Coming back now to our study
in the book of Romans, and today Romans chapter 10, and I want
us to look carefully at verses 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Romans chapter
10. There is no clearer, plainer
declaration, sharper rebuke in the book of Romans against the
religious lost Jew who blindly Ignorantly think they can please
God by their works, by their morality, or by their law keeping
to make themselves righteous before God. Now what applies
to the religious lost Jew in Paul's day also applies to every
lost religious person today. Now there are many people who
are religious. We have religion everywhere.
One of the things I enjoy doing when we travel across the country
and drive through these small towns is notice on just about
every corner in the main street of the town is a church building. This church, that church, we've
got religion everywhere. There's not a lack of people
being religious. What the great lack is is truth. truth, salvation in Christ alone. So there are many people like
these religious Jews who are going about to establish a righteousness
by their morality, by their works, or they think in ignorance that
they keep the law of God in order to earn God's favor, or at least
they think, I want to remove his wrath, and if I'm good enough,
moral enough, straight enough, Well, everything will be okay.
Well, there's a big problem with that. God is holy and we're sinners. And no sinner can satisfy a holy
God. No sinner can keep the law of
God. The Apostle Paul makes this statement in Galatians 2, if
righteousness is by the law, that is, if you can get it done
on your own, establishing a righteousness that's acceptable before God
on your own, by your own deeds, your own doing, no need for Christ
to come, no need for Christ to die. If righteousness is by the
law, Christ is dead, dead, dead in vain. Now, look at verse 1. Brethren, he's writing to believers, Most of which were Gentiles in
this church in Rome or the churches of Rome. He writes to these people
addressing them as brethren, addressing them as the family
of God, children of God. And he expresses to them his
heart's desire and his prayer to God. You know, praying unto
God is a heart desire. We don't need to speak words
at all because the Lord looks on the heart. God knows the heart. My heart's desire and my prayer
to God for my family, my people, Israel, that the Lord would be
pleased and mercy to save them. Now, if they're going to be saved,
He's going to have to do it. My heart's desire. You remember
back in Romans chapter 9, verse 1, 2, and 3? We had a similar
statement made over here. I say the truth in Christ, Romans
9, 1. I lie not, my conscience also
bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great heaviness
and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself
were accursed from Christ, separated from Christ for my brethren,
for my kinsmen according to the flesh." Paul longed to see his
family, his natural family. He longed to see them believe
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul, his heart cried
unto God that the Lord God would save these religious Jews. What did these religious Jews
need? They didn't need any more religion. They had religion up
to here. They were full of tradition,
ceremonies, all the different things. But the problem was,
they didn't know the Lord Jesus Christ. You remember back in
chapter 9, verse 31, Paul describes these people. and the reason
that they need to be saved, but Israel which followed after the
law of righteousness hath not tamed to the law of righteousness.
Wherefore, because they sought it not by faith, but as it were
by the works of the law, for they stumbled at the stumbling
stone, the rock, the Lord Jesus Christ. Behold, I lay in Zion
a stumbling stone, a rock of a fence, Whosoever believeth
on him shall not be ashamed. But those who go about to establish
their own righteousness, they stumble over this foundation
that God has laid. What do all men need everywhere? Salvation in Christ. We don't
need more religion. We've got too much of that now.
Because for the most part, it's not true. It's false religion. We need
a little more light this morning. So we put a little bit of light
on the subject. We'll fix that in a little bit. Don't pay any
mind to it. Got your attention though, didn't
it? We know that if these Jews are going to be saved, it's going
to take the power of God to save them. The power of God to save
them. For salvation we know is of the
Lord. Knowing that salvation is of
the Lord, that the Lord will have mercy on whom he will have
mercy. You remember in Romans 9 verse
16, So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that
runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Paul asked the Lord to
save, to justify his Jewish family, not because they are deserving,
or because they are Jewish, But for one reason, for Christ's
sake, for the glory of God, and to the furtherance of the gospel.
