Of Righteousness & Salvation

INTRODUCTION:

*OPEN YOUR BIBLES TO ROMANS 10

Winston Churchill has been quoted as saying:

“You can always count on Americans to do the right thing-after all other possibilities have been exhausted.”

The quote is meant to draw a chuckle

While some of us might take a little bit of offense to that, Churchill’s mother was a New Yorker, so he had first-hand experience not related to a war

While it was aimed at Americans, I think it can be spoken to us as human beings

Why is it, as human beings, we are always trying to take the easy way out

Kids try and spend hours trying to avoid cleaning their rooms by shoving in closets and procrastinating

Students of all ages try to cram just enough short-term facts to get a good grade rather than mastering the material

Adults use 1000 lbs of duct tape to half-way fix something that needs to be replaced

I mean, “if duct tape won’t fix it, clearly you’re not using enough duct tape”

Growing up, my grandpa used to say that you can do things the right way or the hard way

You can do it the way it is supposed to be done, and find the results you are looking for

OR, you can try it your way as long as you’d like and still end up having to do it the right way in the end (or suffer the consequences)

TRANSITION:

Last week, our journey through Romans led us through a difficult section of Scripture

We learned that God is more concerned with Justice than fairness

We wrestled with the truth that God already knows who will be saved, and yet He gives us free will to choose

We looked long and hard at the reality that God is glorified, both in those that suffer His wrath and in those that are saved from their sins

And we acknowledged that the grace we find in Jesus Christ causes some to stumble but is salvation to those that He has called

His salvation is available to everyone, but not everyone will receive it

God has planned both for those that will and those that will not

These things are at the heart of the text as we pick back up this morning in Romans 10:1

Romans 10:1–13 NASB95

Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 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 are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

PRAY, Invite the church to sit

*LISTENING GUIDES OUT

There are two roads to righteousness, and only two.

There are only two roads by which a man can pursue righteousness,

but only one of them leads us to salvation from our sins

Let’s look at them one at a time: verse 1

Romans 10:1–5 NASB95

Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness.

If you’ve got your listening guide this morning, the first road to righteousness is this

I can live by the Law and try to earn my own righteousness

Sometimes, we like to look at the Jews in Scripture as though they are a people we can’t relate to

They lived under the law of God

They are God’s covenant people

And they often live between leaning on their heritage for salvation or clinging to a checklist of the law

If I just do x, y, and z, I’ll be saved

But, if we’re honest, this is very close to where many live today, isn’t it?

I was born and raised in the church

My grandma was a Christian, my parents were Christians, and so I’m a Christian

If I go to church, and read my Bible, and pray for my food, I’m going to heaven

Isn’t this the whole “good people go to heaven” kind of thinking?

Yes, there are some today that are just like the Jews that Paul is writing about.

Paul desperately desired for them to be saved, and he knew the trap that they fell in by first hand experience.

And what he says here should shake us up, because what he says is your zeal is not enough!

Screaming I love Jesus isn’t enough

Singing all your favorite church songs, old or new, is not enough

doing works of service is not enough

Giving to God of your money until you are left in need is not enough

Coming to church on Sunday is not enough

Getting excited in your prayer times is not enough

Telling others about Jesus is not enough

And you may be thinking, pastor, if that’s not enough, what is?

AND THE ANSWER IS NOTHING!

All of these things are good. All of these things are EVERY Christian should be doing

THE question isn’t what you should be doing, I think we all know we should do these things

the question is why are you doing them?

Are you doing these things to earn salvation, or because He has saved you?

You can live these things, and by man’s standards you’d be a righteous man

But none of these things can save you.

All of them should be present in the lives of the saved, but none of these things save you

You see, these things can’t save you from your sins

Working for your own righteousness leaves you in the driver’s seat

It is an arrogant-kind-of righteousness. A “God come look at me” moment

and in verses 5, what we see is that...

the man who tries to earn righteousness only has the righteousness that he is able to attain…and yet he still sins!

James 2:10 NASB95

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

You can pursue your own righteousness, but it will never reach the standard of God’s righteousness

Despite your zeal and your best efforts, you will find that your way still falls short

But verse 4 tells us that Jesus is the end of the law for the believer. That word, end, is true in two ways

First, Jesus meets the end, or the goal of the law.

He fulfills it perfectly, so that through Him we find the law is satisfied by faith

But also, Christ accomplishes righteousness for us, which is what the law intends to do

So, the function of the law ends in Jesus Christ

He didn’t destroy the law, He realized it.

Let’s continue, verse 6

Romans 10:6–10 NASB95

But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 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 are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

I can pursue my own righteousness, or, if you have your listening guide handy,

I can live by faith and find my righteousness in Christ

The one who lives by faith still does these things-but he does them out of love for Christ

The true Christian knows in their heart of hearts that...

He doesn’t need to scour the heavens in search of God’s righteousness

She doesn’t need to search the scourges of hell to find it

For Jesus, the Word-made-flesh is always near, ready to indwell the heart of those that believe

Matthew 7:7–8 NASB95

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Jesus enters the heart that believes and is seeking Him.

He pours from the lips of the redeemed

Jesus, the Gospel of salvation, meets you where you are and transforms you into His image

I love verses 9 and 10, because they show the true heart of God in salvation

normally, we like to quote verse 9, but when we separate it from verse 10, we use it like a formula

some even turn into the very thing Paul is speaking against

“SEE!-All I have to do is say a prayer, confessing Jesus as my Savior and Lord”

But what verse 10 shows us is the context of that prayer is belief

Salvation is not born in you from words that you say, but from heart-felt belief

When you believe in your heart that Jesus is the crucified and risen Son of God, you will, in faith, stake your life on that belief!

What is the first fruit of belief? It says it right here-confession! Telling others!!

This is why we can say with confidence that every believer must share their faith-it is the fruit of Christ to tell others

And so we see that salvation can only come to those that are righteous by faith, those who truly believe

Quickly, look at verse 11

Romans 10:11–13 NASB95

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

If you have your listening guide, this is the last thing we are going to consider this morning, that

Salvation is only for all who believe

True belief is the only qualifier for salvation, but belief is required

You cannot rely on yourself and your own earned righteousness

The only way to be saved is to put your faith in Him

Putting your faith in Him means living like He’s all that can save you!

There is no Jew or Greek. No American and French. No Russian or German. No black or white

There is only God

He is God over those that believe

He is God over those that do not

In the end, what separates those that are saved from those that are not is their complete surrender to faith in Jesus

Anyone can call on the name of Jesus and find salvation, and only those that call on Him will be saved

Friend, won’t you let today be the day you cry out to the Lord and believe

PRAY