Welcome to the preaching ministry of Tri-City Baptist Church in Chandler, Arizona. Our desire is that God would be magnified through the preaching of His word, and that Christians will be challenged, strengthened, and edified in their personal walk with Christ. I invite you to take your Bibles and turn with me this morning to Romans chapter 10, Paul's letter to the church at Rome, the 10th chapter, as we have been looking at this passage. If you are using the Bibles there in the chairs in front of you, it's on page 791. We have been looking at the power of the gospel. And I want us to continue in this passage this morning. Dr. Walter Wilson was a man of many talents and broad experiences. He was born just before the turn of the last century in 1899, and he had a variety of occupations and experiences. He was a medical doctor, natural scientist, a salesman, a businessman, an author, school administrator, and more. But after he trusted Christ as his personal Savior, his passion in life was to look for opportunities to help needy souls find eternal life. And each morning he would pray, and he would ask the Lord to guide him to somebody with whom he could share the gospel. And he expected the Lord to answer that prayer. On one occasion, he had made a commute to a major city for a business engagement, and when he had finished with his business, he still had some time before he had to leave, so he decided to look up the son of a friend of his that lived in that town, because he knew that that son needed the gospel. He got the address, he made his way to that duplex, he entered the building, and he was greeted by a young woman who was the wife of the son of his friend. She asked why he was there, and he said, well, is this where Charlie Johnson lives? And she said, yes. He said, I'm a friend of his father, and I've known him, and I wanted to visit him. So she invited him into the house where he was introduced to two other individuals, the sister and brother-in-law of Charlie. But he learned that Charlie was not there because he was working the night shift. So Dr. Wilson made the comment, he said, well, his business must be really going well if he's also having to work night shifts. Mrs. Johnson looked at him with a look of surprise and said, Charlie's not a businessman. He's working the night shift for the city water plant. And as they began to converse a little bit more, he realized that he was at the house of the wrong Charlie Johnson. that this was not the son of his friend, but another Charlie Johnson who lived in that same town. And so he excused himself, he apologized for the confusion, and the lady said, well, I can understand. She said, there's actually another Charlie Johnson who lives on the same street in this town, but we're on the west side and he's on the east side. And said, we actually are 40 blocks apart. And she said, we end up getting each other's mail at times. And so Dr. Wilson, as he headed for the door, he noticed a Bible there on the table. And he turned to them and said, do you read this book? And do you love it? And immediately, all three of them became very interested. They said, yes, we love this book. And Dr. Wilson said, have you found in its pages that you can be saved and know it. And tears welled up in their eyes as they said, do you understand the Bible? Can you tell us how to be saved? Dr. Wilson said, yes, that is my principal business in life. I would be glad to help you. And they shared with him how they had been meeting each Friday evening all summer, reading the Bible and praying that someone would come and help them understand. They had visited various churches, they had heard messages, but they had never understood how to be saved. And that evening, Dr. Wilson had the privilege of leading all three of them as they put their trust in Christ alone for salvation. He was at the wrong address, but with the right people. Do you know the joy of sharing the gospel? I want us to consider this morning the joy of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That we have an opportunity and really an obligation as believers to proclaim the Gospel. And what I want us to see from this passage in Romans is that when you share the Gospel, Christ is revealed through the Word of God. that God's Word reveals the Son of God. If you have your Bibles open to Romans chapter 10, follow with me as I begin reading in verse 14. Romans 10, beginning in verse 14. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things, 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. Let's look to the Lord in prayer as we look into his word. Father, as we look into your word this morning, we pray again that we would not simply be hearers of the word, but that we would respond in faith to be doers. And that your Holy Spirit would use your word to speak to hearts, that if there is one here or watching by live stream that doesn't know you, that they would know the joy of salvation. And we ask this in Christ's name, amen. In this passage, we will see that when you share the gospel, Christ is revealed through the Word of God. That is what I want us to understand from this passage. The first thing that I want us to see is that God's Word is shared by a person with a message. We see that in verse 14. How shall they call on Him of whom they've not believed? How shall they believe in Him of whom they've not heard? How shall they hear without a preacher? without somebody sharing the gospel. Verse 13 really set the stage and provided a clear offer of salvation where it says, whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. The scope of the offer is stated in that, that those, whoever will call, that it's offered to everyone. The gospel is not just for Jews, it's also for Gentiles. The substance of that offer is to call on the name of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the result of that is salvation. