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00:01 certain vending machines, they have credits and all you need to do is just put
00:06 another quarter and then you get a food. So, it's a great deal. Now, I do not
00:11 know why some people just put money, maybe they do not have enough. So, they have put like maybe three quarters and
00:17 then I just have to put another quarter then I I get a drink or I I get some food. So, great deal. somebody has paid
00:24 most of it and I just have to pay a little bit then I'm able to get the food. So today we're going to talk about
00:32 a passage that tells us that God has actually take a large step and all we
00:38 need is to take a small step. Let us pray as we come before God and to
00:44 prepare oursel for for this message this morning.
00:52 Father in heaven, we commit this time into your hands. We ask, we pray you prepare our hearts to be
01:01 fertile so to receive your words. Open our eyes, our heart and our mind to
01:06 experience you and to hear you that we are able to bring your word deep into
01:12 our lives and transform us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
01:18 Well, the very first verse it talks about the objective why why Paul want to
01:24 write this part of the the passage. It says, "And brother and sisters, my heart's desire and prayer to God is for
01:30 Israelite that they may be saved." Have you ever met people that they can talk
01:37 without punctuation? Have you ever met people that can talk
01:42 for minutes and hours and after a while you realize what is the person's point
01:50 because he just go on and on and on right and um over here it's something like that but of course it is not
01:56 pointless um last week uh brother Eden shared a very heavy uh passage uh we
02:04 have cerebral overload too many things to to to process as talk about children of privileges, promise,
02:11 children of God's mercy, children of God's sovereignty and children of faith. So it is a very it is a very difficult
02:18 passage for us to process and then now he comes to this. So most probably the
02:23 the audience is dumbfounded. It's like wow so many things and so uh Paul what
02:29 is your point? So I say my point is so that you will be saved so that the
02:34 Israelite will be saved and and then he and then he he goes on
02:40 over here I I want to highlight this point this very very important that in this particular chapter u I would like
02:47 to propose and suggest that the main audience is actually the Israelites or the Jews for three reasons. Number one,
02:55 he is addressed as brothers. He's not being chauvinistic. Uh although certain
03:00 translation is brother and sister, certain translation is brethren, but the original language is just brother. Um of
03:07 course we can say that he's addressing the brother in Christ. Um perhaps he's
03:13 also saying brothers in terms of u Jewish descent.
03:18 Secondly, he quoted many Old Testament texts. So for your for your benefit, I've already put all the Old Testament
03:24 text that is quoted in this in this passage. And in Romans 11:3, there's a shift that
03:31 says that now I'm talking to you Gentiles. So it is implied that he was
03:36 talking to the Jews predominantly before that. This is very important because
03:41 this tells us that we have to understand the following text or understand the
03:47 whole chapter in a Jewish perspective. We have to understand what Paul is
03:54 trying to present in a Jewish logic. It's very difficult in the sense that we
04:01 have to understand that logic and extrapolate and to to imply it into our
04:06 today's context. So that is why he quoted many old
04:12 testament texts but um I'm going to make it very very simple for us to to understand that process. So keep in mind
04:19 that the main the main audience is is the Jews. That is why we have to
04:24 understand certain certain words that is being used in this in this chapter
04:30 according to a Jewish perspective. Paul says that zeal is not enough.
04:40 He says that for I can testify about them that they are zealous for God but their zeal is not based on knowledge
04:47 since they did not know the righteousness from God and sought to establish their own and did not submit
04:52 to God's righteousness. Zealousness and sincerity is not enough
04:58 to be saved. It has to base on the right knowledge. It has to base on uh the the
05:06 right foundation. over here it is God's righteousness and not our righteousness.
05:12 So sincerity and zealousness is not the basis of justification.
