:23,380
You know, there.

341
00:15:23,380 --> 00:15:25,860
There are going to be people
that come to our facilities here

342
00:15:25,860 --> 00:15:28,660
and maybe even come into our
building and hear the preaching on

343
00:15:28,660 --> 00:15:31,100
Sunday mornings, maybe Sunday
nights, Wednesday nights, and that's

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00:15:31,100 --> 00:15:32,460
a fantastic ministry.

345
00:15:33,020 --> 00:15:35,540
There's going to be some
people that watch on the live stream.

346
00:15:35,540 --> 00:15:38,140
There's going to be people
that watch either on YouTube or Facebook

347
00:15:38,220 --> 00:15:40,860
or listen to a podcast, and
that's a great ministry.

348
00:15:41,340 --> 00:15:45,740
But there are places in this
local community that cannot be reached

349
00:15:45,740 --> 00:15:46,780
in those avenues.

350
00:15:47,020 --> 00:15:50,420
But the reality is, is that
some of you are able to reach those

351
00:15:50,420 --> 00:15:50,780
areas.

352
00:15:50,780 --> 00:15:54,900
And so as Middletown Baptist
Church, we're equipping, we're sending

353
00:15:54,900 --> 00:15:59,420
ambassadors into the local
environment for the gospel to be

354
00:15:59,420 --> 00:16:00,140
presented.

355
00:16:00,780 --> 00:16:04,380
And even on a further sense
that if some of you, as God works

356
00:16:04,380 --> 00:16:06,540
in your heart, might challenge
you to go further.

357
00:16:07,100 --> 00:16:10,940
But the truth is, is that we
as Christians must be sending.

358
00:16:11,340 --> 00:16:13,340
And part of that sending is equipping.

359
00:16:13,980 --> 00:16:17,900
So often in churches, we want
to just maintain the disciples that

360
00:16:17,900 --> 00:16:18,700
are already here.

361
00:16:20,230 --> 00:16:21,190
What do I mean by that?

362
00:16:21,590 --> 00:16:24,350
Well, sometimes what happens
is the church grows by more Christians

363
00:16:24,350 --> 00:16:27,630
that have already gone saved
and already been a part of a church

364
00:16:27,630 --> 00:16:27,910
move.

365
00:16:27,910 --> 00:16:30,070
And they just come to a church
and we say, okay, we're going to

366
00:16:30,070 --> 00:16:33,390
maintain a disciple, meaning
we need to make sure that they're

367
00:16:33,390 --> 00:16:34,070
reading their Bible.

368
00:16:34,070 --> 00:16:35,990
We need to make sure that
they're not struggling.

369
00:16:35,990 --> 00:16:38,350
We need to make sure that
everything in their life is going

370
00:16:38,350 --> 00:16:38,710
well.

371
00:16:38,790 --> 00:16:42,270
But oftentimes one of the
elements of the church that we forget

372
00:16:42,270 --> 00:16:44,470
about is making new disciples.

373
00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:47,840
We try to only maintain the
ones that we have.

374
00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:50,960
But the Bible doesn't ever
speak of just maintaining.

375
00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:53,440
The Bible always speaks of multiplication.

376
00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,480
Look at the early church in
the book of Acts didn't just stay

377
00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:59,120
with one group, it multiplied,
it grew.

378
00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:02,760
It became something so
exponential that it spread across

379
00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:04,560
the whole world at the time.

380
00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:07,960
So we think about what Matthew
chapter 28 says.

381
00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:10,240
I want you to go back to
Matthew 28 with me.

382
00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:13,460
We're going to get to Romans
10 again.

383
00:17:13,460 --> 00:17:15,820
But I want you to see the
Great Commission because I want you

384
00:17:15,820 --> 00:17:20,260
to understand what Jesus is
really saying when he says for us

385
00:17:20,420 --> 00:17:22,660
to go into the world and teach
all nations.

386
00:17:23,940 --> 00:17:27,100
Because I, I know that
oftentimes we get short sighted and

387
00:17:27,100 --> 00:17:29,620
we think about the ministry
that's here at the church today.

388
00:17:29,620 --> 00:17:32,980
And I think we should maintain
the ministries that we have.

389
00:17:33,300 --> 00:17:36,580
But I believe that we're
incomplete in the work of the church.

390
00:17:36,740 --> 00:17:40,910
We're incomplete as believers
if we think about only ourselves

391
00:17:40,910 --> 00:17:41,990
and say, you know what?

392
00:17:41,990 --> 00:17:43,870
It's just about the ones that
we have here.

393
00:17:44,030 --> 00:17:46,750
Even though we should
maintain, we should disciple the

394
00:17:46,750 --> 00:17:47,470
ones that are here.

395
00:17:47,550 --> 00:17:52,030
The Bible says In Matthew,
chapter 28, verse number 19, he says,

396
00:17:52,190 --> 00:17:55,430
Go ye therefore and teach all nations.

397
00:17:55,430 --> 00:17:58,230
Now in the English it says
teach all nations.

398
00:17:58,230 --> 00:18:01,950
But in the Greek, if, if you
understand the Greek and you might

399
00:18:01,950 --> 00:18:03,830
say, oh, I don't understand
the Greek, I'm going to say like,

400
00:18:03,830 --> 00:18:04,790
I don't understand it either.

401
00:18:04,790 --> 00:18:07,500
I don't speak Greek, I know
how to look at a book.

402
00:18:07,500 --> 00:18:09,060
And it tells me what the Greek says.

403
00:18:09,060 --> 00:18:10,580
And I understand that part of it.

404
00:18:10,660 --> 00:18:13,780
But what I will say is that
the Greek, the Koine Greek says this,

405
00:18:14,180 --> 00:18:15,300
make disciples.

406
00:18:16,020 --> 00:18:17,380
It says make disciples.

407
00:18:17,540 --> 00:18:20,220
It doesn't just say teach,
because if it was just about teaching,

408
00:18:20,220 --> 00:18:23,220
then why does he say in verse
number 20 go teach and then teach?

409
00:18:23,620 --> 00:18:26,500
Well, you could argue that he
just means teach double.

410
00:18:26,820 --> 00:18:30,420
But what he's really saying
here is he says, your goal as a church,

411
00:18:30,500 --> 00:18:34,300
your goal as a Christian is to
make a other disciples.

412
00:18:34,380 --> 00:18:36,300
And then he tells us what that
looks like.

413
00:18:36,540 --> 00:18:38,380
He says, make other disciples.

414
00:18:38,780 --> 00:18:40,220
Go ye make disciples.

415
00:18:40,220 --> 00:18:43,780
Baptizing them, that's that
first step of obedience, baptizing

416
00:18:43,780 --> 00:18:46,860
them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

417
00:18:47,020 --> 00:18:48,940
And then he says, this is what
it looks like.

418
00:18:49,099 --> 00:18:51,620
Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever.

419
00:18:51,620 --> 00:18:54,660
I've commanded you and lo, I'm
with you always, even to the end

420
00:18:54,660 --> 00:18:55,100
of the world.

421
00:18:55,660 --> 00:18:57,020
So he essentially says this.

422
00:18:57,340 --> 00:19:01,100
We should lead them to Christ
in way of salvation, and we should

423
00:19:01,100 --> 00:19:03,980
teach them what it means to
walk in sanctification.

424
00:19:04,700 --> 00:19:06,300
And so it's this idea of being sent.

425
00:19:06,460 --> 00:19:07,820
It's the idea of training.

426
00:19:08,060 --> 00:19:11,820
We don't just take someone who
gets saved and says, great, fantastic,

427
00:19:11,820 --> 00:19:14,500
you're a believer now sit
there and become the best Christian

428
00:19:14,500 --> 00:19:16,020
that you can be, but figure it
out on your own.

429
00:19:16,020 --> 00:19:16,779
We don't do that.

430
00:19:17,340 --> 00:19:18,820
You guys understand this principle?

431
00:19:18,820 --> 00:19:19,580
I've said this before.

432
00:19:20,460 --> 00:19:23,140
Our, our most recent son,
Silas, it's already been two years

433
00:19:23,140 --> 00:19:25,780
now that, that he was born,
but he's the most recent one in our

434
00:19:25,780 --> 00:19:25,980
house.

435
00:19:25,980 --> 00:19:27,940
And he was born and he was a
newborn baby.

436
00:19:27,940 --> 00:19:30,960
And some of you might even
know that he had a few extra complications.

437
00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:33,680
But the truth is, is that we
didn't just take him as a baby and

438
00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:34,840
say, okay, now he's in the house.

439
00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:36,320
He's got to figure it out for himself.

440
00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:38,800
We, we, you know, feed
yourself now, buddy.

441
00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:41,800
No, we, we fed him, we gave
him the milk.

442
00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:46,800
We understood the need for
nurturing in that very vulnerable

443
00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:47,200
state.

444
00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:49,160
That's what a new Christian is.

445
00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:50,640
A new Christian, as the Bible says.

446
00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:51,520
It's not my opinion.

447
00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:55,710
The Bible says a new Christian
is a baby in Christ, and a baby not

448
00:19:55,710 --> 00:19:58,670
tended to will be stunted in growth.

449
00:19:58,670 --> 00:20:02,430
And we see a lot of Christians
in this world today who were not

450
00:20:02,430 --> 00:20:06,710
discipled at that infancy
stage and therefore stunted in spiritual

451
00:20:06,710 --> 00:20:06,950
growth.

452
00:20:06,950 --> 00:20:09,550
And a baby's not going to be
able to take care of another baby.

453
00:20:10,109 --> 00:20:13,390
And the truth is, is that even
Paul condemns some in Scripture that

454
00:20:13,390 --> 00:20:17,630
says, hey, you guys should be
on the meat and teaching and discipling,

455
00:20:17,870 --> 00:20:19,630
but yet you're still on the milk.

456
00:20:20,310 --> 00:20:23,350
And I can't give you these
tasks that God wants you to follow.

457
00:20:24,550 --> 00:20:28,070
And so the challenge for us as
a church to send, if we want to see

458
00:20:28,070 --> 00:20:32,630
people sent from Middletown
Baptist Church, we have to take responsibility

459
00:20:32,630 --> 00:20:36,310
upon ourselves to say, I must
be a discipler.

460
00:20:36,870 --> 00:20:41,070
I must be able to take someone
and show them what it means to be

461
00:20:41,070 --> 00:20:41,830
a disciple.

