So, something else he forgot was
to say good morning. He always does that. He's got
me to doing it. Alright, if you've got a Bible,
I hope you've got one. Look on with somebody else if
you don't or listen more carefully if you can't find one. I want you to be almost all together. We had our sword drill in Bible
class this morning, and so now you just got one place to go.
Romans chapter 10. Romans 10. Now, before we begin, if the Lord doesn't visit the reading
and preaching of His Word, we're just wasting time. Wasting time. May we pray. Lord, I confess to you this morning
that I am nothing. I can do nothing. And if you do not come down to
this lowly, out-of-the-way place and make yourself known, a poor
sinner like me cannot do it. Lord, have mercy on us today. Here in your book, the Word of
God speaks in some of the plainest language to be found in the English
language. Oh, that you would speak these
words to our souls. For if you do not take up your
own cause, and send the precious Holy Spirit, God the Holy Ghost,
into our midst. We may have enjoyed ourselves,
but we have wasted our time. Lord, if you do not honor what
we do, if you do not bless the reading and preaching of your
Word, we have no other reason to exist. Oh, we beg for your mercy and
your grace. We may not all know it, but we're
nothing but sinners in need of salvation. And that salvation is in our
Lord Jesus Christ. Speak, Lord, with a voice that
wakes the dead and make Thy people hear. We beg in Christ's name. Amen. Now there's 21 verses in
Romans chapter 10. At least there was this morning. I'm not sure they're still there,
but I'll find them here in a moment. 21, I was right. Boy, isn't that
amazing? Truly amazing. First of all, I want to read
the 21st chapter, and that will limit what I can do after. I'm
a slow reader, but I will try to be not as slow as I would
like to be because I want to come back and concentrate on
certain statements in this 10th chapter of the book of Romans.
Now in chapter 9, and again in chapter 11, Paul, in writing
this letter to the Romans, he tells them how greatly he desires
for the Jewish nation to be converted. And if you're familiar with the
book of Acts and the travels of Paul during that period of
time, the Jews were his dreaded enemy, and yet he was a Jew.
And there were Jews that were converted, but by and large,
the vast majority were not. And we face the same thing in
our generation. We're just a little handful,
and there are thousands in this one county worshiping somebody's
God right now this morning. In chapter 9, when it comes to
why does God not save more of the Jews, He resolves the answer
to that question in what we've come to know as the sovereignty
of God. Then in chapter 11, he does the
very same thing again. And sandwiched in between God
and God is a description in Romans chapter 10 having to do with
what we can understand in regard to man. There are some powerful,
powerful statements. Romans chapter 10 verse 1. Brethren,
my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they
might be saved. And if we're believers, we ought
to be uttering the same prayers for those that we care for and
that we know and kin to. You might get slapped in the
face. But I think God would smile on that if you did. My heart's
desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be
saved. But I bear them record that they
have a zeal of God. But that zeal is not according
to knowledge. It is a false zeal. A misguided
zeal. People have all sorts of reasons
as to why they do things, and Paul is telling this plainly.
This letter is addressed to the Romans. Then we come to verse
3, and we have why it is. Why it is that their knowledge
of God is not based on the truth. Verse 3, for they, referring
to the Jews, they, oh and Gentiles as well by the way, for they
being ignorant of God's righteousness, how holy God is, and going about
to establish their own righteousness, which ain't no righteousness
at all. It stinks to high heaven. Self-righteousness is not any
righteousness at all. And the verse goes on to say,
and have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Now God's righteousness has to be submitted to. And what does
that mean? It's talking about God's Son.
And if we are to be righteous in God's sight, we must have
submitted ourselves to the precious Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.
Alright? Verse 4, For Christ is the end
of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. Everyone. Every believer. Christ is the
end of the law or hunt or search for righteousness to everyone that believes. For Moses also describes the
righteousness which is of the law. Here's the righteousness
of the law, which is no righteousness at all. It's not a thing in the
world but another name for self-righteousness. That the man who does those things
shall live by them. Have you ever done anything good
enough to go before God and say, look at what I've done for you?
I tell you, you won't get into heaven A lot of folks have tried
and still trying, but they're not a-going. There's only one way to God,
and that's by Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And if He's not
everything to us, He's not anything to us. Verse 5, For Moses describes the righteousness
which is of the law, Now he ought to know a little bit about this.
