The Exclusive Gospel.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] Alright, go ahead and have a seat. [0:02] Welcome to Village Church. [0:03] If this is your first time here, my name is Steve, I’m one of the pastors here at Village [0:06] Church and as always I’m thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you this morning. [0:11] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them up to Romans chapter 10. [0:14] We’re going to be starting in verse 1 there this morning, but before we get into that,

[0:19] I do want to let you know about something new that we’ve got coming up. [0:22] It’s called Pastors Coffee Connect and what this is, is that if you’re new-er, even if [0:27] you’re kind of new-ish, you’ve been here for a couple of weeks and you’d like to just [0:31] spend a little bit of time with the pastors of the church hearing more about our story, [0:36] more about our faith in Jesus Christ, maybe our testimonies, how we came to faith and [0:39] just really how it is that we as a team of pastors came here about seven years ago to

[0:45] launch Village Church. [0:46] That’s a time we’re going to start having once a month, the first Sunday evening of [0:51] every month at 5 p.m. just to spend about an hour or so telling you our story and just [0:56] having the opportunity to spend a little more time with the newer people at Village Church [1:02] than we normally would with our 30-second conversations. [1:06] If you’re lucky, before somebody grabs me on Sunday mornings, you can actually have

[1:10] some time to get to know us a little bit better. [1:13] I’m personally excited about it because it’s going to give me a better opportunity to spend [1:17] some time with a couple of you, tell you a little bit more about myself personally, and [1:21] the other pastors will be there as well. [1:22] Again, this is something that we’re going to be doing the first Sunday evening of every [1:27] month at 5 p.m.

[1:28] Now, you don’t need to RSVP for this. [1:31] You can just show up and there will be child care available up to three years old, I believe, [1:35] if I’m right. [1:37] If I’m not right, I’ll just make it right. [1:39] So that’s the way I guess it’ll be. [1:41] But I’m really excited about that.

[1:43] And so if you’re new here, just personally, I want to invite you March the 6th at 5 p.m. [1:48] It’s a Sunday evening. [1:49] To come out, maybe share a cup of coffee with me, just get to know one another a little [1:54] bit better so you can know a little bit more about my story. [1:57] That’ll be a great opportunity for you. [2:00] But as we get into the Word of God this morning, I just want to jump right into it.

[2:04] So let’s go to Romans chapter 10. [2:06] I’m going to start reading in verse 1. [2:08] We’re going to go by God’s grace all the way down to verse 12 this morning. [2:11] The apostle Paul writing, and he says, Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them [2:17] is that they may be saved. [2:19] For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

[2:25] For being ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they [2:29] did not submit to God’s righteousness. [2:32] For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. [2:39] For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does [2:43] the commandments shall live by them. [2:45] But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend

[2:50] into heaven? [2:51] That is, to bring Christ down. [2:53] Or who will descend into the abyss? [2:55] That is, to bring Christ up from the dead. [2:58] But what does it say? [3:00] The Word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart.

[3:04] That is, the Word of faith that we proclaim. [3:08] Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that [3:13] God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [3:16] For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. [3:21] For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame. [3:26] For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.

[3:29] For the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. [3:36] You know, we’re about ten chapters into the book of Romans now, and so we’ve been through [3:41] from chapters one through chapter nine. [3:43] And we’re kind of doing this in two parts. [3:45] We took a little bit of break from Romans after we finished Romans eight. [3:48] So I just want to kind of recap to kind of connect where we are with where we’ve been

[3:53] for you for just a minute. [3:54] Now, first eight chapters of Romans, what we’re really seeing there is the story of [4:00] Christianity, the story of what you exist for, for why God created us, and then what [4:07] how God has worked through history to save by sending His Son Jesus to save people from [4:14] sin and to restore us to a right relationship with Him. [4:18] Jesus died to pay the penalty for sin and rose from the dead to give us, each of us,

[4:23] if we have faith in Him, a new life in which we can know God, trust God, obey God, and [4:31] live for God, even in a world that is cursed with sin and in lives that struggle because [4:39] of sin. [4:40] And then in Romans nine for the last three weeks, what we unpacked is God’s power to [4:46] save and the reason that faith is the only thing that can save, that if salvation depended [4:53] in any way on you and I, we would be lost forever.

[4:57] But instead, God has made salvation dependent upon Himself alone, which means that the [5:04] requirement for salvation is trusting God to be who He says He is, to do what He says [5:10] He will do, and to find joy in that. [5:14] In this faith, we actually entrust our very lives to God. [5:20] And that is what changes us. [5:22] That is what’s so revolutionary, is it takes what you think you are created for, what

[5:28] you think your purpose is, and it completely transforms life into trusting God, into entrusting [5:34] yourself to Him and saying, whatever it is that I think I exist for, if it disagrees [5:39] with what God says I exist for, then I am wrong and I need to change. [5:45] We saw that God has not limited this salvation to any particular people group, but has instead [5:52] worked to save for Himself a people from all nations of the earth.

[5:58] Since Paul has explained how God saves, now He will work to explain to us why it is that [6:07] faith in God is what saves us, that the responsibility that God has placed on us is that we have [6:15] faith in Him, that we personally take the responsibility and we trust in Him. [6:20] Because salvation is available to all. [6:24] But the sad truth is that not all will be saved. [6:29] But this reality that not all will be saved and there will be many who reject faith in

[6:33] Jesus and many who do not follow Jesus, who choose the path of sin rather than the path [6:38] of faith, that does not in any way undo even a portion of God’s plan. [6:45] It does not outwit God at all if you don’t believe in Him. [6:48] It does not undo God’s will at all if you don’t believe in Him. [6:51] But instead because He has made salvation dependent upon Himself alone, what God has [6:57] done is that He has made certain that His glory will be had in every single person’s

