Hi, everybody. Would you turn to Romans chapter 10? Romans chapter 10. Verse one. 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?

Now, I hope we can resist the temptation of wondering if the person beside me is saved. And I hope we can keep from starting to look for evidences within ourselves to see if I'm saved. If somebody would ask me that question, I'd say, well, let me think. Am I this? Am I that? Don't do that.

Am I saved? Well, what does it mean to be saved? Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. What does it mean to be saved? Well, quite simply, profoundly, but still quite simply, it means God saved me. God saved me.

Second Timothy 1.9, says he saved us. He didn't offer salvation. He didn't make salvation available. If we do our part, 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.

Now, I want you to notice this language. He saved us. And he called us. Which came first? Saving or the calling? The saving. He saved us. Then he called us. Now, what that tells me is salvation is accomplished outside of my personal subjective experience. He saved us. He then calls us.

Now, he calls us by the gospel. Now, what's it take for God to save someone? Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they be saved. Well, first of all, it takes the will of God. God's got to will my salvation. That's what election is. He willed my salvation before the world began.

Secondly, it takes the life and the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. He lived for me. He kept the law for me. He died for me to put away my sins and make them to where there are no more. He was raised for me for my justification so that I stand before God without sin, perfect in his sight.

What does it take? For God to save somebody, the regenerating work of God, the Holy Spirit, where he says, live, and I live. It's the new birth, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.

What does it take for a sinner to be saved? The preaching of the gospel. It pleased God, this is scripture, It pleased God, 1 Corinthians 121, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Now, the emphasis is not on the preacher, but the message he brings. I must hear it. I must believe it.

What does it take for a sinner to be saved? All that was, is, and shall be. All of God's providence. working together for good to them that love God and to them who have called according to his purpose.

What does it take for a sinner to be saved? I'm going to have to be preserved to endure all the way to the end, not remaining religious, but looking to Christ only. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.

Now, what if I'm not saved? It means I'm God's enemy. The carnal mind, Romans 8, 7, the mind we were born with, the way we came into this world, the carnal mind is enmity against God. It's not subject to the law of God. Neither, indeed, can be.

It means the opposite of Romans 8, 31. If God is against me, who can be for me? Am I saved? Isn't that the critical question I need to answer? Am I saved? Has God saved me? You know, I think of the Lord's words, watch it or profit a man if he gained the whole world and lose his soul. Nothing to this sinner is more important than this. Am I somebody that God has saved? And I want to remind you, I'm not trying to look into my life to see if I can find evidences that he has saved me. I want to hear the gospel. Has God saved me?

Now, back to our text in Romans chapter 10, verse 1. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. Now, I love the way... Here's a brilliant observation. Romans 10 comes right after Romans 9. Romans 9 is the great declaration of God's absolute sovereignty and salvation. Let me just quote one verse from Romans chapter 9, and that's what the whole chapter is about, for 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.

Now, preaching like that will make you indifferent about the salvation of people. It'll turn people into zombies and lethargic and not care about witnessing. Didn't do Paul that way, did it? He said in Romans chapter 10, verse 1, brethren, my heart's desire. And prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.

Verse two, for I bear them record that they have a zeal of God. They're very religious. They're very zealous. They're very sincere. They have a zeal for God and the God of the Bible, but not according to knowledge. Now understand this. There is no salvation apart from the knowledge he's speaking of.

Now go on reading verse three. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness. Now here's the knowledge they did not have that you must have. They being ignorant of God's Righteousness. Now, somebody that believes in salvation by works in any way is ignorant of God's righteousness. It's a given. God's righteous character, his utter, absolute righteousness, his righteousness in condemnation, his righteousness in my condemnation.

You know, when people object to the gospel and say, how can it be fair for God to do this? How can it be good? No, you've not submitted to the righteousness of God, because if you submitted to the righteousness of God, whatever God does is right, just, and fair. They're ignorant of God's righteousness and salvation. Do you know if God has saved me? His very righteous law demands that I be saved because I stand without guilt before that law. It's the righteousness of God that demands my salvation.

Now, because they're ignorant of God's righteousness, oh, what an important term, God's righteousness. His righteous character, His righteousness in my condemnation, and His righteousness in my salvation. They being ignorant of this, They go about to establish their own righteousness. I've done this. Therefore, I must be saved. I've done that. Therefore, God must save me. They go about to establish their own righteousness, thinking that God owes them salvation because they did this, or they did that, or they stopped doing this and started doing that. And they've not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God.

Four, verse For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Do I understand that? Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Now he's going to spend the rest of this chapter expounding just what that means. He says in verse five, for Moses described that 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 would take. Continual, nonstop obedience to every command. Now that's what the righteousness of the law demands. continual, nonstop, perfect obedience. You can't break one commandment one time. Cursed be everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. And that's what is commanded by the righteousness of the law.

Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. For Moses described the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things shall live by them, but the righteousness which is of faith.

Now, the righteousness of faith is not a lower standard of righteousness than the righteousness of the law. It's speaking of what Paul says in Romans 10, 4, the verse we just read, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. The righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise. It's got something to say. And here's what it says.

Say not, it tells us what not to say. Say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven? That is to bring Christ down from above. Don't say, what can I do to get Christ to come down here and do something for me? Verse eight, or who shall 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, to make his resurrection work for me. That is works. That is salvation ultimately dependent upon what you do. Don't say that.

I think it's interesting. He tells us what not to say because he knows what we'll naturally think. Don't say, what can I do to get Christ to come down here and do something for me? Don't say, what can I do to make his death and resurrection work for me? But what sayeth it? Verse eight. What sayeth it? The word is nigh thee. It's not something you got to go a long way for. It's so clear, it's so near, the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart, that is the word of faith which we preach."

Now don't miss this. It's in your heart. He's not talking about that heart that Jeremiah described. In Jeremiah 17 verse 9 when he said, the heart is deceitful above all things, desperately wicked, incurably wicked. He's talking about the new heart he gives in the new birth. A new heart also will I give thee. Oh, Lord, give me this heart. This is what David was speaking of when he said, create in me a clean heart. Oh God, mine's filthy and I can't make it any better. Create in me this heart. This is the pure heart spoken of in the Beatitudes. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. This is that new heart that God gives.

You know when preachers say, won't you give Jesus your heart? He doesn't want it. What would he do with it? It's evil. It's incurable. He'll give you a new heart. And this is the heart he's speaking of when he talks about the heart that believes.

Now let's go on reading, verse eight. But what sayeth it? The word is nigh thee, don't think it's far away. It's even in thy heart, thy mouth, and thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach, that if thou shalt confess. Now that word confess, what is a confession of faith? It's what everybody's in agreement on. It means we agree with what God says. That's what it is to confess. It's to take sides with God. When you confess your sin, you're taking sides with God against yourself. When you confess this, you're agreeing with what God says about his son. 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." Now, remember the title of this message, Am I Saved? Well, he says, if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, Jesus Christ is Lord. He's Lord of creation. He created the universe. He created the expanse of the universe and the minuteness of the atom. He created it all. He's Lord of Providence. That means His will is always done. He's the first cause behind everything. There's nothing that happens without Him being the first cause. He's God. He's Lord of salvation. What that means is salvation is in his hands. If you're saved, it's because he saved you. The leper understood that. He said, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.

If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus. What you confess with your mouth is what you believe in your heart. And if you shall believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead. Now, what does this mean, the heart? You know, I used to do quite a bit of worrying about believing with my head, not with my heart. You ever worried about that? I'm afraid I believe with my head only and not my heart. So what is spoken of the heart? With the heart, man believeth. The heart is the understanding, it's the affections, it's the will, it's the whole man. The gospel is addressed to the heart. Reform religion is addressed to the head. Arminianism is addressed to the will. Pentecostalism and charismatic is addressed to the affections. Only the gospel addresses the whole man, the heart.

Do you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead? Now, what that means is not just simply believing he was raised from the dead. You have some understanding as to why he was raised. He was raised from the dead because God was satisfied with what he did. I love the fact that when he died, he never went through the process of decay. He said, I will not suffer my soul to lay in hell, neither shall my body see corruption. The reason he never went through the process of decay is the moment he died, God was satisfied with what he did. God was satisfied with me. God was satisfied with what he did and everybody he did it for. He was delivered for our offenses. He was raised again for our justification.

Now, do you understand that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead because he was completely satisfied with what he did. Everything God requires of me, he looks to his son for. That is seen in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. There isn't anything that I like to think more about than him being in that tomb, dead. It was dark. His heart was not beating. I mean, he was dead. Graveyard dead. And all of a sudden, his lungs heave, his heart pumps, he opens his eyes. God has raised him from the dead because God is completely satisfied with what he did.

Now I have some understanding of that, but not only do I have some understanding of it, I love it. I love salvation being accomplished by what he did. And not only do I love this, this is what I want. This is what I desire. I don't want anything else but this. Now look what he says in verse 10, four. With the heart, man believeth unto righteousness. And with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. Now, with all my heart, I understand that the righteousness of Jesus Christ is the only righteousness I possess. Do you understand that? The only righteousness you have, if you're saved, is the righteousness of Christ. Not only do I understand that, I love it being that way. I want to have only his righteousness to where when God looks at me, all he sees is the righteousness of his son. And my will's involved in this sense. If I'm given the choice between having my righteousness or his, I'm taking his.

