[0:00] Peace has come because Jesus came. I hope we understand that without Jesus there could not be peace.! And the kind of peace I'm talking about is between us and God.
[0:13] And we're going to look a little bit at that this morning. So if you have your Bibles, get them out. And yes, we are once again in the book of Romans. And I know you may be saying, well, we've been in Romans for a really long time.
[0:27] Yep. Guess what? We're going to be there for a while longer. Because Romans is just so full of the gospel message of Jesus Christ. And as we go through Advent, you know, we talk about hope and peace and joy and love.
[0:43] Those are the Advent themes we talk about leading up to Christmas. And really all of that is laid out in the book of Romans and explained in the book of Romans because that's what the gospel message is all about.
[0:54] So this morning we are in Romans chapter 10. And we are going to begin in verse 11 of Romans chapter 10. And again, if you ever forget your Bible, there's a whole rack of Bibles in the foyer right outside those doors.
[1:10] Feel free to grab one on your way in if you forgot your Bible. If you don't own a Bible, grab one, put your name in it and keep it. It's yours. If you know someone that doesn't have a Bible that wants one, take one and give it to them.
[1:24] We need to be in God's Word. That is vital. So feel free to use that rack. That's what it's for. Romans chapter 10, beginning in verse 11. And I'm going to ask if you're able if you'd stand as we read God's Word together this morning.
[1:36] Romans chapter 10, beginning in verse 11. And this is what God's Word shares. For the Scripture says, Whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed.
[1:49] For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek. The same Lord over all is rich to all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
[2:01] How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him on whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
[2:12] And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.
[2:24] But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord who has believed our report. So then faith comes by hearing. And hearing by the Word of God.
[2:35] Let's bow our heads this morning. Lord God, we just, we thank You that You have seen fit to give us another day of life that You've given us this morning. Lord, I thank You that we can come together as a family here in Your house that You've given us all safety as we've traveled here in the snow to hear Your Word and to praise You this morning.
[2:53] And Lord, I pray for the next few minutes that we'd be able to forget about all the activities we have going on in our lives, our schedule for this week, places we need to be, other maybe troubles that are just pressing on our minds and on our hearts.
[3:07] Help us to set all those aside. And to realize right now that You have a desire to speak to our hearts through Your Word. That whenever Your Word is read, Lord, that You desire to use it in our lives to teach us, to direct us, to guide us, just to help us be the people You want us to be.
[3:24] So Lord, I pray that our ears and our hearts are open to You right now. And Lord, I pray that through Your Word, You would just speak to our hearts. And we ask and pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ.
[3:35] Amen. You can be seated this morning. A couple things as we read in Romans chapter 10 here that I want us to think a little bit about.
[3:46] And the first thing I want you to look at, at verse 15. How shall they preach except they be sent? What does it mean to be sent?
[3:57] That's a word I want us to think about a little bit this morning. It has a whole lot to do with Christmas, and it has a whole lot to do with our lives individually as believers. What does it mean to be sent? It's not complicated.
[4:11] It's not a trick question. Honest. What does it mean to be sent? What does it mean to be sent? Okay, I'm hearing told to go somewhere, that you're given a mission or a purpose, you're sent for a reason.
[4:25] I mean, typically when you're sent, you're sent for a reason, right? Do we ever forget the reason that we're sent? I know I have. Tammy will say, oh, we need this or that.
[4:39] Can you run up to Dollar General in Oakwood and get it? Sure I can. Hop in the car, get to Dollar General, walk in the store, and I'm like, yeah, I don't know what I came to get. I'm sure I was told, but somewhere in the two and a half miles between my house and Dollar General, whatever the reason was that I was sent, completely left my mind.
[4:59] I'm not alone in that, am I? Tell me I'm not. Okay, dear, did you hear that? It's not just me. Thank you. But sometimes that being sent, we understand that we're sent, but we can lose track of what we were sent for.