[7:04] life. [7:05] If you have faith in Jesus for salvation through the gospel, then His will is for your benefit. [7:12] You will experience the joy of knowing God forever. [7:14] But if you do not place your faith in Jesus, He will still receive glory out of your life, [7:20] but it will not be for your benefit. [7:22] Instead, it will be to your very detriment, which is why the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter

[7:29] ten begins to unpack our responsibility. [7:32] The responsibility of faith in Jesus and in Jesus alone. [7:38] The gospel is about the reality that God has done everything to save and the fact that [7:43] it is all about Jesus. [7:47] Jesus alone saves because it is His gift to a people who cannot save themselves. [7:56] The reason ultimately that the gospel is all about Jesus is because it is only Jesus that

[8:01] can pay the penalty for your sin. [8:04] And it is only Jesus that can offer you a perfect salvation that will never fade away. [8:12] And what I hope we can see through chapter ten is that there is absolutely nothing,

[8:19] nothing that can undo faith in Jesus Christ. [8:24] For if He has saved you, then He has saved you fully. [8:27] If He has saved you, He has saved you completely. [8:30] If Jesus has saved you, then you do not fear the wrath of God ever because you have the [8:37] joy of the Lord. [8:38] The faith in Jesus secures for you eternally the grace of God, eternally the forgiveness

[8:45] of God, eternally a relationship with God, eternally the life of God, the forgiveness [8:54] of sin forever. [8:57] When you trust in Jesus, you trust in Him because you know that there is nothing that [9:03] can take His place, not just in your life, but in the universe, in the cosmos. [9:14] If there is nothing that will ever come against God and be victorious, and because of that [9:21] fact, we can trust Him with forever.

[9:24] We can trust Him that there will be nothing that will outwit His plan. [9:28] And so at the beginning of chapter ten, what the apostle Paul does is he turns his attention [9:33] back to the nation of Israel, these people who had the law, these people who had the [9:37] prophets, the priests, the kings, these people from which Jesus actually came and He turns [9:42] to them and He begins to unpack why is it that there are so many within Israel by and [9:48] large that have rejected faith in Jesus and still await the Messiah’s come.

[9:54] And when he begins in verses one through three, I want to show you that his point in that [9:59] section is that a passion for God is no substitute for submission to God. [10:06] A passion for God is no substitute for submission to God. [10:10] For instance, you know that knowledge is good. [10:13] And I don’t think I blew anybody’s mind there, specifically me personally saying something [10:17] like that, nor do I think that that would shock you that you think knowledge is good.

[10:21] I mean, I don’t think many people would actually come to you and say ignorance is a virtue. [10:26] It’s just not the way that the world works. [10:28] It’s not the way that your life works. [10:29] It’s not the way that the scriptures work. [10:31] But the reality is that when we begin to seek to follow Jesus, when we begin to seek to [10:37] grow in our relationship with the Lord, the greatest struggles that we have is knowledge.

[10:42] The apostle Paul actually looks to the nation of Israel and he says, they have such a passion [10:48] for God. [10:50] Note that he doesn’t say in this text, oh, not only do they not know, but look at them. [10:55] They’re just so stagnant. [10:57] They’re not trying.

[11:00] He looks to them. [11:01] At the beginning of this text, in verse two, and he says, for I bear them witness that [11:06] they, speaking of Israel specifically, they have a zeal for God. [11:13] That word zeal is a synonym for passion. [11:16] I mean, they are on fire for God. [11:21] You look at that and you’re like, that must be a wonderful compliment that he is paying

[11:26] the nation of Israel. [11:27] He’s saying, man, I mean, that’s what you want in your relationship with God, is it [11:30] not? [11:30] You want to be passionate about God. [11:33] But note what his next line is. [11:37] He says, but not according to knowledge.

[11:40] He says, for being ignorant of the righteousness of God, they seek to establish their own. [11:43] They do not submit to God’s righteousness.

[11:47] So the apostle Paul is saying is that there is a type of passion that can come into your [11:55] relationship with God. [11:57] You can be passionately wrong and it will serve to destroy your faith. [12:06] It will serve to destroy your relationship with God. [12:09] It will serve to destroy the very foundation upon which God seeks to build your life. [12:15] I mean, you look to the word and you might be saying, oh my goodness, we’re going to

[12:19] start talking about needing information because it’s one of the big things that you might [12:22] hear in following Jesus, specifically if you watch this stuff on TV, is oh, don’t [12:26] try to make this too academic. [12:27] Don’t try to make this about information. [12:29] Oh, you’re getting all this information, but are you actually using any of this information? [12:33] And I would say let’s slow down for a minute.

[12:37] The gospel of Jesus Christ is something that you need to hear, therefore it’s something [12:42] that someone needs to know about so they can tell you, and then it’s information that you [12:46] receive because that’s how grace works. [12:48] You receive it. [12:49] It’s not based on something that you do and in receiving that information, you grow more [12:53] knowledgeable.

[12:54] You place your faith in Jesus Christ and then your entire life is to be about your relationship [12:58] with God. [12:59] What is that? [13:00] It’s growing in knowledge of who he is. [13:02] That’s how relationships work. [13:04] And you say, oh, but I know I’m supposed to read the Bible because, you know, that’s

[13:10] God’s revelation of himself to me, but it’s long.

[13:16] I mean, if God had really understood me, it would have been like a Hardy Boys case [13:21] file. [13:21] I mean, that’s like 149 pages beginning to end. [13:25] We get a whole story, but I mean, the Bible’s like a thousand pages and that’s not even [13:29] the study Bible version with all the footnotes that everybody expects me to read. [13:33] I mean, this is a lot of information.

[13:36] Of course it is because it’s about God. [13:39] There’s a lot to know there, but what I want to convince you of is that it is not only [13:43] the effort, but without the effort of growing in your knowledge of God, you will actually [13:50] hinder your life. [13:52] You will hurt your life. [13:53] You will do great destruction to your life.

