Adrian Rogers: Salvation #2067

[Music] welcome to love worth finding with Pastor teacher and author Adrian Rogers reaching out with God's love bringing people to Christ touching lives around the world and helping you find the answers you need today join us as we prepare to open God's Word and discover how your life can be changed forever by his great love worth finding do you take God's Word and be finding Romans chapter 10 as you found it to look up here let me ask you a question of all of the needs that humanity has what is the greatest need is it education if it were education when the Lord Jesus came to this earth he would have come as an educator is it finance if that is true when the Lord Jesus came he would have come as an economist perhaps as a banker is it peace well that's true jesus would have come as a diplomat but what is man's greatest need why did Jesus come what we don't have to guess about it Luke 19:10 jesus said I've come to seek and to save that which was lost now salvation is man's greatest need to be saved as man's greatest need but do you know when I say that I know how having preached as long as I have preached that that falls flat to say that man needs to be saved that's an old-fashioned word it's almost out of vogue it's out of date to be saved well we've heard that before haven't we but one of these days friend it will make a colossal difference now we've heard a lot about the Titanic and when people sailed on the Titanic there was some sailed with very exclusive provisions and the very fine accommodations and there were some below in the steerage but you know when the final tally came back to the New York office they put them in two categories saved and lost now some of you may be going to hell first class but there's coming a day when you're going to stand before God and the thing that's going to matter more than anything else in this world is this are you saved or are you lost look in God's Word here Romans chapter 10 I began in verse 1 brethren my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved Paul's heart beat Paul's passion Paul's prayer for Israel is that they might be saved for I bear them record that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge for they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth now I just want to pause right there and I want to talk about this salvation and the very first thing I want to tell you about is the freeness of this salvation it is absolutely totally free now most people who even think of salvation think that salvation roots in the merit of man if you were to walk up and down the streets of this city or any City and ask people are you going to heaven they'll say I hope so and if you were to say why they would say well I'm trying to live as best I know how they think that salvation is a reward for the righteous but salvation is not a reward for the righteous salvation is a gift for the guilty and if you don't understand that are you never going to have salvation because Paul talks about his brothers in the flesh the Jewish nation and he said I bear them record they have a zeal for God they're very religious very zealous but not according to knowledge for they big ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God you see that's when something good can become something bad if it keeps you from the best there are many people in this congregation and many who are listening to me across the nation you're going to go to hell not because you're a drunkard not because you're a thief but because you never work you think the gospel is for the harlot you think the gospel is for the thief you think the gospel is for the drunkard most of the people in America are egomaniacs struggling to hell thinking they're too good to be damned trusting in their own religion the Apostle Paul was one of these I want you to put in your margin this passage of Scripture it's very insightful Philippians 3 verses 4 through 7 here's what the Apostle Paul said of himself and I want you to listen to a very religious man talking he says though I might also have confidence in the flesh if any man thinketh he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh I more Paul said if you want to get in a bragging contest about who's a good boy he said let me just tell you about myself he said I was circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin a Hebrew of the Hebrews he said you ought to know my ancestors you have know my lineage you ought to know that I am a blueblood as touching the law a Pharisee said you won't talk about accomplishments I rose up in the ranks until I held the highest religious position in the nation concerning zeal persecuting the church you talk about a man who practiced what he believed I was the one he says touching righteousness which is by the law blameless if you were to take the Ten Commandments Paul would say at least outwardly I have kept every one of them but notice verse 7 here's the thing I want you to see but what things were gain to me I counted but loss Paul says I'm going to take my heritage my pedigree I'm going to take my accomplishments I'm going to take my zeal I'm going to take my good ol boy miss and I'm going to take that from the positive side of the ledger and I'm going to put it over here on the negative side of the ledger he said I'm going to count it as loss I'm going to take my goodness and I'm going to count it as badness has lost we say pastor that doesn't make sense how could you put striving to keep the Ten Commandments and be religious so how could you put all of that on the negative side now granted it may not get him to heaven but at least let's keep it over here on the positive side no he said I count all these things but lost why because those were the things he was trusting in and those were the things that were keeping him from the Lord now you see well let me illustrate this way I was down in Florida one day I had an engagement in South Florida I had a wonderful flight got off the plane in Tampa and I was going over to Fort