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord in saving faith will be saved. And now Paul's asking several rhetorical questions. They're rhetorical because he's drawing attention to the important message, but the answer should be obvious. And so he's asking these questions to help us understand that as we recognize the need for a message, that saving faith requires clear content. That there's a message. You know, sometimes we hear, well, you just gotta have faith. Faith in what? Faith has to have substance. The Bible knows nothing of a contentless faith. The security of your faith is only as good as the object of your faith. And so faith has to have the right object. It's not faith in faith, it's faith in Christ. And this passage works from the result back through the process. That call is synonymous with saving faith. We actually see that back in verses 12 and 13. There's no distinction between Jews and Greeks. The same Lord is over all who is rich on all who call upon him. And then verse 13, whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. And so there's a heart belief that is necessary to call on the Lord for saving faith. You can't believe in what you haven't heard. There's no salvation apart from explicit faith in Jesus Christ. So what is necessary? What is the content that we need to have? And sometimes people, I was asked not long ago, you know, do I have a special evangelistic plan that I like? And I said, you know, I've memorized the Romans Road. I know the gospel from John 3. I've taken different plans. But I said, what I really keep in my mind is that there are four key areas that need to be clear to understand the gospel. It's the content that is necessary. The first one is, you have to know who God is. That in giving the gospel, a person needs to know who God is. Because unless you have a proper understanding of who God is, as he's revealed in the Bible, then we'll never understand the significance of the good news of the gospel. You need to know that God is holy. that he is above his creation. He's transcendent above creation. He is the creator. But he's also separate from corruption. And because of that holiness, he deserves to be glorified as God. He's the creator. So Revelation 4.11, you are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, for you've created all things. He has creator rights. and understanding that. So to have a proper understanding of who God is is vital because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, which brings us to the second point. You must know what sin is and why it is serious. And this is why we have to start with who God is, because if we don't start with who God is, then sin often becomes a psychological problem rather than a theological problem. That sin has messed up my life. And that's why it's bad, rather than, I have sinned against a holy God. If we don't know who God is, we're not going to understand the seriousness of sin. And that's why many times in giving the gospel, people will say, well, I'm not as bad as some people. Because they're not looking at who God is, they're looking at who those other people are. And they're going to weigh their good works against what they think are their Bad works and say, I think I'll come out okay. Hopefully God grades on the curve. He doesn't. He's holy. He's just. He's righteous. Romans 1 tells us that people have changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the image of corruptible man. That's humanism. And, it goes on and says in Romans 1, and to birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. That's pantheism. So they've changed the theism of the glory of God into humanism and pantheism. And fallen short of his glory, and the Bible says the wages of sin, of falling short of the glory of God, is death. It's that separation, physical death that comes because of sin and separates body from soul and spirit. The spiritual death that separates a person from God. And we need to understand who God is and what sin is so that we understand who Christ is and why he came. And that's the third aspect that is necessary for saving faith. We need to know who Jesus is as he's revealed in the word of God. It's not, well, I like to think of him as. It's who he is as Scripture reveals him, that Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, that he came in flesh. He came incarnate, incarnate, in flesh. We celebrate that at Christmas time. He is the exact representation of God's person. And this is what the Bible tells us. In John 1, verse 14, it says, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And then verse 18 says, And no one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, He has declared Him. Hebrews chapter 1 begins by telling how God has revealed Himself, and in the Old Testament and in former times there