SCRIPTURE: Romans 10
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” [Matthew 23:37]
Can you sense the pain and sorrow in Jesus’ heart?
Paul shares this pain and sorrow [remember Romans 9:2].
But the Jews of Jesus’ day were not willing.
Not willing to receive God’s charity, they wanted to earn it on their own.
Sure, Paul notes, they were zealous for doing what was right and good.
But they completely missed the point.
They thought that if they tried hard enough, they could be good enough – and shame on the rest who do not try hard like them, those sinners need to be condemned.
Their zeal was not based on knowledge, knowing the truth that no matter how hard they tried they could not earn God’s love.
Paul explains again that the way to receive God’s love is just believe it and accept it by faith.
Believe in your heart and express with your mouth.
All who call on God’s Name this way are freely forgiven and welcomed.
Its not because sin is not serious; rather it’s because sin is so serious that only God could deal with it, and He did that through Jesus, on the cross.
Sin is so serious that we can’t overcome it ourselves.
Try as we might, we cannot break free from its grip.
This is the good news!
Jesus sets us free from the failure of the Law, i.e. the fact that the Law could only condemn us since we could not fulfill it.
Like standing before a 20ft high jump – seeing it only confirms our inability; try as we might, we cannot jump it.
Our only hope is if our representative does it for us, and therefore we do it through Him.
Now, because of Jesus, we do not need to be worried about failure.
He is our success.
Now we can jump as high as we can, and God accepts it as good enough, since Jesus made the big jump for us.
All we have to do is accept this.
Can we, will we, or will we refuse God’s charity?
Will Jesus be weeping about us one day, because we were not willing?
PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for succeeding for me. Thank You for releasing me from the burden of doing the impossible. Thank You that I can do the best I can do, with Your help, and that’s good enough for You!
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
That is the message.
However, as in times of old, they have ears but do not hear, and eyes but do not see because they have gone after their own ways. They did not accept the Good News and went looking for their own ways.
Saved by Grace.
“Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
What a promise!
All I need to do is just do it! Believe and my actions will show that I believe. What a Saviour! Jesus is mine!
Lord God, help me on my way. Help me on my pilgrim’s progress this day. And they can tell we are/I am Christian by my love.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
Refrain
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
Refrain
His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
Refrain
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.