Fullness of God- Don’t Miss it

FCF- When we miss the most important thing that is right in front of our face

Intro

The first time I watched this video, I laughed so hard and like every other husband, I wanted to try this with my wife Shannon.

When you watch it you think...“How did she not know?” “How did she not realize what was right infront of her?” “How did she miss it?”

The more I think about it, the more I wonder if we can through our whole life (months, years or even decades) passionate about the things we are doing, but competely miss the most important thing that is right in front of our face.

This summer we have been in our fullness of God series where we have been exploring a life in the fullness of God , However is it possible for us to completely miss it? To miss the plan of God for our salvation and miss life in the fulness of God. I believe we can miss it and in Romans chapter 10, we are led to see with clarity the life thats available and right infront of us all.

Let me first, begin with prayer.

Today we are going to be looking at Romans 9:30-10:10 and Its important to know that Paul, the author of Romans is writing to the the Churches in Rome.

Beginning in chapter 9 verse 30 Paul highlights two people groups the people of Isreal, Gods chosen people who were decendants of Jacob, and the gentiles (which were not jews). Additionally, he is going to hightlight how each of these groups pursued being in right relationship with God (Paul will use the word rightousness for this)

Let’s now take a look at what it says:

Romans 9:30–10:10 (NIV)

What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. As it is written:

“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble

and a rock that makes them fall,

and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Main Point: Faith NOT Works (vv. 9:30-33)

Eplanation

As we look first at verses 30-33, Paul tells the churches that the jewish people were in hot persuit of this rightouesness. They believed it came as a result of their works, but yet they failed to achieve it. In contrast, the gentile people who did not pursue rightousness obtained it.

The obvious question is why? Did the isrealites not work hard enough? How did they miss it?

Prior to Jesus’ ministry here on earth and the new covenant he established, the Isrealites, God’s chosen people, were in a covenent with God. Meaning they had this kinship bond, this relationship God where had given them the Law. A legal system of ceremonial, civil, and moral laws to be obeyed by the people as the means of earnign God’s favour.

So in there minds, they can continue to earn God’s favour by their works, instead of faith like the gentiles

And if we pause here for a moment, I wonder if our works, things things that we do, as human beings define our relationshiops everywhere in life, without even realizing it. Think for a second about your realationships at work or maybe with friends, are they based upon what that person can do for you? How about our spouses, or klids do they have to earn our relationship with us through theirs works (Good grades, chores)?

What about God. How many times have we done good things for others because we are driven by the belief that we can earn God’s love, we can earn His delight in us, and earn our rightousness.

Illustration

I grew up in a non-christian family and we lived in surrey for the first 10 years of my life anf then we moved to the big city of Aldergrove, and if you are unfamiliar with Aldergrove its not a big city at all but a small town just 20 mins away from here and I have many memeories growing up tirck or treating. Here I am all dressed up ready to Go. You guys know the process, leading up to halloween you would figure out what you were going to get dressed up as and then when the time came you would quickly eat your dinner, put on your constume, grab your pillow case and head off on the exciting jounery of delicious candy.

You would mostly stay in your own nighbourhoods, not like people do now and drive to certain parts of the city where the houses are closer together and where people give out the bigger and better candy. You would walk up to your nighbours home in costume, excited for candy and trying to remember your parents instructions of not running across the lawn, and knock on the door and get ready to say those three magical words “Trick or Treat” and them stick out your pillow case to receive your candy and then leave to repeate the process. Until one time it was different.

I ran up to the house, knocked confidently on that door, said those three magic words but it didnt work. This older man said.. I will give you a treat if you can do a trick. As you can image I was completely stunned. I was young and had no tricks to share and I just froze. I think after a few minitues he felt bad for me and helped me to do some sort of thing and then I got my candy.

Application

Guys this is not how God works. We don’t earn God’s rightousness or even his love, through our works.

