Well, as we examine Romans chapters 9 through 11, we come to this middle chapter here in Romans chapter 10. Now, there is a link and direct connection in that last paragraph in chapter 9 and this first paragraph in chapter 10. And as we looked on last week at the gospel and the essence of the gospel, on this week we examine how the gospel really affects our view of the lost. because Paul goes back to this refrain about Israel, but he changes his tune a bit here. Now he is talking about his desire that Israel might be saved. And so Paul is not just giving here a matter-of-fact presentation of Israel's condition. But here in this first paragraph in chapter 10, we see Paul's disposition toward and feeling about Israel's situation Paul makes known to us his desire for them that they might be saved So join me here in Romans chapter 10 Let's examine these first four verses Look at the gospel in our view of the lost Brothers my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved and For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." You'll notice there, and if you did a diagram of this text, you'd find this main phrase or clause and then clarifiers one by one by one. Let's look at it again that way, shall we? My heart's desire and prayer to God for them as that they may be saved. There's a statement. For, why is that my desire? Because, I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge." Really? What do you mean by that? Four, being ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. Really? How is them seeking righteousness not submitting to God's righteousness? Four, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. And he just told us in the previous paragraph, which was all about the gospel, how it is that we need to view Christ in relation to sin and righteousness. So in that last phrase, he gets right back to where we ended in last week's paragraph. So this statement here joins last week's paragraph and what comes, but it also gives us insight into how Paul feels about it. And so we see there, for example, in that first verse, that Paul has a desire and is seeking the salvation of others. He desires the salvation of others. wants the salvation of others, seeks the salvation of others, prays for the salvation of others, works toward the salvation of others. Listen at it. Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. That's what I want. That's what I pray for. That's what I am asking God for, that they may be saved. This is what the gospel does. If you understand the gospel, it transforms your view and your understanding of people's condition. And it ought to bring about a passionate desire in you for their salvation. Not an arrogant condescension toward those who are not saved, but recognizing who you were and what Christ has done, it ought to bring about a passionate desire for their salvation. Now, here's what we see in this first part. Paul loves his kinsmen according to the flesh, and that's okay. Paul loves his kinsmen according to the flesh, and that's okay. I see all people the same. No, you don't. That's a lie. There are people for whom you have greater affinity and that's okay. God has made you part of a people group. I would hope that you'd have an affinity for that people group to whom you belong. That's okay. Paul belongs to a people group. He has an affinity for that people group. He is part of that people group. Now is his understanding of himself as a Christian more important than that? Yes, it most assuredly is. But he cannot and will not forget where he came from. And he has a passionate desire for those people to be saved. Now sometimes it's not where we came from, sometimes it's other affinities that God creates within us toward individuals. And there's nothing wrong with that, God uses that. There are some people who have planted their entire lives ministering to certain people groups because of something that God did uniquely in them. to create a yearning and a passionate desire for the salvation of those people. Now here's the irony. Paul has a passionate yearning and desire for the salvation of the Jews, but he's the apostle to the Gentiles. Why? Because that passionate desire and yearning must not be allowed to override the mission of God. It must not. The passion is there. We see, however, that even though he's the apostle to the Gentiles, what do we see in Acts chapter 17 and Acts chapter 18? What do we see as the pattern for his ministry? First thing he did, I'm Paul, I'm the apostle to the Gentiles. I'm here at Athens to preach to the Gentiles. And I'm going to preach to the Gentiles every day in the marketplace. But on the Sabbath, I'm going to the synagogue to reason with the Jews. Why? God has called me to the Gentiles. But I love the Jews. And I just can't give up on them. Because I love them. And so wherever he went, weekly, he goes to the synagogue. And then, day by day, in the marketplace, he doesn't forget those people to whom he is linked uniquely. And yet that unique link does not override the call and mission of God in his life. This is important, folks. This is important. There are some of you who are part of a group of individuals. God took you out of that group and he saved you. That group may be an ethnic group or an interest group or whatever. And you've got a passion for that group. That's okay. There is nothing wrong with that. That is natural and that is normal. In fact, the way God usually works in ministering and reaching a group is that someone in a group comes to faith in Christ and then God uses those natural relational connections in order to bring others to Christ through that one. There's nothing wrong with that. That's what God uses. So don't think that it's somehow superior, that if God saves you and you're part of a circle or sphere of influence, that somehow you have to immediately forsake that circle or sphere of influence and go off to where you have nothing but a holy, righteous, Christian homeschool friends. If you can't say amen, you ought to say ouch, okay? Our lives, are broader than that, more significant than that. Listen to what Calvin says about this. Their salvation was an object of concern to him before the Lord, and such a feeling arises only from genuine love. When you love someone, you desire for them to be saved. Now, this is what's ironic. People will say to us, you Christians really don't love us because you want us changed. Isn't that what they say? You Christians don't love, because if you loved us, you would just accept us the way we are. Isn't that what we hear? That's not gospel thinking. The gospel won't allow you to think like that. When you understand or remember