[13:56] Why? [13:56] Because right beliefs lead to right living and wrong beliefs lead to wrong living. [14:03] And sometimes when I’m going through an entire book of the Bible, I mean, the book of Romans [14:07] is the longest sermon series that we’ve done thus far in the life of our church. [14:11] And when we got to towards the end of chapter eight, there began to be some rumblings in [14:16] the camp saying, how long is this going to take?

[14:21] Can we do a series on like marriage and family, time management, how to use my money well, [14:28] how to raise my kids? [14:29] Can we just take a break, move on to some practical matters of life? [14:33] And I ingest I say that because there’s nothing wrong with topical sermons. [14:36] I mean, we literally did take a break after Romans eight, did a couple of topical series, [14:40] and then we came back to the book of Romans.

[14:43] But the reality is, is that the problem that we have in having a long endurance in the [14:49] direction of learning about the word of God is not because there’s something wrong with [14:53] His revelation to us, but it actually reveals some great weaknesses in our lives. [14:58] The way that we want discipleship to work, the way that we want growing in the grace [15:02] of God to work, is that we get it in a pamphlet. [15:06] In about 30 minutes, we’re the expert on one thing, and then we move on to the next thing.

[15:11] But when you live that kind of life, what you’re actually attempting to do is exactly [15:15] what happened to the nation of Israel, is that you want all of the passion, but you [15:21] don’t want any of the knowledge. [15:23] You want all of the benefits, but none of the maturity. [15:27] You want to begin by building the walls on a house with absolutely no foundation upon [15:32] it.

[15:33] And the problem with wanting to focus solely on the practical matters of your life, solely [15:39] on the day-to-day business of life, is that your life practically will change over and [15:46] over again, and it will go directions that you do not plan for it to go. [15:51] I mean, there’s so many times in my life where I have been preparing for one thing, only [15:55] to have something around the corner that I did not foresee happening, and it changed [16:00] the entire game for me.

[16:02] If you spend all of your time focusing on how to be the best husband ever, and all that [16:07] you’re focused on is, I want to learn how to be a great husband, I want to learn how [16:09] to love my wife, I want to learn to do this. [16:11] And then a doctor’s diagnosis comes, and you don’t know how to handle that.

[16:16] Or that relationship is ruined by nothing that you even did, and you don’t know how [16:20] to handle that. [16:22] Or something comes in that you didn’t see coming, and you don’t know how to handle it, [16:25] because all you were focused on was this one practical matter.

[16:32] And the problem is, is you were trying to paint the walls of the house before building [16:35] the foundation of the house. [16:38] I mean, it’s a pretty important part. [16:40] When you grow up and you become an adult, what happens is, is that the most complicated [16:47] decision you make in life ceases to be what shirt you’re going to wear in the morning, [16:50] and you have to do things like buy houses for your family, and figure out how to fix

[16:54] them up, and just do all these adult-like activities. [16:57] And the reality is, is that you start to learn some things. [17:00] If you ever bought a house, you know that you go through the inspection process, and [17:03] You hire this guy that supposedly knows a lot of stuff to come and actually look at [17:08] things, and then he comes in, and a lot of people have done this, where he starts telling [17:12] you all the things from his report, and you’re just kind of nodding along, even though you

[17:16] have no idea what he’s talking about. [17:17] You’ve never heard of any of this stuff. [17:19] You have no background in construction. [17:21] And he could use words like flim flam and jip-jop, and you would just nod along, like [17:26] that’s actually a part of the house. [17:29] But in that report, they focus a lot on the foundation.

[17:37] And it’s this part of your house that you don’t really think about when you’re buying [17:42] a house. [17:43] You don’t walk in, and some of you are like, well, I did. [17:46] And the first thing you say is, I need to look at the foundation.

[17:52] No, that’s what the person that knows what he’s doing comes in, but then he comes to [17:55] you, and he’s like, there are some serious flaws with the foundation. [17:59] And because the foundation is so off, that’s why there are cracks around the windows. [18:06] That’s why the door doesn’t shut just right. [18:09] That’s why there are these great cracks in the walls. [18:12] And how foolish would you be if your response to that was, well, I’m just going to get

[18:18] some new drapes to cover the fact that the windows are wonky, and I’m just going to [18:22] buy a really cool doorbell so that nobody will notice that it opens wrong, and they’ll [18:26] just be focused on the doorbell. [18:28] I think I can get enough paint in that giant crack in the wall that it’ll seal it up and [18:34] nobody will notice it.

[18:40] No, no.

[18:42] Because foundation is so important that it’s the part of the house that you never see, [18:47] but it’s actually what holds everything together. [18:50] I don’t know if you know this or not, but putting a foundation on a house is not glorious [18:54] work. [18:55] I mean, you’ve got to carry things like cinder blocks. [18:58] Who wants to carry a cinder block?

[19:00] Who wants to deal with masonry? [19:02] Have you ever shaken the hand of a mason? [19:06] Dude needs some lotion, man. [19:08] I mean, that guy’s got some dry hands. [19:11] Because he’s having to do what we would consider the unglorious work. [19:17] But the fact of the matter is, when it comes to the construction of your house, that is

[19:20] what is of primary importance. [19:23] That is what the house will literally rest upon. [19:26] That is literally the thing that you depend on every single day for your floors not to [19:32] just completely give way, for your walls not to completely fall apart. [19:36] And a new coat of paint, practically speaking, will not fix a flawed foundation. [19:45] But so often we do that very thing with our relationship with Jesus Christ.

[19:51] We just want to paint the walls. [19:52] We just want to put a pretty coat of exciting paint. [19:55] We just want it to be a little more exciting. [19:57] And when somebody comes to us and they have the audacity, like I sometimes have the audacity [20:02] to look at you and say, if you want to grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ, you [20:05] need to be in the Word.

[20:07] You need to be in prayer. [20:08] You need to be in relationship with other believers. [20:10] And you’re like, oh my goodness, surely you’ve got something more exciting than that.

