All right, I wish to read from
Romans chapter 10. We've found our way thus far
up to Romans chapter 10. I just want to read the first
four verses. I hope to make a couple comments
on those four verses as I read. Then I will give some preliminary
thoughts concerning these verses. And then we will take a look
at a few observations concerning these verses as well. Romans
chapter 10. Brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. Now we know
he's not talking about what we sometimes call the Israel of
God. He's talking about his kinfolk,
his people. And that's clear when he says,
for I bear them record, they have a zeal of God, but not according
to knowledge. If the knowledge of God's sovereignty
causes us to be hard-hearted toward others, then we do not
truly understand God's sovereignty. We do not know who the elect
are. And they are scattered throughout the nations. And I know this
could be taken wrong. It could probably be broken down
and probably said better. But every individual is a potential
to be one of the elect of God, simply because we do not know
who they are. But we know that not everyone
is one of the elect of God. It's true. Brethren, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be
saved. Paul cared for his kinfolk. Yes. And so should we, and we
should pray for them, and pray for their salvation. I remember
Tim James talking about his mother when he was very young, and this
won't be an exact quote of what Tim said, but it'll give you
the gist of it. He said, my mother told me later
on, she said, I didn't know whether you was one of the elect of God,
but I prayed like you was. I prayed like you was. And he
was. He was. For I bear them record
that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
And this is not meant as an accusation. This is a cry of pain in Paul's
heart. It's easy to become, we talk
about pride of race, pride of face, but there is such thing
as pride of grace. and we become so complacent in
the grace of God that we begin to look down on others that seem
to clearly show they have no grace of God yet, at least in
their experience. Well, I bear them record that
they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For
they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, now he's going
to get down to what the real problem is. for they being ignorant
of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own
righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness
of God. Now he's gonna summarize and
tell us plainly who the righteousness of God is. For Christ is the
end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. My title this morning is Submit
to God's Righteousness. I would venture to say that that
is a foreign subject to most so-called professed Christians
today, about submitting, submitting to God's righteousness. They talk about believing, trusting,
following, I understand they do not truly comprehend the import
of those words, but you rarely ever hear anybody out there talking
about submitting to God's righteousness, submitting to Christ. Our dear
brother, the Apostle Paul, is relentless. Relentless. And it's not just because He's
moved by the Spirit of God here to write God-breathed words.
I'm sure in every message he preached, he was relentless. He even dressed down Peter one
time simply because Peter moved from one group of people to the
other group of people. He said, I withstood him to the
face because he was to be blamed. Others were carried away with
his hypocrisy. And he said, because he walked
not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel. Paul was
relentless, but in these four short verses, he's relentless
again. He just, in this epistle so far,
he just hammered and hammered and hammered and hammered. For
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. To everyone,
everyone, not most, Not some believers who've reached at least
a certain spiritual plateau. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believeth, whether they've
been believing for five seconds or been believing for 70, 80,
90 years. He's the end of the law. Now,
he could have wrote that as an epistle and it should have settled
the question for us forever. Sadly, it hasn't settled it for
everyone. because there have been people even in this small
group that rise up against this truth. Deep concern for the souls
of others weighs heavy on us, but it should never cause us
to excuse or ignore their true problem. Well, I don't want to
offend them. Christ is a rock of offense. He's meant to be. God ordained
him as such. Now we see the connection. You
read this, and it's almost like a true chapter 10, a different
subject, but it's not a different subject. When you care about
someone, there is within us, because we know how we are. Well,
if I offend them, they won't listen to me no more. Maybe.
Maybe. But if they don't, that's the
purpose of God in divine wrath and judgment as well. But if
they're one of the elect, they need you to keep after them and
keep after them. I don't mean harp at somebody.
That's not what I'm talking about. But don't ever excuse or ignore
their true problem. I mean, when you go to the doctor,
you got cancer, do you want to tell him you got a hangnail?
Do you want him to be easy on you just so he don't scare you?
Make you run away? Well, if the doctor tells you
you got cancer, you may run away. You may say, I can't deal with
this and never go back again. But we've got to have our problem
exposed to us. And Christ said, when he, the
spirit of truth has come, he's going to expose it to some folk.
The first thing he's going to expose is what? Our problem.