05:23 I recently developed a a interest to run
05:29 and before I was before I was training uh in terms of running I actually
05:34 thought that I could run. I mean who else who cannot run right? So
05:40 uh there was one evening uh a few friends has asked me to run um and we have to run like this this particular
05:46 parimeter that is about 2.5km. So two rounds of it is 5km. So I thought
05:52 yeah 5km shouldn't be a problem I could run. So we ran um after a while uh I
05:60 guess for for companion sake since we are running in a group right uh they started talking so they asked question
06:07 oh so how have you been? Uh so what what do you eat for dinner?
06:12 And in my heart it's like I am trying to catch my next breath you know and in my
06:19 heart like please shut up and run because I cannot I cannot cope.
06:26 So in my heart in my mind I think I could run but actually physically I cannot. I had a zeal I had a conviction.
06:34 I had a confidence but that doesn't make me able to run.
06:39 So over here is the same thing. It talks about
06:44 a person can believe that that his work or her her morality or their their
06:53 lifestyle could could be could save them but that is not enough. Zeal is not
06:58 enough. And then he start and then uh Paul start to
07:05 explain that since zeal is not enough. So what what is the
07:11 what what is the requirement and he started to introduce this idea there's two ways of righteousness
07:17 starting with this statement that says Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for
07:23 everyone who believes. So Christ is the end of the law. The end of the law doesn't mean that it is the end. doesn't
07:29 mean that it's finished. Um, cumulation can also mean climax uh uh uh uh uh height. So as you know
07:37 that Jesus is the is a final revelation. So that's what he's saying that Jesus is
07:43 the final revelation. It is the last revelation that it is based on this
07:50 righteousness that we can be saved. And then he talks about this two
07:55 righteousness two ways. How how are we supposed to do it? um obey the law or simply believe.
08:02 Romans 10:5 says that Moses write this about the righteousness that is by law the person who does these things will be
08:08 saved. And he's quoting Leviticus 18:5. And then Romans 10:68 uh he said by the
08:14 righteousness that is by faith says do not say in your heart who are sent to heaven or who will descend into deep the
08:21 words is near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart. That is the message concerning faith that we proclaim. It is
08:27 a quotation from Deuteronomy chapter 30:1 to4. So it means that it is by
08:32 faith or it is by believing by simply believing. So it is easy that it is not
08:38 so high that we cannot reach and is not so low that that that we cannot we cannot attain it. So it is just by your
08:45 mouth is just it is just near. No, the word is very near you. It is in your
08:50 mouth and in your heart so that you may obey. So he presented there's two way of two ways to to be saved, two ways of
08:58 righteousness based on the old testament. So Moses is the one who said this
09:04 and then his logic comes to this since there's two ways and obeying the law can
09:09 make someone safe but no one can perfectly obey the law.
09:14 So just by simply process of elimination you only have one option left.
09:22 You either obey every single law that that God has presented to us which no
09:27 one can perfectly obey the law. So we basically have one option left. Um this
09:35 this logic could be could be looked upon as uh a logic of elimination. It can
09:41 also be looked upon as uh setting up a a straw man a straw man argument because
09:47 when when he presented uh if you obey the law you'll be saved the Israelites
09:52 or the Jewish will agree yes because that's what they do and once they agree
09:59 immediately Paul says that no one can actually obey all the law. So um so he
10:04 defeated the the straw man. So therefore you got you got no more option. You only have one left.
10:10 Then he presented what you need to do. What you and I need to do what the Israelites needs to do.
10:18 Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart. Confess that Jesus is Lord
10:23 and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. And the result is that you
10:28 will be saved. I'll come back to this because this is this is pivotal. This is very important
10:34 for us to understand it in the context and how we can apply it. So I will come back to this. So we are going through
10:41 very quickly uh on the text and then we'll come back to to this very very important part of uh of this passage
10:49 and then he talks about the proclamation process. How can a person call unless he
10:54 believe? How can a person believe unless he's heard? How can the person hear unless it is preached and how can the
11:01 person preach unless he or she is sent? So the good news is basically to be
11:06 preached that means it is herald. It is uh it is to proclaim. Um, I know that many of you asked about
11:15 the Vietnam trip and I didn't give you a a full description of it because I have
11:21 to save it for this time or else I got nothing to talk about.
