Sermon | Romans 10:16–18 | 2026 June 7
Title: Sermon | Romans 10:16–18 | 2026 June 7
Scripture: Romans 10:16–18 (ESV, reference only)
Date: 2026 June 7
Speaker: Rev. John Chen
Translated & edited by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)
Scripture: Romans 10:16–18.
Title: Who Has Believed What We Have Proclaimed? (2026 June 7)
Theme Statement: We must ask the Holy Spirit to move and guide our hearts, so that we may receive this precious gospel.
Question Statement: How does a person receive the gospel of God?
Transition Statement: A person receives the gospel of God through the following ways.
Key Word: How.
Introduction: Today we continue sharing from the book of Romans.
Know the difficulty of believing the gospel.
The message of the gospel is not difficult to understand, but there are very few people who are willing to believe it. Here, we need to distinguish between two concepts: knowing and believing. Knowing refers to knowing the content of the gospel. Believing refers to believing the content of the gospel. Knowing is the work of the mind; believing is the work of faith. To know and understand something is not difficult, as long as a person is willing to listen. But believing requires the work of the Holy Spirit.
Then, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, what is there in the content of the gospel itself that is difficult to believe? Paul quotes the words of the prophet Isaiah: Who has believed what we have proclaimed? Let us first come to the age of the prophet Isaiah and look at the historical situation of this prophecy.
The period in which the prophet Isaiah served was the time of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. At this time, the national strength of Judah was rapidly declining. The Assyrian Empire continued to rise in the Middle East. In the sixth year of King Hezekiah, the northern kingdom was destroyed by Assyria. In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Jerusalem was besieged by Assyria. Although later God struck down the Assyrian army, the position of the southern kingdom remained precarious. It was caught under the contention of the rising power Babylon, Assyria, and Egypt.
How could the God of such a small nation possibly be the God who created and rules over all things in the universe? Isaiah 45:5–8: how could the God who makes such a declaration possibly be the God of Israel?
In addition, this is a gospel outwardly wrapped in suffering. Isaiah 53:2–3: a gospel with no form or majesty, no power or status, a gospel that continually requires one to humble oneself, is indeed difficult for people to accept.
How could such a Messiah accomplish salvation? What kind of Messiah were the Israelites hoping for? They were hoping for a Messiah who could drive away the Romans with miracles, a David-like warrior who could fight battles.
For us, what kind of Messiah do we need? Is it not also a Messiah who establishes political power, leads us to turn things around and make revolution, and brings us a happy life? This is also the reason why the Jews rejected the Lord Jesus. An “incapable and humble” Messiah must be put to death; this is the logic of the Jews.
Isaiah 53:1: To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? The arm is a symbol of power.
In the human heart, people hope that they will continually rise higher, and they hope to receive acknowledgment and approval. But the gospel requires us to walk in the completely opposite direction. This is the most difficult part of the gospel for people to accept.
Pagan beliefs are always tied to ability, wealth, and power, so as to become a religion pursued by the people of the world. We Christians must by no means walk down this old road, using celebrities to promote the faith. This dishonors God.
Trust in the gospel that is heard.
However, such a gospel is precisely the gospel that we must trust in, and it alone is the true gospel, because the gospel makes us focus on the most fundamental problem in our life: not power, not wealth, not health, but sin. And the dealing with sin requires a Lamb of atonement, the only Mediator between God and man; it requires this humbled Servant.
Therefore, if a person is not focused on the problem of sin, he cannot possibly understand why the Lord Jesus had to be crucified for us, and he cannot possibly understand the importance of a humbled Messiah who bears the debt of sin for us.
Faith comes from hearing the word. Where does this faith come from? This faith comes from hearing the word. Therefore, we Christians must listen seriously to the preaching of the word. Question 160 of the Westminster Larger Catechism regulates how Christians should hear the word and how they should obey the word of God. When we hear the word with a heart of reverence, the Spirit of God will guide us to understand and believe the truth we have heard, so that the faith given by God may be built up. Westminster Confession of Faith 14.1 clearly says that saving faith is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word, and by the administration of the sacraments and prayer, it is increased and strengthened.
