Romans 10
Romans 10
[00:00:00] Hey everyone, welcome to God's plan, your part year two, where this year we're reading through and studying the entire New Testament one chapter at a time. Thanks again for joining us in discovering God's plan and your part in it. Today, we are looking at Romans chapter 10 and I will tell you right away upfront that if you did not listen to our episode on Romans nine, or at the very least, if you did not read Romans nine, uh, you really should.
And not because I want you to not because I want to push our download numbers up or anything like that. 10 is like
I don't think you can understand chapter 9 well without chapter 10. I don't think you can understand chapter 10 well. Without chapter nine. So catch us up, Jenny, on what's going on here. Well, I guess even first and foremost, chapter 10 is literally a continuation of chapter nine. Like chapter nine shortly, like, or abruptly just stops and it's continued in 10.
So that being said, like the first four verses of a very short chapter are [00:01:00] part of chapter nine. So I don't know, yesterday we talked a whole lot. About election and this idea of like, God knows whom he's called. Um, you have been appointed before, like time essentially that you would be his. Um, and there's like a lot of thoughts and emotions, I think that gets wrapped up into that and you can totally listen to that episode yet from yesterday.
Um, and then we move into chapter 10. Which really emphasizes this idea that, like, salvation is open to everyone. Like, although there's this idea that it could be, like, for strictly Israel as in the nation, or Gentiles because of faith, like, it this chapter basically says, no, no, It is literally for everyone.
It, this is probably, I mean, we've referenced the Romans road, I guess. This is another [00:02:00] part of the Romans road. Romans 10, um, probably like one of the most popular verses, honestly, probably in the whole book, but definitely in, in chapter 10, um, starts in verse nine, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart, that God raised him from the dead.
You will be saved for with the heart one believes in is justified and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. So if you read chapter nine and you get really wound up and really excited about election, we talked about yesterday how you can end up kind of like frozen on this I have a buddy that says you can become the frozen chosen.
That is, you just know that you're elect and you're happy that you're elect and you don't care about anybody else. But Romans 10 teaches us, um, that Apparently, everybody has an opportunity to come to faith somehow, in some way, and it is, to [00:03:00] some degree, our responsibility to make sure that we go to them and preach to them and bring the gospel to them.
We should strive to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth, so that should prevent us from doing that. From becoming the frozen chosen. I like that frozen chosen thing. That's clever. I actually was listening to someone. Shout out, Joey. He's a good guy. Oh, okay. There we go. Um, anyway, I was listening to someone preaching on something similar to this.
The idea of like almost living in like a sheltered community where it's like the church is where you go. Um, you learn about God and then you just kind of take it home to yourself. But he was emphasizing how. Like, the church is where we go to recharge and refuel and take it out to where we live and interact with people, um, because we have a responsibility, like, for that.
We have a responsibility to not keep it to ourselves because if they're, like, if you think about it, like, you know, we're, I don't know, we're so, like, fixated on [00:04:00] the here and now, but like, if we have this gift and like, ultimately somebody that we, like, rub our shoulders with. Could come to Christ because of the message that we have.
It's just a matter of like, Get off your butt and do it. Um, or actually show it or talk about it or whatever. Like that is part of God's ultimate sovereign plan too. So I don't know this whole thing of, I don't know, sharing what you have is so crucial because somebody's, uh, Somebody's elect ness could actually depend on you doing your part too.
Well, God doing that. Depend, yeah, depend is probably not the right word if you want to, if you want to like drill into semantics. Um, but it is, it is important. Like, I don't always love using pendulums, but you could use a pendulum here. Like if you're, if you're really far to one side. focused on election.
You'll just be [00:05:00] frozen chosen. Like that is not engaged in community, not interested in evangelism, assuming that God does all the parts. If you're like way too far on this free choice side, uh, you, you end up in this weird way of life where it's like, God is just you, like everything's up to what you want and what you say and what you, and that is exhausting.
What you tell God to do. Yeah. And I've even been in circles where I don't, I guess to some degree in my life, I'm still processing this someone we've talked about this on the podcast. Like it feels to me like in certain church circles that I was a part of, um, you can value evangelism so much. you don't value discipleship at all.
That is, that, that is you want to, you want to reach the ends of the earth. Um, and you're willing to compromise on just about everything, actually following Jesus, just to get more names on your list. That's [00:06:00] not right either. Some of the coolest things though, that I, cause like there are definitely moments in.
My past or just my memories of like where you kind of know when the two are crossing it's really interesting so like when you have When you have faith and you like, you know, like you are within the chosen, right? That sounds so silly. Um, but, and you actually take it to the world, but when your world like intersects with somebody else and they like anticipate and know that that's going to happen.