11:29 Well, we have uh we have uh two two team members who have shared with you about
11:36 our trip uh in Vietnam. We went there for about five days. uh uh six days,
11:41 five nights, almost a week. And uh we were definitely we were sent by you.
11:47 Uh the the church prayed for us and we went and I remembered it was Monday
11:53 night. We went there on Saturday, but it was Monday. Uh so Monday morning, we have to wake up early in the morning
11:58 about 5 and we travel about 5 hours to uh to a province.
12:05 Once we arrived there uh I I shared at 10:00 till 5. So um and in between we
12:13 had lunch. The original plan was that I do not preach because they actually know
12:20 that there is risk if I preach. So the original plan is that I was not there to
12:26 preach. I was there to share with them how to do community development. uh that
12:32 is uh that is uh another uh area that uh I am
12:38 that I do. So I was supposed to teach them community development. That was the original plan. But then the night before
12:45 I preached in uh in this church, Antioch Evangelical Church and our coordinator
12:52 said that uh Joshua, Pastor Joshua, you should preach this message uh tomorrow
12:57 morning. So me being very obedient to the locals because only they know what
13:02 is best. So I I said yes no problem. So I'll preach.
13:08 So I went there I preached in the morning and then after that continued to teach them on community development. Um
13:17 after I finished at 5 there were police. They came and they
13:24 started to to harass some of the local members outside and we were we were very
13:30 gullible. We didn't know what was happening. So we were just happily chithatting and then suddenly one of the
13:35 one one of our guys say uh pastor please come into the room. Come into the room. Why why were we supposed to go in the
13:41 room? So he brought us in the room one by one. So brought us one at the time and then there was four five of us. Uh
13:47 some of them still gullible don't know what's happening. still wandering around looking at the fruits, the flowers and
13:53 and then um one of our guy told us uh pastor we have to get you out of here.
13:60 Uh what do you mean there's police outside and they may arrest you? Uh
14:06 because I I I was I was the only one who preached. So if there's a if there's a
14:11 chance that anyone would to be arrested, it will be me. So they want to smuggle me out first. So they gave me a fullface
14:18 helmet so that they could identify who who who
14:24 am I. So they gave me a full fa uh a fullface helmet and then there was a motorcycle waiting at the back door.
14:32 Uh so I was led I was led there uh to to the motorcycle and actually deep in me I
14:38 was thinking should I leave or not because uh after all I'm the leader of the team you know how can I leave behind
14:44 my team? How about after they all get arrested what will happen right
14:51 then they they assured me don't worry uh after all my team consists of two
14:57 elderly ladies and and four sweet young thing
15:05 they they they are so harmless they look so harmless so they they won't arrest arrest this group of girls if they're
15:12 going to arrest they're going to arrest you. So I thought about it. Okay. So I I I
15:19 left uh without anything. So uh so I jump onto the motorbike. So they they
15:25 took me out. Uh and then later on I found out that they also took two others. Uh they took Ichu and uh and Pen
15:34 as well. And I was as I was traveling right I was wondering
15:40 uh I have no passport. I have no wallet.
15:47 I don't have anything. I don't even have my phone. What if this guy in front of me don't
15:54 take me somewhere and how am I going to get back? You know
15:59 a lot of things came into my mind like oh what will actually happen? Because if as he takes me out, if I get caught, I
16:07 got no identity and the team wouldn't know where I went.
16:14 I would have been missing and I would have been a missing individual.
16:21 Friends, doing God's business of spreading the
16:27 word has its risk. send, preach, heard, believe, and call.
16:36 But the word of God, the salvation, the righteousness of God is for everyone.
16:42 And we have that responsibility and we have that calling to bring the
16:48 word to others which I will share with you later as as we come to to that part.
