Text: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
Message: You can be saved.
Doctrine/Teaching: Salvation
Response: To call on the name of the Lord for salvation.
I. Introduction
A. Have you ever seen someone saved? One day, I was at a swimming pool and there was a young lady who was not a good swimmer. She got tired out and started to go under the water. The look of terror on her face was horrible as she panicked. Suddenly, a lifeguard saw her and threw her a life preserver. She grabbed on to it and held on with all her strength. The lifeguard pulled her to the side of the pool and helped her out of the water. She was saved!
B. Every person on earth needs to be saved in a spiritual sense because we are all swimming in a pool of sin. If we are not saved, then we will die an eternal death. The situation is desperate.
C. Thankfully, God has provided a life preserver to help us escape the pool of sin. This life preserver is found in Romans 10:9-10.
II. To be saved, you must confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord (10:9a)
A. What does it mean to be saved?
1. What is sin? In the beginning of time, God created the first man and women named Adam and Eve. They were created prefect and every day God walked with them and talked with them. But then one day, Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command. God told them not to eat from the tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden and they took the fruit from the tree and ate it. This sin caused them to be separated from God. They lost their relationship with God because of sin.
2. Sin causes us to be separated from God. When Adam and Eve sinned, a great gap or separation appeared between God and humanity. For many centuries, humanity has tried to get to God by crossing this gap. Some people think that if they are smart enough, they can figure out how to get to God. Others think that if they get rich enough, they can buy their way into a relationship with God. Others think that if they can be religious, and pray many times each day, that they can get to God. But it is impossible for humanity to cross this gap through their own efforts.
3. Once, two men had a jumping contest. One was an Olympic champion of the long jump who was in perfect shape. The other was a fat man who huffed and puffed just walking. They decided to have a contest to determine who could jump across the Grand Canyon. The obese man could barely run. He waddled up to the edge of the cliff, leaned forward, and managed to jump two feet. He fell to his death at the bottom of the canyon. Next, the champion long jumper warmed up and ran as fast as he could at the gaping canyon. He jumped over thirty feet…but, unfortunately, he ended up at the same place as the first man: the bottom of the canyon. No matter how good we are, it is impossible for us to make it to heaven through our own works. The world’s most religious man and the world’s worst sinner both end up in the pits of hell without accepting Christ’s help.
4. Let’s take a look at what sin looks like to God. Romans 3:10-18 says, “As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”“ Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”;“ Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
5. You have sinned and become separated from God. Paul says in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We have all made mistakes. We have all disobeyed God’s commands. We have all lied, and stole, and cheated, and had hate in our heart toward our brothers.
6. The price for sin is eternal death. This eternal death is permanent separation from God. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
7. You need to be saved from your sin, and the only way to be saved is by calling on Jesus Christ.
B. Who is Jesus?
1. Jesus is the Son of God. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were separated from God. God knew there was nothing humanity could do to cross the gap between heaven and earth. So God came to us. He sent His only Son from heaven to earth to become a man. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life.” 2,000 years ago, Jesus was born to a virgin named Mary in the land of Israel. He grew up and walked the dusty streets of Israel. He taught his disciples about God the Father. He healed the sick.
2. Jesus is the Savior of the World. Some evil men decided to crucify Jesus on a cross. He had done nothing wrong. He did not deserve to die. But he willing gave His life as a sacrifice to pay the price for our sins. The Bible says in 1 John 1:7, “…the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.”
3. A smelly man came to visit me. He needed a bath so bad. He wanted to hug me and talk to me. I said, “You are welcome in my house, but you must take a bath first.” Heaven is a very beautiful place. But our spirits are very smelly. We are ugly on the inside. It is impossible to clean our spirits. Even if you eat all the soap in the world, your heart will not be clean. How can you clean your spirit? The only thing that can wash away your sin is the blood of Jesus Christ.
