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ROM 230 - How to Be Saved - Rom 10:5-13
 
In our last 3 msgs (all Rom Ch 9) we've seen some
pretty incredible truths about God & ISRAEL
 
We started - Israel & God's Faithfulness
& then - Israel & God's Sovereignty
& finally - Israel & God's Salvation
 
& while there were Incredible GOD-SIZED truths
in all 3 of these msg's
 
The one compelling argument that ran thru all of them
 
Was Paul's desire for the Jews - to accept
God's plan of salvation thru faith in Jesus Christ alone
 
The 1st msg (beg of Ch 9) started with Paul in great agony
desiring that his kinsmen Israel would Be Saved
 
& the last of these 3 msg's ended with a similar anguish
 
in Rom 10:1 Paul says - ESV
1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.
There were some huge truths in those 3 msg's
but none more huge - than Paul's desire for Israel to be Saved
 
& so now - Paul continues this Greatest of all Messages
by showing you & I exactly HOW we can be SAVED
 
Let's Pray
 
Ch 10 began with Paul's heart breaking for the salvation of Israel
 
HOWEVER - Paul also put the responsibility for their Rejection
squarely on their own actions
 
Rom 10:3 - ESV
3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
 
We ended our last msg with Vs's 3 & 4
but I need to start here again today
 
Because this explains WHY so many people
Reject God's plan of Salvation today
 
We all know people
Who are doing the SAME THING with God - that the Jews did
 
they are - seeking to establish their own righteousness - with God
 
 
& in Rom 10:3 - we see the 3 steps most people take
in Rejecting God's Plan of Salvation
 
#1) (v.3a) They are ignorant of the Righteousness of God
 
The NLT says . . . they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself
 
They don't understand
 
but instead of Listening to God's Way
they do EXACTLY what V.3 says next
#2) (v.3b)They seek to establish their own righteousness
 
Don't we see people all around us
Who believe they are EARNING their righteousness before God
 
Usually - it sounds something like this
"I'm a pretty good person, I think God will accept me"
 
But they don’t understand God's ONLY WAY
of making people right with Himself
 
& instead of Listening to God's Way
 
They try to ATTAIN a level of "Goodness"
they think God will accept
 
Which is exactly what Paul is saying the Jews were doing
 
BUT - God's way is NOT ATTAINING to - IT'S SUBMITTING to
 
It's NOT ACHEIVING RIGHTEOUSNESS
it's SURRENDERING to HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS
 
& because people don’t understand this (V.3A)
they seek to establish their own righteousness (V.3B)
 
Then comes the Death Nail at the end of Vs. 3
 
 
#3) (v.3c) They do not SUBMIT to God's Righteousness
 
#1) They don’t understand God's way
#2) They think they can establish their OWN way
#3) They REJECT God's Way of making them righteous
 
They Refuse to Submit to God's Way of Salvation
 
They think their way of EARNING righteousness
is BETTER than Submitting to God's Way - by Faith
 
& in the end - if they continue in their OWN Righteousness
 
They will force God to Reject them
AND their "Pretty Good Person" approach to righteousness
 
Because - - as the next Vs says
 
Rom 10:4 - ESV
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
 
Christ is the END - meaning the FULFILLMENT of the law For Righteousness - to Everyone who believes
 
THAT is why - people's OWN attempts at Righteousness
WILL NOT WORK
 
 
 
Now - as we continue in Rom 10:5
Paul is going to address the DIFFERENCE
 
between trying to EARN your Righteousness by THE LAW
VS's RECEIVING your Righteousness - BY FAITH
 
Vs's 5 - 8 can be difficult Vs's - but if we look at them in context
they won’t be so hard to understand
 
& the CONTEXT is - Paul is COMPARING
two ways to Receive Righteousness
 
& because these are difficult Vs's - I'd like to use the NLT
to show that Paul is simply making a comparison here
 
a Comparison of EARNING Righteousness by THE LAW (or effort)
VS - RECEIVING Righteousness by FAITH
 
let's read V.5 to V.8 - so we can see the big picture
 
 
Rom 10:5-8 - NLT  
Rom 10:5-8 - NLT
5 For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.6 But faith’s way [the comparison] of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven’ (to bring Christ down to earth).7 And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead’ (to bring Christ back to life again).”8 In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach:
 
V. 5 starts by saying - the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands
 
BUT FAITH'S WAY (V.6) - of getting right with God says;
 
DON’T SAY - I have to go up to heaven to bring Christ down
in other words - To EARN my righteousness
 
& (V.7) DON’T SAY - I have to go to the place of the dead
to bring Christ back to life
in other words - To ADD to Christ's sacrifice (or again - to Earn)
 
We can't climb to heaven to earn our Righteousness
We can’t descend into the depths to earn our Righteousness
 
We CAN NOT EARN Our Own Righteousness
 
& in my experience - THIS is the biggest LIE
that "Good People" - believe
 
 
These People actually DO WANT to go to Heaven
 
& actually - they DO BELIEVE there will be SOME BASIS
by which they will be JUDGED - to be accepted by God
 