That is a good motive for us to pray for when we pray for
our family, our neighbors, and our friends, that the Lord might
have mercy upon them, to have mercy upon them for Christ's
sake and for His glory. You see, the bottom line in everything
God does is His glory, His glory, His glory. Now, look at verse
2. Paul describes these lost religious Jews, these self-righteous,
self-serving. He says, I bear them witness,
I bear them record. Paul knew all about these people
because he grew up with them. You remember before he was the
Apostle Paul, he was Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee. He called
himself a Pharisee of Pharisees. Oh, I bear them record. They
have a zeal of God. They were zealous. But the problem
was their zeal was not according to knowledge, not according to
true knowledge. Our Lord said, you shall know
the truth and the truth will set you free. Paul knew all about
these self-righteous Jews because he was one of them. Now, if you
want to turn, you can. You remember in Philippians chapter
3 where Paul talks about what he was as a Pharisee, grew up
a lost, religious, self-righteous Pharisee. In Philippians 3 verse
4, though I might also have confidence in the flesh, if any man thinketh
that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, Paul said,
I would have more reason than any. He was circumcised the eighth
day at the stock of Israel. He was a true Jew, had the most
valid circumcision according to the law. He was of the tribe
of Benjamin, Jacob's favorite son. He said, I was a Hebrew
of Hebrews. His daddy, his mama, they were
both Jewish Hebrews. As touching or concerning the
law, he said, I was a Pharisee. Concerning zeal, boy, no one
could touch him. Concerning zeal, persecuting
the church. Touching the righteousness which
is of the law, You see, he said, I was blameless now. But what things were gained to
me, those now I count lost. Those things I thought were gained
to me, those I count lost for Christ. He was a very self-serving,
self-religious man. Paul, like these people, had
all kinds of religious enthusiasm, religious zeal, but they were
ignorant. I didn't have true knowledge
of a truly living God, dead in sin and guilty before God. That's
all of us by nature. All of us by nature, we're ignorant. I know that's a strong word.
If you walk up to some man and tell him he's ignorant, he's
liable to punch you in the nose. This is the truth of God. By
nature, we're all ignorant of the true character of God. Saul
of Tarsus was a lost religious Pharisee who was determined to
wipe out the name of Christ and the gospel of Christ. Saul of
Tarsus was. Now, if you want to turn to this
scripture, you can. Galatians chapter 1 talks about
how zealous he was in his ignorance. Galatians 1 verse 13, he said,
For you heard of my conversation in time past in a Jew's religion,
how that I beyond measure persecuted the church of God and wasted
it. He wanted to stamp out the name of Christ, and everybody
that called upon the name of Christ, he wanted to put them
to death. He said, I profited in the Jews' religion above many
my equals in my own nation, being more exceeding zealous of the
traditions of my fathers. You see his problem there, don't
you? Same problem we all have, zealous of tradition, but when
it pleased God to reveal His Son in me. You see, he's saying
that salvation, he was full of religion, but when it pleased
God to reveal the gospel to him. Paul was zealous of his traditions,
Jewish traditions, ceremonies, but his problem was he hated
the true and living God. He hated the Lord Jesus Christ.
These old Jews had zeal, but they were ignorant. No zeal in
right knowledge, they didn't know the true and living God
as he's revealed in scripture. Remember our Lord said, you are
those who honor me with your mouth, but your heart is far
from me. You teach for traditions, you
teach for truth, the traditions of men. And then the Lord exposed
those religious Jews in John chapter 8, remember? When the
Lord said, if you were like Abraham, you would believe me. And they
said, well, God is our father. God is our father. They had a
zeal, but the Lord corrected them, remember? He said, you
are of your father, the devil. You see, sincerity in religious
beliefs and salvation revealed in the gospel are completely
two different things. Does anybody doubt the sincerity
of those Muslims who blow themselves up? I mean, those folks are zealous,
aren't they? They're full of sincerity, but
they're ignorant of the true and living God. They're ignorant. So sincerity in religious beliefs
and salvation revealed in the gospel are completely two different
things. Now, let's go back here to verse
three of Romans 10. And here he uses this very strong,
strong word. Paul describes what our problem,
we could say their problem, but let's make it more personal.
What is our problem? What is our problem by nature?