[5:17] And as we think about Christmas, that word sent is just, it's vital. It's kind of the foundation of what Christmas is all about. Because we talk about the birth of Jesus, and yes, that is what Christmas is all about.
[5:29] But what was Jesus, He was sent to this earth, wasn't He? He didn't just happen to be born here by accident. He was specifically sent.
[5:42] By who? Okay, by God. So just like us, when you are sent somewhere, there is someone that sends you. Jesus Christ was sent by His Father, by God, sent to this world, but again, whenever we're sent, we're sent for a reason.
[5:57] What was the reason He was sent? He didn't have to say that. Okay, and that can have maybe several answers, can't it? Why Jesus was sent.
[6:09] You know, when I go to Dollar General, usually it's not just one thing. There's multiple things I'm there for. And really the same is true for Jesus. As He was sent to this earth, He was sent for multiple reasons. Certainly, somebody said, I think it was maybe Ron, He was sent to die.
[6:22] I mean, ultimately, He was sent to die on the cross for our sins. But in the process of that, there were other things Jesus was sent for. Was He sent here to teach? And to preach?
[6:33] And to heal? Yeah, He was sent for all those things. And as we think about Christmas, one of the things that we need to think about is, Jesus was sent, and in these verses, it talks about preaching, doesn't it?
[6:45] Jesus was sent to preach. Do we understand that? I mean, we think more about He was sent to save us, and that is true, but Jesus was sent to be a preacher.
[6:58] I want you to look at a couple other verses. And what was He sent to preach? The gospel. Look in verse 15.
[7:09] The gospel of what? What does it say in verse 15? Gospel of peace. Again, this morning, we're talking about peace. And here it shares that one of the reasons that a preacher is sent, and one of the reasons that Jesus was sent, because He was a preacher, was to preach the gospel of peace.
[7:29] And so often, you know, we hear that peace on earth at Christmas and peace at Christmastime, and we think in a worldly sense, don't we? Peace on earth, that everything, everybody is getting along.
[7:41] We think of that as being what peace is. Is that the kind of peace that it's really talking about? No. The Bible says we'll always have wars because we're imperfect.
[7:54] There's strife. The peace it's talking about is peace between us and God. That before we know God, do you know what? We're God's enemies. And I know we struggle with that thought, but it's what the Bible says.
[8:08] Nobody thinks themselves... Most people don't think of themselves as an enemy of God, do they? We don't like to think of people as being an enemy of God. But the Bible says very clearly, there's only two sides.
[8:20] You're on one side or the other. One side is the side of God, following Him and supporting Him and having Him as your King. What's the other side?
[8:32] Well, it's not following God. And if you're not following God, who are you following? Because all of us follow somebody. You may say, well, people are following themselves and their own ideas. Well, if you're doing that, who are you really following?
[8:46] So again, it's talking about peace between us and God. And that only comes through Jesus Christ. But He came to preach this gospel of peace. Look in the gospel of Luke. Turn there real quick.
[8:57] Luke chapter 4. We're going to look at a couple different scriptures that are in the gospel. Shouldn't be hard to find. Matthew, Mark, Luke chapter 4. Beginning in verse 17.
[9:17] In this scripture, it's talking about Jesus. Luke chapter 4, beginning in verse 17. And there was delivered to Him the book of the prophet Isaiah.
[9:28] And when He opened the book, He found the place where it was written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.
[9:39] He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
[9:51] And He closed the book and He gave it again to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him. And He began to say to them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
[10:07] So Jesus was reading from the book of Isaiah, from the Old Testament. And the verses He read, do you know how many times it mentions preach in these verses? And Jesus was saying, This is me.
[10:19] I come to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captive. In verse 19, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. So what was one of the things Jesus sent to do?
[10:32] Preach. To share the gospel of peace that we're talking about this morning. Jesus was sent, and it uses the word sent in these verses too.
[10:43] Look in verse 18. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted. Jesus was saying, I was sent by my Father to be a preacher, to share a message, to share the gospel of peace.
[11:00] I want you to look in one more verse. Look on back in Matthew, the first gospel. Chapter 4. I love to hear pages turning, so thank you.