16:56 Then this is the part where it's an argument. It's a rhetoric argument. uh Paul uh said that protested they say did
17:04 Israel not hear or that means maybe the Israelite didn't hear it but over here in the text no they actually heard it
17:11 the voice has gone out into all the earth their words to the end of the world that means it is public
17:19 Jesus Christ the death of the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ is public
17:25 it is not in private so everybody knows about it So, well, did they not hear it?
17:32 No, they heard it. How about did they not understand?
17:37 Yeah, they heard it. Maybe they just don't understand. But then he says that I will make you
17:44 envious by those who are not a nation. I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding. Verse 19, that means
17:50 is that I will make you envious. That means that you
17:55 will have that that righteousness. So do they really not understand? No,
18:00 they actually do understand. So it comes down to this. What is the real reason? What is the real reason that Israelites
18:07 do not uh accept this righteousness that is presented in Jesus or in Christ is
18:14 because Israel chose not to accept. It's a choice. They made a choice and
18:21 the choice is not to accept. All day long I held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people. So God
18:28 held out his hand but the Israelite chose not to hold that
18:34 hand. So now we come back to that question. We have an overview of the text. We come
18:40 back to that question. Can everyone and anyone be saved?
18:49 The answer is yes and no. The text clearly says that for everyone
18:56 who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Not could be saved, not might
19:02 be saved or probably be saved but will be saved. It's definitive. So it is
19:07 possible. It is possible that everyone can be saved
19:14 but it's not substantial because we have a choice
19:20 or Israel has a choice. Now we come back to this the the the
19:27 pivotal of this text because this is the part that applies to us.
19:33 This is the part where we we are able to experience this salvation. There's two
19:39 action that we need to do that is uh prescribed by the text uh Romans chapter 10:9. It says that
19:46 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you
19:53 will be saved. The result is we will be saved because it says that it says that
19:58 the Jews and the Gentiles there's no difference. Um that's verse 11 uh verse 12. For
20:06 there's no difference between Jews and Gentiles. The same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him.
20:12 So for the Jews or Gentiles, same Lord, same process, same action is needed. So
20:18 we are not Israelites, we are the Gentiles. But and this applies to us.
20:27 However, just now I say that in the beginning, we have to understand this text in a Jewish perspective.
20:33 So what does it mean by Jesus is Lord?
20:39 We have to take a moment to to to let this sink in
20:45 because the word Lord, we don't have the luxury of a social and
20:52 a cultural context to understand this word Lord. It's an old English word.
20:60 Nobody use the word Lord. Even if they use the word Lord, it means something else.
21:08 So the first thing is confess with your mouth is basically a public declaration.
21:16 You declare publicly. It is not just it's not a magical word.
21:23 It is something that that you that you acknowledge. So it's a public confession, a public
21:31 declaration. Here the word lord is curios which is god's personal name in
21:37 the satuin or the greek old testament it is used as it is uh the word curios is
21:43 also used as uh to replace yahweh so that means Jesus is Yahweh Jesus is
21:50 that covenantal lord Paul alluded
21:57 deuteronomy chapter 30 but deut deuteronomy chapter 30 is a part of a
22:03 presentation and the presentation actually starts in Deuteronomy chapter 29:1. These are the terms of the
22:09 covenant the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab in addition to the covenant he had made
22:15 with them at Horeb. So when when the Israelite or when Paul is persuading the
22:22 Israel to say Jesus is Lord, Paul is saying that Jesus is that Yahweh. Jesus
22:28 is that same God that we made a covenant with
22:34 as our forefathers in the past. And now Jesus is that final revelation.
22:43 Therefore, Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Yahweh. Jesus is God.
22:49 And when a a Jew were to proclaim that, he is actually saying that I have a
22:55 covenantal relationship with God, I have a national identity.
23:05 I am a people of God. So how does it actually how does it
23:11 actually translate to our context today? The word Lord we means many things but
23:19 out of these many things it actually means to us that he is our master.
