Facts about Salvation Romans 9 & 10 Preached at Midway Community Church May 14, 2000
Personal Testimony; Romans 9 & 10 gives us some reveling facts about salvation;
As we examine these facts together, I want you to do something for me; be honest, this is to eternal an issue for anyone to be dishonest with yourself. You will be the one who will either end up being the winner or looser here. Be open; right now, don’t close up your mind saying "I’ve heard this a hundred times" Just be open to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal your present spiritual condition, some in here probably struggle with this issue al lot; Respond; If the Holy Spirit reveals through this message that you are without Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and you sense you need to respond, do not let the devil continue to have his way, this one time allow God to win you over.
FACTS ABOUT SALVATION: Facts are facts, we may not know the facts, we may not want the fact to be true, but that does not change the facts. These are not feelings. Nor or they my opinion but they are facts concerning the issue of salvation;
FACT NUMBER ONE: SALVATION IS THE FORMOST AND UTMOST ISSUE FOR A HUMAN BEING; v1-3 note the anguish of Paul; he would give up his relationship with Jesus if that were possible; why would he talk like this? Paul knew what it was like to be without this relationship, and now to have this relationship, what it was like to be religious but not have a relationship, to be unforgiving and now to experience forgiveness, to have the fear of death removed, to be standing in grace, to receive the promises of God, to know what it is like to be fully accepted, to finally have value and competence with out performing to get these needs met; he knew what it was like to have the void and empty hole filled in his life; to know he would never face God in Judgement or never to be condemned; who was he in anguish over? V4 special privileged people; above all people should have responded immediately to the gospel message of Jesus Christ; and yet they rejected Him; every reason to respond but they rejected Him! IS SALVATION THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU? IT IS WITH GOD; His son was separated from Him so you could be saved; His son was cursed so you could have a relationship; His son bore everyone of our sins so he could have a relationship with me; He died to have this relationship; we are special, He emptied heaven for me that is how important it was to Him for me to be in a relationship with Him; He wants to take care of me, to carry me when I cannot carry myself, he wants me to be fully dependent upon him, to come to him when I am weary, to call on him when I am hurt etc. He has great gifts to give those who come into a relationship with Him; it is JUST AS IMPORTANT TO HIM AS IT IS FOR US;
FACT NUMBER TWO: SALVATION IS THE FATHER’S CALL; V6-29; there are some things here that might make us all uncomfortable but don’t sit there and dispute the facts that are revealed here in these difficult passages; after studying them and praying over them, I have come to the conclusion that Salvation is the Fathers call; a person does not get saved anytime they chose; God has to begin the process and now I am going to make a statement that will disturb some but it is here in Scripture: Don’t get angry with God because God’s plan to save people does not line up with our ideas or our thinking, His thoughts are above ours; Just hear the facts; Salvation is the fathers call; who he calls and why He calls is all up to Him; why do some remain unsaved if salvation is of foremost and utmost importance? Hopefully this question will be answered before we are done with this message; GOD CHOSES WHO TO HONOR AND TO HARDEN DON’T LOSE SITE OF THIS FACT;
1. He chooses based on his plan; v6-9 God has a plan, always had a plan, he never has to adjust his plan to suit the situation before Abraham was born He had a plan, he knew what He was going to do through Abraham and Sara; It was through this couple the redeemer would come and he chose which descendants would be a receipts of his plan; which ones he would honor with mercy and which ones he would harden; one harden and one honored both were part of His plan; he has got it all under control;
2. He chooses who will be honored with mercy and who will be hardened based on His PURPOSE; v10 not someone’s performance; He does not look at someone’s performance and decide; His purpose was established before the foundation of the earth; it is not the problem that Esau is hated, but that he loved Jacob; He set his heart upon Jacob;
3. He chooses according to His sovereign power; v14-18 Man would automatically respond and cry out “God this is not fair to Esau; it was not fait to Ishmael;” are you saying God is unjust? That God does not make fair judgements; look at the cross and then say God is not fair; He knows what He is doing. The ones on whom He shows mercy does not depend on man, but on His sovereign power, and his authority to do so; I remind you that it is his plan, his purpose, and his power to make the choice of who He will honor and who will be hardened;
4. God choose because he is the POTTER; v19-29 He can make from a lump of clay whatever vessel he wants; He called some from among the Jews and some from among the Gentiles; All of this was predetermined by Him; we have no control or influence over who he calls to receive His mercy; NOW I WOULD SAY THAT SINCE YOU ARE HERE THIS MORNING AND ARE MAYBE BEING STIRRED BY THIS MESSAGE IN YOUR SPIRIT AND YOUR EYES ARE BEING OPENED THEN YOU MAY BE ONE THAT God has chosen to receive mercy, but we are not through with the facts about Salvation.
3. FACT NUMBER THREE; Salvation is RECEIVED BY FAITH alone; 9:30-10:4; Righteousness is synonymous with Salvation; The Jews rejected and did not receive, you can be chosen for salvation or a vessel to receive mercy by we must respond in faith and faith alone; The ultimate question that we have to answer is WHAT DID YOU DO WITH JESUS, THE CONERSTONE? Stumble or stand? You do not pursue you receive by faith, you do not work your way there you do not keep a religious vigil or religious ritual but you receive by faith alone Jesus as payment for sins; a person that is honored with being called for salvation will either seek to establish his or her own relationship through works or will trust Christ for the relationship;
SALVATION IS FOREMOST, IT IS THE FATHERS CALL; IT IS BY FAITH ALONE; AND NOW THE FOUURTH FACT;
4. 10:5-15 salvation is FINALIZED WHEN WE RESPOND; you and I can be a vessel chose for mercy and we can know it is important, and it is by faith alone but we must finalize it by acting upon what we know to be the truth; Salvation for a person if God has called them is as close as confession and belief;
5. the fifth fact of salvation; it’s message and appeal has been FORSAKEN by some; v16-24; even though they heard they did not heed; don’t fall into this category today;
WHAT ABOUT YOU? ARE YOU SITTING THERE THIS MORNING; religious but lost; lovely but lost; successful but without salvation; sincere with out the savior; sweet but not saved; review the five facts; 1, foremost; 2. The father’s call; 3. By faith alone; 4. Finalized when we respond in faith; 3. It is a message that can be forsaken;
