What a beautiful picture of the
gospel. I'm going to ask you to take your
Bibles and turn with me to the book of Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10. I want to look at Romans chapter
10 verses 1 through 4. But before I look at that, I
want us to consider what the Apostle Paul had recently said
in chapter 9 concerning God's sovereignty. The scripture says that in verse 10 of chapter 9. Now here's the
very heart of worship. This is the heart of worship.
Next service I'm going to deal with this issue of worship. But
here's the very heart of worship. Now I'll tell you as we read
these scriptures, worship is number one, to believe God, to obey God. Believe God, obey God. In believing the Lord, this is
what God has to say. Romans 9.10, and not only this,
but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac. Isaac was Abraham's son. his son of promise, not according
to Abraham's and Sarah's manipulation to have Abraham take Hagar, a
handmaid. This is the son by promise. The children not being yet born. She was going to have, Rebecca
was going to have twins, going to have twin boys. Very, very
ones that Freddie just read about. Jacob and Esau. The children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, they were
just to boys, to kids, to children, yet in the womb of their mother.
The children having done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God, according to election, might stand not of works, but
of him that calleth. It was said unto her, the elder
Esau shall serve the younger Jacob. Why is that? Why? Verse 13, as it is written,
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Immediately, the
natural man, and I'll tell you, we all have this nature right
here, Kev. This is the way we think. Wait, wait. These two boys, they're still
in their mother's womb. They've not done good or evil.
They've not done anything. They're just two twins. But you're
saying that the Scripture declares that it's not according to what
they did or didn't do, but it was according to the purpose
of God, that God said, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I
hated. And then the Spirit of God moved
upon the Apostle Paul to write this, What shall you say then? Is there unfairness, unrighteousness? With God? Immediately. The natural man, the natural
mind. We all have. We've all got this
old man with us. And you'll think, is that fair? Is that right? These boys didn't
do anything. But according to the purpose of God? That's the
bottom line? Yeah. For he saith to Moses,
I will have mercy on whom I'll have mercy, I'll have compassion
on whom I'll have compassion, so then it's not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the Scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose, I raised thee up, I made you,
Pharaoh, I put you where you are, I determined that. You think you were just born
into the right family and you're royalty. I put you where you are. And
this is the reason I put you where you are. This is why I
left you to yourself. To rebel against me. And to harden
your heart. I left you alone. I left you
to yourself, and this is the reason, that I might show my
power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout
all the earth. Therefore, hath he mercy on whom
he'll have mercy, and whom he will, he leaves alone." This is God. This is the God
of the Bible. This is not the God that we've
decided that he's going to, you know, we're going to make a God.
No. No, this is God Almighty as He's
declared Himself to be. So here's what I know according
to Romans chapter 9. God has an elect people. I know
that. There's a remnant according to
the election of grace. I know that. And I know this, that if Almighty
God did not choose a people, I know that the entire human
race would have perished justly. Had God not chosen to show mercy,
He's a just God. Somebody said, well, God is not
fair. Let me tell you something. The problem is us. Problem is
us. We've rebelled against God. Look
in Romans 9, 29. As Isaiah said before, except
the Lord of Siboeth had left us a seed, a remnant, a chosen,
a people, we had been as Sodom and been like Gomorrah. And God
would have been just. But God so loved The arrangement,
the order of mankind, the order of this world. God made this
world as He did and made it good. And He loved this order. And
He eternally purposed that He would have a people eternally
with Him. Human beings. Men, women. He purposed that. And God chose
to show mercy. And had He not chosen a people,
we'd all been in hell. I know that Almighty God rules
in heaven, in earth, in creation, in providence, in salvation. And knowing that, now that's
the foundation, that's where I'm going to start this morning. And I'm going to start in Romans
chapter 10, verse 1, 2, 3, 4. Knowing Paul's absolute belief
and confidence in the sovereignty of God. God does as he will. And we bow to that. We bow. He
said, Lord, as you say you are, you are. The Apostle Paul says
now, having said what he said. Romans 10.1. Brethren, he's talking
to believers now. He's talking to believers. This
is what we're doing. You who know Him, you that believe,
I'm talking to you. Brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. A believer knows that Almighty
God is going to save His people. A believer knows that. He knows
that the Spirit of God is going to call him out. I know He's
going to call him out under the sound of the gospel. We know
God's sovereign. We know He's going to save His
sheep. I know that. But I know this. The desire of
a believer is that Almighty God will have mercy. Have mercy. Brethren, my heart's desire. When he said that, what did he
mean? Well, look back at chapter 9,
verses 1, 2, 3. I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience
also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great
heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart, for I could wish
that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen,
according to the flesh, As a believer, Paul was saying, and I'll tell
you this, I'm convinced, I'm convinced this is the message
of the morning. My heart breaks when I think
of those that sit and hear the gospel week after week after
week. and don't know him. My heart breaks. I've told you before, I've got
some in my family. I've got many, many in my family,
most have died. I think about, I was talking
to my mama here the other day. There were Nine kids, your family,
granny, I think. For as I know, God was pleased
to show mercy to one. One. Why? Because he's God. Because he's God. And do you realize that I think
on those that are yet alive and refuse. And I know that God's
going to have mercy on whomsoever He will. I know He will. But
Paul the Apostle said, I could wish myself a curse from Christ
for my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh. I know
this. I know that He couldn't be separated.
