THE CRUCIAL ISSUE
Romans 10:9
S: Resurrection Day
Th: Salvation
Pr: WE NEED ETERNAL HELP.
?: How? How does it come?
KW: Essentials
TS: We will find in our study of Romans 10:9 three essentials that when followed will get us the eternal help we need.
INDUCTIVE
The first essential is…
I. CONVICTION
II. CONTENT
III. COMMITMENT
RMBC 31 March 02 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Help (Housewife)
A worried mom sprang to the telephone when it rang and listened with relief to the kindly voice in her ear. "How are you, darling?" it said. "What kind of a day are you having?"
"Oh, mother," said the housewife, breaking into bitter tears, "I’ve had such a bad day. The baby won’t eat and the washing machine broke down. I haven’t had a chance to go shopping, and besides, I’ve just sprained my ankle and I have to hobble around. On top of that, the house is a mess and I’m supposed to have two couples to dinner tonight."
The mother was shocked and was at once all sympathy. "Oh, darling," she said, "sit down, relax, and close your eyes. I’ll be over in half an hour. I’ll do your shopping, clean up the house, and cook your dinner for you. I’ll feed the baby and I’ll call a repairman I know who’ll be at your house to fix the washing machine promptly. Now stop crying. I’ll do everything. In fact, I’ll even call George at the office and tell him he ought to come home and help out for once."
"George?" said the housewife. "Who’s George?"
"Why, George! Your husband! Is this 555-1374?
"No, this is 555-1375."
"Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I have the wrong number."
There was a short pause and the housewife said, "Does this mean you’re not coming over?"
Have you ever needed help?
I think that we all probably need help from time to time.
ILL Personal: Knee Surgery
Almost twenty years ago, I twisted both of my knees on separate occasions. At the time, I didn’t think much about them. I figured I had sprained them and that if I stayed away from strenuous activity for a little while, like playing basketball, they would be OK. And that worked for awhile. I continued to enjoy the sports activities that I loved, but I babied my knees, wore knee braces, and iced them down after a lot of activity. But you know what, about fifteen years ago, all my efforts were not working, for even walking became painful. It was extremely painful to go up and down stairs. It was extremely painful to get up out of a chair. So I gave in. I went to see a doctor, a specialist. And do you know what he told me? He said I had great knees...for an 85-year-old man. And they were not going to get better on their own. And they were not going to get better on my efforts. I needed outside help. I would need an operation on both knees to take the pain away.
Have you ever needed help?
CONTEXT:
As I was studying for this time today, I wondered what it would have been like for the disciples the day after Jesus was crucified.
They must have been scared.
What were they going to do?
They needed help!
For consider this…
1. A week that began with expectation ended in terror.
The Sunday before, Jesus came into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey.
And the Jewish population understood the biblical sign of this.
It meant He was the Messiah.
They saw it as the long-awaited rescue from Roman occupation.
But in one week, that specific hope was dashed.
And Jerusalem was filled with a somber tone.
Because according to the religious leaders…
2. For the sake of the nation, there had to be an execution.
They had been angry with Jesus for a longtime, for He had shaken their power base.
The nation could not afford a rebellion, not religiously, nor politically.
Rome was too strong.
So they determined, one way or another, Jesus was too much of a threat and He was going to die.
Caiaphas, the high priest, said that it was better for one man to die for the people than the whole nation should perish.
What is interesting, is that though the leaders plotted to kill Him, it had been planned long before.
The whole time Jesus was here, He was purposefully heading to the cross.
So…
3. Enduring the pain and shame of the cross, Jesus sacrificed Himself for mankind.
Rejected by His own people, He was tortured and mocked by the Romans.
Then He was nailed to the Roman’s instrument of death meant for criminals.
From the cross came some final words.
He thought of His mother and the care she would need.
He told a thief of forgiveness and the wonderful destination of Paradise.
He forgave those who did not ask for forgiveness.
Then He committed His spirit to the Father.
It was a time of darkness for Jerusalem.
The sun was hidden for three hours.
Even more telling was the ripping of the temple curtain from top to bottom, like a giant pair of hands tearing a piece of paper.
Then…
4. After being punished like a common criminal, He was improperly buried.
Joseph and Nicodemus secretly took the body of Jesus.
He was laid in a grave, but they could not finish because of the Sabbath.
They did what they could, but it was an unfinished job.
Sunday arrived, and the task of finishing the burial was in order.
So…
5. When some women came to finish the burial procedures, they discovered that the body of Jesus was missing.
They were not expecting an empty tomb.
But the area was occupied with angels that spoke a fascinating and unexpected message:
6. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
The hope that had been dashed, now sprang to life.
Jesus was alive!
He is risen!
And each of them would see the miracle of Jesus face to face.
You know, when it comes to the Christian faith, this is an event in which we have no give.
We do not mean to sound hard-hearted or close-minded, but we are not tolerant of other views.
For if Jesus did not die and if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then our faith is useless and ineffective.
You see…
7. This is the essential message of our faith.
“…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Did you know that the Lord cares for you?
Did you know that the Lord loves you?
Did you know that the Lord wants to save you?
He wants us to know what it is to have His help.
He wants us to know what it is to have a relationship with Him.
God does not want us gambling with our souls.
But so many of us do!
We think if we are baptized, everything will be okay.