[11:11] Keep following along. Matthew 4, beginning in verse 13. Matthew 4, beginning in verse 13, and this is what it shares.
[11:23] verse 13. And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelled in Capernaum, which is upon the coast in the borders of Zebulon and Naphtalem, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, the land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtalem, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people which sat in darkness saw great light.
[11:47] And to them which sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up. And from that time, Jesus began to do what? Preach. And to say, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
[12:02] Here's the thing that we have to understand. Jesus was born into this world as a baby, but He was born to grow up and to preach, to share a message and to share that gospel of peace.
[12:17] Folks, we have also been sent. Do we understand that? Do we understand that? And here's the thing. When you are sent, do you know you have a choice?
[12:30] Our lives are all about choice. Over and over and over again, we make a choice in our lives. When Tammy asked me to go get something from Dollar General, I have a choice to make.
[12:41] Right? Some of you are like, you don't have any choice. Yes, I do. I could say, go get it yourself. It wouldn't be a wise thing to say, but I could say that, couldn't I?
[12:55] I could choose to say, I don't want to be sent. I don't want the job that you're sending me for. So I'm not going to do it.
[13:08] Now, I generally don't say that. I may forget what I'm going for, but I generally agree to go. But when we're sent, we have a choice to make. Did Jesus have a choice?
[13:21] Sure He did. But here's the thing that we have to understand as believers. we've also been sent to this world that we live in.
[13:32] This world that is all around us. God has sent us to this world. We have a purpose here on this earth. We are not here.
[13:42] Again, we already established Jesus wasn't here by accident. He was sent here for a reason. Folks, we were born and we have a reason and a purpose in our lives.
[13:55] And part of that is to come into a relationship with our Father, our Creator, to come into a relationship with God. We were created for that. I mean, we look at the world around us and there are a lot of people that are lost, that are just wandering around that really don't have a sense of purpose in their lives.
[14:11] There's a lot of people in the world like that, aren't there? And people will look in all kinds of things to try to find that purpose in their lives. They will try to find it in an occupation.
[14:24] It's important to work, don't get me wrong, but will you find that true lasting sense of purpose in your life, in your occupation? Well, you might find it for a while, but what you can do when you retire?
[14:37] That's temporary, isn't it? We can try to find a sense of purpose in our relationships here on this earth. Those are also important, right? God wants us to have relationships, but are relationships permanent?
[14:52] We don't know when they're going to end for one reason or another, do we? And if our sense of purpose is in that, it's going to end too. Our children, we have children, and boy, they give us a lot of purpose in our lives, don't they?
[15:07] Don't they? But I also know so many people, they raise their children, their children move out, and they're all of a sudden on their own. You're still a parent, but your role changes a lot, and all of a sudden, they're like, what's my purpose now?
[15:21] All those purposes are temporary. We were sent here to have a relationship with our Father in heaven. That's why we were sent.
[15:33] Not just to have that relationship, but there's something that goes along with that. Look back in Romans chapter 10 where we were at. The first verse we read, verse 11 of Romans chapter 10.
[15:47] For the scripture says, whoever, whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed. We talked way back in Romans chapter 1 about not being ashamed, right?
[16:00] And here we see that word ashamed again. Whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed. If we're not ashamed of our relationship with the Father, if we're not ashamed with having Jesus Christ as our Savior and our King, what are we going to do with that?
[16:18] Share it. Right? And guess what? We were sent for that reason. Just the way Jesus Christ was sent to preach and to share this gospel of peace, if you are a believer, you have also been sent to this world to do that exact same thing.
[16:34] And if you're not ashamed, then guess what? You ought to be doing it. You ought to be sharing this gospel of peace with the world around you. But what are some reasons sometimes we don't do that?
[16:47] Fear. What else? Ego. What else? Let's be real with each other. What are some other reasons that sometimes we don't share about Jesus Christ and the gospel of peace that He came to share?