Earlier in Romans 5:8–9, Paul says something about God’s love for us. He says that: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”

God has loved you, before you were even born. His love isnt conditional on what you can do for him and its the same for our relationship with God. We don’t earn it.

V.30 males it clear that gentile people have obtained their right realtionship with God through faith.

Life in the fullness of God is through Faith Not Works

Main Point: Submission NOT Striving (vv.10:1-4)

Explanation

As we continue you on our text we first see Paul’s emotion towards his fellow countrymen. Verse 1 says: Romans 10:1 “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”

You can hear Paul’s deep affection in these verses for the Israelites because he wants them to know the same salvation he received. This was Paul in prior years before he met Jesus on that road to Damacus. Paul was so passionate toward God, he led the charge in persecuting and putting to death people who followed Jesus. In Galatians 1:14 he writes “I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.”

Paul, as zealous as he was for God was missing it. He was striving after Rightousness in the wrong way.

Subpoint- I wonder if there is anyone in your life who is missing it like Paul?

Maybe a loved one in your family, someone in your workplace or maybe even at your school. They are missing life in the fullness of God. There are missing the hope of Jesus and salavation that is available. The are out there maybe working hard, or maybe even hardly working, either way they have not encountered the risen Jesus.

Illustration

Early on in my Christian walk, this was my family as I was the only Christian in my home, I developed a desire to see my family know and believe in Jesus. In fact it was this same desire towards helping children expereince the life transformation of Jesus that led me down the path of ministry, which as a result is how I am with you here today.

Application

Paul’s desire to see the people around him saved led him to prayer. And in the same way I believe this should also be one of our response to the people in our life who are missing it. Maybe for you this is your son or daughter and maybe they have hit that place in their life when they are thinking critically about Jesus and questioning it for themselves? Maybe it is the co-worker that you see everyday or the friend you know is looking for purpose and meaning in all the wrong places.

Who in your life should you be praying for?

We continue to read in verse 2-4 that the Isrealites are zealous for God, they are striving but unfortunatly their efforts are not based upon knowledge. There striving is misguided and as a result are seeking their own way of being right with God through the law instead of through submission.

One commentator says it this way:

They had no valid insight into God’s plan for providing righteousness. They failed completely to recognize the righteousness that comes from God. “In their eagerness to set up a righteousness of their own” (TCNT) they would not submit themselves to God’s plan.

There was no doubt that the Israelites were striving for rightousness, but missed the rightousness of God that is available to everyone.

Illustration

Before my journey in ministry I used to work as a Lifeguard and did that for a number of years. And I loved it. I enjoyed it so much that I was part of a team and completed in different lifeguarding competitions. My First team was called DNR, and our first competition was at all Al Anderson Pool and we were ready!! So in these compititions your team would enter into different simulations assess the situation and respond to as many situations as you can while trying to focus your efforts on the most serious situations, while along the way helping those with minor injuries or concerns. Every simualtion is timed and your team would receive scores based upon you helped and how well you did it.

Ok, so me and my team of three people were walked backwards onto the pool deck and had our backs to the pool while keeping our eyes closed . When the whistle blew we would turn around and have a limited amout of time to respond to everything we see.

So, when the whistle blew our team turned around and its absolutely Chaos! Someone was choking on the pool deck, someone else is having a heart attack in pool, at least 5 people are drowning in different locations, one lady is screaming because she lost her baby and more. You get the picture? Our team had a plan and my part was to dive into the water and resuce all the drowing people. One at a time I would swim out as fast as I could and grab the person and carry them back to the side of the pool. Just as I finish the whiselt blows and I am physcially exhausted. I swam as fast and hard as I could got all the peole drowning but missed the fake baby on the bottom of the pool.

When your time is over, you then get to watch other teams in the simulations and it was obvious to see that some teams had a way better plan. Instead of carrying all the people back to the edge, they would throw them pool noodles or other flotation devices to keep them afloat, while them helping other people too. Other teams would have one person who had flippers on their feet so they could swim faster through the water to rescue the drowing people quicker and with less effort. Me and our team gave it our best effort, but we fell short.

