Well, you think you're ready
for more? Maybe the Lord will be pleased
to give us the ability. Doesn't that sound strange? Give
us the ability to worship Him. I invite you this evening to
turn with me to Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10. I want to
talk to you a little bit about the confession of faith. Paul's letter to the Romans is
the defining source of justification by faith. If you want to know
what that means, read the book of Romans. It's taught throughout
the Bible, but nowhere in the Bible is it as clear and as clearly
set forth as it is in the book of Romans. He tells us in Romans
chapter three, verse 20, by the deeds of the law, there shall
no flesh be justified in his sight. That's pretty clear, isn't
it? Yes. For by the law is the knowledge
of sin. If you seek to be justified by
the law, what you're going to hear from the law is condemnation. What you're going to find in
the law is your sin. You'll see. And any son of Adam
attempting to be justified by the law is looking in the wrong
place. It's like looking to the prosecuting
attorney for pardon. That's not the place. That's
not the place. The law. What makes the law not
the place to go? Why can't we go to the law to
be justified before God? Because the law is inflexible. The law is strict. We like to
take the law, I listened to some lawyers on TV this morning while
I was drinking my coffee and they stated the law and when
they got done with it, it didn't mean anything at all like what
it said. The law is strict. The law is
uncompromising and the law condemns the guilty. Always, always. Cursed, listen to the scripture.
Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things written in
the book of the law to do them. Self-righteousness can never
attain justification before God because all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. That's what Paul teaches us here
in Romans chapter 3. Verse 24, Romans chapter 3, being
justified freely by his grace, not by the law. not by the works
of the flesh, but by his grace, being justified freely by his
grace, through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus, whom
God has set forth from Genesis to Malachi. God has set him forth. He set him forth in the priesthood
and the sacrifices. He set him forth in the altar
and the mercy seat. whom God has set forth, how did
he set him forth? He set him forth to be a propitiation. What that means is something
which enables God without compromise to be satisfied and reconciled. That's what propitiate, allows
God, if you could use such a word, to be propitious. to be a propitiation,
now listen to this, through faith in his blood, to declare his
righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through
the forbearance of God. That don't mean that God only
forgives your past sins. We're talking about Christ who
was set forth in the Old Testament as a propitiation. And when he
talks about sins that are past, he's talking about how these
Old Testament saints were saved. They were saved the same way
we are. Same way we are. How do I know that's what that
means? Read verse 26. To declare, I say it this time.
His righteousness that he might be just and justifier of him
which believeth in Jesus. Jesus Christ, now hear me. If
you don't get anything else I say tonight, you get this. Jesus
Christ is our justification. He is our justification. If you have Christ, you have
justification. Romans chapter 4 verse 25 says,
He was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. Our justification. Justification by faith is how
this justification is applied to its rightful object. When
we're talking about justification by faith. Alright, Christ came. Christ died for the sins of all
his elect. As a high priest, by his own
blood, he entered into heaven itself on their behalf. Same
as that old high priest in the Old Testament entered into that,
beyond that veil on the behalf of Israel. And he obtained eternal
redemption for us. But how do I know that I'm one
who's justified? Because all that he justified,
he's gonna come and call, and he's gonna take that blood that
justified you before God, and he's gonna sprinkle it on your
conscience. and he's gonna make you enter
in to that justification. And just as God was pleased and
reconciled, you're gonna be reconciled too. He's our justification. And that's how this justification
is applied to its rightful object. Jesus Christ did not die for
everyone. That's the hardest thing to get
across to this generation. If you just think about what
this justification is and what it takes to be justified, you
could see how silly the idea of his justifying everybody could
be. If he died for every man, woman,
and child, and some yet wind up in hell, some yet wind up
in judgment condemned, then his sacrifice meant nothing at all.