462
00:20:42,310 --> 00:20:46,380
And if you say that that's not
where I'm at, I cannot do that, then

463
00:20:46,460 --> 00:20:51,460
that would mean that you as a
believer need to grow in discipleship

464
00:20:51,460 --> 00:20:55,180
in your own life to understand
the basics, to understand what Scripture

465
00:20:55,180 --> 00:20:58,180
says about these topics that
we're dealing with in our world today.

466
00:20:58,180 --> 00:21:01,980
So we go back to Romans,
chapter 10 with the understanding

467
00:21:01,980 --> 00:21:04,780
that all of us are called to
live out the Great Commission, that's

468
00:21:04,780 --> 00:21:07,260
not just for pastors, that's
not just for deacons.

469
00:21:07,260 --> 00:21:09,420
The great commission is for
all believers.

470
00:21:09,580 --> 00:21:12,590
And so we're all called to
send a others out.

471
00:21:13,230 --> 00:21:16,990
And so he says in verse number
15 of Romans 10, and how shall they

472
00:21:16,990 --> 00:21:20,310
preach except they be sent,
except they be trained, except they

473
00:21:20,310 --> 00:21:21,390
be prepared.

474
00:21:21,470 --> 00:21:24,750
And then he says something so
interesting, and if you read it just

475
00:21:24,750 --> 00:21:27,310
in its literal sense, you
might think that this is a very confusing

476
00:21:27,310 --> 00:21:27,710
verse.

477
00:21:28,270 --> 00:21:30,510
He says as it is written.

478
00:21:30,590 --> 00:21:33,350
So he's referring to something
in the Old Testament which we're

479
00:21:33,350 --> 00:21:34,670
going to go to here in a few moments.

480
00:21:34,830 --> 00:21:38,630
But he says, as it is written,
how beautiful are the feet of them

481
00:21:38,630 --> 00:21:42,310
that preach the gospel of
peace and bring glad tidings of good

482
00:21:42,310 --> 00:21:42,630
things.

483
00:21:43,270 --> 00:21:44,070
You would say.

484
00:21:44,630 --> 00:21:45,510
So what is he saying?

485
00:21:45,510 --> 00:21:47,270
That all preachers have
beautiful feet?

486
00:21:48,150 --> 00:21:51,870
No, he's not saying that even
though that's what he's literally

487
00:21:51,870 --> 00:21:52,230
saying.

488
00:21:52,390 --> 00:21:55,630
But the, the figurative sense
of this would be that the feet or

489
00:21:55,630 --> 00:22:00,710
the actions or the movement,
the, the, the ministry of preaching,

490
00:22:00,710 --> 00:22:04,470
as it says, is a beautiful
thing and it's a blessing to have

491
00:22:04,470 --> 00:22:05,510
the ministry of preaching.

492
00:22:05,510 --> 00:22:10,170
God could have chosen any
which type of medium in which to

493
00:22:10,170 --> 00:22:14,370
bring forth his truth to the
world, but he decided to bring it

494
00:22:14,370 --> 00:22:16,610
through preaching, proclaiming.

495
00:22:17,250 --> 00:22:20,570
And what we see here is he
says how beautiful or how blessed

496
00:22:20,570 --> 00:22:24,570
are the feet or the action of
the ministry of them that preach

497
00:22:24,570 --> 00:22:25,970
the gospel of peace.

498
00:22:25,970 --> 00:22:29,530
He says that there's a
blessing, that there is a, what we

499
00:22:29,530 --> 00:22:32,770
would consider to be a
miraculous work that's happening

500
00:22:32,770 --> 00:22:36,200
through the preaching of the
gospel, not just through pastors,

501
00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:38,720
but through all those
believers who preach as it says,

502
00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:39,960
they're the gospel of peace.

503
00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:41,880
Now how could it be a gospel
of peace?

504
00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:47,320
How, how could the message of
Jesus coming to this earth, dying

505
00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:50,600
on the cross for our sins,
rising again on the third day and

506
00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:51,440
ruling and reigning.

507
00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:52,840
How was that a message of peace?

508
00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:56,640
I, some people might say that
I think Christianity is not a message

509
00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:58,280
of peace, it's actually a
message of hate.

510
00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:01,160
It's a message of division,
it's a message of intolerance.

511
00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:03,120
It's a message of being narrow minded.

512
00:23:03,360 --> 00:23:06,640
But I want you to see the Old
Testament reference to what Paul

513
00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:09,600
is talking about here because
he says how beautiful are the feet

514
00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:11,120
of them which preach the
gospel of peace.

515
00:23:11,120 --> 00:23:14,280
And so what we're preaching,
what you're preaching, the message

516
00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:16,920
of the true gospel is a
message of peace.

517
00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:18,960
And I want you to go back to
Isaiah 52.

518
00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:22,880
Paul is actually quoting a
verse in Isaiah 52.

519
00:23:23,120 --> 00:23:24,670
It's Isaiah 52.

520
00:23:24,810 --> 00:23:25,440
7.

521
00:23:26,370 --> 00:23:30,090
And we really see, again, it's
an exact representation of what he's

522
00:23:30,090 --> 00:23:30,530
saying here.

523
00:23:30,530 --> 00:23:34,450
And he says the idea would be
that as we're preaching, we're preaching

524
00:23:34,690 --> 00:23:38,690
not just judgment, even though
there is an element of judgment with

525
00:23:38,690 --> 00:23:39,410
the gospel.

526
00:23:39,490 --> 00:23:42,570
We're not just preaching
forgiveness, even though there's

527
00:23:42,570 --> 00:23:43,810
an element of forgiveness.

528
00:23:43,890 --> 00:23:49,010
He says here that the message
of the gospel is a message of what

529
00:23:49,010 --> 00:23:51,090
we would consider to be peace
and joy.

530
00:23:52,300 --> 00:23:53,780
Look at verse number seven
with me.

531
00:23:53,780 --> 00:23:54,780
Isaiah 52.

532
00:23:55,260 --> 00:23:58,540
He says, how beautiful upon
the mountains are the feet of him

533
00:23:58,540 --> 00:24:00,220
that bringeth good tidings.

534
00:24:00,540 --> 00:24:01,700
So he's talking about good news.

535
00:24:01,700 --> 00:24:02,820
Good, good.

536
00:24:02,820 --> 00:24:03,420
The gospel.

537
00:24:03,420 --> 00:24:06,860
Good news that publisheth
peace, meaning it's a proclamation

538
00:24:06,860 --> 00:24:12,460
of peace that bringeth good
tidings of good, that publish salvation,

539
00:24:13,340 --> 00:24:15,540
that saith unto Zion thy God reigneth.

540
00:24:15,540 --> 00:24:19,450
And so really, what we see
through understanding Paul's reference

541
00:24:19,450 --> 00:24:24,250
there in Romans and Isaiah's
reference in verse 7 of Isaiah 52

542
00:24:24,410 --> 00:24:27,930
is that the reason why it can
be a message of peace is because

543
00:24:28,330 --> 00:24:32,170
the Bible says that the
message of the gospel is all about

544
00:24:32,330 --> 00:24:32,810
Jesus.

545
00:24:32,810 --> 00:24:35,690
And the Bible says that Jesus
is the prince of peace.

546
00:24:36,330 --> 00:24:39,570
It's not just about physical
peace, because some of you might

547
00:24:39,570 --> 00:24:41,850
say, well, Pastor, you follow
me around in my life, there's not

548
00:24:41,850 --> 00:24:42,410
a lot of peace.

549
00:24:42,410 --> 00:24:44,000
I'm at work, I'm running around.

550
00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:46,160
I've got kids in my house,
folks I understand.

551
00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:47,640
I've got three kids in my
house, too.

552
00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:49,880
There's not a lot of peace and
quiet that happens.

553
00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:50,360
Okay.

554
00:24:50,360 --> 00:24:53,400
He's not necessarily talking
about circumstantial peace, even

555
00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:55,840
though circumstantial peace is
a great thing to have.

556
00:24:56,160 --> 00:25:00,800
Not condemning circumstantial
peace, but the type of peace that

557
00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:04,680
is mentioned here is a peace
that, as Philippians chapter four

558
00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:07,680
says, a peace that passeth all understanding.

559
00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:10,720
It's something called the
peace of God.

560
00:25:11,670 --> 00:25:14,390
The peace of God is something
that rules and reigns in our life,

561
00:25:14,390 --> 00:25:16,470
no matter what the
circumstances might be.

562
00:25:16,950 --> 00:25:20,670
There might be chaos around
me, but it's the peace of God that

563
00:25:20,670 --> 00:25:24,790
rests within me that gives me
the inner tranquility and the inner

564
00:25:24,790 --> 00:25:26,869
confidence to know that God
has got me.

565
00:25:26,869 --> 00:25:29,910
And really what it is, it's
the eternal focus.

566
00:25:30,150 --> 00:25:33,630
It's the eternal focus that no
matter what goes on right now, I

567
00:25:33,630 --> 00:25:36,470
have something greater in my
relationship with God.

568
00:25:37,370 --> 00:25:40,930
Now, we do have something
mentioned in Romans chapter 5.

569
00:25:40,930 --> 00:25:44,970
If you go back to Romans
chapter 5, we see that to have the

570
00:25:44,970 --> 00:25:48,650
peace of God, as Philippians
chapter four says, and the peace

571
00:25:48,650 --> 00:25:50,890
of God which passeth all understanding.

572
00:25:50,890 --> 00:25:55,810
To have the peace of God, we
must come to a knowledge of a peace

573
00:25:55,810 --> 00:25:56,650
with God.

574
00:25:57,290 --> 00:25:59,890
Peace with God is different
than peace of God.

575
00:25:59,890 --> 00:26:02,810
There's a lot of people that
want the peace of God in their life,

576
00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:05,320
but they're not willing to
come to the place where they find

577
00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:06,840
the peace with God.

578
00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:09,640
And In Romans chapter 5, it
says, Therefore.

579
00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:10,680
This is verse 1.

580
00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:15,400
Therefore, being justified or
declared righteous by faith, we have

581
00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:19,399
peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ.

582
00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:21,400
Peace of God means this.

583
00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:23,680
Before I came to Christ, I was
not at peace with God.

584
00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:26,000
The Bible actually says in
Ephesians chapter two, that I was

585
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,750
an enemy of God, that I was
bound in my sin, that I was declared

586
00:26:31,310 --> 00:26:33,150
guilty in my sin.

587
00:26:33,550 --> 00:26:37,470
But because of, as it says,
their faith, justification by faith.

588
00:26:37,630 --> 00:26:40,950
I now longer am now no longer
in that law.

589
00:26:40,950 --> 00:26:42,830
I am no longer in that sin.

590
00:26:42,990 --> 00:26:46,030
I'm no longer in that judgment
and condemnation.