were on multiple ways that He did that through the prophets, but He says in these last days by His Son, and then verse 3 states that the Son is the brightness of His, the Father's glory, the express image of His person. And it's important that people understand who Jesus is and why he came. That he's not merely a good example. That he's not just a moral teacher. He wasn't just a prophet or some type of an advanced form of humanity. Jesus is God. And so he took on human form, lived a perfect sinless life, and then died as the worst sinner. He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might receive his righteousness. We need to know who Jesus is and why He came, because there is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ. He came to save sinners by dying for sinners. Acts 4.12 says, Well, what name is that? Verse 10 of Acts 4 says, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. So here in Romans 10, verse 9, it tells us that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, literally Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead. that resurrection, the power of God, so that then, fourthly, we will know what faith is. A person needs to understand faith. And I began by stating that it's not faith in faith, it's faith in Christ. That faith has several aspects to it. There's a cognitive, a mental aspect, as well as an emotional component. The truth that is understood is then affirmed in one's heart, and there's confidence that causes a person who believes to not be put to shame, as it says in verse 11. That we recognize that there is that trust, there's a volitional aspect of trust. See, trust is more than knowledge. It's more than knowing facts. It's when the facts, the knowledge, passes to acceptance, and from acceptance to reliance or surrender. There's a big difference between saying, I believe you and I trust you. You can believe somebody but not trust them. And there are a lot of people who know a lot of facts about the Bible. They grew up in church. They've memorized verses. They've gone through Awana. They've gotten the awards. But have you put your trust in Christ alone? See, the object of this trust is Jesus Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. It says in Acts 16.31. And people think, well, there's lots of ways to get to heaven. Years ago, when I was pastoring in Maine, I was interviewed by the editor of our local newspaper. And he was asking some questions about churches in the area. And I was answering, I was seeking to give him the gospel. And he said to me, he understood the gospel. And he said, you know, I believe we're all going to the same place. Some people take the difficult road where they have to work and go up over the mountain to get there. I'm taking the turnpike. I'm taking the easy way. But we're all gonna end up at the same place. The problem is not all roads go the same place. There's only one way. Jesus said, I am the way. No one comes to the Father except by me. You say, well, that's pretty narrow. Yes, but we're all sinners. The fact that there is a way is the hope of the gospel. And none of us deserve that, but whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So saving faith requires content, but saving faith also is spread by a clear presentation. That a believer confesses outwardly what they've trusted, that there's that public identification. When we do a baptismal service, baptism is a public step of obedience, identifying that heart change and trust in Jesus Christ. But for a person to believe, they have to hear. The gospel, especially in that day, went from the mouth of one person to the ear of another. You know, they didn't have podcasts. They couldn't download it. There wasn't live stream. Most people didn't even have a written copy of God's Word, because it would have to be hand copied. So it was passed from the mouth of one person to the ear of another. And we have this opportunity. We pray regularly. In our monthly prayer times as a church, it's on our prayer sheet that we will pray that God will stir the hearts of the unsaved and lead them to us and us to them. As a missionary friend of mine said, you pray, you meet people, you tell them about Jesus. So we pray for gospel opportunities. Now, I think it's important, though, as well, that we do not misunderstand the nature of evangelism. That we need to proclaim the gospel, not human opinion. There are several things that if we're not careful, we can confuse with evangelism, and they're good things. But evangelism is not just giving your testimony. I was saved as a child. I remember sitting on the floor in our kitchen talking with my mom. I realized it was a sinner. I needed to be saved and I prayed and asked Jesus to save me. That's a synopsis of my testimony, but I've not told you anything about who God is, what sin is, why Christ came, and what faith is. So I can give you my testimony without giving the gospel. Now I can also work the gospel into that. That even as a child, I realized that I had done bad things. And God is holy and he couldn't allow me into heaven. I had disobeyed, I'd been unkind, and I won't go on with the list. But even as a child, I had sinned and I deserved punishment. And the wages of that sin, according to the Bible, is death. but that Jesus Christ came and lived a perfect life and died for my sin. And that if I