September 7, 2025 • 36 mins
Tucked between the assurance of Romans 8 and the practical guidance of Romans 12-16 lies what Pastor Taylor calls "the monster in the middle" – the challenging theological territory of Romans 9-11. But far from something to fear, these chapters contain profound truths about God's mercy and our mission.
The sermon begins with a powerful contrast: how can Paul transition from the triumphant declarations of Romans 8 to expressing "great sorrow and unceasing anguish" in Romans 9? The answer reveals the heart of true salvation – when we genuinely experience God's grace, we become burdened for those who haven't.
Through a recent baptism story, Pastor Taylor illustrates the difference between inherited religion and personal faith. Skip didn't receive salvation merely by being born into a Christian family; he reached a point where faith became truly his own. This perfectly parallels Paul's message that being physically descended from Abraham isn't enough – one must be spiritually connected through faith.
The most compelling moment comes through a thought-provoking analogy: Imagine having a coupon that could instantly pay off someone's mortgage but being too afraid to share it because you might explain it poorly, face difficult questions, or offend them. How absurd! Yet we often withhold the infinitely more valuable gospel for these very reasons.
"I love the gospel articulated poorly more than anything else articulated well," Pastor Taylor declares, challenging us to overcome our hesitation in sharing Christ. The sermon concludes with a practical challenge: identify one specific person in your life who needs Jesus, pray for an opportunity to share, and when that opportunity comes, set aside your fears and trust the Holy Spirit.
Changed lives desire to see changed lives. Changed lives understand that only God's mercy changes lives. And changed lives boldly proclaim the truth that changes lives. Who is that person God has positioned you to reach?
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:23):
1st Baptist Baptist El Dorado, will you join me now
in listening to our sermon fromthis week If you'll open with me
to Romans, chapter 9, that'swhere we'll be this morning as
we continue in our walk throughRomans, as we've completed our
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series through Romans, chapter 8.
Today we'll be in chapters 9and 10, a few verses from each
I'm going to read for us,actually in chapter 10, starting
in verse 9.
Because if you confess withyour mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart thatGod raised him from the dead,
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you will be saved.
For with the heart one believesand is justified, and with the
mouth one confesses and is saved.
Pray with me, lord, jesus.
We do thank you for that truth.
Thank you for that truth thatif we confess with our mouth
that you are Lord, believe thatyou raised your son, jesus
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Christ, from the dead Lord, thatwe will be saved.
And so, lord, I thank you foryour salvation.
As we've studied throughoutRomans, chapter 8, this is the
salvation that changeseverything, both now and for
eternity, a salvation thatcannot be taken from us, that we
can have full assurance in, andwhat a gift that is.
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So, Lord, now, by your spirit,would you speak to our hearts,
lord.
We ask this in Christ's name,amen.
There's a work of literature wehave in our home and actually I
return to it often written by aman, first name Grover, and
quite honestly I'm not familiarwith what his last name is.
(02:10):
But it is the monster at theend of this book.
I don't know if you've heard ofthis one.
The idea of it is and again wereturn to it often that at the
end of this book I kid you not,there is a monster and Grover's
job throughout the entirety ofthis book is just to keep you
from arriving there.
And whatever he can do to keepyou from getting to the end of
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this book he will do.
At one point he puts up thesewooden planks over the door so
you can't pass through.
The problem is for James, forOlivia, even for dad we're too
strong for that and we getthrough.
Then he puts up a brick wall.
Once again, we're able to getthrough it.
What's fascinating is youarrive at the end of the book
and Grover finds out there'sreally no monster there.
(02:54):
The whole time it was just.
It was just Grover, and he's soembarrassed by that.
But it's an interesting bookbecause I would argue this, that
the book of Romans is verysimilar to that if we think
about it.
But the idea is not the monsterat the end of this book, it's
the monster that exists right inthe middle of the book of
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Romans.
Because we're all good inRomans one through eight and we
love it, and rightfully so, andwe've just walked through it.
The story of our salvation, ofour justification, of all that
has happened to us in ChristJesus, by the work of Christ.
We've got that.
And then in chapters 12 through16, it gets unbelievably
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practical a transformed life.
If you've been transformed bythe gospel, what does that look
like?
We can handle the practicalnature of that.
And yet, right in the middle,romans 9 through 11 is what many
would argue are some of thehardest passages in all of
scripture, the most I don't knowthe right word debated.
(04:00):
That makes it sound like we'reon unsure ground.
I don't mean that, but justthere's been many commentaries
written on just chapters 9through 11, trying to figure out
what exactly does it mean?
We're dealing with complexissues of the people of God and
salvation and God's goodpurposes and God's election.
And what do we do with Romans 9through 11?
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I just want to encourage ustoday that, much like Grover
realizes as he arrives at theend of his own book, as we get
to the middle of Romans, there'sreally nothing to be afraid of,
that God has given us Romans 9through 11, just as he's given
us Romans 1 through 16, toencourage our hearts, to tell us
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more and more about the beautyof his salvation and to teach
you and I how we live in lightof what is written here.
So, as we turn to today, lookat a few moments in Romans 9 and
10.
I want us to see three things,and the first thing is this that
changed lives desire to seechanged lives.
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If you are in Christ Jesus, younow have a changed life.
I hope you know that, that ifyou are in Christ Jesus, you
can't read Romans 1 through 8and not know that that your life
is now changed, that you arenow different From the inside
out, start to finish.
You are a new creation and sochanged lives.
Those whose lives have beenchanged desire now to see that
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others' lives are changed aswell.
Look at with me in Romans 9, andI'm just going to read 1
through 5.
I'm speaking the truth inChrist.
I am not lying.
My conscience bears me witnessin the Holy Spirit that I have
great sorrow and unceasinganguish in my heart, for I could
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wish that I myself wereaccursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my brothers, mykinsmen.
According to the flesh they areIsraelites and to them belong
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the adoption, the glory inRomans chapter 8 and the
excitement of it.
There was nothing but joy overthe last five weeks as we've
walked through Romans chaptereight and the excitement of it.
There was nothing but joy overthe last five weeks as we've
walked through Romans chaptereight.
And yet from the very start ofRomans chapter nine, it is a
completely different kind ofemotional environment.
For the apostle Paul, like thesecond Romans eight ends you see
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verses one and two where Pauljust says this hey, in Christ
Jesus, I am not lying, I'mtelling the truth that I have
great sorrow and unceasinganguish in my heart.
And the question really is well, how in the world do you get
there Again from Romans chaptereight where you've seen nothing
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but the absolute assurance ofyour salvation, that in Christ,
nothing can separate you fromthe love of God, not depth nor
height, nor anything else in allcreation.
Your foundation is solid in theperson and work of Christ Jesus
.
And then the very next coupleof verses.
I have great anguish in myheart.
How is this even possible?
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Well, we're going to seeexactly why.
It is possible because the joyof Romans 8 fills our heart with
the joy and assurance of Christ.