591
00:26:46,270 --> 00:26:48,670
But now I have something
called the peace with God.

592
00:26:48,670 --> 00:26:50,430
I'm restored to God.

593
00:26:50,430 --> 00:26:53,510
I am now part of his family,
as even Romans 8 says.

594
00:26:53,510 --> 00:26:57,240
I can cry abba, Father, that I
can have that peace, personal relationship

595
00:26:57,240 --> 00:26:57,600
with him.

596
00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:02,160
And so in the peace with God,
I find the peace of God.

597
00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:05,200
So I'm able to call this
message the gospel of peace.

598
00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:05,760
Why?

599
00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:10,000
Because it's a gospel message
that brings us to peace with God

600
00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:12,880
and peace of God in our lives.

601
00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:13,840
That's the idea.

602
00:27:14,320 --> 00:27:16,960
So it's not peace all over the world.

603
00:27:17,360 --> 00:27:19,840
If, if, if, if now, one day
God will bring peace.

604
00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:20,720
But not right now.

605
00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:23,920
Okay, we know that there is a
lot of conflict in this world today.

606
00:27:24,380 --> 00:27:25,900
The answer to that is Jesus Christ.

607
00:27:25,980 --> 00:27:28,820
And ultimately Jesus will
come, as we sang this morning, that

608
00:27:28,820 --> 00:27:31,740
every knee will bow and every
tongue will confess that Jesus Christ

609
00:27:31,740 --> 00:27:32,460
is Lord.

610
00:27:32,780 --> 00:27:33,580
We know that.

611
00:27:34,140 --> 00:27:37,180
But in the moment now, it can
still be a gospel of peace.

612
00:27:37,180 --> 00:27:37,420
Why?

613
00:27:37,420 --> 00:27:40,580
Because it brings me to peace
with God and it brings me to the

614
00:27:40,580 --> 00:27:41,500
peace of God.

615
00:27:41,820 --> 00:27:45,540
And so back In Romans chapter
10, he says, how beautiful, how blessed

616
00:27:45,540 --> 00:27:48,940
are the feet or the actions of
those that preach the gospel of peace

617
00:27:48,940 --> 00:27:52,460
and bring glad tidings of good things.

618
00:27:53,820 --> 00:27:56,220
Glad tidings, Good news, happy news.

619
00:27:56,220 --> 00:27:56,780
Joy.

620
00:27:57,180 --> 00:28:01,180
So what the Bible tells us is
that the gospel brings peace and

621
00:28:01,180 --> 00:28:02,220
it brings us joy.

622
00:28:03,100 --> 00:28:05,180
Joy doesn't mean
circumstantial happiness.

623
00:28:06,300 --> 00:28:09,140
Because in certain parts of
our life, we might have a time for

624
00:28:09,140 --> 00:28:09,540
mourning.

625
00:28:09,540 --> 00:28:11,020
There might be a time for sadness.

626
00:28:11,020 --> 00:28:13,020
The Bible mentions that very clearly.

627
00:28:13,100 --> 00:28:16,860
There's a time and a place to
go through those circumstantial sadness

628
00:28:17,460 --> 00:28:19,260
moments that we all have to go through.

629
00:28:19,260 --> 00:28:23,060
But what we See here is that
we can find gladness and joy above

630
00:28:23,060 --> 00:28:24,900
and beyond the circumstances
of life.

631
00:28:24,900 --> 00:28:27,700
Therefore, we can say that God
brings us good things.

632
00:28:27,860 --> 00:28:32,060
Now, this is not a message of
what we would consider prosperity,

633
00:28:32,060 --> 00:28:34,340
at least in the sense of
material prosperity.

634
00:28:35,540 --> 00:28:38,860
You know that that has gained
a lot of traction in our world today,

635
00:28:38,860 --> 00:28:40,020
prosperity gospel.

636
00:28:40,340 --> 00:28:42,460
And what we would see is that
there are some people that say, if

637
00:28:42,460 --> 00:28:45,970
you believe in Jesus, if you
put your faith in him and you put

638
00:28:45,970 --> 00:28:47,610
enough faith in him, you know what?

639
00:28:47,610 --> 00:28:49,330
Everything is going to be
great in your life.

640
00:28:49,330 --> 00:28:50,530
You're not going to have any problems.

641
00:28:50,530 --> 00:28:52,250
You're going to have
everything that you ever wanted.

642
00:28:52,250 --> 00:28:54,770
You're going to just declare
unto him all those things that you

643
00:28:54,770 --> 00:28:55,530
want in your life.

644
00:28:55,610 --> 00:28:57,170
And that is not what it's
saying here.

645
00:28:57,170 --> 00:28:59,690
It's not saying that the glad
tidings comes from me getting things.

646
00:28:59,770 --> 00:29:03,170
The glad tidings come from the
fact that we can tell people the

647
00:29:03,170 --> 00:29:05,610
good news is that you are dead
in your sins.

648
00:29:05,770 --> 00:29:08,410
That the good news about
salvation is not getting all these

649
00:29:08,410 --> 00:29:09,210
material things.

650
00:29:10,070 --> 00:29:12,390
The good news about salvation
is God is bringing us from death

651
00:29:12,390 --> 00:29:15,190
to life, that he's taking us
from hopelessness to hope.

652
00:29:15,190 --> 00:29:18,430
He's taking us from eternal
death to eternal life in him, in

653
00:29:18,430 --> 00:29:19,030
salvation.

654
00:29:19,270 --> 00:29:20,390
That's the good news.

655
00:29:20,950 --> 00:29:22,710
Now, does God give us
blessings in our life?

656
00:29:22,710 --> 00:29:23,270
Certainly.

657
00:29:23,430 --> 00:29:24,390
Is God a healer?

658
00:29:24,390 --> 00:29:24,950
Certainly.

659
00:29:25,429 --> 00:29:29,670
Does God see fit for some
people to have physical means that

660
00:29:29,670 --> 00:29:31,510
give them opportunity to serve Him?

661
00:29:31,670 --> 00:29:32,310
Certainly.

662
00:29:32,310 --> 00:29:35,030
But at the end of the day,
that is, that does not equate God's

663
00:29:35,030 --> 00:29:35,270
love.

664
00:29:35,270 --> 00:29:38,870
What equates God's love, as
Romans 5, verse 8 says, is that God

665
00:29:38,870 --> 00:29:41,350
commended His love toward us
or demonstrated his love towards

666
00:29:41,350 --> 00:29:44,870
us in that while we were at
sinners, he healed all of our sicknesses.

667
00:29:44,870 --> 00:29:45,830
Well, not necessarily.

668
00:29:45,830 --> 00:29:46,990
Not in this lifetime.

669
00:29:46,990 --> 00:29:50,190
He will heal all sicknesses by
the way one day when we're reunited

670
00:29:50,190 --> 00:29:51,030
with him in heaven.

671
00:29:51,030 --> 00:29:55,390
But no, the proof of his love
is Jesus dying on the cross for our

672
00:29:55,390 --> 00:29:55,750
sins.

673
00:29:55,910 --> 00:29:58,470
But God commanded this love
toward us in that while we are yet

674
00:29:58,470 --> 00:30:00,630
sinners, Christ died for us.

675
00:30:00,790 --> 00:30:02,230
That's the proof of his love.

676
00:30:02,390 --> 00:30:04,630
That's the proof of the joy
that we can have.

677
00:30:04,930 --> 00:30:06,770
That's the proof of peace that
we can have.

678
00:30:06,770 --> 00:30:11,170
And so he says here, we can
preach the message of the good news.

679
00:30:11,330 --> 00:30:13,490
We can preach the message of peace.

680
00:30:13,490 --> 00:30:15,810
We can preach the message of joy.

681
00:30:16,210 --> 00:30:20,570
In the midst of difficulty,
I'm going to tell you, folks, most

682
00:30:20,570 --> 00:30:23,690
Sundays I get up here and I'm
walking on air.

683
00:30:23,690 --> 00:30:25,610
I love coming to church on Sundays.

684
00:30:25,610 --> 00:30:27,650
I love preaching the message
of the gospel.

685
00:30:28,770 --> 00:30:31,530
But if I can be transparent
with you, there's been Sunday mornings

686
00:30:31,530 --> 00:30:36,960
where I am broken and I get up
here and part of me just wants to

687
00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:39,240
say, just close your Bibles.

688
00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:41,480
Let's go to lunch early,
because I'm hurting.

689
00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:42,920
You say, pastor.

690
00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:43,600
You're not allowed to do that.

691
00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:44,360
You're a pastor.

692
00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:45,320
We're human.

693
00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:47,360
And I think all of you
understand the same thing.

694
00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:50,800
You've come into church and
you've been hurting, and you might

695
00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:56,040
be confused, and you might not
feel the joy or feel the peace.

696
00:30:56,040 --> 00:30:57,960
But, folks, we can't go off of
our feelings.

697
00:30:58,040 --> 00:30:58,300
Feel.

698
00:30:58,450 --> 00:31:00,130
Feelings don't dictate our faith.

699
00:31:00,610 --> 00:31:04,770
What dictates our faith is our
foundation in the truth of Jesus

700
00:31:04,770 --> 00:31:05,050
Christ.

701
00:31:05,050 --> 00:31:06,770
Remember, where do we get our theology?

702
00:31:06,850 --> 00:31:10,290
Not from our feelings, not
from the world, not from our friends,

703
00:31:10,530 --> 00:31:13,090
not from anybody else other
than the Word of God.

704
00:31:13,090 --> 00:31:17,250
And so therefore, in those
times where we are hurting, in those

705
00:31:17,250 --> 00:31:20,850
times where we don't feel the
joy and peace, we must push forward

706
00:31:20,850 --> 00:31:24,530
with the joy and peace that we
find in Jesus Christ alone and what

707
00:31:24,530 --> 00:31:25,050
his Word says.

708
00:31:25,050 --> 00:31:29,020
And so he says in verse number
15, he quotes Isaiah 52.

709
00:31:29,020 --> 00:31:31,100
He says, how beautiful is that message?

710
00:31:31,180 --> 00:31:33,340
How beautiful are those that
preach that message?

711
00:31:33,500 --> 00:31:37,020
It's the most beautiful
message we could ever preach.

712
00:31:37,660 --> 00:31:38,980
I love giving good news.

713
00:31:38,980 --> 00:31:43,660
I just was able to preach on
Easter Sunday and talk about the

714
00:31:43,660 --> 00:31:44,220
resurrection.

715
00:31:44,220 --> 00:31:45,020
That's good news.

