Turn with me to Romans chapter
10. Romans chapter 10, we'd like to read the first 13 verses in
this chapter. Brethren, Paul writes, 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. There's no doubt about that,
Paul says. I'll be the first to admit that. But, but Paul
says, here's the problem. Not according to knowledge. And they prove it. They prove
it. By what they do, and Paul tells us that in verse 3. 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. For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. For Moses describeth
the righteousness which of the law, that the man which doeth
those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is
of faith speaketh on this wise, say not in thine heart who shall
ascend into heaven, that is, to bring Christ down from above.
That's not necessary. Or who shall descend into the
deep, that is, to bring Christ again from the dead? Again, not
necessary. Christ is no longer there. But
what saith it? The word is not thee, even in
thy mouth and in thy 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 hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation. He confesses with the mouth what's
already taken place in the heart. Verse 11, for the scripture saith,
Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. shall not be
confounded, shall never be put to shame. Verse twelve, 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,
isn't this a wonderful verse? For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. In what may be the first
book of the Bible to be written, and it wasn't Genesis. That is,
the book of Job, after sitting with his so-called friends, miserable
comforters, Job called them, for days pondering the dealings
of God with Job, Job finally and wisely asked this question. But how should man be just with
God? You ever considered that? Have
you ever considered that question? How should man be just with God? How can it be? Is it possible? Can man be just with God? The psalmist said, For in thy
sight shall no man living be justified. not by his own doings,
considering who God is, considering who God is, not what my warped
imagination might think he is or would like him to be, but
considering who God is, how he reveals himself in this book,
and then considering what I am by nature, First God, and then
myself. In the light of those two things,
then the question becomes significant. Then we'll realize the question. We'll ponder that question. How
should man be just with God? How is it possible? Paul answers
that question in this epistle. He answers that exact question.
How can man be just with God? And there's only one answer.
Justification. Meaning, declared righteous by
God himself. Think about that. That's what
it means. To be justified before God is
God himself declaring a man righteous, not guilty. And that is not based
upon the law, as Paul tells us in this epistle. We read it in
chapter 4. It's not based upon religious
ceremony. It's not based upon works. But
it's based upon grace alone. through faith alone in Christ
alone. That's it. In chapter 3, Paul
makes this statement at verse 20. Therefore, could words be
plainer? Therefore, by the deeds of the
law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. It'll
never happen. It never has. Moses, the law
giver, as we call him, Moses to whom the law was first given
on tablets of stone, written by the very finger of God, Moses
was not justified by the law. Neither was Abraham, as Paul
says. Neither has any man ever been
justified by the law of God. Look what Paul says. For by the
law is the knowledge of sin. That's the purpose of the law.
That's the lawful use of the law, to bring a sinner to see
their need of Christ. Back in chapter 10 of Romans,
In verses 3 and 4, Paul tells us what the grounds of justification
are. And these two verses are our
text. Always marvel, always marvel
at how up-to-date God's Word is. Always, always is. These words, these words in verses
3 and 4 could have been written this morning. It's as though
Paul were alive today, walked about our religious day, our
generation, and looked around and then sat down and wrote these
words. And you know why God's Word is
always up-to-date? It's always relevant? Because
God hasn't changed. God hasn't changed. And man hasn't
changed. God is still high and holy and
lifted up. And man is still a sinful creature. Man can do nothing right in the
sight of God, a holy God. And man's attempts to be justified
by his own efforts to establish a righteousness before God, you
know what? That hasn't changed either, Louis.
It's still being attempted today. It's still being attempted at
this very hour. It may be happening today here
this very morning, right now. Look at what Paul says in verses
3 and 4 again. For they being ignorant of God's
righteousness, they have a zeal for God. They have religion. but it's not based upon knowledge. It's not based upon who God is. Therefore, they're ignorant of
God's righteousness and they go about in that ignorance because
they don't know who God is, they don't know God's demands, Therefore,
they vainly imagine that they can establish their own righteousness,
that by their works, by their observance of the law, by their
traditions that they added unto the law, they can lay a foundation
of acceptance before God. Paul says that's impossible.