But - the LIE they believe
is that they can Establish their OWN Righteousness
usually by being a "good person"
 
& they believe God will ACCEPT THEIR Righteousness
that they've come up with - themselves
 
But Guys - We CAN NOT EARN Our Own Righteousness
 
We don’t get to come up
with our own way of righteousness
 
& PLS HEAR ME - God Does NOT grade on the CURVE
 
Meaning - the fact that you’re a better person than someone else
isn’t going to hold ANY WATER - when you stand before God
 
 
OK - let's go back to our txt here in ROM CH 10
 
 
 
In Vs's 5-8 - Paul was actually quoting a portion of a text
that comes from Deut CH 30 - Vs.11 - 20
 
this is a great text (Mark it down & read it)
& really - it could pretty much fit - right into the New Testament
 
Starting in Deut 30:11 - Moses says basically;
This commandment is not too hard for you -
it's not in heaven that you have to go get it -
it's not beyond the sea that you have to go get it -
No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.
& Paul is grabbing that quote from the law - & saying LOOK
 
God's Commandment is still very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart - so that you can obey it
 
& then - look at the end of ROM 10:8 - NLT
. . And that message is the very message about faith that we preach
 
& now Paul is actually going to take that OT quote - & apply it
(in the same order) - to Salvation in Jesus Christ
 
Again - his last quote from DEUT is (V.8) - “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.”
 
& then he ties that (in the same order)
to God's plan of salvation in Rom 10:9
 
Rom 10:9 - ESV
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.
 
FIRST - Paul connects God's Plan of Salvation in Christ
to a quote that the Jews knew well - from the Law
 
That God's command was - very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart - so that you can obey it
 
& that's why Paul expresses it - in THIS order
Confess with your mouth - & Believe in your Heart
 
Because that's the same order as the Deut 30 Quote
 
 
But then - in Rom 10:10 - he turns it around
to the more Literally Accurate order of things
 
Rom 10:10 - ESV
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
 
So now - He's moving on to God's Plan of Salvation
for ALL people (which we'll see in a minute)
 
& in these 2 Vs's (9 & 10) - We have one of the Simplest
AND - one of the Most Powerful explanations in all the Bible
 
of HOW you & I can be saved today
 
Let's read Vs's 9-10 together  
 
But as we do
Please try to see them as ONE EVENT
 
They can kinda look like TWO separate events
But they're NOT
 
This is ONE EVENT of Faith
& then a RESPONSE to that Faith
 
Rom 10:9-10 - ESV
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.
 
It's VERY IMPORTANT that we don’t get side-tracked here
with questions like:
1) Which comes first - Confession or Belief
2) is Confession required IN ADDITION to belief
 
Guys - These Vs's show Two-Sides of the Same Event
 
We already saw that the ORDER in V. 9
was put that way - to match the ORDER in the Deut 30 quote
 
& then Vs. 10 is the more LIT correct ORDER
 
Salvation by FAITH ALONE
has been the Primary Focus - of the entire BOOK of Romans
 
But on the other side - of the "FAITH ALONE" coin
 
 
IF you Truly Believe in your heart - then Confessing with your mouth
will be your ONLY Natural Response
 
Kenneth Wuest - Quoting James Denny (two Great Bible Scholars)
(Romans in the Greek New Testament, p. 178)
“A heart believing unto righteousness, and a mouth making confession unto salvation, are not really two things, but two sides of the same thing."
 
So - Paul is talking about ONE CONCERTED action here
 
ONE ACTION of FAITH
& then the RESPONSE - that comes from that FAITH
 
as Mat 12:34 says - ESV
34 . . . For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
 
Our Salvation is BY FAITH ALONE
 
& IF that Faith is REAL it will come out - in the "confessions" of our life
 
 
So - Let's get on to the REAL POINT Paul's making here
 
If you want to be Saved TODAY ??
 
& Pls Believe me - - you NEED to be Saved TODAY !!
 
If you want to be Saved today - Please listen very carefully
 
Rom 10:8 - ESV  
 
Rom 10:8 - ESV
8 . . . “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” . .
 
Don’t be distracted - because Salvation is VERY NEAR YOU
 
Rom 10:9 - ESV
9 . . . 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.
 
To believe that God raised Jesus from the dead
is to believe in the Gospel Msg that CULMINATES in the Resurrection of Jesus
 
Jesus came down from Heaven in Human Flesh
He lived a perfect life
He died on a cross - in your place
He was buried
& ROSE again on the 3rd Day conquering sin & death - FOR YOU
 
& your salvation comes - by you BELIEVING in your Heart
THAT Gospel message
 
& when you truly believe in your heart - WHO Jesus Christ IS
& WHAT He's DONE for you personally
 
Then the sign will be - that you will Confess with your Mouth
that JESUS IS LORD !!
 
& even more specifically - that He is your LORD !!
 