But it also lets us knowsomething that in Romans 8, this
is the great gift of ChristJesus.
That in Romans 8, this is thegreat gift of Christ Jesus.
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That, unworthy as I am, I havenow received it.
That great gift is here and forthe taking for anyone who comes
unto Christ.
And then here's the turn to thesorrow.
Yet there is so great a gift,and yet there are so even now,
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in our world, today, all aroundus, that for one of 10 trillion
reasons, haven't come untoChrist, that this is the great
joy we have received, theassurance that we have.
And yet there are so manyaround that that walk through
life without that joy, that walkthrough life burdened by shame
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and guilt, that walk throughlife unaware that the greatest
gift of all is there, ready forthe taking, and yet they will
not come unto Jesus.
Maybe they haven't heard, maybethey have just outright
rejected.
Whatever it may be, there's thejoy of salvation and then even
the sorrow as we look around andsee those, even those we love
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deeply, maybe very close to us,that don't have that same joy.
And Paul sees this very wellbecause he is a Jewish
individual who looks around athis Jewish brothers and sisters
Brothers and sisters by lineage,not right now brothers and
sisters spiritually, becausethey haven't come unto Christ.
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And he looks around and he isin anguish because, though he is
a Jew, he has now seen theultimate fulfillment of all that
the Old Testament pointed to,and he wants nothing more than
to share that gospel with theworld.
And yet, though many Jews, evenin the church at Rome, have
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come to know the Lord JesusChrist Paul knows this there are
many of my ethnic brothers andsisters, ethnic Jews, that have
not, that are still rejectingthe savior, that are still
rejecting the hope that's outthere.
Verse three, for I could wishthat I myself were accursed and
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cut off from Christ for the sakeof my brothers, my kinsmen
according to the flesh.
Think about the dramatic natureof that verse.
You read that right.
Paul says this I could wishthat I were cut off, that I were
on the outside looking in, ifit could mean that these
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brothers, these Jewish brothersand sisters of mine could come
be part of the family of God.
Now I do want to say this thatfor Paul I do.
I would argue that this ishyperbolic language, this is a
exaggerated language.
It would almost like if you andI said you know, I could almost
wish this, I could just almostwish that I were cut off.
(10:43):
I think that for two reasons.
Number one no one rejoices inhis salvation more than Paul.
And Paul knows full well thatone not only does one not have
to be cut off, that others cancome in, he also knows this.
It's just not possible that hecould be cut off, that others
come in.
There was only one that was cutoff that others could come in,
and that's Jesus Christ therighteous on the cross.
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So he knows salvation doesn'twork that way.
And yet still the anguish isthere.
If I could just almost say, hey, I'm on the outside looking in
so that my Jewish brothers andsisters could come home to the
person of the Lord, jesus Christ, I could just almost do it.
It's the same language Mosessays Exodus 32 and verse 32, the
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moment when Moses has been upon the mountain receiving the
law.
He comes down and what are thepeople doing in his absence?
They've put all their jewelrytogether and they formed a
golden calf and they began toworship this calf.
They said here's your God thatbrought you out of Egypt.
And God is not happy about that, nor should he be happy about
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that, and he's just about readyto cut off the people of God and
start all over, just with Moses.
And Moses intercedes for thepeople in Exodus 32, 32.
My paraphrase he just says thisGod, if you could just blot me
out of the book of life and keepthem in, just blot me out and
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keep your people in.
I think Moses knows, like Paulknows, that's not possible.
Moses can't do that, but hedoes intercede for the people.
God spares the people.
He does intercede for thepeople and God spares the people
.
But you see this longing forbrothers and sisters who are on
the outside looking in.
(12:32):
You see Jesus weeping Luke,chapter 19, weeping over
Jerusalem as they have neglectedor rejected the peacemaker.
You see in Matthew 9, jesusclaiming they are like sheep
without a shepherd.
I've brought up, katie and Iour trip to Israel a few times,
but I remember being there inJerusalem If you've been there
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too, you know it arriving at theWestern wall, there, right at
the base of what was the templein Jerusalem, and still to this
day I mean right now, I'mcertain there's many people out
there, many Jewish individualsoffering up their prayers to
their God, waiting on redemption, waiting on this temple to be
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rebuilt, waiting on God tofulfill all of his promises.
Meanwhile, we know that inChrist Jesus, fulfillment has
already come and Paul sits hereto the church at Rome.
He is anticipating anyobjection.
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That's what he does throughoutthe letter.
If you tell me in Romans 8 thatGod fulfills all of his good
purposes, paul, what about theJewish people?
You know, way back in Genesis12, god made a promise to
Abraham that a great familywould come from him who would
bless the nations.
What about the fact, paul, thatif what you say in Romans 1
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through 8 is true, then thereare a lot of Jewish individuals
who are on the outside lookingin?
So how can you say God fulfillshis promise and yet there are
so many Jewish individuals onthe outside looking in?
Paul wants to be ready for thatobjection.
Verse 4, he continues they arethe Israelites.
(14:23):
To them belong adoption, theglory, the covenants, the giving
of the law, the worship, thepromises.
To them belong the patriarchs,and from their race, according
to the flesh, is the Christ whois God over all, blessed forever
.
Amen.
Paul says you're not wrong,you're right about the Jewish
people.
We've said it before.
(14:43):
If they go to ancestrycom andpress enter on their family,
they scroll back all the way andthey see Abraham and Isaac and
Jacob and they see Moses andthey see David and all these
great individuals of the faith.
Here's what Paul even says inthese verses as well.
If they go further, in thatthey can track it all the way,
humanly speaking, to the lineageof the person of Jesus Christ.
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They have an unbelievablelineage.
They've been given the covenantwith unbelievable promises,
given the covenant withunbelievable promises.
But he's about to explain thatit's more than just about
physical lineage.
It's about spiritual lineage,the spiritual promise.
But before I get there, I justwant to say this again change
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lives, desire to see, changelives, to see change lives.
Paul's about to make his case ina beautiful way, but from the
start, before anything else, allhe can say, all he can get
across, is simply this he is inanguish over his brothers and
sisters who are lost.
And I just want to ask you aquestion Are you in anguish over
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your brothers and sisters whoare lost?
They may be at the same officeyou work at.
They may be in the community.
They are in the community youlive.
They may be on the sports teamyou play on or your children or
grandchildren play on.
They may be at the water coolerat work.
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They may be at the coffee shop.
They may be in your home.
Are you burdened for the lost?
Do you have a desire to see thelost found?
Does the joy of Romans 8 andthe assurance of your salvation
and never lose that, never losethat joy?
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But does that lead you andpropel you to tell about that
salvation to those who don't yetknow about it?
Do you have a burden for thelost?
I pray you do.
But not only do changed livesdesire to see changed lives?
Look at this.
Changed lives understand thatonly God's mercy can change
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lives.
Only God's mercy can changelives, verse 6.
But it's not as though the wordof God has failed, for not all
who are descended from Israelbelong to Israel and not all who
are children of Abraham becausethey are his offspring, but
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through Isaac, show youroffspring be named Verse 8,.
