Romans 10
Notes
Transcript
Salvation for All
Salvation for All
Good morning!
I hope you are well and blessed today!
As we move toward our Thanksgiving celebrations, I would encourage you to take a little time each morning and reflect on the reasons you are thankful.
You have life, healthy life, your family, salvation of your family members, God’s provision and blessing. I mean there are so many things.
Friends, we have so much to be thankful for today and everyday.
As we move toward the end of our service today, we celebrate the Lord’s table. I would ask that you prepare your hearts as we go through the service so that you are prepared as we partake of the juice and bread that represent his life, death,resurrection and salvation that He extends to all mankind.
Now today, we come back to the Book of Romans. And we are moving to Chapter 10.
Chapter 10 is a wonderful chapter, and at the very heart of the chapter is the topic of Salvation.
And this is a theme that is continued across the book. Why? God wants to see humanity saved, redeemed and with Him. As a loving parent, God does not want mankind to die in their sin. God wants them to have life, that is why he sent His Son to die as an atonement for sin.
God still gives man freewill, He calls for man to come and be saved but allows them the choice to follow their own will.
So as we open this chapter, I want to share three thoughts with you this morning. The first one is this...
Paul says....
1.He Prayed for Others to Be Saved..
We have talked about Paul’s desire to see His brothers and sisters saved in past messages . We know, beyond any doubt, He was burdened for them, and rightly so.
This idea should be reflected in us. We should be burdened for those we know, identify with and love.
We want to see others come to faith in Christ. Look at what Paul says in verse 1-4
1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
As I read that passage I thought this The greatest obstacle to salvation is self.
We think a lot of ourselves at times. Mankind gets easily puffed up. And that is natural, in our sin, man struggles to believe they need anything other than their own efforts. We believe we are good enough, we think we can work and determine our own destiny.
Self is a dangerous obstacle in front of God. Paul knew this and he prayed all the more for his Jewish brothers.
This is seen in verse 1. Paul’s desire and prayer was for them (His fellow Jews) to be saved, to accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah and to respond to Jesus by faith.
Paul didn’t just talk about their need, he prayed for their need. He did so because he loved them, he wanted to see their redeemed.
Now I asked you this last week, but in light of Paul’s heart, we need to consider this again. Are you praying for the lost, not just generally, but specifically. You must, we must.
You must care, you must pray because God desire is for man to be saved. Let me share I Tim 2, verses 3-4
3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Prayer will make a difference.
Now remember I said self was the problem.... Look at what Paul says next.
Paul says they (Jewish brothers) have a zeal for God, seeking to establish their own righteousness.
They worked hard in their efforts to keep the law, they were sincere in their efforts and felt their efforts were a means to righteousness, the more you do for God the more righteous you are…
Not true! Works will not make you better in front of God. Your heart is what God is after, a heart that believes and exercises faith in Jesus.
The Jews missed the fact that true righteousness comes from God, not man. And Paul says this in verse 4
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
The law could not provide righteousness, only Christ could do this through His sacrificial death, which atoned for the sin of mankind.
Mankind is now called to turn to Christ, no longer trusting in the work of their one hands, but trusting Jesus.
I am reminded of the old hymn ‘Rock of Age” it proclaims “...Nothing in my hand I bring; simply to thy cross I cling...”
Even there the center truth is the cross, the cross where Jesus satisfied the penalty of sin. Not what we do or try to earn...
Their zeal, their trust in their own efforts blinded them, it kept them from knowing the truth of Jesus Christ. Paul knew this, he had been there.
He was there when Stephen was stoned, he was holding the coats of the older men, giving his approval to their punishment of Stephen. Paul had been a Pharisee, zealous He thought for God… God got a hold of him and showed him He was wrong...
Now as a new creation in Christ, Paul went, served and prayed.
So he prayed, and prayed all the more… He wanted them to be saved. He longed for his Kinsmen to know Christ.
Do you remember the woman at the well, she encountered Jesus and went back and told the people this in John 4:29
29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”
She wanted people to know and encounter Jesus. You know why? She knew he was the Messiah, and she wanted her people to know Him as well.
Friends, I cannot stress this enough my friends, we must be praying for the lost and asking God to open their eyes that they might believe.
We must pray....
And then we must be going and telling as well.
Now this brings us to my second thought for today,
2. Salvation is for all...
This truth is at the very core of the book of Romans. Do you remember the great truth Paul shard in chapter 1...
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
The gospel, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, this is the message, the power of God that saves.
Now as we walk through the few verses , verses 5-6. We see that those who try to get right with God by obeying the law, well they are doomed to failure.
Trying to obey the law is good, doing what is right is good, don’t get me wrong, but it will not save you.
And even if you could go up to heaven or ascend into the abyss, God is not looking for your efforts, even if they were great ones. He is looking for us to place our faith in the gospel message, the message that tells us of Jesus works, what He did to save mankind.
