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“There’s No Shame When You Call On His Name” (Romans 10:4-13)

First Baptist Church https://fbcbartow.org

Introduction

A few years back I went to Lakeland Pig Fest with my father-in-law. There was BBQ everywhere and it was amazing. However, there was something else that I walked away loving that day, in addition to BBQ, which I already loved. There was a small stand set up in the middle of the walking path from Community Coffee. They were giving out free samples. Now, many people were simply walking by and not partaking of the free samples. However, I’m a free sample kind of guy. So, I took the coffee and it was absolutely delicious. Since that time, I have fallen in love with the smooth delicious test of Community Coffee. Now, here’s the thing: that coffee was available for anyone to taste. Anyone could have experienced the deliciousness that was offered and fallen in love with it forever. However, not everyone did.
For the last few weeks, we have learned about the sovereign choice of God in His election of His people. The biggest reality that we’ve learned is that there is a lot of mystery to election and the bottom line is that it’s God’s business. Today, we’re going to that our business is how we respond to the Lord Jesus Christ.


Community Coffee is amazing. However, anyone who partakes of the Lord Jesus will experience the sweet aroma and the satisfying delight of the deep love of God found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Today’s sermon is entitled, “There’s No Shame When You Call On His Name.”
Before we go any further, let’s go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.
(prayer)


So, as we continue in Romans 9 and 10, let us recognize that this passage is all about Jesus and the beautiful salvation that He offers.

First, let us grasp that . . .

I. Jesus is Final (4-5)

We talked about this for a moment last week. Remember, we covered through verse 4 last time. So, let’s pick it up in verse 4 and go from there. Look at verses 4 and 5:


4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes, 5 since Moses writes about the righteousness that is from the law: The one who does these things will live by them.


So, here in verse 4, Paul says Jesus is the end. The word used for “end” here communicates that Jesus is the final stage, the endpoint, or the goal.


Jesus is the final stage of the law. He is the goal of the law.


You see, church, we can spin our wheels trying to find righteousness in the law of God but we’re not going anywhere. We will never find our end. It’s like driving towards a destination on a long road trip but no matter how far you drive, no matter how many hours you put in, you’re not getting any closer.


Paul explains in verse 5 that if we could keep the law we would be alright. He says, “The one who does these things will live by them.”


So, if you are “the one who does these things;” if you can keep the law perfectly, then you will live by the law. You will experience the righteousness that comes from the law.


However, Paul has been saying all along in the book of Romans that we cannot keep the law perfectly.
Paul said in Romans 2:23“You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?” So, even the Jewish people who boasted in, or bragged about the law, couldn’t keep the law; none of us can.
The reason we need help from God is because we cannot be righteous on our own. Our best efforts fail miserably when it comes to being righteous and holy before God. We are spinning our wheels!


We need some real help; we need something that is final, we need someone who is final.
The final righteousness of God is found in Jesus.


Well, if our final hope is in Jesus, how do we find Jesus? Well, church, be of good cheer . . .

II. Jesus is Near (6-8)

So, we need to have the righteousness that comes from faith in Jesus. Well, then how do we find that righteousness? How do we gain that faith?


Paul answers these questions as we continue in the passage. Look at verses 6-8:


6 But the righteousness that comes from faith speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, “Who will go up to heaven?”, that is, to bring Christ down 7 or, “Who will go down into the abyss?”, that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. 8 On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart., This is the message of faith that we proclaim:


Now, there’s a lot going on in these few verses and you may even wonder why Paul is using this type of language.


Well, Paul is mirroring some of what Moses said to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 30:12-14.


Moses was explaining to the people of Israel that they didn’t have to search for the message of God because it was right there with them.


So also, Paul says that the righteousness from faith is near them.


Church, we don’t have to go up to heaven to find true righteousness because Jesus came down from Heaven, to the earth, so that we might find the righteousness from faith!


Likewise, we don’t have to go down to the abyss to find Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead demonstrating that He has the power of God and that we now have access to a new way of life: the way of righteousness that comes from faith.


Paul says rather than having to search for the message of faith found in Jesus, this message is already near us. Paul says in verse 8, “The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.”


Paul will come back to the mouth and the heart in just a moment. For now, he wants us to know that the message of true faith, from righteousness, found in Jesus is near.


Church, you don’t have to go far and wide or high and low searching for the hope found in Jesus. You don’t have to because Jesus came searching for you.


Jesus is near.


Next, we learn that . . .

III. Jesus is Lord (9-10)

We are finally at the two verses that I quote nearly every week. Romans 10:9-10 are so incredibly helpful to understanding what we must do to receive the righteousness from faith found in Jesus.