This means that it is not thechildren of the flesh who are
the children of God, but it isthe children of the promise who
are counted as offspring.
What Paul wants us to see isthere is no doubt that in
Genesis, chapter 12, god chose apeople.
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God raised up Abraham throughno merit of his own.
In fact, at the time ofAbraham's calling, abraham
didn't know Yahweh from anyoneelse.
In fact, it's likely in hisculture and where he was in the
day, he may have been worshipingall kinds of lowercase g gods
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until the uppercase g god,yahweh, came to him and called
him out and in that moment hefollowed.
The Lord Chose Abraham not ofhis own merit, not of his own
worth, but just of his graciouschoosing, and through him
created a family.
But what Paul wants us to seeis that the family of God exists
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not simply through lineage,physical, earthly lineage, just
being born into it, but aspiritual lineage, that those
who are the children of Abraham,not simply by birth but also by
the promise, but they arechildren of Abraham through the
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promise.
I want to give you anillustration, and the reality is
this.
We have already seen theperfect illustration right here,
right now.
This morning we saw a baptism ofSkip just a few minutes ago.
There's no greater illustrationthan this.
Because think about Skip for amoment.
I don't want to embarrass him,but you just think about this
young man and his faith inChrist Jesus.
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Now you know his parentsunbelievably godly parents, I
mean throughout this processthey've had conversations with
him about the Lord.
He was raised in a Christianhome.
They were here at church.
His parents know Jesus and knowJesus deeply.
This is the home Skip lived in.
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But here's what we didn't do.
We didn't look at Skip and say,hey, buddy, you're good to go,
mom and dad are following theLord, this is a Christian
household, you're good to go.
Here's what's exciting aboutSkip.
Here's why this morning is acelebration because he came to a
point where his faith becamehis faith.
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That it wasn't just aboutlineage, just because I was born
into this home and what ablessing he had to be born into
that home but his faith becamehis.
And that's what's been soexciting about a lot of our
baptisms lately.
I think of Oakley, I think ofGavin, I think about many others
that lately have been baptized.
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They've come to know the Lord,and it's been through
conversations with parents wherethat faith became theirs.
That now Skip and Gavin andOakley and others, they don't
just have the Christian lineagein the family, now they have the
spiritual lineage, and it istheir own in Christ Jesus.
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That's exactly what Paul issaying here.
For my Jewish brothers andsisters, it's not just about
being born into the physicalfamily, but you must take the
step to come into the spiritualfamily, be the children of the
promise.
Fast forward with me to romans 9, verse 30.
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What shall we say then?
That the gentiles, who did notpursue righteousness, have
obtained it, that is, arighteousness that is by faith,
but that israel, who pursued alaw that would lead to
righteousness, did not succeedin reaching the law.
Why?
Because they did not pursue itby faith, but as if it were
based on works.
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They have stumbled over thestumbling stone, as it's written
.
Behold, I'm laying in Zion astone of stumbling and a rock of
offense, and whoever believesin him will not be put to shame.
Paul explains this that so manyGentiles were not pursuing
righteousness by works, and yetin Christ Jesus have now found a
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righteousness.
And yet so many.
Paul says of my Jewish brothersand sisters were seeking that
righteousness through works, bytheir own merit, by their own
power, and because they soughtit by their own works, they've
actually missed it.
Now I do want to say this comeback next week.
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I don't want to discourage youabout our Jewish brothers and
sisters, because Romans 11 is anexciting one.
There is a day in the futurewhere many of our Jewish friends
Lord it's amazing to thinkabout.
There will be a revival amongthe Jews one of these days and I
can't wait for that moment.
So I'm not.
(22:23):
I'm not leaving us on a downer.
Come back next week.
But Paul just sees his brothersand sisters who have sought a
righteousness by anything otherthan the mercy of Christ.
Changed lives.
Understand that only God'smercy can change lives.
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Change lives as we saw at thebeginning.
Desire to see changed lives.
I want to end on this Changedlives.
Proclaim the truth that changeslives.
Changed lives.
Proclaim the truth that changeslives.
Look with me at Romans 10 as Ifast forward again Verse 9,.
I read it earlier.
But if you confess with yourmouth that Jesus is Lord and
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believe in your heart that Godraised him from the dead, you
will be saved.
For with the heart one believesand is justified.
With the mouth one confesses.
And Do you want to know wheresalvation lies?
It lies right here Romans 10, 9.
(23:28):
Confess with your mouth.
Jesus is Lord.
Believe that God raised himfrom the dead.
I have sat across from a tableof six, seven, eight-year-olds
who are thinking about salvationand read that verse and asked
them the very simple question doyou believe that Jesus is Lord?
And they say yes.
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Do you believe God raised himfrom the dead?
And they say yes.
And I say well, I got good news.
Buddy, sounds to me like youknow Jesus personally.
Sounds to me like you've made astand for Christ Jesus.
But let me tell you what I'vealso done.
I've sat across a table fromChristians who have been
Christians for decades and yetare just walking through doubt
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in their faith, just walkingthrough questions of can I know
that?
I know that, I know that I'msaved, can I know that my sin
can be forgiven?
And again I look at this verseand just let me ask you this
question Do you believe thatJesus is Lord?
Do you believe that God raisedhim from the dead?
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And I just get to tell him hey,you should never take Pastor
Taylor's word for it, just takeGod's word for it, that that is
the way to salvation.
Do you have that confession inyour heart, in your life?
Do you know that this is trueof you and for Jews, and for
Gentiles and for anyone?
What is the way to salvation?
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Confess with your mouth Jesusis Lord.
Believe God raised him from thedead.
Know that it is from him andhim alone that you are saved.
Not by my works, my actions, mymerits.
I can't earn it, I don'tdeserve it, but in Christ it is
freely given.
That's the way to salvation.
And we continue.
Verse 12,.
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For there's no distinctionbetween Jew and Greek, for the
same Lord is Lord of all,bestowing his riches on all who
call on him, for everyone whocalls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.
Verse 14,.
How, then, will they call onhim whom they have not believed?
How are they to believe in himwhom they have not heard?
How are they to hear withoutsomeone preaching, and how are
(25:40):
they to preach unless they aresent?
Paul shows us, as he has beenthroughout all of Romans, the
way to salvation, and then hemakes this turn for the believer
, whether you're talking to Jewsor Gentiles or anyone in the
(26:03):
world.
It is now your job, yourobligation, your duty to do what
?
To proclaim the gospel that youknow, that you believe, that
you have received.
That is our next step, not juston Paul's authority, on Jesus's
(26:24):
authority Matthew 28,.
Go and make disciples, teachingthem, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, son and HolySpirit.
This is what the believer doesproclaims the good news that he
or she has been given.
And you say this.
You say Taylor.
Here's the problem with verse14 and 15.
You're trying to, you know,trick me a little bit, because I
(26:45):
see there it says preaching.
It's about preaching the goodnews.
