Following Jesus Onward -- Everyone Can Pray -- 09/19/2021

Everyone Can Pray Romans 8:8-15,17 September 19, 2021 Emmanuel Christian Reformed Church 1. Introduction - Monthly Prayer to Support our Emmanuel following Jesus Onward Today Tonight • Meditate on God's Word • Debrief our discussion from last Sunday's lunch discussion • doesn't matter if you were present - it will be a good catch up time • Discern what God is saying to us • Explore what God might be calling us to do • Pray around what surfaces in our reading of God's Word and Conversation On the Sunday’s we are praying, my morning sermon will have a prayer focus This morning we focus particularly on the Paul's quote from the prophet Joel Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How can this be a sermon about prayer? Everybody knows this passage is about salvation. 1 2. Big Idea: Christian prayer flows from believing and declaring Jesus is the Risen Lord. 3. Exposition of 10:9-10 with Chart 1: How People Are Saved My Commentary & Conclusions The passage clearly teaches that salvation involves declaration and belief. Paul begins in verse 9 with the external witness and moves to internal reality that motivates that reality. 2 We are Christian if and only if, we confess with our mouth that Jesus as Lord and if and only if we believe in our heart God raised Jesus from the dead. In verse 10, Paul begins with the heart and explains the inward condition that motivates our confession that Jesus is Lord. When we believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, we are justified. That means the death of Jesus for our sins becomes effectual for us. We are washed clean by the blood of Jesus, we become holy and blameless before God. It means that because of our faith in the death of Jesus, his righteousness has become our righteousness. Because of Jesus sacrifice which is credited to us. The requirements of God’s moral character has been satisfied by God’s grace along, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone according to the Scriptures alone for the sole glory of God alone. Because of this great deliverance, our heart pushes us to declare with our mouth that Jesus is Lord of all. To believe with one's heart is to "stake one's life on the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead" sealing my salvation now and my glorification in the world to come. When we believe that Jesus is Lord and we Call on Jesus as Lord we will be saved. This our first prayer, we cry, “Save me Lord, for you alone are Lord.” Without this prayer, there is no other prayer. If we have not called on the name of the Lord because we believe He is Lord for our salvation, pretentious spiritual words and actions directed to God are not and cannot be Christian prayer, Christian worship, or Christian service. Big Idea: Christian prayer flows from believing and declaring Jesus is the Risen Lord. Why are Lordship and Resurrection the non-negotiable confession and belief? Lordship Grant Osborne Jesus is Lord - was the heart of early Christian worship "Calling Jesus “Lord” recognizes that Jesus was far more than a mere rabbi, more even than the expected Messiah. From the start Christians worshipped him as fully God and Lord of all." Hebrews 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:3, NIV) 1 Peter 3:22 It [baptism] the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.” (1 Peter 3:21–22, NIV) 3 Titus 2:13 “while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,” (Titus 2:13, NIV) Osbourn: Some have said it is possible to know Jesus as Savior apart from knowing him as Lord. That is actually not true on the basis of this passage. To know Jesus as Savior begins the process of coming to know him as Lord. Without lordship there is no saviorhood. 1 Resurrection John Calvin Express mention is made only of Christ’s resurrection; which must not be so taken, as though his death was of no moment, but because Christ, by rising again, completed the whole, work of our salvation: for though redemption and satisfaction were effected by his death, through which we are reconciled to God; yet the victory over sin, death, and Satan was attained by his resurrection; and hence also came righteousness, newness of life, and the hope of a blessed immortality. And thus is resurrection alone often set before us as the assurance of our salvation, not to draw away our attention from his death, but because it bears witness to the efficacy and fruit of his death: in short, his resurrection includes his death. For we must remember the purpose for which Christ rose again;—it was the Father’s design in raising him, to restore us all to life: for though Christ had power of himself to reassume his soul, yet this work is for the most part ascribed in Scripture to God the Father. Jesus's promise of our resurrection John 6:39 “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:39, NIV) John 6:40 “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”” (John 6:40, NIV) John 6:44 “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”” (John 6:40, NIV) 1 Osborne, G. R. (2017). Romans: Verse by Verse (pp. 313–314). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. 4 John 6:54 “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:54, NIV) Big Idea: Christian prayer flows from believing and declaring Jesus is the Risen Lord. 4. Exposition of 10:11-13: Paul's Biblical Justification that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (With Chart) “As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”” (Romans 10:11, NIV) Isaiah 28:16 Which reads in the NIV “So this is what the Sovereign (Adonai) LORD (Yahweh) says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic [not disgraced, LXX].” • Adonai - the God who owns all and rules over all • Yahweh - the God who makes and keeps covenant with His People “He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.” (Isaiah 8:14, NIV) • Adonai - Yahweh himself is the cornerstone; the rock over which people will stumble 5 • Everyone who believes on him (Jesus) will not be put to shame - negative judicial verdict - day of final judgement. 2 Paul wants people to see that to rely on, to trust God's cornerstone is to believe in Jesus Therefore “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” (Romans 10:13, NIV) ““And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” (Joel 2:28, NIV) “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.” (Joel 2:32, NIV) Which means (Paul draws his conclusions based on Scripture) • There is no difference between Jew and Gentile because “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,” (Romans 3:21–22, NIV) Sproul: To which the Law and the Prophets testify. It is not a brand new novelty, unheard of in the Old Testament. This doctrine that is now crystal clear in the work of Jesus Christ, is the same way of salvation that God proclaimed to Abraham, to Moses, to David, to Jeremiah and to Isaiah. The just shall live by faith. Justification is by faith alone. 3 Therefore • The same Lord is Lord of all • and richly blesses all who call on him Big Idea: Christian prayer flows from believing and declaring Jesus is the Risen Lord. 2 Gurtner, D. M. (2004). Romans. In C. A. Evans & C. A. Bubeck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Background Commentary: Acts–Philemon (First Edition, p. 231). Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook. Sproul, R. C. (1994). The Gospel of God: An Exposition of Romans (p. 73). Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications. 3 6 5. exposition of 10:14-15, 17 How do people acquire faith to believe and call on the Lord “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” (Romans 10:17, NIV) 1. Faith comes from hearing the message about Jesus (17) - God raised Jesus from the dead. Therefore, Jesus is Lord of all. 2. Preachers of the message must be sent to preach the message about Jesus 3. The message about Jesus is heard 4. The message about Jesus is believed 5. People call on the name of the Lord, declare Jesus is Lord of all. and they are saved Big Idea: Christian prayer flows from believing and declaring Jesus is the Risen Lord. 7 6. Implication for our Prayer • • • • • • • • • Christian prayer flows from believing and declaring that Jesus is Lord We are free from judgment - this is our greatest gift - if we do not have this nothing else matters Our prayers of praise, thanksgiving, and supplication flow from what God has done for us in Jesus Christ Our prayers are shaped by the fact we pray to the ruler of and owner of all - the Lord of All great confidence that nothing is impossible Our prayers are shaped by the fact that the Lord of All is in a covenant relationship with us made possible by his own self-sacrificing love for us. great confidence that nothing will ever separate us from his love Our prayers are shaped by the Lord of All who blesses all Great expectations of good things to come! 7. Big Idea: Christian prayer flows from believing and declaring that Jesus is Lord 8