[20:17] I don’t.

[20:20] The problem is that you don’t want to carry the cinder blocks. [20:24] All you want to do is paint it a new color. [20:28] But if you paint the exterior of your life a new color without addressing the foundational [20:34] issues of your life where the knowledge of God is concerned, you will go the exact same [20:39] direction of the nation of Israel. [20:41] Ultimately, by the end of your life, you will have redefined faith in Jesus by you.

[20:49] Because it’s all about you and it’s not about God. [20:52] Reality is, following Jesus a lot of times is going to look like carrying cinder blocks. [20:58] Nobody’s paying attention to that guy. [21:00] That’s the crew that shows up before anybody else does. [21:03] Nobody looks at them. [21:04] Nobody cares about them.

[21:05] But they’re doing the most important work. [21:07] And the most important work of your relationship with Jesus Christ is actually getting to know [21:12] who Jesus is. [21:15] Actually getting to know what it is that God is doing in this world. [21:18] Actually getting to know what it is that God wants from your life. [21:22] Passion can go all wrong if it is not built on a foundation of truth.

[21:30] But the reality is zeal’s not a bad thing. [21:34] I mean, passion’s a good thing. [21:35] Look at what Paul’s going to say just two chapters later in Romans 12-11. [21:39] He actually says, he says, do not be slothful in zeal. [21:42] Be fervent in spirit. [21:44] Serve the Lord.

[21:45] So he’s saying, you need passion.

[21:49] But you need passion for the right things. [21:53] You need your passion not to be directed by you, but to be directed by God. [21:57] I mean, the Apostle Paul uses himself as an example of what faulty passion actually looks [22:02] like. [22:02] Look in Acts chapter 22, starting in verse 3, Paul is risking his life preaching the [22:07] gospel in Jerusalem.

[22:09] And he says this, he says, I am a Jew born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this [22:14] city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel, which was a huge thing. [22:18] He was a very important rabbi at that time. [22:20] Paul’s saying, I went to the Harvard of rabbis. [22:24] And he says, according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous [22:29] for God, as all of you are to this day, I persecuted this way, which is what they called

[22:38] Christians at that point, to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women. [22:48] See, Paul uses himself as the example. [22:49] He was so passionate, but he was passionately wrong. [22:56] And I do not want you as a people to grow in passion and just be excited about passion [23:04] and be so passionate about following God. [23:07] But you have no idea who God is.

[23:09] You have no idea what God wants from you. [23:12] You have no idea how to grow in following Jesus. [23:15] And so you go the wrong direction, as many have. [23:21] Because there’s going to come a day in your life, and if you’ve lived long enough, you’ve [23:27] already experienced this, but there’s going to come a day where passion’s not enough.

[23:34] You reach the dip.

[23:37] You experience the valley. [23:40] You experience pain. [23:41] You experience disappointment. [23:42] You experience loss. [23:44] You experience something that you did not see coming around the corner, but it hit you [23:49] like a Mack truck.

[23:52] And in that moment when passion is gone, what kind of foundation are you depending on? [24:01] See, the problem with many of our faith in Jesus is that we’ve built a foundation of [24:06] twigs and Elmer’s glue. [24:08] And we expect a life of Jesus that’s vibrant and exciting and enduring to spring out of [24:15] that foundation. [24:16] It’s not happening.

[24:19] You’ve got to have a foundation that is built for the soil of your life. [24:22] You’ve got to have a foundation that if it’s cinder block, it needs to be cinder block. [24:25] If it needs a crawl space, it’s got to crawl space. [24:27] If it needs to be on stilts, it’s on stilts. [24:29] If it needs to be a slab, it’s a slab. [24:31] You have the right foundation from the right God because you’re building one from what

[24:36] He said His foundation is to be about, and His foundation is to be about the gospel of [24:40] Jesus Christ. [24:42] If you’re not building a foundation upon that, your faith will not endure. [24:48] Your faith will not endure. [24:50] There are many people who go apostate in the faith. [24:52] Their faith doesn’t endure, but it seemed like they were so serious.

[24:56] It seemed like their conversion was so real. [24:58] It seemed like they, I mean, this was a guy that was so excited. [25:02] This was a guy that was so passionate.

[25:07] The fact of the matter is they never built a real foundation.

[25:12] Number two this morning, I want you to understand that Jesus is the end of our explore.

[25:20] Jesus is that sure foundation. [25:22] Jesus is where God wants to take your life. [25:25] Jesus is where God wants your life to stay. [25:28] Jesus is where God wants your life to end. [25:30] Jesus is where God wants you to root your life and build a foundation upon the truth [25:36] of who He is because the truth of who He is, what He has done and what He has promised

[25:40] to do in your life will never fade away. [25:43] Note what He says there in verse four. [25:45] He says for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

[25:54] Look, He says right there. [25:55] He says Jesus is the destination. [25:58] Jesus is where everything was going. [26:00] Jesus is why we can look to God. [26:03] He is the purpose of all things. [26:05] He is where God wants to take every single life.

[26:09] And you say, well, but I’m actually dealing with something that has nothing to do with [26:13] Jesus. [26:14] There’s nothing in your life that doesn’t have to do with Jesus.

[26:19] The whole point of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that every aspect of your life, whether [26:25] you realize it or not, and that’s what faith is all about because you’re not going to realize [26:29] some of it. [26:30] You’re not going to understand how some of the dots connect. [26:34] But they all connect to the gospel of Jesus Christ. [26:37] See, where Israel was going wrong, they were seeking to fulfill the law of God themselves.