So really, taylor, that's yourjob.
And let me just tell you I willkeep preaching the good news.
I promise you that I won'tchange that.
But I would think about it likethis for every one of you.
It's not just about being inthis pulpit, it's about
proclaiming in every area ofyour lives, because you are a
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proclaimer of the gospel.
You are a preacher of thegospel everywhere you go.
And I'm just going to tell youthe truth there are people in
your sphere of influence thatneed to hear you proclaim the
gospel because the truth is,they'd never consider coming
into a room like this, at leastnot at first, whether this
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room's just too big, too grand.
I got to get dressed up on aSunday morning.
Whatever it might be, theymight not consider coming here,
but you know where they willhear you out the places you are
every day, like I said earlierthe water cooler, the sports
field, your class at school,whatever it might be.
You are a proclaimer of thegospel.
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Now, sometimes we object to thatbecause we just say am I ready
for that Lord?
Do I have everything figuredout in my spiritual life?
Am I really worthy to be onethat's now telling others all
about the faith?
Can I share the faith?
I want to think about somethingfor a second.
Let's say this morning that Ihad a very unique gift.
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I had a coupon.
This morning I wish it weretrue that, though it expired at
the end of the year, I've stillgot a few months that I can hand
you this coupon and you canturn it in to your lending
company, your bank, and yourmortgage is paid off.
Literally, I just hand you that, you turn that little coupon in
, mortgage is gone.
(28:41):
You never have to worry, you'renever making a house payment
again.
This is great news, is it not?
But we get to the end of theyear and you find out that I
haven't actually given mine toanybody and you say what a waste
.
Why didn't you do it?
And I tell you the fewobjections that I've made.
Number one I was scared Icouldn't articulate it well that
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I was just nervous with thiscoupon.
I don't live in the mortgagelending world.
I don't live in the mortgagelending world.
I don't live in the bank world.
I don't have all the terms toreally explain what this means
of how your debt can be paid off.
I don't know all the terms andI was just nervous I wouldn't
articulate it well.
And number two is this I wasactually afraid you were going
(29:28):
to ask me a question I didn'tknow the answer to, because
there's some specificity toevery single mortgage.
Are you 15?
Are you 30 years?
Your interest rate is this.
Your interest rate is that.
Again, I don't really speak thelanguage because that's not the
world I live in.
So what if you had asked me aquestion I didn't know the
answer to and I just kind ofembarrassed myself, or even
(29:49):
embarrassed the church or Godbecause I illustration is losing
there, or embarrassed the banklender because I can't explain
it well?
Or what if this?
What if, in that moment, I justoffend you?
What if you get offended andyou say, taylor, my wife and I?
Or you say my husband and I, wework hard, we don't need
(30:11):
anybody to pay off our mortgage.
We've never missed a monthlypayment.
We come together every monthand we make that payment
together.
Well, why did you think wewould need anybody to pay off
that mortgage?
And I come with theseobjections and you hear those
objections and you realize howabsolutely ridiculous every one
of those is.
(30:32):
And yet, you and I, every daybecause I shattered the
illustration a moment ago we sithere with the greatest gift the
reality of Romans 1 through 8,and we're tempted to not tell
others about the very gracewe've received.
Why?
What if I can't explain itright?
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What if they ask me a questionI don't know the full or perfect
answer to?
What if I offend them?
And all the while, there arepeople who are on the road to
spending eternity outside ofChrist.
And yet you and I sit here onthe road to eternal life in
Christ Jesus.
(31:16):
And how badly a lost world needsto hear of the gospel that you
possess, and so for everyone inthis room, in Christ Jesus, you
are called to be a proclaimer ofthe gospel.
This is your assignment, thisis your duty.
(31:37):
Let me take it a step further.
This should be your joy.
I want to be clear.
You don't have to do this.
Well, it is a command.
But you get to do this.
You get to tell others aboutthe greatest news.
Say for a moment, I did havethat little coupon I mentioned.
(31:57):
I wouldn't get out of this roombefore I handed it to somebody.
I'd be so excited to give thataway.
And yet I possess something fargreater.
We get to tell a lost worldthat there is hope.
Think about your life beforeChrist Jesus.
Think about what Christ hasdone for you.
(32:19):
Think about, in the good times,the bad times, every time in
between, how Christ has impactedyour life and changed
everything.
Think about the assurance youhave in Christ Jesus and think
about the joy of getting to tellsomeone else about it.
(32:39):
That's not news we keep toourselves.
That's not news we hide.
That's news that we can't waitto give away, because there is a
Savior.
He saved my life Through thecross.
(33:01):
He forgives my sins and, likePaul, I can say and I'm the
chief of sinners, and so if Iknow he can save me, I know he's
got something for you, I knowhe can do for you what he's done
for me Changed lives, desire tosee changed lives.
(33:22):
They know that lives are onlychanged by God's mercy and they
cannot wait to give out thatlife changing news.
I want to leave you withsomething, a piece of homework.
Who is that person in your lifethat you know needs Jesus?
(33:43):
I want you to put in your mindright now, a name and a face to
it right now, a name and a faceto it.
Nothing general.
I want you specific.
Who is that person that needsJesus, that doesn't know him,
and that person in your lifethat you know that you are in
the perfect position, thatsphere of influence in their
(34:06):
lives, that you can be the oneto tell them about Jesus.
Who is that person?
Here is your job to pray forthat person, to pray for the
opportunity.
Let me tell you a prayer Godloves to answer.
Hey God, would you give me anopportunity to share the gospel
with this person?
My goodness, you think God'ssitting in heaven thinking I
(34:27):
don't know if I want to answerthat he can't wait to answer
that one.
Watch how fast you get theopportunity to share the good
news of Jesus.
But you pray for an opportunityand when that opportunity comes
, cast every fear aside.
What if they ask me somequestion?
What if I don't articulate it?
You know what I love more.
I love the gospel articulatedpoorly, more than anything else
(34:49):
in the world articulated well.
Just give them the gospel andsee what the Holy Spirit's up to
in that moment.
Pray with me, lord Jesus, thankyou for the truth of changed
(35:10):
lives in Christ Jesus.
Lord, you are a life-changingGod and there are so many in
this room, lord, that can givetestimony of your life change.
And so, even now, if there'sone in this room that doesn't
have that testimony of lifechange, maybe this morning is
their morning that they wouldboldly come and just chat with
me or chat with their neighborin the pew and just talk more
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about Jesus.
Maybe there's someone thatwants to be a part of this
church and walk towards Jesuswith this community.
Would today be their day?
I'll be down front.
Would love to chat about that.
Lord.
Whatever the decision may be,let us respond because the truth
is Lord.
We all have a response.
Our response may be just topray right where we're at Pray
(35:53):
for that one person in our mindthat needs to hear about Jesus.
Maybe our response is just inthis moment of surrender, saying
Lord, I surrender to you and toyour will for my life, I
surrender to your calling on mylife to proclaim the gospel,
even to that one person I'mthinking of now.
