Romans 10 today. Romans 10. I'm taking the title for the message from the words found in verse 4. Romans 10 at verse 4. The Lord Jesus Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. To everyone that believes, Christ is the end of the law. Righteousness to everyone that believes.

God does not require His people to produce a righteousness, but rather to receive one, receive Christ. When we think of righteousness, it's like we studied this morning in 2 John, that word truth, Christ. When we think of the word righteousness, when we see righteousness by faith, the righteousness revealed in the Gospel, It's a person. It's a person. Christ is our righteousness.

So He is the end of the law because Christ is our righteousness. We're not going about to establish a righteousness by our own doing. But we receive Christ, who is our righteousness. Blessed is that man. We had that on the radio this morning. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputed righteousness with our works, saying, blessed are they whose sins are forgiven, whose transgressions are pardoned.

We know from our study in the book of Romans that by the deeds of the law, no sinners are justified in the sight of God. You bookmark that Romans 10. And turn back to Romans chapter 3, we know by the deeds of the law that no sinner shall be justified. So if you're seeking to remove God's wrath or to gain His favor by keeping certain laws and regulations, it's just a vain, useless thing.

Romans 3 verse 19, And we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. It's not by the law is the removal of sin.

But now the righteousness of God without the law, verse 21, Romans 3, is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by the faith of Jesus Christ. Catch that now. By the faith of Jesus Christ, not your faith, the faith of Jesus Christ. unto all and upon all them that believe there is no difference. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

So we know this, by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified. Now that's clear. The book of Romans sets that forth very clear. The law of God was never given to make sinners righteous. It was given by God to show us the exceeding sinfulness of our sin. How do we know how sinful we are? Well, the law of God declares that we are sinners.

If you turn back to Romans 7. Romans 7. Look at verse 9, Romans 7, I was alive without the law once. Talking about Saul of Tarsus, the Pharisee. But when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me and by it slew me.

Wherefore the law is holy. Commandment holy, it's just and good. Was then that which is good make death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might pierce sin, working death in me by that which is good, that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. We know that the law is spiritual. I'm carnal. And I'm sold. I'm sold under sin.

So, the law of God was never intended to save or justify sinners. It was given to expose our guilt, to expose our sin. And it was given, as Paul says in Romans 3, the law was given to drive us to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's our schoolmaster to drive us unto Christ. No clear declaration in the book of Romans about and against religious lost sinners who blindly and ignorantly think they can please God by their morality or by their law keeping to make themselves righteous or holy before God.

Most people sadly mistaken personal morality for righteousness before God and that's a grievous error. Fallen sinners do, they compare themselves with one another. As the Pharisee prayed in the temple, Lord, I thank you I'm not like him. But when you compare a worm to a worm, what comparison is that? When you compare yourself unto God, we have fallen short and come short of the glory of God. So people sadly mistake personal morality for righteousness.

Now, I'm all in on morality, but the best you have, the best you can bring, the best you can do in God's sight, and that's what counts, in God's sight, is nothing but what? Filthy rags. Filthy rags. Man, his best day was altogether vanity. And that's what Paul is trying to lay out in the book of Romans, is justification by faith. Being justified. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, as he says in Romans chapter 5 verse 1.

Now let's go back for a few moments. In Romans 10 verse 1, brethren, he's writing to believers who have a hope of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Brethren, or believers who were in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is exposing his heart's desire and his prayer to God for his national people. Paul was a Jew. Saul of Tarsus was a Hebrew of Hebrews. And when he was converted, he didn't stop or he didn't deny his national heritage or lineage. He said, I'm an Israelite.

But his heart's desire was for his kinfolk, his family, that they might be saved as Paul was saved by the grace of God. My prayer to God. Now our prayers are unto God. He's the only one that can save us from our sin. My prayer to God for my family. And that's what he's talking about here, my family. You remember over in chapter 9, verse 1, I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost. I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart, for I wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, for my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.

Saul of Tarsus, the converted man, Paul the apostle, had great concern for his family, his kinfolk who were going the way of religion and self-righteousness, rather than looking to the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Paul returned to the cry of his heart and asked the Lord to save sinners. Now, wouldn't it be a right thing to ask God? who shows mercy to sinners, to ask Him for mercy? Our Lord didn't come to call the righteous, He came to call sinners to repentance. Wouldn't it be the right thing to call upon God to save our family, our children, and our neighbors? He's the only one who can. We would not pray, Lord. We would not pray for a sinner to save himself, would we? No, we would ask God to save our loved ones, save our children, save our neighbors.

There's nothing wrong with asking God to have mercy upon others as He did upon us. Paul said, this is the faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation, that the Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Paul said, I'm the chief one. I'm the chief one. The Lord Jesus Christ didn't come call the righteous but sinners to repentance. He came to seek and to save that which is lost.

What did these religious lost Jews need? Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I want to use this Israel here as a type and picture of people in our day who are most religious, Most religious. Tradition, ceremony, feelings, these different things. I want to use them as a type and picture of sinners in our day who are most religious, who are most zealous, and who are most lost before God.