To truly find the righteousness of God we must embrace the reality that Jesus is Lord!


Listen to what Paul says in verses 9-10:


9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.


How do we find this faith? How do we find this righteousness? It’s found in Jesus!


Jesus is the Lord that we truly need.


Jesus is the end of the law (as Paul said in verse 4) because Jesus is the Lord of the law!


Jesus is the source of the righteousness of faith because He is the Lord of faith!


Jesus is Lord of all and He is all that we need to know the righteousness of God, to experience faith in God, and to know God Himself.


Paul says in order to experience being saved by Jesus we must do these two things: confess with your mouth and believe in your heart.


I think too often we think of these as two separate acts, while really they are two expressions of the same act. Confession and belief are a package deal.


When we receive the salvation of Jesus from our sins, it comes as a result of us believing inside our hearts and that belief blossoming out in our lives so that we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord.


By the way, it’s noteworthy that the word used for “Lord” here is kyrios. Kyrios is the same Greek word used in the Greek version of the Old Testament to refer to Yahweh; it’s the same word used to refer to God Himself.


When Paul says that we must confess that Jesus is Lord, he doesn’t simply mean that we should confess that He is a really important guy. Rather, Paul means that we must believe that Jesus had supernatural power by rising from the dead and that He is Himself, God!


Church, Jesus is Lord and He is Lord of all! That must be our belief and that must be our confession.
In the remainder of our passage, Paul continues to explain that . . .

IV. Jesus is Salvation (11-13)

Look at verses 11-13:


11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, 12 since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.


I love how Paul points out that if we believe in Jesus we will not be put to shame.


You see, there is shame for us when we are lost in our sin. There is shame for us when we face the judgment of God. There is shame for us when we are trying to attain righteousness on our own, we are spinning our wheels, and we are going nowhere.


However, there is no shame when you call on His name!


As Peter says in 1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”


We will not be put to shame because Jesus bore our shame for us! There is salvation in Jesus; we can be saved by Jesus!


Paul points out in verse 12, it doesn’t matter if you are Jewish or Greek (meaning Gentile or non-Jewish). If you call upon the name of Jesus, Paul says Jesus will richly bless you!


Do you need to be set free from shame? Do you need to experience salvation? Do you need to be richly blessed? Well, then, call upon the name of Jesus!


In case we didn’t catch on that this offer of salvation is for everyone, Paul makes it very clear in verse 13, when he says, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”


By the way, Paul is quoting the Old Testament again, this time Joel 2:32.


No matter who you are, no matter where you’re from, if you call on the name of the Lord Jesus for salvation, you will be saved.


By the way, I think it’s worth pointing out that some people often use this verse to disprove the doctrine of God’s election. That’s actually quite silly to do because this verse comes on the heels of one of the most direct teachings of election in the Bible in Romans 9.


However, remember, God does His part in election, that’s not our business. Our business is to call upon the name of the Lord and to plead with others to call upon the name of the Lord so that we, and they, might be saved.


Some people often say, “Anyone can be saved.” Did you know, that’s not true. Not anyone can be saved. You know who can? Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord. That’s who can be saved. Anyone and everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved!


Church, Jesus is final, Jesus is near, Jesus is Lord, and Jesus is salvation.


That takes us to our bottom line:

Bottom Line: Jesus is Lord of all and He is Lord for all.

Speaking of Jesus, the apostle John says in John 1:1-3“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.”


Paul said in Philippians 2:9-11, “For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”


Church, Jesus is Lord of all.


Jesus is also Lord for all.


He is all that we need for this life and He is all that we need for the life to come.


Challenge yourself this week to live out this passage in the following ways:

Weekly Challenge #1 – Embrace your family.

In Jesus, there is no distinction between Jew or Greek. In Jesus, there is no distinction between rich or poor. In Jesus, there is no distinction between black, white, Hispanic, Asian, or anything else. In Jesus, there is no distinction between democrat, republican, or independent. In Jesus, there is no distinction between Northerner or Southerner. In Jesus, there is no distinction between American and non-American. In Jesus, there is no distinction between Christian background or non-Christian background.


In Jesus, we are a family united under One Lord and His name is Jesus. So, embrace those who have been embraced by God. Embrace those who have embraced Jesus. Embrace your spiritual family.

Weekly Challenge #2 – Tell someone about Jesus.

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. However, they have to hear. By the way, that’s the message of the next sermon from Romans.


So, get a head start on next week’s passage. Challenge yourself to live out your faith in Jesus.
If Jesus is Lord, tell someone about Him! Challenge yourself to tell someone about Jesus!


(Gospel presentation)


(closing prayer)


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