Well, I want to encourage you this morning to turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 10, Romans chapter 10. And our emphasis will be this morning on verses 14 and 15. And I think it will be helpful if I begin reading back in verse 9 of Romans chapter 10. So beginning with verse 9. Then if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, a person believes, resulting in righteousness. And with the mouth, he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the scripture says, whoever believes in him will not be disappointed. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. For the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on him. For whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things. And let us pray. Father, thank you this day for the opportunity that we have as a people of God to adore you and praise you and seek to bring glory and honor. to thee in various ways that would be in line with your precious and holy word. And as we turn to the section of your scriptures, we pray that you would be glorified and you would be honored. I would pray these moments for the help, in particular of your precious Holy Spirit, to communicate your holy, precious word in a way that would honor thee and bring glory to thee and would be very helpful to our thinking process, illuminating to our minds, helpful to our thought process, even about your precious kingdom and how it progresses and how it advances. And so I pray that you would be glorified and you would be honored during these moments together. And we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, we noticed in especially in verses nine through 13, there's a great emphasis on salvation. That is the salvation, eternal salvation of the soul. And there's also a focus in those verses on the need for faith. And then the spotlight is on the universal focus of the gospel, the universal focus of the gospel. And that's brought brought out in part by the repetition of the word whoever or whosoever that is found in verse 11, as well as in verse 13. And then with respect to the universal focus of the gospel, verse 12 is especially helpful. It talks about there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek. And then also it indicates the same Lord is Lord over all. And that is all people have equal access regardless of their ethnicity or their nationality, there's equal access to the Lord of glory. And then especially the words abounding in riches for all who call upon him. So there's this emphasis on the universal focus of the gospel. And then verse 13 is somewhat of a summary verse for whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Then verses 14 and 15 expand on that summary statement. They expand on whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. And the Apostle Paul does this by means of asking four consecutive questions. And these questions help us to see what conditions create a favorable environment for people to call savingly on the Lord. So he asked four questions. And what these questions do is they help us to understand the conditions or the context that are favorable for men and women to call upon the name of the Lord for salvation. Now the logical, let me just read these four questions. beginning in verse 14 and into the first part of verse 15. Number one, how then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? Number two, how will they believe in him whom they have not heard? Number three, And how will they hear without a preacher? Number four, how will they preach unless they are sent? So those are the four questions. Now, the logical sequence is actually in reverse order because calling on him for salvation, that's the culminating act or the culminating thought. So the logical order would be that preachers are sent. They convey the gospel truth so people can hear. And as a result of hearing, they hopefully will believe. And then as a result of believing, they will call on the name of the Lord for salvation. So these are very important verses because it gives biblical propriety to the whole missionary enterprise, gives authority that undergirds the need to send missionaries to places where the gospel has not been heard. People have never heard about Christ. They've never heard about the necessity of repentance and believing on him. And it also reveals what missionaries should be doing, especially the focus here that is the preaching of the word. And it also helps us to understand why what we do right here is central in the ongoing life of the church. So I think these are very helpful passages. We understand the logic. I think most of us understand the logic of this. I know when I was a new Christian, I was bringing people to Bicentennial Pavilion in Tacoma to hear an evangelist. So they would be, say, bringing people to Park of the Pines Conference Center. So they would be, say, bringing them to hear an evangelist at our church. And you realize there's no guarantee. If you bring somebody to hear the message of the gospel, you recognize that there's no guarantee that they're going to be saved. But you feel it puts them in a favorable context where they're going to hear the word and possibly might be saved. It's like if you go down to the river with your fishing pole, you may not catch anything, but you're certainly not going to catch anything if you stay home. So it puts you in a little better situation to