Like I think about plenty of missions trips where those kinds of things intersect and it actually disciples and grows bigger. both of your faith. And those are like, I don't know, like monumental times in your life where it's like, wow, that was an act of God. Like my faith mixed with this person's faith or coming to faith actually brought us both closer to God.
Like, I think those are the cool and like beautiful moments [00:07:00] when, I don't know, when mixed together. It's just like, I don't know. It's just really cool. I, I always really enjoy conversations about election. It can be a really hot topic. It can be a really divisive topic. I really enjoy just talking about it because I think it is constructive to my own faith to work through it.
And I just, I just had a conversation recently with a group of people and we were talking about how. There's, there's no hiding the fact that the Bible teaches election. We just, we just did, uh, we just did Romans nine that talks about like, God certainly chose people and you can't ignore that. And you can't act like it's not a thing.
References even like Pharaoh and stuff in the last chapter. So Pharaoh was chosen, but for God's purposes, not necessarily for. Pharaoh's own righteousness, but for God's so 100 percent God is sovereign. God's in control. God is God knows what God is doing, but at the same time, you can't ignore the fact that salvation appears to be available to everyone.
Uh, we appear [00:08:00] to have some level of choice in it. And obviously the tension is, well, as soon as you have a choice, God's not in control. So I would say God's 100 percent in control. Yeah. And he is in control of allowing us to make choices that I'm sure he knows what choices we will make, but at the same time, it seems like it certainly seems like we have some level of choice and Romans 10 teaches that.
So I think I would say, uh, when it comes to election, when it comes to free will and predestination, all those things. Things I would say Romans nine and 10 are critical passages to that conversation because I think even Paul is walking in those tensions and he has a full chapter on just the incredible sovereign reality of God that he is in control that he chooses who he wills.
And immediately follows up with a thought about, man, the gospel is so necessary to everyone. Uh, actually look, uh, if you look at verse 14, how then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And [00:09:00] how are they to believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
And how are they to preach unless they're sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news, but they have not all obeyed the gospel for Isaiah says, and he goes on to quote Isaiah essentially like he's using scripture to make the case and like this rhetorical thing that is several questions to make the case that like.
We have to get the news out and we have to preach to the people. And now what's interesting is Paul himself and, and Jesus before him, uh, when they would preach to people, they would preach the good news. They would tell you the necessary bits and details and you had an opportunity to respond or not. And it doesn't seem like they hunted people down.
Yeah, it seems like they were like, Hey, I preached the gospel in your town. You had an opportunity to respond. You either accepted it or you turned against it. Well, you can see that in a lot of present day arguments too. I see a lot of like street preachers and the reception of that is generally [00:10:00] not great.
Um, there's usually a lot of opposition to it, but at the same time, it's just like, I don't know. We've definitely been spreading this news and it will be like accepted or rejected. We often refer to like shaking the dust off. It's like, I don't know. It seems so old school but at the same time so to what today is like, but I think overall, most important thing is that you cannot keep it to yourself.
Like this message, when we're given, like it says, I, you actually pulled the verse, like before I even had a chance to say it. So we were definitely thinking the same points for me. No. Um, How are they to hear without someone preaching? That's verse 14. How are they supposed to know? Um, so we actually definitely have, like, we have this faith.
We have a job to do is not meant to be hidden. Um, and I'm not sure, like for me, even I think about my own neighbors. Like, how do I even approach that conversation? How do I bring it up? Because how [00:11:00] are they to know if I don't say it? Um, I'm sure they definitely have some background, especially with where we live, um, in who Jesus is, what he's all about.
But at the same time, I don't know. We definitely have like that duty as well. And I would say that's probably more of our, your part direction to go today. Like how do you take what you have been given and blessed with and share it with the rest of the world? I tell you what, just like a quick story about.
How I've experienced these two things. Um, when I graduated high school, the last, the last thing I wanted to do is go to college. So I put that off as long as I possibly could and ran from that as long as I could. So I went into essentially like. What I would say today was like outreach missions, kind of living.
I mean, I made like 30 bucks a month, uh, to work, to work at this boys camp. I've talked about this before, like what I was doing. Um, I, I was in charge of me and, uh, uh, another group leader. We were in charge of at most like 12 boys in a group that were like basically teenage boys, uh, that were either, you know, they would go before a judge and the [00:12:00] judge would say, Hey, you can go to juvie or you can go to camp.
And so these kids would Choose to go to camp. So sometimes when I tell people I worked at a camp, they're like, Oh, I did a summer camp too. And it's like, no, this was not summer camp. This was like, sounds like the book holes. I mean, like we had, we had people that would run away and we had to find them with dogs.
So like, this is not summer camp. Um, definitely sounds like holes, but it was a ministry thing. And man, I, I. I was so blessed to be a part of that ministry. I saw some of the coolest things I've ever seen my whole life, um, in that ministry, just incredible things that God was doing. And one of the things that I did incorrectly is I went into that group day in and day out, and I carried this incredible responsibility that I had to save these kids.