23:24 He is our owner. So acknowledging Jesus as Lord is not a
23:31 magic word. It's not that God I acknowledge that you are my Lord and therefore you are saved. That public
23:38 decoration that public decoration is not just that it mean you are telling people
23:43 that Jesus is my master and Jesus is my owner. That means Jesus owns my life.
23:51 Jesus owns not only my life but he owns every single scent in my investment and
23:57 in my bank. Jesus owns the house that I'm living in. Jesus owns my family. He
24:05 is my owner. That is the decoration, the public declaration that Jesus is Lord,
24:15 very simple and yet very difficult. A public declaration.
24:23 Another thing is that it says that believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. We have to believe
24:29 in Jesus work. Believe in your heart is a private conviction that is based on
24:35 historical fact which Jesus that God raised Jesus from the dead.
24:42 What do I mean by private conviction? Private conviction is
24:50 when no one is watching. When the lights are off. When you are all by yourself.
24:57 When you travel somewhere out of the country when nobody knows you, what do you actually do?
25:04 What is your private conviction? What are the things that you think of in
25:11 your mind when nobody has the access to your mind? What do you think of early in the morning? What fills your heart?
25:21 What is your aspiration? What are your dreams? What are your hope?
25:27 What are the goals in your life?
25:34 So this private conviction
25:42 and when we have a public declaration that Jesus is my owner and my master and
25:48 we have a private conviction that
25:54 Jesus that God has raised him from the dead that means I am a Christian
25:60 then you will be saved.
26:08 Quite a few years ago when I was in the seminary,
26:13 we uh in in Pinang, we have we have uh intakes after intakes of Chinese
26:20 students. That means students from China. Some of them as young as 16 years old.
26:26 Most of them are young. Uh maybe by 21, 22 years old. Um, and there's one particular man, a young man. That time
26:33 he was 20, I think 21 or 22. His name is Yaka or James. Uh, quite a
26:40 tall guy, very muscular, very big, very similar to to Michael. Uh, he's a
26:46 basketball prodigge. He didn't know how to play basketball, but after we teach him a bit, uh, he was very good at it.
26:51 Uh, good because of his size. When he approached the the basket, would you
26:56 dare to stop him? So nobody dares to stop him. So he's quite good. He eats a
27:02 lot uh because of his size and uh
27:07 normally I don't want to sit with him during dinner because he will take my food too. So, so I'll
27:14 but this big huge macho man
27:21 I have seen him pray and every single time when he pray in
27:27 the morning he cry like a baby. He cries like a baby. So I was thinking wow this Chinese
27:34 boy not bad h can play basketball can eat a lot can also act very wellh
27:42 but days became months after six seven months uh occasionally
27:48 when I wake up in the morning when he prays he still cries and I was thinking wow this is not acting
27:55 because a person that wakes up that has the discipline to wake up every single morning to pray and to cry in his prayer
28:03 means something. He must have a very deep conviction. So I had a conversation with him. I asked him uh uh why why why why do you
28:12 cry when you pray? Then he told me this uh
28:20 China need Jesus.
28:27 China needs Jesus.
28:32 because he know that this message has
28:38 to be shared.
28:45 In between of these two, our conviction has to lie on yes
28:52 more than the no. Everyone can be saved.
29:01 And this is the process where we preach so that others can hear
29:07 and believe and call on the name of the Lord.
29:20 I saw this very romantic uh story about this couple uh young couple and this man
29:29 he confessed to the girl and say that uh all you need to do is to take one step
29:37 and I will take the 99. All you need to do is to take one step
29:44 and I will take the 99. And Jesus is that lover.
29:52 He has died for us on the cross and he offer us this salvation to be right with
29:59 God. I want you to note that the proclamation
30:04 is not Jesus is my savior. That is not enough.
30:11 Jesus is not just a savior. Most of us can say Jesus is my savior.