It made no difference at all. If he loved every man, woman,
and child, and some wind up in hell in time, then his love made
no difference at all. Think about it. He didn't die for every man,
woman, and child. His death was particular. Listen
to what he says here in John. He said, the good shepherd giveth
his life for the sheep. For the sheep. How many times did he tell them
that? And you know what those idiots did? Those blind, he calls
them dogs in the scriptures. You know what they did? They
got angry and said, if thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. He said, I told you. I told you. But you believe not, for you're
not my sheep. I told you, my sheep hear my
voice. They hear my voice. And his sacrifice,
listen to me, guarantees that. It guarantees that. How many times you caught yourself,
boy, I sure hope somebody believes. They're gonna believe. They're
gonna believe. They're gonna believe. His death guarantees it. It guarantees
it. His death was particular. And
those for whom Christ died are justified But apart from this
justification being applied by the Holy Spirit, who could ever
know if he was justified and who's not? You'd never know. You'd never know. It's just absurd to think that
any man justified by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ
should, after all, perish because he would not believe. If this
justification were in any way dependent upon man, then man
becomes the justifier and his faith becomes the savior. All those justified in the resurrection
of Christ shall be called of God to faith in Jesus Christ,
our justifier. Whom he called, them he also
justified. Isn't that what he said? Justified. And whom he justified, he glorified. Listen to this. This is 2 Thessalonians
2 verse 13. Now Paul goes through here talking
about the spirit of Antichrist and how in the last days he's
going to run rampant and men are going to refuse to receive
the love of the truth that they might be saved and God's going
to give them over to a reprobate mind, going to give them over
to themselves to believe a lie and be damned. And then he said
in verse 13, but we're bound to give thanks always to God
for you, brethren beloved, because God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth were unto he called you by our gospel. Now listen, to
the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. What glory is he talking about?
Oh, he's talking about that glorious justification, that glorious
peace shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. He's talking
about that glorious redemption that he purchased. This thing about faith is much
more than just an acknowledgment of the truth. I meet folks every
day If you were to stand up here
and say anything out of the way, one way or the other, they'd
know it. They'd be right on it. They acknowledge the truth. They
studied the truth. They know the truth. But saving
faith is much more than just an acknowledgment of the truth.
Saving faith soothes a guilty conscience. It soothes, it's like a balm. It's described in the Old Testament
like a balm that he puts on there and it treats that sore with
it. Oh, you ever had like a ball
or something infected, a sore? Oh, it's so sore you can't understand.
You go to the doctor and he gives you some kind of a salve and
you put that on there. Oh my, takes that hurt out. This is like a bomb that he puts
on the conscience. Saving faith soothes a guilty
conscience and it yields a peace that's indescribable. It's just
indescribable. Listen to this. Therefore being
justified by faith we have peace with God. Right now. Right now. through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Now listen, by whom also we have
access by faith into this grace wherein we stand. Faith. Faith. Romans 5, 1 and 2. Now back to my text in Romans
10. The man who has experienced this calling of God, who's experienced
this justifying faith, Had the gospel of Christ, had this accomplished
redemption applied to his heart by the Holy Spirit. He knows the truth about false
religion. And that's what gives him the
burden to go preach to him. Because he was one of them. He
was one of them. He knows that they've built for
themselves cisterns. Brother Fred talked about it
the other night. Broken cisterns that can hold no water. He knows
that they've made lies their refuge and have hidden themselves
in falsehood. He knows that they're zealous
and active and sincere, but their zeal is not according to knowledge. They have no foundation upon
which to build. They have no biblical basis to
support their hopes and dreams. And they cry, peace, peace, where
there is no peace. Oh, how many times have I listened
to... I didn't know just as I am had that many verses. After each
one, he would go on and on and on and trying to get you to the
front. And when you got there, there was nothing in the front.
It wasn't in the back. There was nothing there. This
is what religion does. It cries, peace, peace, where
there is no peace. There's no peace in that altar.
There's no peace in the front of the church. There's no peace
in the pool. Peace is in Christ. It's in Christ. That man or woman, that boy or
girl brought to saving faith in Christ knows that Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. How
many? Everyone that believes. That leaves them with no righteousness
of their own except that which is given them freely by God's
grace, the righteousness of Christ. Do you know what I'm saying to
you tonight? Just ringing a bell, is this something that you've
experienced in your heart? You ever been brought to see
that we are together become unprofitable all together? As Isaiah said,
we are together, an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are
as filthy rags. Well, I'm going to tell you something.
If you ever do, you won't want anybody to see you in them. I've got some things I wear around
the house. I don't want anybody to see me in them. My wife won't
let me out the door with them. That's that old righteousness.
We don't want anybody to see us in them. Paul said, oh, that
I might be found in him, not having my own righteousness.