because the foundation has already been laid. And there's only one
foundation. Look at the latter part of verse
3. They have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. And what is that? Who is that,
I should say? For Christ is the end of the
law, the purpose of the law, the fulfillment of the law, for
righteousness to everyone that believeth. Paul says in Galatians
3, using Ishmael and Isaac as examples of children of the flesh
and children of the promise, he tells us Ishmael will always
be the child of flesh, born after the bondwoman, the result of
man's doing, the result of man's works. And you remember what
God said? Cast him out. Cast him out. He'll not be heir with Isaac
because Isaac is the son of promise, the son of the free woman, and
the result of God's doing. Paul refers to the same allegory
in chapter 9 here in Romans. Look at it with me at verse 7
of Romans 9. He says, neither because they
are the seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall
thy seed be called. because they represent, Isaac
typifies, a child of God saved by grace. That is, verse 8, they
which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children
of God. Abraham's literal seed, Israel,
they're not the children of God? No, no. but the children of the
promise are counted for the seed. They're God's true Israel. Verse 9, for this is the word
of promise. At this time will I come and
Sarah shall have a son. At this time, God told Abraham,
I'll come. You've attempted to take matters
into your own hands. with Sarah's handmaid Hagar. The result is Ishmael. In his heart, he hates God. He's
not my child. He's not the promised seed. When
I come and work a miracle, then Isaac shall be born. You see
the connection? Only when God comes. and works
in the heart of a dead sinner, and raises him up from his spiritual
death in newness of life to follow Christ only then, by the miraculous
work of God, not the product of man's hands, but the product
of God's superabounding, miraculous grace, is a child of God ever
made. These are the children of God. those who are saved by the grace
of god based upon the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ
alone. That's what Paul tells us here.
I hope we can say what Paul said about our loved ones. Our lost
loved ones. Look what he says again in verse
one. He says, he longed for their I want it. I long for it. Look what he said in chapter
9. Look how he expresses it here
in chapter 9 verse 1. I say the truth in Christ, I
lie not. My conscience also bearing me
witness in the Holy Ghost that I have great heaviness and continual
sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself
were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according
to the flesh. Now, Paul knew that him being
accursed from Christ would not produce their salvation, but
he simply expresses with these words his great burden for his
brethren according to the flesh, that they might be saved, he
says again in verse 1 of chapter 10. And he prayed to God that
he would save them. Only he can. But Paul, what about
what you wrote in chapter 9? about election, about the purpose
of God's standing according not to man's works, but election. What about what you wrote there,
Paul? That it's not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that showeth mercy. What about that? There's no contradiction. There's no problem there with
what Paul wrote in Romans 9 and what he expresses here in chapter
10. because Paul knew that God works by means. God who is appointed
to end, God who purposed the salvation of his people before
the world began, appointed the means to bring that to pass.
And those means include the preaching of the gospel. Paul said, I become
all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. The Jews require a sign he wrote
in 1 Corinthians. And the Greeks seek after wisdom.
But we preach Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Why, Paul? Because it pleases
God through the foolishness of preaching to save those that
believe. Timothy. Timothy. You know I believe election.
I taught it to you, Timothy. But Timothy, I endure all things
for the elect's sake that they too may obtain the salvation
of God that is in Christ Jesus. It's my belief. If my belief
in God's sovereignty causes a lack of sincere concern for the salvation
of sinners, it's wrong. It's off base and it's not of
God. God help us to pray for our lost
loved ones and use the means he's given us to that end. Cause they need it. Do they not? Look what Paul says in verse
two. And this describes our lost loved ones. For I bear them record
that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge."
Everyone has a zeal of God, but Paul says, but, but there's a
problem. A zeal for God is not enough. No, no, but not according to
knowledge. They don't know who God is. God even said in Psalm 50, you
thought that I was altogether like you. And there's the problem. Man
thinks God's like him. Therefore they think God will
accept his futile efforts, sinful works as grounds of acceptance. Why do they think such thing?
When the Word of God says plainly, it's not so. It's not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy
He saved us. Period. Because of their ignorance
of who God is. That's the only reason they think
so. When I mentioned earlier visiting
an aunt in the hospital, when I was with my mother last week
in West Virginia. Some others came in to spend
some time with her, so I went out and sat in the lobby to give
them time to visit. And I picked this up. It says,
how to get to heaven from Oak Hill, West Virginia. If you died
right now, do you know for sure that you would go to heaven?
And it says, here's how you can call upon the name of the Lord.
Paul says, we read it in verse 13, but that involves God-given
faith. That involves believing with
the heart. But they say here, do you admit
that you're a sinner? Do you believe Jesus is the Son
of God? Are you sorry for your sins? Then just say this, Dear
Jesus, please forgive my sins and save my soul. Thank you.