Sin. Sin. Sin. Paul did not ignore
their true problem. Brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. One way
you could tell if somebody really cares about somebody else and
one of them's saved and the other one's lost is if they tell them
the truth. Tell them the truth, even if
it runs them off. Even if it runs them off. Brethren,
my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they
might be saved, for I bear them record. They have a zeal of God,
but not according to knowledge. for they being ignorant of God's
righteousness. And here's their problem. Ignorance
of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own.
They weren't trying to figure out what God's righteousness
was, they were just trying to work up their own and set it
as a foundation before God. Before God. and going about to
establish their own righteousness. And what's that cause a man or
a woman to do? It causes them to not submit unto the righteousness
of God. God himself must break down this
barrier, this resistance in men and women. But that's not what,
Paul didn't deal with that right here. How many, how many do we care about whom
we see in a similar plight as this. I know of some folk I care very
deeply about, and they didn't care nothing about religion.
When they got old enough, they went their own way, did their
own thing. They could care less what Walter Pendleton preached,
or Joe Galusik, or Paul Pendleton, or Earl Cochran, or any other
great preacher that's ever stood in this place. I'm talking about
people from here, not out there right now. Now they're out there
too, but I'm talking about people from here, and they could care
less about religion and just do not care about the gospel
of Christ. But as time goes on to begin
to mature, they start to get a little religion. They start
to get a little busy in the things of religion. I've seen it happen
to people that used to sit in these chairs. Start sending their
kids at least to church somewhere, but it's not a church that preaches
the gospel. Here's my observations. There's
a few of them, but I'm not going to tell you how many, because
I don't want to scare you half to death. But it's not one with
many parts. It's more than one. Just a few
observations. I'm not going to go back and
look. I've tried to kind of read this to you and point out a few
of the marquee things in these verses, in these words Paul said.
Here's number one. Zeal alone, even toward God. even toward God, is useless. You know what I said? That's
the word I used. Useless. It is useless if it is in ignorance
to the crown rights of Jesus Christ the Lord. It's useless. And yet, this world, you cannot
convince them, apart from the Spirit of God, you cannot convince
them that just being zealous toward God ain't enough. I want to move ahead. But if
I'm zealous, that's got to count for something. It is useless. if it's in ignorance to the crown
rites of Jesus Christ the Lord. That's even what we confess when
we're saved, that Jesus Christ is Lord. And that's not like
an incantation, and we'll talk about that later when we get
there. That's not like just use his name, say his name, oh Jesus
Christ the Lord save me. That means to be convinced that
he is the absolute ruler of heaven and earth, and you're convinced
of that inside your soul. So again, zeal alone even toward
God is useless if it's in ignorance to the crown rights of Jesus
Christ the Lord. Secondly, not knowing God's righteousness
is deadly, even damning to the soul. But aren't you glad God
even forgives that? Aren't you glad Christ even died
for those sins, those kind of sins? Not knowing God's righteousness
is deadly, yea, even damning to the soul, and apart from the
free reigning grace of God in Christ, it will dam everyone's
soul. Number three, legal righteousness
is indeed self-righteousness. Now I haven't said that too much
lately, But I wanna start saying it even more. Legal righteousness
is self-righteousness. That's exactly what Paul just
had told us. The Jews, the Israelites sought
righteousness, why? By the law. And the law is not
what God does for us, it's what we're supposed to do for God. And the problem is, you can't
convince an unregenerate man or woman that we do not ever
really keep that law. We may put on a good show, we
may deceive ourselves into thinking we're doing it, we may deceive
others into thinking we're doing it, but Paul, God, not Paul,
God Almighty knows the actual intents of our hearts even when
we don't. Even if we've deceived ourselves
into thinking it to be a different thing. I'm saying legal righteousness
is indeed self-righteousness. And we've done read Paul. Paul
done told us this. Let me read it, let me find it,
and just bear with me a second. For what saith the scripture,
Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace,
but of debt. A legalist thinks God owes them
something. And he does owe us one thing.
Death because of our sin. But aren't you glad Christ paid
that debt for somebody? Aren't you glad? Here's the fourth
observation. Knowledge does not save. but
none are saved apart from knowing him who is God's righteousness. Now notice what I said. It's
not just knowing a lot of stuff. There are some great theologians
out there that never really knew God. It's not about just knowing
the theology, knowing the doctrine. Again, look what I said. Knowledge
does not save, but none are saved apart from knowing him who is
God's righteousness. And that's what he'll go on to
say in this very chapter. For whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. Does that mean it's like rubbing
a lucky rabbit's foot again? Is that like an incantation?
