And this program is heard in
most places on the Lord's Day. This is the Lord's Day. And the
people of God will meet together today to sing praises to the
Lord and to read the Word of God and to pray and to preach
the gospel and to worship the Lord. All over the world, God's
people come together today. Why are they so diligent in this?
I'll tell you three reasons. Here's the first one. They worship
God because they believe God. I didn't say they believe in
God. I said they believe God. They believe His Word. Like Abraham
of old, the Scripture says he believed God. And when he was
called to go out, he went out not knowing where he was going,
but God called him, and he believed God. Without faith, it's impossible
to please God. He that cometh to God must believe
that He is, and He's the rewarder of them that diligently seek
Him. And David wrote this, I believe God, therefore have I spoken. I believe God, therefore I worship,
I pray, I read the Word, I praise Him, and I preach the gospel
because I believe God. What I'm preaching to you today,
I believe, with all my heart I believe the truth of God. But
a second reason why they assemble together today, believers all
over the world, to worship God is because they enjoy it. They
rejoice to do so. As David wrote, I was glad when
they said to me, let's go to the house of the Lord. We don't
go out of a sense of duty or responsibility or because we
have to. We go to the house of God because
we delight to go. Delight to go. I'd rather be
a doorkeeper in the house of God, David said, than to dwell
in the tents of the wicked. It's not the place, it's the
person. It's not the gifts, it's the
giver. The child of God not only enjoys
worship, he needs it. He needs to worship his God.
He needs the fellowship with the Father and with the Son.
He needs to hear and study God's Word, the Word of God. That's
the children's bread. Just like your children can't
survive without eating bread and food, the child of God can't
survive without the Word of God. It's his bread. The Word of God
is his comfort, his peace, increases his faith, enables him to grow
in grace and the knowledge of Christ. And then we need fellowship
with one another. We need the fellowship of God's
people. We need to be encouraged. We
need to be exhorted in the faith. David wrote in Psalm 65, blessed
is the man whom the Lord chooses and causes to approach unto him,
that he may dwell in the house of the Lord, in the courts of
the Lord, and be satisfied, happy with the goodness of God's house.
with the goodness of God's house. I read a poem years ago. I found it among some old papers
that I had. It's written by a person who
discovered the difference between duty and faith. A person who
discovered the difference in having religion and knowing the
Lord. This man discovered the difference
in going to church and going to worship. There's a difference. And meeting with other believers.
And he wrote this poem. Listen to it. When he was in
religion and now he's in faith. Once it was the blessing, now
it's the Lord. Once it was the feeling, now
it's his word. Once the gifts I wanted, now
the giver I own. Once I sought for healing, now
for grace alone. Once it was my working, his now
it shall be. Once I tried to use him, now
he uses me. Once the power I wanted, now
the mighty one. Once for self I labored, now
for God alone. It's not just the benefits we
seek, it's the beloved. Not the place, it's the person.
Not the gifts, it's the giver. It's not the benefits, it's the
beloved. As Solomon wrote in the Song
of Solomon, I am my beloved's and he's mine. And I enjoy his
presence, enjoy his house, enjoy his people. But there's another
reason why, important reason, why believers gather to worship,
praise God, preach the gospel, pray, and exhort one another,
not only because they believe God, not only because they enjoy
it and rejoice and need it, but the third and important reason
also is believers meet for prayer and praise and preaching the
Word of God because we want our children, we want our children
and our friends and our neighbors and our loved ones to know our
Lord. We want them to know the Lord. We want them to have a
good hope of eternal life. That's why I come here and preach
the gospel over this television station. It's because I want
those who hear me to know Him. This is what John said in 1 John
1. You'll recognize this when I
read it. John says in 1 John 1 verse 3, that which I've seen
and that which I've heard declare I unto you, number one, that
you might have fellowship with us in our wonderful Lord, in
the peace and the joy and the hope that we have, that you might
be a part of this fellowship. Secondly, that you may have fellowship
with the Father and with the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And thirdly, that which I've
seen and heard declare I unto you, that your joy may be full. I'll tell you the joys of this
earth are temporary. The joys of this earth are fleeting.
The things of this earth are passing away. But this joy in
Christ is eternal, that your joy, peace, hope might be full."