I don't want to be found in it. I want to be seen in it. My friends, I'm trying to tell
you something. Faith has an understanding. It
has an understanding. John said, we know that the Son
of God has come and given to us an understanding. an understanding
that we might know him that is true and that we're in him that
is true and this is the true God and this is eternal life. Faith understands that, faith
perceives that. Faith rests on that. Faith has
an understanding. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed and I'm persuaded. that he's able to keep that which
I've committed unto him against that day. And again, talking
about the love of God, he said, I'm persuaded. Who's gonna lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God who justified,
Christ who died, yea rather who's risen. What's gonna separate
me from this kind of a love? Nothing, nothing. He said, I'm persuaded that nothing
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now then, the faith of God has
an understanding and the faith of God has a confession. A confession. It's got something to say. But
we're surrounded by deceived men and women who also have a
confession, and it's contrary to the confession of the faith
of God's elect. We're not saying the same things. Somebody wrote Henry a letter
years ago and told him that she was gonna leave him an inheritance,
all of her inheritance she was gonna leave to him and Jimmy
Swigert. He said, you and Jimmy Swigert
are my two favorite preachers. And he wrote her back a letter
and said, me and Jimmy Swaggart not saying the same thing. We
don't preach the same thing. Our confession's different from
this world. Now let me walk you through several
verses here in the book of Romans that tell us what faith does
not say and what faith truly does say. So let's take this
false conception first, Romans chapter 10, verse six. He's already,
he went through 10 chapters. I went through one of them last
night with you, but he went through 10 chapters, laying the foundation
for justification by faith, leaving no way out. It's this or hell,
this or judgment. And then he tells us here in
Romans chapter 10 verse 6, he said, the righteousness which
is of faith speaketh on this way. Say not in thine heart who
shall ascend into heaven, that is to bring Christ down from
above, or who shall descend into the deep, that is to bring up
Christ again from the dead. What on earth does that mean? It means that true saving faith
does not talk about, teach, or try to sell others on the idea,
on the concept of some personal worthiness in man to cause God
to send down his son to redeem them from sin. Faith don't talk
like that. Religion talks like that. Something
good gonna happen to you today. There's something good in all
men. Saving faith don't talk that
way. Saving faith doesn't hope in the angels ascending into
glory with a testimony concerning a few righteous men. And I almost get nauseous when
I hear sinners say, I'm not ready to be saved yet, but when I get
ready, I'll be down. What you're really saying is
you don't yet have a personal worthiness that you're sure that
God will accept and you never will. You never will. Faith doesn't talk that way.
Faith knows that all have sinned and come short of the glory of
God. Faith knows that there's none righteous, no, not one.
Faith knows that man at his best state is altogether vanity. And
faith doesn't talk about some value in itself to justify the
coming of Christ into this world. We are together, says in Romans
chapter three, become unprofitable. You know what that means? Ain't
any value in it. And then secondly, true saving
faith doesn't talk about descending into the deep to bring up Christ
again from the dead. Preachers just don't understand
what that's saying. If you did, I wouldn't have to
be here. That gives me some sense of worth. What this is saying is that true
saving faith doesn't see itself assisting God in the accomplishing
of our redemption. Remember what I read to you a
while ago? He was delivered for our offenses. He was raised again
for our justification. What Paul is saying here is saving
faith doesn't talk about assisting God in the resurrection of Christ. It doesn't talk about faith making
or breaking the work of Christ. The sacrifice of Christ is not
made effectual by your faith. Your faith is made effectual
by His sacrifice. It's backwards, this world has
it backwards. For unto you, Paul said, it is
given, now listen to this, in the behalf of Christ, not only
to believe on him, but to suffer for his sake. It's given unto
you to believe on him, on his behalf, on his behalf. That's Philippians chapter one,
verse 29. Faith is not the Savior, Christ is the Savior. He told
his disciples, no man taketh my life from me. I lay it down
of myself. I have power to lay it down and
I have power to take it up again. This commandment have I received
from my Father. The sacrifice of Christ is not
weighed in the balances in need of something from man to make
it effectual. Rather, it says, by his own blood
he entered in and obtained eternal redemption for us. And faith
doesn't talk about a value in mankind worthy of the appointment,
appearance, or success of Jesus Christ. Faith doesn't make man
his own savior. Faith doesn't confess some innate
value worthy of the love of God in Christ. All right? What does faith say? That's what
faith don't say. What does faith say? Romans chapter
10, verse 8. What sayeth it? The word is nigh
thee, even in thine mouth and in thine heart. Now watch this. That is the word of faith which
we preach. I need to read that again, don't
I? What sayeth faith? Faith said,
the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thine heart,
that is the word of faith, which we preach, that if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Now let me give you a couple
of things here and I'll quit. First of all, true saving faith
comes through the preaching of the gospel. That's what I just
read to you. It's nigh thee, even in thy mouth
and in thine heart, the word of faith which we preach. I preach to folks and sometimes
I listen to them and they're saying what I just said themselves. Sitting in a pew, you can read
their lips. They're saying, it's like they don't really believe
what they just heard and they repeat it. It's so nigh, it's
in your mouth, it's on your tongue. It's right there, Paul said.