[17:01] Pride? Lazy. Oh, there's one we don't like to think about. That one, do we? Do we? Are you ever lazy?
[17:11] Lazy. I think, I don't know, I think both those things are powerful. Fear certainly can keep us from a lot of different things.
[17:24] But I think perhaps maybe one of the greatest things is just the laziness, the apathy. That we're just satisfied with just kind of coasting through our life without really doing a whole lot.
[17:36] I know my wife's taught for going on 32 years now, right? You ever have any students that are just content to kind of just coast through?
[17:50] Is that any of you? In school? Or in life? We just kind of put it on cruise control and we're content with just kind of just riding on through, not putting a lot of thought into it.
[18:04] Folks, if we're truly not ashamed of this gospel that we're talking about, if we're not ashamed of Jesus Christ, then we better realize that we were sent here for a reason.
[18:17] And that is to share the gospel. We were sent here to be preachers. We were sent here to share that. And again, you know I've shared this before, we get the wrong impression of what a preacher is.
[18:28] When I say that word preacher, what's the first thing that comes to your mind? Me. Ron. Ron. All right. Are we preachers?
[18:40] Yeah. Am I a preacher? Yeah. But you know what? I am more than that in this role up here as a pastor. You know, a pastor is one that shepherds a flock, that is over a church, that guides, tries to guide people in the way of the Lord.
[18:55] That's a pastor. A preacher is just someone who shares a message. That's what a preacher is. We kind of use preacher and put preacher and pastor interchangeably.
[19:05] Those are two different things. Are we all called to be pastors? No. That's what the Bible says. We're called to a lot of different things. You might be called to be a teacher or an encourager or a pastor.
[19:18] But those are all different things. We're not all called to be a pastor. We are all called to be a preacher because a preacher is one that shares about Jesus Christ.
[19:29] Every one of you, if you are a believer in Jesus, you are called to be a preacher because you are not to keep that to yourself. Are we? And this goes for all of us.
[19:40] That goes with me when I step outside the church. I'm still a preacher. I am called to talk with people about Jesus in my daily life. Not because it's my job, but because that's what I need to be doing as a Christian.
[19:52] All of us were sent for that same reason as Jesus. We were sent to be preachers. I mean, look in verse 15.
[20:03] Well, 14 and 15. How shall they, it's talking about people in the world, how shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in Him who they have not heard?
[20:14] And how shall they hear without a preacher? What's all that saying? How can people believe if they've never heard it? People need to hear it, don't they?
[20:26] Who do they need to hear it from? Us. How shall they preach in verse 15 except they shall be sent? Folks, we have been sent.
[20:38] And here's the thing, they won't hear unless somebody tells them. And you will talk to people I never talk to. You will talk to people your spouse may never talk to. You will talk to people your children never talk to.
[20:50] You will talk to people your parents never talk to. Isn't that true? So don't think it's up to somebody else. It's up to us. But look at the picture this paints when we do that in verse 15.
[21:05] How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. We have the opportunity to do that.
[21:17] Isn't that wonderful? To share glad tidings and good things? We have the chance to do that. And when we do, I like that it says, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace.
[21:29] What does that mean? Who are those feet beautiful to? I think they're beautiful to God. That when He looks down and seeing us doing what He asked us to do, do you think that's pleasing to God?
[21:46] Do you think? I look at my kids and when they were growing up and when I saw them doing what they are supposed to be doing, what I asked them to do, as a parent, how does that make you feel?
[21:59] It makes you feel wonderful. My children are being obedient. They're doing what I called on them to do. And the thing that was the greatest is when I saw them sharing love with somebody else or sticking up for somebody or showing kindness to somebody.
[22:14] When they were really doing that out of their heart, not because they were told. Folks, we are no different. God has sent us here and when He sees us being obedient and sharing the gospel of peace with others, not just because we're told to, but because we have that desire in our heart, that love for other people, I believe that just puts a smile on God's face.
[22:38] That our life becomes beautiful to God when He sees us fulfilling our purpose. And don't be mistaken, our purpose is to share the gospel of peace just like Jesus Christ.