Full is complete. And he said, that's why what
I've seen and what I heard declare unto you. my text today, Romans
10. And this is what Paul, this is
how he begins this chapter, wanting, not only he believes God, he
loves God, he enjoys the presence of God, but he wants others to
know the Lord. And that's the way he begins
chapter 10 of Romans. He says, brethren, chapter 10
of Romans verse 1, brethren, my heart's desire And prayer
to God is that Israel, Paul was an Israelite. He says that Israel,
my people, my kindred, my family, my friends might be saved. My
heart's desire, my cry to God is that they might be saved,
that they might be delivered from the kingdom of darkness
and translated as I have been into the kingdom of God's dear
son. Is Paul saying that these Israelites
are atheists? Oh, certainly not. Indeed not. These Israelites weren't. His
people weren't atheists. They believed in God. They believed
in Jehovah. Is Paul saying that these people
don't even believe in God? Oh, no. They went to the synagogue
every Sabbath day and read the scriptures. They believed in
God. They weren't atheists. Is he
saying that these people were not religious? My, they were
religious. They were circumcised when they
were born. They kept the feast days and the holy days and the
first fruits and the day of atonement and all of these things. They
went about these things. Here's the problem, though. Look
at verse 2 now. Paul said, Brethren, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for my people, my people, Israel,
my brethren, my kinfolks, my family. He says, I bear them
record. I know them. I bear them record. I was in the same state one time,
religious but lost, very religious in ceremony and ritual and feast
days and all these things. I know because I was one of them.
I bear them record. They have a zeal of God. They
have a zeal for God. but it's not according to knowledge.
They have a zeal for God and for religion, but they don't
know Him. They don't know the true and
living God. They know religion, but they don't know God. They
know their ceremonies and their laws, he said, but they don't
know God. It's not according to knowledge. He says they're
ever learning, but they never come to the truth. He says, our
Lord said, you search the scriptures. In them you think you have life,
But there they which testify of me, and you won't come to
me that you might have life." They wouldn't come to Christ.
They have a zeal for God. They're ever learning, never
coming to knowledge of the truth, and they rest in their laws and
their rituals and their ceremonies and not in Christ. See, this
is true when our Lord came to this earth. The Scripture says
He was in the world. The Lord God was in the world,
in the flesh. made of a woman. He was in the
world, the world was made by Him, and the world didn't know
Him. He came unto His own. He came unto the Jewish people.
His own temple, His own people, He came unto His own. They received
Him not. Christ said to the Pharisees,
the very leaders of Israel, He said, You don't know Me, and
you don't know My Father. And here's the clear proof that
they didn't know it. Now listen, Romans 10, look at
verse 1. He said, Brethren, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for Israel, religious people who
believe God, who search the scriptures, that they might be saved. I bear
them record. They have a zeal for God. They
have an enthusiasm for God. But it's not according to knowledge.
And here's proof of it. Here's the clear proof that these
people did not know God. And many people today who are
in religion do not know God. And here's the proof of it. For
they, verse 3, they being ignorant of God's righteousness, true
holiness, they being ignorant of true holiness, they're going
about to establish their own holiness, their own righteousness. and have not submitted themselves
to the righteousness of God, which is Jesus Christ." That's
proof they don't know God. That they're going about establishing
their own righteousness and will not submit to His righteousness,
which He gave to us and provided for us and purchased for us on
the cross. Charles Spurgeon, great old preacher
of many years ago, he wrote this about that verse. Verse 3, Romans
10. He says, being ignorant of God's
righteousness, of the righteousness which God provides in Jesus Christ,
which makes a person accepted of God. In thought, word, and
deed. The righteousness of Christ,
which clothes us, makes us accepted to God. Well, these people, these
religious people, are seeking to establish a means of salvation
a way of life, a holiness of their own to bring to God, to
present to God their works and their deeds and their religion.
They're making their own way of salvation, their own means
of salvation, their own way of holiness and presenting it to
God. A way of life and a holiness
of their own and they will not believe on and rest in the blood
and righteousness of Christ. Now, listen carefully to me for
just a few moments. You say, well, a preacher ought
not say that people do not know God. A preacher ought not say
that, that people don't be judgmental. I'm not. But I tell you this,
when a person tries to come to God with his own works and his
own deeds in place of the righteousness of Christ, he doesn't know God.