716
00:31:45,900 --> 00:31:47,980
But even this week, I've heard
some bad news.

717
00:31:49,420 --> 00:31:53,620
Even throughout your life, you
might have a time and place where

718
00:31:53,620 --> 00:31:55,500
you have to give some bad news
to somebody.

719
00:31:56,150 --> 00:32:00,190
But as Christians, even though
we have physical bad news in our

720
00:32:00,190 --> 00:32:03,230
life, we have the greatest
news that has ever been given through

721
00:32:03,230 --> 00:32:06,470
the fact that people can know
Jesus, that they can have a relationship

722
00:32:06,470 --> 00:32:09,590
with him, and that ultimately
there can be hope and life.

723
00:32:10,070 --> 00:32:13,830
And so he goes to verse number
16, and again he quotes Isaiah.

724
00:32:14,310 --> 00:32:17,590
He goes over one more chapter
to Isaiah 53.

725
00:32:17,910 --> 00:32:21,670
And if you know Isaiah 53,
Isaiah 53 is that great passage of

726
00:32:21,670 --> 00:32:24,900
Scripture that prophesies
about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ

727
00:32:25,380 --> 00:32:27,340
hundreds and hundreds of years
before he comes.

728
00:32:27,340 --> 00:32:30,140
And it actually is a passage
of Scripture that many people avoid

729
00:32:30,140 --> 00:32:33,820
because it shows who Jesus is,
even back in the Old Testament.

730
00:32:33,820 --> 00:32:38,140
But in Isaiah 53, there is a
statement that says, who hath believed

731
00:32:38,140 --> 00:32:38,739
our report?

732
00:32:40,340 --> 00:32:42,020
Paul says the same thing in
verse 16.

733
00:32:42,100 --> 00:32:46,260
He says in Romans 10, but they
have not all obeyed the Gospel.

734
00:32:46,580 --> 00:32:48,900
He gets done saying how great
the Gospel is.

735
00:32:49,220 --> 00:32:51,860
He gets done saying that there
are people out preaching the gospel.

736
00:32:51,860 --> 00:32:53,700
He says, there's power in the Gospel.

737
00:32:53,700 --> 00:32:55,340
He says all these things about
the gospel.

738
00:32:55,340 --> 00:32:58,900
Then he says in verse 16, but
the truth is, is that not everybody

739
00:32:58,900 --> 00:33:00,020
believes the gospel.

740
00:33:00,660 --> 00:33:02,660
Not everyone has trusted in
the message.

741
00:33:03,540 --> 00:33:07,260
Not everyone is willing to
sacrifice and say, I'm giving up

742
00:33:07,260 --> 00:33:10,060
my life to believe in what
Jesus Christ did for me.

743
00:33:10,060 --> 00:33:14,460
And he says, for Isaiah saith,
or Isaiah saith, lord, who hath believed

744
00:33:14,460 --> 00:33:14,900
our report?

745
00:33:14,900 --> 00:33:19,270
And so he brings out the fact
that even when we preach the message

746
00:33:19,270 --> 00:33:22,830
of the gospel, there are some
people who still do not trust.

747
00:33:23,550 --> 00:33:26,350
And he's been essentially
explaining here the simplicity of

748
00:33:26,350 --> 00:33:26,990
the gospel.

749
00:33:27,070 --> 00:33:28,190
It's just believing.

750
00:33:28,590 --> 00:33:31,190
It's believing and trusting in
what God has done.

751
00:33:31,190 --> 00:33:35,230
So even if salvation is so
simple and it's available to everyone

752
00:33:35,310 --> 00:33:38,350
who hears, why do some people reject?

753
00:33:39,710 --> 00:33:43,870
And in this context, why does
Paul's own people, the people that

754
00:33:43,870 --> 00:33:47,030
saw Jesus, the people that
witnessed Jesus on the cross, the

755
00:33:47,030 --> 00:33:49,710
people that saw all these
things, why do they reject?

756
00:33:50,990 --> 00:33:53,030
It really isn't a matter of evidence.

757
00:33:53,030 --> 00:33:56,110
It's a matter of relinquishing
control, really.

758
00:33:56,510 --> 00:33:59,030
Because oftentimes we think
there's people in this world that

759
00:33:59,030 --> 00:34:01,950
say, well, if I just saw Jesus
right before me, I would believe.

760
00:34:03,070 --> 00:34:04,870
But let's go back to Scripture.

761
00:34:04,870 --> 00:34:06,350
Let's see what the Bible has
to say.

762
00:34:06,350 --> 00:34:08,830
There were people that watched
Jesus right before them.

763
00:34:09,389 --> 00:34:12,589
There were people that watched
Jesus heal people.

764
00:34:13,069 --> 00:34:16,109
There were people that watched
Jesus bring people back to life.

765
00:34:16,429 --> 00:34:19,589
There were people that watched
Jesus feed the 5,000.

766
00:34:19,589 --> 00:34:21,949
There was people that watched
Jesus walk on water.

767
00:34:22,349 --> 00:34:25,989
All of these miraculous things
that we would think everyone would

768
00:34:25,989 --> 00:34:28,669
believe if they saw that there
were still people that saw all of

769
00:34:28,669 --> 00:34:29,709
that that did not believe.

770
00:34:30,589 --> 00:34:33,309
So it's not a matter of seeing necessarily.

771
00:34:33,389 --> 00:34:37,719
It's a matter of trusting and
relinquishing and saying, lord, I

772
00:34:37,799 --> 00:34:40,199
want you to be my master, Lord.

773
00:34:40,199 --> 00:34:41,479
That's what that word, Lord means.

774
00:34:41,479 --> 00:34:42,439
It means master.

775
00:34:42,599 --> 00:34:47,279
And so many people reject the
gospel, not necessarily because there's

776
00:34:47,279 --> 00:34:50,839
a lack of evidence, but
because they are not willing to come

777
00:34:50,839 --> 00:34:54,239
to Christ in faith and to
submit themselves to his plan and

778
00:34:54,239 --> 00:34:55,399
his purpose in their life.

779
00:34:55,879 --> 00:34:56,999
It's a matter of pride.

780
00:34:57,319 --> 00:35:02,310
And pride's a very interesting
thing because to get rid of pride,

781
00:35:02,550 --> 00:35:03,910
you have to get rid of pride.

782
00:35:04,390 --> 00:35:05,550
I learned about this yesterday.

783
00:35:05,550 --> 00:35:07,430
It was a really interesting
concept to think about.

784
00:35:07,830 --> 00:35:10,630
We were at a session at our
men's conference and it was mentioned,

785
00:35:10,630 --> 00:35:11,030
right?

786
00:35:11,110 --> 00:35:14,270
So if I have the sin of pride,
I've got to humble myself to deal

787
00:35:14,270 --> 00:35:15,270
with the sin of pride.

788
00:35:15,590 --> 00:35:18,030
But if I have pride, and I
don't, we want my pride.

789
00:35:18,030 --> 00:35:19,510
It's just going to be a pride cycle.

790
00:35:19,590 --> 00:35:21,670
It's the same thing with a lot
of sins in our life.

791
00:35:22,230 --> 00:35:25,710
And a lot of times what people
do is they say, yeah, I've got, maybe

792
00:35:25,710 --> 00:35:29,480
they don't say pride, but
they'll say whatever word but essentially

793
00:35:29,480 --> 00:35:32,080
is encapsulated with this idea
that I've got it under control.

794
00:35:32,720 --> 00:35:34,320
I, I, I can handle this.

795
00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:37,200
I can worship God the way that
I want to worship.

796
00:35:37,200 --> 00:35:39,440
I can go to church the way
that I want to worship.

797
00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:41,160
I can do my penance with God.

798
00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:43,119
I can make an agreement with
God on my terms.

799
00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:45,800
But the Bible says that there
were so many people trying to do

800
00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:47,280
that and that did not work.

801
00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:50,080
And ultimately that brings hopelessness.

802
00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:52,160
And so he says what happens is this.

803
00:35:52,240 --> 00:35:56,000
We all must come to the sense
of believing and trusting.

804
00:35:56,000 --> 00:36:00,200
And so we see that saving
faith comes through what Saving faith

805
00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:03,240
comes through an understanding
of who God is and what he has done.

806
00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:07,200
Verse number 17, he says, so
then faith, that's that word that

807
00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:09,640
we talked about before, belief
in something.

808
00:36:09,640 --> 00:36:13,480
It's what we've seen in verses
14 and others already in this chapter.

809
00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:18,120
He says, so then faith cometh
by hearing.

810
00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:19,080
Hearing what?

811
00:36:19,800 --> 00:36:22,520
And hearing by the word of God
says it right there.

812
00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:26,640
It's the object of our faith
that matters.

813
00:36:26,640 --> 00:36:27,800
Everybody has faith.

814
00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:31,800
I, I know that I've probably
said this before recently, but everyone

815
00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:33,720
to some degree has faith in something.

816
00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:39,040
Faith in their finances or
faith in their health or faith in

817
00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:39,480
whatever.

818
00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:42,520
Faith in the government or
faith in, you know, their job, what,

819
00:36:42,520 --> 00:36:43,800
what, whatever it is.

820
00:36:44,040 --> 00:36:45,440
There are people that have faith.

821
00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:47,080
We are created to have faith.

822
00:36:47,410 --> 00:36:50,930
The question is, is what are
we going to place our faith in for

823
00:36:50,930 --> 00:36:51,770
the believer?

824
00:36:51,770 --> 00:36:54,370
We are putting our faith in
what the word of God tells us about

825
00:36:54,370 --> 00:36:55,090
Jesus Christ.

826
00:36:55,650 --> 00:37:00,210
So it says there faith comes
by hearing and hearing what?

827
00:37:00,210 --> 00:37:01,330
Hearing the word of God.

828
00:37:01,330 --> 00:37:04,530
We can't know what Jesus
Christ did for us unless we hear

829
00:37:04,530 --> 00:37:05,410
the word of God.

830
00:37:05,650 --> 00:37:08,010
That's why it's so important
for us to preach now.

831
00:37:08,010 --> 00:37:10,210
A lot of people are trying to
do church without the Bible.

832
00:37:10,370 --> 00:37:12,930
A lot of people are trying to
do religion and the gospel without

833
00:37:12,930 --> 00:37:14,290
the Bible, without the word of God.

834
00:37:14,560 --> 00:37:15,200
We're missing the point.

835
00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:17,480
What if I got up here this
morning and said this, all right,

836
00:37:17,480 --> 00:37:19,800
guys, we're going to learn
about the Lord today, but close your

837
00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:21,080
Bibles and just look up here
at me.

