Romans, Part 31
Romans 10:1-9
Introduction
- Chapter 9 Recap …
-- Paul desires to help his fellow countrymen; to be by their side
-- Israel is God’s chosen people; they always shall be no matter what
-- We are part of the remnant because we have heard the truth and accepted
- We must not be a stumbling block, nor should we trip people up over Jesus
- We simply need to just proclaim the Gospel to others; in everything we do
- There is a new covenant established with Christ; and we get to follow
- Stand and read Romans 10:1-9 / Pray
Point 1 – Righteousness is by Faith (1-4)
- As Paul is writing to the church, his theme remains clear … righteousness
- His testimony about the things of the land of Israel is first hand, not rumors
- Just as Paul prepared to rally the troops in Chapter 8, he does the same here
- His writing is to the Jews in the church and he is confirming what they know
-- The Jews in the land of Israel had one thing they knew: Rules/Regulations
-- They knew what had been taught to them by the scribes and Pharisees
-- They understood the importance of following the Law of God
-- But even in their knowledge they failed to comprehend the whole Law
- As we’ve discussed, the Law has one purpose – to show us our need for Jesus
-- There is no other purpose in which the Law was given, but to show mankind sin
- What they did not realize is Christ’s purpose was to fulfill the Law
- Often the Law is referred to as being “abolished” by Jesus – but that’s not true
- Jesus came as the fulfillment of the Law, which is opposite removal of it
-- Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
- His goal was not to prevent its fulfillment.
- Rather … He revered it, loved it, obeyed it, and brought it to fruition.
- He fulfilled the law’s prophetic utterances regarding Himself!
-- Luke 24:44, “Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
- V4: Christ is the END of the Law so that we may live in righteousness
-- Paul is attempting to explain to the Jews the importance of Christ
-- And for us, we can take a DIRECT lesson here on doing the same
- In conversations we often meet others of different faiths; here are the words
-- We do not need to make things up (as the Pharisees did), not add to what has been written (as the Sadducees) did – we simply need to quote scripture
-- APP: Scripture must be the basis of everything we do, it is the guideline
Quote from GotQuestions.org:
“If, however, the Law of Moses bears the same relationship to men today, in terms of its binding status, then it was not fulfilled, and Jesus failed at what He came to do. On the other hand, if the Lord did accomplish His goal, then the law was fulfilled, and it is not a binding legal institution today.
Further, if the Law of Moses was not fulfilled by Christ—and thus remains as a binding legal system for today—then it is not just partially binding. Rather, it is a totally compelling system. Jesus plainly said that not one “jot or tittle” (representative of the smallest markings of the Hebrew script) would pass away until all was fulfilled.
Consequently, nothing of the law was to fail until it had completely accomplished its purpose. Jesus fulfilled the law. Jesus fulfilled all of the law. We cannot say that Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial system, but did not fulfill the other aspects of the law. Jesus either fulfilled all of the law, or none of it. What Jesus' death means for the sacrificial system, it also means for the other aspects of the law.”
- TRANS: We can even use the Old Testament to strengthen the case
Point 2 – The Old Testament confirms the path of Righteousness (5-9)
- It has always been, and always will be, God’s desire that all be saved
- V5: Moses describes the purpose of faith being revealed through the Law
- The Word is to be near you in all things, and bring you closer to God
-- Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
- Why is this verse so key coming from David?
-- Psalm 51:4, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.”
- It is the Word of faith that we are proclaiming and it must guide us always
- V9: “If” you confess with your mouth – requires an action on your part
“then is implied” you will be saved – shows God’s response to the confession
- This is where we must be very careful to ensure that what we confess is Christ
- Even in witnessing to others it is not about finding God (He’s not lost)
- But about understanding that the confession is personal, and God hears it
- V10: You believe in your heart that God raised Christ; and your mouth confesses
-- APP: It is not a confession that grows to belief; it begins with the belief in Him
-- This is why v4 is so important to know; Jesus came to fulfill the Law of Moses
- DEEPER: It is His work that we are to have zeal (v2) for the salvation of others
Conclusion
- Something additional to consider (warning):
- James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
- If we say we keep the Law, then we had better be ready to keep it all
- And none of us, not one alive or dead, was able to keep the Law, except Christ
- This is what we must grasp and understand when explaining Christ to others
-- It is not about us, but only about Christ – and to Him we must be faithful
-- To Him we serve and to Him we give honor and glory and praise always
- This week, as we prepare to enter the Easter season on Sunday, will you:
-- 1. Commit to praying for our church
-- 2. Commit to telling someone about Jesus and bringing them to church
- It is why Paul wrote this letter to the church, so that we would rise up for Jesus
- Pray