[26:43] And Paul gives them hope and a warning here. [26:46] And I love the way that the scriptures do that is they will give us hope. [26:50] But in that hope is also a warning about if we go another direction, we’re going to get [26:54] it all wrong. [26:55] He says Jesus is the end of the law for righteousness. [27:01] He’s telling them that their zeal was hindered by not understanding the promise of God to

[27:06] save them through a Messiah. [27:08] And instead, they were seeking the glory of God and they had turned the law into a mission [27:14] to give themselves glory rather than give glory to God, even though they couldn’t even [27:19] live up to the law to do it. [27:22] And he quotes Deuteronomy chapter 30 verses 12 through 14 here in this section of verses [27:27] that you undoubtedly looked at as I read.

[27:29] And you’re like, what in the world does that mean? [27:32] And it’s okay. [27:34] I know some of you, I know you weren’t reading that and you’re like, man, that is some chicken [27:37] soup for the soul. [27:39] That helps me know how to make this decision or that decision. [27:42] Yeah, man, that just clears everything up where my life is concerned.

[27:45] Oh, if he goes down to the abyss, raises him up from the, mm-hmm. [27:49] Don’t fake it. [27:51] You were sitting there like, what in the world? [27:54] The reality is that that is a good thing. [27:58] See, the problem with some of our lives, the problem specific with the culture that we’re [28:01] in right now, and I would even go as far as to say the problem with people my age and

[28:05] younger is that we’re really good at forming opinions with no knowledge.

[28:11] We’re really good at knowing what we think about something before we know anything about [28:14] something. [28:16] We’re really good at forming an opinion and then saying, well, I’ll get the knowledge [28:19] later but I know what’s right. [28:22] No, you don’t. [28:24] The biggest problem you got in your life is you’re so proud that you don’t want to admit

[28:27] you’re ignorant.

[28:30] And we as a people have decided that ignorance is a dirty word that you should never say [28:35] about yourself. [28:36] And if someone has the audacity to say you’re ignorant about something, that’s like condemning [28:40] you eternally. [28:41] No, if you don’t have the ability to admit that you don’t know something, how can you [28:47] ever learn anything?

[28:50] Admitting your ignorance is one of the best things that you can ever do in your life. [28:55] Admitting that you have a few things that you need to learn from someone or something [29:01] specifically where the gospel and the scriptures are concerned, without the ability to admit [29:05] that you need to learn things, you will never grow. [29:10] You will continue in a state of being ignorantly opinionated. [29:15] And everyone loves that kind of person.

[29:20] But the reality is, it’s one of the most liberating things, one of the most repentant things [29:24] that you can do in your relationship with God. [29:28] Say, there are some things I don’t know and I need to learn.

[29:33] And then keep your mouth shut until you do.

[29:38] It’s liberating. [29:40] But what Paul is saying here is he’s telling us that the error of their way is in the [29:45] way that they used the law of God in their lives. [29:49] They turned prophecies that were about Jesus and made those prophecies about themselves. [29:56] They turned this verse’s meaning into seeking to be so impressive themselves that it would

[30:06] They’re saying, oh, if we’re obedient enough to the law, it’s gonna ascend us and then [30:13] we’ll bring Christ down. [30:15] If we’re obedient enough to the law, then we will descend and be able to bring the Messiah [30:19] up from the dead. [30:20] If we’re obedient enough to the law, if we’re impressive enough to God, our works will earn [30:26] the Messiah.

[30:27] And they were so fervent about their own works and being impressive themselves that the Messiah [30:33] came and they missed him because they didn’t think they were ready yet.

[30:40] Sometimes in your life, Jesus will be standing right in front of you with sufficient grace [30:49] to change everything and your response will be, I don’t think I’m good enough yet. [30:56] I don’t think I’ve earned it yet. [30:59] I don’t think I’m good enough to serve God. [31:01] I need to be a little more obedient. [31:03] I need to earn my place in God’s kingdom a little bit more before I can do anything

[31:07] for God. [31:09] I need to do a little bit more. [31:11] Then I can go to the word. [31:13] Then I can join a village group. [31:15] Then I can be in a discipleship group. [31:18] Then I can start a vibrant prayer life.

[31:20] Then I can start to serve Christ. [31:22] Then I can start to live his mission. [31:24] Then, then, then. [31:26] And for most of you, then will never come.

[31:32] Because what you’re actually doing is displaying a lack of faith in Jesus Christ. [31:38] And that’s what was going on in the life of Israel. [31:41] Because it’s the antithesis to what grace is. [31:45] When Jesus stands right in front of you and says, I have grace sufficient to forgive [31:50] all of your sins. [31:53] To forgive everything that you’ve ever done that was wrong that went against God’s design

[31:57] in your life. [31:59] Every moment of rebellion in your life, Jesus has grace sufficient. [32:04] He has more than that. [32:05] He has righteousness that he wants to give you. [32:07] He has a new life of resurrection that he wants to give you so that you can obey him. [32:13] So that you can live for him.

[32:15] So that you can serve him. [32:16] So that you can know him. [32:18] So that you can be reconciled to God. [32:20] So that you can be in a relationship with other believers. [32:23] So that you can serve him and bring him joy by you having joy in him. [32:27] So that you can worship him and him alone forever.

[32:31] And you standing there saying, but God, I’m not good enough for you. [32:36] Is blasphemy.

[32:40] Because you’re making it all about you.

[32:45] Friend, the gospel reveals to us and it should have revealed to Israel the people who had [32:54] the law, the people who were blessed with the prophets, the people who had the priests, [32:59] the people who had the kings, the nation from which Jesus Christ was born. [33:03] And they were so busy looking into a mirror that the Messiah lived an entire life in front [33:08] of them and they denied him.

[33:13] Friend, you will never measure up. [33:20] And that’s why the gospel is so good. [33:25] Because Jesus did it for you. [33:29] Because Jesus has done it. [33:32] Because Jesus stretched his arms out, died on a cross so that you wouldn’t have to face [33:37] the wrath of God.

[33:38] So that you could be forgiven forever. [33:40] So that you could have a relationship with God. [33:42] Please, please, please do not have the audacity to look at God and say, when I’ve got my life [33:48] right, then I’ll come to you.

