Read Romans 10:6-9
Yesterday we stated that there are two ways to gain the righteousness of God. The first way was to seek to live according to the law in an attempt to gain that righteousness for yourself. This is what “religion” is all about. So many people think that if they do enough good things then God will let them into heaven. They think that if they perform enough good deeds or religious deeds then God will be bound to let them into heaven. We saw yesterday that we can never earn God’s righteousness and that in choosing to live by the law we also choose to accept the condemnation of the law when we fail to meet its standard.
The second way to gain the righteousness of God is to accept it by faith. What that means is that we accept by faith that Jesus lived a perfect life. We accept that He willingly died on the cross bearing our sins and imperfections. We accept that the wrath of God which was meant for us fell completely on Jesus. We accept that Jesus was raised to eternal life and that God has accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.
Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 30:12 where Moses called the people to obey the Word of God in the Promised Land. That Word of God was not up in the heavens to be sought out. Nor was it in the depths to be dived for and searched for. Rather the Word of God is in your heart and in your mouth. In other words
Interestingly, Jeremiah prophesied that God would enter into a new covenant with mankind and would bring to fruition what Moses was speaking about. In Jeremiah 31:33 we read of that new covenant:
“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Everyone who believes that God raised Jesus to life for their justification as Romans 4:25 declares and everyone who can confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord enters into that new covenant. There is no difference for Jew or Gentile. Both enter into the covenant in the same way.
Now if we believe in Jesus and confess Him as Lord then we’ll live for Jesus in everything. Like the man who tries to keep the law to earn his own righteousness, we too will keep the law. Effectively have two different ways of earning God’s righteousness flowing out into similar lives - lives of obedience. But what is different is the inside, the heart. One life of obedience flows outwards from a heart of gratitude and grace, while the other flows out from a hard heart seeking to promote self.
Prayer:
Having read today’s passage and notes jot down various prayer points in each:
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¨ Pray that your church would have a fervent passion to reach the lost. Pray that each person would be actively evangelising people in their world.
¨ Pray that the Kingdom of God would grow as your church evangelises.
Even though God looks at the heart and weighs up our motivations, disobedience on the outside is neither encouraged nor tolerated by God.
1. Is there a plausible Christian defence to the old adage, ‘The end justifies the means’?
2. If the life lived by grace looks similar to the life lived to earn God’s righteousness, how can we tell the difference?
3. In what ways can churches slip backwards into a life of trying to earn God’s righteousness?
4. How can we protect against this?
Intro: Often we think that we’re ok because our parents go to church. We never think about it for ourselves. But God wants each of us to be committed to Himself through Christ. Have you made a commitment to follow Jesus all the days of your life? If no, why not?
Discuss how you came to make that commitment to follow Christ.
Read John 3:16. Eph 2:8-10.
How do we become a follower of Jesus?
What role do good works play?
Pray together that you would be able to commit to following Jesus as of now.
Intro: Being Christian is often seen as a girl thing. But it takes a strong man to follow Jesus. God wants each of us to be committed to Himself through Christ. Have you made a commitment to follow Jesus all the days of your life? If no, why not?
Discuss how you came to make that commitment to follow Christ.
Read John 3:16. Eph 2:8-10.
How do we become a follower of Jesus?
What role do good works play?
Pray together that you would be able to commit to following Jesus as of now.
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