Maybe our response is justworship, worship, the one who
(36:17):
has saved us in Christ Jesus andcalls us now to proclaim that
truth far and wide, even to theends of the earth.
Whatever our response is, letus worship now and let us
respond now in Christ's name.
Amen.
Would you stand as we worship?
Whatever our response is, letus worship now and let us
respond now In Christ's name.
Amen.
Would you stand as we worship?
1st Baptist Baptist El Dorado, will you join me now
in listening to our sermon fromthis week If you'll open with me
to Romans, chapter 9, that'swhere we'll be this morning as
we continue in our walk throughRomans, as we've completed our
(00:46):
series through Romans, chapter 8.
Today we'll be in chapters 9and 10, a few verses from each
I'm going to read for us,actually in chapter 10, starting
in verse 9.
Because if you confess withyour mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart thatGod raised him from the dead,
(01:08):
you will be saved.
For with the heart one believesand is justified, and with the
mouth one confesses and is saved.
Pray with me, lord, jesus.
We do thank you for that truth.
Thank you for that truth thatif we confess with our mouth
that you are Lord, believe thatyou raised your son, jesus
(01:28):
Christ, from the dead Lord, thatwe will be saved.
And so, lord, I thank you foryour salvation.
As we've studied throughoutRomans, chapter 8, this is the
salvation that changeseverything, both now and for
eternity, a salvation thatcannot be taken from us, that we
can have full assurance in, andwhat a gift that is.
(01:49):
So, Lord, now, by your spirit,would you speak to our hearts,
lord.
We ask this in Christ's name,amen.
There's a work of literature wehave in our home and actually I
return to it often written by aman, first name Grover, and
quite honestly I'm not familiarwith what his last name is.
(02:10):
But it is the monster at theend of this book.
I don't know if you've heard ofthis one.
The idea of it is and again wereturn to it often that at the
end of this book I kid you not,there is a monster and Grover's
job throughout the entirety ofthis book is just to keep you
from arriving there.
And whatever he can do to keepyou from getting to the end of
(02:33):
this book he will do.
At one point he puts up thesewooden planks over the door so
you can't pass through.
The problem is for James, forOlivia, even for dad we're too
strong for that and we getthrough.
Then he puts up a brick wall.
Once again, we're able to getthrough it.
What's fascinating is youarrive at the end of the book
and Grover finds out there'sreally no monster there.
(02:54):
The whole time it was just.
It was just Grover, and he's soembarrassed by that.
But it's an interesting bookbecause I would argue this, that
the book of Romans is verysimilar to that if we think
about it.
But the idea is not the monsterat the end of this book, it's
the monster that exists right inthe middle of the book of
(03:16):
Romans.
Because we're all good inRomans one through eight and we
love it, and rightfully so, andwe've just walked through it.
The story of our salvation, ofour justification, of all that
has happened to us in ChristJesus, by the work of Christ.
We've got that.
And then in chapters 12 through16, it gets unbelievably
(03:37):
practical a transformed life.
If you've been transformed bythe gospel, what does that look
like?
We can handle the practicalnature of that.
And yet, right in the middle,romans 9 through 11 is what many
would argue are some of thehardest passages in all of
scripture, the most I don't knowthe right word debated.
(04:00):
That makes it sound like we'reon unsure ground.
I don't mean that, but justthere's been many commentaries
written on just chapters 9through 11, trying to figure out
what exactly does it mean?
We're dealing with complexissues of the people of God and
salvation and God's goodpurposes and God's election.
And what do we do with Romans 9through 11?
(04:22):
I just want to encourage ustoday that, much like Grover
realizes as he arrives at theend of his own book, as we get
to the middle of Romans, there'sreally nothing to be afraid of,
that God has given us Romans 9through 11, just as he's given
us Romans 1 through 16, toencourage our hearts, to tell us
(04:43):
more and more about the beautyof his salvation and to teach
you and I how we live in lightof what is written here.
So, as we turn to today, lookat a few moments in Romans 9 and
10.
I want us to see three things,and the first thing is this that
changed lives desire to seechanged lives.
(05:04):
If you are in Christ Jesus, younow have a changed life.
I hope you know that, that ifyou are in Christ Jesus, you
can't read Romans 1 through 8and not know that that your life
is now changed, that you arenow different From the inside
out, start to finish.
You are a new creation and sochanged lives.
Those whose lives have beenchanged desire now to see that
(05:29):
others' lives are changed aswell.
Look at with me in Romans 9, andI'm just going to read 1
through 5.
I'm speaking the truth inChrist.
I am not lying.
My conscience bears me witnessin the Holy Spirit that I have
great sorrow and unceasinganguish in my heart, for I could
(05:50):
wish that I myself wereaccursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my brothers, mykinsmen.
According to the flesh they areIsraelites and to them belong
(06:19):
the adoption, the glory inRomans chapter 8 and the
excitement of it.
There was nothing but joy overthe last five weeks as we've
walked through Romans chaptereight and the excitement of it.
There was nothing but joy overthe last five weeks as we've
walked through Romans chaptereight.
And yet from the very start ofRomans chapter nine, it is a
completely different kind ofemotional environment.
For the apostle Paul, like thesecond Romans eight ends you see
(06:41):
verses one and two where Pauljust says this hey, in Christ
Jesus, I am not lying, I'mtelling the truth that I have
great sorrow and unceasinganguish in my heart.
And the question really is well, how in the world do you get
there Again from Romans chaptereight where you've seen nothing
(07:01):
but the absolute assurance ofyour salvation, that in Christ,
nothing can separate you fromthe love of God, not depth nor
height, nor anything else in allcreation.
Your foundation is solid in theperson and work of Christ Jesus
.
And then the very next coupleof verses.
I have great anguish in myheart.
How is this even possible?
(07:22):
Well, we're going to seeexactly why.
It is possible because the joyof Romans 8 fills our heart with
the joy and assurance of Christ.
But it also lets us knowsomething that in Romans 8, this
is the great gift of ChristJesus.
That in Romans 8, this is thegreat gift of Christ Jesus.
(07:44):
That, unworthy as I am, I havenow received it.
That great gift is here and forthe taking for anyone who comes
unto Christ.
And then here's the turn to thesorrow.
Yet there is so great a gift,and yet there are so even now,
(08:09):
in our world, today, all aroundus, that for one of 10 trillion
reasons, haven't come untoChrist, that this is the great
joy we have received, theassurance that we have.
And yet there are so manyaround that that walk through
life without that joy, that walkthrough life burdened by shame
(08:31):
and guilt, that walk throughlife unaware that the greatest
gift of all is there, ready forthe taking, and yet they will
not come unto Jesus.
Maybe they haven't heard, maybethey have just outright
rejected.
Whatever it may be, there's thejoy of salvation and then even
the sorrow as we look around andsee those, even those we love
(08:54):
deeply, maybe very close to us,that don't have that same joy.
