What Are You Zealous For? – Romans 10.1-13

1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness…. 9 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. 10 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. 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[1]
 
Memory Verses: 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. (Romans 10.9-10) & Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10.13).

      We are now on the home stretch when it comes to the Romans Road memory verses. These are the last two, we should know Romans 3.23, 5.8, 6.23 and now we will begin to learn 10.9-10 & 13. All of these verses paint the gospel picture, laying out how God loved us and sent His Son to die on the cross so we could have eternal life through Him. Hopefully as we learn these verses and share them with others two things will happen: first, we will become more familiar with each verse and its meaning. Second, they will become easier to share with others.
      As we share these verses, we will find ways to weave these verses into our own life story of how God has affected our lives and how these verses have impacted them. It is at these moments when the Word of God really comes alive for us. So, stay the course, press on, because God has great things in store for those who will continue down this very ambitious road.
      In the first eight chapters of Romans Paul was primarily speaking to Christian believers, telling them how God brought them from a life of sin, shame and death, into a life of freedom, joy and eternal life. Man could not see God for Who He was, and instead worshiped the creation more than the Creator (Romans 1.24-25). Now in the next three chapters Paul is still speaking to the Christian believers but he is talking about the Israel Nation and their relationship with God or lack thereof.
      Chapter Ten begins with Paul expressing his great love for the Jews, saying, “my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved (Romans 10.1, ESV).[2] However, there was a larger problem among the Jewish population, they did not have the correct knowledge concerning God and Jesus Christ. Understand this, they had a great zeal for God (Romans 10.2), but that zeal did not translate into any understanding of the true God or His amazing nature, or gift through His One and Only Son Jesus Christ.
      They lacked the truth of God’s Holy Word to give them the proper knowledge and understanding to help them come to know God’s righteousness. Instead they were trying to get and maintain righteousness on their own. In the words of Paul, “O foolish Jew.” (Paul actually said O foolish Galatians, ‘Galatians 3.1’).
      Why do we need to know the truth? What makes the truth so important? Is not my truth as good as your truth? Cannot our truths just all get along? Let us think about these questions, the underling thought is ‘truth.’ There can only be one ‘truth’ and this is the truth which comes from our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not to say that we cannot have truth, or speak truth, but genuine truth comes from God, and we are the recipients of God’s truth.
      Israel’s failure here is they looked to themselves for righteousness, understanding and ultimately salvation. Yes, they believed in and had a zeal for God, yet He was not in their plans for really anything although God’s Word said the opposite. So, what were they lacking? They were lacking God’s truth, the truth of His Word. It’s this truth each one of must have in our lives if we are truly going to live faithful and fruitful lives for Christ. Let’s look at a few verses which talk about God and truth:
        John 1.14—And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.[3]
       John 8.31-32—Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.[4]
      John 14.6—Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.[5]
      John 18.37—Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.[6]
      II Thessalonians 2.10—and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.[7]
      II Thessalonians 2.13—But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.[8]
      II Timothy 3.7—who are always being instructed and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth.[9]
 
Application
 

1. Have you memorized all three verses (Romans 3.23, 5.8, and 6.23)? Have you used them in conversation to share the gospel with anyone? How did it go? Please explain.
   
2. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest, where would you rank your relationship with God? Why that ranking? Please explain.
   
3. Deeper Thinking: Why do you have the understanding you have about God’s righteousness and His Truth? After reading these seven (7) scriptures what are your feelings and opinions about God’s truth and His righteousness? Please use some other scripture to back up your claim.
   
4. If you have not already done so, make a commitment today to share the gospel with at least one person and continue to memorize the Romans Road 3.23, 5.8, 6.23 10.9-10, and 13.

 
 Prayer
         
   Amazing God of my father, Lord of lord’s and King of kings, thank You for saving my soul, and giving me opportunities to share Your message with others each and every day. I know Lord, that I fail You more than I should, Help me to seek Your ways to be of service and Lord help me to be the kind of person You have died for and called me to be. Lord help me to have a zeal for You, but to also have a thirst for Your knowledge and understanding. To never settle for the bottom, but always want to know more, to understand You more, and to be closer to You. Lord help me to be able to see the opportunities You give me to share Your gospel today, and seize upon them and share it without fear or shame. All this I pray in Your Son Jesus Christ’s Name, Amen.

[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Ro 10:1–13). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ro 10:1). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[3] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (Jn 1:14). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[4] American Standard Version. (1995). (Jn 8:31–32). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 14:6). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[6] American Standard Version. (1995). (Jn 18:37). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[7] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (2 Th 2:10). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8] Ibid., (2 Th 2:13).
[9] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (2 Ti 3:7). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

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