possibly have some success. So this morning we want to consider these four conditions that create the context where hopefully someone will call upon the Lord and be saved. And the first condition is to notice the primacy of believing truth about Christ. The primacy of believing truth about Christ. The first question that Paul asks is, how shall they call upon him in whom they have not believed? Now, a couple of weeks ago, we considered the nature of this calling upon the Lord, and it's especially calling upon him for aid or for help. It can be defined as to invoke, to call upon a deity for assistance or protection. But what is interesting here, we notice that Paul makes a distinction between calling and believing. That's a distinction that we might not normally make in our own minds. How shall they call upon him in whom they have not believed? So he makes a distinction between the two. Now, we understand that the scriptures often present believing as the only thing that is necessary for salvation. John 3.16 says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. You recall the Philippian jailer was trembling and he asked Paul and Silas, what must I do to be saved? And they say, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. So in texts like that, there's no mention of calling at all, but believing is presented as the single soul means of salvation. And so believing in those contexts, I would understand as trusting or putting faith, relying on the person of Christ as he's contained and as he is presented in the gospel. But here, since the Apostle Paul, he's making a distinction between the two. So I would understand believing here to focus more on receiving facts that are related to the person of Christ, receiving facts, acknowledging their truth that are related to the person of Christ. One commentator wrote, the kind of belief Paul has in mind must be the prior stage of believing the facts about Jesus which are included in his name. So in the immediate context here, that would include things like the lordship of Christ, the resurrection of Christ. In first Corinthians, Paul emphasizes centrality of the cross. We preach Christ and him crucified. So I think here believing has respect, especially to embracing facts about Christ as a precursor to actually relying upon him for salvation. John Murray, comments the force of the word calling here, it means there is a relinquishment of every other confidence and abandonment to him as our only help. So there's an exclusivity about it. There's no, well, I'll try God and see how that works. It's like there's no other options. I'm completely relying and depending on the person Christ and I can just add by way of just a little bit of brief review we noted previously then this calling upon God and calling upon Christ becomes the pattern of the Christian life and I think it's one of the great glories of the Christian life here turn if you would to 2nd Timothy chapter 2 and verse 22 2nd Timothy chapter 2 and verse 22 2nd Timothy 2 verse 22 Paul writes, now flee youthful lust and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart with those who I would take have a pattern of calling on the Lord from a pure heart. So Paul emphasizes here the need to flee that which is unholy and pursue righteousness and faith and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart, that is a heart that has been cleansed by sin. But then the question becomes, if one is gonna pursue these things with those who call upon the Lord from a pure heart, you have to be able to identify who that is. He says, flee these things with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. That requires a level of spiritual discernment. You have to figure out, well, who are those people that are calling on the Lord from a pure heart? It's kind of like when Jesus says, don't cast your pearls before swine. Well, you have to use some spiritual discernment and figure out what he means. What category of people is he referring to when he uses the term swine? So how do we know who those are that are calling on the Lord from a pure heart? Well, in the context, Paul helps us negatively and positively. Negatively, it's not those who just call themselves Christians, but don't exhibit moral and spiritual transformation. It's not those. And I'm thinking there of chapter three and verse five, where Paul speaks of those who hold to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. And they said, avoid such men as these. They hold to a form of godliness. They identify themselves as being evangelical Christians, but he says they've denied its power. That is the power of moral and spiritual transformation. So he's saying, when you see this kind of a person, avoid them. They're not gonna help you in your spiritual life. But in verse 19 is the positive side of chapter two. He speaks of everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness. To abstain means to depart or withdraw. So when you discern that one has a practice of staying away from those pursuits and entertainments that would grieve the Holy Spirit or defile the soul, that's the kind of person that is calling upon the Lord from a pure heart. That's the sort of person that is going to help you and I in our pursuing righteousness and holiness and peace. So calling upon the Lord becomes a pattern of the Christian life, and it's a glorious reality because it extends to