No, of course not, but yet that's the way people see it. Walk forward,
pray the prayer. That's what they're, they're
talking about incantations. Rubbing the lucky rabbit's foot, you
know? Blowing on the dice before you give him a rope. That's what
they're talking about. For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call
on him in whom they've not believed? You got to believe first before
the calling is of any worse spot. And how shall they believe in
him of whom they have heard? So you got to hear this Lord,
not this false one that's perpetrated upon the souls of men and women
out there today, but the Lord Jesus Christ. It's like old Rolf
Barnard that time, Henry said they were somewhere and they
got up and sang that song, Jesus saves, Jesus saves, and Rolf
got up to preach after the song and he said, that ain't so. They
said people's mouths just dropped open. He said, it's the Lord
Jesus that saves. Now somebody say you're being
picky. No, look at what's out there
around us. Everybody, and I say that little tongue in cheek,
everybody loves Jesus. Most people don't even mind to say the Lord
Jesus, but they don't really want him to be Lord. Knowledge does not save, but
none are saved apart from knowing him who is God's righteousness.
And Paul went on, and how are they gonna hear without a preacher? And somebody says, I don't like
that. That's God's ordained way. So that's the way it's gonna
be. It's just the way it's gonna be. Number five, fifth observation,
knowledge apart from submission is useless. You hear what I said? Knowledge apart from submission
is useless. This ain't the five step to salvation,
but I'm saying all these things got to be there. They all got
to be there. The whole nine yards as we say,
or as I say, maybe somebody else don't say that. Knowledge apart
from submission is useless. Bow to Christ. I say that to
anybody. Bow to Christ. And I don't mean
just a physical act. I'm talking about bowing down
in here and in here. Bow to the king rights, the crown
rights, the authoritative rule of Jesus Christ the Lord in everything. In everything. So again, knowledge
apart from submission is useless. Bow to Christ. That is one of
the things that sadly is missing in our day and age. People actually
believe. I believe that Jesus was a virgin
born. I believe he lived a perfect good life. I believe he died
on the cross to save me. I believe he was buried rose
again and went back to heaven. And they think believing that means
they're saved. It ain't so. It just ain't so. if you've never submitted to
Christ as the righteousness of God. Here's the sixth one. God's righteousness
is one person. Now if I try to sit here and
theologically describe to you the righteousness of God, and
this book gives us many words and phrases that describe the
righteousness of God, but God, Oh, how gracious he is. He simplified
this for us. He's put it all in one person.
He's put it all in one person. Just bow to him. It's that simple
and yet that impossible apart from the free reigning grace
of God. God's righteousness is one person. Jesus Christ the
Lord. Jesus of Nazareth. Here's the Sabbath one. Christ
is the end. The termination. That's one of
the meanings of this word. Christ is the termination of
law righteousness. to everyone who believes and
keeps on believing. That's what Paul, to everyone
that believes, not to everyone that's believed. I mean, years
ago when you asked, I was brought up in that religion where when
you asked, are you saying, well yeah, I believed back when I
was 10 years old. 15 years, I believed when I was
21. They're 50 now. You're still
not believing today? Well of course, what do you mean
of course? To everyone that believeth. That is, is in a state of believing
and keeps on believing. If you ever quit believing, I'm
gonna try to explain all that. If you ever quit believing, you're
a goner. I'm just put it that simple. I'm not gonna try to
soften that pill for anybody. You ever quit believing, you're
a goner. What does that mean? If you ever quit believing, you're
a goner. There are too many people who
are worried about what they believed or did back yonder. Oh God, if
I haven't ever believed, if I didn't believe when Paul was preaching,
God help me to believe right now. And Lord, if I do believe,
God make me to believe tomorrow too if I don't like it. Make
me. Make me to believe. I need him to make me do this.
Joe, that resurrection power that it takes for us to believe
ain't a one time act. It ain't a one-time act. Every
time we believe, and I don't know if that's the best way to,
but when we believe, whenever it is, it's still taking that
same resurrection power. Because our flesh would take
over if God let it. Our flesh would take over if
God let it. Christ is the end, the termination
of law righteousness. Quit looking for law righteousness.
Believe God. Trust Christ. Submit to Christ. Well, how am I gonna walk right?
By His Spirit. If you're led of the Spirit,
you ain't under the law. And the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, gentleness, long-suffering, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance. Against such, there is no law.