would, by faith alone, trust in Jesus Christ, I could be saved. Now I can work the gospel in. But just because we share our testimony doesn't mean we've given the gospel. And it's often a great opportunity to share what God has done and give the gospel. Looking for those opportunities. When I was the president of our college, I was talking with a young man, encouraging him to come to our college. And as we're sitting there, his father's sitting there who was unsaved. I worked the gospel into promoting IBCS. because I wanted his dad to hear what he really needed to hear. But just giving our testimony is not necessarily evangelism. Doing acts of mercy or social justice is not evangelism. And it's not wrong to meet needs, and we ought to stand for righteousness and be concerned about unrighteousness. Those are good things, but please understand, all of those are horizontal. We're not dealing with the vertical problem. And often it's easier to meet physical needs because people appreciate that. They don't always appreciate hearing the Word of God. We don't get rejected as much if we give them stuff as we do when we give them the Word. And we need to help them understand that their real problem is not socioeconomic or psychological as they've offended a holy God. And so we need to make sure we focus on the gospel. Years ago, I was attending a funeral, and I was in a different church, and the pastor gave an entire message, and his catchphrase was, give them Jesus. And he mentioned a lot of areas of social involvement, and he never defined the gospel. I said, what does that mean? I walked out very frustrated. I wanted to stand up and say, let me help you. Can we do a tag team here? What does it mean, give them Jesus? There has to be content. And that's what we have to understand. I think a third thing is arguing doctrine, theology, or even politics. You know, too often these types of discussions respond to someone else's objections, arguments, or even their agenda. And we need to be able to give reason for the hope that lies in us and answer questions and concerns. That's not wrong. But understanding that's not enough. Giving the gospel is following Christ's agenda. I think a fourth one is answering objections or refuting errors. You know, we can know truth and defend it, but have we given them the gospel? I remember as a teenager, sitting around with some of my friends, and they knew I was the pastor's kid, and my friends were unsaved, and we started talking about the crucifixion and some details, and I remember really defending some things they were arguing against, and I walked away from that and realized, you know what? I may have defended some doctrine, I never gave them the gospel. They needed to know why Christ died, and why it mattered to them. Answering objections or refuting errors is not the same thing. They need to know who God is, what sin is, why Christ came, and what faith is. And I would say also, do not mistake the results of evangelism with evangelism. Don't misunderstand the nature of evangelism, but don't confuse results with evangelism. As Americans, we tend to be so focused on the end product, the end result, on technique, that we think we've failed in evangelism unless we see immediate results. Well, they didn't pray, they didn't make a decision. No, we actually fail to evangelize, not when we tell them the gospel and they don't respond. We fail to evangelize when we don't tell them the gospel. And it's important because new birth is the work of God. Our job, our work is to be his messengers. We're to give the good news. The Holy Spirit takes that and applies it to life. Only the Holy Spirit can give spiritual life to the spiritually dead. Our responsibility, my responsibility as a pastor is to seek to make the gospel understandable. It's the Holy Spirit that makes it understood, that turns on the light. We call that illumination. Oh, that's how it applies to me. So genuine conversion then brings life transformation. Transformation requires a purposeful application of the truth. And to do that, we need a person with a message, but secondly, we need to understand God's word is spread by a person with a mission. How shall they preach unless they be sent? as it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things." This is an interesting verse, because we don't usually think of feet as something beautiful. That's not really what we want to look at, but when it brings the gospel of peace in a world of turmoil and war, God sees it as beautiful. But in order to be the ones doing that, first of all, we need to see the great need. Now, what does it take for someone to believe? Well, believing is based on hearing, and hearing needs a messenger. They need to hear the message. So a person needs to hear the gospel before he receives it. Jesus told his disciples in Luke 10, verse 2, he said, the harvest truly is great, the laborers are few. Pray the Lord of the harvest that he will send laborers into his harvest. And then in verse 3, he sends them out. He sends out the 70 into the harvest field. So we need to see the need. Secondly, we need to share the good news. Take that gospel of peace to souls that are in turmoil. It's a person with a mission who operates under a higher authority. Pheidippides, I think is how it's pronounced, was a herald, a day runner, was his position in Athens