I know that. Look at chapter 8, verse 35. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ, or tribulation, distress, persecution, or family,
or nakedness, or peril, or sword, as it is written, for thy sake?
We're killed all the day long. We're accounted as sheep for
the slaughter. Nay, in all these things, we're more than conquerors
through Him that loved us. For I'm persuaded that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, or powers,
things present, things to come, height, depth, or any other creature
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord." And the next words out of his mouth,
from his heart, was what we just read. I could wish myself a curse from
Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." I've
heard many men or read of many men that tried to expound on
that, tried to give a perfect understanding of it. I'm going
to tell you something. I'm going to just leave it at
what he said. I know the Apostle Paul was speaking
from a broken heart. Turn to Exodus 32. Moses said the very same thing. Exodus 32, verse 30. Now here's God's deliverer, the
means of delivery out of Egypt, Moses. And these people came
out. God had delivered them. He opened
up the Red Sea. He let all of them come through,
He drowned all the Egyptians. Why did He deliver the Israelites
and drown the Egyptians? Were the Israelites any better
than themselves? There's none good, not one, not
in themselves. God chose to show mercy. It was
a picture, it was a type of His spiritual Israel that He was
going to deliver and opened up. Just as He opened up, The Lord
Jesus Christ and His crucifixion, that broken body, that Red Sea
was a picture of Christ and they passed over the scripture says
on dry ground. Dry ground. And drowned all the
Egyptians. Why? Because He's God. Brought them through the Red
Sea, delivered them. God provided for them, their clothes didn't
wear out, gave them manna, gave them a rock, followed them, they
drank. Moses went up to get the law. God was going to give them those
tablets. All the people down at the base, they told Aaron,
said, we don't know what happened to Moses, make us a god. Made
them a golden calf. Made them a golden calf. They
all danced around it. And Moses came down. God told
him what was going on. Went down there, threw the tablets,
broke them. This is what Moses is talking
about. Exodus 32, 30. Came to pass on the morrow that
Moses said to the people, you've sinned a great sin. And don't you know that here
was Moses. He had met with God. He had heard the voice of God,
saw the finger of God's right, tablets. Moses had met with God
and he's come back down, he's seen these people. He said, You've
sinned a great sin and now I'll go up unto the Lord and perventure
I shall make an atonement for you. And Moses returned unto
the Lord and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, made
them gods of gold. Yet now if thou wilt forgive
their sin, I read that this morning again, I just looked at that
dash. I got a dash after mine, a semicolon. It's almost like Moses said,
just paused, just thought on it. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive
their sin, if not, blot me, I pray thee,
out of thy book which thou hast written. I think about those
that sit and hear the gospel. Oh, that I'd have a heart like
that, Neil. Pray for them. Lord, would you forgive them? Lord, if you can't forgive them, blot me out too. Back in Romans 10, my heart's
desire in prayer to God for Israel is that they might
be saved. Paul did not desire that they
perished. I think about men, women hear
the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace and they said,
you know what, those Calvinists, you're so hard. You just blot
everybody out, just us and nobody else. You make it so narrow that
you, you know, no. I pray God have mercy. I pray
Almighty God move upon sinners. Call them out of darkness. Paul
bowed to God's right to save whomsoever he would and was desirous
for the salvation of sinners. I know that God's going to do
right. I know that. For that I'm thankful,
thankful. But it does not take away a believer's
desire for God to show mercy and save sinners. Paul said in verse 2 of Romans
10, I bear them record. They have a zeal of God, but
not according to knowledge. His brethren, according to the
flesh, He's talking to believers, and He's talking about natural
Israel. He's describing them. He said,
I bear them record, they have a zeal of God, but not according
to knowledge. They were different from the
heathen nations. They were zealous for God's glory. They expected the Messiah. They
did. They had the Scriptures. They expected that God was going
to send the Messiah. They honored the Law in its outward
observance. They had festivals that they
went to, so many of them every year, they had to go and they
went and they'd go to the synagogue and they'd hear the scripture
read and Paul said, I bear them record. This is what he's saying.
