Click here to read the full length sermon: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2011/09/romans-109-say-it-know-it-do-it.html
Today we
are speaking about Romans 10:9: “That 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.” And, Romans 10:13, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will
be saved.” These 3 points are the basics of the whole Christian faith (cf. TSA
doc. 7).
1) Confess Jesus as Lord with your mouth. (v.9) Say it.
2) Believe in your heart in His resurrection.
(v.9) Know it.
3) Call on the name of the Lord. (v.13) Do it.
1) Say it! Romans 10:9: “…confess with your
mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord…’
This is
important. Whenever I hear this verse I immediately think of Peter, the rock
upon which Christ was to build His church. We know this story, right? Jesus
tells Peter that he is going to use him to help build his church. This is the
point where Jesus gives him the name ‘Peter’ as a nickname – that wasn’t his
given name; Simon was his given name – Peter means ‘Rock’ or even ‘Rocky’.
Simon ‘Rocky-Peter’ here is to be one of Christ’s main ‘go to’ people after His
resurrection and we remember the story about how Jesus told Rocky-Peter that he
would deny him 3 times before the cock crows twice and then shortly after
Peter’s saying ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’; shortly after Peter’s
third denial that he even knows Jesus; the rooster crows and Peter is
devastated
Point #1:
Say it! Simon Peter had his chance to confess Jesus as Lord but he declined it.
Now, if the story had ended there it would be sad indeed but John 21:15ff,
records Simon Peter’s restoration, as Rocky, as Peter. The Resurrected Lord
asks him 3 times to feed his sheep and he agrees to it. Near the conclusion of
the book of John, Jesus then blows on Peter -and the other disciples- giving him
the Holy Spirit. Luke picks up the story of Rocky-Peter in the book of Acts
where Rocky-Peter is there at Pentecost, taking the lead as the Holy Spirit
like a starting pistol sends the disciples and more out to proclaim salvation
to the world. Acts 2, after they share the gospel in many different languages
as the Spirit enables them, the Lord adds to their number daily those being
saved Point 1, Romans 10:9, for us today, Say it!
2) Know it! Believe in your heart in His resurrection.
It is great
and it is very important to proclaim the gospel but that is not the end of it.
Speaking is one thing and believing is quite another. If you have any doubt
about that, think about the general reputation (accurate or not) of our elected
politicians – speaking is one thing, believing what you say is quite another.
Paul is quite concerned about people who are quite
happy to say what needs to be said – the Pharisees, as a group, did believe in
the resurrection in general and as a group were quite evangelistic! But
believing in your heart in Jesus’ resurrection is quite a different matter though.
And the Apostle Paul - who was a Pharisee - celebrated the fact that Jesus has
been raised from the dead but sadly many Israelites and even Pharisees did not.
It pained Paul that people who were zealous for God’s Law were indeed missing
out on the benefits of the culmination of the Law, Jesus, the one whom the Law
points towards. Salvation is about:
1) Say it!
- Confess Jesus as Lord with your mouth.
2) Know it!
- Believe in your heart in His resurrection.
3) Do it!
Call on the name of the Lord.
3) Do it! Call on the Name of the Lord.
This is
important. Saying it is good. Knowing it is better. Doing it is imperative
(This fact is also implied in v. 9). The scriptures speak about this quite a
bit I believe that Matthew actually
paints this picture quite vividly. In Chapter 25:31ff is recorded the parable
of the sheep and the goats. In that parable you have two groups of nations.
Both groups – the sheep and the goats – 1) say and 2) know that Jesus is Lord.
But it is only the sheep that do anything about it. As a result, only the sheep
are saved. The goats that didn’t do anything go off to where there is a weeping
and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 7:21 is quite clear on this matter: it is
recorded that the Lord says “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter
the kingdom of heaven but only he who does the will of my Father in heaven”:
Say it! Know it! Do it!
This is
important. Christianity isn’t some academic pursuit. Christianity isn’t some
code. Christianity isn’t some rules and regulations. Christianity isn’t some
club. Christianity isn’t some principles to live our life by. Christianity is a
relationship with the risen Christ. Jesus Christ raised from the grave and he
promises that, Romans 10:13 “…everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will
be saved.” He loves us and he wishes that none would perish. And Salvation in
our text today is as easy as 1, 2, and 3. It is my prayer today that every one
of us here will:
1) Say it!
- Confess Jesus as Lord with our mouths.
2) Know it!
- Believe in our hearts in His resurrection.
3) Do it! –
That we would call upon the name of the Lord.
Psalm 34:8,
“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in
him.” Matthew 11:30: “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Romans 10:15
and Isaiah 52:7, "...How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good
news!" Romans 10:9a, say it: confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.
Romans 10:9b, know it: believe in your heart in Jesus’ resurrection. And above
all else, Romans 10:13, do it: call upon the name of the Lord and then even we
will be saved. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Let it be. Let us pray
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