in 490 BC. It was when the Persians invaded and attacked Greece. And tradition says that he was sent from Athens to Sparta, probably the white line, though there's a race that runs the black line there. He goes from Athens to Sparta to ask for help in this battle. And then he ran back, and in two days he covered about 150 miles. Then he went from Athens to the city of Marathon, where the Persians were landing and the battle was taking place. And when they won the battle of Marathon, he then ran from Marathon back to Athens, about 25 miles, with the good news of victory. And when he arrived in Athens, he announced, we are the winners. And then he collapsed and died. And that's where the name for the modern marathon comes from. And that's why I don't run them. I know what happened to them. But the truth is, he was a herald with a message of victory. Folks, we have the message of victory. And the Gospel of Matthew concludes with Jesus' commission to his disciples when that message of victory, and he says, all authority is given unto me. In heaven and on earth, go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." That we have been given the mission of taking the gospel. And that's one of the reasons I'm so thrilled with what God is doing here at Tri-City Baptist Church. As we did the survey back in August, we have 63 nationalities represented in our church. From every tribe, tongue, people group, nation, over 20 languages that are known. The gospel is for everyone, whoever we'll call. And so Jesus sends his followers as heralds. Heralds proclaim, people hear, hearers believe, believers call, and whoever calls will be saved. That's how the gospel goes forth. Like I said, we don't normally think of feet as beautiful, but in this passage, Paul is actually quoting Isaiah 52, verse 7. In that context, it was a messenger that was announcing that God had ended the Babylonian captivity for Israel. And it was applied to the Jews, but unfortunately, we read in John 1, he came to his own people and they did not receive him. And so this chapter begins as Paul says, I'm burdened for them. They are zealous, but it's not according to knowledge. We have a role as believers in God's plan to share the gospel to reach the lost. We ought to be a people with a mission. And sharing the gospel is not limited to standing in a pulpit. It's not limited to pastoral staff. It's for each one of us to take the good news. You know, our desire as a church ought to be that the whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole world. That ought to be our goal. But in doing this, then, we need to seek the Spirit's leading. That we would be motivated like Dr. Wilson by the Holy Spirit, praying, Lord, lead me to people. Stir the hearts of the unsaved and lead me to them and them to me." As a church, we pray that. Those who are away from the Lord or out of church, those who are in places where they're not hearing the truth of God's Word. And we pray that God will protect us from those who would be divisive, even as the scripture reading this morning talked about that. But we seek the Spirit's leading. My desire is that we would be a Spirit-motivated ministry, not guilt-motivated. And unfortunately, I've heard messages on giving the gospel that are, they just kind of heap all the guilt on. And guilt only gets you so far. It's the grace of God. When we know the love of God that we want to share with others. So, like Dr. Wilson, pray, Lord, stir the hearts of the unsaved. And then have that awareness for those opportunities. Look for them to share the gospel, or maybe it's just planting a seed. But understanding, if I invite somebody from church, that's not evangelism. But it may build a bridge. Understand in this passage here in Romans, there's a logical progression. Only those who call on the name of the Lord can be saved. Only those who have believed on Him can call on Him. Only those who have heard can believe. Only those who have someone tell them can really hear. And those who preach the gospel are sent by God. That's what we see. And I know the question comes up, well, what about people who have never heard? This is why missions is so important. That's why that is an important aspect of our ministry, because all are under the condemnation of sin, all have sinned. And Romans 1, the first chapter of this letter, makes it clear that God's eternal power and Godhead is seen in creation, and it renders everyone without excuse. So because of the glory of God and their disobedience, they are culpable for their sin. They're sinners by choice, and sin has to pay the penalty. There's a penalty. And so judgment comes to all who work iniquity. That's actually what it says in Romans 20, verses 12 and 13. Those who are standing before that great white throne judgment, the unsaved, and it says they were judged, each one according to his works. So folks, what we understand is that our works do not save us. but they will condemn us. And if we don't have the work of Christ alone, and so that's why we have to take the word to the world, take the gospel to the unsaved. And yes, I know that question comes up and it's a legitimate question, although sometimes it's used to say, well, God isn't fair, but I think the real question all of us need to ask is, what about the people around us who have not heard? Because that's our mission