Lauderdale and so I rented an automobile and they gave me a very nice car I think it was an upgrade and I was so happy to have it and the Sun was shining it was one of those beautiful Florida days we've got some good ones down there it was a beautiful Florida day and so I I turn on the stereo and I got the most gorgeous music oh it was beautiful and violins and all of that playing and I just turned up real loud nobody in the car but myself and then I got on this road it was an incredible Road very little traffic the Sun was shining the road was good the car was beautiful the music was glorious and Here I am on my way to something I look very forward to just driving along just so happy and then after I had driven about two hours I said I want to be there ought to be getting closer this doesn't look familiar something is wrong and I got to looking around and I said where is the Sun let me get myself oriented here and then it dawned on me I was going the wrong way I was on the wrong road I was making good time on the wrong and the good car and the music and all of these things that might be good were bad because they were taking me in the wrong direction now folks that's what religion is without the Lord you see the worst form of badness is human goodness if human goodness keeps you from salvation Paul said the things I counted for gain they were lost they he said my brothers my sisters the Jews according to the flesh he said I bear them record they have a zeal for God but not according to knowledge and they going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God you see then in verse 4 he says this Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes you see there's the law the law says do and we can't but the gospel says done the law demands perfection but only the gospel gives perfection in the Lord Jesus Christ John Patton was a missionary in the South Sea Islands and he was with a tribe that did not have a Bible so he was translating the Bible into their language he was very laborious thing to do they did not know the Bible and he had to learn their language and so he got to the word a believe trust Christ is then to the law you're going to see it in verse 4 to everyone that believeth and and so he's saying now what is the word for belief so they gave him the word for intellectual belief like I believe that two and two is four he said no that's not the word I want he said I want the word for belief that means trust confidence a reliance upon and he kept asking and they couldn't give him the he kept asking said what is this word what is this word they couldn't understand him he was in his hut a straw hut and he was it was a sweltering day and he was writing and a native came in to the hut the native had been running he was absolutely exhausted I want the camera to follow me that Nate that that native came into that hut and he was just so tired there was a chair there and he just sat down in the chair like this and Patton looked at him he said what did you do he said please I'm sorry I just said oh no no no no what did you do I said I said that he said but why do you call it when you just when you just committed yourself completely totally to that chair what did you do or he said that FICA run run go he said what psycho run run go that's the word he put in his Bible for reliance upon the Lord Jesus Christ when you just say Lord Jesus I just cast myself upon you not just not intellectual belief but Lord Here I am Lord I trust you and you see salvation salvation is the gift of God we're thinking now about the freeness of it don't miss my point the freeness of it there was a Baptist preacher who told a wonderful story i I could never get out of my heart it was his own testimony he said I was doing things before I would say that I ought not to have done my eyes were watching things my hands were handling things my feet were going places that were all wrong so he said I went to the doctor to see if the doctor could help me he said the doctor I went to was named dr. law dr. law and I said dr. law I've got some problems and I want you to help me my hands I've got a hand problem my hands are handling things out not to handle dr. law said let me look here so no the problem is not your hands the problem is your heart he said no doctors my hands you trust me it's your heart he said well my doctors not just my hands it's my eyes my eyes have been looking at some things they ought not to look at what's wrong my eyes doctor there's not it's not your eyes it's your heart no doctor it's mines no it is your heart well doctor what about my feet they're going places out not to go I've got a foot problem No you've got a heart problem doctor law are you absolutely convinced that I have a heart problem yes and furthermore it's fatal you're going to die of your heart problem well doctor law can you cure me oh no I can't cure you as a matter of fact I don't cure anybody all I do is diagnose that's my job I'm just here to diagnose I cannot cure anybody well and you say I'm going to die is there no hope oh no there's hope well who where's my hope well dr. grace dr. grace where where is he what can I find it he's right across the hall well do I do I need to make an appointment no just go knock on the door he never turns away a patient oh well well it will it cost a lot no he has never charged the patient so you leave doctor law he leaves doctor law and he goes and knocks on dr. Grace's door in there oh there is dr. grace opens the door as a kindly physician standing they says come in how did you know to come well dr. law told me I had a heart problem and you could help me can you help me yes I can well what medicine are you going to give me I'm not gonna give you any medicine I'm gonna give you a transplant a what I am going to give you a transplant I am going to give you a new heart will it hurt it might what will it cost not a thing in the world and dr. Grace opened my chest he said and reached in while I was still conscious and pulled out the most vile filthy stinking heart I could