Sermon | Romans 10:14–15 | 2026 May 17
Title: Sermon | Romans 10:14–15 | 2026 May 17
Scripture: Romans 10:14–15 (ESV, reference only)
Date: 2026 May 17
Speaker: Rev. John Chen
Translated & edited by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)
Scripture: Romans 10:14–15.
Title: Proclaiming the Gospel (2026 May 17)
Theme Statement: By understanding the pathway through which the gospel is proclaimed, we can better proclaim the gospel of the Lord, so that the kingdom of God may spread widely.
Question Statement: What is the pathway through which the gospel is transmitted?
Transition Statement: The proclamation of the gospel follows the pathway below.
Keyword: what.
Introduction: Today we continue our study of the book of Romans.
The Pathway of Gospel Proclamation.
In order to call upon the Lord, one must believe; in order to believe, one must hear; in order to hear, there must be preaching; and in order for there to be preaching, there must be those who are sent. Paul uses a reverse progression in order to emphasize the importance of evangelism.
There are several links in this chain to which we must pay attention. First, regarding the matter that one must call upon the name of the Lord in order to be saved, the word “call upon” appears ninety-three times in the whole Bible. Among these, it appears five times in Genesis and three times in Deuteronomy. Genesis 4:26 speaks of calling upon the name of the LORD. Genesis 12:8 records Abraham calling upon the name of God. Genesis 13:4 and 21:33 record Abraham calling upon the name of God. Genesis 26:25 records Isaac calling upon the name of God.
From this, we can know that the truth that calling upon the name of the Lord brings salvation had already been revealed in Genesis.
Second, the source of evangelism is being sent. That is to say, the Apostle Paul confirmed that he was sent to proclaim the gospel of the Lord because he had received a direct command from God. Those who preach the gospel cannot simply act on their own initiative. It comes from the clear instruction of God and the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Now, some people say, “I have not been sent by the Lord, therefore I should not preach the gospel.” This is incorrect. Why? Because before the Lord ascended into heaven, He had already given this Great Commission to His disciples, that is, to us. Matthew 28:18–20. We should memorize it.
Therefore, every Christian now already has the mission of proclaiming the gospel and has been sent.
Being sent, preaching, hearing, believing, calling upon the name of the Lord. From this chain, we can also observe several details. First is preaching. We must use every possible method to communicate this message. This preaching must involve both verbal witness and personal witness. We must speak and proclaim, but we must also have good testimony and transformed lives ourselves. Therefore, Christians must strive to proclaim the gospel in every environment. As long as there is opportunity, we must proclaim it. This is our mission and our responsibility. It cannot be shirked, nor can it be ignored.
Another point is that the method God uses is not seeing, but hearing. God desires people to hear the gospel. Why hearing rather than seeing, we do not fully understand. However, what we can know is that hearing is a lower-threshold means, and hearing can also be a collective activity. Hearing is a personal interaction, whereas seeing is not. Of course, these are only our speculations, but the method ordained by God is hearing, not seeing, feeling, or experiencing. This is something we need to be reminded of.
Notice several key points: one must be sent; the gospel is spread through oral proclamation from mouth to ear; one must hear; one must believe. Certainly, the Word of God can indeed be seen, felt, and experienced, but the prerequisite is hearing. Hearing is the first point of contact. Next comes believing. After hearing, one must believe. This is the means by which the gospel is received. No matter how well one hears, if one cannot truly believe from the heart, it is still in vain.
This kind of believing is what we mentioned in several previous sermons. It is sincere belief; it is complete entrusting of oneself. It is not merely knowing with the mouth or knowing with the mind. Rather, it is having assurance in the heart and being willing to entrust one’s life to this gospel.
This process, of course, is progressive and gradual, but the pathway must be faith. We believe more and more, and we become increasingly clear. Our faith grows larger and larger, until eventually it is as though we have already seen the kingdom of heaven through faith. This is the process in which faith must grow.
The Reward of Gospel Proclamation.
How beautiful are the feet of this person upon the mountains. Of course, this does not mean that those who preach the gospel literally have especially attractive feet. Rather, in terms of one’s footsteps, in terms of the significance of one’s conduct, proclaiming the gospel is exceedingly beautiful.
In this present world, what could be more beautiful than the footsteps of those who proclaim the gospel? What could be more important than proclaiming the gospel? What could be more important than knowing God and understanding His will? There is nothing greater. In the entire universe, the most important matter is the proclamation of the gospel.
Broadly speaking, when we preach sermons, build churches, and teach theology, we are all proclaiming the gospel. Narrowly speaking, when we proclaim Jesus one-on-one or one-to-many, we are proclaiming the gospel. When we are doing these things, the heart of God is satisfied, and we receive God’s commendation. Therefore, we must do the things that please God.