Amen. If you made a decision to accept
Christ, contact us that we might rejoice with you. And I'll tell
you what, that would be sad enough. Bad enough, if it were the exception. That that sort of nonsense you
would only run into occasionally. But it's not the exception, it's
the rule. That's a perfect example of what
Paul says here. People have a zeal of God, but
not according to knowledge. They're ignorant of God's knowledge.
That's why they think signing a silly little track like that
on the dotted line assures me of heaven as if I were already
there. Paul says that's pure ignorance. It's not so. It's not so. Our text speaks of three things,
verses 3 and 4. It speaks of God's righteousness. Righteousness required. It speaks
of man's righteousness. Righteousness attempted. And
then it speaks of Christ's righteousness. That's righteousness secured,
Joe. That's righteousness established. That's everlasting righteousness
brought in. The title of my message is Righteousness. God's or yours? First, righteousness
required. Look at the first clause of verse
3. For they being ignorant of God's
righteousness. Here's the root of the matter. What does God demand? not according to man's idea or
thoughts, but God himself. This is the question that Job
asked. This is the question that he
pondered. How can man be just with God? According to God himself,
what will satisfy the holy God? How can he accept a sinner like
this man that stands before you right now? What will God accept? And this is what the law says.
This is what the law says. One word. What will God accept? Perfect. Is that right, Lord? Perfect. It must be perfect to
be accepted. Would you be accepted before
God on the grounds of your own works? Your own doing? Then it must be perfect. Perfect
obedience. Perfect to God, perfect to man. Perfect love to God, perfect
love to man. In every deed, in every thought,
in every motive. The law demands not the best
that I can do, it demands the very best that God can do. Look again at what Paul says
in verse 5. For Moses describeth the righteousness
which is of the law. The man which doeth those things
shall live by them. And there's the problem. There's
the problem, is it not? Not with God's law, but with
me. But with me. Look what Paul says
in Romans chapter 7. This is exactly what he says
here in Romans 7 verse 12. Wherefore the law is holy, and
the commandment holy, and just, and good. It sets forth what
God requires, what God demands, and will accept no less. Was
then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But seeing that it might appear
sin, working death in me by that which is good, that sin by the
commandment might become exceeding sinful. For we know that the
law is spiritual, but, there's that little word again, but I
am carnal, sold under sin. There's the problem. Mr. Bunyan
called the law a hill too high. He just couldn't climb it. He
just could not in all his attempts to reconcile himself to God,
looking to the law of God, he said, it's a hill too high. Sinai
is a hill too high for me to climb. Oh, if I would be accepted
before God, I must look from the mount. that burns with fire
and smoke, and declares the soul that sinneth must die, and turn
my eyes by the grace of God to another mount, on which hangs
the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of His people. When
I turn from that and look to Him, I find there's life for
a look at the crucified one. To him that worketh not, but
believeth, on him that justifieth the ungodly. Oh, it's counted,
imputed to him for righteousness. The law, you've heard me say
before, is like a mirror. It's like a mirror. I imagine
we all looked at one this morning, some of us longer than others.
I won't ask for a show of hands. And some of us look at it, look
in the mirror, do this and do that, and then think, What's
the point? I think of myself. But the mirror
only or rather the law is like a mirror. It only exposes sin
and it condemns sin but it can do nothing to remove sin. Not at all. Not at all. You look
in the mirror, you see dirt. Stand there and stare all day. To be removed, you got to take
some soap and water and wash it off. The law of God reveals
sin. It exposes sin. Paul said, by
the law is the knowledge of sin. The law was my schoolmaster to
bring me to Christ. That's the purpose of the law,
but it can never bring mercy. It can never give grace. It can
never remove the blemish of my sin. Oh, no. Paul says, for that,
we must look elsewhere. Between God's righteous demands
set forth in his law and man's attempts to meet those demands
is an infinite gap. Paul speaks of that in the second
clause of our text. And going about to establish
their own righteousness. Righteousness attempted, running
here, running there, jumping through the hoops, repeating
the sinner's prayer, carrying a Bible, memorizing the verses,
doing all these things. Paul says, they're only attempts. Only attempts. Compare the two. What God requires and what man
attempts and the difference between them is this. Perfection and
filthy rags. Life and death. Heaven and hell. Acceptance before God and rejection. The prophet said all of our righteousnesses,
plural, are like filthy rags. All of them. The Jews' pretense
of keeping the law. Paul says, tell me ye that desire
to be under the law in Galatians. Do you not hear the law? Do you not hear the law? And
he said, by the deeds of the law shall no flesh living ever
be justified. It doesn't come that way. Look
what he says again in chapter 3 of Romans. We read verse 20
a moment ago, but look what he says in verse 19. Romans 3 and
19. Now we know that what thing soever
the law saith, is saith to them who are under the law, that every
mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before