Now, listen to me. I'm going to give you four things.
Listen carefully. Any person who thinks that a holy God can
love us and accept us on the basis of our good works and our
deeds and our righteousness, he doesn't know this God. God
is holy. God cannot be satisfied with
anything but perfection. And if I bring him, like Cain
brought the fruits of the field, His own works. God Almighty cannot
be satisfied with that. He's only satisfied with Christ.
He said, this is my Son in whom I'm well pleased. Now secondly,
any person who thinks that anything he does or thinks or says is
holy or righteous, he doesn't know what true holiness is. If
he thinks that his good works can present him to God and God
can accept him on the basis of those works, he doesn't know
God. And if he thinks he has any good works, he doesn't know
what true holiness is. There's sin in everything we
do and everything we think and everything we say. We sin and
come short of the glory of God. If any man says he has not sinned,
he deceives himself. If any man say he has no sin,
he makes God a liar. Now here's the third thing. Any
person who cannot say, who cannot say, I'm a sinner, doesn't know
himself. Any person who cannot say, right
now where are you sitting? I have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. I am a sinner and in my flesh,
flesh dwelleth no good thing. In my flesh I know anyone else
can please God. Can you say that? I can't say
that. You don't know yourself. You don't know yourself. If you
think you're a God, the God of heaven and earth can accept your
works in preference to his son's obedience, you don't know God.
And if you think that your works are good, you don't know what
holiness is. And if you can't say I'm a sinner,
and I've sinned against God, you don't know yourself. And
any person who cannot say with top lady, in my hands, no price
I bring. Simply to the cross of Christ
I cling. Could my tears forever flow?
Could my zeal, no respite, no. These for sin could never atone. Christ was saving, Christ alone. If a man can't say that, he does
not know the gospel. So that's what I'm saying. A
man can be religious and lost. Like the Israelites of old, Paul
said, my heart's desire and prayer to God is that these people might
be saved. I bear them record. They have
a zeal for God, but they don't know God. And I'll tell you why
I know they don't know God. They're going about to establish
a holiness of their own. A holiness of their own. They're
bringing their works and their deeds and their sacrifices and
and all of these things to God and saying, accept it. He can't.
He won't. It has to be perfect. They don't
know God. They don't know what holiness
is. They don't know themselves and they don't know the gospel. It is when a person thinks that
his religion, his works, his deeds will enable him to find
favor with God and that God will open for him a place in heaven
based on his goodness. He does not know God, whose name
is holy and reverent. He does not know what true holiness
is. It has to be perfect to be accepted.
He does not know himself or what happened in the garden when sin
passed upon all men for all sin. And he does not know the gospel.
Now look at verse 4. Christ is true holiness. He has
not submitted himself to the righteousness of God which is
in Christ. Look at verse 4, 5. Christ Jesus
is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe it.
Christ Jesus is the end of the law for righteousness, for true
holiness. He is our holiness for everyone
that believe it. Now, what does this mean, the
end of the law? Well, let me tell you. You listen. It means
Jesus Christ is the goal of the law. He's the objective of the
law. The law wasn't given to save.
The law was given from Sinai to a bunch of people that were
at that moment dancing around an idol, a calf, committing all
kind of evil. When Moses was up there receiving
the law, I shall not kill, I shall not take the name of the Lord
thy God in vain, I shall not commit adultery, I shall not
bear false... When he received that, they were
down there worshiping a calf. The law wasn't given to save.
The law can't save. It was given to shut us up to
Christ, to point us to the Son of God, to drive us to Christ
as our Savior. The law was given as a mirror
to show us what we are, who we are, what we've done, what we
haven't done, and shut us up to faith and a Savior. Secondly,
Christ is the end of the law as a covenant. Do this and live. That's what the law says. But
we can't do it. We can't attain unto that perfection.
