Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
18 sermons cite this verse
… it is creative in nature. And God spoke, let there be light, and there was light. He spoke things into being. We know that when he speaks to us today, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So his design is that everything would happen through the voice of his word. In John 16, the very next chapter, Jesus describes how he has re-inherited everything. The Father has given everything back into his hands, which is fascinating because he forfeited everything as God to become a man. Now, he's still 100% God, so some people misunderstand me at this point. He's entirely God, but he takes on flesh and chooses to live with the restrictions of a human being, of a person, although he's eternally God. But in that position, as a man now, he re-inherits everything. He already had everything as God, but now he inherits everything as man. Why? Because he's our elder brother and he now gets to include us in the inheritance. And in John 16, he says, Jesus announces all that the father has is mine. …
… when you read it because he sustains us with his word Paul said in Romans, the faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. It doesn't say faith comes from hearing the word of God. I'm not saying that's bad or wrong. I'm just saying it's not what it says. If faith came from hearing the word of God, we should all get Bible apps on our phone and just play scripture 24-7 and we'd be like Wigglesworth by Friday or Father Abraham or somebody. Many people hear the word, but never hear the word. they hear and can quote, but there's no impact here because the living word has not pierced their soul. Here he says, faith comes by hearing. Doesn't say faith comes from having heard. By implication, it's a present tense encounter, an abiding relationship. Faith comes from hearing. It's this abiding in Christ, him abiding in me. His word abiding in me. That connection is what makes me available for faith. I don't need faith for tomorrow's problems today. …
… is listening carefully because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And if the cross is the remedy, the rescue mission, If the cross is indeed the solution to the problem, then ironically is the same thing. Death is a problem, so death is a solution. What a wild world we live in. It's an upside-down kingdom. The Bible says that Jesus destroyed death by dying. That usually doesn't work well. You have an enemy in a battlefield, you're like, I'm gonna get you. How? I'm gonna let you kill me. Well, if you got the ability to come back from the grave, I guess it works. And Jesus, in fact, did having done nothing wrong, The magic worked backwards. The deep magic worked backwards. The law, the stone tables cracked in half. He had never committed sin. So him being put to death on behalf of the sin of others, God raised him from the dead. So pride kills, but so does the cross. And as we listen to him hang on the cross, he's speaking to us. …
… This is what he speaks to. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Faith comes from hearing, but where does the capacity to hear come from? I'm glad you asked. Right here. The word of God. Faith comes by hearing. Hearing by the word of God. And so what I want to do today, I can tell you what happened to me. I was not a reader. I'm embarrassed to say I was a horrible student. I got decent grades. I got good grades. I'm sorry, Mom, to make this confession in front of you. But I was a horrible student. but my grades were decent I knew how to cram right before that test and I remembered long enough to get into the room write down the right answers and everybody thought I knew what I was talking about but I didn't, I didn't know I hated to read I hated to write actually anything to do with work I was basically basically allergic to work but when I said an absolute passionate yes of surrender to the Lord somebody gave me a book and I began to read this book and it was actually about the book of Romans largely and as I was reading this book which was a real issue for me I became hungry for the word because I read this book and I went you're kidding this isn't there and ever since that literally since that moment I've had this insatiable hunger for scripture for the word of God …
… The Scripture says, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by what? The Word of God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word. The Scriptures set us up to hear so that we can believe. Faith comes from hearing. Hearing comes. The capacity to hear comes from Scripture. There's two words in the New Testament regarding the Word of God that would be wise for us to know. One is the word logos, and the other is rhema. Some of you have heard these words used in the past. Logos generally refers to the printed or written scripture. Rhema generally refers to that which is freshly spoken by God in a given moment. You may be reading, for example, out of the book of Ephesians, all of a sudden this phrase just leaps out at you and it just brings comfort to your soul or direction or wisdom or insight or faith or whatever it might be. But he just breathes on that which is written. And so there's the Logos, which is printed, but the Rhema is that which is freshly spoken of God. …
… in the comment section. I want to honor God with faith. And Holy Spirit, we pray. We know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And your word has been spoken today. So build our faith. God, build our faith to do what you call us to do individually and corporately as your church, the body of Christ. We don't go to church. We are the church. We exist for the world. God, empower your church to do your will, your work on earth as it is in heaven. God, build my faith. to believe for more, build our faith to know that all things are possible with you. God, help us to be a faith-filled church that pleases you. As you keep praying today, there are those of you that are here just like seven people on the first Sunday who didn't know where they stood with God. And if I ask you right now, like, are you certain, do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you're right with God? …
