Sermons
October 11th, 2009 by Pastor Solley101109AM How Beautiful Are Your Feet.
Sub. Soul winning
Theme: Biblical pattern for soul winning as seen in Rom 10.
Text: Romans 10:9-17
“How Beautiful Are Your Feet” Romans 10:9-17
IntroductionThe title of the message this morning asks a question; how beautiful are your feet? Feet come in a verity of sizes, some big and some small, some wide and some narrow, but one things we seldom think of feet is how beautiful they are. Yet your feet and mine can be and should be beautiful before God this morning. – Rom 10:15 That is a statement in this verse and not a question. – Rom 10:15 But it does lead to the question before us today; how beautiful are your feet?
I. Romans 10 is one of the great soul winning chapters of the Bible as well it should be: Rom 10:9-17 These are some of the most well known and often used verses in the Bible when trying to lead a lost sinner to salvation in Jesus Christ. We stand here in the midst of the Romans Road.
A. And every aspect of soul winning is covered in this chapter: From verse 1 to 21 this chapter deals with soul winning.
1. Here we see the heart, burden, boldness and perseverance of the soul winner: Rom 10:1,20-21
2. Here we see those apart from Jesus Christ and in need of salvation: Rom 10:2-4 Not just the vilest sinner as seen in Rom 1, but the self righteous as well as the religious need Jesus Christ.
3. Here we see Jesus receive all who call upon Him: Rom 10:12-13 The most self righteous person, the vilest sinner and everyone in between will Jesus save if they call upon Him. All have a common need, all need to be born again, all need Jesus.
4. This is a soul winners chapter from beginning to end:
B. But it is also a chapter that asks four very important questions: Rom 10:14-15 (1) How shall they call? – V14 (2) How shall they believe? – V14 (3) How shall they hear? – V14 (4) How shall they preach? – V15
1. These are questions that have to do with responsibility, accountability and action on the part of the Christian:
2. And how these questions are answered determine how beautiful are feet are: Rom 10:15
II. I think it safe to say that fewer and fewer people are getting saved today: I don’t think it can be argued that fewer and fewer people are following the path of Rom 10:9-10,13. At a time when perhaps more and more people should be getting saved fewer and fewer are. This does not surprise the Bible student because the age of indifference in which we are now living was foretold by the Lord Jesus Christ in the Olivet Discourse. – Matt 24:12 “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” As iniquity, or sin abounds fewer and fewer people are getting saved.
A. And part of the problem is that God’s children have become indifferent as well: Christians have become indifferent to the plight of the lost. Christians have lost their burden, their heart for the lost, their boldness to witness for Christ.
1. Not many today have beautiful feet: Many have become indifferent to those lost and dying in their sin.
2. How beautiful are your feet this morning?
B. More than any other time as we see the Second Coming of Christ approaching we need to have feet beautiful before God: I want to look this morning at how we can have feet beautiful before God.
PROP: How beautiful are your feet this morning?
Body
I. First I want to point out the importance of the church and the preacher this morning: Not the importance of this church and this preacher but the importance of the local church and the one called to preach in soul winning. When you hear that word preach and the word preacher you do think of the church and for good reason. They do go together.
A. I think it no coincidence that the decrease in people getting saved has followed the demise of the local church: Demise may not be the right word to use but certainly we can see how the local church and the preaching of the Word of God has grown less and less important to people today. People and even professing Christians have become indifferent to the local church and the preaching of the Word of God. That cannot be denied and while the church will never be destroyed it has lost its importance in the minds of many people. And not coincidentally fewer and fewer people are getting saved. Think about it a moment.
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1. There was a time when the lives of most Christians revolved around the church: Good Bible believing, Bible preaching local churches. And going way back the denominational churches preached the gospel, preached Bible salvation.
a. And people’s family life revolved around and was centered on the local church. And there were strong families.
b. And people’s work lives revolved around and centered on the local church. There was no work on Sundays.
c. And people’s social and recreation revolved around and centered on the local church. No shopping on Sunday and all the things that people like to do today were not permitted to hinder worship in the house of God.
d. There was a time when the lives of most Christians revolved around and centered on the local church.