30:18 Most Christians can say that. But is Jesus my owner? Is Jesus my master? Is
30:24 Jesus Lord? That is the difficult part.
30:31 But today just like the text says
30:37 that I am reaching out my hand all day long. I have held out my hands to a this
30:44 held up my hand to these people and God is saying I have already taken
30:50 the 99 steps. I have sent my son to die for you and to die for you on the cross
30:57 to offer you a pathway of righteousness that you may be saved. I've already offered up that hand to you and all you
31:05 need to do is to hold my hand. Salvation
31:11 is the meeting point of God's will and man's will.
31:18 Salvation happens when God's will and your will meet.
31:26 But it's not an equal partnership. God has done most of the work. 99
31:32 steps he has taken. And now all you need to do is hold his hand.
31:41 That is free.
32:01 As a musician playing, I want to give us an opportunity to to ponder upon
32:09 the song as well as the message that has been preached this morning.
32:17 God is calling you this morning.
32:24 God says that I offer my hand to you. I am reaching out to you.
32:31 Then all you need to do is to hold my hand,
32:37 to confess that I am God, and to believe in your heart that this
32:44 is true. A public declaration and a private conviction.
32:58 Everyone can be saved. The Bible says that
33:05 if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart
33:12 that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. It is definitely.
33:21 You may be asking saved from what?
33:30 save from what is bothering you right now.
33:38 Because what bothers you right now, the root of it is sin.
33:46 God wants to solve the root problem.
33:53 Not the effect of the problem but the root problem.
33:59 If you want to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior this morning, you just raise up your hand. I want to pray for you.
34:08 Yes, I see your hands, sister. Yes, I see your hands. Okay, put it down. Um, please see me after this. All right.
34:15 Will anyone God is reaching out his hand to you this morning
34:24 just quickly put your hands up and put it down and I want to pray for you.
34:33 We have two that accepted Christ this morning. Anyone would like to accept
34:38 Christ this morning? Anyone
34:46 for some of us has been in church for many years. We acknowledge Jesus as our savior.
34:53 But today you want to make a commitment and say that no Jesus you
34:59 are not just my savior, you are my owner. I want to commit my life to you.
35:07 I'm so sorry, God, that I only understand you as a savior.
35:14 Admitting Jesus as a savior will not save you. It is only admitting Jesus as your Lord that will save you. If you are
35:22 a person like that, you want to rededicate your life. Uh may you just quickly put up your hands and put it
35:27 down. I want to pray for you.
35:34 Jesus is Lord.
35:41 I want to offer that opportunity to you. God is reaching out his hand to you this
35:47 morning. Just quickly put it up and put it down. I want to pray for you.
35:54 Yes, I see your hands.
36:03 It seems like women respond better to to God. Is there any man that that says
36:09 yes, I see your hands? Yes.
36:16 May I invite you to stand with me? Let us pray.
36:31 Oh God, it is a simple message. And you have told us in your words that
36:38 there's nothing we can do except to simply believe.
36:52 We have individuals here this morning who have encountered you in a very special way
36:59 and God we praise you for that. They acknowledge you as their Lord. In
37:06 their hearts they believe that God you have resurre you have raised
37:12 Jesus from the dead. And God I know that the angels are
37:19 singing. They are celebrating. Thank you, God, that another is ushered
37:25 into the heaven in the into the kingdom. God, you know who they are. Lord, we
37:31 celebrate together with the angels.
37:37 And Lord, there are many things in life that challenge us. We cannot let go.
37:45 God, just let us take this step of faith, Lord. Yes, Jesus. You are not just my savior.
37:53 You are my master. You are my owner. You owns. You owns me, God. And I belong
38:00 to you. Every single thing I have, my family,
38:08 my wealth, because it is you who gave us
38:13 the ability to work. It is all from you
38:21 God. Let us use it to glorify your name. Your love is so amazing.
38:28 In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