With the heart, man believeth unto righteousness. And with the mouth, confession is made to salvation. What you believe in your heart, you'll confess with your mouth.

The Lord Jesus. Verse 11, for the scripture saith, I love the way Paul always appeals to the Old Testament scriptures. For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. He won't be put to shame. Listen, when I stand before God in judgment, I'm not going to have anything to be ashamed of. Perfect obedience, perfect righteousness.

You know, people talk about the judgment of believers on Judgment Day, how you'll be judged according to your works, and you'll get a higher reward in heaven if you've done this, and that's foolishness. It's not taught in the Scripture. I'm not going to be ashamed of anything on Judgment Day. I have the very righteousness of Christ. I'm not going to be put to shame, and I'm not ashamed of the gospel. I love when Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It's the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Whosoever believeth in him shall not be ashamed for there's no difference between the Jew and the Greek. How much difference is there in God's eyes between the most moral man and the most immoral man on the earth? No difference. All have sinned. There's no difference. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There's no difference between the Jew and the Greek. For the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

Four, verse 13. Remember, am I saved? Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now this is first quoted in Genesis chapter 4 and it's quoted throughout the scriptures calling on his name. This is one of my favorite verses of scripture. Whosoever. I love that word. Whosoever. This is better than it had my name. Because there might be another Todd Nyberg. There probably is. But I am a whosoever. I can fit myself in this demographic. Can you? Are you a whosoever?

Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, there's the important word. Whosoever is a wide word, but here's the important word, the name of the Lord. Now, the name of the Lord represents not just audibly calling on his name, it's knowing the person behind the name. The name of the Lord represents his attributes, his sovereignty, his power, his holiness, his immutability, his independence. Every attribute of God I'm calling upon to save me. Lord, save me as an act of your sovereignty. Save me as an act of your will. Save me by your justice. Save me by your grace. Save me by your mercy. Save me by your kindness. Save me by your power. I'm calling upon all who he is to save me.

Whosoever shall call. Now there's the easy word. We have the wide word. Whosoever, we have the important word, the name of the Lord. Here's an easy word. Lord, save me. Help me. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord, here's a certain word, shall be saved. Now in the next two verses, we have five howls. If you can follow along with me. Verse 14, how then shall they call on him in whom they've not believed? It's impossible. You got to know who you're calling on. This is not something in the dark. You have to know who you're calling on.

How shall they call on Him whom they've not believed? And how shall they believe in Him in whom they've not heard? You can't believe what you've never heard any more than you come back from a place you've never been. It's impossible. And how shall they hear without a preacher? It please God by the foolishness of preaching. to save them that believe.

Now, the emphasis is not on the importance of the preacher. The emphasis is on the importance of the message he brings. Do you understand what you're reading? How can I accept some man should guide me? And how should they preach except they be sent? If God hadn't sent someone, no good will be done from their preaching.

As it is written, how beautiful are the feet. I love the way it says the feet, not the face. The emphasis is on the message that he's bringing. The feet, not the face. How beautiful are the feet of them which preach the gospel of peace. I love this name for the gospel. the gospel of peace. God is at peace with me because Christ made my peace through the blood of his cross, having made peace by the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things to himself.

By him, I say, whether things in earth, things in heaven, things under the earth, And you that were sometimes alienated in the enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you, listen to this, this is what the blood of Christ has done, to present you holy, unblameable, and unreprovable in his sight. Peace. The gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things, the good things of the gospel.

But, verse 16, they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who has believed our report? That's the way Isaiah 53 begins. Who had believed our report? Seems like nobody does. Isaiah had that complaint. But he answered the question in the next statement, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? I'll tell you who believes, the ones he reveals his gospel to.

So then, verse 17, so then, faith cometh by hearing. Faith doesn't come by doing. Faith cometh by hearing. Not by praying, but by hearing. Not by studying, but by hearing. Not even by asking, but by hearing. Do you know hearing is the most passive thing you or I can do? Just hear what is said. cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Verse 18, but I say, have they not heard? You know, there's many who don't believe. Have they not heard? Yes, verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." Now, this is a quotation from Psalm 19. Hold your finger there, Romans 10, and turn to Psalm 19.

Psalm 19, verse 1, the heavens, And this is where this quotation comes from. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. I don't care where you are. Creation, says God, is. You can't get away from that. It speaks loudly. Somebody made this. Nobody made him. Somebody all powerful made this. It doesn't even make sense to think that matter is eternal. Somebody made this. To think that life came from some chemical reaction and some primordial stew, and now we have all these different forms of life. Talking about blind faith. No. Everybody knows from the light of creation, the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Everyone has heard that.