2. Those were the days of the great revivals in our nation and that is not by coincidence: People were committed to Jesus Christ, to His Word and to the local church and there were great revivals. Men like Billy Sunday and others traveled the land.
a. The lost could see the commitment of the saved to the church and their excitement and they wanted that.
b. And people followed the on fire Christian to church like a pied piper and came even though uninvited. They saw the every service commitment of the Christian and figured there must be something to that.
c. And people were getting saved in churches every week because the lost were following Christians to church.
3. But as Christians began to become indifferent to the church the revivals began to die out: As the importance of the church decreased to the Christians so did the revivals, so did the number of people getting saved. It is no coincidence.
4. And so today the church is made to revolve around people’s lives and not the other way around: Church, the Lord and the things of the Lord, service, worship are no longer the first things people think about, they are the last. And few get saved today.
B. Let me say that many churches and preachers have helped this indifference to the church along:
1. Many cancel meetings to accommodate the things of the world: No church on Super Bowl Sunday and so forth.
2. Many try and make their services as worldly as possible: Rock music, lounges, TV screens and coffee time.
3. Many preachers go out of their way not to offend and apologize for the Bible: No more “thus saith the Lord.”
4. Many preachers look like the world, act like the world, and walk in the world: The better to attract the world.
5. Many who call themselves preachers talk down the importance of the local church: No money for them if given to church.
6. And people have grown indifferent to the local church: And fewer and fewer people are getting saved today.
C. But the local church is of upmost importance in the plan and program of God and in the saving of souls: And it only takes a few Scriptures to point this out. The local church is of upmost importance in the plan and program of God in saving souls.
1. The church was founded and established by Jesus Christ: Matt 16:17-18 He will build His church, “my church”.
2. The church was then empowered by the Holy Spirit: Acts 1:8; Acts 2:2, 47
3. Christ then gave gifts to the church: Eph 4:11-12
4. And Jesus Christ stands in the midst of the church: Rev 1:11-13 And this continues even in the last church age. – Rev 3:14
5. When someone wants to diminish the importance of the local church that is not Biblical: The church is important. God’s program still goes forward through His established, empowered, gifted local church. It is still God’s primary way.
D. And the Spirit led and Spirit empowered preacher holds a place of importance as well: Eph 4:11-12 I am talking about the man who is truly called and truly empowered by the Spirit of God and the man who gets his message from God and His Word.
1. That one cannot get away from His calling: And he will preach sound doctrine. – Eph 4:14
2. And he will speak the truth in love: Eph 4:15
3. He will do it so the Christian and the church may grow: Eph 4:16
4. And he will preach the gospel of salvation because that is what he has been called to do: Eph 4:24
E. The local church and the God called preacher is the most effective way of reaching the lost for Jesus Christ: Rom 10:15
II. Now notice the need for the lost to hear sound preaching: Rom 10:14-15 Those four questions that we noted at the beginning of the message, the questions asked in these two verses are pointed at the lost sinner coming to Christ. Only as they are answered by the Christian will we begin to see people getting saved.
A. We want, or should want to see lost souls getting to the place were they are calling out to God: Rom 10:9-10, 13 If you are saved this morning you have had a specific time in your life when you have done what it says to do in these verses. One does not grow into salvation, does not become progressively saved, does not work their way to salvation or hope their way to heaven. When one is truly saved they will have a specific time in their life when they confess that they are a sinner bound to hell, humble themselves and cry out to God. – Rom 10:9-10, 13
1. That person will remember when and where they did this: Not so much date and time but they will remember a specifics.
2. And that person will remember the circumstances surrounding when they were saved:
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3. That person doesn’t have to hope they have been saved, or think they may have, that person knows: Do you know today?
B. But people for the most part do not just arrive at this point: Rom 10:14-15 The lost do not just come to Christ. If they did there would be no need for these verses. People for the most part do not just arrive at Rom 10:9-10,13 they need to be brought.
