The Book of Romans: “These Feet Were Made For Walking”

The Book of Romans

Introduction:

Good morning brothers and sisters. Welcome to Eastern Shore Baptist Church. What a joy it is to be here with all of you. My name is Stuart Davidson and I am the pastor here. For the last several weeks, we have been reading together through the Paul’s letter to the Church of Rome. 

I want to remind you of a few things this morning about Romans. First off, Paul did not plant the church. In fact, Paul had never even visited the church. Remember, Rome is the center of the universe in Paul’s world. It would have been considered like New York, or Los Angeles, or Paris of our day. Rome was the center of the civilized world. It was the cultural hub and visitors from all over the world aspired to visit. Paul was no different. Paul desperately wanted to visit Rome. You and I would have wanted to head to Rome to see the sights. I have always wanted to see Colosseum, the Pantheon or the Forum. 

Paul however was not wanting to visit to take in the sites. He had a much grander purpose. His main intent was to preach, teach and spread the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sadly, Paul was in Corinth at the time of his letter to the Roman church. He was nearing the end of his third missionary journey around AD 57. When Paul was writing this letter, he was working on taking up an offering for the poor in Jerusalem. 

So, if he couldn’t visit, Paul would do the next best thing. He would write them and write them he did! 

But why?

That’s a good question. By my best guess, Paul wrote Romans for three reasons. First, he wrote the letter to help clarify the Gospel. There was a lot of confusion about how someone could be saved and even more confusion about who could be saved. Next, he wrote the letter to unify the church. The believers in Rome were divided between Jews and Gentiles, between law and grace, between old traditions and new freedoms. Paul reminds the church that all of us stand guilty before God and we are all saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Lastly, Paul wrote the letter to prepare them. He wanted to use Rome as a launching pad to take the Gospel west towards Spain. 

You know, when you think about all the things that Paul was doing, about all the things that Paul was trying to accomplish, about all the things that he was trying to communicate, it all seems pretty exhausting. 

Think about it, if you or I want to go somewhere, visit someone, or go to a particular place, all we have to do is hop into a car or board a plane. It’s amazing to think that if you left this morning that you could go to sleep in Alaska the same day. Alaska is hundreds and hundreds of miles away. 

Not Paul. All the people that Paul was trying to influence, all the places that he was trying to go, his efforts were not hurried along with airplanes or the horsepower of an automobile. No sir! Paul was powered by his own foot power. 

The main mode of transportation in Paul’s day was his own two feet. Paul didn’t have Delta or Southwest to get him where he needed to go. He didn’t have Uber or Lyft. Most of the time he didn’t even have a donkey. The primary way Paul spread the gospel was by walking…mile after mile, step after step, carrying the good news of Jesus Christ from town to town, village to village.

And that’s exactly what he reminds the church at Rome in our passage today. The gospel doesn’t move itself, it travels on the feet of faithful believers. 

That brings us to the title of my message this morning: “These Feet Were Made for Walking.”

Today’s Message: 

“These Feet Were Made For Walking”

This morning we are going to go a little out of order. This is normal where I do the “Today’s Thought” portion of my message but instead I am going to go to my quote for the day. 

How many of you know name Lottie Moon? We have an offering named for this woman so maybe it is good that we talk about her more than just every December. Lottie Moon was a remarkable woman of deep and sincere faith. 

Lottie Moon was a brilliant young woman from Virginia who felt an unshakable burden for the Chinese people. Most Christians feel a burden. Chances are, if you belong to Jesus, you’ve felt the weight of wanting to see someone you love come to faith in Christ. But for too many of us, that’s where it stops. We feel the burden, but we never share the gospel.

Not Lottie. When God put the people of China on her heart, nothing could stop her. Her own family tried to discourage her from going. Friends told her it was too dangerous. Yet the calling of God was so profound, so undeniable, that she couldn’t ignore it. She embodied the cry of Jeremiah in Jeremiah 20:9 when he said, ‘His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot’.

So Lottie set out for China, not as a tourist or a temporary visitor, but as a missionary adventurer of the faith. She lived among the Chinese people, learned their language, ate their food, and made their struggles her own. Most importantly, she shared Jesus. Through her faithfulness, countless Chinese men and women came to know Christ as Savior. In fact, I’ve had the privilege of standing in the very church that Lottie Moon planted with her own two feet.

Lottie once wrote these powerful words: 

Today’s Quote:

“Surely there can be no greater joy than that of saving souls. It is a joy to feel oneself in the full current of God’s love, to be working with Him to seek and to save that which was lost. The harvest is very great, the laborers are few, and yet Christians in America seem to be asleep. They care little, if at all, about the heathen. Is it not time for us to awake from our slumbers and obey the call of our Lord?”

