Faith Comes By Hearing And Hearing By The Word Of God

Romans 10:1-17

Paul had a great ache in his heart........It was that his brethren (Israel) be saved....

The ache was so great that back in Romans 9:2–3 “That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:”

Accursed or cut-off from Christ......

He knew that was not possible, but he was willing, so that Israel would come to Jesus Christ!

Paul states here that Israel had a zeal for God without knowledge.....What does that mean?

Everything they did seemed to be after God.....they were the most “outward” religious people in the world.

So, how could it be they didn’t have the knowledge?

Paul explains:........They were ignorant of God’s righteousness.......

In order to be saved, one must know the righteousness of God. One must understand that God is absolutely holy, cannot look upon iniquity and sin with any degree of tolerance, must punish it all.

They didn’t know that. They thought God was less righteous than He was, than He is. And furthermore, they went about seeking to establish their own.

Let’s explore this somewhat........As I said Wed. night and I have said it before, I believe this is the greatest problem with humanity.......being ignorant of God’s righteousness and establishing our own.

What does righteousness mean? After all that is why Jesus came.....2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He (God) hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, Jesus Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in (Jesus) Him.”

Therefore, as verse 4 tells us Christ is the end of the law! Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

So what does it mean.......A preacher wrote about the meaning of righteous: “This is very profound definition, hang on:....... It means God's right.  That's right, always right, always does what's right, thinks what's right, says what's right. God is right.  If you want another word for righteousness it's just take out the middle: Rightness, the rightness of God.  He's never wrong.  He's never erring, never sinning, always right, the rightness of God. They were ignorant of His moral perfection.  Another way to say it is His holiness.”

There is no better way to say it.......There is not another right way, there is not an alternate path, God is the ONLY right!

In this rightness is holiness......which is separateness and otherness.....

Meaning that there is none like Him......We are created in His image, but we have fell from that and as of right now, Jesus is the Only One that holds that image!

Israel missed the fact that God was absolutely Holy....they thought God was less holy than He was and they were more holy than they were. They did not understand how absolutely morally perfect God was and is!

He was utterly unable to touch sin!

I fear that so many people today don’t understand this truth.....

Most people think God is just a nice guy, just somebody up there who wants everybody to feel good and that He has the power to make that happen!

We sort of, make God into that.....He just loves everybody.......they just misjudge His moral perfection!

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

We quote that making sermons out of His love....but in that we miss how wonderfully right He is and how wretched we are!!!

We miss that He is intolerant to sin....we imagine that is more tolerant of evil than He really is and that we are better than we truly are!

Exodus 15:11 “Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?”

That is a question that is not a question but a declaration.....there is no one like God.....

It is the greatest truth we will ever know........I find that we miss the reality of life when we miss this glorious truth of God!

We think that the problem with the world and society is fixable and that somehow human effort is going to be the factor.....the problem with the world and society is their knowledge of God, our ignorance!

Also, we think that we are better than we truly are..........Even when I am in right standing with God, it is He that does it not me..........Why did I come to Him in the first place? Cause I am not in His righteousness and have no power to get there only through Jesus Christ can I stand before God the Father!

Acts 17:30–31 “And the times of this ignorance God winked at (Adam and Eve); but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”

Matthew 4:16–17 “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

This is the most horrifying truth that has been revealed to me, but it also is the most glorious truth! Once revealed it brings sorrow.....Godly sorrow which leads us to repentance........we stop and we look for a place of deliverance and in God’s glorious mercy and grace He has given us Jesus Christ which is our righteousness/salvation!

I love the parable of the Publican and Pharisee…Luke 18:9-14.......what a glorious scene!

This is exactly what Paul is referring to in Romans 10......ignorant of God’s righteousness and had set his own righteousness....who was this Pharisee even talking to????

He wasn’t talking to the True God, just a god of his making.....maybe he was his god???

Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

The publican, knew the holiness of God and he knew his wretchedness and one other thing he knew......that there was no ability in himself to make himself right in God’s eyes!

That is why he couldn’t even look up toward Heaven, was not worthy to even be talking to God.......that is what is powerful about God in His rightness, He has mercy on those that recognize that He sent His Son to make us right with Him, Jesus was sent to pay that penalty for which all of us should be destroyed at birth.........Jesus took the wrath of God !

If our faith rests in the person and work of Jesus Christ, we are assured in the fact that my wretchedness was paid for at Calvary through the body of Christ.....not my work but God’s and His Son’s.......

Then when we read that Jesus was raised to life.....and it’s in Him that we live, that should bring so much joy........nothing that happens on this earth should bring us no more joy than this TRUTH!

The publican went away justified!

Colossians 3:3–4 “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

The publican’s decree was “My life is hid with Christ in God”

Let’s go back for a few moments to Romans 10......

Our confession is Jesus Christ alone......Our whole lives hinge upon our faith in Christ.....that He is our righteousness!

The publican called on the Name of The Lord........He went away justified!

Now, Paul was earnest in his prayer for Israel that they would know about the True righteousness of God and the Truth of what Jesus is to all mankind (Righteousness)........

How will they hear without a preacher, how will they know unless someone is sent to deliver this truth?

Faith only comes through hearing....hearing what?????? the Word of God......Who is the Word? John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Jesus the Christ the Son of the Living God!!!

Let us all pray for those who do not know, who are ignorant of the knowledge of God

Who thinks He is less righteous than He and for those who think they are more righteous than they are!

Our prayer is that the Truth of God and Christ will be sent and interrupt the corrupt thoughts of man!