All Who Call on the Name of the Lord Will Be Saved (2)
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Legend has it that a man was lost in the desert, just dying for a drink of water. He stumbled upon an old shack—a ramshackled, windowless, roofless, weatherbeaten old shack. He looked about this place and found a little shade from the heat of the desert sun. As he glanced around he saw a pump about fifteen feet away—an old, rusty water pump. He stumbled over to it, grabbed the handle, and began to pump up and down, up and down. Nothing came out.
Disappointed, he staggered back. He noticed off to the side an old jug. He looked at it, wiped away the dirt and dust, and read a message that said, “You have to prime the pump with all the water in this jug, my friend. P.S.: Be sure you fill the jug again before you leave.”
He popped the cork out of the jug and sure enough, it was almost full of water! Suddenly, he was faced with a decision. If he drank the water, he could live. Ah, but if he poured all the water in the old rusty pump, maybe it would yield fresh, cool water from down deep in the well, all the water he wanted.
He studied the possibility of both options. What should he do, pour it into the old pump and take a chance on fresh, cool water or drink what was in the old jug and ignore its message? Should he waste all the water on the hopes of those flimsy instructions written, no telling how long ago?
Reluctantly he poured all the water into the pump. Then he grabbed the handle and began to pump, squeak, squeak, squeak. Still nothing came out! Squeak, squeak, squeak. A little bit began to dribble out, then a small stream, and finally it gushed! To his relief fresh, cool water poured out of the rusty pump. Eagerly, he filled the jug and drank from it. He filled it another time and once again drank its refreshing contents.
Then he filled the jug for the next traveler. He filled it to the top, popped the cork back on, and added this little note: “Believe me, it really works. You have to give it all away before you can get anything back.”
—Charles R. Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity
From a biblical perspective, eternal life is the very water we are desperate for.
There is your life there in your hands.
You are unsatisfied, stressed, fearful, alone, desperate, angry, frustrated, miserable; always looking for the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
Ahead, is an old rugged cross. Upon it is the saviour of the world. He died for mankind so that those who believe by faith would have life and have it abundantly (John 4:7-14).
Maybe you are here this morning and you sit with your life in your hand. But you want more. Something is missing.
What you are missing is not a better paying job.
its not bigger house.
Its not a flashy car.
Its not the perfect family.
Its not even the perfect church to attend.
What you are missing is eternal life found only in Jesus Christ.
What is the reason for you to not have eternal life?
You still stand with the jug in your hand!
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Today is about taking that step of faith and letting go of the jug and allowing Jesus to satisfy your life from the inside out.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6 But 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) 7 or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But 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): 9 that 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. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Today you may be thirsting for righteousness. Today you may be wondering how do I fill that void in my life.
Romans is a book where you find the answers your soul is searching for.
1. What we have learnt from this letter is that in Adam we are dead in sin.
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
2. We have learnt that one can only be saved by Christ through faith.
15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
Works do not save anyone!
Observing the law amounts to nothing if you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Observations
Observations
In the first part of this passage, we have Paul speaking to the Jews still caught up in the law.
He quotes from the Old Testament.
11 “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
Moses is instructing the people of Israel before they were to enter the promised land.
It is God’s plee through Moses for the people to love Him and never forget Him.
Verse 20 is explained in Romans 10:8-13.
Why does Paul turn to what Moses commanded back in Deuteronomy?
What is he trying to teach them?
What is he teaching us from this passage?
To answer these questions we need to go back to Romans 10:8 and Deut 30:14.
8 But 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):
14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
Paul reminds the Jews that they know about the righteousness of the law in its observance.
But they are yet to understand that Jesus became for those who believe in Him the righteousness of faith.
1 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. 4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
Paul teaches us the dynamics of the gospel that leads a person from death to life.
Unlike the law, the righteousness of faith is a one time reception. (8-10)
8 But 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): 9 that 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. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
2. This faith is lived both out and in. (9-10)
9 that 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. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Confess comes from two greek words meaning same and speak.
It carries the idea to speak the same thing.
Wuest’s Word Studies in the Greek New Testament Chapter Ten
To confess the Lord Jesus means therefore to be in agreement with all that Scripture says about Him, which includes all that these two names imply
Jesus = Jehovah Saves
Lord = Master
7 How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
3. The kingdom of God is rich to all who believe. (11-13)
Maybe today you have lived by the religious view that if you aim to be a good person then God will allow you into heaven.
The sad reality is that many in the church have been stranded still holding their jug.
They came to church, but they did not let go of their own life so that they could experience the new life.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Conclusion
Today, you are sitting here right now, holding your jug.
You want to experience Jesus but to do that you will have to deny yourself and follow Him.
You will have to let go of the jug.
So will you.
Who, this morning, will be willing to take that step and and empty their jug so that they may have the Living Water?
Jesus is awaiting your step of faith. Can you hear Him calling out to you?