God. The law says guilty. Guilty. That's the purpose of
the law. It strips us, but it doesn't
clothe us. It pronounces us guilty. Paul
said that every mouth may be stopped. All this talk about
my works and my goodness, Paul says the law shuts our mouth. If I'm still talking about my
doing, then I'm not listening to God's law. I still haven't
heard. Oh, if you've not stopped talking,
then you're going about to establish your own righteousness. You've
not submitted to, as Paul says in our text. You've not vowed
to. You've not fallen down upon Christ. Oh, but by the grace of God,
when the law brings you to view Him, when the law as our schoolmaster
brings us to Christ, and we fall down on Him, We submit to Him. We bow to Him. And we cry from
the depths of our heart by conviction put there by God's Holy Spirit. And we realize for the first
time in our life, if I'm ever saved, He'll have to do it. I've worn myself out. with religious
activity. I'm tired of trotting to altars. I'm tired of repeating the sinner's
prayer. I'm tired of a man telling me
I'm right with God. I fall down before him and say,
if you will, not if mama wills, not if daddy wills, not if the
preacher wills, but if you will, my God, you can make me clean,
otherwise I'm going to hell. Oh, and if you ever are brought
to that, if you're ever brought to that, it's for this reason. It's grace that taught my heart
to fear. Oh, but glory to his name. Was
it not grace that relieved my fears? Lord, if you will, you
can make me clean my soul. My soul, listen, listen, listen. The only mediator between God
and man is about to speak to this wretched sinner. And look,
look, what's he doing there? He's reaching out his hand to
me. I'm a leper. I'm altogether sin. But he's
reaching out to touch me and what's that he's saying? I will.
Be thou clean. Be thou righteous. Be thou before
the holy God as if you've never sinned. I will. Oh, my soul. Have you ever bowed to that?
Have you ever submitted to that? If so, if so, you'll arise with
this song in your heart. Jesus had bled and there is remission. Cursed by the law and bruised
by the fall, grace hath redeemed us once for all." Forever, John,
forever. Blessed is the man, David wrote.
Are you such a man or woman? Does that describe you? Have
you been brought to bow before the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you
heard Him say, Thy sins which are many are all forgiven thee? Then this is your condition.
This is your standing before the Holy God. David said, Blessed
is that man to whom the Lord will not impute a nickel. He'll not charge him with sin. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that
glorious? As my old friend Donnie Bell
says, if that doesn't float your boat, something wrong. Something wrong. Oh yes, Christ
suffered the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God. God didn't lower His demands,
not the demands of His law, not even to save His elect, but Christ
fulfilled them. Christ satisfied them in life
and in death. You remember? It's just a familiar
passage. We don't even need to turn there.
But a picture of our text is given in Luke 18. These verses
could be under that picture in Luke 18. Our Lord said to those
who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, two men
went up to the temple to pray. One a Pharisee and the other
a publican. As he concluded that parable
in Luke 18, he said, this man goes down to his house justified. And he wasn't talking about the
Pharisee. He wasn't talking about the Pharisee.
The Pharisee did enough talking already, bragging about himself. But when he said, this man goes
down to his house justified, he was talking glory to God's
free grace. He was talking about that poor,
despised, self-loathing publican. Why? Because he, unlike the Pharisee,
pleaded for mercy. That's exactly what he prayed
for. God, be merciful to me, thee sinner. You know what He
said, God be propitious to me through a sacrifice. That's what
He said. That's what He was asking, Lord.
And you know what happened? God did. Through the sacrifice
of His dear Son, He had mercy. Justice was satisfied and He
justifiably justified that sinner. And He says, you see Him? He's
going home justified. Last of all, look again at our
text in Romans 10, and it speaks of righteousness secured, the
righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to every one that believeth. Simply put,
that's Christ. That's Christ. Where's the righteousness
of God? Where can it be found? Christ. Period. That's good news, is
it not? That's the best news. Someone,
someone met God's requirements. Someone came before God's holy
law. made of a woman, made under the
law, and met every demand, satisfied every claim in His perfect life
of obedience and in His death, He did everything that God's
law demanded. And you know what? He did it
as a substitute for his people. And on that ground alone, God
Almighty justifies sinners. Someone established an everlasting
righteousness for us. Isaiah said that God has clothed
me, covered me. I'm covered. covered in His righteousness. Covered up. How's that feel? I'll tell you
what. I cannot find words to tell you
how it feels. But it feels good. It feels so
secure. So comforting to know that this
sinner is covered head to foot in the perfect righteousness
of Jesus Christ. And when the God of glory looks
at me, He sees me in His Son and treats me as though I myself
kept and satisfied His holy law. Everything that Christ did, He
puts to my account. I'm covered up. and his righteousness. That feels good. That feels good. I never had that before. I never
had that when I was jumping through the religious hoops. I never
had that from a preacher. I never had that from a church.