field. There are people that you will contact that I will not. And so are we as concerned about them hearing the good news as people in some faraway land, that we would seek the Spirit's leading? The third thing in this passage I want us to understand, though, is God's Word brings saving faith. We see that in verses 16 and 17. Verse 17, so then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Because saving faith is central, the Word of God must be central. It's the Word of God that awakens that need. It's the Word of God that works in to bring faith. And Christ speaks through the gospel. So all effective preaching is accomplished by God Himself as we give His Word. You don't come on Sunday morning to hear my opinion, you come to hear God's Word. This is what changes life. I seek to help us make practical application to where we're living, but the Word of God is the instrument used by the Spirit of God to bring faith in the Son of God. God's Word, His voice confronts sinners, and we need to see that. So understand that God's Word interprets what we see. We are in a very visual culture. But the application of this point that we need to grasp is it's God's Word that interprets what we see. What we hear ought to interpret what we see. Faith, according to Hebrews 11 verse 1, is the assurance, the realization of what is hoped for. It's the evidence of things not seen. How many people walk by sight and not by faith? Well, if I do what God wants, I don't see how it's going to work out. You don't have to see it. You have to have faith in God's Word and in the Son of God. In this fallen world, we must first perceive by our ears rather than our eyes. The word which we hear ought to interpret what we see, because man looks on the outward appearance. God sees the heart. The heart is deceitful. Above all things, it's desperately wicked. Who can know it? Sometimes people look really nice, but their heart, they need the gospel. So we walk by faith, not sight. And do not denigrate the inspired Word of God that we have by assuming you need some other form of revelation. That something else is superior to what God has given us. And sometimes, well, I saw this vision. Yeah, and I've got flags going up. I think this, you know, there's only one place in the Word of God that I know where two forms of revelation are compared and one is said to be superior. And it's in 2 Peter chapter 1. And Peter is talking about, he was an eyewitness of the majesty of Christ when we were with him on the holy mountain. What's he referring to? Mount of Transfiguration. that as he was there on the mountain and he saw the majesty of God in Christ, as Jesus was there with Moses and Elijah, you can read about it in Matthew chapter 17, and you know what? Peter got it wrong. What he saw, he misinterpreted. He said, let's make three tents, let's build three tabernacles, because he didn't know what else to say. And even as he was talking, while he was speaking, the voice from heaven comes and says, this is my beloved son, listen to him. Peter, quit going by what you see and listen to my word and listen to my son. And so in 2 Peter 1, 19, he says this. So we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place. He said, we've got the written word. We need to heed it. The scaffolding of the miraculous sign gifts have been removed because we have the completed scripture. And so we need to understand as well then that the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to produce faith in the Son of God. And understanding the work of the Spirit. I want to have you turn with me to Ezekiel chapter 37. I want us to just very briefly jump through this passage because it's an interesting passage, but I think we very often miss the meaning. If you're using the Pew Bibles, it's on page 610. I want us to look at several verses so I'm not going to put them on the screen and you're going to need to look at them to follow. But it's a fascinating passage because Ezekiel has this vision and it's really sharing what God is going to do with Israel who's in exile in Babylon at that time in Iraq. And so in verse one, look at what it says. It says, the hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of a valley and it was full of bones. And he caused me to pass by them all around and behold, there were very many in the open valley and they were very dry. Now what is Ezekiel seeing? He's seeing a lot of bones. And what's the condition of these bones? They're really dry. What does that tell us? That they were really dead. I mean, this wasn't somebody who just fainted and maybe they're okay. No, they weren't just mostly dead. They had been baked in the sun. They had been bleached. All the moisture had been pulled out of these bones. And now in verse three, God asks him a question. It says, and he said to me, son of man, Can these bones live? What do you think? Humanly speaking, absolutely not. There's no life. And Ezekiel doesn't really know, but he says, well, Lord, you know. Humanly speaking, there wasn't any hope. But God has the power to bring life from that which is dead. And so what does God ask Ezekiel to do? Look at verse four. And again, he said to me, prophesy to these bones and say to them, oh dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. So Ezekiel's supposed to preach to dry dead bones. And he's told, he's to tell them, listen to