And Paul sees this very wellbecause he is a Jewish
individual who looks around athis Jewish brothers and sisters
Brothers and sisters by lineage,not right now brothers and
sisters spiritually, becausethey haven't come unto Christ.
(09:16):
And he looks around and he isin anguish because, though he is
a Jew, he has now seen theultimate fulfillment of all that
the Old Testament pointed to,and he wants nothing more than
to share that gospel with theworld.
And yet, though many Jews, evenin the church at Rome, have
(09:37):
come to know the Lord JesusChrist Paul knows this there are
many of my ethnic brothers andsisters, ethnic Jews, that have
not, that are still rejectingthe savior, that are still
rejecting the hope that's outthere.
Verse three, for I could wishthat I myself were accursed and
(10:00):
cut off from Christ for the sakeof my brothers, my kinsmen
according to the flesh.
Think about the dramatic natureof that verse.
You read that right.
Paul says this I could wishthat I were cut off, that I were
on the outside looking in, ifit could mean that these
(10:21):
brothers, these Jewish brothersand sisters of mine could come
be part of the family of God.
Now I do want to say this thatfor Paul I do.
I would argue that this ishyperbolic language, this is a
exaggerated language.
It would almost like if you andI said you know, I could almost
wish this, I could just almostwish that I were cut off.
(10:43):
I think that for two reasons.
Number one no one rejoices inhis salvation more than Paul.
And Paul knows full well thatone not only does one not have
to be cut off, that others cancome in, he also knows this.
It's just not possible that hecould be cut off, that others
come in.
There was only one that was cutoff that others could come in,
and that's Jesus Christ therighteous on the cross.
(11:05):
So he knows salvation doesn'twork that way.
And yet still the anguish isthere.
If I could just almost say, hey, I'm on the outside looking in
so that my Jewish brothers andsisters could come home to the
person of the Lord, jesus Christ, I could just almost do it.
It's the same language Mosessays Exodus 32 and verse 32, the
(11:28):
moment when Moses has been upon the mountain receiving the
law.
He comes down and what are thepeople doing in his absence?
They've put all their jewelrytogether and they formed a
golden calf and they began toworship this calf.
They said here's your God thatbrought you out of Egypt.
And God is not happy about that, nor should he be happy about
(11:49):
that, and he's just about readyto cut off the people of God and
start all over, just with Moses.
And Moses intercedes for thepeople in Exodus 32, 32.
My paraphrase he just says thisGod, if you could just blot me
out of the book of life and keepthem in, just blot me out and
(12:12):
keep your people in.
I think Moses knows, like Paulknows, that's not possible.
Moses can't do that, but hedoes intercede for the people.
God spares the people.
He does intercede for thepeople and God spares the people
.
But you see this longing forbrothers and sisters who are on
the outside looking in.
(12:32):
You see Jesus weeping Luke,chapter 19, weeping over
Jerusalem as they have neglectedor rejected the peacemaker.
You see in Matthew 9, jesusclaiming they are like sheep
without a shepherd.
I've brought up, katie and Iour trip to Israel a few times,
but I remember being there inJerusalem If you've been there
(12:54):
too, you know it arriving at theWestern wall, there, right at
the base of what was the templein Jerusalem, and still to this
day I mean right now, I'mcertain there's many people out
there, many Jewish individualsoffering up their prayers to
their God, waiting on redemption, waiting on this temple to be
(13:18):
rebuilt, waiting on God tofulfill all of his promises.
Meanwhile, we know that inChrist Jesus, fulfillment has
already come and Paul sits hereto the church at Rome.
He is anticipating anyobjection.
(13:40):
That's what he does throughoutthe letter.
If you tell me in Romans 8 thatGod fulfills all of his good
purposes, paul, what about theJewish people?
You know, way back in Genesis12, god made a promise to
Abraham that a great familywould come from him who would
bless the nations.
What about the fact, paul, thatif what you say in Romans 1
(14:03):
through 8 is true, then thereare a lot of Jewish individuals
who are on the outside lookingin?
So how can you say God fulfillshis promise and yet there are
so many Jewish individuals onthe outside looking in?
Paul wants to be ready for thatobjection.
Verse 4, he continues they arethe Israelites.
(14:23):
To them belong adoption, theglory, the covenants, the giving
of the law, the worship, thepromises.
To them belong the patriarchs,and from their race, according
to the flesh, is the Christ whois God over all, blessed forever
.
Amen.
Paul says you're not wrong,you're right about the Jewish
people.
We've said it before.
(14:43):
If they go to ancestrycom andpress enter on their family,
they scroll back all the way andthey see Abraham and Isaac and
Jacob and they see Moses andthey see David and all these
great individuals of the faith.
Here's what Paul even says inthese verses as well.
If they go further, in thatthey can track it all the way,
humanly speaking, to the lineageof the person of Jesus Christ.
(15:07):
They have an unbelievablelineage.
They've been given the covenantwith unbelievable promises,
given the covenant withunbelievable promises.
But he's about to explain thatit's more than just about
physical lineage.
It's about spiritual lineage,the spiritual promise.
But before I get there, I justwant to say this again change
(15:30):
lives, desire to see, changelives, to see change lives.
Paul's about to make his case ina beautiful way, but from the
start, before anything else, allhe can say, all he can get
across, is simply this he is inanguish over his brothers and
sisters who are lost.
And I just want to ask you aquestion Are you in anguish over
(15:53):
your brothers and sisters whoare lost?
They may be at the same officeyou work at.
They may be in the community.
They are in the community youlive.
They may be on the sports teamyou play on or your children or
grandchildren play on.
They may be at the water coolerat work.
(16:14):
They may be at the coffee shop.
They may be in your home.
Are you burdened for the lost?
Do you have a desire to see thelost found?
Does the joy of Romans 8 andthe assurance of your salvation
and never lose that, never losethat joy?
(16:36):
But does that lead you andpropel you to tell about that
salvation to those who don't yetknow about it?
Do you have a burden for thelost?
I pray you do.
But not only do changed livesdesire to see changed lives?
Look at this.
Changed lives understand thatonly God's mercy can change
(16:58):
lives.
Only God's mercy can changelives, verse 6.
But it's not as though the wordof God has failed, for not all
who are descended from Israelbelong to Israel and not all who
are children of Abraham becausethey are his offspring, but
(17:20):
through Isaac, show youroffspring be named Verse 8,.
This means that it is not thechildren of the flesh who are
the children of God, but it isthe children of the promise who
are counted as offspring.
What Paul wants us to see isthere is no doubt that in
Genesis, chapter 12, god chose apeople.
(17:43):
God raised up Abraham throughno merit of his own.
In fact, at the time ofAbraham's calling, abraham
didn't know Yahweh from anyoneelse.
In fact, it's likely in hisculture and where he was in the
day, he may have been worshipingall kinds of lowercase g gods
(18:03):
until the uppercase g god,yahweh, came to him and called
him out and in that moment hefollowed.
The Lord Chose Abraham not ofhis own merit, not of his own
worth, but just of his graciouschoosing, and through him
created a family.