How do I know they're lost? Because they trust themselves that they are righteous, rather than trusting the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Paul asks for mercy for these for whom he loved, that they might be saved. So he's acknowledging that they're lost. The Lord Jesus Christ came to save lost sinners. As my dear pastor used to say, if I can ever find a lost sinner, I've got good news for him. You see, a man will never be saved until he's lost. He'll never be found and justified until the Lord shows him that he's guilty before God. It's a good motive for us to pray unto the Lord.

As that publican prayed to the temple, Lord, be merciful to me, the sinner. Or as sinking Peter, when he saw the Lord walking upon the water, and Peter jumped out of the boat, and starts walking on the water until he looked at something other than Christ and started to sink. Remember what Peter prayed? Lord, save me. Lord, save me. And that's our cry, is it not?

Now look at verse 2. For I bear them record, I bear them record, that they have a zeal of God. These old religious Jews, they were so zealous and so self-righteous that they sought to kill the Lord Jesus Christ. Were they sincere? Oh, absolutely. Were they zealous? Oh, absolutely. Did they know God? No. For I bear them record, they have a zeal of God, but not according to right knowledge. And it uses the word here very strong, verse 3, they're ignorant. Ignorant. Ignorant of God.

Paul knew all about these self-righteous Jews because he was raised in that religion. He was raised in the religion of works, ceremony, doings. They had all kind of religious enthusiasm, as are people in our day and in our society. They have all kind of religious zeal and enthusiasm, but they're dead in sin and they're guilty before God. Saul of Tarsus was one of these lost Pharisees who determined to wipe out the name of Christ until he met the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now turn back to the book of Galatians. Book of Galatians. Paul writes about this in Galatians 1. No man is justified by the deeds of the law. He said in Galatians 1. Brethren, he said, but I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man, for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it by a man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. For you've heard of my conversation, my conduct in time past in the Jews' religion. I felt beyond measure, I persecuted the church of God and I wasted it, and profited in the Jews' religion above many of my equals. in my own nation, being more exceeding zealous of the tradition of my father's.

But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, called me by his grace to reveal his son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood." So he admits he was a religious, zealous Jew, but not according to right knowledge. He was ignorant of God, ignorant of a true and living God. as all men are by nature. They have a zeal, but it's a zeal not according to right knowledge. They did not know the true living God as He's revealed in Scripture.

Our Lord said to those Jews in His day, And we can say this to our neighbors, our religious neighbors or otherwise, you are able to justify yourself before men, that God knows your heart, that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. That which is highly esteemed among men.

Sincerity in religious beliefs and the righteousness that's revealed in the gospel are completely two different things. Two different things. You could be sincere of all your tradition and beliefs, and be zealous in ignorance, but that's not the righteousness of God that's revealed in the gospel. Two different things. Two different things.

Now look at verse 3. Romans 10 verse 3. For they being ignorant, And he's talking about these religious Jews, but I want to bring it down to where we live. People who are ignorant of the truth, who do not believe the truth. They're ignorant of God's holy character. They're ignorant of God's righteousness. And going about to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. That's a key statement. Righteousness is of God.

Now let's look at several things here. Paul describes what our problem is and what it really and truly is. It's ignorance of the truth. It's blind deadness and ignorance to the truth. Our Lord said this, you do err not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. People, generally speaking, Lost or otherwise. They're ignorant of the true character of God. They're ignorant of the true character of God. They've never heard the God of the Bible declared. They're ignorant of His absolute holiness. They're ignorant of His absolute righteous character. They're ignorant of the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation. When you talk about God having mercy on whom He will. Jacob, have I loved? Esau, have I hated? They don't like to hear those things because they're ignorant of the true character of God.

Not only that, they're ignorant of what the law of God demands. What the law of God demands. What does the law of God say? The guilty must die. The law of God says we've all sinned to come short of the glory of God. They're ignorant of what the law of God demands. Perfection or death? The guilty must die. The law demands not the best you can do, but rather the best God can do. How good must you be to stand before God justified? As good as God. Can you do that by the deeds of the law? By the deeds of the law, no flesh shall be justified.

Well, how can this guilty sinner stand before God justified? Only through the Lord Jesus Christ paying my sin debt. and putting away my sin by the sacrifice of Himself." So they're ignorant of the true character of God, holy. They're ignorant of what the law of God demands, perfection. And they're ignorant of their own sinfulness. Therefore, they go about to establish a righteousness of their own.

We have four both proved. Turn back over here to Romans 3. Romans 3. Paul says in verse 9 of Romans 3, What then? Are we better than they? No, and no wise. For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. Does that include you? No, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God. None. They're all gone out of the way, Jew or Gentile. They're all together becoming unprofitable. There is none that doeth good. There is none that doeth good. No, not one. Not one.