what it was like to be lost, it is the exact opposite of love for you not to take the gospel back to those who are where you were. If I understand that I used to live like you, I used to be one of you, I used to think like you, but now God has saved me. And when I was in your shoes, I was on my way to hell and eternity without God. In spite of what Rob Bell says. But when we understand that, it is love that makes us look back and say, I am not satisfied with you staying where you are. I love you. I come from you. Do we not feel this way toward our families? It worries me that some of us become callous toward our families. We no longer have a passionate desire for the salvation of our kindred according to the flesh. And we sort of wipe our hands of our family members. I'm moving on because I'm a Christian now. I'm not part of that world anymore. No, you're not. But do you remember it? And if you remember it, Can you honestly say to me that you are satisfied leaving people in that world without at least falling on your face and begging God to save them out of the same place that he saved you from? Do you remember what it was like to be lost? Now this doesn't mean that you continue to wallow in the lifestyle that you used to wallow in, because Paul doesn't. Paul also hates sin and desires to see righteousness. He hates sin and desires to see righteousness. He's not satisfied with sin. He thinks about sin the way God thinks about sin. Listen to this in 2 Peter 2.8. As that righteous man Lot lived among them day after day, there in Sodom and Gomorrah, he was tormented Excuse me. He was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard. He was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds which he saw and heard. When Paul goes to Athens, what happens when he comes to Athens? As Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols. His spirit was provoked within him. Why? Because of the idolatry. Because he loves God and loves righteousness and hates sin. It changes the way you view people. It changes what you desire for people. You go from merely desiring for them to be happy, parents. Can we talk for a moment, parents? It goes from merely desiring that our children be happy to desiring that our children be holy. It goes from merely desiring that our children not sin so much to desiring that they be utterly transformed. When our desire is for our children's holiness, we cannot tolerate unrighteousness or participate in the deeds of darkness. and sometimes there are difficult decisions that have to be made. Paul also loves Christ and desires to see his kingdom expand. That's the big thing here. It changes not only is my lens changed because I look at where I was and where God saved me from and desire that those who are where I was would experience salvation as I did. But now I've gone from darkness into His marvelous light. I've gone from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. I belong to the kingdom of God and of Christ. who will be the victor over all of history. And my desire is that his kingdom advance. That's my desire. That's what I want. I want righteousness to reign. I want sinners to bow the knee to Christ. That's my desire more than anything else. And sinners continue to look at us and say, no, no, no. If you really loved us, it would be okay that we are enemies of God. It would be okay that our lifestyles are vile before a holy and righteous God. But because you don't embrace our vileness and our sinfulness, you must not be a real Christian. To which we usually respond, we're sorry, we'll do better. Wrong answer. That's the wrong answer. We desire to see righteousness reign. And it changes the way we view people. There's another issue here, though. And this is the interesting issue. Oftentimes, when people read Romans chapter 9, in Romans chapter 9, you see all of this talk about election. Not just Romans chapter 9. Really, throughout Romans, we see all this talk about election. And the question that you always hear when people find out that you hold to the doctrines of grace When people find out that you, you're one of those dreaded C words. Calvinist. When people find that out. Usually one of the first things that happens is that there's some discussion about evangelism and they say, oh, well, you're one of those people who believes in the sovereign election of God. Therefore, you don't have a passion for evangelism and for lost sinners to be saved. Newsflash, you read Romans chapter nine, Paul believes wholeheartedly in election. Over in chapter 11, he's gonna talk specifically about Israel. election there but here in chapter 10 he says my heart's desire and my prayer for them is that they might be saved what's the difference between that and believing that God is sovereign over my healing and praying that God would heal me or that God is sovereign over my finances and praying that God will provide or believing that God is sovereign over the weather and praying that Louisiana gets hit with the next one and not us. Nothing against them. God is sovereign and yet we pray. We only have a problem with this when we don't understand prayer. when we think that basically this is what prayer is. The sovereign Lord of the universe is looking down upon us, waiting for permission and instruction. That's the way most people think about prayer. The sovereign God of the universe is looking down on us, waiting for permission and instruction. And so when we pray, we give him permission and we give him instruction. No, that's not what prayer is. We've talked about the illustration before of the boat being moored to a dock. Prayer is like a boat being moored to the dock. Newsflash, you're the boat, not the dock. Amen. You're the boat, not the dock. So it's not as though you're the dock and God is moored to you and you pull on the line to bring God closer to what it is that you desire. No, no, no, no. God is the dock. You're moored to him. Prayer is you pulling on the line, drawing your heart closer to his. Believe it in an election. must not lead to hard-heartedness toward those who are lost. In fact, a proper understanding of the doctrine of election ought to make your heart softer toward those who are lost, because you recognize that you did nothing to save yourself. It ought to humble you, not make you arrogant and hard-hearted. Believing in election doesn't eliminate prayer for the lost. It actually assures the effectiveness of our prayers for the lost. Amen? Because I believe in election. I'm not praying to a God who says to me, I know that you're praying that I will save that person, but really I can't do anything about it. I mean, think about that for