But what Paul wants us to seeis that the family of God exists
(18:27):
not simply through lineage,physical, earthly lineage, just
being born into it, but aspiritual lineage, that those
who are the children of Abraham,not simply by birth but also by
the promise, but they arechildren of Abraham through the
(18:49):
promise.
I want to give you anillustration, and the reality is
this.
We have already seen theperfect illustration right here,
right now.
This morning we saw a baptism ofSkip just a few minutes ago.
There's no greater illustrationthan this.
Because think about Skip for amoment.
I don't want to embarrass him,but you just think about this
young man and his faith inChrist Jesus.
(19:11):
Now you know his parentsunbelievably godly parents, I
mean throughout this processthey've had conversations with
him about the Lord.
He was raised in a Christianhome.
They were here at church.
His parents know Jesus and knowJesus deeply.
This is the home Skip lived in.
(19:32):
But here's what we didn't do.
We didn't look at Skip and say,hey, buddy, you're good to go,
mom and dad are following theLord, this is a Christian
household, you're good to go.
Here's what's exciting aboutSkip.
Here's why this morning is acelebration because he came to a
point where his faith becamehis faith.
(19:54):
That it wasn't just aboutlineage, just because I was born
into this home and what ablessing he had to be born into
that home but his faith becamehis.
And that's what's been soexciting about a lot of our
baptisms lately.
I think of Oakley, I think ofGavin, I think about many others
that lately have been baptized.
(20:16):
They've come to know the Lord,and it's been through
conversations with parents wherethat faith became theirs.
That now Skip and Gavin andOakley and others, they don't
just have the Christian lineagein the family, now they have the
spiritual lineage, and it istheir own in Christ Jesus.
(20:39):
That's exactly what Paul issaying here.
For my Jewish brothers andsisters, it's not just about
being born into the physicalfamily, but you must take the
step to come into the spiritualfamily, be the children of the
promise.
Fast forward with me to romans 9, verse 30.
(21:01):
What shall we say then?
That the gentiles, who did notpursue righteousness, have
obtained it, that is, arighteousness that is by faith,
but that israel, who pursued alaw that would lead to
righteousness, did not succeedin reaching the law.
Why?
Because they did not pursue itby faith, but as if it were
based on works.
(21:21):
They have stumbled over thestumbling stone, as it's written
.
Behold, I'm laying in Zion astone of stumbling and a rock of
offense, and whoever believesin him will not be put to shame.
Paul explains this that so manyGentiles were not pursuing
righteousness by works, and yetin Christ Jesus have now found a
(21:42):
righteousness.
And yet so many.
Paul says of my Jewish brothersand sisters were seeking that
righteousness through works, bytheir own merit, by their own
power, and because they soughtit by their own works, they've
actually missed it.
Now I do want to say this comeback next week.
(22:03):
I don't want to discourage youabout our Jewish brothers and
sisters, because Romans 11 is anexciting one.
There is a day in the futurewhere many of our Jewish friends
Lord it's amazing to thinkabout.
There will be a revival amongthe Jews one of these days and I
can't wait for that moment.
So I'm not.
(22:23):
I'm not leaving us on a downer.
Come back next week.
But Paul just sees his brothersand sisters who have sought a
righteousness by anything otherthan the mercy of Christ.
Changed lives.
Understand that only God'smercy can change lives.
(22:44):
Change lives as we saw at thebeginning.
Desire to see changed lives.
I want to end on this Changedlives.
Proclaim the truth that changeslives.
Changed lives.
Proclaim the truth that changeslives.
Look with me at Romans 10 as Ifast forward again Verse 9,.
I read it earlier.
But if you confess with yourmouth that Jesus is Lord and
(23:07):
believe in your heart that Godraised him from the dead, you
will be saved.
For with the heart one believesand is justified.
With the mouth one confesses.
And Do you want to know wheresalvation lies?
It lies right here Romans 10, 9.
(23:28):
Confess with your mouth.
Jesus is Lord.
Believe that God raised himfrom the dead.
I have sat across from a tableof six, seven, eight-year-olds
who are thinking about salvationand read that verse and asked
them the very simple question doyou believe that Jesus is Lord?
And they say yes.
(23:48):
Do you believe God raised himfrom the dead?
And they say yes.
And I say well, I got good news.
Buddy, sounds to me like youknow Jesus personally.
Sounds to me like you've made astand for Christ Jesus.
But let me tell you what I'vealso done.
I've sat across a table fromChristians who have been
Christians for decades and yetare just walking through doubt
(24:09):
in their faith, just walkingthrough questions of can I know
that?
I know that, I know that I'msaved, can I know that my sin
can be forgiven?
And again I look at this verseand just let me ask you this
question Do you believe thatJesus is Lord?
Do you believe that God raisedhim from the dead?
(24:30):
And I just get to tell him hey,you should never take Pastor
Taylor's word for it, just takeGod's word for it, that that is
the way to salvation.
Do you have that confession inyour heart, in your life?
Do you know that this is trueof you and for Jews, and for
Gentiles and for anyone?
What is the way to salvation?
(24:51):
Confess with your mouth Jesusis Lord.
Believe God raised him from thedead.
Know that it is from him andhim alone that you are saved.
Not by my works, my actions, mymerits.
I can't earn it, I don'tdeserve it, but in Christ it is
freely given.
That's the way to salvation.
And we continue.
Verse 12,.
(25:11):
For there's no distinctionbetween Jew and Greek, for the
same Lord is Lord of all,bestowing his riches on all who
call on him, for everyone whocalls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.
Verse 14,.
How, then, will they call onhim whom they have not believed?
How are they to believe in himwhom they have not heard?
How are they to hear withoutsomeone preaching, and how are
(25:40):
they to preach unless they aresent?
Paul shows us, as he has beenthroughout all of Romans, the
way to salvation, and then hemakes this turn for the believer
, whether you're talking to Jewsor Gentiles or anyone in the
(26:03):
world.
It is now your job, yourobligation, your duty to do what
?
To proclaim the gospel that youknow, that you believe, that
you have received.
That is our next step, not juston Paul's authority, on Jesus's
(26:24):
authority Matthew 28,.
Go and make disciples, teachingthem, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, son and HolySpirit.
This is what the believer doesproclaims the good news that he
or she has been given.
And you say this.
You say Taylor.
Here's the problem with verse14 and 15.
You're trying to, you know,trick me a little bit, because I
(26:45):
see there it says preaching.
It's about preaching the goodnews.
So really, taylor, that's yourjob.
And let me just tell you I willkeep preaching the good news.
I promise you that I won'tchange that.
But I would think about it likethis for every one of you.
It's not just about being inthis pulpit, it's about
proclaiming in every area ofyour lives, because you are a
(27:10):
proclaimer of the gospel.
You are a preacher of thegospel everywhere you go.
And I'm just going to tell youthe truth there are people in
your sphere of influence thatneed to hear you proclaim the
gospel because the truth is,they'd never consider coming
into a room like this, at leastnot at first, whether this
(27:34):
room's just too big, too grand.