This is the reward of the highest prophet. The prophets of old also proclaimed the gospel, but what they proclaimed was prophecy, whereas what we proclaim now is the substance itself, namely Jesus Christ who became flesh for us. We proclaim His works and His love toward us. Therefore, what we are doing is the very thing the Old Testament prophets did. What a glorious and wonderful matter this is. In the process of proclaiming the gospel, it is inevitable that God is with us.
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, we must courageously proclaim the gospel and bear beautiful witness for the Lord.
The Content of Gospel Proclamation.
Let us look at Isaiah 52:7, which Paul quoted. The prophet Isaiah used four terms to describe the gospel. These are: good tidings, peace, good news, and salvation. These describe the gospel from different perspectives.
Therefore, these glad tidings, this good message, are good news concerning peace and concerning salvation. It means that in Christ we have obtained the opportunity to be reconciled to God, and this brings true peace into life.
Beautiful upon the mountains, because Jerusalem was situated upon a mountain. This indicates that the one proclaiming the gospel is returning to Jerusalem in order to report good news.
Your God reigns. This is the great good news that the kingdom of heaven has come. Humanity has no second king. There is only one King, namely Jesus Christ, who is both God and man. He has already taken authority into His hands and will reign throughout all generations.
The fact that Paul omitted this phrase does not mean it is unimportant. Quite the contrary, this is the core content of the gospel message: our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, reigns as King. The reason the Apostle Paul did not explicitly mention it is because this was a message his readers certainly already knew. But today, we still must proclaim it well.
The divinity of the Lord Jesus has always reigned as King. What is referred to here is that His humanity has begun to govern all authority in the universe. This is a revolutionary impact upon our worldview, our view of life, and our system of values. The kingship of the Lord Jesus completely changes our understanding of this world. In light of this fact, we must reevaluate our present circumstances.
Now, the most important setting in the world is the setting where the gospel is proclaimed. There, this great King is proclaimed. He has already advanced with His great army and is calling people to repent. Otherwise, when His kingdom arrives, judgment will also come.
What the Lord Jesus values most is the moral nature of a person, not a person’s wealth or power. This is completely different from the judgment of the world. We must adjust our perspective in Christ.
It is justification by faith, not justification by works of the law.
Conclusion: We must use the authority God has given us to courageously proclaim the gospel.
Questions:
What are the various stages involved in proclaiming the gospel?
What reward does God give to those who proclaim the gospel?
In today’s passage, what is the content of the gospel?
**I. The Path of Gospel Proclamation** The means of spreading the gospel — the order of preaching (five steps a person must go through before hearing the gospel): 1) being sent, 2) preaching, 3) hearing, 4) believing, 5) calling on the name of the Lord. Paul states these steps in reverse order. ... Read more
**I. The Path of Gospel Proclamation**
The means of spreading the gospel — the order of preaching (five steps a person must go through before hearing the gospel): 1) being sent, 2) preaching, 3) hearing, 4) believing, 5) calling on the name of the Lord. Paul states these steps in reverse order.
The phrase "call upon the name of the Lord" appears 93 times in the Bible. This is not a new truth introduced by Paul — it has been present since Genesis.
Its first appearance is in Genesis 4:26:
> *"At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD."* (Genesis 4:26b, ESV)
Its second appearance is in Genesis 12:8, after God called Abram, who then began to call upon the name of the LORD:
> *"From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD."* (Genesis 12:8, ESV)
Genesis 21:33 also mentions Abraham calling upon the name of the LORD:
> *"Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God."* (Genesis 21:33, ESV)
His son Isaac did the same (Genesis 26:25):
> *"So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants dug a well."* (Genesis 26:25, ESV)
That calling upon the name of the Lord brings salvation is evident already in Genesis, and is also made clear in the book of Joel.
**The prerequisite for calling upon the name of the Lord is faith.** One must first believe before one can call. To believe in the heart and confess with the mouth is to call upon the name of God — entrusting all things into His hands in dependence and hope.
Before believing, one must **hear**. The gospel is spread through hearing. Information can be received through sight, touch, or smell, but God chose what may seem to us an unusual means — hearing. The message of the gospel is transmitted through the ears. Reading requires literacy; hearing does not. More importantly, hearing is God's appointed means by which people receive the gospel. How can people hear? Because someone preaches. Preaching the gospel is a critically important work: someone must preach for someone to hear, for someone to believe, and for someone to call upon the name of the Lord.