… Luke 7, verse 14, Jesus speaks and a dead guy raises to life. Romans 10, verse 17 talks about how faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. In other words, the only way we can be saved from our sins is when we hear the word of Christ. So the word of Christ is necessary for all of those things. and we are fools if we think we can manufacture the power of God in the church apart from his word. Why would you want to diminish the word that could cause blind guys to see and dead guys to get up out of the tomb? That's not a very smart way to do church. The power of the word, God revealing his character and his work through the word. Now, I want you to see how this relates to worship. I was with the worship staff on a retreat a couple weeks ago, and I describe worship as a rhythm of revelation and response. I thought I'd use a musical term, you know, to communicate to these guys. …
… Well, how do I get faith? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So he had to be in earshot. He had to be in earshot, and he chose to give him what he grew out of the ground. First problem with that, what came out of the ground was cursed. Second problem with that is if Abel did it by faith, then Cain had a chance to do it by faith too. Okay? Third thing about it is you won't kill a lamb, but you turn around and kill your brother. Now, it seemed like to me it would have been easier to kill the lamb, okay? Now, I'm not itching to kill no lamb, but it seemed like it would be easier to kill the lamb than it would be to kill my brother. And then he got smart about it. Am I my brother's keeper? That's how you know you done wrong because you get an attitude. You get a real nasty attitude. …
Romans 10, 17, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. This is the most incredible privilege we have to take the words of the living God and begin to pour them into others. To begin to take what Christ has entrusted to us and not just receive it from Him, but to reproduce it through us. We listen in order to teach the Word. These disciples knew that when they received these words, accepted these words, obeyed these words from Christ, they had a responsibility to pour it into others. They were not just receiving it, they were reproducing it. So we listen in order to teach the Word. I want us to think about what that looks like. Let me give you two illustrations. Journey with me first to the Sudan. You walk into a mud hut. There's church leaders that are sitting around. Automatically they stand up out of respect for the one who's about to teach them the Word. you sing a song and then you sit down we begin to teach disciple making from the word and as we're teaching disciple making the whole time I'm teaching I hardly ever see their faces because they were sleeping or because they had stayed up late in their mud hut the night before because they were daydreaming no you never see their faces because they're writing down every single thing you say. …
… My eyes might be bad, but my ears are still good. And faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. I'm not supposed to walk by sight. It depends on what you say to yourself, what you get. Tell your neighbor, I got favor. I still got favor. I might be in a bad season, but I got favor. I may be knocked down to my knees, but I got favor. I may have to crawl across the floor, but I got favor. I may be lied off, but I still got favor. I may be in the hog pen, but I still got favor. The prodigal son had enough favor to know he could still go back home. He'd been with the harlots. He had spent all his money. He was broke. He had disgraced his father. But he said, I will arise and go to my father's house. He never for a moment thought his father wouldn't take him back. Because he knew even in his mess, he was still his son. …
… It says, faith comes by hearing. and hearing by the word of Jesus, the word of Christ. So people can't put their faith in Jesus if they don't hear about Jesus. And if they don't put their faith in Jesus, they cannot be saved from their sin. So get the picture. Over two billion people. They cannot go to heaven if they don't have faith in Jesus and they cannot have faith in Jesus if they don't hear about Jesus. It's simple logic. And you keep going, simple logic, they won't hear unless somebody tells them. truth number seven Christ tells commands his church to make the gospel known in all nations I want to show you this I want you to I want you to look here in Romans 10 at the verbs in this passage in reverse and as you do you will see God's plan for how the gospel will go to all the nations. How is the gospel gonna go to all those people? Watch this. …
… because we need to be reminded. why do we need to be reminded of the gospel because we forget faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of christ why do we need to read the word regularly pray the word regularly sing the word regularly why do we need to come before the lord's table week in and week out because we need to be reminded again and again and again because the yoke of your oppression is a constant reminder and you need the word of God as a constant reminder because the difficulties that you face every day are a reminder and so you need the word of God as a reminder. The hardness of life is a reminder and so you need the preaching of the gospel as a reminder. the disappointment of your sinfulness is a reminder so you need the majesty of christ put forth before you again and again and again as a reminder christianity is not a class you take and pass It's your life. …
