ST. MARY’S CATHOLIC CHURCH – DUBAI
BIBLE FAITH SHARING
HELD BY : BR. HILARY Da VEIGA
ON : TUESDAY, 19th OCTOBER, 2004.
(ROMANS 10: 1-10)
Scripture for the day:
8/8
Ps 107:19-20 “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and He saved them from their distress; He sent out His word and healed them and delivered them from destruction.”
8/8
8/8
ROMANS 10
The preacher started off with Romans 9:1 “I speak the truth in Christ. I am not lying.”
St. Paul is talking to the people of Israel about some pain in his heart. St. Paul has tremendous pain in his heart. Do we ever have this type of pain in our heart?
ROM 10:1
“Brothers and Sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.”
In ROM 10 St. Paul once again tells the people it is his heart’s desire that they may be saved. It is his heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Jewish people. The Israelites, brothers and sisters, were proud of their race and he knew he was a descendent of Abraham and an offspring of Benjamin. We do not even know our four generations. Paul knew he was from the tripe of Benjamin and we know that Jesus was a descendant of David. David was a descendent of Abraham again. Alleluia. Everything is very clear.
What the preacher is trying to say to us tonight is very very important. He tells us to look at it from the point of view of St. Paul. Here was a man who wished he himself was cut off, that he himself was blocked from going to heaven to see his people going to heaven.
ROM 10 tells us of the anguish and his earnest prayer and how he desires that these people should all go to heaven.
How many of us have that pain in our heart? If we do not have that pain we have missed the mark. We have missed everything in this world because God created us for a purpose.
You can imagine the depth of the pain St. Paul had. His main focus is to get them to heaven. He tries to make them jealous. In ROM 9 he says that the salvation that you heard, that you desired and you have been waiting for the Messiah and now when He has come, you do not even recognize him.
Now he makes them listen to him out of envy. He hopes that that way they will come to the Lord. He tells them, look God is found. It was not His own children that found Him; the people that were not His own people are calling him ‘Dada’. Imagine the pleasure to call him ‘Dada’. Only His children can call Him that. We here are the people whom He called and adopted. He has called someone else to call Him ‘Abba’ and He loves to hear that. Alleluia. Amen.
St. Paul tries to make his people jealous to see if they would come back to the Messiah and be saved. We do not know how much it worked.
He goes further to tell them that they are going after the law and he attacks them directly. He brings every technique to bring them to His knowledge and truth.
Let us turn to ourselves to see if we have that faith. When can we have that faith that St. Paul has? You can have that faith when you really know the truth.
If you know that you are going to heaven and if you really know and believe that every step of your life is taking you closer and closer to that eternal place of bliss; then you will turn to realize that some day that some friend of yours who was a childhood friend, if you will see him in hell what would happen to you? Imagine what would happen to you.
If you have not really envisaged and not really understood and not grasped the whole thing you will take every step very very lightly. You will take it as a casual thing going on and on.
St. Paul knew that his own people had missed the mark already. He knew that everyone had failed to recognize the Messiah. He knew what he knew. He knew for sure that all these years if they prayed, they asked, they waited for the Messiah but today when the Messiah came, they just could not recognize him. He knew that without accepting the Messiah, without having the Son you cannot have the Kingdom, you do not have salvation. That is why he was struggling; he was going from place to place to tell people that salvation is in none other but only in the name of Jesus. Alleluia.
The preacher said that if he got this one message across tonight, he had fulfilled his eternal mission because it is nothing but a chain reaction. If today if only one has got this message in Jesus’ name, he was sure that they would go out and make this message known to at least another 10 and those 10 would make it know to another 10 and so on.
What is the message that the preacher is really trying to give? The message is St. Paul’s message that he prays to God that they may be saved.
ROM 10: 2
“I can testify that they have a zeal for God but it is not enlightened.”
St. Paul talks of the zeal they had but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Today many Christians, especially we Catholics, have a great zeal for God. We go to church, we say the Rosary, we make novenas, we send out email messages – so we have a zeal of every type. What St. Paul is saying is that zeal is not based on knowledge. The Bible says ‘My people perish for the lack of knowledge.’
Tonight the truth that the preacher is trying to impress upon is very simple – WITHOUT THE SON YOU DO NOT HAVE THE KINGDOM. HE WHO HAS THE SON HAS EVERYTHING.
Story: There was an exhibition of very fine painting by an old man who was about to die. He put up his paintings for auction with the help of his servant. Everybody was there waiting for the auction of his fine collection. This man put up the first painting which was a portrait of his son who died in an accident in the war. One of his friends had made a portrait of his son and this whole stage was full of painting worth millions. The auction of son’s portrait started at $ 5. He waited, nobody was saying anything, finally the servant said $ 10 and still no body was increasing the price so they asked why are you waiting why don’t you sell the painting to the servant and let it go at $ 10 so that we can go on with the auction of the other paintings. When the hammer came down at $ 10 the owner said the auction is finished. The people asked what about the remaining paintings. It was the will of the old man that whoever gets the son’s painting gets it all so the servant got all the paintings. Amen.
