Romans 10: 1-10

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="097285a1erlcgo.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Grace Evangelical Church</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grace Evangelical Church"><U><B>home</B></U></A><B>    </B></div> <div> <A HREF="id206.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 7:112"><U>Romans 7:1-12</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id205.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 7:1325"><U>Romans 7:13-25</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id204.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 8:12"><U>Romans 8:1-2</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id203.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 8:35"><U>Romans 8:3-5</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id202.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 8:611"><U>Romans 8:6-11</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id211.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 8:1217"><U>Romans 8:12-17</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id212.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 8:1825"><U>Romans 8:18-25</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id213.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 8:2627"><U>Romans 8:26-27</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id214.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 8:2930"><U>Romans 8:29-30</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id215.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 8:3134"><U>Romans 8:31-34</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id216.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 8:3539"><U>Romans 8:35-39</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id217.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 9:124"><U>Romans 9:1-24</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id218.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 9:1024"><U>Romans 9:10-24</U></A>   |   <B>Romans 10: 1-10</B>   |   <A HREF="id234.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 10:1117"><U>Romans 10:11-17</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id235.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 10:1821"><U>Romans 10:18-21</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="096d2c00dkelyh.png"> <div> Main Menu:</div> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Who Are We?"><U>Who Are We?</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What Do We Believe?"><U>What Do We Believe?</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Where Do We Meet?"><U>Where Do We Meet?</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Good News For You!"><U>Good News For You!</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U>Contact Us</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Life of the Church:</div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Announcements"><U>Announcements</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Calendar"><U>Calendar</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id266.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Newsletters"><U>Newsletters</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Staff"><U>Staff</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id124.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id267.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon MP3s"><U>Sermon MP3's</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id341.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Library"><U>Library</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Ministries:</div> <div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fellowship Groups"><U>Fellowship Groups</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Missions Ministry"><U>Missions Ministry</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mens Ministry"><U>Men's Ministry</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Womens Ministry"><U>Women's Ministry</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Childrens Ministries"><U>Children's Ministries</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Youth Ministries"><U>Youth Ministries</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Romans 10: 1-10</I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="0a7bc4b0.jpg" border=0 width="700" height="75" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>The Significance of Your Choice</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Romans 10:1-10</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Philippians 3:3-8</div> <div> <B>How can you know the way to gain Christ?</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Know God's way of righteousness 10:1-3 </B></div> <bR> <div> 10:1 God wants you saved  Luke 19:10</div> <div> 10:2 God has revealed His way </div> <div> 10:3 Ignorance of God's righteousness is no excuse</div> <div>  </div> <div> <B>Christ Jesus is the way of righteousness 10:4-8</B></div> <bR> <div> 10:4 Christ is the ends, ways and means</div> <bR> <div> Ends - Acts 4:12.   </div> <div> Ways - John 14:6</div> <div> Means - Phil. 4:13</div> <bR> <div> 10:5 </div> <div> Lev. 18:1-5 </div> <div> Gal. 3:11</div> <div> Phil. 3:8</div> <div> 10:6-8</div> <div>  </div> <div> <B>The way is faith in God's paid provision 10:9-10</B> </div> <bR> <div> 10:9 Jesus paid the penalty, you accept it  </div> <div> 10:10  The decision is made in the inner being </div> <div>  </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>Salvation is given to all who trust </B></I></div> <div> <I><B> that Jesus has delivered them from sin!</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Biblical Teaching on Self-Righteousness</B></div> <bR> <div>      God is righteous and requires righteousness in His presence.  