Or if I become a member of the church…
If I just feel sorry for my sins and promise to do better…
If I do more good than bad, I will be all right…
As long as I am a person of faith…
These are all very legitimate religious acts, but they all miss the point.
For the point is…
“…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
So let me ask you…
OUR STUDY:
I. The first essential is CONVICTION.
Are you persuaded of your need for God to be in control of your life?
I find it amazing how we can live with so much dissatisfaction in our lives and yet we do not move toward that which will give us fulfillment.
Instead, we keep feeding on that which makes things worse, not better.
And we can’t figure out why we can’t get out of the patterns we live in.
We need to be convinced that what is is inadequate.
We need to be convinced that a difference is needed.
You see, we need to recognize that Jesus is Lord.
He was not just a good teacher (He never left us that option [CS Lewis]).
He is not a President who presides over a democracy and asks us what we think.
He is Lord.
He is in charge.
Maybe today, in your uneasiness, you know there is a need of change.
But what is it based on?
II. The second essential is CONTENT.
ILL Notebook: Knowledge (carburetor)
A wife came to her husband with some bad news…
Wife: "There’s trouble with the car. It has water in the carburetor."
Husband: "Water in the carburetor? That’s ridiculous."
Wife: "I tell you the car has water in the carburetor."
Husband: "You don’t even know what a carburetor is. Where’s the car?"
Wife: "In the swimming pool."
Sometimes the truth is hard to hear, but it is the truth nonetheless…
Do you believe in truth?
The Christian does not possess an ignorant faith.
Faith is based on knowledge and knowledge is based on truth.
We do not take a blind leap of faith.
Ours is an intelligent faith.
We are constantly challenged to grow in our knowledge of Jesus.
The Christian faith does not make sense if Jesus is not the King of Kings and Lord of lords.
It does not make sense if the tomb was not empty.
The entrance of the tomb must be open and empty, for when it is, the resurrection of Jesus means that He has defeated sin, death and hell.
It is good to have this knowledge, but knowledge is not quite enough to have that relationship with the Lord.
For instance…
ILL Knowledge not quite enough
Suppose you are in a burning building and cannot find the exit. “Where is the exit?” you cry out. Through the smoke and haze comes the answer: “Go down the hallway, turn left, go down one flight of stairs, the exit is on the right.”
Are you saved because you know where the exit is? No, you still have to make the journey yourself. But if you don’t know to get there, or if you have wrong information, you’re going to burn to death. Knowing the truth doesn’t save you, but you can’t be saved without it.
III. The third essential is COMMITMENT.
This means I need to ask one more important question…
Are you ready to “go public”?
You see, you can see the need of change, you can have the facts right, but if you don’t act on these things, what good is it?
A conviction is to make a difference in our lives.
Knowledge that is true is also to make a difference in our lives.
But we must commit to that difference.
So when Paul writes that we must confess and believe, he means that we embrace it to the point that it changes the way we live and think.
We rest our full weight on the truth and thus, we act on it.
We will not settle for our old ways of compromise and self-service.
ILL Notebook: Conviction (Niemoeller)
Martin Niemoeller, a World War I hero in Germany, was imprisoned for eight years by Hitler. He spent time in prisons and concentration camps, including Dachau. Hitler realized if Niemoeller could be persuaded to join his cause then much opposition would collapse, so he sent a former friend of Niemoeller’s to visit him, a friend who supported the Nazis.
Seeing Niemoeller in his cell, the onetime friend said, "Martin, Martin! Why are you here?"
Niemoeller replied, "My friend! Why are you not here?"
APPLICATION:
ILL Notebook: Salvation (Earnhardt)
On Sunday February 18, 2001, NASCAR lost one of its greatest drivers. Dale Earnhardt, also known as "The Intimidator," was in third place on the last lap of the Daytona 500 when his car was tapped from behind and sent head-on into the wall at 180 mph.
In a matter of moments it was evident something was terribly wrong. Dale Earnhardt had died in the crash. On the following Monday an autopsy report revealed he had died of blunt force trauma to the head.
Some have suggested that if Earnhardt had been wearing the HANS (Head and Neck Safety Device) he would have survived the crash. Although this device was available, Earnhardt, like many other drivers that day, neglected to use it. His neglect of this safety device may have cost him his life.
The Bible tells us that every individual is on a collision course with God’s judgment.
God too has provided a safety device—one designed to keep people from suffering eternal death and separation from God.
But like Dale Earnhardt and the other drivers in the race that day, each of us must decide whether to accept or neglect this offer.
Jesus is alive still, knocking at our heart’s door waiting for our positive response (Revelation 3:20).
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
The crucial issue is the Lordship of Jesus.
He has done everything He needs to in order to have a relationship with you.
Everything…
All that is needed is your response and commitment that Jesus is Savior and Lord.
We need to say, “Jesus is my Savior and Lord!”
There is an old children’s song that illustrates this so well.
It goes like this…
One door and only one,
and yet its sides are two.
Inside and outside,
on which side are you?
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Get the help you need…you do not need to live with dissatisfaction and uneasiness; you can find fulfillment in Jesus—He offers life and life abundant.
Get the help you need…it comes in knowing that Jesus is Lord and that He has raised from the dead—for the grave cannot hold Him; and because of Him, it does hold us either.
Get the help you need…let the truth of who Jesus is change You, and let it make the difference; because it will and you will not regret it.
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