the last chapter, so to speak, of our pilgrimage on earth. And here it is for a moment. Turn, if you would, to Acts chapter 7. Acts chapter 7 and then verses 57 to 59. And I have here in mind the martyrdom of Stephen, Acts chapter 7 verses 57 to 59. It says, beginning in verse 57, they cried out with a loud voice and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him. And the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. That's the pre-converted Paul. And then verse 59 says, they went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. So here's Stephen, he's being viciously and brutally murdered, but he's not abandoned by God. This is kind of an aspect that he will never leave us or forsake us. He's able to call out in the dying moments of his life. So this pattern of calling on the Lord is very precious because it will facilitate our transition into the world to come. So it's a marvelous privilege of the Christian life. So you might return to Romans chapter 10. We see in the first place the primacy of believing truth about Christ, facts about Christ, things like the resurrection of Christ, the lordship of Christ is a precursor to trusting Him savingly or to calling on Him for salvation. Then in the second place, we want to notice the necessity of hearing. A truth about Christ has to be heard. So Paul goes on and he says, how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard. And now to hear is to learn, is to become aware of something. People say, did you hear about, and they might share certain facts about a particular situation. Remember when Paul was in Athens, his hearers learned much about the nature and the character of God. They learned about the existence of God, that their own existence depended upon him. They learned that he has fixed a day in which he would judge the world. through one whom he had raised from the dead. And it's in this context of hearing truth about God that they are called to repent. So to repent or to call upon Christ, it's not presented in a vacuum, but in this context of other truths and other facts about God and about the person Christ. There's two points under this second heading of significance that I would make. First of all, I would have you notice that Christ himself is presented as being heard in the message. Christ himself is presented as being heard in the message. This is especially brought out in the New American Standard translation. It says, how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard. It doesn't say of whom, but how should they believe in him whom they have not heard. So it stresses that Christ is speaking in the message. C.E.B. Cranfield, helpful commentator on Romans, wrote, the thought is of their hearing Christ speaking in the message of the preachers. John Murray wrote, a striking feature of this clause is that Christ is represented as being heard in the gospel when proclaimed by sent messengers. That presupposes, of course, that they are speaking truth about God and truth about the person of Christ. In Luke chapter 10 and verse 16, Jesus said, The one who listens to you, listens to me. And the one who rejects you, rejects me. He who rejects me, rejects the one who sent me. It's the same kind of logic from 1 Samuel 8. Israel was demanding a human king, like all the other nations. Everybody else has a king, we want one too. And that was displeasing to Samuel. And the Lord said to Samuel, listen to the voice of the people. in regard to all that they say to you for they have not rejected you but they have rejected me from being king over them so so christ is presented as him speaking in the message himself well then secondly um they have to hear before they can believe. They have to hear before they will call on the name of the Lord and be saved. Now I noticed at the beginning, or I observed at the beginning, this gives biblical warrant and legitimacy to the missionary movement to bring the truth of the gospel to those who have never heard. But it also, it also brings a question that might have come to your mind, I'll quote Lloyd-Jones in this respect, He writes, what then is the position of those who have never heard the gospel? What about people who live and die and never hear the gospel? Well, he says, he says there are some, obviously people who would say this, obviously people will, they will not be condemned for not believing the gospel, which they have not heard. That would not be fair. Now, the objection I'm discussing for a moment here is not, sometimes you'll hear the discussion couched in this way, what about the innocent native in Africa that has never heard the gospel? Well, we're not even going to talk about that because there is no such person. There is no innocent native in Africa or Australia or anywhere else, all of sin. and fallen short of the glory of God. So we're not talking about that. What we are talking about is will God condemn somebody for not believing in what they have never heard? I mean, is that fair for God to condemn somebody eternity for eternity when they've never had an opportunity to hear the gospel? And I think the logic, I think the logic of that tends to commend itself to our thinking process because accountability is a function of knowledge. If somebody breaks a rule and then a particular person calls them on that and say, you just broke statute 27C of the county code. And you say, well, I didn't know that. I didn't