 
Listen again - as Paul Restates this same truth in V.10
 
Rom 10:10 - ESV
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
 
With the HEART - one believes & is JUSTIFIED
Justified means - to be declared righteous by God
 
If you will BELIEVE in Jesus Christ TODAY
then you WILL BE Justified by God
 
& when you open your mouth
and confess that Jesus Christ is YOUR LORD
 
It will be the Evidence
that you have truly BELIEVED in your Heart
 
But please know - This "Confession"
is not just the reciting of a few magic words
 
Listen to Handley Moule - A great Classic Bible Scholar
 
Handley Moule (the epistle to the Romans, pg 218)
The "confession with the mouth" here in view is, surely, nothing less than the believers open loyalty to Christ. It is not a reciting of the Creed. It is the witness of the whole man to Christ as his own discovered life and Lord.
 
Again - as Mat 12:34 says
34 . . . For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
 
& when Jesus Christ is TRULY your LORD
Your WORDS - & your LIFE - will be a Confession to that fact
 
 
Guys - HERE is the M.I.P. (Most Important Point)
 
Salvation comes by Believing in your Heart
that Jesus Christ is Who He says He is
 
& the Evidence of that Faith - is you confessing with your mouth
that HE IS YOUR LORD
 
How can we say that SO ABSOLUTELY ??
because of the Next VERSE !
 
Rom 10:11 - ESV
11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
 
EVERYONE - ANYONE - Who BELIEVES in Jesus Christ
will NOT be put to shame
 
This is a quote from Isaiah -
it's the 2nd time in this passage Paul has used it (9:33)
 
& Guys - this is referring to that Great Day
when you stand before the Creator & Judge of the Universe
 
& there will be some people - who THINK they'll convince God
that they were a "Pretty Good Person"
 
But please hear me when I tell you - they WILL be put to shame
 
Because when you stand in front of
the PERFECT Holiness & Righteousness of the Almighty God
 
 
You will NOT EVEN TRY to convince Him - that you being
a "Pretty Good Person" should be enough
 
& at that moment - you will accept
His Perfect & Righteous Judgment - Upon Your Sin
 
HOWEVER - “Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ will NOT be put to shame.”
 
HOW ?? -- WHY ?? -- HOW can God do that ??
 
Because of what ROM 10:4 has already said - ESV
4 For Christ is the end [fulfillment] of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
 
Jesus Christ FULFILLS the Law - For Righteousness
For EVERYONE who BELIEVES
 
THAT is God's Plan of Salvation
 
Some will TRY to stand before God
with their OWN plan of salvation - & they will be put to shame
 
But Jesus Christ is the FULFILLMENT of God's Law -
For Righteousness - to EVERYONE who Believes !!
 
Everyone - Who Believes !!!
 
 
Look at - Rom 10:12 - ESV  
 
 
Rom 10:12 - ESV
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.
 
It doesn’t matter WHO you are today
or where you've come from
 
The SAME LORD - is LORD of ALL
 
& He will POUR OUT - His Mercy & His Grace Upon YOU
if you will CALL on Him Today
 
This Phrase - "to CALL on Jesus" means simply
to APPEAL to Him - to SAVE YOU
 
The picture here - is that of someone who's Drowning
or in some way "Slipping Away" or "Being Lost"
 
& that person calls out JESUS !! SAVE ME !!
 
& if you will CALL ON HIM
Believing in your Heart - & Confessing with your Mouth
 
He WILL SAVE YOU
 
 
 
So the ONLY Question is - HAVE YOU called on Him
 
TODAY - RIGHT NOW
 
YOU can CALL on the Name of the Lord
& you WILL be Saved !!
 
HOW do I know - - - Because of the Very Next Verse
 
 
 
Rom 10:13 - ESV  
 
Rom 10:13 - ESV
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
 
I want to give you a chance to Call on the Name of the Lord today
 
To say JESUS - SAVE ME !
To Tell Him - you believe in your HEART
WHO He IS - & WHAT He's DONE for you
 
& I want to give you a chance - to confess with your mouth
that JESUS is YOUR LORD
 
 
But before I ask you to do that
I'm going to ask the men to Pass out Communion
 
& as they pass out the Communion Elements - Let me say
 
If you're Dead-Set on NOT making Jesus Christ your LORD
it's OK to let the Bread & the Cup pass by you
 
Because if you do take the Elements of Communion
I'm going to ask you to make Jesus Christ your LORD
before you partake of them
 
I want to give you a chance - To BELIEVE in your HEART
& to CONFESS with your MOUTH
 
That JESUS CHRIST IS LORD - &, that he is YOUR Lord
 
 
So - pls take this time right now - to make that Decision
 
Do you Believe Jesus Christ is WHO He says He is
 
Do you Believe the Gospel Message
that Culminates in His RESURRECTION
 
Do you Believe it enough to Receive
the Free Gift of HIS Righteousness - in place of your own
 
You decide now - while Communion is being passed out
 
Then I'm going to ask you
to Confess your belief to God in a moment