LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH
SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 2 MAY 2021 pm
ROMANS 10 VERSES 9 - 17
This surely is one of the most loveliest portions of scripture explaining the way of God's salvation. Verse 13 "for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." I want to break it up into certain little statements, 4 in total.
A state that is mentioned - "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." My mind is drawn to the state Paul aspires for all the Jewish nation. Verse 1 "Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that thy might be saved." There are those in his family, in his neigbourhood, nation who have never come to a knowledge of Jesus Christ as Saviour. Are you saved by the grace of God tonight? Paul says "my hearts desire." He had a heart that was reaching out. He also got to prayer for God to move in a present way. Man stands in great need of change. Conversion. God's salvation. The greatest need you have is to be converted, saved, to know the Lord's saving power in your life. Man is lost in his sin. Genesis 3 man lost something there that was so precious. Lost the perfect state God created in him and through him in Genesis 1. Remember how God spoke the word and everything came into being. From the dust of the ground he breathed into man and he became a living soul. He created woman out of one of the ribs of man's side. God looked on everything he had made and he saw it was very good. Nothing more was needed to be added to it. Man was living in a perfect condition. Something happened in Genesis 3. The fallen angel, the devil, a created being took a superior place in heaven until sin was found in him. He took Eve through the garden and brings her to the tree in the midst of the garden. It must have been so beautiful. He persuaded her to eat of the fruit of that tree. She took and gave to her husband and he ate of it too. They lost something of the perfect sinless nature of God in them. That is why man needs to be saved. Paul in Romans 5 verse 12 "wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned." That is why man needs to be saved. Mans state in this present state is a fallen state. It brought Jesus from heaven. That is why man has to repent of his sin and trust the Lord as his own Saviour. Paul pointed out the Jew was making a mistake. They were trying to win approval of God through their religious zeal. There is only one way to come to God, we must come in childlike faith acknowledging our sin before him.
The second statement - the simplicity of the method - "whosoever shall call". Not if you amass the greatest amount of money, it is simpler than that. Paul emphasises the deception of his Jewish birth when trying to achieve their own righteousness through their own endeavours. The mistake was they didn't submit themselves to the righteousness of God. Ignorant of God's righteousness. They tried to find favour with God through the law. The only way to be redeemed was God sending his son into this world to die on the cross to shed his blood to die for our sins. Maybe there is an ignorance on your soul. You feel you are OK, not as bad as someone else. You have been in church already, read your bible, sang the hymns and said your prayers. As far as you are concerned you are on your way to heaven. That is the ignorance of your situation. Is it possible that you don't realise you are lost. You don't realise you are lost in your sin and are going out into a lost and Christless eternity. These Jewish people were trying to find favour with God by keeping the law. They realised it couldn't be done Think of the rich young ruler. He had a good position and standing. He came to the Lord and asked "what must I do that I might inherit eternal life?" Great position, riches, friends, moving in good circles, realised he was lost. If he died in that condition he would be lost for all eternity. Something had to happen in his life to inherit eternal life. Jesus talked to him about the commandments. The rich young man could say honestly "all these have I observed from my youth." He was brought up in a good home, a religious home. He was deceived into thinking that would bring him God's salvation. He thought all would be well for him. He realised he had no peace in his heart yet there was a void in his heart. An emptiness there. Have you got an emptiness in your heart? Do you realise you are lost? These people were trying to get saved by the keeping of the law. Bartimaeus sat by the wayside begging. He couldn't see, he was blind. He could hear the noises in the street. Someone told him Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. He couldn't get up and run to Jesus. The only thing he could do was call. "Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me." That is all you have to do tonight. Realise you have sinned, acknowledge the sin in your life. Are you willing to turn from your sin and come to Christ, to call upon him from the depths of your heart? The thief on the cross dying there, eternity was beginning to dawn on his soul. Only thing he could do was call.
The sincerity of the method. God of heaven devised the plan of salvation to save you. His only son came into the world to die on the cross of Calvary to save your soul. Paul is writing to a people in verse 4 "and ignorant of the way set out to keep the law to seek favour with God." They couldn't guarantee heaven. Romans 8 verse 3 "for what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sent his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and from sin condemned sin in the flesh." Think of Saul of Tarsus. He ticked all the religious boxes he could ever tick. He was circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel. He was of the tribe of Benjamin. As touching righteousness blameless, striving for a righteousness of his own. He realised he could never do it. What are you resting on, depending on? Something other than the Lord for the salvation of your soul to open heavens door?
The scope of the mission - the Lord sent his son into this world. At 33 he was placed on the cross at Calvary. God's way. Who then coud be saved? "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." The scope of whosoever - encompasses great range. Saul was full of hatred, malice and bitterness yet Jesus would not turn him away. "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." "I am the door, by me if any man enter in he shall be saved." The thief when he rallied against the Lord soon realised he needed a Saviour. He realised that sin would take him further than he ever wanted to go. He asked "Lord when thou comest into thy kingdom will you remember me?" The Lord didn't turn him away. "Today thou shalt be with me in paradise. This religious man like Saul of Tarsus and Nicodemus found salvation in Christ. "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Maybe you have been trying to do the best you can, that you might find favour with God. All the time you only have to come and acknowledge you are not saved, are lost and in need of salvation through his son.
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