know that this was a violation of any kind of code. And they say, okay, we'll give you a break this time, but don't do that again. Now you know. Well, we understand, I think, some of the logic of that. Now you understand that this is against the rules or this is against the law. I think we understand that. So how can one be condemned by God if they have never heard the gospel? Let me give you three responses to that. Number one, if that's true, it cuts the nerve center out of the missionary enterprise. If people who have never heard the gospel, if they're going to die and go to heaven, the last thing in the world we should do is speak to them about Christ and make them accountable. In fact, if that is true and you happen to know somebody and they've never heard the gospel, then don't give them a copy of ultimate questions. I mean, don't talk to them at all about Christ. Don't make them accountable when previously they were not. If that is true, If unsaved people in faraway places that have never heard the gospel if they're not under condemnation And if they're not going to die and spend eternity in hell, it makes no sense to send missionaries It makes no sense to speak to people that have never heard the gospel Secondly However, the force of the verses alone that we are considering mitigate against that whole thought. The idea here, there's an urgency to send those to people that have never heard so they will hear and they will understand and they will believe and they will be saved. Now, relatedly, I thought Thomas Schreiner made a helpful point here, and I'll read it in a moment. He's commenting on Romans 1, 18 to 32, and I'm just going to read the beginning part of that. This is Romans 1, 18. Paul writes, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Because that which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, his eternal power, and divine nature have been clearly seen. being understood through what has been made so that they are without excuse. They are without excuse on the basis of natural revelation, not special revelation, not clear biblical truth about the gospel. They are without excuse on the basis of natural revelation. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth forth. its handiwork. So the teaching of that section in Romans is not that they respond to the light that they have, but rather that they suppress the knowledge of God in their souls, and they exchange the truth of God for a lie, and they become idolaters. And so Schreiner says we have already seen that Paul does not contemplate the possibility that people will be saved by responding positively to natural revelation. All people, without exception, reject the revelation of God heralded in nature and turn to idolatry. So I want to say people who have never heard the gospel, they're sinners. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. They're under condemnation because of their sin. They do not respond positively to the light that they have. They suppress the knowledge of God. that is written in their hearts and they pursue idolatry. And then a third response to that would be our solidarity with Adam certifies the fact of our condemnation. You're probably ahead of me on that one. our solidarity with Adam certifies the fact of our condemnation. That is, every person without exception is either in Adam or in Christ. There's no other options, one of the two. Every person is either in a state of union and solidarity with the first Adam or the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, it's been a while since we've been there, but if you turn back to Romans 5 in verse 12, Romans 5 in verse 12, Paul writes, therefore, justice through one man's sin entered into the world and death through sin. And so death spread to all men because all sinned. Death spread to all men because all sinned. Now, I don't believe that is the fact of individual sins that men and women has created. Death passes to all because they have sinned. There are many infants who die and they've never sinned individually. Rather, as John Murray says, the one sin of one man, Adam, is accounted to be the sin of all. Or Charles Hodge, all sinned when Adam sinned. So we are regarded as participating, even though we weren't there, nevertheless, we're regarded as participating in Adam's sin. His act is regarded as our act. Or as Hodge puts it, all sinned in Adam as their head and their representative. There's this identification with Adam. maybe a positive illustration that will be helpful it's a positive illustration that may not be helpful so we'll just run it by you but let's suppose that you're a Seahawks fan and you know somebody that's a 49ers fan and the Seahawks beat the 49ers and you call them up later that day and you say we beat you guys And the 49er fan says back to you, we? Is your name Russell Wilson? I didn't see you doing anything on the field. What do you mean, we? Well, we identify with what was accomplished by the team. And so we understand that kind of thinking process. Negatively, We all sinned in Adam as their head. We've all sinned in Adam as our head and our representative. Now, there are those who say that's not fair. It's not fair that I'm under condemnation for my solidarity with Adam when I wasn't even there and I didn't even do that. You don't want to go down that road. you don't want to go down the that's not fair road for this reason