back to Romans chapter 10. This evening, Lord willing, I'm going to be speaking out of Joshua chapter seven on the sin of Achan. And if you could read that this afternoon, I think it would be helpful.

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. I've entitled this message, Am I Saved? Inherent in the question is the fact that I know I can't save myself. Do you know that? Am I saved? I did not ask, is the person sitting beside you saved? Let's forget about that for right now. Am I saved? We're not asking, do you have the evidences in your life that prove to you that you're saved? That's not what I asked. Am I saved? What does it mean to be saved? Quite simply, it means God saved you. That's everything we believe, isn't it?

Second Timothy 1.9 says, He saved us. He didn't offer to save you. He didn't make your salvation possible. If you do your part, He saved you. Let me continue that scripture, 2 Timothy 1.9. I want you to listen real carefully to the wording. He saved us and he called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. the order inspired by God the Holy Spirit. He saved us and he called us. What came first? The saving or the calling? He saved us. Then he called us.

Now this tells me that Salvation, God saving me. I experienced it in the calling when he calls me, but this salvation is outside of my personal subjective experience. He saved us. Then he called us. called us by his gospel. He saved us.

Now, before I get into the question, am I saved? Not even are you saved, am I saved? I hope this will become very personal to each one of us. Am I saved? What is involved in the salvation of a sinner? First, the will of God. For me or you to be saved, God must first will our salvation. It's what the Bible calls election. He chose who he would save before time began.

What is necessary for me to be saved? the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. He lived, but if he didn't die, mean you wouldn't be saved. He lived, he perfectly obeyed God's law. He died as a sin-bearing substitute, suffering all the wrath of God. Like we just heard in that song, he was raised from the dead. The only way I'll be saved is if Christ died for me. Who is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died.

What does it take for a sinner to be saved? The irresistible, life-giving work of the Holy Spirit. Giving you a new heart, a new nature that you didn't have before he gave it to you. Born again, birthed from above. That's what it takes for me or you to be saved. God's got to will my salvation, Christ has got to accomplish my salvation, and God the Holy Spirit has to give me life.

What does it take for a sinner to be saved? All that was, is, and will be. All of God's providence. That's why the scripture says all things, all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

What does it take for a sinner to be saved? The preaching of the gospel. 1 Corinthians 1, 21, and please God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe hearing and believing the message. What does it take for a sinner to be saved? No sinner saved apart from the preaching of the gospel. What does it take for a sinner to be saved? He's got to persevere all the way to the end. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. And this thing of perseverance doesn't simply mean staying religious. It means in your dying breath, you look to Christ only. That is perseverance in the faith.

Am I saved? Well, if I am, God saved me. What if I'm not saved? It means I'm God's enemy. Don't miss that language. It means I'm God's enemy. Romans 8, 7 says the carnal mind is enmity against God. If I'm not saved, I'm God's enemy.

And if I'm not saved, it's in this scripture, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. It's equally true that if I'm not saved, all things work together, not for me, but against me.

If I'm not saved, what can be more important than this? Am I saved? Has God saved me? Matthew 121 says, Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. If I'm saved, God has saved me from my sins. And if I'm not saved, I have not been saved from my sins.

Am I saved? Paul says in verse one of Romans chapter 10. Now, I love the way, obviously, chapter 10 comes after chapter nine. That's a brilliant deduction. I know, I'll take credit for that. But look what chapter nine says, beginning in verse 11. The children, talking about Jacob and Esau, being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to election might stand. Not of works, but of him that calleth. The great chapter on the sovereignty of God in salvation.

Right after that, Paul says in chapter 10, verse one, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. They're not saved. And I want them to be saved. That's my heart's desire. He says in verse two, with regard to these people that are not saved, I bear them record that they have a zeal of God. They're very religious. And it has something to do with the God of the Bible. They believe the Holy Scriptures. But it's not. According to knowledge, there is no salvation apart from knowledge.

They have a zeal of God, but it's not according to knowledge. They do not have saving knowledge. What is saving knowledge? Verse three, for they being ignorant of God's righteousness. Saving knowledge is some understanding of God's righteousness. This is so important.

If I'm saved, I have some understanding of God's righteous character. He is altogether righteous. Just, righteous, without iniquity is he. Everything he does is righteous. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Yes, he will. Whatever he does is right. Now you believe that with regard to God, whatever he does is right. And he doesn't do it because it's right. It's right because he does it. He is altogether righteous.