How does a person come to preach? He must be sent. The Spirit of God must call him before he can preach. God calls trained pastors within the church to proclaim the message. But this commission is also given to you:
> *"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"* (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV)
People everywhere are called not merely to hear, but to become disciples, to be baptized, and to obey God's Word. As we proclaim the gospel, God is with us always. In Christ, we are to spread the gospel. Every Christian has been given this mission — the Lord Jesus has sent every one of us, so that people may hear, believe, and call upon His name.
The chain of steps is this: **being sent → preaching** (in the broad sense, to evangelize; in the narrow sense, a pastor proclaiming the message) **→ hearing** (under the leading of the Holy Spirit) **→ believing → calling upon the name of the Lord.**
You must **believe** — not merely *know*. You must believe. Your life must be transformed by this message; it must become the defining message of your life. Proclaiming the gospel is something you must do. No matter what, you are to share the gospel with those around you. Evangelism is not merely a ministry program — it is an expression of life itself. We must share the gospel in every dimension of our lives: not only by speaking the message, but by being a living witness to the Lord in all we do.
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**II. The Reward of Proclaiming the Gospel**
How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel — there is even a hymn written in praise of gospel proclamation, a testimony to how greatly God delights in it. Sharing the gospel is something God takes special pleasure in. It would rank among the top three things God is pleased to see us do. Go and share the gospel with your neighbors and coworkers.
Some people feel embarrassed about evangelism. You hand someone a gospel tract and they don't even look at you. You may be a person of standing and status, yet there you are on the street handing out flyers — it feels beneath you. You may be a manager at your company, but sharing the gospel makes you feel like you're begging someone for a favor. After all, people who hand out flyers on the street are usually trying to sell something nobody wants. Now that we hold an evangelism outreach every two months, there's a particular pressure that comes with it — because it can feel like we're pushing a product no one is buying. This is something we must directly confront. Always asking people to believe in the Lord feels embarrassing, almost like a pyramid scheme where recruiting someone gets you a reward. We must not be ashamed of the gospel. We must train our inner resolve. For the one who proclaims the gospel, who brings good news — how beautiful are his feet. There are two ways to be seen: how the world sees you and how you see yourself, and then how God sees you. The crucifixion of the Lord Jesus was deeply shameful by the world's standards, yet it was the most glorious event in history. In China, Christians face government persecution and it can appear deeply shameful. But when we go out with gospel tracts, the angels rejoice.
Some say that handing out gospel tracts has no effect. On the surface it may seem like few people come to faith through them — yet Sister Guo in our church came through a tract, and so did brothers and sisters from Africa. I believe that two hundred years ago, when Robert Morrison first came to China, he could never have imagined that China would one day have churches like ours. The gospel is, at its core, carried by God — but God carries it through people. There is a deeply moving story of gospel work in Africa. A missionary family went to Africa to share the gospel. The local people refused to receive them, so they lived outside the village. The missionary's wife and children died there. There was a young boy who sold eggs, and they shared the gospel with him. The missionary eventually returned to America. His daughter later came to faith in the United States. At a meeting, she saw an African pastor preaching, and when she inquired, she discovered he was that very boy who had once sold eggs. Evangelism is a school of humility. Will you trust your own perspective, or will you trust God's Word? You may feel ashamed, others may look down on you — I myself am training to examine whether I am ashamed of the gospel. Do not be brought low by the contempt of others. If many people look down on you because of the gospel, your crown in heaven will be all the greater. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. Train yourself not to be ashamed of the gospel.
What exactly is this reward? I cannot say for certain. But spiritual growth and closeness with God are sure to come, and you will receive a reward beyond measure — just as the Old Testament prophets did. Isaiah and Jeremiah wrote such magnificent books, yet nearly all the prophets were killed by the people of Israel. Why did these great prophets face such persecution? Because they proclaimed the gospel. This is the norm. At your workplace, if you identify yourself as a Christian, people may not yet discriminate against you — but the moment you start sharing the gospel, they will look down on you and act as though they are superior. Do not care about the world's opinion. Open your mouth with courage — until they die, or you die. As long as you are alive, this message must be proclaimed.
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**III. The Content of Gospel Proclamation**
> *"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'"* (Isaiah 52:7, ESV)
**Ascending the mountain:** Jerusalem is situated on a mountain, so one must climb to bring good news. Paul appears to omit several key words from this passage — most notably, *"who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'"* Paul assumes his readers are thoroughly familiar with the Old Testament. But we would do well to look carefully at what this passage in Isaiah actually means.
Recently a major event took place — two heads of state met (Trump and China's president). Jesus reigns as King, yet we seem to feel very little about this. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus — that is what it means for Jesus to reign as King. But we rarely stop to consider what this actually means for us.
