Romans 9:30-10:4
The book of Romans • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Years ago, I watched a video that talked about the importance of sharing the gospel. The man shared a story about speaking at a Christian youth camp. He’d been preaching the gospel all week long and at the end of the week, a girl approached him and asked if they could talk. Sir, I don’t believe that you’re telling the truth about Jesus. Young lady, why do you say that? Because my mom and dad are the most religious people that I know, they take us to church every week, they make us read our Bible every day, they know all of our neighbors and try to help when there is a need. Sir, none of our neighbors go to church. If everything you said about Jesus is true, my mom and dad would share that with our neighbors. But they never have so I don’t believe you’re telling the truth about Jesus because that would make my parents less religious than I know they are.
Developing an unbelieving heart can be an unnoticed, gradual slide away from biblical faithfulness. A person might not realized their heart has shifted until it has already happened. Today’s passage give four symptoms of an unbelieving heart. At the end, I would like to share 5 ways I think could help prevent us from slipping into the posture of an unbelieving heart.
I have been praying that you would leave this place encouraged this morning.
MAIN IDEA: An unbelieving heart does not dismantle God’s love for you.
An unbelieving heart pursues a works-based path toward righteousness.
What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law.
These 8 verses specifically addresses the unbelief of Israel. Maybe you recall when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and led them for forty years to the Promised Land. During that time, they witnessed miracles of provisions. They witnessed how Moses spent three days on Mount Sinai when God gave him the Ten Commandments. For centuries, Israel was faithful to at least parts of the law. In later OT history, Ezra and Nehemiah led the Israelites into years of faithfulness once again. The years between Nehemiah 13 and Matthew 1 restored temple worship, reinstated the priestly duty, obvious levitical practices, and the ever evolving oral law that was meant to prevent any Jew from breaking the law of Moses.
The Jewish community worked hard at pursuing righteousness through the law. In fact, they believed this was the only worthy pursuit. Look at verse 30, “The Gentiles who did not PURSUE righteousness have attained it.” This use of pursue means THE PURSUIT. The Gentiles did not engage in the same pursuit as the Jews, but they received what many of the Jews did not receive - salvation.
Have you ever read a passage several times and then during another read, something new pops at you? That happened this morning. Look at verse 31. In the NASB, there is an emphasis on “that law”. If they didn’t reach a law that led to righteousness, they landed on a different law. A law that is less than righteousness.
Verse 31 tells us the Jewish pursuit toward a works-based righteousness failed. Although their efforts satisfied the institution of Judaism, many Jews failed in attaining personal righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.
We need to use caution when we are sold out on chasing a law that leads to something other than the righteousness of God. Humility always guides our chase after the righteousness of God.
If you always have to be right ~ If you everything has to be your way ~ you might be chasing a works-based law that leads to something other than the righteousness of God.
Works-based righteousness is a symptom of an unbelieving heart.
An unbelieving heart stumbles over basic truths about Jesus
Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
The stumbling stone is Jesus. Isaiah 28:16 “thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’”. 1 Peter 2:6–7 says, “For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,””.
In 2001, I broke my right pinky finger at a youth event. Later that night, I went to the ER so they could fix it. The result of the x-ray revealed that entire section of my finger was missing bone, so I went to a specialist and he put me in a cast for a broken finger. He told me “be careful so you don’t break that finger again.”
Fast forward to 2011 when I broke the same finger because I stumbled and fell up a staircase. I wasn’t paying attention to the steps because I was looking for something else as I was running up the stairs. I never noticed the obvious thing that caused me stumble. An x-ray. Another cast. Surgery to pack my finger with artificial bone. Physical therapy. All of those remind me that I stumbled over the basic truth of “be careful so you don’t break your finger again.”
The one who believes and allows Jesus Christ to be the cornerstone of their life will not make the error of stumbling over basic truths of Jesus, because he or she has surrendered to those truths.
The one who stumbles over basic truths of Jesus or even Scripture fit into 1 Corinthians 1:22–23 “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,”
Stumbling over basic truths of Jesus or obviously clear truths in the Bible is a symptom of an unbelieving heart.
An unbelieving heart passionately defines personal righteousness.
Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
Paul said that he was passionately praying that each Jew would be saved. Unfortunately, every person does not receive salvation and does not enter heaven. Universal salvation does not exist. John 14:6 says, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
The Jewish nation knew this information. Paul tells us they had zeal for God. I tell you the Jews had all the information they needed to know God’s demands. No excuses. They had zero spiritual discernment. Because they lacked spiritual discernment, verse 3 says they established their own righteousness. They even replaced this personal righteousness with God’s righteousness. We have all the information we need to know God’s demands.
The more passionate we are about justifying our pursuit of personal righteousness, the more fuzzy God’s righteousness becomes. When emotions define righteousness, spiritual discernment never enters the conversation. A lack of spiritual discernment and a pursuit of personal righteousness prohibits God’s righteousness from saturating our soul.
Defining personal righteousness is a symptom of an unbelieving heart.
An unbelieving heart decides that Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection is not sufficient.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
If a person can attain righteousness on their own, why would Jesus come to earth? If Christ is not the definition and fulfillment of righteousness, then he is not sufficient for any thing.
How do we prevent slipping into the posture of an unbelieving heart?
Surrender your life to Jesus and accept him as your savior.
Recognize that we take credit for more righteousness than we actually have.
Surrender your emotions to the basic truths of the Bible.
Ask the Lord to increase your spiritual discernment
Declare every morning that Jesus is sufficient.