[33:51] Because the sad truth is, is that you’ll never be able to come then. [33:56] And Paul explains in the book of Galatians, he tells us why the law was there in the [34:00] first place. [34:01] He says in Galatians 3.24, he says, so then the law was our guardian until Christ came [34:08] in order that we might be justified by faith. [34:11] Other translations say it was the schoolmaster.

[34:14] Other translations say he was our tutor. [34:16] Other translations actually say that he was our schoolmaster to get us there. [34:22] In other words, the law was there so that we would know what we need to be saved from.

[34:29] The law was there so that we would actually see a direct object from which we needed [34:33] to be saved.

[34:36] You see, Jesus is why we can look at the law of God and see beauty rather than condemnation. [34:43] You may be one of those people that looks at the New Testament and reads it and you’re [34:47] like, man, that God seems a lot different than the old God. [34:50] He must have woken up on the right side of the bed that morning when he sent Jesus. [34:53] So what is the purpose of all of the law? [34:56] What’s the point then?

[34:57] Well, first, the purpose of the law was to reveal our great need for God. [35:03] To reveal to us the object from which we need salvation. [35:07] Without the law, we would not know sin. [35:10] Without the law, we would not know the penalty for that sin and we would not understand the [35:14] severity of our sin. [35:17] In Hebrews chapter 5, the author of Hebrews, he writes this, he says,

[35:39] When he said above, you have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings [35:43] and burnt offerings and sin offerings. [35:45] These are offered according to the law. [35:49] Then he added, behold, I have come to do your will. [35:52] He does away with the first in order to establish the second. [35:55] By that will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once

[36:02] for all. [36:04] I mean, you read through the Old Testament and especially the Book of Leviticus, and [36:08] it’s just sacrifice on top of sacrifice. [36:11] They’re getting blood. [36:12] They’re blowing it this way. [36:13] They’re blowing it that way.

[36:15] They’re putting it behind their ear. [36:16] They’re rubbing it on their big toe. [36:18] I mean, they’ve got blood everywhere. [36:20] Then they’ve got fragrant offerings. [36:22] Then they’re baking bread, putting that on a table, and that’s an offering. [36:25] I mean, it’s just sacrifice upon sacrifice upon sacrifice.

[36:29] 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and one more on leap year, that they [36:36] are offering sacrifice upon sacrifice. [36:38] You may start reading through the Old Testament and you say, good night. [36:41] What is the point of all this? [36:43] The point of all that is for you to understand is that it’s never enough.

[36:49] You cannot offer sacrifice so much to God that it will cover up your sin. [36:57] You can’t do it. [36:58] Nothing is enough. [37:00] If you read through the book of Leviticus and you get there and you’re like, good night, [37:03] what’s enough? [37:04] Jesus.

[37:08] And so the book of Hebrews goes to great detail to point us to the fact that over and over [37:12] and over again, animal after animal after animal would not be enough until the unblemished [37:17] lamb of God, God the Son, Jesus Christ came down from heaven to offer himself as a sacrifice [37:25] for your sin, to be your substitute. [37:27] And then once Jesus offered himself on the altar of God, that old rugged cross, what [37:32] actually happened is God looked down and he said, enough.

[37:38] No more sacrifice ever needed. [37:40] This is enough. [37:41] Once for all, forgiveness is earned.

[37:47] And I say that to you in a realization that some of you will still in your life attempt [37:55] to offer God a sacrifice to turn his head towards you.

[38:01] Is that you will seek to barter with God. [38:04] You say, God, I want you to do this thing. [38:08] I want you to do this specific thing and I will give you this. [38:11] I will give you that. [38:13] I will offer sacrifice upon sacrifice. [38:15] If you will just give me this false God that I’m seeking satisfaction in and God will

[38:22] point you over and over again and say no more sacrifices will be accepted because [38:28] they don’t need to be. [38:30] God the Son has died for you to earn for you the favor of God, reconciled relationship [38:36] with God for eternity. [38:38] And he will not give you over to the false gods that you want. [38:43] So I beg you to stop playing that game with God.

[38:48] Stop trying to earn his favor. [38:50] Stop trying to earn his acceptance. [38:54] Stop trying to earn God’s pleasure in your life and look to the gospel where God says, [39:01] I will give you pleasures forevermore through a relationship with my son, Jesus Christ. [39:06] Once for all, because without Jesus, there remains a need for penalties to be paid over [39:13] and over and over again in your life.

[39:14] But through faith in Jesus, no more penalty needs to be paid because Jesus alone can [39:23] offer full payment.

[39:27] Friend, Jesus is the end of our exploring. [39:32] He is enough. [39:35] When we do not rest in him, our restlessness only reveals more rebellion.

[39:44] But Jesus’s grace is sufficient enough for that as well. [39:52] I tell you to trust Christ. [39:54] Trust him.

[39:57] Trust the process of growing in his word. [40:00] Trust the process of growing in relationship with him. [40:04] Trust the process of growing through scripture, growing through community, growing through [40:09] living his mission, growing through praying to him in the dip moments where you’re like, [40:14] I don’t feel like this is going anywhere. [40:16] Trust and you keep going.

[40:20] You keep carrying those cinder blocks of relationship with God. [40:23] You keep diving into those areas that you’re so confused and looking for the answers that [40:28] God does have for you and trust it all because Jesus.

[40:36] But I also want to caution you. [40:38] End of the law does not nullify the law. [40:42] There are some that look at this and they say, wow, look at that Romans 10 for Christ is [40:48] the end of the law. [40:49] Therefore, no more. [40:50] And that’s why sometimes you’ll be in a conversation or maybe you’ve said it.

[40:53] I’ll forgive you if you did. [40:54] But you look to that relationship, you say, oh, let’s not worry about that. [40:57] That’s Old Testament. [40:59] That that’s not binding anymore. [41:01] Don’t say that. [41:02] That’s not good.