Application

Now in the same way, the people of Isreal had their own plan and were striving to achieve their own righousness instead of the plan of God for our salvation that is available to everyone. But God’s rightousness is through submission not striving. and that submission is to Jesus.

Main Point: Jesus NOT you (vv.10:5-10)

Explanation

As we move on to verses 5, Paul uses the words of Moses from Leviticus 18:5 “Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.” Futhering the idea that rightousness by the law is all about doing.

However, in verses 6-7 Paul also quotes from Moses in Deuteronomy 30:12–14, and is pointing out in contrast that in the rightousness of God by faith, and sumission the work has already been done. Jesus has already came down from heaven in his incarnation, and has been risen to life in his ressurection.

Therefore, Paul is leading us to see in verse 8 that the rightousness by faith, is right in front of us and available to all.

Then we get to verses 10 & 11 and we see exactly the way of salvation. First, is the outward confession with your mouth that Jesus is LORD and would have been what new converts did in connection to their baptism.

When we confess/declare that Jesus is Lord, we are confessing that Jesus is in fact God and that we are in submission to Him.

Outwardly one confesses, Jesus is Lord and inwardly is the belief that God raised Jesus from the dead and as a result we are saved. These two elements are inseperable. Belief and confession go hand in hand.

Illustration

I remember sitting in the living room of my couch beside my wife shannon as we were being interviewed for partnership here at SouthRidge. Coming to faith in my early twenties I was so nervous through the conversation together. And then they asked me the question, how do you know that you are a Christian? How do you know that you have been saved? For a moment I internally paniced, but then God brought Romans 10:9.

My moment of confession and believe happened when I realized that going my own way, got me no where. God allowed me to see that my sin was the cause of hurt and pain in my life and others. I used to believe that I was a pretty good person, that yes I made some mistakes, but who doesnt. I never cared about God, just myself. Until one day, when my sinful actions and choices were brought to light and I submitted my life to Jesus. Through my tears I cryed out to God and he saved me.

Application

The rightousness of God, the life he desires to have with us isn’t obtained through our works, nor through striving but by faith and submission to Jesus, Not You.

You are created and loved by God and life in the fullness of God, like the phone in the video, is right in front of you.

It is available to anyone who would confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead to forgive us for our sins.

If like me, you have been going on your own way through life and have had enough, enough of the lonlyness, emptyness, and striving in all the wrong ways, them I encourage you to make today, the day you sumbit to Jesus and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, then you will be saved.

If thats you today, I want you to come see me or one of the prayer team upfront after the service so we can celebrate and pray for you. And if you are online, then like I did you can confess to God and then share it with someone in your life.

Lords Supper:

For those gathered here today that have been saved through your confession and belief in Jesus we are going to take some time to Worship and remember Jesus through the Lord’s Supper.

Ushers you can come on up and begin passing out the elements. As they begin to do that if you are new or visiting today, the Lord’s Supper is something we do as the family of God and there is no obligation for you to participate, and when the time comes you can just let the trays go by.

We will be taking the Lord’s Supper together, so please hold onto the elements and I will lead us all together in remembering our saviour.

Now Jesus the night he was betrayed prior to his death, was gathered for a meal with his disciplies and during the meal he took two items bread and the cup and gave them to us as physical sign to remember the sacrifice of Jesus.

Now in our hands we have these two elements the bread and the juice and each one is sign that Jesus gave us so that way we don’t miss it. We dont forget the love and sacrifice for our salvation.

Jesus, together with his disciplies took the bread,

Luke 22:19 “…, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; …”

With this bread we confess and rememeber Jesus’ body given for us. Let’s eat together.

Matthew 26:27–28 “Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

With this cup we confess and remember Jesus blood that was poured out for us. Let’s drink together.

Let me close in prayer

Extras:

Lexham Theological Wordbook Theological Overview

conformity to the law is the mark of righteousness

not just believing, but believing AND Confessing