1. How are they going to call on one whom they never have believed? Rom 10:14 This means believing in who Jesus Christ really is and what He did for each and every one of us on the cross.
2. How can they believe on one whom they have never heard? Rom 10:14 Never heard the true message of Bible salvation.
3. How can they hear if no one will preach? Rom 10:14
4. How can they preach unless they have been commissioned and sent? Rom 10:15
5. People do not get saved until these questions are answered:
C. Now let me ask you this morning; do you know people who are lost, people who have never received Jesus Christ as their personal savior? Do you know people who if they died right now, as far as you know would spend eternity in a literal lake of fire for ever and for ever? Do you know people like that this morning? Does it concern you? Family members, friends, co-workers, fellow students, does it concern you where they will spend eternity?
1. How can they call for salvation from one whom they have never believed? They never have believed the true gospel.
2. How can they believe the gospel if they have never heard?
3. How can they hear if no one will tell them? If no one will preach.
4. What if no one is sent to them?
D. Does it concern you that no one has told them of Jesus? Does it concern you that they are lost? They most likely will never get to Rom 10:9-10,13 on their own. Does it concern you they are lost?
III. Now take note of the character of the preacher: Rom 10:1,20-21 There are three things to take note of here.
A. The heart and burden for the lost: Rom 10:1 Paul was not very popular in his day. I imagine he was a very loud man and I know that he was very pointed in his preaching. He did offend many people.
1. But his heart and burden for the lost could never be questioned: Rom 10:1 He would do anything for anyone to get them saved. It didn’t matter who they were or where they were, Paul would do anything for anyone to get them saved.
2. Beaten and jailed for preaching the gospel, an earthquake breaks his bonds and opens the prison door: And the first thing Paul did was witness to the very one on charge of his beating and imprisonment.
3. In another place he says he would trade his own salvation if it meant others would get saved: Paul would spend eternity in hell himself if it meant that Israel would turn to Jesus Christ. And Paul meant that. But you can’t get saved or lost for others.
4. The preacher will have a heart and burden for the lost:
B. The preacher will also have a holy boldness: Rom 10:20 When I say holy boldness I don’t mean they will be bold because they are holy. Rather I mean they will be bold to proclaim the holiness of God, bold to proclaim the gospel message.
1. It takes a boldness to proclaim the gospel because it is a message that most don’t like to hear: Especially the first time.
2. It takes a boldness to proclaim the gospel because it is a message that most reject: Especially the first time.
3. It takes a boldness to proclaim the gospel because it is a message that many fight against: Some all the time.
4. It does take some boldness to proclaim the gospel message: They tried to take the life of Elijah for what he preached and they did take the life of Paul.
5. It is a spiritual warfare and it takes some boldness to stand in the battle for souls:
C. The preacher will also have a great measure of perseverance: Rom 10:21 The preacher will have perseverance. Because most turn a deaf ear, because many rail against him, he still will not be silent. He still will tell the lost about Jesus. And he will do that all day long, everyday as long as there are those who need to hear the gospel message.
1. Elijah thought himself alone: Still he preached to the hose of Israel.
2. Paul most likely had more converts than any other New Testament preacher: But Paul also had more people turn away from the message he preached and more people scorn him than any other New Testament preacher as well.
3. But the preacher will have perseverance: Because some still need to hear and even that one who rejected the message may hear and receive the next time.
IV. Now who is the preacher, who can have those beautiful feet? Rom 10:15
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A. The first thought is of the pastor, missionary, and evangelist: To that one who has been called into what we refer to as full time Christian service. The word preacher in Rom 10:15 means to publicly proclaim, it is a herald. And the pastor, missionary, evangelist must fall into this category. They are of no earthy good or heavenly use if they do not proclaim the gospel.
1. Why support a missionary on the field if they are not trying to reach the lost for Christ? If they are not proclaiming Christ.