-Lottie Moon taken from “The Letters of Lottie Moon”, edited by Clyde W. Taylor 

Church, that’s the heartbeat of Romans 10. Paul is reminding us that the gospel moves forward when God’s people move their feet. Lottie Moon lived it. And now the question is, will we?”

Church family, under “Today’s Thought”, fill in these blanks for me. How will people receive the Gospel? How will people grow, if no one goes for Christ?

Today’s Thought:

How Will They Receive The Gospel? How Will They Grow, If No-one Goes For Christ?

People cannot believe in Christ unless someone tells them the Good News. The Gospel is not absorbed by accident; it must be proclaimed. If no one is willing to go for Christ, then those who have never heard will never have the chance to receive Him. And beyond receiving salvation, believers grow as the Word of God is faithfully taught and preached. Paul’s point is clear: the mission of the church is to send, to go, and to speak so that others may hear, believe, and be changed by the power of Jesus.

So friends we find ourselves back in Romans 10:14-18. I am going to be reading from the English Standard Version of Scripture this morning. Before we read God’s Holy inherent Word, I want to remind you that…

Statement of Belief:

“This morning, we open the living and powerful Word of God…truth without error, breathed out by Him, and fully sufficient for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. It is our authority, our guide, and our hope. In honor of the God who gave us His perfect Word, I invite you to stand with me as we read it together.”

Today’s Scripture:

Romans 10:14-18 ESV

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? [15] And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" [16] But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" [17] So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. [18] But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."

Pastor: “This is the Word of the Lord!”

Church: “Praise His name. Praise His Holy name.”

So…How Will They Hear?

I. Heed God’s Call vs. 14-15

So friends, let’s dive into this outline this morning. The previous two weeks we have listened to 2 very evangelical sermons. 2 straight weeks in a row I shared the Gospel with everyone and anyone who might find themselves in this room. I prayed with you and gave you invitations to respond. Today, this message, is not a call to salvation. Today’s message is a call to evangelism. It is a call to go into the world, making disciples from every nation, every tribe, every tongue, in the name of Jesus Christ. Baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

So, for those of us who hear the call of Christ to share the Gospel, ask yourselves this morning, how will they hear?

That brings us to our first point this morning. How will they hear? First, heed God’s call. We see this point expressed in verse 14 and 15. 

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? [15] And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

Friends, before the world can hear the message of the Gospel, we ourselves, you and I, must first hear and respond to God’s call to go. The Spirit stirs our hearts, compels our steps, and sends us as His messengers. Without obedience to the call, the world remains silent to the truth.”

Brothers and sisters, have you ever heard the name Edward Kimball? Probably not. Kimball’s name is all but lost to history. No Edward Kimball is not a famous athlete. He never guarded Kobe Bryant or dunked on LeBron James. Nope, Edward Kimball is not a Nobel Prize Winner. To my knowledge, he never solved one physics problem or exhibited any genius level intellect. He never designed anything. He never achieved some medical breakthrough. 

Edward Kimball was actually a traveling shoe salesman. By all accounts, not even a very good one. He was not rich. He was not wealthy. He was a very humble man of very modest means. One thing that Edward Kimball was a committed believer. He loved Jesus Christ and he loved the church. Kimball served at his church as a Sunday School teacher. 

On one of his sales runs, he was introduced to a young man named Lyman. Lyman worked in the back of a warehouse. He would fetch shoes to the front of house for the sales staff. Kimball saw something in the young boy. He felt that the Holy Spirit was leading him to share the Gospel with the lad. 

He had the burden but sadly he hesitated. He left that day without talking to the kid. 

The next day, Edward Kimball came back to the store. He asked for young Lyman and he passionately shared with him the story of Jesus Christ. He told him what Christ had done for him. Lyman listened to Kimball share his testimony and something strange happened. The boy’s spirit awakened within him. His dead spiritual heart began to beat for the first time. Lyman became a believer. The two prayed together. 

The boy at the store may have gone by Lyman, that was his middle name. His first name was Dwight. Dwight L. Dwight L. Moody. 

Moody went on to become one of the greatest evangelists in history, preaching to more than 100 million people. His ministry influenced others like F. B. Meyer, who influenced Wilbur Chapman, who influenced Billy Sunday, who influenced Mordecai Ham, who preached a revival where a young man named Billy Graham walked the aisle and gave his life to Christ.

One timid Sunday School teacher went to one young man. And the echo of that initial obedience reached millions.

Edward Kimball wasn’t famous. He didn’t have a seminary degree. He was not a missionary. He was not even a preacher. What he was though was faithful. A committed evangelist for the Almighty Living God moonlighting as a simple shoe salesman.

It was that faithfulness to heed the call of God that set off a ripple effect still felt around the world. Because one man was willing to go, millions have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Friends, that is the heart of Romans 10. Before the nations can call on Christ, someone must be willing to go for Christ. Before your neighbor can believe, someone has to be willing to walk across the street. Before your coworker can hear, someone must be willing to open their mouth. The gospel is powerful, but it is not automatic. It moves through the faithful obedience of men and women who will go when God says go.

