Philip. 3:3-11 (NKJV)  

For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, 4though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Romans 10:1-15 (NKJV)  

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 5For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, "The man who does those things shall live by them." 6But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' " (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7or, " 'Who will descend into the abyss?' " (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." 14How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,

Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

SERMON

The apostle Paul in this letter to the Romans chapter 10 verse 1 says:

1Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Why does the apostle Paul say this, that it is his heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel that they may be saved?

I remember asking a few people when I was speaking at the Ledbury weekend a couple of years ago; what is your heart’s desire, I purposely only asked married people.

I said to them, If God spoke to you very clearly and said ‘ask me for your heart’s desire, that which you would have me do for you, ask me now and I will fulfil it instantly’.

And they all said; that my kids, my children would be saved. One lady, whose only daughter is saved, said ‘that my husband would be saved’.

The apostle Paul wrote in this letter to the Romans: 1Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. Why? Because he loved Israel, they were his people, his relatives, his nation whom God had called out of Egypt under the tyranny of Pharaoh, and into the Promised Land, they had endured great trials together, separations from each other, invasions, persecutions, they were entrusted with the oracles of God, the Holy Scriptures and guarded them with their lives, and St Paul was one of them, in; Philip. 3:5-8 (NKJV)  Pauls says that he was:

circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; But says Paul, I wasn’t saved!

He had a religious background, of the stock of Israel, he had religious relatives, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; and he had religious knowledge, concerning the law, a Pharisee.  He didn’t know Christ. Verse 6 tells us that he knew of Christ, and he persecuted those who followed Christ. But he didn’t know Him. But when he did know Him, he said:  Verse 7But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ

How many people attend Church services, or go to Christian meetings with a similar pedigree to St Paul’s.  Or rely on those things that St Paul had.

A Religious or Christian background, this is supposed to be a Christian country, some people actually think they are Christians because they were born here, or were Christened when they were babies. Some people would say my name is on the membership register of such and such a Church, in fact it says on my Health Record, C of E. meaning in my religious convictions I belong to the Church of England. In case you don’t know, that’s what they ask you if you’re going to have an operation, what religion are you? If you say Christian, they almost automatically write down C of E, Church of England.

Some people think that is sufficient, they go for an operation, if they don’t pull through, its all right, they’ll make it to heaven because it says on a piece of paper, C of E, or the name of some other Christian or religious affiliation.

Religious or Christian relatives: many people go to Church, some occasionally, some even regularly, and actually feel OK because they have got stacks of relatives who also go to Church, and might even be genuine born again believers in Christ. We’ve been brought up in the Church, said grace at meal times, you wouldn’t hear your relatives using foul language, see them getting drunk, oh yes you might have very good Christian relatives, who walk the walk and talk the talk.

Christian or Religious knowledge: this is the most dangerous thing to be fooled by, that knowledge of religion can save you. If you’ve got a religious background, and religious relatives, the chances are you will have a fair amount of religious knowledge.

It is a good thing to have all of these things; a Christian background, Christian relatives, and Christian knowledge, but none of those things will save you, they should help you, but they won’t save you.

To have a knowledge of the Word of God is a definite advantage, because it tells you of God’s plan for the human race.

We often have Bible quizzes, and I love to see and hear people get the answers right, especially the young kids in our Church, and in my family, I love to see them grow knowledgeable about the Word of God, but for one reason only.

That they will be saved. Why? Because I love them! I want when they eventually die, them to go to heaven and receive eternal life. Why? Because I love them! The apostle Paul said:

1Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for my children, my relatives, my friends, for all who come to our Church meetings, is that they may be saved.

Saved? Saved from what? And saved to what?

a.   From the penalty of sin. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The penalty of sin is the second death.

b.   From the power of sin. Romans 6:22  But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

c.  From the presence of sin Jude 1:24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from

     stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

You can be saved from sin and the results of sin.

Saved to, eternal life, to heaven, forever.

How?

Call! How do I call?

Romans 10:8-13

8But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

The apostle Paul said: Rom 10:1

1Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

I say: Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for my children, my relatives, my friends, for all who come to our Church meetings, is that they may be saved.

I want to tell you about something that has happened recently.