because as a result of calling on the person of the lord jesus christ as savior then we find ourselves in union and solidarity with him and then we find that we are completely accepted based on the act of another and it's got nothing at all to do with us if we are accepted on the basis of our own works we would be in big trouble because we're all sinners and we continue to be sinners. We are completely accepted on the basis of an act of another, the pure, perfect, holy obedience of the person of Christ to every demand of God. He's fulfilled the law of God perfectly. So all unsaved people, whether they've heard the gospel or not, they're under condemnation because of their condition and because of their position, their solidarity with Adam. So we see here the the primacy of believing and then secondly the necessity of hearing and then in the third place the centrality of preaching the centrality of preaching And Paul goes on to say how shall they hear without a preacher and This may sound like the job security part of the sermon, but it's really not. I'm just trying to relate what the text has to say here, okay? How shall they hear without a preacher? To proclaim, it means to proclaim. Proclaim aloud, to announce, to make known. Now, it is clear that preaching is not the only way that men and women are saved. It's not the only way that truth is conveyed. But I do believe, in concert with some other texts, it does help us to see the centrality of preaching in the Christian religion, the centrality of preaching in the advancing of the kingdom and in the Christian religion. So let me just offer five sort of brief sub points here. And this is just a kind of a quick tour through some parts of the New Testament to show the centrality and importance of preaching. And you can either just jot these verses down or turn to them, whatever you find to be the most helpful. But the first one's in Matthew chapter three, verses one and two. Matthew chapter three, verses one and two. We have the example of John the Baptist. Matthew chapter three, verses one and two. Now in those days, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, repent for the kingdom of heaven So his method, his practice was preaching. The content of his message was repentance. In Mark chapter one in verse four, it's a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. So number one, we have the example of John the Baptist. And then secondly, there is the example of Jesus. And here, if you just drop down into verse 17 of Matthew chapter four, from that time, Jesus began to preach and say, repent. for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. So the same practice and the same message. And then we find out that this was our Lord's ongoing pattern. Notice verse 23 of Matthew chapter 24. Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. And then also the same point is made in Matthew chapter nine and verse 35 with respect to the person of Christ. He was an itinerant preacher and he went from one place to another preaching. 35, Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. And then Matthew chapter 11 and verse one, when Jesus had finished giving instructions to his 12 disciples, he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities. So we noticed that this is the ongoing practice of the Lord Jesus. Not only that, he indicates this is the very purpose for which he came. Because in Mark chapter one and verse 38, It says, he said to them, let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby so that I may preach there also for this is what I came for. And then just another text to make the point would be Luke chapter four. Luke chapter four and then verse 43. But he said to them, I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also for I was sent for this purpose. So this was the ongoing pattern of the Lord Jesus Christ and the advancing of the kingdom. He went from one place to the other preaching. And not only that, he is empowered by the Holy Spirit for this purpose. If you turn back to Luke four and then verses 17 and 18, It says the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him and he opened the book and found the place where it was written. The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind to set free those who are oppressed. Well, then number three, we have the example of John the Baptist, the example of Jesus, and then just very briefly, the example of the disciples. This is from Mark chapter six. In verse 12, when they were sent out, and it just simply says, they went out and preached that men should repent. So you have John the Baptist, you have Jesus, now you have the disciples, they're all doing the same thing. And then in the fourth place, without too many references, the material in the Acts of the Apostles makes this point as well. In here, I'm turning to Acts chapter 9 and verse Acts chapter 9 and verse 20. And the reason the Acts of the Apostles is so helpful is because now we have the resurrection of Christ, we have the ascension of Christ, and we notice that the plan is the same. Nothing has changed at all. So in verse 20 of Acts chapter 9, Paul had been converted earlier in the chapter. And then verse 20, immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogue saying he is the son of God. So here we have Paul has been converted. Now he's preaching, the content of his preaching is Jesus is the son