not believe that such a thing had been in me causing my eyes to do what they did my hands to do what they did my feet to do what they did and then dr. grace put within me a new heart and when he did I felt a change of nature that went through me that affected my eyes my hands my feet you know doctor law friend is the law of God dr. grace his name is Jesus Jesus Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone to believe it what I need what you need what every mother's child in America and in the whole world needs is dr. Grace and a brand-new heart amen now we're talking here about the free nough sub salvation but now here's the second thing I want you to see the nearness of salvation begin reading now in verse 6 but the righteousness which is by faith speaketh on this wise say not in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring Christ up again from the dead but what Seth in the word is nigh thee that means near thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the Word of Faith which we preach that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made on to salvation now Paul wanted his brothers and sisters in the flesh that used to be saved and he says here's the way to do it and he's saying to them and he's saying to us that if you want to be saved salvation is very near you may not dream how close you are today to being saved those of you in the balcony you're so close to being saved those you in that fire corner over there you're so close to being saved you just don't know how close you are now what it's Paul saying he said you don't have to go on a pilgrimage you don't have to go up into heaven and appear before the throne and say God we're a bunch of sinners down here and we're in a mess can you help us out could you come down Lord you don't have to do that why one Christmas 2,000 years ago we already did that amen he stepped out of heaven well they nailed him to a cross and put him in a grave but you don't have to go down into hell and say Lord Jesus please come out of that grave please get victory over death hell sin in the grave come out please you don't have to descend into the deep he's already been raised I mean these are accomplished thanks the Incarnation and the resurrection sandwiched with the crucifixion have already taken place so he says don't say in your heart who shall ascend into heaven or who shall descend into the deep bring Christ down to bring him up the word is nigh thee let me tell you how close salvation is now listen carefully you miss this the word is nigh thee even in your mouth and in your heart you say pastor that's silly now that's what Paul said the word is so close let me tell you how close you are to being saved today let me tell you if you're not saved let me tell you how close you are to being saved Jesus Christ and salvation already in your mouth already in your heart now you say now wait a minute in my mouth in my heart how did it get in my mouth how did it get in my heart I just put it there we say Adrienne how did you put it there listen the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart the Word of Faith which we preach you see what I did I am telling you right now that salvation is by grace through faith I have put this in your mouth and in your heart it is there it's in your mouth it's in your heart well then what you do with what is in your mouth and in your heart listen Romans 10:9 and 10 bad foul shot confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved I put it there I told you what it is it is there it is waiting on you now now right now you confess and believe and God says you'll be saved you'll be saved you don't have to bring Jesus down he's come down you don't have to bring Jesus up he has come up it is done it is a finished thing Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth and now it is ready for you so close you are it is in your heart and in your mouth that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead when you be saved that's know that doesn't know what I'm saying it's what God has said that means you will not go to hell it means you will receive a new heart a new nature and one day you'll spend eternity with the redeemed of all of the ages now listen what is the confession that you make the confession that you make if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord now here's where many people are going to miss salvation they want to receive Christ as their Savior and that's it now friendiy is Savior but the Bible says confess him as Lord confess him as Lord do you know what that means that means to take yourself off the throne of your life and put Jesus Christ upon the throne of your life salvation is not just some intellectual belief that you tack on it is doing what that man did to that chair it is trusting the Lord Jesus it is committing everything to the Lord Jesus it is saying Jesus Christ is Lord now his Lord isn't he and friend if you don't receive who he is you cannot have what he gives he is Lord that that doesn't mean that you're saved by good works it just simply means that you bow the knee to him and say Jesus I take hands off my life I give you my life let's just imagine a scene there's been a wedding the rice has been thrown the capetti has been thrown the the the cake has been cut the the hugs had been given the gifts have been exchanged and Sue and Bill are in the car driving away from the wedding Sue and Bill just been married and Sue says to Bill it was a beautiful wedding all it was so wonderful I just enjoyed it so much now bill will you take me home I says sue you know we can't go home yet the house is not ready and this is our honeymoon oh no no I don't mean that moment I wanted to take me back to my mother what to my mother bill you know I I have accepted you as my husband and that was a wonderful ceremony but but I want to go back home to my mother and and I'm bill don't expect me to change where I've been living I'm going back now bill don't get me wrong I love you bill and I hope to see you on weekends