Hearing the word comes from the word of Christ. Where does the message preached by preachers come from? Is it their own word? No. This word comes from the word of Christ. It is very clear that the apostle Paul regards the whole Old Testament Scripture as the word of Christ; it is Christ speaking in the Old Testament. Here there is an exegetical step across. First Peter 1:11–12: the Spirit of Christ testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
But this step across is the difference between true faith and false faith. Some people deny that the Old Testament Scripture points to Christ, and therefore exegetical deviation appears. The apostle Paul clearly declares that the whole Scripture is the word of Christ, and that all of it points to Christ. We must interpret Scripture with the perspective of Christ, so that we may be strengthened in faith.
Isaiah 52:13–53:12 is the fourth and final Servant Song in the latter half of the book of Isaiah. This Servant Song reveals the work of this Servant, and it also tells us the essence of the gospel.
Because we sinners cannot save ourselves and cannot cause ourselves to be delivered from the judgment of sin, we need a Mediator to make atonement for our sins on our behalf. And this Servant must bear our iniquities and carry our sorrows. This Mediator must be the Lord Jesus Christ, who has both the divine and human natures, and He must also undergo such humiliation in order to become our salvation.
Receive the evidence in the world.
When we are opened by the Holy Spirit and truly accept the gospel, we can find countless evidences in the world to prove the gospel that we have received. This kind of evidence is divided into two aspects.
First, there is negative evidence. That is, the ruin and perishing of this world tells us that this world cannot last long, and that all the power, fame, and status we pursue are nothing more than passing clouds. For example, the death of famous people, and so on.
Second, there is positive evidence. That is, if one wants to be exalted, one must first be humbled. All truly moving films and television works contain the element of self-sacrificial redemption. These experiences are also not rare in the lessons of mankind.
The world is created. Therefore, it is not that there is no evidence, but that there is a problem with us as receivers. After believing in the Lord, the external environment has not changed, but our hearts have changed, and we are able to see and feel completely different things.
Also, regarding the creation of the world and the meaning of life, in these areas there is actually no lack of evidence. It is only that because our conscience is numb and the eyes of our hearts are filled with money and possessions, we cannot see. When we truly put off the deception of the world, the eyes of our hearts will in fact see more and more clearly.
Also, regarding the meaning of suffering and the hope for eternity in our hearts. When we truly trust in Christ, we will have a new understanding of suffering; the eternal hope within us will also become clearer and clearer, and our lives will also become more and more holy. As our understanding of Scripture becomes deeper and deeper, we will be more and more able to understand that our lives need redemption. Man is powerless to save himself by relying on himself; he can only rely on a Creator outside of himself.
Trust in the gospel of eternal life.
Therefore, as we come to the final part, when the Holy Spirit opens our spiritual eyes, we will know the preciousness of the gospel. This gospel, which seems humbled and seems incapable, is actually the most precious gospel, because this gospel reveals to us a God who loves us. He is willing to lay down His life for us and willing to receive us weak sinners. This is the object of our Christian love.
We also resolve to trust in the gospel of eternal life, because this concerns our life and the Lord who loves us. The manifestation of trusting is that in our lives, we seriously obey God’s law and live a holy life.
We must forsake the desires of the flesh and the temptations of the world. We must seriously follow this Savior and truly trust in Him. In this way, beautiful qualities will appear in our lives.
However, we must still remind everyone that this is a path of humility. Only when we are truly willing to lay ourselves down will the radiance of life blossom within us. Only when we are willing to humble ourselves can we become vessels fit for use in God’s hands.
Story: The wishes of three trees.
Closing Sentence: We must seriously listen to and trust in the gospel of the Lord Christ, so that we may receive eternal life.
Questions:
Where does the difficulty of believing the gospel lie?
With what kind of heart should we hear the preaching of the word?
What evidences in the world reveal the truthfulness of the gospel?
How should we trust in the gospel of eternal life?