838
00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:23,840
I'm going to tell you some
things that's the exact opposite

839
00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:24,960
of what we should be doing.

840
00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:26,880
We should get in this so much more.

841
00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:30,440
The preaching shouldn't come
from witty sayings and stories and

842
00:37:30,440 --> 00:37:33,440
analogies, this is the source
of our faith.

843
00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:34,000
Now.

844
00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:34,280
Not.

845
00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:34,640
Not.

846
00:37:34,720 --> 00:37:36,080
We don't worship the Bible.

847
00:37:36,160 --> 00:37:36,800
Don't get me wrong.

848
00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:37,080
I'm not.

849
00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:39,880
I'm not a person who sits here
and worships the Bible because the

850
00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:40,720
Bible is not God.

851
00:37:40,720 --> 00:37:41,920
It's the word of God.

852
00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:45,680
We worship the one who gave us
this word, but this word is the only

853
00:37:45,680 --> 00:37:48,320
way that we can know the One
who saves us.

854
00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:49,520
And so we don't find.

855
00:37:50,080 --> 00:37:53,200
Like, for example, some people
might say, well, you know, I just

856
00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:58,840
went out into nature and saw
whatever, whatever you like, a rainbow

857
00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:02,000
or a tree or a river, you
know, and, and.

858
00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:04,000
And that just gave me an
experience with God.

859
00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:08,160
So I believe, well, God's
nature doesn't save us.

860
00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:11,640
God's nature is what we call
general revelation, which means it

861
00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:15,400
reveals to us that there is a
higher being, that there is a God

862
00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:17,360
out there, that there is a Creator.

863
00:38:18,160 --> 00:38:20,320
But the beauty of a tree does
not save us.

864
00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:22,800
The beauty, the beauty of a.

865
00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:25,920
A sunset across the water does
not save us.

866
00:38:26,080 --> 00:38:28,560
That brings us to an
understanding that there is a God

867
00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:29,680
who created that.

868
00:38:29,840 --> 00:38:34,000
But what it says is that truly
we must believe in what the Bible

869
00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:38,180
says about Jesus, the person
and work of, of his sacrifice.

870
00:38:38,580 --> 00:38:39,820
That's what it comes to.

871
00:38:39,820 --> 00:38:43,900
So if I got up here and
preached a message like this, don't

872
00:38:43,900 --> 00:38:46,540
clip this as a, As a short on
our YouTube channel, because this

873
00:38:46,540 --> 00:38:47,940
is not theologically correct.

874
00:38:48,180 --> 00:38:50,940
But the reality would be this,
if I got up here and said, trust

875
00:38:50,940 --> 00:38:51,620
in Jesus.

876
00:38:51,780 --> 00:38:53,140
He'll make your life better.

877
00:38:54,180 --> 00:38:56,260
He doesn't want you to
sacrifice anything.

878
00:38:56,260 --> 00:38:59,060
He just wants you to come to
him and he won't change you.

879
00:38:59,140 --> 00:39:02,540
He'll just accept you for who
you are, and you just keep on doing

880
00:39:02,540 --> 00:39:03,620
what you feel is right.

881
00:39:04,820 --> 00:39:06,020
Now, that sounds.

882
00:39:06,420 --> 00:39:09,580
To a person who is not
educated in the word of God, that

883
00:39:09,580 --> 00:39:12,020
sounds kind of warm and fuzzy,
like, man, he just loves me.

884
00:39:12,020 --> 00:39:13,940
He just wants to do anything
for me.

885
00:39:14,100 --> 00:39:15,460
He agrees with me.

886
00:39:15,620 --> 00:39:17,700
He wants me just not to do
anything, just.

887
00:39:17,700 --> 00:39:19,220
Just to say that I love Him.

888
00:39:20,020 --> 00:39:22,340
Well, just saying that I love
something doesn't mean anything.

889
00:39:23,060 --> 00:39:26,260
But the reality is, is that
type of preaching is not based in

890
00:39:26,260 --> 00:39:26,580
this.

891
00:39:26,980 --> 00:39:27,980
What's it based in?

892
00:39:27,980 --> 00:39:30,590
It's based in modern thinking.

893
00:39:30,830 --> 00:39:33,150
It's based in my feelings.

894
00:39:33,310 --> 00:39:34,910
It's based in our culture.

895
00:39:35,230 --> 00:39:39,550
Any preaching that's not based
in this is not preaching.

896
00:39:39,550 --> 00:39:40,510
What is preaching.

897
00:39:40,510 --> 00:39:41,950
But it's not gospel preaching.

898
00:39:41,950 --> 00:39:43,230
It's not Bible preaching.

899
00:39:43,710 --> 00:39:44,070
It's.

900
00:39:44,070 --> 00:39:47,430
It's person on their hobby
horse preaching something that is

901
00:39:47,430 --> 00:39:48,590
not in the Word of God.

902
00:39:48,750 --> 00:39:50,590
And so what does he say in
verse 17?

903
00:39:50,590 --> 00:39:54,750
He says, Faith, true saving
faith comes from hearing the preaching

904
00:39:54,750 --> 00:39:55,670
of the Word of God.

905
00:39:55,670 --> 00:39:59,070
That's why, unapologetically,
Middletown Baptist Church will preach

906
00:39:59,070 --> 00:39:59,990
the word of God.

907
00:40:00,150 --> 00:40:01,910
We can't go off of anything else.

908
00:40:02,390 --> 00:40:05,270
I could sit up here and tell
you all my experiences, but my experiences

909
00:40:05,270 --> 00:40:07,510
really, in the grand scheme of
everything, mean nothing.

910
00:40:08,070 --> 00:40:08,550
Okay.

911
00:40:08,550 --> 00:40:10,790
It might just point us to a
point that we see in scripture.

912
00:40:11,190 --> 00:40:14,030
I could tell you about my
feelings, but my feelings mean absolutely

913
00:40:14,030 --> 00:40:16,070
zero to your eternal standing
in heaven.

914
00:40:16,390 --> 00:40:17,910
What matters is this right here.

915
00:40:18,150 --> 00:40:20,750
And everything that we do,
whether it be from our Sunday school

916
00:40:20,750 --> 00:40:23,910
kids class all the way up to
every single ministry that we have

917
00:40:23,910 --> 00:40:26,510
at the church, is it must be
based in the Word of God.

918
00:40:26,510 --> 00:40:27,030
So he says.

919
00:40:27,110 --> 00:40:29,710
So then faith cometh by
hearing and hearing by the Word of

920
00:40:29,710 --> 00:40:30,070
God.

921
00:40:30,150 --> 00:40:33,110
Now, faith is not just for
salvation, even though faith is what

922
00:40:33,110 --> 00:40:33,670
saves us.

923
00:40:33,750 --> 00:40:36,270
But we are supposed to have
faith every single day of our life

924
00:40:36,270 --> 00:40:39,550
because we not only are saved
by our faith, but we are also sanctified

925
00:40:39,550 --> 00:40:40,310
by our faith.

926
00:40:40,549 --> 00:40:42,310
We only grow through trusting
in the Lord.

927
00:40:42,310 --> 00:40:43,110
So what does that mean?

928
00:40:43,110 --> 00:40:43,990
That means this.

929
00:40:44,150 --> 00:40:45,110
Every single day.

930
00:40:45,110 --> 00:40:48,070
We need the Word of God to
drive us in what we believe about

931
00:40:48,070 --> 00:40:48,470
Him.

932
00:40:49,430 --> 00:40:51,990
Folks, spiritual growth is not
just trying harder.

933
00:40:52,210 --> 00:40:54,690
Spiritual growth is trusting
in the grace of our Lord and Savior

934
00:40:54,690 --> 00:40:57,570
and believing in faith that he
will do what he says he will do.

935
00:40:57,570 --> 00:41:00,610
And the only way that we will
know that is by knowing his Word.

936
00:41:00,850 --> 00:41:03,010
You can't trust in promises
that you don't know.

937
00:41:03,970 --> 00:41:05,490
The promises are still there.

938
00:41:05,650 --> 00:41:08,810
Well, what if, what if, what
if someone left my family?

939
00:41:08,810 --> 00:41:13,410
They said, you know, they
wrote in their will that we're leaving

940
00:41:13,810 --> 00:41:15,170
the Massaro family.

941
00:41:15,410 --> 00:41:18,690
You know, a 200 acre farm out
in the middle of the countryside,

942
00:41:19,270 --> 00:41:20,310
and it's all theirs.

943
00:41:21,030 --> 00:41:22,630
I would be like, amen, that's great.

944
00:41:23,510 --> 00:41:27,750
But we didn't know that that
was promised to us.

945
00:41:28,310 --> 00:41:30,270
Would that promise be still
for us?

946
00:41:30,270 --> 00:41:30,630
Sure.

947
00:41:30,870 --> 00:41:32,950
All we would have to do is
receive it and take it.

948
00:41:33,190 --> 00:41:37,310
But if we were not aware, if
no one told us, if no one who read

949
00:41:37,310 --> 00:41:40,710
that will reported it to us,
we would never know that that was

950
00:41:40,710 --> 00:41:41,750
a promise for us.

951
00:41:42,150 --> 00:41:44,030
It's the same thing with our
Christian faith.

952
00:41:44,030 --> 00:41:48,040
There are promises of God,
full in the word of God, that give

953
00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:51,360
us confidence, that give us
hope, that give us security.

954
00:41:51,680 --> 00:41:54,400
But if I don't know what the
promises are, I'm never going to

955
00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:55,840
be able to live in that.

956
00:41:55,920 --> 00:41:59,760
I'm never going to be able to
personalize it and attribute it to

957
00:41:59,760 --> 00:42:00,400
my life.

958
00:42:00,640 --> 00:42:02,160
And that's what many
Christians are doing.

959
00:42:02,160 --> 00:42:06,000
They're just walking with a
very shallow faith and not understanding

960
00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:10,000
how much God has said, how
much God has promised in His Word.

961
00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:13,870
And Therefore that verse 17 is
so important because, yes, so salvation

962
00:42:13,950 --> 00:42:16,750
comes through faith in the
Word of God and knowing what the

963
00:42:16,750 --> 00:42:20,790
Word of God has to say, but
also sanctification, spiritual growth,

964
00:42:20,790 --> 00:42:22,550
and spiritual hope that follows.

965
00:42:22,550 --> 00:42:25,950
Salvation is found in the Word
of God as well.

966
00:42:25,950 --> 00:42:28,270
And so what I would encourage
you to do and what to think about

967
00:42:28,270 --> 00:42:29,469
here this morning is this.