It was him on Mount Sinai that God gave those tablets of stone,
engraved with these ten rules and laws, called the Ten Commandments. Moses describes the righteousness
which is of the law, that the man who does those things shall
live by them. But the righteousness which is
of faith, Oh, we're interested, I hope, in this righteousness.
This one is free. Perfectly, altogether free. But the righteousness which is
of faith uses a different language. It speaks on this wise, say not
in your heart. That is, I'm sorry, say not in
your heart, who shall ascend into heaven? That is, to bring
Christ down from above. He's already been. He won't come
again until the end of time. And it will just about be too
late. Verse 7, who shall descend into
the deep? That is, to bring up Christ again
from the dead. He only died once. He does not
die again. He's now as alive as he'll ever
be. That is, who shall descend into
the deep? That is, to bring up Christ again
from the dead. But what does it say? The Word
is near you. The gospel, the story of God's
grace in Christ, is near you, even in your mouth and in your
heart. That is the word of faith which
we preach. That if you shall confess with
your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with
the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, Whosoever
believes on him shall not be ashamed, or shall not be put
to shame. Verse 12, For there is no difference
between the Jew and the Greek, All men are born with Adam as
their father. Therefore, Americans, and other
countries, and other races, and this, that, these things are
just superficial. There's no difference between
the Jew and the Gentile. 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." I don't know about
you, but I used to think Romans 10 ended right there. Because
I didn't like what it said after verse 10. Verse 11 rather, excuse me. Let me go to 11 again, where
the scripture says, Whosoever believes on Him shall not be
ashamed. For there is 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 starting in verse
14, and again in verse 15, twice in verse 14, and again in verse
15, and then in, let's see there are four of these,
the word how, the word how. I can't tell you how many years
I didn't see these words. I was scared of them. Didn't
know what to do with them. Didn't know what they were talking
about. And God sent a preacher to me that knew the gospel and
saved me. Else I'd still be lost. Let's
read this carefully. Verse 14, How then shall they
call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in
Him of whom they've not heard. Now I know, if you've grown up in
America, I know you've heard of Jesus of Nazareth. But 99% of the preachers in this
country are lying about who He is, how He saves sinners, and
a ton of other things. Because it does not fit with
today's observances of religion. Baptists have gone plum mad.
They build gymnasiums instead of building bigger places to
preach the gospel. They have no interest in this
gospel. It would shut them down in very
short order. And I pray to God that it does. How shall they hear without a
preacher? Now watch this, and how shall
they preach except they be sent, sent of God, accompanied by the
Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit. You can't just get up and say
a bunch of words and people get converted. No sir, this is God's
doing, not the preacher. You think coming down that aisle
and taking the preacher's hand and him saying a little tiny
prayer over you, that's going to save you? It'll damn your
soul forever. It'll damn you forever. I've
been there and I've done that. And I hate myself for it. I taught and preached what I
was taught and preached and it was a lie. And they're still
in business. How shall they preach? except
they be sent. As it is written, how beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring
glad tidings of good things. For they have not all obeyed
the gospel." Boy, that's a statement, let me tell you. They've not
all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah said in chapter 6 of his writing
when he had that vision, right after the king had died because
he had blasphemed God and wasn't satisfied with just being a king,
he wanted to offer incense in the temple. He offered it alright,
and God smote him with leprosy on the spot, and Isaiah, had
that vision when King Uzziah died. He begins Isaiah chapter
6 with that statement. So then faith comes by hearing.
Here's how you get faith. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. We start with this book, and
it must be preached. And when God accompanies this,
whether in reading it or in hearing it read, if He accompanies it
and blesses you and gives you salvation, you won't ever be
the same again, I promise you. You're gonna have some people
that you thought loved you and they hate you now. You willing to undergo any of
that? Thank God for it. Preachers of the gospel have
to have some backbone. You can't be scared of people
no matter how big they are, how many they are, or how much they
hate you. You just keep preaching the gospel.
That's all I can do. That's all I can do. Faith comes
by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Verse 18, But I
say, have they not heard? Yes, verily, truly, their sound
went into all the earth and their words unto the ends of the world. But I say, did not Israel know?
First Moses said, I'll provoke you to jealousy. By them that
are no people and by a foolish nation I'll anger you. Oh, but
brother Isaiah, this is the New Testament spelling of the Old
Testament word that starts with an I. I just call him Isaiah
because he's one and the same. But Isaiah is very bold and he
says, hold on to your seat now. God in Christ, I am found of
them that sought me not. People think they've been seeking
God. You ain't never going to find Him until He seeks you.