[41:04] It’s not it’s not right. [41:05] It’s really, really wrong because the proposition on the end of that sentence is very [41:10] important. [41:10] He says for Christ is the end of law for righteousness. [41:15] Note what Jesus said in Matthew chapter five, verse 17. [41:18] He says, do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.

[41:24] I have come not to abolish them, but to fulfill them. [41:30] You ever read through the Psalms and there are these sections of Psalms where the Psalmist [41:35] is David or sometimes other people who are like, man, the law is beautiful. [41:40] The law is wonderful. [41:41] The law revives my soul. [41:44] You ever read that and thought to yourself, the only thing that’s ever happened to me

[41:47] when I’m reading the law are two things, boredom and guilt.

[41:52] There’s only two things I’ve ever gotten from the laws. [41:53] I don’t know what that guy in Psalms is talking about. [41:56] What the guy in Psalms is talking about is the gospel of Jesus Christ. [42:00] Because when you trust Jesus for your redemption, the law becomes not about your guilt, but [42:07] about the character of God. [42:09] About the beauty of God.

[42:11] When you experience redemption in Jesus Christ, this amazing thing happens in your life where [42:15] the law is concerned and it ceases to be the hammer that is waiting to drop on your head. [42:21] Because if we’re honest without Jesus, that’s what the law is. [42:25] It’s something that I can never live up to. [42:27] It’s something I can never measure up to. [42:29] It’s something I cannot have any hope of ever obeying completely, which is Paul’s point

[42:35] here. But with Jesus, I see it through different eyes. [42:41] The law ceases to be a flashlight in the eyes of a guy who’s been in a dark cave for a while. [42:47] And once you are in the light of Jesus Christ, the law reveals to you this wonderful character [42:53] of God, this wonderful life of God, this wonderful ability to receive from God these [43:00] attributes of how to live a wise life, of how to live an obedient life, of the seriousness [43:06] that he takes against sin, of the protection of family, of the way to live in a government,

[43:11] of the way to form a good government, of the way in which God would have his people conduct [43:16] themselves on morally serious issues, which is why the New Testament keeps bringing it [43:21] up as how we are supposed to live.

[43:25] So it’s not the end of the law. [43:28] It’s the end of the law for righteousness. [43:31] In other words, you don’t go through the law for righteousness. [43:33] You go through Jesus for righteousness and then the law becomes a very beautiful thing.

[43:42] Thirdly, this morning, everyone who submits to the gospel will be saved. [43:49] Everyone who submits to the gospel will be saved. [43:52] Note what he does in verse 9. [43:54] I love it because again, there’s this hope and a warning.

[43:58] So he’s like, you’ve gotten it so wrong. [44:01] You’ve gotten it so wrong. [44:03] You’ve done great damage because you’ve been passionate with no knowledge. [44:06] And because of your lack of knowledge, you’ve changed the Old Testament into being about [44:10] you rather than being about God. [44:12] And then in verse 9, he comes in and he says, but there’s still hope.

[44:16] Note what he says.

[44:18] He says, but because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, believe in your [44:26] heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [44:30] For with the heart one believes and is justified and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

[44:38] Here’s what I don’t want to do with this. [44:41] I don’t want to trivialize this into a mantra, into a simple saying that you can do to save [44:47] your life and not really mean it. [44:50] What I want you to understand is what he’s saying here is that Jesus bridges all gaps [44:53] and breaks down all barriers. [44:56] Jesus’s fulfillment of the law is about our inability to fulfill the law.

[45:01] We cannot reconcile ourselves to God. [45:02] Therefore, he reconciles us to God. [45:05] Jesus’s work is complete because he has paid the penalty. [45:08] And if he’s paid the penalty, if it’s been paid in full, then you don’t need to repay it. [45:14] But what often happens is, is that we look at this and Paul is not saying to us, aha, [45:20] if you go and you tell someone, look, if you repeat after me, you don’t have to go to hell.

[45:26] I’m going to give you a mantra. [45:28] I’m going to give you some magic words and you say those magic words and you’re good to go with God. [45:34] That’s not what he’s talking about here. [45:35] Here’s why. [45:36] In the gospel account, Jesus says when he’s accused of eating his hands without wash, [45:41] eating without washing his hands first.

[45:43] Kids don’t do that. [45:44] Jesus is allowed to. [45:46] But they call him and they say, oh, no, the food that you’ve eaten, it has made you unclean. [45:52] And Jesus, he’s a wordsmith and he looks back at them and he says, it is not what goes into the mouth [45:57] that makes a man unclean, but instead is what proceeds out of the mouth that makes him unclean. [46:01] What Jesus is actually saying is, is that what happens is, is that whatever is in your heart,

[46:07] whatever is true of you to the core of who you are, that is what you will testify to. [46:13] That is the confession that you will make. [46:15] And that is why he says, if you confess Jesus and believe in your heart, then you will be saved. [46:24] He is not saying, say a few words and it’s over. [46:29] No, he’s saying believe in Jesus because here’s the thing you got to understand. [46:34] If you understand that you’ve sinned against a holy and mighty God and that God deservedly.

[46:41] Is going to pour his wrath on you and you will pay the penalty for rebellion against him. [46:47] And then someone comes to you with the knowledge of the gospel and says, I’ve got good news. [46:52] That God that deserves to get wrath from your life, that very same God, because of love, [46:58] has actually sent his son to take the penalty that you deserve. [47:03] And Jesus did. [47:05] He substituted himself for you, died for your sin, absorbed the wrath of God so that you won’t have to.

[47:13] And then after his death, he rose again to eternally defeat sin and death for you so that you can have victory, [47:21] so that you can be reconciled to God forever. [47:25] If you hear that, you look to it and you say, that is good news.

[47:31] I need it. [47:33] I want it. [47:34] I treasure it. [47:36] I cling to it. [47:38] That is what I need in my life. [47:41] Jesus is God.

