Introduction:
"The buck stops here" is a phrase that was popularized by U.S. President Harry S. Truman, who kept a sign with that phrase on his desk in the Oval Office. The phrase refers to the fact that the President has to make the decisions and accept the ultimate responsibility for those decisions. Truman received the sign as a gift from a prison warden who was also an avid poker player. The expression is said to have originated from poker, in which a marker or counter (a knife with a buckhorn handle during the American Frontier era) was used to indicate the person whose turn it was to deal. If the player did not wish to deal he could pass the responsibility by passing the "buck", as the counter came to be called, to the next player. However, this concept has begun to fade from the American landscape, more and more people refuse to take responsibility for their actions and decisions. The truth is that it is easier to blame someone else than to take responsibility for your actions. As we come to Romans chapter 10, Paul will clearly place the responsibility for man’s sinful and lost condition squarely where it belongs. The responsibility for man’s sinful condition squarely rests upon the shoulders of each of us. We cannot hide behind God’s sovereignty or blame the devil, the buck stops with us. By using the example of his own people, he clearly shows that they only reason someone will be lost is to willfully reject the Gospel. As we make our way through this passage, we will discover that there is no passing the buck or excuses. The responsibility for our condition before God rests with us.
I. Understanding why God rejected His chosen people.
A. The people of Israel had great zeal for God but it was misplaced.
1. Paul longed for his fellow Jews to come to salvation in fact, he prayed for this on a regular basis.
2. They worked hard to obtain God’s favor by their works without realizing that this was beyond their ability.
3. The error of the Jewish people was that they strived to please God based on their own merit rather than by faith.
4. Paul modeled this Jewish zeal before he met Christ, his actions showed that righteousness was something we achieve instead of something God gives.
5. The Jews were consistently missing the mark because they were working too hard to become righteous.
B. Although the Jewish people had good intentions it was not enough to save them.
1. Just because we have good intentions when we start something in no way guarantees that the results will be good.
2. Having good intentions does not guarantee that someone will follow through and act upon them.
3. Good intentions in no way guarantees that we will love God with all our heart, soul and mind.
4. Many people who claim they have the best of intentions will never succeed in making anything more than a half-hearted attempt.
C. Paul will support his point in this chapter with four indisputable facts.
1. The Jews had possessed God’s word for centuries and had anticipated the arrival of the Messiah for centuries.
2. God has made salvation available to everyone, not just to a select few.
3. There will always be those who will refuse to accept the Gospel message about Jesus Christ.
4. Despite the continued unbelief displayed by people the Gospel message is still being offered.
II. Understanding our responsibility before God.
A. Since God has made the Gospel available to everyone, each one of us is responsible.
1. Even in Moses’ day God did not hide the Law from them, He made the message available to everyone.
2. In fact, Paul is showing that doing the will of God is not out of our reach which was an argument that many try to use.
3. The word that Moses spoke was to be obeyed, the word that Paul speaks must be believed.
4. Normally the Greek word for “word” is logos but here the word used is rhema to refer to the message that Paul presented.
5. The point is that the Gospel Message and salvation is not beyond the reach of anyone.
B. The Gospel is offered freely so each person is held accountable by God to accept or reject it.
1. The Gospel will replace the fear and uncertainness that exist in our hearts with bold confidence because our hope and trust rest on the promises of God.
2. The message is offered to both Jew and Gentile, both groups continually struggle with the problem of sin and are in need of God’s gift of salvation.
3. God does not pick and choose who will have the opportunity to be saved, it is freely made available to everyone.
4. Even the prophets emphasized that the message of the Gospel was for all people.
5. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls. (Joel 2:32—NIV 2011)
6. Paul indicates that some one can’t call on the Lord unless they hear the message so he goes on to highlight the importance of those who present the message.
C. The obvious truth is that there will always be those who reject the Gospel, so the unsaved are responsible.
1. As we mentioned last week, God’s covenant with Israel did not guarantee every Jew would be saved but it did guarantee they would play a vital role in God’s redemptive plan.
2. The problem the Jews had is not unique to them, many people try to rest their salvation on their own righteousness rather than on God’s grace and righteousness.
3. Paul presents very clear evidence from the Old Testament Scriptures that the Jews had both heard and understood the message.
4. Paul clearly shows that no one can base their unbelief on ignorance, it always is the result of a conscious choice.
5. Even though there will be those who will reject the Gospel, we are not freed from the responsibility of sharing it.
D. God’s faithfulness makes every one of us responsible.
1. Despite the disobedience and stubbornness displayed by Israel, God has never given up on them.
2. Some good possible translations of “holding out my hands to” in verse 21 in the Greek would be, “I offered peace to,” “I sought to be reconciled with,” or “I sought to reconcile people to me.”
3. God has kept every promise to Israel, including sending the Messiah and giving them every opportunity to accept the gift of salvation through Him.
4. Even though people insist on continuing in unbelief God never gives up, He continues to give the world opportunity after opportunity to turn to Him.
III. Three important truths we can take home from this passage.
A. As Christians we have the responsibility to share the Gospel with those who cross our paths.
1. Through the Gospel people are called to salvation, if we do not share the message with those God puts in our path, some will miss out on this good news.
2. Moses instructed the Israelites to share the message whenever they had an opportunity, sharing the message was to be a natural part of life.
3. How do we expect those who are around us to hear the Gospel if we don’t tell them?
4. Paul put the responsibility for sharing the Gospel directly on our shoulders.
B. The responsibility for accepting or rejecting the Gospel rests with the hearer.
1. When we take the message of Jesus to others, we are giving them an opportunity to respond.
2. Although we are obligated to take the message of good news to those around us, this does not guarantee that those with whom we share the message will accept it.
3. We will never be held accountable for how someone else responds to the Gospel but we are accountable for how we choose to respond.
4. No one can make the decision to follow Christ for anyone else. The responsibility rests with each individual. Each of us will be judged according to how we chose to respond to Jesus.
C. The Lord is responsible to save everyone who comes to Jesus Christ by faith.
1. Too many in the world are like the Jewish people, trying to earn their salvation based on their own merit.
2. Salvation is a gift of God’s grace that can only be received by faith and God invites everyone to accept the gift on these terms.
3. Salvation is freely offered, not earned. It is given to all who will accept it on God’s terms which is by faith.
4. The truth is that God will never turn anyone away, He will save all that choose to come.
Closing:
In his book 40 DAYS, Alton Gansky relates this story about famed magician, Harry Houdini: "Harry Houdini made a name for himself by escaping from every imaginable confinement -- from straightjackets to multiple pairs of handcuffs clamped to his arms. He boasted that no jail cell could hold him. Time and again, he would be locked in a cell only to reappear minutes later.”
"It worked every time -- but one. He accepted another invitation to demonstrate his skill. He entered the cell, wearing his street clothes, and the jail cell door shut. Once alone, he pulled a thin but strong piece of metal from his belt and began working the lock. But something was wrong. No matter how hard Houdini worked, he couldn't unlock the lock. For two hours he applied skill and experience to the lock but failed time and time again. Two hours later he gave up in frustration.”
"The problem? The cell had never been locked. Houdini worked himself to near exhaustion trying to achieve what could be accomplished by simply pushing the door open. The only place the door was locked was in his mind."
Some people work themselves to death to achieve the salvation that God has already accomplished for them. Stop striving. Learn to rest in the finished work of Christ. The door to heaven is wide open to everyone, thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The only place the door of heaven is locked is in the minds of those who think they must do something to earn it.