Because that's a false seeking that you're talking about. It's
not real. It's not genuine. You might as
well throw it away. But if God seeks you, my friend, there ain't nothing you won't
do to find Him. I was found of them that sought
me not. I was made manifest unto them
that weren't even looking for me, that asked not after me. But to Israel God says, all day
long have I stretched forth my hand unto a disobedient and gainsaying
people. The word gainsay means to speak
against, a people who speak against, a gainsaying people. Now, let's go back to verse Verse 13, and see if we can clarify in
our own mind, in a form that we can understand, having to
do with this matter of calling upon God. Fourteenth verse says,
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? In whom they've not believed? No one can call on Christ for
mercy until he believes on Him. Belief has to come before calling
on Him. If you don't believe something
or somebody, you don't have anything to do with that. It's too soon
to ask the appropriate questions. How then shall they call on Him
in whom they've not believed? And there are many verses in
our Bibles that address themselves to these very things. I have
printed some. My dear wife has printed me some. Let me read you a statement from
Galatians. For as many as are of the works
of the law, if you think we're to keep the law, They're under
the curse. I mean the curse of God, the
curse of death, the curse of hell. Cursed is everyone that
continues not in all things which are written in the book of the
law to do them. You remember in Luke 18 when the rich young
ruler ran up to where Christ was and fell on his knees. Good
master, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And after our Lord
got through telling him that he had used a wrong word, the
word good, he called him, the word master is the name of a
man, and he called him a good master. No, he's either a good
God or a bad master. Understand? And then our Lord
said, something in reference to the
Ten Commandments. He said, oh, I've kept them from
the time I was a little tight. Now you know he's lying, don't
you? You can't keep it and neither can I. And nobody else in this
whole world except the God-man, Christ Jesus. When the Lord came and kept every
aspect of those commandments and a great many more, He was
earning and meriting for His people a perfect righteousness. And if He ever saves you, He'll
give you that righteousness. You won't be looking for it.
You can't find it but one place, and that's in the God-man, Christ
Jesus. Alright, the second how is also
in verse 14. And I'm telling you, these four
hows are so vital. I just wish I had an hour that
we could just camp out on these things. The second one is also
in verse 14, as I've said, no one can believe on Christ until
he hears what is called the gospel of Christ. You can't know Christ except
you know Him through hearing the gospel. We have to hear this. It's not an option. It is the
only way by which a sinner can meet God in grace and mercy,
and that's in our Lord Jesus Christ. No man can truly believe on Christ
until he hears the gospel of Christ. Our statement in verse
14 reads, How shall they believe in Him? Of whom? of Christ whom
they've not heard. You can't believe what you've
not heard, any more than you can see what you haven't seen.
Then again in verse 14, we have a third how? And that is, let me put them
all three together. How then shall we call on Him in whom
we've not believed? How shall we believe in Him of
whom we've not heard? And how shall they preach? How shall they hear without a
preacher? Thank God there's one more how
to clarify this now. Because I've got a very low opinion
of preachers. A pretty low opinion of myself.
But I know who God is. I know who Christ is. I know what salvation is. I know
how a sinner is saved. Do you? Proverbs 20.12 reads, Faith comes
by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. The Word of God. My, my, my, how shall they hear
without a preacher? Let me point out one other thing
while we're in these, if I can remember the verses that contain
this particular word. I think it's in John 6, 33, Christ
said, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and
they are life. And both of those words in the
New Testament we find used in reference to a great many things. But in verse 14, let me see if I can find a word. I'm sorry, verse 13. No, that ain't right either.
Okay, in verse 8 of Romans 10, the Word is near you. There are
basically two different words translated by the word, Word,
in the New Testament of our Bibles. One of them is Logos. Ah, there
must be a thousand of those. It's just the average, run-of-the-mill,
everyday word. Ah, but there's another one.
