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I'm thinking today of Romans chapter 10. It's

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a unique message for an important time of year.

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In Romans chapter 10, Paul is talking about getting

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out the gospel. How then are they to call on

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him in whom they have not believed? That's verse

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14. Or how are they to believe in him whom they

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have not heard? And how are they to hear without

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a preacher? That's the rest of 14. And then down

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in verse 16, in the middle of a discussion about

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how the Word of God has to get out and how the

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Word of God will grow faith, there is this kind

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of excerpt. It says, however, they did not all

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heed the good news. For Isaiah says, quote, Lord,

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who has believed our report, unquote. The bottom

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line is this. Even if someone is sent, even if

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someone goes, not everyone will hear the gospel.

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Not everyone will respond positively to the message

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that God is willing to save souls. I remember

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in the story of Lazarus and the rich man, the

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rich man is begging the angel at the gate to

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send somebody back to his brothers to warn them.

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And he says, no. They have Moses and the prophets,

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and even if they saw somebody come back from

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the dead, even then they wouldn't listen. And

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that's exactly where we're living today. Jesus

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has come back from the dead, and believers have

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been born again and are now living on this earth

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and delivering the message about Jesus, and still

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there are those who will not believe. It does

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not lessen our obligation to share, but it reminds

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us that even this year, even this time, as we

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are celebrating the coming of Jesus, who is the

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most spectacular way that God declared his love

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and his salvation available to people. sometimes

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won't hear. Tell them anyway.