And I, I did that for quite a while, like for, for quite a while. I mean, probably over a year, it was like, this is my responsibility. God sent me here to save these kids. And it would like, it would drive me crazy because it'd be like, man, I have to, I have to do something to [00:13:00] accomplish salvation in this student this week.
And eventually I had this camp director as I had like an incredible opportunity to work for this incredible leader and just great dude. Um, I remember he pulled me aside once. He's like, you know. Part of what you're going through and part of the reason you feel like you're going crazy is that you think it's your job to save these kids and you cannot do that.
Like you, you just can't. So like you could come up with the greatest plan in the whole world and you, you cannot accomplish salvation in somebody else's life. It's almost the idea of seed planting. Yes. And so it was, it was crazy because I had never really considered that. And it was like a weight that was lifted off of my shoulders.
So what, what, what I ended up doing was, okay, I need to be responsible to the call of my life. I need to represent God well, uh, but I cannot force anyone into salvation. Only God can do that. So the best thing I can do, um, is ask God to do that. And that. [00:14:00] It felt like a simple, subtle shift, but that was a shift that I made when I was 20 years old, and I'm 36 now.
Wow. Um, I'm so glad that, that he told me that, and I'm so glad that he taught me that, because it has actually taken a lot of pressure off of my shoulders, and I've gone through some really, Interesting and unique and challenging ministry experiences, where if I thought it was my job to accomplish salvation, I don't know, I probably would have burned out really quickly.
Well, I think I definitely would have experienced similar. I mean, I wasn't living side by side with kids all the time, but. Teaching was the same way. You like fully anticipate that this year I'm going to be the one that makes this blah de blah de blah de difference. And I would say I definitely made some pretty significant impacts on some of my students that I had.
However, the pressure is immensely smaller when you realize that it is not just about you, Jenny, what you can do for this child. It's like planting those seeds that hopefully will abundantly grow into this pile of [00:15:00] like truth, and examples of grace, and kindness, when maybe they weren't necessarily.
Deserved or whatever. That is ultimately a reflection of God and his grace. Um, that hopefully they can, I don't know, take with them. So for a point of your part, I would say One of the one of the passages that sticks out to me trying to figure this out is verse 11 For the scripture says everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame For there is no distinction between jew and greek for the lord.
The same lord is lord of all but Bestowing his riches on all who call on him for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Those are verses 11 through 13. Extra credit. Um, they're very powerful verses for some of you in the audience. Um, maybe you're just like spiritually curious. This is true in every scenario.
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord. You're not saved by works, you're saved by faith. [00:16:00] And so if you authentically believe in your heart and confess with your mouth, Romans 10 teaches us you will be saved. I would say for those of us that have been doing this, um, Christian journey for quite a while, I would encourage you to realize that You cannot accomplish this for somebody else.
You need to be faithful to the task that's before you. Um, you need to respond to the Holy Spirit when he prompts you to do things and, and just represent him well, you cannot force someone to confess with their mouth and believe in their heart. Um, you cannot force someone to put their hope and trust in Christ, but you can.
Continually live out and remind people that these verses are true and they are powerful versus if nothing else, they're just powerful daily reminders that we have a hope in Christ and we will not be put to shame. So we'll be back again tomorrow with Romans chapter 11. I am really, really enjoying this Romans journey.
I hope you are too. We'll see you then. Thanks for joining today's episode of [00:17:00] God's plan your part as always Please consider partnering with us as we are a listener supported podcast that we hope to continue to grow with support from listeners Just like you we've made it super easy to partner with us and you can support us by following the link in our show notes Or our description.
You can support us with as little as 3 a month. Every little bit of this helps so much. And we're so thankful for your support. With that in mind, here's today's reading Romans chapter 10. Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God but not according to knowledge.
For being ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.
But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart who will ascend into heaven, that is, to bring Christ [00:18:00] down, or who will descend into the abyss, that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does it say? The word is near you in your mouth and in your heart. That is the word of faith that we proclaim.
Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the scripture says everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all. Bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have not heard?
And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news! But they have not all obeyed the [00:19:00] gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what He has heard from us? So, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. But, I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, I will make you jealous for those who are not a nation. With a foolish nation I will make you angry. Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, I have been found by those who did not seek me.
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me. But of Israel, he says, all day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of God's Plan, Your Part. Don't forget, you can find us on just about every social media platform and YouTube.
Let us know what you thought of today's episode, and if you have any questions, go ahead and post them there. You can also reach out to us directly at godsplanyourpartatgmail. [00:20:00] com. As always, if you don't have a Bible, or if you'd like to use the one that we use, uh, reach out to us via email and we'll be happy to send one to you.
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