Habakkuk says God's “eyes” are too pure to behold evil and He cannot look on wickedness.  So man tries very hard to be righteous and in man's eyes he can excel and become very good.  We learn from an early age the ten commandments and to keep them for living.  Yet is that the purpose of God and what is the danger of pursuing righteousness apart from total dependence upon God?  Let's look at God's character, man's character, why pursuit of righteousness can be dangerous and what we should pursue.</div> <bR> <div> <B>God is righteous and righteous in all of His ways.</B>  Moses wrote, “<I>Righteous</I><I><B> </B></I><I>and upright is He.” </I>Deuteronomy 32:14  The Psalmist wrote, “<I>Let the heavens declare His righteousness, For God</I><I><B> </B></I><I>Himself is Judge.” </I>Psalm 50:6  Nothing can compare to the righteousness of God.  The Psalmist writes, “For <I>Thy righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, Thou who hast done great things; O God, who is like Thee?” Psalm 71:19 </I> In fact the book of Leviticus is about the righteousness of God and His requirement of righteousness in order to approach Him.  Furthermore, There is nothing God can do that is not righteous The Psalmist writes, “<I>To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Psalm 92:15</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Some people have attained high levels of righteousness in God's view, like Noah, Daniel and Job Ezekiel 14:13-14,20</B> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>“…<I>even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness</I><I><B> </B></I><I>they could only deliver themselves, "declares the Lord GOD.”</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Yet, God teaches that there is no one who is righteous, not one (not even Noah, Daniel, or Job) Romans 3:9-10.</B> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>In fact the best that man can produce are considered by God as filthy rags Isaiah 64:6 (which in the Hebrews literally is translated menstrual rags, which teaches that it reflects deadness - no life).  Why?  Because the creature, man, cannot produce anything but dead works before God.  Yes, before man, he can do many altruistic things, but none of the actions count for eternal value.  The best it can be is wood, hay, and stubble 1 Corinthians 3:12-13; Galatians 5:19-21.  The only way for man to produce anything that satisfies God is by God's Spirit Galatians 5:16, 22-23.  God's Spirit working through us produces the divine good that God considers gold, silver and precious stone - the works that He designed for us in eternity past Ephesians 2:10<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>We have righteousness and are righteous only through faith in Jesus Christ Romans 3:22; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21;  Philippians 3:9; Titus 3:5. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>There is nothing we can do from the flesh alone that can cause spiritual growth Galatians 3:1-3.  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>What normally happens is man seeks to obtain righteousness on his own, trying to please God, but does so from his own flesh  Romans 10:3</B> From this man acts self-righteous and tries to use this to look and be more holy than others or be in a right standing with God, much like the Pharisees in Jesus day.  After all, Jesus said, “<I>For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” </I>Matthew 5:20.  No one was more righteous than the Pharisees, but even they fell short of the glory of God and were in need of a Savior.  Jesus said specifically about the self-righteousness of the Pharisees, “<I>Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.</I>” Matthew 23:27; cf. 23:2-33.  They were proud of the things they could do that seemed righteous, but were nothing in God's sight, because they did it in their own fleshly energy and were actions for themselves rather than actions of self-less love for others.</div> <bR> <div> <B>So, what is a growing believer to do?</B>  Anything?  Continue to seek after God's righteousness Matthew 6:33; Ephesians 4:24.  Continue to live by faith, not works Romans 1:17; Matthew 5:6; Philippians 3:9;  The righteous shall live by faith, not works<B>. </B></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >If you are a Christian, you have Christ's righteous.  Do not try to be righteous in order to be a Christian.  Being must precede doing.  Self-righteous people often use the expression, “I never do that,” or “I always do this.”   They talk about how they don't do what other people do wrong and compare themselves to others.  Paul said, “</FONT><I>For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by</I><I><B> </B></I><I>themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” </I>2 Corinthians 10:12  Self-righteous people often have a critical spirit, because they are critical of others.    Self-righteous people often deny their hidden anger or resentment of what others get away with or the “wickedness” of others.  Self-righteous people often live by rules and are proud of their accomplishments and want others to know about their goodness.</div> <div> We all have a little of it in our blood.  Let's cast it before the Lord and ask in humility for Him to remove it far away as we may<I> be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith</I><I><B> </B></I><I>in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;</I></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="id234.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 10:1117"><U><B>Next Page</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grace Evangelical Church"><U><B><IMG SRC="0c740400.gif" border=0 width="64" height="64" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grace Evangelical Church"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>