I'm speaking from experience. I bear them record. I know what
I'm talking about. He said, I'm a witness to what
I'm saying here. Paul was a Pharisee. Paul was
a Pharisee of the strictest sect. Mom and Daddy were Hebrews. He
was born in the right tribe. He was circumcised on the right
day. He sat under Gamaliel. He went to Bible college. Paul
said, I'm telling you, they have a zeal of God. They have a zeal
of the law for keeping the Ten Commandments and ceremonies.
They have a zeal to do something. But he said, I've been there.
I know what I'm talking about. They're not indifferent when
it comes to an outward walk, an outward show of their belief
in God. He said their lives revolve around
the synagogue and worship. I bear them record. They've got
a zeal. I came up in false religion. kept records, Mark, you know
that. Everything was done for show.
How many people brought their Bibles? How much did we give? I'm going to tell you something. Believers are going to bring
their Bibles. Believers are going to give. Believers pray. I don't have to... How many did you witness to this
week? I'm going to tell you something. I'm embarrassed to think about
how little did I say. How many souls did you win? Paul said, I bear them record.
They have a zeal of God, but it's not according to knowledge.
It's not according to the revelation of God's Spirit according to
these scriptures. He said they're ignorant. They're
ignorant. Ignorant of who God is. Ignorant of who Christ is. Ignorant
of the Holy Spirit, His work, His ministry. They're ignorant of God's purpose
to show mercy to whomsoever He will in the certainty of the
Lord Jesus Christ redeeming those elect. Who did He die for? He died for His sheep. That's
what He said. John 10, 15. How many of the
Spirit of God are going to call out? All that the Father giveth
me shall come to me. The Spirit of God is going to
save them. And all that come to me by faith trusting in nothing
that they've done. Listen to me. I know what I'm
talking about. You're either trusting in something
that you've done. You're either trusting in your
profession of faith, or you're trusting in your baptism, or
you're trusting in church membership. You're trusting in something.
Either you're trusting in that, or you're trusting totally. in the merit, in the work, the
faith of the Lord Jesus Christ charged you. And having no confidence
whatsoever in yourself, none of your flesh. It's one of the
two, it's either trusting in something you've done or everything
Christ's done. He said, they being ignorant,
of God's righteousness. That is, the righteousness established,
purposed, and provided by the Lord Jesus Christ. They're ignorant
of God's righteousness. That righteousness, Philippians
3.9 says, which is through the faith of Christ. which is of God by faith. By
faith, we do believe this, that everything He did, His faith,
is charged to me. What I do, I'm telling you, is
not going to amount to a hill of beans. It's filthy rags. That's what Scripture says. Oh,
but what He's done. The Father said, this is my beloved
Son in whom I'm well pleased. You hear Him. He never said that
about Marvin, only his son. They being ignorant
of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness
of God. They're going about to make valid
their own work. their own righteousness, their
own faithfulness, trying to merit acceptance with God because of
their works, because of their ability, because of their will,
because of ignorantly thinking that what they've done, though
sincere, is going to be accepted. It's not. Let me tell you what's
going to be accepted. Holiness. holiness, righteousness, perfection. That's the only thing
God's going to accept. God will not accept anything. Think about this. Present the
best that you've ever done to a just God. To a God that is just. I'm not
talking about one that says, it's okay, I know you meant it. I'm talking about absolute justice. And if there's a taint of sin
upon it, if there's anything about it that falls short, if
there's anything about it that falls short, God's a consuming fire. Would
you approach a God like that? No, you're gonna say like the
children of Israel to Moses. Moses, you go up there and meet
God. We'll stay here. I need an intercessor. I need
a mediator. I need one to answer for me. He said they're ignorant of God's
righteousness, going about to establish their own righteousness.