… on me. God does the work. Salvation belongs to him. I just joined him in it. You also got to believe, number two, that faith comes only by hearing and hearing by the word of God. See, that shows my part in it. The word of God has to be sown in somebody's heart in order for to do its work. So when God opens a door for me to speak the word to somebody, I should do it. But then he's the one that has to make the word bear fruit. And that may happen later when I'm not even with them anymore. I've heard it said that the average person needs to hear the gospel 20 times before they believe it. A lot of times I'm one of the first 19 and I don't get to see the response. I'm just paving the way for somebody else. And when they get to see that person come to Christ, one day I'll be like, I was number 11. I was number 11. And you couldn't have got a 20 without 11. Being a disciple making disciple first means just joining Jesus and what he's doing. …
… Acts 4.12 says, there's no salvation in any other name than the name of Jesus. Romans 10.17 says, faith comes by hearing the message concerning Jesus. First Corinthians 16.22 says, if you love not the Lord Jesus Christ, you're damned. And 1 Timothy 2.5 says, there's one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. He's the only gate. You must enter. If you want to be in the kingdom of heaven, you must enter, and you must enter this gate. A third thing to think about is you must enter this gate alone, alone. You leave the world behind. You leave family and friends behind. If you go a few chapters over to chapter 10 of Matthew, Hence In verse 34, Jesus said, Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And the man's enemies will be the members of his household." This is not a group exercise, not a matter of race, not a matter of circumcision, not a matter of family, not a matter of community. …
So the word here is to listen to Him. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word concerning Christ. He is the one who raises the dead and gives life and escape from judgment. So I can't emphasize probably enough for you to understand the shock of those kinds of words to the Jewish people who saw Him as a blasphemer, and instead of backing down from what they perceived as blasphemy, He escalated it to a point the likes of which they could never imagine. There's a lot to say about what He says here, but I want to focus on just two things. They are the statements in verses 21 and 22 that He raises the dead, gives them life, and He is the judge. He has the power to raise the dead and the authority to judge. This is Jesus Christ. Now as we keep that in mind, I want you to draw down to verse 25. This is the focus of the passage that I want to call to your attention. …
… They don't contradict, but it's when God breathes upon something, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word, the freshly spoken word of God. And so no rhema will be impossible. Impossible means without ability. And Jack told us that this verse can actually be, can be translated this way. No freshly spoken word of God will ever come to you that does not carry its own ability to perform itself. no freshly spoken word of God will ever come to you that does not contain its own ability to perform itself so now we understand why Jesus can look at his disciples and his disciples say we got a crowd of thousands how do we feed them and he says you feed them because in the command is the capacity that's why quick obedience releases the great amount of greatest amount of power obedience after extended analyzation drains it almost always of power That was a really good point, Bill. It was excellent. Excellent. Thank you. no freshly spoken word of God will ever come to you that does not contain its own ability to perform itself. …
… Romans 10, 17. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by, now you say it this time, the word of God. All right, Ephesians 6, verse 17. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Colossians 1, 25, Whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the Word of God. 1 Timothy 4, verse 5, For it is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer. Hebrews 4, 12, for the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. First Peter 1, verse 23, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. Second Peter 3, verse 5, for this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water. Revelation 20, verse 4, And I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them, and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God. …
… whosoever heareth these sayings of mine. Now that's what we're doing today. We're listening to the Word of God because the Bible says in Romans chapter 10, verse 17, that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So that's part of having a rock foundation for your life. You must hear the Word of God. Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, but that's only half of it. Now look very carefully in verse 24. It is both hearing and heeding the word of God. Whosoever heareth these words of mine, and what's that next word? And doeth them, and doeth them. And that's where we begin to separate the rock builders from the sand builders. Now one of those who must have been there to hear Jesus GIVE THIS SERMON WAS A MAN NAMED JAMES. AND I DON'T THINK THAT JAMES EVER FORGOT IT. I WANT YOU TO SEE WHAT JAMES HAD TO SAY. JUST PUT YOUR BOOKMARK THERE IN MATTHEW SEVEN AND TURN WITH ME TO JAMES CHAPTER ONE. THAT'S ON, JUST FAST FORWARD ON THROUGH. …