the word. I read this and I smile. I think there's gotta be some kind of a pastor's workshop in this passage. There's an old spiritual that has a really catchy tune that was written by James Weldon Johnson, recorded about a hundred years ago, that kind of, it's taken from this passage, but unfortunately, it focuses on the human skeleton, the anatomy of the skeleton, rather than spiritual condition. And this passage is focused on the condition. Because it's illustrating there's a promise that God had given to Israel about their restoration, that's actually chapter 36, and it's interpreted in verse 11 of chapter 37, that they will be brought back to the land, even though it doesn't seem like that's at all possible. They're scattered, they're dead, there's no king, there's no temple, and the people were humanly divided and dispersed, and what seems humanly impossible, God can do. So look at verse seven now. So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a noise, a suddenly, a rattling, and the bones came together, and bone to bone, indeed, I looked, and the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over, but there was no breath in them. So now you've got bodies, but no life. And verse nine, and he said to me, prophesy to the breath. prophesize, son of man, and say to the breath of life, thus says the Lord God, come from the four winds, O breath of life, and breathe on these slain that they may live. And so he prophesied and the life comes. Now I want you to notice the connection between life and breath and the spirit and the speech and the word. So what should really be the emphasis of this passage? It's what we read in verse 4, hear the Word of the Lord. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Spiritual life comes by the Word of life. God breathed out. And when life comes, then there's a regathering. And it says in verse 14 of here in Ezekiel 37, I will put my spirit in you and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, have spoken it and performed it, says the Lord. It's the word of God. Now, how does that apply to us? Have you ever tried to witness to somebody or maybe not witness to them because you think there is no hope? They will never change. They will never respond. They are so caught up in other things. There is no hope. They're like dry bones in the valley of the sun. And it's the word of God that brings life. Don't lose hope. Evangelism is not about human ingenuity and cleverness or gimmicks. It's about giving the word of life. And from an outward appearance, we probably would not have picked Saul of Tarsus. I mean, that guy was imprisoning and killing Christians. There's no hope. And we probably would have had a second look at the rich young ruler. Here's a sincere religious man. He knows the law. Maybe he can help us. And he rejected the gospel, and Saul was saved and became the apostle to the Gentiles. The Word of God is used by the Spirit of God. It's the power of God unto salvation. So back in Romans 10 verse 9, if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. God has put His Spirit in believers. Has He put His Spirit in you? Spiritual life is a transforming life. And so we need to apply this that if you have heard the word, have you responded in saving faith? Faith comes by hearing the word of God. I've sought to give it faithfully this morning. Have you heard it? The message of the gospel demands a heart surrender. Verse 16 in Romans 10 says, they have not all obeyed the gospel. See, the only way an unbeliever can be saved is by calling on the Lord. There's no common law of salvation. Well, I've been a member of church for seven years. I must be able to get in. You know, I got baptized as an infant. I must be good. No. If you were sprinkled as an infant, that tells something about your parents' faith, but you didn't even know what was going on. You probably weren't real happy about it. You have to believe in your heart that Jesus of Nazareth is truly God the Son and that salvation is in him alone. And recognizing this, the gospel is more than just an offer, it's more than just a suggestion. It actually carries a responsibility to respond. That it's not simply laid out there for our decision and we get to make the decision, no, we have to put ourselves under it. Have you responded in saving faith? You can, and you should today. And if you have heard, are you sharing with others? Do you have a great commitment to the Great Commission? See, if God didn't send preachers, no one would hear. And if no one heard, no one could believe. And if no one could believe, no one could call on the Lord. And if no one called, they wouldn't be saved. So the question for all of us is, If we have trusted Christ as our Savior, we have that hope. To whom is the Lord sending you to share the gospel? Are we seeking to take the good news to those in need and have beautiful feet as those who preach the gospel? You know, at this time with Thanksgiving, with Christmas coming, there are a lot of times we get together with people and sometimes family, and sometimes it's hard to deal with family. But pray, meet people, tell them about Jesus. Ask God to stir the heart and lead you to them and them to you. Like a Dr. Wilson, it may be the wrong address but it's the right people because whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Let's pray together.