Pastor Thanael Certa-Werner
Scripture | Romans 10:14-17 (NIV)
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 anyone 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 about Christ.
Today, we’re continuing our sermon series: Making Disciples. In the first week, we looked at making disciples of ourselves. Last week, Dr. Teasdale spoke about making disciples of our neighbors. This week, we broaden the circle and ask the question, what does it mean to make disciples of our cities? What does it mean to make disciples of Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, and the places we live?
Now, had I been watching the Packers vs. the 49ers on Saturday instead of writing this sermon, I might have used a different illustration. But, I didn’t so we’re going to talk about something we often don’t outside of September. I want you to think back eleven years to the September 11th attacks. Do you remember where you were when you heard the news? Do you remember what you did? What you felt? I was just a very young child, yet I remember my mom practically throwing me upstairs, away from the TV, to protect me from the horrific scenes that were taking place.
I’ve watched the new clips since then. I’ve seen the panic of it all. It’s clear that people thought at first that this was a terrible accident – reporters trying to make sense of things as cameras and thousands of people watched on in horror as the second plane hit. In that moment, the world literally came crashing down for thousands of people. For the people of New York, it was chaos. No one knew what was going on. Emergency workers were rushing to a scene that they had no clue what to do about. For the country, we sat and wondered if there was going to be another attack and where the next target would be.
In the midst of the confusion, the terrible despair, and appalling loss the country did not know what to think or what to do. The nation stood still. Yet, there were voices which began to call out through the deafening silence. Leaders arose and helped the nation begin to take action. To save the survivors, clear the rubble away, bring justice to the attackers, remember the fallen, and to rebuild.
We remember this time not only for the extreme loss we all experienced but also because in that moment, we came together as a nation. The realization of the situation we were in, and the unifying determination to get out of it unified the country towards a common goal. But in that moment – in that confusion, people looked for the voice of someone who could give them hope. They looked for leaders, for saviors – people turned to God.
The attacks on 9/11 are really the result of the nature of our world. We live in a world full of selfishness, pride, violence, hate, and sin. There are people all across this globe TODAY who are living trapped and enslaved to evil and can do nothing about it. It is the reality of today, it was the reality of 9/11/2001, and it is the reality of the people living during the time of Paul.
Moments like 9/11 unify us in one experience and affect many people in a terrible way at once, and so it is easy to see the hurt, the suffering, the pain, and the need for hope and leadership. Yet this is the reality for millions around the world constantly. But because each of these cases are not necessarily connected, because they are happening individually, we cannot see it so clearly. This is what Paul is looking at when he writes to the Christians in Rome.
There are people hurting across the Roman Empire. There are people who are looking at their lives and know that there must be more than this. That they were not made to suffer and live trapped, to service sin. Yet, Paul says, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?” People know that they are hurting yet they have no one to turn to. We may know who they can turn to because we have experienced it ourselves. We know that Jesus Christ has the power to save us from sin and deliver us to freedom! We know this because we experienced it for ourselves! We know that in moments of temptation, in moments when life is pulling you under, when buildings come crashing down, we have but to call out to Him. But how can people call out to Him if they do not believe in Him?
You cannot trust someone to help you that you do not believe in. It would be like turning to Santa Clause to save you from an earthquake. You would never call out to him, because he is not real.
So, people can only call out to Christ when they believe in Him. And then Paul says, “And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” You can’t believe in something you’ve never heard of! Then Paul carries it home. He says, “And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?” What Paul is doing is pushing the ability for others to call of Jesus Christ, to believe in Him, and to know Him on us.
It all starts with us, for it is us who are called and sent by Jesus Himself to go and make disciples. We are sent by the Holy Spirit who has empowered us for this work. It is us who are called to tell others about Jesus so that that they might know who He is, so that they might come to believe in Him, and so they might call upon His name. Paul says, “‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?’ Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
This is where the word Gospel comes from. It is a Greek work meaning, “Good News.” We call it that because it is from this Good News that we hear the message. From this message comes faith. But it is not possible to have faith without hearing the Good News. The Holy Spirit will work within us and throughout humanity – but it is through the message – through hearing about Jesus Christ that people can come to believe and trust in Him.
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news?! It is true. And this is why true discipleship has the power to not only change us, not only change our neighbors, but the power to change our neighborhoods, communities and cities. We all have experienced how much cities have changed. We have experienced how violent and terrible the city can be. Gun violence, drugs, crazy driving, pure hate of others, all kinds of things are happening on the streets of our cities! In many ways, we are in a war zone. There’s confusion as to what to do. People are turning to all kinds of sources looking for hope and direction. Yet, we know that there is only one source for the kind of leadership we need.
There is only one source for the hope that can change Milwaukee and Wauwatosa: Jesus Christ. This is the moment. We are living in the aftermath of sin. The world around us continues to be in shock and has no way of handling the terrible reality of sin. And to whom can they turn? To whom can they call out to? When we are brave enough to disciple the city – to tell others what we have experienced. To let all of Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, and our cities know who Jesus Christ is.
Then, our cities will begin to change. As people begin to know Christ, to believe in Him, and to call out to Him – not only will our cities change, but the people themselves will be rescued from the reality of their entrapment and freed from slavery to sin and death. That, my friends, is incredibly good news and news that we have to – HAVE TO share! So, this is our call for today. As we work to disciple ourselves and those around us, we must learn to adventure beyond the known into that which might be uncomfortable and unknown so that our cities might be changed and come to trust Christ. Amen? Amen.