[22:50] You know, He is, it says He was sent to this earth to be our example, doesn't it? We were to follow in His footsteps is what it says. Part of that is in preaching and sharing the gospel of peace, how people can have peace with God through Jesus Christ.
[23:08] You understand how the Christmas story works, right? Jesus was sent. He's sent here for us. He lived a perfect life. He died on the cross for our sins and rose from the grave.
[23:21] And when we put our trust and faith in Him and ask for forgiveness, our sins are forgiven and then we need to live for Him. Everybody understand that? Guess what? You understand enough to share then, don't you?
[23:34] Everybody say, yes, I do. If you understood that, because so often we get this idea in our mind, well, you have to be some big theologian to do this. You have to understand everything in God's Word.
[23:46] You know what? If that were the case, I shouldn't be up here sharing. You know what? I don't understand it all. But I understand enough. And I think you do too.
[23:59] And now it's a choice. We've been sent for a purpose and that's to preach this gospel of peace to tell people about Jesus Christ. My prayer is that we have beautiful feet, that we fulfill that purpose, that we're not ashamed, that we are sharing this wonderful message of good and glad tidings with this world around us.
[24:19] And Christmas is a great opportunity to do that, isn't it? And there's so many things that can point people to Jesus, whether it's talking about the lights at Christmas or the trees or gifts, any of those things can be turned into a conversation about Jesus, can't they?
[24:33] Can't they? But again, it's up to us. Know that you were sent and you were sent for a reason and that's to be a preacher.
[24:45] I want you to say this this morning. If you're a believer, I want you to say, I am meant to be a preacher. I am meant to be a preacher. Does that feel uncomfortable? Too bad.
[24:56] That's what the Bible says. I hope we take that seriously and I hope we are doing it out of our heart and a desire for the, just the love we have for people around us to share with them about Jesus Christ.
[25:10] Let's pray together. Lord God, we thank You again for this morning that You've given us. We thank You for Your Word that we can look at. And Lord, I pray that it reminds us that we are, we're here for a reason.
[25:21] And Lord, sometimes we can even as believers lose sight of that fact. I know so many conversations, I can talk with people and they say, why am I here? Why am I still here? What do You have for me?
[25:31] Lord, You always have a purpose for us. And that is just to share with those around us in whatever ways we can. Lord, remind us that we are intended to be preachers.
[25:41] We are intended to share Your message. We have been sent for that reason just as Christ was. And remember that it's a gospel of peace that people can find peace with their Creator. And it's only through Jesus Christ.
[25:54] Lord, Lord, this Christmas season, remind us of that and remind us we were sent with a purpose. And we ask and pray these things in Christ's name. Amen. As we close this morning, the altar is open.
[26:07] Maybe you just want to ask God to remind you of that in your life or to give you opportunities. Whatever you need, the altar is open this morning. You know, as you go through this week, you're going to have a lot of choices to make. And one of those choices will be, will you share about Jesus when given the opportunity?
[26:21] I pray that you make the choice to share the gospel of peace with the world around you. And you know, the one line in the song, I will break their hearts of stone, give them hearts for love alone.
[26:33] And I pray God gives us each one a heart of love, that we have that kind of love for people that we want to share with them. How to have peace with God, our Father. Let's bow our heads as we close in prayer.
[26:45] Lord God, thank you again for this morning that you've given us. And Lord, as we leave here, remind us, not just now, but every day of our lives, every moment, that we were sent here with a purpose. Help us not to forget that purpose, help us not to be distracted from that purpose, but help us to fulfill that purpose, to share with the people around us out of the love of our heart how they can have a relationship with their Father in heaven.
[27:08] Lord, help us not to remember that is our purpose. Watch over us as we leave here, Lord, and help us to be your people. And it's in the name of Jesus Christ we pray and all God's family said, Amen.
[27:19] God bless you. Have a wonderful week. Be careful out in the parking lot. It can be slick under the snow, so just watch your step.