2. Why have an evangelist come if they will not try and reach the lost for Christ? If they will not proclaim Jesus Christ.
3. What is the purpose of being a pastor if not to try and get others saved? And a pastor has many other duties. He is to lead the flock by example, teach sound doctrine, feed the young, counsel, pray and many things.
a. But what if he doesn’t preach the gospel of salvation?
b. That is the first part of his calling.
c. And he needs to have that burden.
4. As a pastor I pray that God give me a burden and heart for the lost: And the reason the gospel message of salvation is sounded so often is because it is the first order of a true calling.
a. I will witness to those I meet.
b. I will make visits to those in need of salvation.
c. And when that burden is not there I ask for it to be renewed and made stronger.
d. And if it is completely lost I should be not be allowed to preach.
5. Those in full time Christian service are preachers and should have beautiful feet:
B. But they are not the only ones: This is not given to the pastor, the missionary, the evangelist, it is given to every blood washed child of God, to every born again believer in Christ. – Rom 10:15
1. When the Bible says “ye are the light of the world” it is speaking to all Christians: Do we understand that?
2. When the Bible says “go ye into all the world” it is speaking to all Christians: Do we understand that?
3. When the bible says “let your light so shine” it is speaking to all Christians: Do we understand that?
4. Do we understand that we all are to do our part in proclaiming the truth? Do we understand that?
5. Do we understand that we all can have beautiful feet before God?
C. You may ask; what can I do to make my feet beautiful before God? And there are several things.
1. The easiest is to make a real commitment to the local church and Godly living: That has worked in the past and will still work today. It is a testimony when people see a real commitment. Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday evening. When people see that and Godly living they begin to realize there is something real and something different.
2. Then you can hand out gospel tracts: That does not require a speech but may give you an opportunity to witness.
3. You can invite others out to church: That requires you be here but they will hear the gospel message.
4. You can even join in on visitation: And that does not require you do anything but support by your presence and prayer.
5. There are things that you can do to make your feet beautiful:
D. And this is a challenge concerning the revival services we have coming up: One thing I can say is that the man coming in will preach the gospel message. People will hear how to get saved and why they need to get saved. And people will get saved I believe if we get the lost to the services. But that will take work on your part and mine.
1. Invite people to the services: The common excuse is that people will not come even if they are invited. I know it does get discouraging when people say they will come and do not. But we can’t make them come out, only invite them and we need to.
a. Let us say that out of every 100 people invited one will come. That is not a very good return.
b. But if only the pastor invites those 100 that means only one will come.
c. But if 70 people invite 100 people and 70 come then we will see people saved.
2. If you invite people that means you will have to attend: Because you never know when they will show up.
a. That is a commitment and it will demand you sacrifice a week of your evenings for Christ.
b. But Jesus sacrificed more than that for us didn’t He? Is He worth it?
c. And when the church house is full it makes it easier for people to respond to the Spirit of God.
3. Begin to pray for the services and for the lost and for yourself: Prayer does move the Spirit of God and prayer does call down power for the work of God. Begin to pray.
4. And pray for the evangelist: That God give him the perfect word for the perfect time in the perfect way.
E. The days of revival don’t have to be over:
F. We all can have beautiful feet before God:
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Conclusion
So let me ask you again this morning; how beautiful are your feet?
I. First I want to point out the importance of the church and the preacher this morning: Note the importance of this church and this preacher but the importance of the local church and the one called to preach in soul winning. When you hear that word preach and the word preacher you do think of the church and for good reason. They do go together.
II. Now notice the need for the lost to hear sound preaching: Rom 10:14-15 Those four questions that we noted at the beginning of the message, the questions asked in these two verses are pointed at the lost sinner coming to Christ. Only as they are answered by the Christian will we begin to see people getting saved.
III. Now take note of the character of the preacher: Rom 10:1,20-21 There are three things to take note of here.
Heart, burden, boldness, perseverance.
IV. Now who is the preacher, who can have those beautiful feet? Rom 10:15
How beautiful are your feet this morning?