Oh, but from the grace of God in Christ, I have that perfect
righteousness that can only be realized in Him. Oh, being brought
to Him, Paul said, He's our righteousness. God has made him to be wisdom
and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. God made Him
to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him. This was the purpose of the law.
This is the use of the law. It brings us to Christ. This
is what Paul says in verse 4. For Christ is the end of the
law. The goal of the law, the purpose
of the law is to lead us to Christ. Someone said the law is God's
black dog by which he fetches his sheep to their shepherd.
The law condemns, but Christ pardons. The law kills, Christ
makes alive. The law strips, but Christ covers
me and with his holy garments on, as holy as the Holy One. Now let me ask you, Paul said
that his brethren and not submitted to the righteousness of Christ.
Have you? Have you bowed? Or are you still
trying by your own efforts to establish a righteousness? Working
for your salvation will never bring peace to your conscience
unless it's a false peace. All but believing him? Believing
him, it does. Look in chapter 5, verse 1 of
chapter 5. This is exactly what Paul says
here. Romans 5 and 1. The comma here in the verse should
be after justified, not after faith. Faith is the fruit of
justification, not the cause of it. So put the comma after
justified. Therefore being justified. Since
we're already justified, by faith we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace. Peace. When I quit working
and trust him, You know what happened. I found rest. I found rest. This is what the
writer says in Hebrews. Cease from your own labor. Look
to him and enter in to rest. Rest. Peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Let me wrap this up. That day
Paul was in Athens. and he saw the whole city given
over to idolatry, false worship. He went to Mars Hill and he spoke
to them about the righteousness of God in Christ. And he said,
God has appointed a day in which he shall judge the world in righteousness
by that man whom he hath ordained, Jesus Christ the Lord. In Matthew
chapter 7, Christ spoke of that same day. He said, in that day,
many shall stand before Me. And listen to what they say.
These many stand before Him dressed in their own righteousness. They
confess it. They say, Lord, have we not cast
out devils in Your name? Have we not did many mighty works
in Your name? Their own righteousness. And
our Lord said, Depart from me. I never knew you. Depart from me. I never knew
you. Your righteousness was a self-righteousness,
not the righteousness that I can give. Is it any wonder that Paul
wrote in Philippians 3, in that day, I want to be found in him. Not with that righteousness that
I once had. No, that's a filthy right. but the righteousness
which is by the faith of Christ, faith in Christ, that I might
be clothed in his righteousness, found in him. And you know what? For everyone so dressed, they'll
hear, come ye, blessed of my father, inherited kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world. And not till then
shall I know what a debt of love I owe. And we'll sing with that
multitude that no man can number unto him that loved us and have
washed us from our sins by his own blood. He made us righteous. Jesus Christ is made to me. All I need. All I need. He alone is all my plea. He is
all I need. Wisdom, righteousness, and power.
Holiness forevermore. My redemption full and sure. He is all I need. Look at verse 11 of Romans 10. Let's read this together. And
if you've never, never done what the apostle speaks of here, may
God right now grant you faith. May God right now, right now,
as we said here, grant you grace to embrace his son, to submit
to him. Look what he says in verse 11.
For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth 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. Have you ever called? Have you ever called? Like that
poor blind man sitting by the wayside that day as our Lord
passed by going through Jericho, Bartimaeus cried, Lord, have
mercy on me. Have mercy on me. Don't pass
me by. Please don't pass me by. Have
mercy. If you go by, I'm doomed to just
sit in this darkness. Please have mercy. And we read
that Jesus stood still. He always hears the cry of mercy.
He delights to show mercy. And Bartimaeus is brought to
him and he says, what do you want? He said, I want to see.
You remember what our Lord said? Receive thy sight. Thy faith
have saved thee. And every sinner that calls on
him for mercy will hear the same thing. Thy faith have saved thee. God bless you.