of God. And if you turn the page to Acts chapter 10 and verse 42, we have the example of the apostle Peter. And he says, he ordered us to preach to the people and solemnly to testify that this is the one who has been appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead." Now keep in mind, this is Peter's fourth sermon in the Acts of the Apostles, and we've had the sermon of Stephen in Acts chapter 7, and we're informed here of the manner of their preaching. The New American Standard brings this out. It's with solemnity because the gravity of the message There's not levity. There's not, this is joke time. You know, did you hear the one about, there's none of that. And then we see something of the substance of their preaching, the resurrection in verse 40, that Christ will be the judge of the living or the dead in verse 42. And then we note the reason it wasn't like, okay, Jesus has now ascended. What should we do? But we're told he, Peter says he ordered us to preach. So it removes any kind of ambiguity about what they should be doing. And then one final verse, If you turn to 2 Timothy 4, and this is particularly relevant, I think, to our situation or to any local church situation. I'm going to read verses 1 through 4, but it's especially verse 2. that I would have you notice. Second Timothy chapter four and verses one through four, particularly verse two. And this has a great applicability, I believe, to our situation and again to any local church situation. Paul says, I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead and by his appearing in his kingdom, preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. So Paul, he's writing His martyrdom is looming. This is the last letter he writes to Timothy. He's a pastor in Ephesus. And there's a sense of urgency, and there's no possible way Timothy can read these verses and wonder, gee, what should I be doing now? I just don't know what I should be doing. I mean, the motivation is as profound as you could possibly conceive of. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing in his kingdom. And then the declaration is pretty straightforward. Preach the word and then the determination to do so in season and out of season. That means be ready. That means be at one's task. Whether it's convenient or not, you know, whether you're getting, that was really a good sermon or not. You just keep at it. You just stay with it. And then the clarification is in verse three, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. This is the tendency of some professing believers that will fall away from the truth. That is the word of truth, the message and teachings that are from God. So the apostle Paul, he pours it on here with respect to Timothy, because there is a tendency, the truth is offensive, is it not? We have remaining sin. So there's a tendency to kind of want to soft pedal that a little bit and go to plan B. So he just uses the strongest language possible to underscore the centrality of preaching in the advancing of the kingdom and in the Christian religion. Now, one can believe and affirm everything that I have said. A couple of things here that are on the humbling side, one can still be a bit disenchanted with preaching, even though it is central to the progress of the kingdom. There are mitigating factors that can govern the effectiveness of preaching. I was sharing a version of this with Mark several weeks ago. The church is a family, right? We're all family. So I was sharing a version of this with Mark a few weeks ago and using a little bit of hyperbole. There's some Sundays, Sunday afternoons or Monday. And I look back on Sunday morning and I'm thinking, that's it. Nobody's going to show up next week. I mean, this is, I'm going to be, it's just going to be Carolyn and I. I'll probably have to pick her up on the way. And I mean, it's over, you know. But nevertheless, there are mitigating factors that can govern the effectiveness of preaching. Let me share some of those. One is it can be done in the wrong spirit. You know, you can say the right thing in the wrong way. And you've probably heard sermons by a guy and you're thinking, who's he mad at? I mean, what happened to him? And it is possible, we all have limited attention spans, so it's possible to preach too long, sermons that are just too long. As Spurgeon wrote a very helpful, he was a pastor in London in the 19th century and has a very helpful book called Lectures to My Students, and he speaks about avoiding being too long. He said, an old preacher used to say to a young man who preached an hour, my dear friend, I do not care what else you preach about, but I wish you would always preach about 40 minutes. He says, we outsell them to go much beyond that 45 minutes or say three quarters of an hour. If a fellow cannot say all he has to say at that time, when will he say it? But somebody said he'd like to do justice to his subject. Well, but ought he not to do justice to his people or at least have a little mercy upon them and not keep them too long? So it's possible to preach too long. I understand that it's possible to have inadequate preparation. Paul speaks here about preaching the word in another place. He talks about laboring in word and in doctrine. So sometimes one is just not prepared. Again, to quote Spurgeon, he says, brevity is a virtue within the reach of all of us. Do not let us lose the opportunity of