My sermon notes for Bro. Gary’s message on Sunday Morning 4-1-12 – Palm Sunday – Passion Week

Romans 10:1-13 “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.  For Moses writes about  the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, ‘Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven’ (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘who will descend into the abyss?’ (That is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says ‘Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the  name of the Lord will be saved.’”

• There has to be a cross to has a resurrection
• Story of salvation started in Gensis
• It was ALL pointing to the Cross of Christ

1)   Conditions of Salvation (vs 3-4)

A)  Reject our own Self Righteousness

• Your own goodness and self righteousness
• “going about to establish” = works
• Self righteousness is when we feel like we  can give God something or add to what God has done
• “The worst kind of Badness is human goodness substituting the righteousness of God.”
• “I have nothing to offer Him!!”
• Even as Believers we struggle with this
• “The more I do, God will love m more” is a LIE STRAIGHT FROM HELL. The Lord loves you – INFINITELY. PERIOD.
• Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by Grace are you saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that on one may boast.”
• It is inherent in us to struggle

2)   WE MUST RECEIVE CHRIST RIGHTOUSNESS (vs 4)

• The law was given to us to show us our sinfulness and how far we are from God
• No one can ever measure up to the law
• Embrace and receive Christ’s righteousness
• He came to end the law
• It is just a matter of me receiving His righteousness
• You either have:
  • Your old self righteous ways
    • What you are trying to do
• The righteousness of Christ
  • What you are allowing God to do

3)   CONFESSION OF SALVATION (vs 6-10)

• Where do you find God?
• Bible says Man is looking for answers, and Man never looks for God
• The Lord is as close as when you confess Him – when you tell what He has done for you
  • Be grateful for what the Lord has done
    • Broken and Shed his Blood for ME individually
• Embrace salvation
• He is as close as when you proclaim Him
• Vs 9 – we have to confess the Truth of His Resurrection
• We HAVE to embrace the Truth of His Resurrection
• The Disciples were willing to die for the resurrection, they were not dying for a dead man
• We MUST testify of our RELATIONSHIP
• You need to be WILLING to go further and confess Salvation
• If you are not willing to confess Jesus, you are not saved

4)    THE COMMITMENT OF SALVATION (vs 11-13)

• The inclusiveness of salvation (vs 11-12)  “For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him.”
• The inevitability of salvation (vs 13) “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”
• God has to reach down for all of us!