4. Jesus died on the cross for your sins. If you were the only person on this earth who was living in sin, Jesus would have come to rescue you. He gave His life so that you would not have to suffer an eternal death. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
5. Jesus took your place on the cross. He was punished in your place. Once, a Russian general gave a command that anyone stealing food would be beaten with fifty lashes. Later, they caught an old woman stealing food. He said, “I gave the command, she must be beaten.” When they brought her out into the plaza, he gasped because it was his own mother. Because of his great love for her, he did not want her to suffer, but because of his sense of justice, he knew she must be punished. But, the punishment would kill her. So, he went down to his mother and released her from her bonds and brought her to his seat of authority and sat her down. Then he went and placed his hands in the bonds and commanded that he be punished in her place. Jesus put us in his place of authority and took our punishment on our behalf.
C. What does it mean to make Jesus the Lord of your life?
1. The word “Lord” means “supreme ruler.” When you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you are saying that Jesus will be the ruler of your life. You are promising to obey His word. You are deciding to live for Him.
2. When Jesus is Lord of your life, sin is no longer your master. By making Him Lord, you are turning away from your old life of lust, anger, jealously, and hatred and turning to a new life full of love, peace, forgiveness, and mercy.
III. To be saved, you must believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead (10:9b)
A. Jesus rose from the dead.
1. Many people believe that Jesus was a good man, a teacher, or a philosopher. But, good men do not rise from the dead. There have been lots of great teachers throughout history that have died. The difference with Jesus is that He came back to life. There are many great religious prophets, gurus, and leaders who have taught many good truths. But the difference between Jesus and all those other religious figures is that Jesus rose from the dead.
2. Jesus died on the cross. He was buried in a tomb. But he did not stay dead. On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead! He is dead no longer. As the Son of God, He is in heaven, sitting on the right side of the Father’s throne.
3. The entire Christian faith hangs on this truth. 1 Corinthians 15:14 says, “And if Christ has not been raised from the dead, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”
B. Do you believe Jesus rose from the dead?
1. Believing is more than giving mental assent to the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. Believing requires you to put your faith in Christ.
2. We must believe with our heart. In our innermost being, we choose to put our faith in Jesus and say, “I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive today.” Jesus is not a myth. He is not just an example. He is a living, breathing, human being who is alive today.
IV. With your heart, you believe and are justified.
A. What is justification?
1. Justification is a big theological term that has a simple meaning. To be justified means to be made right with God. Sin is an ugly stain on our hearts. God is perfect so He cannot tolerate sin.
2. When you put your faith in Jesus, the sacrifice that He made on the cross covers your sin. It is “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned.
B. What does it mean to believe?
1. The word “believe” means to accept something as true. But to believe in Christ is more than simply agreeing with your mind that something might be true. Believing in Christ means to trust in Christ.
2. For a Christian, believing means to put your faith in God and trust Him to save you. Consider a chair. It might hold you up or it might break under your weight. If you truly believe a chair can hold your
weight, you sit down in that chair. You only truly believe in that chair when you are willing to commit to sit down in that chair. The same is true when you come to Christ. You have to rest in him and trust him to take care of you.
V. With your mouth you confess and are saved.
A. What is confession?
1. Confession involves moving your mouth. Confession is saying God’s words with your mouth. In just a little while, I am going to ask you to say a prayer with me and together, we will confess Jesus as Lord. The Bible says, “Whoever confesses me before others, I will also confess before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:32).
2. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). That’s why I ask you to take action and pray with me.
B. What happens when you are saved?
1. You are given eternal life. John 3:15 tells us that “everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
2. Your fellowship is restored with God. 1 Cor. 1:9 says, “God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
3. You become a brand-new creation. 2 Cor. 5:17 promises, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
4. You have peace with God. Romans 5:1 says, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
C. You can know for sure that you are saved.
1. You are no longer under condemnation. Romans 8:1 promises, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
2. Nothing can separate you from God. Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
VI. Conclusion
A. Call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved (10:13).
B. Will you call on Jesus tonight? “Call on” means to shout loudly.
C If you choose to follow Jesus, raise your hand right now. If you want Jesus to forgive your sins, raise your hand. If you want to join the family of God and turn away from your old life, raise your hand. Now, if you raised your hand, I want you to make your way to the front of the room. Come close to me so that I can see you. We are going to pray together and you will be saved.
D Repeat this prayer after me. “Dear God in Heaven, I cry out to Jesus. Jesus save me. I repent of my sin. I believe you died on the cross to pay the price for my sins. I believe you rose from the dead. Right now, I choose to make you the Lord of my life. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.”
