How Will You Respond To Jesus Christ? Series

How Will You Respond to Jesus Christ?

The Book of Romans

Romans 10:1-15

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - February 11, 2018

(Revised March 30, 2021)

BACKGROUND

*Please open your Bibles to Romans chapter 10. Most of you know that in Romans 9-11, Paul was led by the Holy Spirit to discuss the Jewish nation. Warren Wiersbe explained that "It seems strange that Paul would interrupt his discussion of salvation and devote a long section of three chapters to the nation of Israel, but a careful study of Romans 9-11 reveals that this section is not an interruption at all. It is a necessary part of Paul's argument for justification by faith." (1)

*All three of these chapters connect back to the crucial truth Paul stated in Romans 1:16-17. There the Apostle wrote, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'

*Salvation can only be found by faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We will see this truth confirmed in tonight's Scripture. The only question is: How will we respond to Jesus? Please think about this as we read Romans 10:1-15.

MESSAGE:

*Christians are like other people in a whole lot of ways. We go to school and work. Hopefully, we love our families. We like the same foods, sports and hobbies. Like non-Christians, we also go through problems with our families, our finances, and our health. We certainly don't look different from non-Christians.

*But tonight's Scripture reminds us that Christians are different in the most important ways. That's because we have given the right answer to life's most important question. It's the question the Roman Governor Pilate asked the bloodthirsty mob at the Lord's trial. In Matthew 27:22 Pilate asked, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?"

*How will you respond to Jesus Christ? Tonight's Scripture shows us some of the best ways, and the worst way to respond to Jesus.

1. CHRISTIANS: ONE OF THE BEST THINGS WE CAN DO IS SPEAK TO GOD FOR LOST PEOPLE.

*We must speak to God for people who haven't been saved. God wants us to pray for lost people the same way Paul talked about in vs. 1. Here Paul said, "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved."

*God wants us to pray for lost people, and pray with genuine concern for them.

*In Romans 9, Paul already showed us how much he cared for his lost Jewish countrymen. He cared so much he was even willing to give up his own salvation, if that would have made a difference.

*As Paul said in Romans 9:1-3, "I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh."

*No one can give up their salvation for other people. But everyone can speak to God for other people, and that's what the Lord wants us to do. God wants us to urgently care for the lost and dying people all around us.

*William (Bill) Fay has the kind of compassion we need for others to be saved. One example was on a flight just days before the terrorist attacks of 9-11-2001. Bill had a conversation with a flight attendant, and he felt deeply impressed to share Christ with her.

*As an evangelist, Bill often witnesses to people, but there was a strong urgency about this lady. And Bill gave her a tract about Cassie Bernall. He did that because he was a chaplain at the Denver Police Department when the Columbine shootings took place, and Cassie's story was close to his heart.

*The flight attendant said, "You know this is weird. You are the sixth person to hand me one of these in the last two weeks. Why did you give this to me?"

*That opened the door for Bill to tell her about the love of Jesus Christ, and she committed her life to the Lord. Just a few days later, she died in one of the hijacked planes on 9-11. (2)

*The Lord wants us to be like the Apostle Paul and Bill Fay. God wants us to urgently care for lost people. And there may some things we aren't able to do. But there is one thing all of us can do, and that is pray to God for the lost. We must pray like Paul that they might be saved!