[47:43] Jesus can save me. [47:45] I will follow Christ.

[47:50] You see, that’s a confession that comes from the heart.

[47:54] That’s what Paul is talking about here.

[47:58] Paul informs us here that confession is no trivial thing. [48:02] It’s no mantra that we can say flippantly. [48:05] It’s not just magic words that can save us instead. [48:08] It goes to the heart.

[48:12] To believe in your heart means that you receive the news of what Jesus has done. [48:15] You cling to it with everything that you have in your life. [48:20] Because you know that there’s a God. [48:22] And you know that more than that, there’s a God that’s involved. [48:25] And you know that God saves and you know you need to be saved.

[48:33] You see, friend, without that knowledge, you won’t be saved.

[48:37] Without that understanding, without that belief, without that confession that springs [48:41] forward from your heart, you’ll be lost forever in your rebellion.

[48:47] And that’s also what forms our mission because it rocks us to the core of our lives.

[48:55] And it’s got to. [48:57] If it doesn’t, then what happened? [49:00] Nothing. [49:01] But it changes the very mission for your life because it informs us. [49:06] I mean, think about this true thing. [49:08] Everyone who submits to the gospel will be saved.

[49:12] And if you’ve been saved by the gospel, what will you do for those around you? [49:17] You will tell them of the gospel. [49:20] It is information that you have received that has changed your life. [49:26] And if you have love in your heart, specifically the love of God, will you not live [49:32] with the mission to tell others about this good news of Jesus Christ?

[49:39] What if you don’t?

[49:43] Friend, if the gospel has come into your life and it has not changed the life that [49:47] you live or the mission that you live for, then you’re not going to be saved. [49:50] Did you really believe the gospel?

[49:55] If the gospel didn’t change you specifically the way that God says it must change you. [50:00] Then what do you have? [50:02] I do not know that you have the gospel because if you’ve been saved by him, you [50:06] will be changed by him and you will live to take his message to as many people as [50:12] possible in your lifetime. [50:13] Why?

[50:14] Because we have a rock solid promise from God that everyone who submits to the gospel [50:21] will be saved and we have a rock solid warning from God that everyone who does not [50:27] submit to the gospel will not be saved.

[50:32] Therefore, we have a mission if we believe the gospel.

[50:37] I guess that’s the hinge.

[50:41] If we believe the gospel.

[50:45] So I have a very simple question for you.

[50:50] What are you living for?

[50:54] Are you living to make much of yourself and whatever you think life is about? [51:00] Or to make much of Jesus?

[51:03] Does your life and mouth confess the great God and King that showed us who he is and [51:09] then gave us his life through the cross and resurrection? [51:13] I’m not talking about momentary lapses in judgment where you sin. [51:19] I’m not talking about moments where you’ve struggled and given into temptation. [51:23] I’m talking about what defines your life and what does your life say defines your life.

[51:33] Overall, is it the gospel?

[51:38] If it is not, then all you have is a passion that’s not going to get you anywhere.

[51:49] As the band comes up, I want to leave you with one question and then a statement.

[51:56] The question is, is right where you are in this moment, I want you to be honest with me. [52:03] Have you trusted Christ? [52:08] I mean really.

[52:10] You really trusted Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins. [52:14] Have you really trusted Jesus to save you? [52:18] Are you treasuring the gospel in your life? [52:22] Because that’s what it makes in us if we’re growing in it.

[52:30] If you’re sitting in here today and maybe you’re being honest, maybe it’s the first time you’ve ever been honest, maybe you’ve been honest for a while. [52:38] And you’re saying either A, no, or B, I don’t know. [52:45] I’m having some doubts.

[52:48] You’re not in a bad place if maybe for the first time in your life, you’re being honest.

[52:55] Like I said, that’s a good thing. [52:57] It can be a liberating thing if you go in the right direction with that question and you see the reality that Jesus is the end of your exploring.

[53:08] Because the answer if you haven’t trusted Jesus, friend, is that you need to trust Jesus. [53:13] I want you to know this morning that you can be saved forever.

[53:20] Jesus is enough. [53:23] If you’re in here, I don’t want you just to make some confession. [53:27] I don’t want you just to say some magic words. [53:29] What I want from you is I want you to bring your questions. [53:32] I want you to understand. [53:33] So there’s people in the back.

[53:35] There are people in the foyer this morning that would love to talk to you about the gospel of Jesus. [53:39] I would love to answer any questions that you may have about him. [53:43] I would love to pray with you, pray for you and help you trust in Jesus as your savior today. [53:49] If that’s you in a few minutes when we transition into a time of communion, I’m going to ask you to step out. [53:55] I’m going to ask you to go out there and talk to someone. [53:58] But this morning, if you’re in here and you have trusted Jesus, I want you to be assured this morning that he is enough.

[54:08] That he has earned for you your acceptance with God. [54:11] That he has reconciled you with the Father forever. [54:15] That there’s nothing more that needs to be done in your life for you to be good enough for God. [54:21] That there’s nothing more that needs to be done in your life for you to be lovable enough for God.

[54:28] You don’t have to fight for it anymore. [54:30] You don’t have to fight for his favor. [54:32] Friend, even if you’re doubting this morning, I want you to know that Jesus is enough. [54:37] He loves you. [54:38] He loves you so much he died for you. [54:41] He has earned your acceptance with God.

[54:43] His love is enough for you. [54:47] It’s not about you being good enough. [54:49] It’s about him being loving enough. [54:51] And he is. [54:53] You don’t need anybody’s acceptance except Jesus. [54:56] And he gives it as a gift.

[54:59] And if you’ve trusted in Jesus, I’m going to invite you to the front or to the back to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. [55:05] The bread represents his broken body. [55:07] The cup represents his shed blood. [55:10] As you eat and drink, celebrate the fact that God loves you. [55:19] When you’re ready, come.