It's right there. But men are looking for it somewhere
else. They look for it in a dream. They look for it in a feeling.
They keep coming and coming. It's in the gospel, honey. That's
where it's at. I'm waiting for it to come now.
It's now you, right now. Right now. That is the word, Paul said,
which we preach. It's not thee, even in thy mouth
and in thine heart, the word of faith which we preach. Saving
faith doesn't confess that it was given in a closet or given
out on a lake or lying in a pool of blood out on a battlefield.
Paul said it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching
to save them that believe. Paul begins this book of Romans,
he said, I'm ready to go. I've got all I need. I have the
gospel. And I'm ready to preach it even
in Rome. Even in Rome. Because it's the
power of God unto salvation. Listen to this, over in 1 Corinthians
chapter three, verse five, he said, who is Paul? Who is Apollos? but ministers by whom you believed,
even as the Lord gave, now listen, to every man. How many? Every man. That's what it says. The word of faith is brought
nigh to every man who hears the gospel. The mystery is open to
him, it's declared plainly to him, it's revealed, if you will,
through the gospel we preach. That's all the revelation you're
going to get. Well, maybe the Lord will reveal
it to him. He just did. He just did. Men don't go away not understanding,
they go away rebelling. You might not believe what I'm
telling you, but by God's grace you'll understand what I'm saying.
And I know our folks do, because they get mad. Sometimes they
get mad. We don't leave the personal work
of Christ to the evil imaginations of men. We tell them the truth.
We bring it now to them. Some of them even repeating the
words in their mouths and considering the words in their hearts. Paul
preached to an evil king. He never was saved. Before he
brought that gospel, so now that king, his knees were knocking
together. And if the Holy Ghost is pleased
to apply it and give you an appetite for it and show you your need
of it, you'll confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus. Yeah, you
will. Lord of creation and Lord of
providence and Lord of the dead and the living and Lord of lords
and King of kings. But here in particular, Lord
of salvation. Lord of salvation. He said, now
listen to this, no man cometh unto the Father but by me. He's Jehovah Jireh, the Lord. What Lord? The Lord of salvation will provide. He's Jehovah Rapha, the Lord
that healeth thee. He's Jehovah Nissi, the Lord
our banner, Jehovah Kadish, the Lord who sanctifies you. And
on and on you go. He's the Lord of salvation, Lord
of life, and Lord of God's vineyard. And confessing with our mouth,
the Lord Jesus is confessing Him alone as all your hope before
God. He's Lord. They brought their sick and laid
them down at the feet of the Lord. You know why? Because the Lord has power to
heal. That's why. That leper fell down
and said, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. Huh? Who has that ability? Who has
that power? The Lord. The Lord. It's confessing Him alone is
all your hope before God. It's believing Him alone to be
your substitute and representative before God. And the competence
of this faith lies in this, believing in your heart that God raised
Him from the dead. The resurrection of Christ means
nothing to this unbelieving world except an opportunity to wear
a new hat and some new clothes and watch their children hunt
Easter eggs. That's all this resurrection
of Christ means to this unbelieving world. But to that man or woman
who has the revelation of God's Spirit, who understands the gospel
concerning Christ and Him crucified, who sees themselves chosen and
blessed in Him, they see themselves not only dying with Him, but
being raised with Him and ascending up to heaven with Him and being
seated with Him in the heavens. Isn't that what that says there
in Ephesians chapter 2? And then Paul continues on here
in chapter 10 and verse 10, he said, for with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation. And these are the things he confesses.
And because we're saved in our Savior and redeemed by our Redeemer,
there's no distinction in color, in sex, or in nationality. And
because I believe in God's sovereign grace and Christ Jesus and his
everlasting purpose of grace to save a people out of every
kindred and tribe and nation and tongue under heaven, I can
say without reservation, whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved. I don't care who you are. Listen to this. Let him that
is a thirst, I let him come. Don't build cisterns. Come, come. You've heard the gospel, you've
heard his name proclaimed. Are you thirsty? Are you thirsty? And whosoever will, let him take
of the water of life freely. Take it. There it is. Thank you. Thank you. Preacher, you said salvation
is for God's elect. Doesn't that word thirsty and
whosoever will make a contradiction in terms? Absolutely not. Only God's elect will ever thirst. and only God's elect will be
willing, and they'll be willing in the day of His power. That's
what the scripture says. Faith, my friend, perceives,
understands, and confesses Christ, not only with the mouth, but
with the heart, and with the will, and with a loving obedience. Oh, may God be pleased to open
our minds and hearts and give us an understanding of what I've
preached here tonight. Thank you.