So let me ask you this morning, are you listening for the voice of the Lord? And if you hear Him calling, will you obey? The prophet Isaiah heard that same call, and his answer was simple and profound: 

Isaiah 6:8 (NIV) 

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”

So…How Will They Hear?

I. Heed God’s Call vs. 14-15

II. Hold A Holy Burden vs. 16-17

So, how will they hear? First we must heed God’s call to see the lost. We must heed God’s call to go and share the message. Next, we must all hold a holy burden. Again, we see this point reflected in verses 16-17. 

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" [17] So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. 

“Friends, the Spirit of God births within us a holy burden for the lost, to see people as they truly are: broken, blind, and bound for eternity without Christ. Unless our hearts ache for the perishing, our mouths will stay closed. A burdened heart naturally leads to bold witness.”

But where is our bold witness? Are we really that burdened?

Honestly, it seems like most Christians never actually get around to sharing their faith. 

Why do so many believers seem to lose that hunger to share their faith? What causes the call of Christ to sound faint in ears once ready to go? I believe one root problem is this: if you feel no urgency, no burden, no compulsion to share the Gospel with others, to pray for the lost, to invite them to church, to tell what Christ has done in your life, then I seriously question whether you truly understand what it means to have been transformed by Christ. You know what, that is a weak statement. Let me say it better. Not everyone has the gift of evangelism, yes. But every Christian has a command from Christ.

If you feel no urgency, no burden, no compulsion to share the Gospel with others, to pray for the lost, to invite them to church, to tell what Christ has done in your life, then I seriously question whether you are a Christian at all. You heard me friends. If you go day by day, month by month, year over year, never sharing your testimony, never talking about Christ, then I sincerely doubt your relationship with Christ. 

Just look at the stats…

•Only about 30% of U.S. adults now attend religious services on a weekly or nearly-weekly basis. Two decades ago, that figure was closer to 42%.  

•Church membership has also fallen steadily. For example, among those with religious affiliations, membership has declined by 6-8 points or more in many generations over the past twenty years, especially among millennials.  

•A recent Pew Research Religious Landscape Study shows that 62% of U.S. adults now identify as Christian, down from 78% in 2007.  

These statistics aren’t just numbers on a page. They reflect churches growing quieter, pews emptier, gospel invitations fewer. We have a people who will talk for hours about politics, TV shows, sports, family matters, and God is under-discussed in daily life.

Jesus commands us repeatedly to go, to witness, to make disciple makers. Here are some of the clear commands in Scripture:

•Matthew 28:19-20 — “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations … teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

•Mark 16:15 — “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

•Acts 1:8 — “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

•Romans 10:14-15 — Paul says people cannot believe unless someone goes and preaches.

If you are in Christ, you will carry some burden for the lost. If you truly know Jesus, you will want to tell others. That’s part of what it means to be alive in Him. If you feel nothing, say nothing, share nothing, then have you truly grasped what He did for you?

Paul’s burden was so great that he once said he would even wish himself accursed if it could mean the salvation of his brothers (Romans 9:2-3). Listen to his longing:

Romans 9:2–3 (CSB)

“I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood.”

Paul didn’t just want people to hear. He was burdened so much that he would give up everything, his own comfort, even his standing with God, if it meant they could be saved. That’s the kind of urgency God wants in his people.

So…How Will They Hear?

I. Heed God’s Call vs. 14-15

II. Hold A Holy Burden vs. 16-17

III. Herald The Good News vs. 17-18

So, how will they hear? 

Heed God’s call. 

Hold a Holy burden. 

Lastly, herald the good news. 

Herald is not a word that we use very often. If I am being honest with you, I got it from a good ole thesaurus.  You all know my proclivity for alliteration. 

What does it mean to herald? Well I went to the Google machine for a definitive definition. Here’s what it told me. 

To “herald” means to proclaim, announce, or declare something publicly and with authority. The word comes from the role of a herald in ancient and medieval times, a messenger who announced news on behalf of a king or ruler. A herald didn’t just casually share information; he carried an official message that demanded attention.

The first time that I ever really remember hearing the word “herald” was actually from my love of comic books. My kids and my wife will tell you all that I loved comic books growing up. I was a huge Batman fan. I was really a big DC Comics fan. Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Superman. All posters on my walls. 

I did like a few Marvel Comics too. Spiderman of course. I like the X-Men. One of my favorites though was that of the Fantastic Four: Reed, Sue, Johnny, and The Thing. There was one particular run of the Fantastic Four that I enjoyed reading. It was a series of comics that they later turned into a cartoon mini series. It was called “The Silver Surfer and the Coming of Galactus”. Now for those of you who are unfamiliar with The Fantastic Four, Galactus is what you would call a Universal threat. He could hold entire solar systems in the palm of his hand. Galactus was so big and so vast that he could swallow worlds. He would travel the universe looking for worlds to devour. 