You see, because sinners are ignorant of the holy character of God, they're ignorant of what the law of God demands. And they're ignorant of their own sinful character. They think they can meet the standard of God's perfection by doing the law. Impossible.

Paul writes this in Galatians chapter two. Let's turn back over there and read that. And this is such a powerful scripture. Galatians chapter two. Look at verse 16. Galatians chapter two, verse 16. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners. As therefore Christ the minister of sin, God forbid, he's a friend of sinners, a savior of sinners, For if I build again the thing which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.

Verse 19, I through the law am dead to the law that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. In the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Now here's a key verse, and I want you to Mark this, underscore this, verse 21. I do not frustrate the grace of God. For if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Galatians 2.21.

I remember reading this scripture more than 40 years ago, when I was struggling with this thing of law righteousness. And the Lord taught me from this scripture, if righteousness comes by what I do, or can do, or am able to do, no need for Christ to come and establish a perfect, justifying righteousness for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness comes by the law, I don't need Christ. Then Christ is dead in vain. You see the power of that Scripture.

They're ignorant of their own sinful character. And they're ignorant of the righteousness of God revealed in the Gospel. Look back at Romans chapter 10 verse 3. For they being ignorant of God's demands, His righteous holy character and what the law of God demands. Therefore, they're going about to establish the righteousness of their own doing, their own making. Now, here's the third part of that. And have not submitted themselves, bowed unto, received the righteousness of God.

Now what is the righteousness of God that's revealed in the Gospel? Okay, let's see if we can find out. Turn back to Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter 1. What is the righteousness of God that He would have us submit unto? They have not submitted themselves. Well, here it is. Romans 1, look at verse 15. So as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you that at Rome also Well, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, Jew or Gentile. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, or from Christ to Christ, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. So it's the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel.

Turn to Romans chapter 4. So, when you talk about the righteousness revealed in the gospel, people who are not taught, who are ignorant, they think they must perform some kind of morality or moral standard to establish the righteousness of their own doing. That's deadly. That's Phariseeism. Turn to Romans chapter 4. Verse 1, what shall we say then, that Abraham, our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? Abraham was justified 430 years before the law of God was given. It says that in Galatians chapter 3. For if Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof the glory, but not before God. For what sayeth the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness, that to him that worketh not, Now to him that worketh is a reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, Romans 4 verse 5, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputes righteousness without works.

Now you talk to most people. I don't want to get you in trouble, but if you talk to your friends and family who are religious and ask them, what does the Scripture teach about imputation? Huh? I had on the radio this morning a three-fold imputation is taught in Scripture. Imputed guilt from Adam, what happened in the garden. imputation of our sin to the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary tree, and then righteousness that's imputed to us through the obedience of Christ. And most people are totally ignorant of those things. They've not been taught. Therefore, they're going about to establish a righteousness of their own doing. David described the blessedness of the man, Psalm 32, in whom God imputed righteousness without work, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Now that's the blessed man in Christ Jesus.

Now, Romans 5 verse 19. Now we're looking at this thing submitted to the righteousness of God revealed in the Gospel. Romans 5 verse 19. Romans 5, verse 19. For as by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners. That's what happened in Adam. Guilt, imputed guilt, imputed sin. So by the obedience of one, shall many be made righteous. We see two federal heads there. What happened in Adam, what happened in Christ. In Adam we died, we're made sinners through the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not through your obedience, Through His, you are made righteous. Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace does much more abound. Verse 21, Romans 5, read it carefully, that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. That's why it says over here, they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel.

Now, we'll close by looking at verse four. Four, or because the Lord Jesus Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. Everyone that believed. The gospel of Christ, the end goal, the finish line, the completing of the law was by the Lord Jesus Christ. He said it's finished when he died on Calvary Street. The Lord Jesus Christ had honored every jot and tittle of the law of God for us. His obedience was obedience unto death. He obeyed every precept of that law of God. He had no sin, knew no sin, and did no sin. That's how our priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sin. His righteous obedience unto the law is imputed to believers. The righteousness I have and I enjoy My personal righteousness before God is Christ. He's the Lord, our righteousness before God. Every precept in his life, he honored the law of God. He said, I didn't come to destroy the law of God, I came to honor it. And every penalty of that law has been satisfied in the Lord Jesus Christ. Penalty of the law says the guilty must die. His soul was made an offering for sin for us. He became guilty for our sin. Bearing our sin in His own body on the tree. Having put it away. Having ransomed us to God. Having paid the debt. He redeemed us with His precious blood. The only way we're redeemed. Christ is the end of the law. for righteousness to everyone that believes the gospel. Everyone that believes the gospel. He's redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Is the believer still under the curse of that holy law as a curse or a covenant of works? The believer is not. You're no more under the law but under grace. Under grace, absolutely not. We're dead to the law through the body of Christ. Dead to the law through the body of Christ. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. How is salvation received? Not by doing, by believing. This is the righteousness of faith. That's revealed in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. What a blessing it is to believe the gospel and to rest in the Lord Jesus Christ, who has made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.