gaining the credit which it brings. If you ask me how you may shorten your sermons, I should say study them better. Spend more time in the study that you may need less in the pulpit. We are generally longest when we have least to say. A man with a great deal of well-prepared matter will probably not exceed 40 minutes. When he has less to say, he will go on for 50 minutes. And when he has absolutely nothing, he will need an hour to say it in. So, and then just one other one is I thought it's kind of interesting. In some cases there's inadequate preparation. In some cases there's inadequate ventilation. That is that just the room that you're in can be antithetical to hearing into. and to listening. So having said all that, whatever other excuses one can come up with, we do see the centrality of preaching, the advancing of the gospel. So number one, there is the primacy of believing. Number two, the necessity of hearing. Number three, the centrality of preaching. Then fourthly, the authority that underlies preaching. The authority that underlies preaching. Paul writes in verse 15, he says, how shall they preach unless they are sent? Now that brings out the need for a clear commission from God for the task. How shall they preach unless they are sent? So then the question arises, how does one know if he is sent? I mean, it can't be, you know, I tried selling insurance, that didn't work. After two months, I'm an apprentice, they told me to go home, so I guess I'll try preaching, see if that, how that works out. It can't be that. Now Isaiah got a direct word from God. So it was clear to him that he was sent. The Apostle Paul was met by the resurrected Christ. So he knew that he was sent. But in our times, how do you know that? I mean, how does one know if he should be preaching the word? Let me just suggest there are two factors in my view that govern this. The first one is this. How do you know that you're sent? The first one would be there is a constraint or compulsion of soul. This is kind of subjective, but this is what I must do. There must be a persuasion in the soul, in the heart, that this is what I have to do. Now, if you've ever looked, you probably don't, but if you've ever looked at books like on pastoral theology, they have a section on the call And they'll have a statement like this. This is from Spurgeon. The first sign of the heavenly calling is an intense, all absorbing desire for the work. He quotes another who says, do not enter the ministry if you can help it. In other words, if you can do anything else, do it. And then in 1 Corinthians 9, 16, Paul said this, I am under compulsion. He says, woe is me if I preach not the gospel. Compulsion is, it's necessity. It's the force of obligation. And woe is me is Paul thinks of some, Leon Morris, right? He thinks of some undefined disaster or woe is coming to him if he doesn't preach. And so I believe that there has to be some sense of this in any Any guy anywhere that is preaching the word woes me if I preach not the gospel. If I go to plan B, I might get swallowed up by a big fish or something like that. God's done that before. So there is this sense in the soul, this is what I must do. So there is this conviction of soul. How do you know that you're sent? There's a conviction of soul, but there has to be the affirmation of others also. You don't want to be the only one that's heard the call. You want to make others, make sure that others affirm that as well. If you're preaching week after week, after week, after week, and your mother is the only one that is showing up, then, you know, don't quit your day job. It's probably not a good sign. So how do you know that you're sent? Well, there's at least these two factors. There's conviction of soul. This is what I must do. And then secondly, there's the confirmation of others. So we see here that these questions form a context, they create a climate that is conducive for calling on the name of the Lord. We see the primacy of believing truth about Christ, and secondly, the necessity of hearing, that is, learning about Christ, and especially things like the resurrection of Christ, and the lordship of Christ, and the judgment of Christ, and the need for repentance and turning to Christ entirely and looking to him for forgiveness of sins. Now, we can all do that. We can all communicate as we have opportunity. We can communicate those things to men and women about their souls. And then thirdly, the centrality of preaching. It's not the only way that people learn about Christ, but clearly it is a chief means that God has established for the salvation of souls and the promotion of his kingdom. Well, I think that's been about 40 minutes, so we should probably look to the Lord and pray. Father, I ask that you might take these considerations, apply them to our heart and our souls and help us to grow in our understanding of the church, the character and the nature of the church, I pray. what we have considered today would be helpful to our understanding of how the church operates and how it progresses. And we pray in these days that you might be pleased across this land to raise up men who've been called by you to propagate the holy, pure gospel, the only message that will deliver men and women from eternal darkness and usher them in to the sweet and precious eternal presence of the person of Christ. And we ask these things in Jesus' name, amen.