Can You Hear Me Now?

Presentation of the Augsburg Confession

Romans 10:5-7

Rev. Steven D. Spencer, Pastor

“Can you hear me now? Good! “Can you hear me now? Good! “Can you hear me now? Good! I imagine by now, most of us if not all of us, have seen or heard that commercial. It’s a cell phone commercial. A man in a suit walks everywhere and seems to be checking to see if the cell phone signal is coming through clearly. If you’re like me you’ve been places where that cell phone signal has come through maybe a bit too clear. Let me give you an example. Some friends invited our family to see a movie. As we’re sitting in the theater what should happen, you guessed it; a cell phone rings right behind us. If I recall it played Old McDonald Had a Farm. I figured one quick shot to that volume button and the person would be directed to voice mail. But no, she had to answer the call, right there in the theater. Have you ever noticed how loud some people speak on a cell phone? Pick a theater, a restaurant, a grocery store, go almost anywhere and you'll see cell phones or at least hear them. 

Some of you who have visited my office know, that a few summers ago, I hiked the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier with two friends. You see my screen saver is photos from that trip. There are two well marked spots on the mountain where you get bearable cell phone reception. The rangers told us where they were. But they didn’t need too. As we walked through the alpine meadows, birds chirping, a distant whistle of a marmot, wind gently blowing the trees, views of snow capped peaks, rarely seeing a person, all of a sudden you could hear it. Can you hear me now? Maybe they didn’t say it quite that way but it was much the same. Dozens of hikers with cell phone in hand talking to whomever. Ruining some of the most beautiful scenery with noise.

We are in a communication age. Cell phones, email, digital voice paging, text messaging, and even cell notification of an email. Everywhere you turn more and more ways to communicate, but is anyone listening. Is anyone hearing? What do I mean?

When I was in college I took a course called Music Appreciation. It met some undergrad requirement and I figured it to be an easy A. Unfortunately and fortunately the teacher really did appreciate music and was a member of a Philharmonic Orchestra.  One of the things she wanted us to learn was to listen to music actively not passively. Passively is like the music on a car radio, or in the dentist office, background sound. Actively is listening for the nuances, the manner in which the piece was written. I know there are people here with some great understanding of music, maybe even music degrees. But to take someone who's always enjoyed the passive listening and force him or her to listen actively to music hurts. I mean it was always easy to listen to music without ever thinking about it. But thinking about it, analyzing it, I almost felt like not listening to it anymore. But then slowly I started to appreciate it all the more, at a new level, a deeper level.

Our text today says: “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.”  Or the way the NIV puts it: "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." That word hearing in the Greek is akon it comes from the word avkou,ein. It’s from this word we get the word acoustics. But this word carries a different value to the original hearers. It's the word used to describe catechesis. Hearing, understanding, comprehending, knowing. It’s active listening.

Faith comes by (akon) hearing, catechesis, understanding, comprehending, in other words, knowing the Word whom is Christ. But so often we just gloss over it. That’s why the collect of the Word in the hymnal says: "grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark and inwardly digest them."  We need to look deep into the Word of God for our answers and even for the right questions.

 Let me read our text once again. This time I will be reading from verse 1 so that you hear our text in context. But this time please try and listen with active hearing. Maybe you want to close your eyes and just listen with your ears. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ proclaimed. Romans chapter 10: 1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. 5 Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will live by them." 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 "or 'Who will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" 16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." 19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding." 20 And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me."

Those that do not hear the Word of Christ, which is the Gospel, will try to save themselves by the law. It is written upon their hearts and minds. But the law has become dulled, dim and man doesn't understand it fully. Man interprets the law by emotion and earthly guidelines. Because man is fallen he makes all things subject to himself, even the perfect law of God! For a man without faith, makes himself god. And because he cannot live by God's perfect law perfectly, he interprets it to be something less than what it truly is: he perverts it! He creates his own rules and laws, regulations and guidelines for every situation. Then man makes them his code by which he lives his life, even believing that is to salvation.  You've met the type. They will tell you in black and white what they know to be right or wrong and insist that others live according to their rules.

Yet unbelievers aren't the only ones to fall into this trap. Many Christians have done the same. They interpret the law through the eyes of the flesh. They turn the Bible into a rulebook or a self-help book by which they are to live. They miss out on what the Word of God truly is and does, points us to the Word whom is Jesus Christ. If you don't believe this is true, just look in the Christian bookstores and many of the best selling books there. Books line the shelves with titles like: The Purpose Driven Life, Live Like a Jesus Freak, The Bible Promise Book, The Power of A Praying Parent, Look Great Feel Great the list goes on and on. Don't get me wrong some of these books can teach you wonderful things, but they miss the picture. The Bible is about Christ, the Word become flesh. The Old Testament points to the cross, the New Testament points to the cross. It's God's Word spoken to us. It's all about sin and our need for a savior. It's about God's perfect law and how we can't live it, but that Christ did for us. You want to grow -- then read, learn, mark and inwardly digest God's Word.

Through the Word, especially the spoken Word, God does great things verse 17 makes that clear, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ proclaimed. " And Paul makes it clear that faith is not static it is dynamic. Faith doesn't just sit still; it takes action. Verse 10: For it is with your heart that you believe (faith) and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. True faith can't be quieted. True faith can't be silenced. When true faith is present there is confession.

By the way have you ever noticed that we have two confessions in our service? We start with our confession of sin because we know who we are, sinners! C.F.W. Walther one of our great synodical fathers once said, "True evangelism comes when sinners realize how truly sinful they are, so that, they know how truly forgiven they are. When that happens the forgiven sinner cannot help but share the Good News." Only when we realize how sinful we are, will we truly realize how forgiven we are. When that happens we cannot help but confess. Confess our sins and confess our God. That is the second time we confess, in the creed. We confess who God is, because we know, who we are not. 

But not all people listen to the voice of the Word of God. In our text not all Israelites accepted the Good News. So God sends His message out to the entire world. But, alas, some still refuse to hear Him. Their end will be the eternal damnation, eternal separation from God and all that is good. They will spend their eternity in pain and suffering all because they did not hear. Verse 15 says: "How can they hear unless someone is preaching to them?" Literally proclaiming to them. What is to be proclaimed to them? The same words you confess every Sunday. "I am a sinner unable to save myself. God's perfect law shows me guilty and unworthy. I deserve God's eternal wrath and punishment. But I am sorry for my sins and confess my sins and plead for God's mercy for the sake of the death of His beloved Son Jesus Christ. For Jesus has paid the price for all my sins. So I cling to the cross of Christ, invoking the grace of God for Jesus sake." Then I recognize God's grace as given through Jesus Christ and confess boldly who this loving God is: "Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  I believe in God the Father almighty, maker or heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, and in Holy Spirit the Lord and Giver of Life."

"Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ proclaimed." Because you have heard, you believe, so that with your mouth you make confession. And because you call upon the Lord, you will be saved. This is God's promise for you.

Faith comes by hearing. Can you hear me now? Good! In Jesus name, Amen.