For they being ignorant of God's righteousness. Paul describes
our problem as ignorance. Ignorance. Ignorance of a true
living God. for they being ignorant of God's
righteousness. Now this is such a key verse.
Going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted
themselves unto the righteousness of God. Now there's two different
righteousness here that's mentioned in this verse. The righteousness
that is God's and the righteousness that is of God. Now, let's look
at this thing about being ignorant. Men by nature everywhere are
ignorant of the true character of God. The true character of
God and his essential attribute is holiness. Not love. God is love, but his
love has to be holy love. The central true character of
God is his absolute holiness, his absolute righteous character,
his absolute sovereignty in salvation. He said, I will have mercy on
whom I will have mercy. Men are ignorant everywhere of
the holiness of God. That's right. They're ignorant of the true
character of God. Secondly, men are ignorant of
what the law of God demands. What does the law of God demand?
Well, just do the best you can. The problem with that is all
have sinned and come short. of that absolute goal of holiness. The law of God doesn't demand
the best you can do, the law of God demands the best God can
do. And we have all sinned and come
short of the glory of God. The law of God demands perfection
or death. The law of God says those who
are guilty must die. The law of God demands absolute
holiness, and you know what? We cannot produce it. We cannot
produce it. Well, that will drive a man to
despair. Absolutely. That's why the law was given,
to drive us to despair, that we might look to the Lord Jesus
Christ for relief. Now, I want to read over here
in Mark chapter 10. You can follow with me if you
want to, Mark 10, 17. And when the Lord was in the
way there, and when he was gone forth into the way, there came
one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what
shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Mark 10, 18. And the Lord said unto him, Why
callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that
is God. And he said, you know the commandments,
do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear
false witness, defraud not, honor thy mother and thy father. Now
notice what this man said, the Lord gave the strictness of the
law. And this young man said, and
some people think this was Saul of Tarsus, And he answered and
said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. In another place in Matthew it
says, it is recorded that all these things I have kept from
my youth. Then the Lord beholding him loved him, and said unto
him, One thing, thou likest, go thy way, sell whatsoever you
have, give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven.
and take up your cross and follow me. And he was sad at that saying
and went away grieved, for he had great, great possessions." You see, this man
thought he kept the law. All these I have observed. I
have kept the law. And people are ignorant of the
true character of God. Thirdly, people are ignorant
of the character of their own sinful heart. The heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked." You remember in Romans
chapter 3, verse 10, he said, verse 9, as it is written, there
is none righteous, no, not one. They are all under sin. There
is none righteous, no, not one. There is none. to understand
it, there is none that seeketh after God, they're all gone out
of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there is
none that doeth good, no, not one. So when Paul says they being
ignorant of God's righteousness, his essential character, but
not only that, ignorant of the law of God, ignorant of their
own sinful character, and then they're ignorant of this, They're
going about because they don't know what the law requires. They
do not know that God is absolutely holy and demands absolute perfection. Therefore, they're going about
to establish their own righteousness. Now, what about your own righteousness?
What would you say about your own personal righteousness? Do
you have any? Man in his best state is altogether
vanity. Isaiah says this, that our own
personal righteousness is nothing but filthy rags in the sight
of God. But people today are going about
to establish their own righteousness, thinking that their morality,
thinking that their goodness outweighs their badness. The
problem with that, everything you think, do or say is contaminated
by your own self. Everything you touch, everything
you say, everything you do has a connection to your sinful,
wicked nature. Man at his best state is nothing
but a zero. There is none righteous, no,
not one. Now, this is key right here.
Because they're ignorant of the true character of God and what
God demands, and because they're ignorant of their own righteousness,
they go about ignorant of their own character, they go about
to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted unto. They have not submitted, bowed
or yielded or received The righteousness that is of God. Now what is this business about
the righteousness that is of Him? The righteousness that comes
from Him. Now, let's go back, turn to Romans
chapter 1. This has been the theme of our
study all the way through the book of Romans. how God justifies
the ungodly. And this is what the Gospel reveals.