They've not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
This is what he's saying. They've not submitted themselves
unto Christ alone. When I say the righteousness
of God, just put Christ there. When I say the righteousness
of God, how do you know that, Marvin? Well, Jeremiah 23, 6
says, this is His name, whereby He shall be called the Lord our
righteousness. They've not submitted themselves
unto Him. See, when we say that we can do something, that we
can do something, that'll be accepted of God. You know what
we're saying? I can do it just like He can. I can do it like He can. God'll
accept me just like He'll accept Him. That's heresy. That's damnable
heresy. But Christ, for Christ, verse
4. is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believeth." Now let me tell you what he just
said. We start talking about the law, and here's where the Jews did
err. Christ is the end of the law. First of all, that word end right
there, it means the goal. G-O-A-L. The goal. The point that I'm going to.
When I was in high school, I ran track. And like all the
other runners, What we do, we had a starting point. We get
that starting point. We get down, the gun go off,
and there we go. And I was looking for one thing.
I was looking for one thing. I was looking for that little
ribbon that they stretched across. That's what I was going for.
I'm going for the finish line. I'm going for the goal. I'm going
for the point of completion. The scripture sets forth Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness. Christ himself is the end. He's the ribbon. He's the ribbon.
And this is what the law was doing. The law was to take all of God's sheep
and bring them to Christ. The purpose of the law. The law did two things. It did bring them to Christ.
It brought them to the school. Look at Galatians right here.
I'm going to wrap this up. Galatians chapter 3. This is
the purpose of the law. And let me tell you what the
Jews, what Paul said, I bear them record. They're ignorant.
They're ignorant of God's righteousness. They're ignorant. They're looking
at the law and they're saying, I got to keep that. I got to
keep it. That wasn't the purpose of the
law. The purpose of the law was to show them, you can't keep
this. Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all
your spirit. Love your neighbor as yourself,
don't covet, don't steal. Whoever did that? Somebody said
I did. No, no you didn't. No. And if you offend in one point,
just miss one, Freddie, one point. You broke them all. They stand
or fall together. Galatians 3, 24-25. This is what the law, Christ
is the goal of the law. He's the goal of the law, the
end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. 3,
24-25. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster. And that word means it's one
that brings. It's not a teacher to show us
how to keep it. No, it's one that is bringing
the pedagogue, the escort, the escort. A man gives a woman his
arm and he said, here, I'll escort you. You know what he's saying,
I'll watch over you, I'll take care of you, I won't let anything
happen to you, I'm going to be here by your side, I'm his escort.
The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that
we might be justified by faith, but after that faith has come,
we're no longer under a schoolmaster. The law's purpose was to Bring
God's people to Christ. Showing them what they could
not do. You can't please me. I'll bring you the one that can.
I'll bring you one who alone can. And give you faith to believe
Him. There's mercy. To bring me to
one that can satisfy the one that must be satisfied because
I can't do it. Romans 3.20, Therefore by the
deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for
by the law is the knowledge of sin. That's what the law, the
law shows. You can't keep me. You try to keep me, I'll kill
you. That's the law. You'll die. You try to keep the
law, you try to approach God on your merit, and you're going
to die. God's going to kill you. The
law brings God's people to see Christ who is the end. For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. And the law shows
us this too. I mean the Spirit of God shows
us this too concerning the law. that He fulfilled it. This is
what God's people know by the grace of God. He has obeyed. He is the end. He is the finish.
He is the completion. He's answered the law's demand
for justice. The soul that sinneth is going
to die. He who knew no sin was made sin and the law's Justice
was spewed out on him. He died for his people under
the law's penalty. The law is good. The law is good. The law is good. The Lord said
in Matthew 5.17, think not that I'm come to destroy the law or
the prophets. I'm not come to destroy but to
fulfill. The law of God is good. What
part of God's law is not good? The problem, my friend, is that
we can't keep it. There is no requirement for righteousness
in myself to everyone that believe it. I know this. I cannot. I cannot. By the grace of God, I pray God
teach us that afresh this morning. We cannot. We are the recipients
of his mercy and grace if we know anything of him at all. I know God's going to save his
people. I know that. I know he's going to save them.
I know he's going to have mercy on whomsoever he will. And I
pray he saves somebody today for Christ's sake.