968
00:42:29,790 --> 00:42:31,950
What are you placing your
faith in?

969
00:42:31,950 --> 00:42:34,510
Well, really, it should only
be in the Lord Jesus Christ.

970
00:42:34,750 --> 00:42:37,310
That's the only place, that's
the only object of faith that is

971
00:42:37,470 --> 00:42:38,190
sustainable.

972
00:42:38,190 --> 00:42:42,430
But then also what we should
also understand as a believer is

973
00:42:42,430 --> 00:42:44,270
the way that we can grow in that.

974
00:42:44,270 --> 00:42:47,470
The way that we can understand
that is through the Word of God.

975
00:42:47,550 --> 00:42:51,390
And so, yes, the medium in
which that happens is through the

976
00:42:51,390 --> 00:42:51,870
preaching.

977
00:42:52,270 --> 00:42:54,830
If you're hearing a preacher
and he's not bringing forth the Word

978
00:42:54,830 --> 00:42:56,510
of God, then that is a.

979
00:42:56,750 --> 00:42:58,510
That is something that's going
to mislead.

980
00:42:59,550 --> 00:43:03,150
But what I will also say is
that not only can you hear preaching,

981
00:43:03,150 --> 00:43:06,110
hopefully on Sunday mornings
and other times throughout your week,

982
00:43:06,450 --> 00:43:08,370
but also the Word of God
speaks for itself.

983
00:43:08,370 --> 00:43:10,570
And I would encourage you to
get into the Word of God yourself,

984
00:43:10,570 --> 00:43:13,170
to get into the Bible to study
the promises of God.

985
00:43:13,410 --> 00:43:15,170
And someone says, where do I start?

986
00:43:16,530 --> 00:43:18,370
Well, I would say there's no
bad place to start.

987
00:43:18,450 --> 00:43:21,130
There's probably places that
are a little bit more clear when

988
00:43:21,130 --> 00:43:23,330
it comes to certain aspects of
the promises of God.

989
00:43:23,330 --> 00:43:24,450
But where to start?

990
00:43:24,450 --> 00:43:26,610
I would say read through the
Gospel of John.

991
00:43:26,610 --> 00:43:29,610
The Gospel of John is a great
place to start to look at what we

992
00:43:29,610 --> 00:43:30,770
have in Jesus Christ.

993
00:43:30,850 --> 00:43:33,770
But then breaking off of that,
if you trust in Jesus Christ as your

994
00:43:33,770 --> 00:43:36,710
Savior, I would say the book
of Ephesians is a wonderful book

995
00:43:36,710 --> 00:43:39,510
of the Bible that speaks to
the blessings and the riches that

996
00:43:39,510 --> 00:43:40,750
we have in Jesus Christ.

997
00:43:41,150 --> 00:43:44,150
Certainly many, many, many
other places that you could read.

998
00:43:44,150 --> 00:43:46,630
But if you're just totally
lost in saying, where do I start

999
00:43:46,630 --> 00:43:49,070
when it comes to knowing the
blessings that God has given me in

1000
00:43:49,070 --> 00:43:52,310
my life, go to those passages
and read through them and read through

1001
00:43:52,310 --> 00:43:55,630
them over and over again and
allow that to permeate your thinking,

1002
00:43:55,790 --> 00:43:58,670
because that's where we come
to the idea of what we believe about

1003
00:43:58,670 --> 00:43:59,070
God.

1004
00:43:59,070 --> 00:44:00,790
What we believe about God matters.

1005
00:44:00,790 --> 00:44:05,300
Theology matters, because what
we believe and think about God will

1006
00:44:05,300 --> 00:44:07,780
ultimately affect the way that
we live in our life.

1007
00:44:07,860 --> 00:44:10,220
It'll ultimately affect the
way that we share our faith with

1008
00:44:10,220 --> 00:44:10,740
other people.

1009
00:44:11,380 --> 00:44:11,820
If I.

1010
00:44:11,820 --> 00:44:12,180
What if.

1011
00:44:12,180 --> 00:44:15,580
What if I went to somebody and
said, well, I'm supposed to tell

1012
00:44:15,580 --> 00:44:17,780
you to be a Christian, but my
life's pretty miserable, so I don't

1013
00:44:17,780 --> 00:44:19,300
know if you want to be
miserable with me.

1014
00:44:20,100 --> 00:44:21,500
Guys, don't evangelize that way.

1015
00:44:21,500 --> 00:44:23,140
That's not a good way to evangelize.

1016
00:44:23,620 --> 00:44:26,620
The way to tell other people
about Jesus is by telling them the

1017
00:44:26,620 --> 00:44:29,720
joy and the peace and the
satisfaction and the salvation that

1018
00:44:29,720 --> 00:44:30,560
you find in him.

1019
00:44:30,640 --> 00:44:32,720
And sometimes it's just giving
your testimony.

1020
00:44:32,960 --> 00:44:36,000
The greatest preaching could
be someone's testimony.

1021
00:44:36,960 --> 00:44:39,880
Because some people say, I, I
don't know if I could get up and

1022
00:44:39,880 --> 00:44:40,480
preach a.

1023
00:44:40,560 --> 00:44:42,000
A sermon for 30 minutes.

1024
00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:43,440
I don't know if I could get up and.

1025
00:44:43,440 --> 00:44:44,720
And outline something.

1026
00:44:44,720 --> 00:44:46,160
Well, folks, you don't have to
do that.

1027
00:44:46,160 --> 00:44:47,640
That's not mandatory.

1028
00:44:47,640 --> 00:44:49,800
What's mandatory is
proclaiming the truth of God and

1029
00:44:49,800 --> 00:44:50,800
what he has done for you.

1030
00:44:51,120 --> 00:44:53,960
So the greatest preaching
possibly could be through your testimony,

1031
00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:54,920
what God has done for you.

1032
00:44:54,920 --> 00:44:56,960
And I would encourage you to
break that down.

1033
00:44:56,960 --> 00:45:01,640
I would encourage you to come
up if, if anything, your first sermon

1034
00:45:02,520 --> 00:45:04,040
should be your testimony.

1035
00:45:05,640 --> 00:45:07,520
You say, what are you talking
about, Pastor?

1036
00:45:07,520 --> 00:45:09,080
You're going off the rails here.

1037
00:45:09,480 --> 00:45:10,800
We're supposed to have a sermon.

1038
00:45:10,800 --> 00:45:13,640
Every one of you should have
at least one sermon in your back

1039
00:45:13,640 --> 00:45:14,120
pocket.

1040
00:45:14,120 --> 00:45:16,480
And that sermon should be your
testimony about what Jesus Christ

1041
00:45:16,480 --> 00:45:17,240
has done for you.

1042
00:45:17,480 --> 00:45:19,640
And I would break it down in
three different areas.

1043
00:45:20,280 --> 00:45:22,840
I would explain to somebody
your experience.

1044
00:45:23,760 --> 00:45:25,360
Everyone's experience is a
little bit different.

1045
00:45:25,600 --> 00:45:26,880
I wouldn't stop at the experience.

1046
00:45:26,960 --> 00:45:28,960
Many people stop their
testimony at the experience.

1047
00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:31,240
Well, I felt that this
happened to me, and that's where

1048
00:45:31,240 --> 00:45:31,840
it ends.

1049
00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:34,520
The reality is, is that all of
us perceive certain things that God

1050
00:45:34,520 --> 00:45:35,480
does for us in our life.

1051
00:45:35,480 --> 00:45:36,480
So start with the experience.

1052
00:45:36,560 --> 00:45:39,200
But then I would also say, get
to an explanation.

1053
00:45:39,680 --> 00:45:41,720
Explain to someone what God
has done for you.

1054
00:45:41,720 --> 00:45:42,480
Explain that.

1055
00:45:42,880 --> 00:45:45,880
Explain what it means when you
say to someone that isn't a Christian.

1056
00:45:45,880 --> 00:45:48,480
Well, I just felt like God was
leading me to this place.

1057
00:45:49,530 --> 00:45:51,770
Well, for a person who is not
a Christian, that sounds like a really

1058
00:45:51,770 --> 00:45:52,450
foreign concept.

1059
00:45:52,450 --> 00:45:55,650
What was God like in the sky
with a sword and leading you?

1060
00:45:55,650 --> 00:45:58,810
Or, you know, there are some
things that some people don't understand

1061
00:45:58,810 --> 00:46:00,570
when we talk in our Christian language.

1062
00:46:01,210 --> 00:46:05,090
I just felt really, you know,
compelled that the Lord was leading

1063
00:46:05,090 --> 00:46:07,610
me to this church and that he
was bringing me here.

1064
00:46:07,770 --> 00:46:09,930
There's a lot of people that
might not understand what that's

1065
00:46:09,930 --> 00:46:10,290
all about.

1066
00:46:10,290 --> 00:46:11,170
So explain it.

1067
00:46:11,170 --> 00:46:14,010
But then I would also say to
keep the analogy of the.

1068
00:46:14,330 --> 00:46:17,050
The E's going, the
alliteration of the E's.

1069
00:46:17,410 --> 00:46:20,970
So you have the experience,
you have the explanation, then you

1070
00:46:20,970 --> 00:46:22,290
have something called the exposition.

1071
00:46:22,850 --> 00:46:26,370
Exposition would be teaching
what that means specifically according

1072
00:46:26,370 --> 00:46:27,170
to Scripture.

1073
00:46:28,210 --> 00:46:30,290
So let me just give you a
brief example.

1074
00:46:31,090 --> 00:46:35,570
When our son was born, Silas
was born, there was a lot of uncertainty

1075
00:46:35,570 --> 00:46:36,290
with his birth.

1076
00:46:36,290 --> 00:46:38,570
And I definitely struggle with that.

1077
00:46:38,570 --> 00:46:41,330
And I didn't understand why
that had to happen at that very moment.

1078
00:46:41,490 --> 00:46:45,460
But at the same time, through
that time, we were able to rely on

1079
00:46:45,460 --> 00:46:48,620
the Lord more and we were able
to see his strength in our life.

1080
00:46:48,620 --> 00:46:52,540
And now we can look back and I
can explain it very clearly why we

1081
00:46:52,540 --> 00:46:54,020
went through certain things at
that time.

1082
00:46:54,980 --> 00:46:58,300
And so the exposition would be
that through that God taught us that

1083
00:46:58,300 --> 00:47:00,340
he will never leave us nor
forsake us.

1084
00:47:01,540 --> 00:47:02,060
Right there.

1085
00:47:02,060 --> 00:47:04,740
It was a 30 second analogy there.

1086
00:47:04,740 --> 00:47:06,180
But what I'm saying is, is this.