I have two lovely Christian friends, in their eighties, one of them '.......' has been ill for many years, he’s had three major heart operations, he has been at deaths door many times, and in his last operation his heart actually stopped beating and he was supposed dead, until the doctors and nurses managed to resuscitate and revive him, infection set in on his stitches, they had to open him up again, he really looked as if he was on his way out of this world.

But he’s still here today, '...........' his wife had always been the healthiest of the two, never suffered with any serious illness, right up into her eighties, they have two grown up children who are not saved. A short time ago she was told she had cancer, sad news for them, but worse news came, their son was diagnosed with cancer and had only a matter of weeks or at the most months to live.

I received a phone call that she had drifted into a coma, shortly after this I received another phone call that she had drifted into glory. She is gloriously and wonderfully saved. She will never cry again, she will never feel pain ever again, she is with the LORD for all eternity.

Her husband, '.......' was obviously in great pain because the woman he loved and had been married to for over 50 years had been parted from him, but praise God it’s only temporary.

He now had another dilemma to face that his son would also soon die, and here lies the tragedy, his son had no interest in the saving Gospel of Christ, a Natural Scientist and an evolutionist, he had recently won awards for his nature programs, and had even had programs shown on BBC television.

His career was just taking off; he had a marvellous career ahead of him, until he received this news that he had an inoperable cancer and had only got a short time to live.

I remember speaking to him, he was obviously devastated, but I detected that he still had no desire toward Christ his heart was hardened to the Gospel.

If he dies in this state he is doomed forever.

His poor father knew this, this young man has had a Christian background, Christian relatives, Christian knowledge, but it didn’t save him, as far as I know he showed no evidence of conversion, the chances are his soul was lost.

His father has comfort knowing that though he is temporarily parted from his wife, she is safe in God’s kingdom, but he has the agony of knowing that his son may have died without Christ.

His son thought he had everything going for him, and in worldly terms it seems he had.

Death waits for no man, death will sweep all men away, death is at work in every living creature warning us of its certainty.

Quote: Death gives ample warning.

The apostle Paul said:

7But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in Him, ……….. not having my own righteousness,

Not relying on his religious background, religious relatives, or religious knowledge, but says Paul;  10that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

To know Christ, to have Him live in your heart, is to be saved.

You can be saved from sin and the results of sin.

Saved to, eternal life, to heaven, forever.

How?

Call! How do I call?

Romans 10:8-13

8But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13For "whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Another place where this word ‘whosoever’ is used is in John 3:16 (NKJV)  

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Richard Baxter, of the “Saints’ Everlasting Rest,” was particularly fond of the verse: He used to say, “That word whosoever is the most comforting in the whole Bible. If God had said that there was mercy for Richard Baxter, I am so great a sinner that I would have thought He meant some other person of the same name. But when He says ‘whosoever,’ I know that that includes me, the worst of all Richard Baxters.”

The apostle Paul says 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13For "whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

The belief in the name of the Lord must result in the call on the name of the Lord.

This verse reduces the gospel to its simplest possible terms. It reduces it to a call. Anyone can call. A little child can call. Simon Peter illustrates what is needed. He had walked on the waves towards Christ, suddenly he began to sink. And he called "Lord, save me!" That was all. No logical niceties, no suave philosophical arguments, no inner debates--just a desperate, meaningful call. "Lord, save me!"

What is the scope of the Gospel, who can be saved?  The Bible says "Whosoever!"

Whosoever what?   "Whosoever Calls!"  Calls what?

On the name of the LORD.

I would like to finish with this ILLUSTRATION from Tans:

Salvation is centered in the name of the Lord. We might say “What's in a name?” Suppose I were to write you out a check for £550,000. It would do you no good! The check would bounce all over wherever you tried to cash it, because my name is not good for that kind of money. But suppose Bill Gates were to write you out a check for that amount. It would be a different story. The check that I gave you might name the same bank, dated the same day, typed on the same typewriter. The only difference on the cheque is in the name. It is no use bringing to God the name of the virgin Mary, or the name of Muhammad or Buddha. These are bankrupt names. God only honors for salvation, only saves those who call on the name of His Son.

Acts 4:12 (NKJV)  

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Philip. 2:9-11 (NKJV)  

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Quote: An unanswerable question?

Will you call on the name of the LORD?

AMEN.