The problem is, we in our legalism don't really trust God to get
the job done. That's that we really don't submit
to Christ that he got the job done and is gonna see that when
he got the job done, he gonna see the results of that job done.
We just really don't believe he can keep us to the end. We
really don't believe he's able to work in us both to will and
to do of his good pleasure. And somebody says, well, I don't
always see him doing that in my life. Well, he is whether
you know it or not. Sometimes he may lift that figure
of restraint just a little to remind you of what your old man
still is Just to remind you what your old man, but aren't you
glad he never takes his hand off us completely Aren't you
glad that would we fall? We are evident. I'm gonna put
it this way. We're standing in his hand and when we fall where
do we fall? We don't ever do this Not if
you're here doing this If you're here doing this, when you fall,
you're not gonna fall any further than that. His hand. His hand. Here's number eight. This is
the last one. Got there quicker than I thought
we would, didn't I? Number eight, when Christ is bowed to, law
or righteousness has to go. It has to go. You can't dabble
in both. Can't have a little bit of this, a little bit of
that, just in case. It's like one old preacher said, remember
they were on that ship and that storm, Paul was on there? And
Paul said, God said, listen, God's gonna give us, God's given
me every man on this boat. Not one will perish, but the
ship's going down. But you gotta stay in the ship.
What? And some of them went over to
cut the lifeboat off, remember? But God stopped it. They were
gonna kill Paul. but the centurion, the man, the
actual soldier in charge of everybody else, said that ain't gonna happen.
Now who in the world moved that man to do that? This was just
an old unbelieving centurion, but God Almighty, the heart of
man is in God's hands. And he turns it withersoever
he will. When Christ is bowed to, law
righteousness has to go in our profession, in our confession,
and in our possession. All of it. Don't dabble with
anything but Christ. That's right. You can't eat too
much of him. That's it. You can't believe
too much on him. You can't trust him too much.
That's right. You cannot bow to him too fully. Amen. Does any of this sound
like what we hear from most who claim to be Christians today?
Does it? You've heard them on TV or? radio or what you've heard
of, you've seen them. Now I wouldn't encourage you
to watch them a whole lot to find out. They're slick. They're them squirrely
tongue devils, boy. I mean, they'd just be sitting
up there, as Don Fortner used to say, sitting up there on a
fence post, smiling like a possum eating briars. And they make
you think that the briars taste good. No, they're still just
briars. That's all they are. This is
not bowing to the crown rites of Christ. God's righteousness
is totally absent in most preaching today. There's thousands of people
that will probably, probably preaching from this very chapter.
If you just call on the name of the Lord, you'll be saved.
But they ain't gonna deal with these first three or four verses, are they?
They ain't gonna deal with that. And yet, This truth of bowing,
submitting to God's righteousness, who is a person, is paramount
to actual true gospel preaching. If bowing is absent, it's not
the gospel. Just mark it down. I don't care
how doctrinally accurate, theologically accurate it is. Even if they
believe in election, predestination, you will bow to Christ or you'll
perish. Well, if I'm one of the elect,
if you're one of the elect, you're gonna bow to Christ. That's what
God ordained. That's what God ordained. We
dare not work up or work for a righteousness. No. Don't do
it. When your flesh says, but if
I just do this, God'll treat me a little better. Or maybe
this bad thing won't happen again. You're in this world, you're
gonna have tribulation. And even if you could keep the
law, you're gonna have tribulation. You know how I know that? Christ
kept the law and he suffered an amount of sorrows and acquainted
with grief, right? So what other reason would I
have to keep the law? Only if I think it's gonna give me merit
before God. And that again is what? Deadly
and damning to the soul. No! We do not work up or work
for a righteousness. We bow to and believe him who
is God's righteousness. And we'll read just a couple
lines from the same apostle that he wrote to another one of our
sister churches. But of him, but of God, are ye
in Christ Jesus? How'd I get in Christ Jesus if
I'm in Christ Jesus? God did it. God brought it to
pass. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us. Not offered unto us, made it.
Made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification too. And redemption. That, according as it is written,
he that glories. Where do you glory? Glory in
the Lord. Glory in the Lord. Heavenly Father,
hammer these words home to our hearts by your blessed Holy Spirit.
Don't just teach them to us today, but constantly remind us of them
in whatever days we have to come. This side of our leaving here,
you coming to get us. God keep us by Christ, in his
name, amen.