Verse four, their line has gone out throughout all the earth. and their words to the end of the world. In them, he has set a tabernacle for the sun, which is a bridegroom coming out of his chamber and rejoices as a strong man going to run a race. His going forth, talking about the sun, is from the end of the heaven and a circuit into the ends of it, and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. The sun says, God is. Yes, they've heard, back to Romans chapter 10.

But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people. And by a foolish nation, I will anger you. Speaking to the unbelieving Jews. But Isaiah is very bold and he said, I was found of them that sought me not. Do you realize you didn't even seek God until he first sought you? You didn't know him, and he sought you. I was found of them that sought me not. You were plumb satisfied to be in your religion, and he sought you. Scripture says there's none that seeketh God. Everybody ought to seek God, but there's none that seeketh God.

I was found of them that sought me not, and I was made manifest unto them. that ask not after me. They weren't even asking for me, but I caused them to ask for me. But to Israel, he saith, all day long have I stretched forth my hands to a disobedient and game-saying people. In verse 20, we have God's sovereignty. Isaiah is very bold and saith, I was found in them that sought me not. I was made manifest in them that asked not after me. But to Israel, he saith, here's our responsibility and why we're held guilty. He says, all day long have I stretched forth my hand to a disobedient and again saying people.

Original question, 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. Am I one of these people that he has saved from their sins? When The Ethiopian eunuch was watching over the jail that Paul and Silas had been thrown into. He'd fallen asleep, and there was a great earthquake. And all the doors were opened, and the man was going to kill himself. He pulled out a sword, supposing that all the prisoners had escaped. And Paul said, do thyself no harm. We're all here. And he came trembling into Paul's presence and said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? I know I can't save myself. That issue's settled. I can't save myself. What must I do to be saved?

I love the simplicity of Paul's answer. He didn't say improve your life. He didn't say start reading the Bible more and praying more. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Rely on the Lord. He's the Lord. That means his will must be done. You know, the thief on the cross understood that. He looked at him and said, Lord, He knew he was Lord. Even when he was nailed to a cross, he knew he would not stay dead, that he would come back as a mighty reigning king. He understood his Lordship. Believe on the Lord Jesus, Savior, Christ, God's prophet, God's priest, God's king. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Now, I'd like to end by asking you to turn to Acts chapter 8. Verse 26, and the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

Now, a mighty revival had taken place in Acts chapter 8 in Samaria, and many people were brought to a saving knowledge of Christ, and I'm sure Philip was mighty happy to be there. But he says, go to a desert. And he rose and went, one man out there in this desert. This man belonged to the Lord. And he rose and went, behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Akandese, queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure and had come to Jerusalem for it to worship, was returning and sitting in his chariot, and read Isaiah the prophet. He was reading Isaiah 53. I think that he came to Jerusalem to worship, and he was leaving as empty as he was when he came there.

But he was doing something that we would all do well to do. He was reading the Bible. He was reading Isaiah 53. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him and heard him read the prophet Isaiah and said, do you understand what you're reading? Now, if he would come up to me and say, do you understand what you're reading? I'd say, yeah, of course I do. Here's what it means. That's what most people would do. Here's what it means to me. This is my truth.

How does this man respond? Verse 31, and he said, how can I? Except some man should guide me. I have no idea what any of this means. And he desired Philip to come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture which he read was this. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. And like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away. And who should declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet? This of himself or some other man?

Then Philip opened his mouth and began at that same scripture and preached unto him, Jesus. I'd like to be a fly on the chariot wall, wouldn't you?" Here was all he had to say, but this was his message. He preached unto him, Jesus. And as they went on the way, they came into a certain water. And the eunuch said, see, here's water. What doth hinder me to be baptized? Now, the reason he asked this was he was saying, maybe I'm not saved. Maybe I shouldn't. I want to know what is hindering me. from being baptized. Maybe I'm not saved.

And Philip said, if thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. You see, heart, faith, vows, to a sovereign God. Heart faith owns itself to be nothing but sin before God. Heart faith makes no claims of righteousness. Nothing in my hands I bring. Simply to thy cross I cling. If you believe with all your heart, now That means with all your understanding, with all your affections, with all your will. And I love what this man said. He didn't say, I believe I'm saved. He didn't say, I believe I'm one of the elect. He didn't say, I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins. He said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. Do you?

Beloved, you're saved if you do. Salvation is believing who he is. Faith is believing who he is. Now, this eunuch, if you had asked him if he'd been born again, he'd probably say, I hope so, but I'm not sure. Do you know that Jesus Christ died for your sins? I hope he did, but I can't say for sure. Do you know for sure you're one of the elect? I can't say I am for sure. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Yes, I do. That, my dear friends, is saving faith.

Let's pray.