What they do with Jesus would determined their future and it does the same for us today. We will either except the fact that He came to save men and women from their sin or not, we will have faith in Him or not..
God sent us a Savior… works are not required, faith is. Did you her that works before hand are not required (you cannot earn your salvation), faith is required .... Faith is what leads to salvation. We hear the message of the word and by faith we beleive.
Do you remember Romans 10:17
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Now lets move forward and look at what Paul says in verses 8 to 13
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
One of the greatest passages in the Book of Romans… Paul says the message is already near, in your mouth … you have heard it. It has been made known to you.
Verses 9-10 is probably the most helpful portion of Scriptures that leads to Salvation. So understand here, no one is here - at the place of Salvation apart from God and his work through the power and presence of God’s Holy Spirit.
And with with God at work in a persons life, something wonderful can happen.... Salvation. - So this comes about when a person believes and confesses
Confession is the first thing Paul mentions… If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord… This is really the most quintessential affirmation of the Christian life. It tells us that that authority is unlimited, absolute and universal. And in fact no one can come to faith in Christ without being willing to remove self from the drivers seat of life and you ask Him to take over and drive.
Salvation is not possible without Lordship.
So we confess, (And mind you we don’t know all there is about Jesus being Lord) we make Him Lord in our life.
Next we believe that God raised him from the dead. Now understand here, if we believe that He was raised from the dead, we know he died. We know that Jesus was crucified, buried and then was raised from the dead on the 3rd day.
So if you believe that Jesus lived, died for the sins of the world and rose from the dead, If you believe that, if you know and have confessed that, He (Jesus) is Lord .
You will be saved!
Think about this, when you got saved, when I got saved; we did not understand all the theological implications of salvation and atonement. No, we know Jesus died for us, He did so that when we called on Him he forgave us and gave to us eternal life.
We believed and it happened...
Verse 10 Paul says it is with the heart one believes and is justified. Made just, forgiven and made clean in the eyes of God the father. No longer any legal charges against us. We are not guilty.
And it with the mouth that we confess and is saved.
Look at this, you thought it, took hold if it by faith and believed and then it moved out your mouth confession… you are saved. Wow
It doesn’t matter who you are, Jew of Greek, if you did it, you are saved. From the best child to the darkest sinner, when a person believes and confesses, they are saved.
Salvation is for all.
Is Salvation for those in the USA, yes, ..what about Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Yes! Well, what about Africa, the Middle east… Yes!
It is available to whosoever would call upon the name of the Lord.
Isn’t that great my friends!
Aren’t you glad you are one of those “whosoever” I am
Now just one last thought...
3. We Must Take the Gospel so Others Can Be Saved....
Here is where I think we (Christians) will have the greatest disappointment in front of God in heaven. You know why? Because we haven’t shared this message enough....
Listen we are called to take the gospel along the course of our days , along our way to those we encounter. (Not Bible Thumping)
Lets go back to our text for a minute… look at verses 14-17
14 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.
Paul puts forth some thoughts here that we must consider my friends, verses 14-15 really sums it up..
1.) How can they be saved if they haven’t believed,
2.) and how can they believe unless if they don’t know about Jesus.
3.) And how can they hear about Jesus unless someone tells them, preaches to them....
4.)And how can they preach, teach or tell if they are not sent, or unless they go
My friends, we are entering one of the 2 greatest seasons for the Christian. Easter is one and the other is Christmas.
It’s Christmas where we celebrate the entrance of Jesus into the world. God sent His Son, born of woman, made like us for the purpose of one day laying down His life on the cross for our sins.
Is that beautiful? Then we must be telling.
We are commanded to be his witnesses in this world, by the power of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God.
What are we telling, bearing witness too? That Jesus came, lived, died for our sins and raised on the third day. I heard that because some people loved me, invited me and told me about Jesus.
Look at verse 17
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
People cannot hear, and cannot have faith unless they have the opportunity to hear the word of God. How can they hear about Jesus.
Invite them to church, witness to them, tell them about Jesus
So who are you supposed to be inviting and or telling?
Everyone God puts in front of you.
Jeff, working 3rd’s at Kroger at night in Monticello Indiana
You see as we go about the course of our days, we are to be telling… But we are afraid of offending someone, listen they are going to be offended lifting up their eyes in hell one day if they miss Jesus because someone didn’t tell them.
Time is running out, do you know that?
People are dying every day, and we are moving closer to the time of his return… we must get busy.
What do you want to do for God? I believe people are being called of God and we get scared at times to answer that call… I know that,
We and our church as work to do.
January is coming, Upward needs helpers, coaches, refs that is the first place you can serve.
March. Bike week is coming, we should go and share the gospel.
Spring and Summer are loaded with opportunities to serve.
Youth Sports Camp will be here in June, VBS in July so much to do and so little time my friends.