Romans 1 verse 16, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
it is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth,
to the Jew first, also to the Greek. Therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written. What
is this righteousness of God revealed? It is Christ. is Christ
our righteousness. Now turn to Romans chapter 3,
look at verse 19, they have not submitted themselves unto the
righteousness of God. Romans 3, 19, now we know that
What things whoever the law saith, it saith to them who are under
the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the
law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For by the law
is the knowledge of sin, not the removal of it. But now, Romans
3.21, but now the righteousness of God. There it is again, the
righteousness of God without the law is manifested, be witnessed
by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God
which is by faith of Jesus Christ. Now notice it doesn't say faith
in Jesus Christ. The righteousness of God is the
faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ who is working out a perfect
righteousness for us. And to all and upon all them
that believe, there is no difference. Turn one page, Romans 4, Romans chapter 4, verse 3. For
what sayeth the Scripture? It doesn't matter what you think. Well, now wait a minute, I've
always heard this. Doesn't matter what you've heard. What does
God say? For what saith the scripture?
Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is reward,
not reckon of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not,
but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted
for righteousness. Even as David also described
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputed righteousness
without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is that man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Now, I've told you this before.
Turn to Romans chapter 5 verse 19. Let's read one more verse.
Romans 5, 19, For by one man's disobedience many were made sinners,
so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover,
the law entered that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord. Grace reigned by righteousness
being established. Now, you cannot make too much
of this because it's a whole message of the book. How God
can be just and justify the ungodly. How we can be a just God and
Savior. How God can justly make us righteous. Now, if you would ask the religious,
the normal religious man who attends most religious services
today, Now, you check me out on this. You check me out on
this. Ask him if he knows what the
Bible teaches about righteousness being imputed. Huh? What? Well, I don't know what. I don't
know what. You see, it's not being taught today. And because
men are ignorant, already dead in sin, and because that truth
is not being taught today, men think they're righteous by what
they do. If you think I'm wrong, just ask them. Just ask them. But the only way we can be righteous
before God is that He charges a righteousness to us, and that
righteousness we have and that we enjoy is Christ. He's called
the Lord our righteousness. Now that gives us down, leaves
us down to verse 10. Romans 10 verse 4 rather. Romans chapter 10 verse 4. Now,
for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. Did you
read that? Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believes the gospel. Christ is the end of the law.
You mean, preacher, I'm not under the law anymore? Not if you're
a believer. To everyone that believeth. You remember Romans
chapter 6 verse 14, For sin shall not have dominion over you, for
you are not under the law. but under grace. The Lord Jesus
Christ is the end of the law, the goal, the honor, the completing
of the law for righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ honored
every jot and tittle of the law of God for us, and in doing so,
worked out a perfect righteousness for his people. That's why his
life had to be sinless, and obedient unto God. He was working out
a perfect righteousness for us in every precept of His life. He honored the law of God for
us. Our Lord said, I didn't come to destroy the law, I came to
honor the law of God. And He did love God with all
of His heart, all of His mind, all of His soul. He did love
His neighbor as Himself and laid down His life for His people.
That perfect obedience of Christ, establishing a righteousness
by the law of God, honoring the law of God in every 800 precepts
of that law, in his passive and active obedience, that's our
righteousness before God. He's made unto us righteousness,
and every penalty of that law has been satisfied in His death.
The Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us. His obedience, He became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross, and thereby redeemed
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Now,
is the believer Under the curse of the law of God, right now,
the law says, Cursed is everyone that continues not in all things
which are written in the book of the law to do them. Is a believer
under the curse of that law? Absolutely not. Christ satisfied
the law of God for us. Nor is a believer under the covenant
of the law. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Are believers under the holy
law of God as a rule of life? A lot of people think so. Absolutely
not. What's our rule? Christ, Christ,
Christ. He is our rule. Love is what
motivates us. Love is what keeps us. Now turn
to Romans 8 and I'll let you go with this reading. Paul said,
Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has set us
free, and don't be entangled again with the yoke of the law,
the bondage of the law. Romans 8 verse 1, There is therefore
now no condemnation, to those who were in Christ Jesus, who
walked not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law
of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus had made me free from the
law of sin and death, for what the law could not do. And it
was weak in that it was weak to the flesh. God tending his
own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned
sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled
in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Christ is the end of the law
to everyone that believeth.