So with us, it can't be do this and live. It has to be believe
and live. That's the new covenant. Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Christ Jesus,
He says that He who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him. So He's the end of
the law as a covenant. And thirdly, He's the end of
the law as a curse. Galatians says, Cursed is everyone
that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law
to do them. Well, you say, I've been pretty good. All things. If you offend in one point, the
whole law is gone. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. And then fourthly,
Christ is the fulfillment of the law. He said, I didn't come
to destroy the law. I came to fulfill it. The Lord
Jesus Christ as a man didn't come to destroy the Levitical
law. He came to fulfill it. Every
type, picture, shadow, prophecy is fulfilled in Christ. When
they had fulfilled all that was written of Him, they took Him
down from the tree. He fulfilled every jot and tittle of the Old
Testament. Not only that, but the moral law. Christ Jesus was
tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin. As a man, He
prayed to the Father. He said, I have glorified you
on the earth. I've honored your law, obeyed
it perfectly, the gift of my people. a holiness, a true holiness,
a holiness with which God can be satisfied, which God can receive,
accept us in the beloved. That's true holiness. It's His. All right, verse 5. Now listen
to verse 5. For Moses describes the righteousness which is of
the law. Here it is. Here's the righteousness which
is of the law. Anyone who wants to present a law righteousness
to God, here it is, here it is. The only way that a person can
find holiness and righteousness before God based on the law is
to do it perfectly. From the cradle to the grave,
not one idle word, not one evil thought, not one exaggeration,
not one selfish deed, the law says, be ye holy as I am holy,
saith your God. Well, that lets every one of
us out. If that's the way to be saved,
nobody's going to be saved. But now verse 6 says, But the
holiness and righteousness which is ours by faith, by the faithfulness
of Christ and by faith in Christ, it speaks on this wise. Don't
say who's going to send to heaven and bring Christ down. It doesn't
require any work on your part. Besides that, He's already come.
Don't say in your heart, who's going to descend into the grave
to bring Christ up? He's already risen. But what
does it say? It says, believe on Him. Believe
on Him. You see, Christ Jesus, the God-man,
the second Adam, came from heaven, made of a woman, made under the
law. He was a man. Just as Adam was
made under the law and he fell, took us with him. Jesus Christ
was made under the law and obeyed it, took us with him. As in Adam
we die, in Christ we're made alive. As we're born in the image
of the earthy, we bear the image of the heavenly. And Jesus Christ,
not by hook and crook, but by obedience and faith and blood,
He imputed to us a perfect holiness, a true holiness with which God
Almighty can be satisfied. And on the basis of which He
can accept you. See, He obeyed the law in every
jot and tittle, He loved God with all his heart. He loved
his neighbors himself. He died under the judgment for
our sins. He's risen from the dead. He
ascended to the right hand of God where he makes intercession
for us and he'll come again to receive us unto himself. The
truth of Christ, this is what he's saying, this righteousness
of faith which is in Christ Jesus the Lord is in your mouth. and
in your heart. It's so plain. It's so clear. It's in the mouth of the preacher.
It's in the book for you to read. It's the gospel which we preach.
That, verse 9, if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, if thou
shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus to be Lord. That's what
that says there. If thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, it's Jesus to be Lord. Now let me tell you
what I confess. I confess that Jesus Christ is my Lord. He's God, my Lord. His name is
Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace, the
Everlasting Father. The Father and the Son are one.
God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. God was
in Christ. That's right. I confess that
Jesus Christ is my prophet. God spoke to the fathers by the
prophets. He's spoken to us by His Son.
He came preaching the gospel. He reveals the gospel. The Son
of God has come and given us an understanding that we may
know Him that is true. He's the true God. He's everlasting
life. We're in Him, the true God. He's
my prophet. He's my priest. I have a priest. I have a high priest. He doesn't
minister here on the earth. He ministers in heaven. He's
entered once into the holy place. Not made with hands, eternal
in the heavens, not with the blood of animals, but with His
own precious blood and made intercession and accomplished redemption.
I believe Jesus Christ is my King, my only King. He's my Lord
and my God. I like what Thomas said when
he fell at His feet, my Lord and my God. I confess Him publicly
in baptism. And why do I confess all this?
Because I believe it in my heart. If thou shalt confess with thy
mouth, Jesus to be Lord, and believe it in your heart, you'll
be saved. But don't try to come to God
on the merits of your righteousness. You don't have any. Christ is
our holiness. Write for the tape, True Holiness. Until next week, God bless you.