Last week we used this illustration: two children from the same village — one studied hard, went to study abroad in America, and became a wealthy man; the other sweeps the streets, his son delivers food. What would most people say? *"You've got to work hard and strive."* But if I told you that the poorer child believed in Jesus, their eternal outcomes would be radically different. *"Your God reigns"* means your God stands at the gates of heaven and hell, watching over you.
Here is another illustration. Imagine the college entrance exam changed — instead of testing academic subjects, it tested whether you washed your parents' feet at night and cooked meals for them. Brother Wang, a physics teacher, would immediately start training his students to wash feet and cook. The whole country would be thrown into chaos — high schools would turn into bathhouses and restaurants. But if the exam criteria changed from kindergarten onward, testing how well you could cook and wash feet, with the best performers earning admission to Peking University — that is what it means for Jesus to reign as King. The rules have changed. It no longer looks at your worldly wealth and achievements; it looks at how much you trust in Jesus. If you do not believe, it's the lake of fire — it doesn't matter if you're Elon Musk or Tim Cook. But if you go to church and share the gospel, you go to heaven. This may sound like a joke, but it is the truth. Every human rule has been overturned. We once thought suffering in the countryside was the hard life, and having an apartment in the city meant happiness. Now the criteria have changed — the question is whether you believe in Jesus. All the money in the world is worthless; the angels will seize you and cast you into the lake of fire. The expression the Apostle Paul uses is: *"Your God reigns."* The entire examination system has changed. What is being tested is the degree of your trust in Jesus — and on that basis, crowns and rewards are given in heaven.
This has everything to do with how you reorient your life. Your life was once aimed at making yourself *"more successful"* — using wealth, education, and marriage to improve yourself. But the rules of the exam have changed. Whether this is truly good news or bad news for you depends entirely on your trust in Jesus. I am not speaking in metaphors — this is fact. This is how heaven keeps score. Heaven tests whether you trusted God in every area of your life and earnestly kept His statutes and ordinances. When heads of state meet, they imagine they are deciding the future of the world — but this is laughable. Heaven does not test how many nanometers a chip is, or what your academic credentials are. These things have nothing to do with the exam at all.
Likewise, when your life ends and you stand before the judgment seat, what Jesus will ask is: *Did you trust Me? Did you know Me? What did you do in this life?* At that moment, if you say, *"My company was worth this much, I was a major executive"* — heaven does not test for that. *"Your God reigns"* is a truth that completely overturns your life. Trusting in the Lord Jesus is what brings salvation. But how you lived out that faith in life, and what your conduct on earth looked like — this determines your reward in heaven.
Those who say *"I'd be happy with just a small stool in heaven"* — your indifference to heavenly reward actually reveals that you don't really believe at all. Everything in life on earth is a foreshadowing; the one thing we are truly called to do is to proclaim the gospel and keep God's law here on earth. God already holds all authority in heaven. What God prizes is whether you truly love Him. Whether you are a delivery driver or penniless — if you faithfully keep God's law from where you stand, you will still score highly in heaven. Lazarus scored very low by earth's standards, yet he received his reward. The rich man had wealth and could have gotten into Stanford — but in hell he begged for a drop of water on his tongue. It is Jesus who grades. It is Jesus who sets the exam.
How can we be reconciled to God? Money, wealth, and academic credentials are all useless — only the precious blood of Jesus can give you peace. Understanding what God wants, and what He is testing, is of the utmost importance for you. The reason people begin strategizing for the college entrance exam from kindergarten is because it appears, in this life, to determine the trajectory of one's future. But the content of the heavenly exam has changed. So give everything you have to preparing for the exam that leads to eternal life.
You must look past the surface to the underlying reality. In the classical tale *Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio*, a demon wears the skin of a beautiful woman to harm people. The world's celebrated figures are no different. People like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs have become role models for many — names that inspire envy and ambition. Yet they are the very material of hell. Meanwhile, no one reads the writings of the saints. Whether you live in a rural African village or in Manhattan, the scoring system has already changed. You must strip away the devil's disguise and see the truth beneath. Why pursue holiness? Why practice spiritual discipline? Because that worldly system is a lie that leads only to hell — and this heavenly system is the truth.
When your life grows increasingly holy, increasingly full of joy, and you are able to face death with peace and confidence — that itself is the reward. The people of the world may thrive while they can still earn money, but when they lie old and frail on their deathbeds, what awaits them is helplessness and despair — and this is something the world will never put on display for you to see. God's scoring system is always running. Brother Wang's score is growing; Chen John's score may have slipped a little — he needs to press on. The reason Paul kept running without stopping was because an eternal reward awaited him at the finish line. You must tell the world: the scoring system has changed. When that true system is finally revealed, you will see Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor Wu of Han, Qin Shi Huang, and Steve Jobs — all standing in judgment in hell. You must have the eyes to see this real and coming judgment.