And it is that other one that was in the verse I just quoted
you that the Lord Jesus described in John's Gospel chapter 6 and
verse 33. Alright, let me show it to you
in verse 8. But what does it say? The word
is near you, even in your mouth. That is the word which we preach. Now that is the translation of
a verb that the spelling of which is R-H-E-M-A. It is Rama. Rama. It is the living Word, rather
than logos, which is just any time you need a word, you know,
talk about telling somebody something, that's what that is. It's just
an everyday word. But this one is special. And
it's found in verse 8, it's found again in verse 17, and another
time in verse 18. So let's jump down to 17 and
18. And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is
written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the
gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. But they
have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah said, Lord, who has
believed our report? So then faith comes by hearing,
and hearing by the rhema of God, the living Word of God. Chapter, verse 18, But I say,
have they not heard? Yes, verily, truly, their sound
went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of
the world. But I say, did not Israel know? First Moses said, I'll provoke
you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish
nation I'll anger you. But Isaiah is very bold and says,
I was found of them that sought me not. I was made manifest unto
them that asked not after me. Alright, going back to verse
18. Their words, the last phrase
in verse 18, and their words, Ramah, unto the ends of the world. Now if you've got a good, thick
Bible concordance, you can distinguish these words. That's where I found
these things a long, long time ago. And I hadn't referred to
them in a good while, if my mind is still active, and it may not
be. How shall they preach except
God send them? Oh, and if He sends them, it's
official business then. No ifs, ands, and buts then. It's bringing back sinners converted,
saved by the grace of God. I tell you, salvation is bigger
than anything else in this whole wide world and in this universe.
If God chooses me in Christ, He saves me and makes me to know
it. We don't need anything else. And then it says in verse 15, How beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings
of good things." Praise the Lord. No man can truly preach the gospel
of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit unless God sends
him. Now, just a little remark on
coming to Christ. How do you come to Christ? Our good friend, Scott Richardson,
who's been dead now some 7 or 8 years. He was a mountaineer from West
Virginia and I loved that dear man and he loved me. And I love
some statements he left behind, one of which is, if I can get
it back in my mind, Come to Christ, come to Christ
without moving a muscle. There ain't nothing up here that
ain't back there on the back pew. This is not an altar. Gospel churches don't have altars. This is a pulpit. And you can't
get any closer to God at this pulpit than you can out yonder
in the middle of a cornfield. I can't count the times that
people have come to my door. You know, they're having a fight
between the husband and wife or something else has gone haywire
and they want me to come unlock the building so they can come
down here and pray. I said, I'd be glad to do that
for you except for one reason. And that is, I would be dishonoring
my God. When God's people are not in
here, this is just any old building. I mean, if you built it right,
you could play basketball in here. This is just a building. The holy place is where God is. If He ain't here, we ain't nothing.
We're just playing games. But I do honestly believe that
God has raised up. Hey, the pews are not full. I
don't care. I'd love for them to be full.
But that doesn't discourage me. You can go out and drag all kind
of people in here, and I don't care who they are or what color
they are. I just want the liberty to be able to preach without
disturbance. When we first came here, the
kids about, some of them might have been
10, they kept these doors hot. You know, going to the water
cooler, going to the bathroom. That ain't going to get it. You
need to be in the nursery. Somehow we got through it. And
you guys, I wouldn't even know you were in here if I weren't
looking at you. Gosh, that's truly amazing. Amazing, amazing,
amazing. How about turning to Romans 3?
Hey, I still got 11 minutes or 12. Romans chapter 3. Verses 22,
23, and 24. I'm trying to find it in Romans
7. There it is. Romans 3, 22. even the righteousness of God,
which is by faith." Now watch this. It does not say faith in
Christ. It says the faith of Christ. You see, we don't go somewhere
looking to find faith. If you can find Christ, you have
faith. and the righteousness of God
which is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all
them that believe, for 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 Christ
Jesus." That's it right there. Plain and simple. Plain and simple. I need you to turn to one more. Luke chapter 16. And while you're looking for
that, I want to read you a statement out of Proverbs. The hearing
ear and the seeing eye, both of them are from the Lord. So it doesn't matter if you wear
glasses or not, we're talking about a different set of eyes.
We're talking about spiritual eyes. That was Proverbs 20 and verse
12, by the way. Alright, did you find Luke 16?
Verses 14 and 15. And the Pharisees also who were
covetous, yet they claimed to keep the whole law. But our Lord
said, the Pharisees who were covetous heard all these things
that our Lord was saying and derided Him. They made fun at
Him. They laughed at Him. I'll tell you the laugh. They're
not laughing at Him now. They're burning in the pits of
hell. And our Lord said to them, here's
what I want you to see. You need to mark this verse.
You are they which justify yourselves before men, but God knows your
hearts. For that which is highly esteemed
among men, is abomination in the sight of God. That which
is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of
God. There's a whole lot called worship
going on right now and it ain't a thing in the world but an abomination
against God. Well, that's enough. Let's just
see if we can Okay.