if it's convenient and also bill I want you to know that I'm glad that you're committed to take care of me so bill if I'm sick or need money or have any problems you know I can call on you bill because after all I've taken you as my husband and we did have a wonderful ceremony it was just wonderful when I took you as my husband but now bill take me back to my house don't get any idea that what we did down at the church is going to change the way I live take your hands off my life now what kind of a marriage would that be huh it's the same kind of Salvation some people think they have there's a now Lord Jesus I take you as my Saviour now Lord I may even come to Bellevue and visit you every Sunday you're so often and if I get in trouble and I need some money or if I'm sick I'll call on you but in the meanwhile I'm going to go on with my life just the way it was friend I want to tell you something that's not going to work that is not going to work that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead you see when you believe that God raised him from the dead you believe all the rest of it I mean that's the capstone he's shown to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead and so if you believe in the resurrection you have to believe in the crucifixion and if you believe in the crucifixion you have to believe in the Incarnation and if you believe in the in the resurrection the crucifixion the Incarnation you have to believe in the deity so the capstone of the whole thing is that a thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved friend there's the freeness of it and there's the nearness of it he is so near he is so near the word of God is near you now you even in your mouth in your heart it is the word of faith that we preach that thou shalt can fest with I mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead now confession is very important jesus said if you are ashamed of me and my word before this sinful and adulterous generation I'll be ashamed of you when I come the glory of the father with the Holy Angels but if you will confess me before men I will confess you before my father the Bible says let the redeemed of the Lord say so that's the reason later on in this in this service I'm going to give you an invitation to openly and publicly unashamedly say that you're trusting Jesus why we see confession shows possession now walking an aisle can't save anybody shaking a preacher's hand can't save anybody it's what that indicates that saves us Jesus is simply saying look if you are ashamed of me I'll have to be ashamed of you do you know the mark that you're really trusting Jesus read it in verse 11 for the scripture saith whosoever believeth in him shall what not be a shame I've often told the story of a girl who was in a service revival service and she was under conviction in the back just weeping copiously a personal worker went forward it was doing the invitation and said once you come forward and confess Christ as your Lord and Savior she said oh no they're too many people that I can't do that I'd like to be saved back here please and the personal worker said you can't be saved back here hmm so the next night the same thing same song second stanza she's under deep conviction the worker goes back and says once you come forward and confess Christ she said oh no I can't do that I would be frightened III don't standing in front of all those people can't I be saved back here he said I'm sorry you can't be saved back here I know what you're thinking but you let me finish the service but that night he goes back there she's weeping again and he says young lady won't you come and give you a heart to Jesus openly and publicly she says yes I will I will I'll go anywhere I'll do anything if I can just have peace with God he said now you don't need to come to front you can be saved back here now folks that's what we're talking about jesus said if you're ashamed of me I'll be ashamed of you so don't you let your pride keep you from coming the Bible says when we believe on the Lord Jesus will not be ashamed of him it is so near the word is nigh thee even in your mouth and in your heart but you've got to confess with your mouth and believe with your heart and God says God says that you'll be saved now here's the third and final thing I want you to see I want you to see not only the freeness of it Christ is the end of the law for righteousness and I want you to see not only the nearness of it but I want you to see the richness of it look if you will beginning now in verse 12 of this same chapter if you will well this is such wonderful scripture for there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek for the same lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him Moffatt translates that his boundless resources are made available to those who call upon him for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved I don't believe that anybody is predestined to go to hell I believe that God wants everybody saved I believe that whosoever is in the Bible and the same lord over all whether your jewelry your Greek whether your the chosen race are not the chosen race whoever you are wherever you are if you will call upon the name of the Lord he will save you and if you show me any time any place anywhere where anybody ever comes to Jesus and repentance and faith and he doesn't save them close my Bible and never preach again I'll tell you he'll save you he will save you for whom so ever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved now he is rich he's rich unto all that call upon him I've been walking with the Lord now since I was a teenage boy and I'll tell you this I failed him sometimes but he has never failed me his resources had been there for me every time I've called upon him I'm not talking about I'm not talking about financial resources though he's done that I'm talking about the life of God that's in my heart and friend he has met my need friends all around me trying to find what the heart yearns for by sin under mine