Now, if you believe that, you also believe this. He is righteous in my personal condemnation. You don't believe in his righteous character if you don't believe he would be just and righteous in sending you to hell. He wouldn't be harsh. He wouldn't be unjust. He wouldn't be wrong. He would be giving you exactly what you have merited.

If you believe in his righteous character, You also have some understanding of His righteousness in your salvation. You see, you've been made to understand that The righteous judge has made a way to be just and justify folks who are sinful by what Christ did on the cross. And you know, you have some understanding that it's the very righteousness of God that demands your salvation. The law of God demands your salvation because you stand before God without guilt because of what Christ accomplished on Calvary Street. There's an understanding of the righteousness of God, but with someone who's not saved, they're ignorant of the righteousness of God. And here's the proof.

Verse three, for they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves. to the righteousness of God, his righteous character, his righteousness in their condemnation, or his righteousness in their salvation.

Verse four, here is saving knowledge for Christ is the end of the law. for righteousness to everyone that believeth. One has saving knowledge when he actually trusts Christ for righteousness. Do you do that? Do you rely on his righteousness? the righteousness that he performed as the only righteousness that you personally have.

Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. And he spends the rest of this chapter telling what that means.

Verse four, for Moses, the representative of the law, God gave the Ten Commandments to in the law on Mount Sinai. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

If I could be saved by my personal law keeping, here's what it'll take. Do and live. Do nonstop. Do continually. Obey perfectly and stay perfectly obedient until you're dying breath and you'll live. That's what it will take. Nothing less than that. How good do you have to be to be accepted by God? You've got to be as good as God. And this is the righteousness that will be required of you. If you're gonna be saved by God, saved by your works.

But, verse six, the righteousness which is of faith. The righteousness of faith is not a lower standard of righteousness. It's what Paul's speaking of in verse four. Christ being the end of the law for righteousness.

The righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise. Here's what the righteousness of faith has to say. Say not in thine heart. I think it's interesting that the first thing the righteousness of faith has to say is it tells us what not to say.

Say not in your heart. Who shall ascend into heaven? That is to bring Christ down from above. Don't say in your heart, what can I do that'll cause Christ to come down here and do something for me? Don't say, what can I do to get him to respond to me? Don't say that.

Verse seven, or. who should descend into the deep, that is to bring up Christ again from the dead. Don't say, what can I do to make what he did work for me? Don't say in your heart, what can I do to make his blood be applied to me? That works. That makes salvation to be in some way dependent upon what you do or even what you ask God to do for you. That's not being saved. When you're saved, he does it all.

So do not say, what can I do to get him to do something for me? Don't say, what can I do to make what he did effective to me? What saves it?

Verse eight. Okay, he's telling us what not to say. And here's what to say. What sayeth it? The word is nigh thee. It's not way out there somewhere. It's very close to you right this very second. It's near you. How near? It's in your mouth. It's in your heart. That is the word of faith which we preach. When he's talking about it being in your heart, he's not talking about the heart Jeremiah described that's deceitful above all things and desperately, incurably wicked, not that heart you were born with. He's not talking about the heart described in Genesis chapter six, verse five, when God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only Evil continually. He's not talking about that heart. He's talking about the new heart that he gives.

A new heart also will I give you. Somebody says, give Jesus your heart. Let me assure you, he doesn't want it. He'll give you a new heart. That's what you and I need. A new heart. It's the new heart that believes. It's the new heart that repents. It's the new heart that loves God. This is the heart he's speaking of. This is the one that's so near.

Look what he says. Verse eight, what sayeth it? The word is nigh thee. Don't look out there for it. It's right here in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith. which we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

If you confess, with your mouth. Now that word confess means you speak the same thing. Confession of faith is, for instance, what every believer believes. We speak the same thing. It's agreement with God. When you confess, you're agreeing with what God says. And notice what he says to confess with our mouth. The Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ is Lord. He's my Lord. He's your Lord. What if I'm not saved? He's still your Lord. Because He's the Lord of the dead and the living. Everybody's in His hand. He's Lord. Do you confess that with your mouth?

He's Lord of creation. Jesus Christ spake the universe into existence. He's Lord of providence. He's the first cause behind everything. He's Lord of salvation. Your salvation is in his hand. Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. If you shall confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus. Thou shalt call his name Jesus. The same one who is Lord is Jesus. I love his name, Jesus of Nazareth. I love that name. Who art thou, Lord? I am Jesus of Nazareth, who you persecute. He's the Lord Jesus, his name as Savior.