1087
00:47:06,340 --> 00:47:09,660
We have to explain what God is
doing in our life to other people.

1088
00:47:09,660 --> 00:47:11,300
That's a proclamation of the truth.

1089
00:47:11,530 --> 00:47:12,370
So how can you preach?

1090
00:47:12,370 --> 00:47:14,690
You can preach through your
testimony, you can preach through

1091
00:47:14,690 --> 00:47:17,730
your actions, you can preach
through a lesson, you can preach

1092
00:47:17,730 --> 00:47:20,170
through a sermon, you can
preach through the way that you work,

1093
00:47:20,170 --> 00:47:22,410
you can preach through the way
that you parent, you can preach to

1094
00:47:22,410 --> 00:47:25,250
the way that you live broadly,
as we've already mentioned.

1095
00:47:25,250 --> 00:47:27,130
And so what I would encourage
you to do is think about where your

1096
00:47:27,130 --> 00:47:29,610
role is in that ministry of preaching.

1097
00:47:30,570 --> 00:47:33,010
You say, well, Pastor, you got
the preaching ministry of the church.

1098
00:47:33,010 --> 00:47:34,690
Well, I've got the corporate
preaching ministry.

1099
00:47:34,690 --> 00:47:35,450
Okay, I love it.

1100
00:47:35,450 --> 00:47:36,250
I will do that.

1101
00:47:36,410 --> 00:47:38,870
I will take, take that mantle
and gladly.

1102
00:47:38,870 --> 00:47:41,510
But what I also am saying is I
can't preach to everyone that you're

1103
00:47:41,510 --> 00:47:43,150
preaching to think about.

1104
00:47:43,150 --> 00:47:46,230
If all of us get out and see
that impact, where's your preaching

1105
00:47:46,230 --> 00:47:46,670
ministry?

1106
00:47:46,670 --> 00:47:49,230
Actually, Second Corinthians
tells us that we're all supposed

1107
00:47:49,230 --> 00:47:51,950
to have a ministry of
reconciliation, which means this,

1108
00:47:51,950 --> 00:47:53,990
all of us should have a
ministry of bringing people that

1109
00:47:53,990 --> 00:47:55,230
are lost into the fold.

1110
00:47:55,870 --> 00:47:58,310
Now, ultimately it's God who's
doing it, but we're the ones that

1111
00:47:58,310 --> 00:48:00,510
are introducing the message of
the gospel to people.

1112
00:48:01,310 --> 00:48:03,670
So there's a lot of lessons
here this morning that we could think

1113
00:48:03,670 --> 00:48:03,830
about.

1114
00:48:03,830 --> 00:48:05,230
But the greatest lesson is this.

1115
00:48:05,230 --> 00:48:08,110
There is a need in the world
today and there's a need of salvation

1116
00:48:09,060 --> 00:48:09,220
there.

1117
00:48:09,220 --> 00:48:12,340
There is a method in which God
has called us to present the gospel

1118
00:48:12,340 --> 00:48:12,740
to people.

1119
00:48:12,740 --> 00:48:15,740
He says, how can they believe
if they have not heard the method

1120
00:48:15,740 --> 00:48:18,500
of Getting the gospel to
people is through preaching.

1121
00:48:19,380 --> 00:48:21,900
But then he says, how can
they, how can they hear, how can

1122
00:48:21,900 --> 00:48:23,220
they believe if they aren't sent?

1123
00:48:23,300 --> 00:48:24,820
How can they preach if they're
not sent?

1124
00:48:24,820 --> 00:48:27,100
And so really the idea would
be this and think about it.

1125
00:48:27,100 --> 00:48:29,700
If you could just think about
two different words, you can just

1126
00:48:29,700 --> 00:48:30,660
take two words with you.

1127
00:48:30,980 --> 00:48:40,160
Go and send God yourself and
find someone or some people to train

1128
00:48:40,160 --> 00:48:40,920
to send.

1129
00:48:41,400 --> 00:48:43,360
For some of you that have
children in your home, you have a

1130
00:48:43,360 --> 00:48:47,080
built in classroom right
there, okay?

1131
00:48:47,080 --> 00:48:48,200
That's your mission field.

1132
00:48:48,360 --> 00:48:49,600
For my three kids, my.

1133
00:48:49,600 --> 00:48:51,640
I want my kids to be
successful in school.

1134
00:48:51,960 --> 00:48:55,040
I want my kids to be
successful in sports and music and

1135
00:48:55,040 --> 00:48:56,920
all the things that they
endeavor to do.

1136
00:48:57,000 --> 00:49:01,730
But my greatest prayer for my
home is that they become three disciples

1137
00:49:01,970 --> 00:49:04,850
that they can go and send and
pass that on to the next generation.

1138
00:49:05,410 --> 00:49:06,730
That's the first mission field.

1139
00:49:06,730 --> 00:49:09,570
Some of you say, well, there
was that mission field is gone.

1140
00:49:09,570 --> 00:49:10,730
That ship has sailed.

1141
00:49:10,730 --> 00:49:13,050
Even if you have adult
children, by the way, you can still

1142
00:49:13,050 --> 00:49:14,210
be a disciple to them.

1143
00:49:14,930 --> 00:49:21,450
I'm going to tell you, my dad,
I'm a pastor, but my dad ministers

1144
00:49:21,450 --> 00:49:21,890
to me.

1145
00:49:22,450 --> 00:49:26,890
He's not a pastor, but, but
his influence in my life, even as

1146
00:49:26,890 --> 00:49:30,970
an adult has, has affected and
shaped the way that I pastor.

1147
00:49:31,450 --> 00:49:35,610
So who knows what your
influence in your adult children's

1148
00:49:35,610 --> 00:49:39,650
life will be, or your
grandchildren or your nieces and

1149
00:49:39,650 --> 00:49:41,770
nephews, or your co workers,
whatever it is.

1150
00:49:41,850 --> 00:49:44,970
But think about the
opportunity for you to be the one

1151
00:49:44,970 --> 00:49:46,970
who, as it says, makes disciples.

1152
00:49:48,250 --> 00:49:51,050
And so we come to that passage
there in Romans chapter 10, and I'm

1153
00:49:51,050 --> 00:49:51,690
going to close with this.

1154
00:49:51,690 --> 00:49:54,010
He says, so faith come by
hearing and hearing by the word of

1155
00:49:54,010 --> 00:49:54,330
God.

1156
00:49:54,880 --> 00:49:56,320
How is the word of God?

1157
00:49:56,320 --> 00:49:58,400
How is the Bible affecting
your belief?

1158
00:50:00,880 --> 00:50:02,400
What is affecting your belief?

1159
00:50:02,560 --> 00:50:03,800
What are you putting your
faith in?

1160
00:50:03,800 --> 00:50:05,440
Are you putting your faith on
how you feel today?

1161
00:50:06,560 --> 00:50:07,840
That's going to lie to you.

1162
00:50:09,680 --> 00:50:13,120
Don't be like the people in
the movies that say, trust your heart,

1163
00:50:13,840 --> 00:50:14,560
trust your heart.

1164
00:50:14,560 --> 00:50:15,760
Your heart will never fail you.

1165
00:50:16,000 --> 00:50:18,160
It's not biblical, okay?

1166
00:50:19,280 --> 00:50:21,960
Trust the Holy Spirit, trust
the word.

1167
00:50:22,440 --> 00:50:22,800
But.

1168
00:50:22,800 --> 00:50:26,120
But your heart will tell you
things that will make you believe

1169
00:50:26,280 --> 00:50:29,400
certain things about God and
about his work for you that are not

1170
00:50:29,400 --> 00:50:29,800
true.

1171
00:50:30,680 --> 00:50:33,440
There's mornings that I wake
up and my heart tells me, just don't

1172
00:50:33,440 --> 00:50:34,120
do it anymore.

1173
00:50:34,760 --> 00:50:35,800
It's not worth it.

1174
00:50:36,840 --> 00:50:38,920
You're not even that effective anyway.

1175
00:50:40,920 --> 00:50:43,320
Maybe some of you have had
that, maybe, maybe in a different

1176
00:50:43,960 --> 00:50:48,140
way, but you've had that
reminder from your feelings.

1177
00:50:48,380 --> 00:50:50,860
Then maybe you can't do what
God has called you to do.

1178
00:50:50,940 --> 00:50:51,860
Don't go to that.

1179
00:50:51,860 --> 00:50:53,660
Go to what the Word says.

1180
00:50:54,300 --> 00:50:56,940
Go to the word that he's not
going to leave you nor forsake you,

1181
00:50:57,020 --> 00:50:59,700
that he's being confident of
this very thing, that he which started

1182
00:50:59,700 --> 00:51:01,900
a good work and you will
complete it, will finish it.

1183
00:51:02,780 --> 00:51:05,500
Think about those things that
the Word of God says and that what

1184
00:51:05,500 --> 00:51:09,020
drives, that's what should
drive our focus and our faith.

1185
00:51:09,580 --> 00:51:11,980
So there's so much more to be
said, but we're going to come back

1186
00:51:12,670 --> 00:51:15,070
next week and we're going to
look at the fact that, yes, there

1187
00:51:15,070 --> 00:51:19,110
are people that do not
believe, even though they hear, they

1188
00:51:19,110 --> 00:51:19,630
don't believe.

1189
00:51:20,590 --> 00:51:21,630
What do we do with that?

1190
00:51:22,510 --> 00:51:22,910
What's.

1191
00:51:22,910 --> 00:51:23,750
What's the understanding?

1192
00:51:23,750 --> 00:51:26,830
Is God limited in his power
because some people don't believe?

1193
00:51:26,830 --> 00:51:29,630
Well, we're going to see more
about that when we come back next

1194
00:51:29,630 --> 00:51:29,830
week.

1195
00:51:29,830 --> 00:51:33,590
But the true question that I'd
like to ask everyone, starting out

1196
00:51:33,590 --> 00:51:36,110
here in this time of
invitation, it would be this, number

1197
00:51:36,110 --> 00:51:37,150
one, do you have faith?

1198
00:51:37,470 --> 00:51:39,730
Have you done what the verse
nine says?

1199
00:51:39,730 --> 00:51:42,570
It says, if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and

1200
00:51:42,570 --> 00:51:44,530
shall believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the

1201
00:51:44,530 --> 00:51:45,930
dead, thou shalt be saved.

1202
00:51:45,930 --> 00:51:47,930
Have you called upon the name
of the Lord?

1203
00:51:47,930 --> 00:51:50,450
Have you believed as it says
there in verse 14?