ROM 10:3
“For being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness.”
There was so much of pain in St. Paul’s heart; he wanted the whole of Israel to accept Jesus as the Lord and Savior. What had happened? They in their own mind had established their own righteousness based on the law. If I do this and this and this I will be saved and I will go to heaven.
It is like us saying nine novenas so that we get our petition granted. There is nothing wrong in that but there is no salvation. He who has the Son has everything. Alleluia. It is already established and no one can change it. Amen.
So the righteousness, Paul says, it is not based on knowledge since they knew not the righteousness and sough it on their own. God established his own righteousness. To enter into heaven you should not have a single sin. God is perfect. God will put you into purgatory and when we are cleansed He will take us to heaven.
God has already sent His precious Son and the preacher believes heaven is open for us when Jesus died for us. No matter what anyone tells him he is sure he is going to heaven because God has put His seal of the Holy Spirit.
Eph 1:13. “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.”
God has put His seal and so I am a citizen of heaven. We are all citizens of heaven. You have received the gifts of the Holy Spirit that is proof by which you are able to call ‘Abba’ ‘Father’, you have the proof that you are a child of God. He has carved you on the palm of His hand, you are the apple of His eye. No one can snatch you.
We do not need to establish our own righteousness. What does that mean? We are eternally in debt to our God. We feel that awe and we have to thank God otherwise we will go after our righteousness because sin and God does not go together. We will go to heaven because God has sacrificed the Lamb and He has washed us with His precious blood so that we can go to heaven.
ROM 10:4
“For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”
Christ is the end of the law. What does it mean? Today you and I do not have to say you have to do this or that.
ROM 8: 14 – “As many as are led by the Spirit, they are children of God.”
So every one of us have to be led by the Spirit of God otherwise you are no one to God, if you do not have the Spirit of God. God has given us the Spirit, He has made us sons and daughters and there is no need to establish our own righteousness. AMEN.
ROM 10: 5-8
“Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that the person who does these things will live by them. But the righteousness that comes from faith says, Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is to bring Christ 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, on your lips and in your heart.” (that is the word of faith that we proclaim).”
Moses describes the law. If you do this… – they had the law but righteousness came by faith.
The word of faith which we proclaim is in your mouth, it is in your heart. The preacher hopes it is, he wishes it is. Why does he say that because most of us we read the word of God, most of us close the word of God and have forgotten. He asks us to ask ourselves right now how many of us have read the word of God this morning.
Most of us pray, we read the word daily, we have made it a habit to read, and we feel good and if we have closed it, we have forgotten it. The word of God says it is in our mouth – it is the word of God, which is the power God used in Mat 4:4 “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
HEB 4:12 ”The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
ROM 10:9
“Because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
You must believe something in your heart and you must confess something by your mouth. Alleluia and then salvation will come. Salvation will come.
If you have a problem in your back, if you have a sickness, there is the word of God – take it and confess the word of God. Sickness will depart. Alleluia.
Isa 53:5 – He was wounded by our transgressions, He was bruised for our inequity, Upon Him was the chastisement that made us whole and by His stripes we are healed.”
Healing will come. Alleluia. Rather than go to the doctor or the medicine cabinet and then turn to God, we can call out to our God because we know the word in our mouth. First step is to look for the word, not the medicine cabinet. Take help of that word, claim that word, and see what happens. There is power in that word, there is power in that name which is above every other name. Alleluia.
ROM 10:10
“For one believes with the heart and so is justified and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.”
It is by belief we have been put right with God we are justified and when we confess we are saved. It is one thing to believe and another thing to confess. When you confess power is released from your mouth. What did God do? God said – let there be light. What happened? There was light! That is what the word does. There is power in the word of God and we have to use it.
Isa 55:11 “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
There was a Centurion whose servant was not well and he came to Jesus. Mat 5:8. He said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word and my servant will be healed.” He said there is no need to come but only say the Word. At every mass we say – ‘say the word and I shall be healed.’ Alleluia.
Jesus compared the word to his soldiers. Mat 5:9 “I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one. “Go, and he goes, and to another, ‘Come, and he comes.” There is power in the word. Alleluia.
You are not an ordinary person; you are a child of God. Amen. When you speak all the soldiers will do what they have to do. Alleluia. You and I are children of God. We must know how to confess, His angels are there to serve us. God said I will give my angels charge over you. Praise the Lord.
The truth of the matter is believe in your heart and confess with your mouth and you and your household will be saved. Alleluia. Praise the Lord. Is it enough for your household only to be saved or is it important for the world to be saved.
Story: There was a man who wanted to get married to a good looking girl who happened to be a farmer’s daughter. He approached his to be father-in-law and said, “Sir, I want to marry your daughter.” The farmer agreed on one condition. He told him to come to the farm, he would send out three bulls and if could catch the tail of one of them, he could have his daughter’s hand in marriage. The man agreed to do it.