If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart, God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Now what's that mean, believe with your heart? Well, it's a whole lot more simple than we make it. Your heart is the whole man. Now that's the new man, and I have no doubt about that the old man doesn't believe. The new man does, but the heart represents the understanding, it represents the affections, and it represents the will.

Now you understand in your heart that God raised him from the dead. And you understand why. Oh, you don't have a complete grasp of it. I realize that. We don't completely grasp anything. If we could understand everything, there wouldn't be much to it. This is mysterious, but we believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead because God was completely satisfied with what he did. You believe that? We love God raising him from the dead. It speaks to our affections. You see his resurrection. I love that because my salvation is what he did. That's why I love it. I believe in my heart, my understanding, my affections, and this is the way I want it. My complete salvation accomplished by his resurrection. You believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. Now, here are the words again. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in the heart God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Am I saved? Do I believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead? Do I understand that my salvation is wholly predicated on his resurrection? Do I love salvation being accomplished by his resurrection? Is this the way I want it?

Look what he says in verse 10, for with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made into salvation. You know, religion can almost be categorized by these three things. There's free will religion. Free will religion. It addresses the will. Pentecostal religion or charismatic religion. It addresses the affections, the emotions. Reformed religion. It addresses the intellect. The gospel addresses the heart.

With the heart, man believeth unto righteousness. Now that means, with my understanding, I understand that the righteousness of Jesus Christ is the only righteousness I have. Do you understand that? Do you love his righteousness, being the only righteousness you have? If given a choice, is this what you would choose? What would you rather have, his righteousness or yours? His. His. I don't have to think about that. His.

With the heart, man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made. What you believe in your heart is gonna come out in your speech.

Four, verse 11. But the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Now that means two things. Number one, he won't be put to shame. On judgment day, he won't be put to shame. Bold shall I stand in that great day for who are to my charge shall lay fully absolved from these I am from sins, tremendous curse and shame. I won't be put to shame and I won't be ashamed. Oh, I'll be proud of the gospel. I'll be proud of the righteousness of Christ. There's one thing you can be proud of. God's way of saving sinners.

Verse 12. For there's no difference between the Jew and the Greek. For the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now here we are with this word saved again. If you'll believe in your heart and confession in your mouth, you'll be saved. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. There's not a more important verse of scripture in all the word of God. Whosoever You don't need to try to figure out if you're one of the elect. You don't need to figure out if Christ died for you. Here's a word you can fit in and I can fit in, whosoever. It's not our business to try to figure out whether or not we're the elect. Whosoever, are you a whosoever?

Shall call upon the name of the Lord. There's the important word, the name of the Lord. The name is the person behind the name. This is talking about the Lord who is sovereign, the Lord who is holy, the Lord who is all powerful, the Lord who is independent, the Lord who's immutable, the Lord who's omniscient, all of his glorious attributes as they're revealed in the cross. We're calling upon that name.

And what this is, this simply, call! Lord, save me. That was Peter's call, wasn't it? He's going under. Lord, save me. Somebody says, I can't call. Why not? Call. Call right now. Call. Lord, save me. And we have this gloriously sure word. They shall be saved. You call. You will be saved. Now you got to call him the name of the Lord. He can't be on some false Christ. He can't do anything for you. It's got to be the Christ of the Bible. You call on his name. You shall be saved. Don't anybody here say, well, I'm afraid he won't save me. You call, you'll be saved. He said, him that cometh to me, I will in no wise for no reason whatsoever cast out. Am I saved? Well, if I call, I am.

Now there's five different hows in these next two verses. How then, Romans chapter 10, verse 14, how then shall they call on him in whom they've not believed? And how shall they believe in him in whom they've not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent. As it's written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.

How shall they call on him whom they've not believed? It's impossible. You can't call on somebody you don't believe. How should they believe in him whom they not heard? Well, you can't. You can't believe what you've never heard any more than you can come back from a place you've never been. It's impossible. How shall they hear without a preacher? Well, you won't. This is talking about the emphasis. You've got to hear and believe the message. The emphasis here is not the preacher. The emphasis is the message he brings. How should they hear without a preacher? How shall they preach except they be sent? If God doesn't send somebody, no good will be done.

As it's written, how beautiful are the feet of them. Not the face, the feet. The emphasis being the message brought. How beautiful are the feet of them that Preach the gospel of peace, peace by Jesus Christ. He made peace, he is our peace. He made my complete peace with God. And bring glad tidings of good things.