1204
00:51:51,330 --> 00:51:53,330
If that's the case, praise God
for that.

1205
00:51:54,130 --> 00:51:56,130
But secondarily, are you the
one going?

1206
00:51:56,210 --> 00:51:57,290
Are you the one preaching?

1207
00:51:57,290 --> 00:51:58,290
Well, that's not my job.

1208
00:51:59,250 --> 00:52:01,010
No, it's all of our jobs.

1209
00:52:01,250 --> 00:52:03,970
All of us have different
spiritual gifts in which we preach.

1210
00:52:04,130 --> 00:52:06,610
But really, essentially, we're
all preachers of the gospel.

1211
00:52:08,560 --> 00:52:12,600
And the Bible says here how
beautiful are the feet of them which

1212
00:52:12,600 --> 00:52:15,200
preach the gospel of peace and
bring glad tidings of good things.

1213
00:52:15,520 --> 00:52:19,000
Do you see the opportunity to
preach the gospel or proclaim the

1214
00:52:19,000 --> 00:52:20,960
gospel or to share the gospel
of blessing?

1215
00:52:21,680 --> 00:52:24,080
Or is it something that is
foreign to you?

1216
00:52:25,120 --> 00:52:26,880
Question would be, maybe,
where can I go?

1217
00:52:26,880 --> 00:52:29,280
What can I do to share my faith?

1218
00:52:29,280 --> 00:52:31,560
But then the second question
is, maybe you're sharing your faith,

1219
00:52:31,560 --> 00:52:33,610
but also I would say this.

1220
00:52:33,930 --> 00:52:35,850
Who are you training to do that?

1221
00:52:35,930 --> 00:52:36,650
Coming up.

1222
00:52:37,210 --> 00:52:37,690
Who's.

1223
00:52:37,690 --> 00:52:38,970
Who's the next person up?

1224
00:52:39,210 --> 00:52:40,410
Who's your apprentice?

1225
00:52:41,290 --> 00:52:44,650
Who's that person who you can
say, I'm looking to, and I'm giving

1226
00:52:44,650 --> 00:52:47,730
them the clarity and
understanding of what I was given

1227
00:52:47,730 --> 00:52:48,410
in my life.

1228
00:52:48,890 --> 00:52:50,810
That's that level of discipleship.

1229
00:52:51,370 --> 00:52:55,890
And then lastly here it says,
so faith comes by hearing, cometh

1230
00:52:55,890 --> 00:52:58,330
by hearing, and hearing by the
word of God.

1231
00:52:59,730 --> 00:53:01,330
What's your relationship with
the Word of God?

1232
00:53:01,810 --> 00:53:03,090
You say, I love the Lord.

1233
00:53:04,850 --> 00:53:05,330
He's.

1234
00:53:05,330 --> 00:53:06,130
He's my everything.

1235
00:53:08,050 --> 00:53:09,650
But I don't really need his word.

1236
00:53:10,050 --> 00:53:11,730
I don't really like to study
the Bible.

1237
00:53:11,730 --> 00:53:13,210
I don't like to hear anything
about the Bible.

1238
00:53:13,210 --> 00:53:14,690
I just love God with all my heart.

1239
00:53:15,090 --> 00:53:15,570
Folks.

1240
00:53:16,050 --> 00:53:17,570
Do you understand the.

1241
00:53:18,690 --> 00:53:20,290
The mistake in that thinking?

1242
00:53:20,690 --> 00:53:23,250
What if I told you guys I love
my wife so much?

1243
00:53:23,730 --> 00:53:26,210
She's my heart, she's my
world, she's my everything.

1244
00:53:27,140 --> 00:53:29,860
But I'm not going to listen to
her when she talks to me.

1245
00:53:30,580 --> 00:53:31,780
I don't need to talk to her.

1246
00:53:31,780 --> 00:53:32,220
We're just.

1247
00:53:32,220 --> 00:53:33,540
I love her from a distance.

1248
00:53:33,780 --> 00:53:36,740
Some of you would say, well,
that's Pastor, that's a big problem.

1249
00:53:36,740 --> 00:53:37,180
Okay?

1250
00:53:37,180 --> 00:53:38,900
You don't really love your
wife if you're like that.

1251
00:53:38,980 --> 00:53:41,620
We have a lot of Christians
who say, I love Jesus so much.

1252
00:53:41,620 --> 00:53:42,340
He's my everything.

1253
00:53:42,740 --> 00:53:44,380
But I don't need to hear what
he's saying to me.

1254
00:53:44,380 --> 00:53:45,460
It's just not that important.

1255
00:53:45,860 --> 00:53:47,420
I don't need to talk to him
through prayer.

1256
00:53:47,420 --> 00:53:48,180
That's just not important.

1257
00:53:48,980 --> 00:53:50,540
Folks, we got to connect the dots.

1258
00:53:50,540 --> 00:53:52,780
We got to connect to what
we're saying and what we believe

1259
00:53:52,780 --> 00:53:56,110
to be what the Bible says that
we should love this thing because

1260
00:53:56,110 --> 00:53:57,630
this is God's love letter to us.

1261
00:53:58,350 --> 00:54:02,750
We should strive to be with
him in those moments.

1262
00:54:03,630 --> 00:54:04,950
So where's your faith come from?

1263
00:54:04,950 --> 00:54:07,230
Well, it comes from hearing
the truth of who Jesus is.

1264
00:54:07,790 --> 00:54:09,390
Where's your theology based in?

1265
00:54:09,790 --> 00:54:12,350
Is it based in the Word or is
it based in the world?

1266
00:54:13,710 --> 00:54:14,270
Easy.

1267
00:54:14,270 --> 00:54:15,030
Easy answer.

1268
00:54:15,030 --> 00:54:16,670
For many people, it's.

1269
00:54:16,670 --> 00:54:17,310
Well, it's the world.

1270
00:54:17,310 --> 00:54:18,310
It's whatever is around me.

1271
00:54:18,310 --> 00:54:21,680
I don't know, just the way I feel.

1272
00:54:22,240 --> 00:54:24,000
And so the question might be
here this morning.

1273
00:54:24,000 --> 00:54:26,440
Are you willing to say my
faith comes from the Word and not

1274
00:54:26,440 --> 00:54:26,880
the world?

1275
00:54:27,360 --> 00:54:29,240
And so for the next few
moments, I'm going to have the music

1276
00:54:29,240 --> 00:54:29,480
playing.

1277
00:54:29,480 --> 00:54:31,000
I'm asking if you're able to
stand with me.

1278
00:54:31,000 --> 00:54:33,920
Every head bowed, hearts
bowed, eyes closed, no one looking

1279
00:54:33,920 --> 00:54:34,120
around.

1280
00:54:34,120 --> 00:54:36,480
I really just don't want this
to be a time of performance.

1281
00:54:36,720 --> 00:54:41,200
But if you want to respond to
the Word here this morning in some

1282
00:54:41,200 --> 00:54:44,080
capacity, I'm going to give
everyone an opportunity to come.

1283
00:54:44,320 --> 00:54:47,800
Either kneel here at the steps
or find a pew where you can just

1284
00:54:48,120 --> 00:54:52,000
place yourself and come to a
place of reflection and understanding

1285
00:54:52,000 --> 00:54:54,400
about what we've talked about
here this morning.

1286
00:54:54,400 --> 00:54:56,120
Do you need Jesus as your savior?

1287
00:54:57,320 --> 00:54:57,880
Come forward.

1288
00:54:57,880 --> 00:54:59,880
We've got a few people up here
that will show you in the Word of

1289
00:54:59,880 --> 00:55:01,400
God, what it means to trust in Jesus.

1290
00:55:01,480 --> 00:55:04,200
Do you need more faith?

1291
00:55:04,600 --> 00:55:06,760
Maybe you've been struggling,
Maybe you've been doubting.

1292
00:55:07,160 --> 00:55:10,200
It's okay to admit that there
was a fellow in the New Testament

1293
00:55:10,200 --> 00:55:12,120
said, lord, I believe, but
help my unbelief.

1294
00:55:12,430 --> 00:55:14,790
It's okay to recognize that
you're struggling with faith, but

1295
00:55:14,790 --> 00:55:15,390
push forward.

1296
00:55:16,030 --> 00:55:18,670
Push forward with trusting in
the Lord and ask him to give you

1297
00:55:18,670 --> 00:55:21,870
more strength when it comes to
understanding what the Word of God

1298
00:55:21,870 --> 00:55:22,190
says.

1299
00:55:23,630 --> 00:55:25,790
But maybe it's just that idea
of discipleship.

1300
00:55:25,790 --> 00:55:28,030
Maybe you've been challenged
this morning to see where God's place

1301
00:55:28,030 --> 00:55:29,710
is for you in that process.

1302
00:55:30,590 --> 00:55:34,270
May this be a time of
reflection, response and ultimately

1303
00:55:34,270 --> 00:55:35,950
repentance and renewal in
Jesus Christ.

1304
00:55:35,950 --> 00:55:38,230
Lord, I pray that you be in
this time of invitation, working

1305
00:55:38,230 --> 00:55:38,950
hearts and lives.

1306
00:55:39,350 --> 00:55:40,910
We ask all these things in
Jesus name.

1307
00:55:40,910 --> 00:55:41,230
Amen.

1308
00:55:41,230 --> 00:55:42,710
As the music plays, follow as
the Lord leads.

1309
00:55:42,710 --> 00:55:43,270
Here this morning.

1310
00:56:03,520 --> 00:56:03,760
It.

1311
00:56:50,250 --> 00:56:52,650
Thank you again for listening
to the Middletown Baptist Church

1312
00:56:52,650 --> 00:56:53,290
Podcast.

1313
00:56:53,530 --> 00:56:55,600
I hope that this sermon has
been a blessing for you.

1314
00:56:55,750 --> 00:56:58,830
You if you would like to find
out more information about our church

1315
00:56:58,830 --> 00:57:02,310
or this sermon, you can find
us at middletownbaptistchurch.org

1316
00:57:02,630 --> 00:57:05,190
or find us on Facebook or YouTube.

1317
00:57:05,910 --> 00:57:10,790
You can also email me directly
at Josh Massaro Middletown BaptistChurch.com

1318
00:57:11,270 --> 00:57:13,030
if you've enjoyed this podcast.

1319
00:57:13,190 --> 00:57:17,670
Please subscribe and follow
along for future podcast and updates.

1320
00:57:18,310 --> 00:57:19,190
Thank you so much.

1321
00:57:19,510 --> 00:57:20,230
God Bless.

1322
00:57:20,470 --> 00:57:21,750
Have a wonderful day.