I have the secret I know what is found only true riches in Jesus about he is rich and all who call upon him not some anybody who wants to be saved now Paul started out telling these people who were very religious had a zeal for God but not according to knowledge they need to be saved and yet Paul himself talking about it called himself the chief of sinners so what does that mean listen to me there's nobody in this building today nobody so good you don't need to be saved if you haven't been saved say Amen nobody so good that you don't need to be saved if you haven't been saved and secondly there's nobody so bad that you cannot be saved see that's what it's all about now folks salvation is by grace through faith you trust the Lord Jesus let me just share this story and I'll be finished true story there was a preacher minister and he was educated in a seminary very religious he what he was a so-called Christian minister but he's what we call a liberal now when I mean liberal I don't mean he was just progressive in his ideas I mean he doubted sincerely the blood atonement the crucifixion the bodily resurrection he the Virgin Bar he just didn't believe these things but he was one of these men that had a good heart as men have good hearts I'm not talking about a new heart I'm just talking about he was a nice loving guy would have made a good neighbor a great granddaddy and he just loved people what about his best he could helping hurting people a little girl knocked on his door one night late at night he went to the door and opened the door and it was a little ragged girl standing there a frightened little girl she said sir are you a minister oh yes young lady I am well sir are you a man of God well I would like to think I'm a man of God darling may I help you sir could could you could you come with me and help get my mother in but with arlynn what's wrong with your mother is she is she she hasn't been drinking ish has she oh no no no no you've got to help get my mother and my mother's dying my mother doesn't know how to get into heaven my mother doesn't think she has long to live and my mother asked me if I would go find a minister to help get my mother in sir you're a minister you're a man of God sir come help get my mother in well let's go child and he went down through the streets into the back part of that city down to a little hovel of a home there she was on a deathbed no nurses to attend no doctor there no hospice this precious little girl watching her mother die the woman looked up at the minister and his heart was broken she said are you a minister yes madam are you man of God well I want to be can you tell me how to get to heaven I'm dying you know what he did he began to give her platitudes about God's love about the goodness of God about the beauties of heaven about tough how God is merciful in all of this and how it pays to live a godly life and after a while she just shook her head at him and said don't you understand I'm dying I can't do any of that I can't live a good life I can't do all of those things that you're talking about and I'm about to die don't you have a message for a dying woman like me and this man realized he didn't have a message for a woman like that but he remembered and mothers I want you to hear this on Mother's Day he remembered his mother who was a godly praying woman who believed in the old-time religion and he told her the story not really believing it himself how Jesus came to this earth took our sins and carried them to the cross in agony and blood and died and said it's finished and paid the sin debt and how Jesus walked out of the grave and then he told her the Bible says for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but should have everlasting life and if you will pray and ask him to come into your heart he will forgive you sin and he will save you later on here's what that preacher said and here's how we know the story he said to a group of preachers when he was giving his testimony he said gentlemen that night that lady got in and so did I sit up I realize that my so-called religion was not enough I needed Jesus and so do you Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth now Paul's heart's prayer and heart desire to God for Israel was that they might be saved and that's my desire for you today would you bow your heads in prayer heads are bowed and eyes are closed father I pray I pray now that many in this day in this room in this hour will give their hearts to Jesus and people who are listening wherever it may be will come in to your fullness Oh Lord into your richness we thank you lord we thank you in Jesus Holy Name now while heads about and eyes are closed if you would like to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior if you would just pray and tell him that you're a sinner that you cannot save yourself that you believe that Jesus Christ paid your sin debt on on the cross with this blood and then pray like this Lord Jesus I turn from my sin to you I confess you as Lord I believe that God raised you from the dead and I trust you to save me help me never to be ashamed of you in your name I mean [Music] we pray God has blessed you as you've watched this message if you'd like additional copies or information on other resources write us at love worth finding Bo box 38 800 memphis tennessee 38134 at lwf 0rg in the u.s. you can place Visa or MasterCard orders by calling 1-800 two seven four five six eight three Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time thank you and may God richly bless you [Music] you

Channel: Love Worth Finding Ministries

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Keywords: love worth finding, Adrian Rogers, Memphis, salvation, ways to salvation, Christ Jesus, faith, jesus, christ, pastor training, training, pastor, bellvue, bellvue baptist, steve gains, gaines, gains, steve, roger, rogers, adrian, adrien, worth, finding, love, agape, christian

Id: kPhOE2HQtog

Length: 39min 5sec (2345 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 23 2016