Verse 16, but they've not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who has believed our report? So then, faith cometh by hearing. Let me stop for just a moment. Faith comes by hearing. Not by doing. Not by praying. Not by working, not by studying, not even by asking, by hearing. What is the most passive thing you and I ever do? Hear. Faith cometh by hearing. the word of God, listening to what he has said. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

But I say, have they not heard? Yes, verily. And he's talking about everybody right now. Yes, they've heard. And then he quotes Psalm 19, their sound went out into all the earth. and their words unto the ends of the world. Hold your finger there and turn to Psalm 19 real quickly.

Verse one, the heavens got a sermon to preach. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth forth his handiwork. Day into day, uttereth speech, and night into night, showeth knowledge. There's no speech, nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out throughout all the earth, and their word's in the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber and rejoicing as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven and his circuit unto the ends of the earth. And there's nothing hid from the heat thereof."

Everybody's seen this. You see, creation says somebody made this and nobody made him. That is a self evident fact, an all-powerful being made this place. Somebody says, I don't believe in God. I'm an atheist. Well, that's illogical. It's irrational. It's unreasonable. It's anti-intellectual. I could just go on and on. There's got to be a reason. If you don't believe God made creation, you think matter's eternal, and you think that somehow life evolved from some kind of chemical reaction and some primordial student, all of a sudden there's life and now look at it all now. Why, that is unreasonable and blind, talk about blind faith. That is blind faith.

The creation says God is and somebody made all this, nobody made him, he's eternal and our responsibility is to seek him, to seek the creator. Everybody knows that. Have they all, but I say, have they all heard? Yeah, verily, they all have heard that. Their sound went into the earth and their words into the ends of the world.

But I say, did not Israel know? Well, first Moses saith, I'll provoke you to jealousy. By them that are no people and by a foolish nation, I'll anger thee. No, they didn't know. But Isaiah is very bold and saith, here's who knows. I was found of them that sought me not. That's who knows. I was found of them who sought me not. And I was made manifest unto them that ask not after me. But to Israel, he saith, all day long, if I stretch forth my hands and do disobedient and to gain saying people.

Now in verse 20, we have God's sovereignty and salvation. Verse 21, we have man's responsibility. All day long, if I stretch forth my hands and do disobedient and to gain saying people.

Now the original question, Am I saved? That's the one important question. Am I saved? The Philippian jailer said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? Here's the answer. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.

Turn with me in closing to Acts chapter eight. Philip has preached the gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch. And we read in verse 35, then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same scripture and preached unto him, Jesus. Don't you love that? That's the whole counsel of God. He preached unto him, Jesus. I would have loved to heard that message. He started in Isaiah 53. I like to think of the different things he said about Isaiah 53. And I love the Holy Spirit's summary of it all. He preached unto him, Jesus.

Verse 36, and as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water. Now, I have no doubt that he spoke of baptism because this is what he's asking. You know, baptism is the whole gospel. And I'm not talking about the act of baptism, but what it represents. Uh, when Christ lived, I was in him and I lived and I obeyed God's law. When he did, when Christ died, baptism being brought under the water, when Christ died, I was in him. My sins were paid for. When I come up out of the water, speaking of Christ's resurrection, when he was raised, I was raised in him. When he ascended back to heaven, I was in him and I'm seated together in heaven right now in Christ Jesus, just as Ephesians chapter two said.

Now that Ethiopian eunuch said, here's water. What does hinder me to be baptized? Now, here's another way of asking this question. I'm not sure whether or not I'm saved. I'd like to know if I'm saved. I know that if I'm saved, I should be baptized. But what hinders me from being baptized? If there's a reason why I shouldn't be baptized, I want to know. Philip's answer, verse 37, and Philip said, if thou believest. I don't miss that. Not if you have evidence, not if you have certain works, not if you have an experience, not if you know enough, if you Believe with all your heart. Now, I hope you know from listening to this message, that means with all your understanding, with all your affections, and with all of your will. You know, that scripture used to trouble me because I thought, well, do I believe with all my heart? I hope I do. I think I do. I hope it's better than 90% because you couldn't tell if you're looking, what do you mean by all your heart?

It means you understand. It means you love this. It means this is the way you want it. If you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe. that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The Son of God is God. The Son of God is the creator. The Son of God is the one who controls all of providence. The Son of God is the only savior of sinners. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. If you do, you're saved. God has saved you.

Am I saved? I believe. that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Yes, I am saved. Saved by God.

Let's pray. Lord, we in the high name of your son, that you would save everybody in this room according to your will and give us all the grace to rejoicingly confess that we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Hal, we thank you for Him. In His name we pray.