I got to get dressed up on aSunday morning.
Whatever it might be, theymight not consider coming here,
but you know where they willhear you out the places you are
every day, like I said earlierthe water cooler, the sports
field, your class at school,whatever it might be.
You are a proclaimer of thegospel.
(27:57):
Now, sometimes we object to thatbecause we just say am I ready
for that Lord?
Do I have everything figuredout in my spiritual life?
Am I really worthy to be onethat's now telling others all
about the faith?
Can I share the faith?
I want to think about somethingfor a second.
Let's say this morning that Ihad a very unique gift.
(28:21):
I had a coupon.
This morning I wish it weretrue that, though it expired at
the end of the year, I've stillgot a few months that I can hand
you this coupon and you canturn it in to your lending
company, your bank, and yourmortgage is paid off.
Literally, I just hand you that, you turn that little coupon in
, mortgage is gone.
(28:41):
You never have to worry, you'renever making a house payment
again.
This is great news, is it not?
But we get to the end of theyear and you find out that I
haven't actually given mine toanybody and you say what a waste
.
Why didn't you do it?
And I tell you the fewobjections that I've made.
Number one I was scared Icouldn't articulate it well that
(29:05):
I was just nervous with thiscoupon.
I don't live in the mortgagelending world.
I don't live in the mortgagelending world.
I don't live in the bank world.
I don't have all the terms toreally explain what this means
of how your debt can be paid off.
I don't know all the terms andI was just nervous I wouldn't
articulate it well.
And number two is this I wasactually afraid you were going
(29:28):
to ask me a question I didn'tknow the answer to, because
there's some specificity toevery single mortgage.
Are you 15?
Are you 30 years?
Your interest rate is this.
Your interest rate is that.
Again, I don't really speak thelanguage because that's not the
world I live in.
So what if you had asked me aquestion I didn't know the
answer to and I just kind ofembarrassed myself, or even
(29:49):
embarrassed the church or Godbecause I illustration is losing
there, or embarrassed the banklender because I can't explain
it well?
Or what if this?
What if, in that moment, I justoffend you?
What if you get offended andyou say, taylor, my wife and I?
Or you say my husband and I, wework hard, we don't need
(30:11):
anybody to pay off our mortgage.
We've never missed a monthlypayment.
We come together every monthand we make that payment
together.
Well, why did you think wewould need anybody to pay off
that mortgage?
And I come with theseobjections and you hear those
objections and you realize howabsolutely ridiculous every one
of those is.
(30:32):
And yet, you and I, every daybecause I shattered the
illustration a moment ago we sithere with the greatest gift the
reality of Romans 1 through 8,and we're tempted to not tell
others about the very gracewe've received.
Why?
What if I can't explain itright?
(30:54):
What if they ask me a questionI don't know the full or perfect
answer to?
What if I offend them?
And all the while, there arepeople who are on the road to
spending eternity outside ofChrist.
And yet you and I sit here onthe road to eternal life in
Christ Jesus.
(31:16):
And how badly a lost world needsto hear of the gospel that you
possess, and so for everyone inthis room, in Christ Jesus, you
are called to be a proclaimer ofthe gospel.
This is your assignment, thisis your duty.
(31:37):
Let me take it a step further.
This should be your joy.
I want to be clear.
You don't have to do this.
Well, it is a command.
But you get to do this.
You get to tell others aboutthe greatest news.
Say for a moment, I did havethat little coupon I mentioned.
(31:57):
I wouldn't get out of this roombefore I handed it to somebody.
I'd be so excited to give thataway.
And yet I possess something fargreater.
We get to tell a lost worldthat there is hope.
Think about your life beforeChrist Jesus.
Think about what Christ hasdone for you.
(32:19):
Think about, in the good times,the bad times, every time in
between, how Christ has impactedyour life and changed
everything.
Think about the assurance youhave in Christ Jesus and think
about the joy of getting to tellsomeone else about it.
(32:39):
That's not news we keep toourselves.
That's not news we hide.
That's news that we can't waitto give away, because there is a
Savior.
He saved my life Through thecross.
(33:01):
He forgives my sins and, likePaul, I can say and I'm the
chief of sinners, and so if Iknow he can save me, I know he's
got something for you, I knowhe can do for you what he's done
for me Changed lives, desire tosee changed lives.
(33:22):
They know that lives are onlychanged by God's mercy and they
cannot wait to give out thatlife changing news.
I want to leave you withsomething, a piece of homework.
Who is that person in your lifethat you know needs Jesus?
(33:43):
I want you to put in your mindright now, a name and a face to
it right now, a name and a faceto it.
Nothing general.
I want you specific.
Who is that person that needsJesus, that doesn't know him,
and that person in your lifethat you know that you are in
the perfect position, thatsphere of influence in their
(34:06):
lives, that you can be the oneto tell them about Jesus.
Who is that person?
Here is your job to pray forthat person, to pray for the
opportunity.
Let me tell you a prayer Godloves to answer.
Hey God, would you give me anopportunity to share the gospel
with this person?
My goodness, you think God'ssitting in heaven thinking I
(34:27):
don't know if I want to answerthat he can't wait to answer
that one.
Watch how fast you get theopportunity to share the good
news of Jesus.
But you pray for an opportunityand when that opportunity comes
, cast every fear aside.
What if they ask me somequestion?
What if I don't articulate it?
You know what I love more.
I love the gospel articulatedpoorly, more than anything else
(34:49):
in the world articulated well.
Just give them the gospel andsee what the Holy Spirit's up to
in that moment.
Pray with me, lord Jesus, thankyou for the truth of changed
(35:10):
lives in Christ Jesus.
Lord, you are a life-changingGod and there are so many in
this room, lord, that can givetestimony of your life change.
And so, even now, if there'sone in this room that doesn't
have that testimony of lifechange, maybe this morning is
their morning that they wouldboldly come and just chat with
me or chat with their neighborin the pew and just talk more
(35:31):
about Jesus.
Maybe there's someone thatwants to be a part of this
church and walk towards Jesuswith this community.
Would today be their day?
I'll be down front.
Would love to chat about that.
Lord.
Whatever the decision may be,let us respond because the truth
is Lord.
We all have a response.
Our response may be just topray right where we're at Pray
(35:53):
for that one person in our mindthat needs to hear about Jesus.
Maybe our response is just inthis moment of surrender, saying
Lord, I surrender to you and toyour will for my life, I
surrender to your calling on mylife to proclaim the gospel,
even to that one person I'mthinking of now.
Maybe our response is justworship, worship, the one who
(36:17):
has saved us in Christ Jesus andcalls us now to proclaim that
truth far and wide, even to theends of the earth.
Whatever our response is, letus worship now and let us
respond now in Christ's name.
Amen.
Would you stand as we worship?
Whatever our response is, letus worship now and let us
respond now In Christ's name.
Amen.
Would you stand as we worship?
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