This is the nerdy stuff that your preacher put into his mind as a kid. 

When Galactus set his sites on earth to consume, he would send the Norrin Radd, also known as the Silver Surfer as his “herald”, proclaiming that the world was doomed. The Surfer’s announcements often carried a mix of awe, dread, and finality. He would proclaim that resistance was useless because Galactus was a force of nature, a being beyond good and evil, who simply consumed to survive. 

That was my first introduction to the world “herald”. 

Thankfully you and I are called to herald a different sort of message. We are not proclaiming death and destruction. We are not shouting judgment and condemnation. Our message concerns not a world eating comic character but a real coming Christ. We herald salvation to anyone who might believe in the resurrection of the King of Kings and Lord of Lord. 

Go back to verse 17 this morning. One last time. 

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."

Friends, you and I must speak the Gospel. We must share it out loud. We must vocalize the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. One cannot simply be satisfied with living Holy and set apart. None of us are that good. None of us are that Holy. We must live as Christ but we must also speak of Christ. 

Not even Jesus, who was perfect, simply lived the Gospel message. He proclaimed it. He was the central herald for His Father, obediently sharing the news of the coming Kingdom. 

Silence is not optional when lives are at state. 

“A silent life, however moral, is not enough to save anyone. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ. God calls us to open our lips, preach His truth, and proclaim His Gospel boldly so that others may hear and believe.”

There are several reasons we must speak the Gospel. First, because God commanded it. Jesus was clear when He said in Matthew 28:19, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” To remain silent is to disobey a direct order from our King. 

Second, because people cannot believe without hearing it. Romans 10:17 reminds us that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” No one can stumble their way into salvation by accident. They must be told about the cross and the resurrection. 

Third, because eternity is at stake. Heaven and hell are real destinations, and the difference between the two hangs on whether someone personally knows Christ as Savior and Lord. How can we remain quiet when souls are hanging in the balance. 

Finally, because silence is disobedience. When we withhold the truth, we deny others the opportunity to respond to the life-saving message of Jesus. Our silence does not merely make us timid, it makes us unfaithful to the call of God and unloving toward the lost. To love Christ is to obey Him, and to love people is to tell them how they can be saved.

Picture this. Imagine your neighbor is asleep inside their home while flames consume the walls and ceiling. You see the fire spreading, smoke filling the rooms, and the foundation beginning to crack. The clock is ticking. Every second matters. You could hold up a sign that says, “Your house is on fire.” You could wave your arms in desperation, hoping they will wake up. You might even stand on the sidewalk, pointing and shaking your head. But none of that will matter if your neighbor never hears your voice calling out, “Wake up! Get out! The fire is coming!”

Now, think about it. If you really loved your neighbor, you would not settle for polite gestures or silent warnings. You would run to their door. You would pound on the windows. You would scream at the top of your lungs until they were jolted awake. You might even risk your own safety to break into the house and drag them out. Why? Because the danger is real, and the danger is deadly.

Friends, lost people are in worse shape than being asleep in a burning home. Scripture says they are spiritually dead. They cannot see the flames of judgment. They cannot smell the smoke of their sin. They cannot feel the heat of eternity apart from God. They cannot save themselves, and polite Christian living will not wake them up. Only the spoken Gospel has the power to call the dead to life. Only the proclamation of Christ crucified and risen can breathe resurrection into a lifeless soul.

That is why we cannot afford to whisper when we should be shouting. We cannot sit silently in our pews while souls are consumed by the fire of sin. We must cry out with urgency. We must tell them that Jesus Christ saves. Without our words, without the Gospel spoken, they will perish without ever knowing the way to life.

This is why Peter and John declared in Acts 4:20, “For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” That is our calling as heralds of Christ. We are not silent witnesses, we are bold proclaimers of the King who saves.

If you would not stay silent while your neighbor’s house burns, how can you stay silent while their soul perishes?

Go And Share The Good News Today!

Closing Prayer:

Father, thank You for the truth of Your Word this morning. Thank You for reminding us that the Gospel is not spread by accident but by the faithful feet and faithful lips of Your people. 

Lord, forgive us when we have been silent. 

Forgive us when we have ignored the call to go and share. 

Place within us a holy burden for the lost, a fire in our bones that will not allow us to remain quiet while the world around us perishes. Give us courage to heed Your call, to hold that burden, and to herald the good news of Jesus Christ with boldness and love. May our lives point people to You, but may our voices proclaim loudly that Jesus saves. Send us from this place today as proclaiming hope, speaking the good news to our families, our neighbors, our coworkers, and to the nations. 

We pray this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.