The Unreached Cannot Go to Heaven If They Do Not Hear the Gospel

Like how then can people put their faith in Jesus if they never hear of Jesus? And That is the exact question, like the exact words Paul uses in Romans 10. Turn over there with me. Romans Chapter 10:13. “Everyone who calls in the name of the Lord will be saved.” 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? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent.

As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news? Like the picture here is crystal clear. People cannot put their faith in Jesus if they never hear about Jesus. You keep going down in your Bible. You look at Romans 10:17, it says, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Jesus, the word of Christ.

The Unreached

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, then 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. Like 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 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 going to go to all those people?

Watch this. Start at the end. So how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news, those who are sent out? So this where it starts. Jesus sends followers to all nations. He sends out his followers. How can they preach unless they’re sent? So what do those who are sent do? They preach. Followers proclaim the Gospel to all nations. When you see that word preach, it’s not, they will stand up in front of a lot of people behind a podium and on a big stage. Like no, this is just speaking the Gospel to other people. Proclaiming the Gospel.

Hearing the Gospel

So Jesus sends his followers to all nations. His followers proclaim the Gospel to all nations. When that happens, what happens? How will they hear without someone preaching them? So when we preach, people in all nations will hear. Unless we’re proclaiming the Gospel to a wall, when we share the Gospel, people will hear it. And when people hear, how will they believe if they’ve not heard? When they hear, what will they do? Hearers in all nations will believe. Now we know not everybody who hears the Gospel when we share it will believe. We know that around us right here as well as in different places in the world.

But don’t miss this. We have confidence that some will believe. Remember the end of the story? Revelation 7, “Is coming a day when people from every nation, tribe, and tongue, all the people groups represented on this map, are one day going to be gathered around the throne of Jesus singing his praises for his salvation.” You know what that means? That means your eye can go anywhere on that map, share the Gospel with people there, and somebody’s coming out. I guaranteed somebody’s coming out.

Hearing the Gospel Saves You

So here’s, and all nations will believe when they believe, how can they call on one they’ve not believed in? Believers, in all nations will call. And those who call from all nations will be what?

Saved.

Saved. So there it is, there’s the plan. Now look back at the plan there in those notes and ask the question, where is the only place this plan can break down? All right, let’s think. Let’s go from the end. Will those who call on the name of the Lord, will it be saved?

Yes.

Yes. Guaranteed. Will those who believe call?

Yes.

Yes. Those who believe will call the name of the Lord and be saved. Will those who hear believe? Again, we said not all will, but some will, guaranteed. Those who hear will believe. When followers of Jesus proclaim the Gospel, will people hear?

Yes,

Yes. Unless we’re talking to a wall, they will hear. And then jump to the beginning. Is Jesus still sending his followers?

Yes.

The Unreached Cannot Go to Heaven If They Do Not Hear the Gospel

Or is he taking a generation off? I don’t think he has. Jesus is still sending his followers. The only potential breakdown in the plan is when followers of Jesus who have the Gospel decide not to go and proclaim the Gospel to people who haven’t heard it. When followers of Jesus say, “We are just going to all live our lives in places where the Gospel has gone, and we’re not going to leave and go where it hasn’t.”

And people look at this map and say, well, I mean, surely God has other ways, right? God’s working in dreams and visions. Don’t you hear stories about dreams and visions across the Muslim world? [inaudible 00:05:46]? And yes, absolutely, God works in all kinds of ways, including dreams and visions. But you will not find one verse in the Bible, in the Book of Acts where the gospel is going forward apart from a human instrument proclaiming it. Even you got Cornelius dream vision. Peter, get up. Go there. It’s always through people. Could God use other means? Sure he could. God has the power to write the Book of Romans in the sky tonight and boom, they’re all reached. But he’s not doing that. Do you know why? Because God in his sovereign wisdom and kindness has chosen to use you and me to carry the greatest news to the ends of the earth.

And if we don’t go, they won’t hear and they won’t believe and they won’t call and they won’t be saved. Do you see at church like we are plan A for the spread of the Gospel to the nations and there is no plan B.