a moment. For people who say they don't believe in election, but pray for God to save people. What are you praying for God to do? You're praying for God to do what you believe God cannot or does not do. Amen? God, would you save my cousin? Nah, I really can't because I'm a gentleman and I would never force myself on anyone. Therefore, I can't really respond to that prayer because for me to respond to that prayer would actually be for me to take prerogative as God and do what I desire to do in the salvation of a soul. How do you pray for someone to be saved if you don't believe in election? How do you pray for someone to be saved if you believe that ultimately man is the one who makes that final decision? How do you do that? How do you do that? God, I know he's sovereign, but would you just do as much as you possibly can without bumping up against his sovereignty? No. God, would you snatch him up by the nap of his neck and drag him into the kingdom? I believe you can. Would you please? Would you please? But here's the twist in this text. The reason the gospel transforms the way we view people is because of this. Paul is not praying for the salvation of sinners who are what we would call sinners in the classical sense. Paul's actually praying for the salvation of people that we would elect as deacons or appoint as elders. Amen. Let me say that again. God is actually praying for the salvation of people that for most of us, we would appoint them as deacons or as elders because of their lifestyle and how much better their lifestyle would be than anyone else we know. And we would not dare pray for their salvation. Look at what he says, verse two. God, I want you to save these people. And here's why I want you to save these people, because they are zealous for you. Can you just stop there for a moment? God, would you please save these people? What makes you think they need salvation? They're zealous for you. They read the Bible regularly. They memorize the Bible unlike anyone else in our day. They live their lives in accordance with a strict code and their morality puts almost everyone else around them to shame. Would you save them please? They go to church without fail. Every time the doors are open, would you please save them? They pray long eloquent prayers. shedding tears. Would you please save them? They would cross an ocean in order to share your truth with one sinner. Would you please save them? They tithe off of their spices, giving a portion of their mint and their cumin. Would you please save them? That didn't even sound right, does it? But that's precisely what the apostle is saying. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. They're zealous for a God whom they do not know. Listen to this, Paul's zeal. Paul understands this because he used to be there. Galatians chapter one, verses 13 to 14. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people. So extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. I was zealous for God. Paul was willing to murder for God. When he says he persecuted the church, that's what he's referring to. You remember when Stephen was stoned? Paul was there, head of that group. That's how zealous he was for God. He was so committed to God that he was willing to kill these heretics known as Christians. That's zeal. Again, Philippians chapter three, verses three through six. For we are the circumcision who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more. Circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, as to the law of Pharisee, as to zeal, a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law, blameless. and I needed to be saved. Acts chapter 22 verses three through five. I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. I persecuted this way to death. That's the church. I persecuted Christians to death. Binding and delivering to prison both men and women as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness and yet I Needed to be saved See the gospel changes your focus if you don't understand the gospel all you want is for people to be zealous and that's enough for you and If you don't understand the gospel, all you want is for people to be committed and that will suffice for you. But when you understand the gospel, you see that zeal in and of itself is not enough to be saved. That zeal in and of itself is completely and utterly insufficient before a holy and righteous God. It changes the way you think. It changes what breaks your heart. Your heart is not just broken over people who don't conform. Your heart is broken over those who do not know God. Turn with me to the left. Let's look at a passage we've looked at a number of times in Matthew chapter 7. Look at this in light of Paul's words. Jesus says, On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? These are preachers. Cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name. And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. That's zeal without knowledge. Again, for most of us, we look at the zeal and it's enough for us. We don't press further beyond the zeal to see if a person has a proper understanding of the gospel. What does that zeal look like today? Well, that zeal may look like church attendance. People who go to church regularly because that's what God requires and that's the way you please God. Is this to say that we shouldn't go to church? Absolutely not, we should. But it can be zeal without knowledge. And you know who you are. All of us have seen it, have we not? Perhaps we've even walked in it. We even hear this sometimes from people, don't we? You talk to them and share the gospel with them and their response is, yes, I do need to get back into church. Yes, I do need to start going to church again, sealed without knowledge. In our day, it also often looks like social justice. By the way, social justice is a new catchphrase. What it is, is new speak. to borrow a phrase from Orwell. Social justice is a euphemism for cultural Marxism. Let me say that again. Social justice is a euphemism for cultural Marxism. And there are many today. I find myself on college campuses talking to young Christians all over the place. Young Christians today, almost with one voice, are crying out for the same thing. I'm just looking for a church that's making an impact in the community. What do they mean by that? They mean a church that looks like the Red Cross and Goodwill and the food pantry. all rolled up into one, because that's real Christianity. Zeal without knowledge. Or special issues. You ever run across one of these Christians? God has put on their heart this particular area of ministry. And God bless them. God bless them that God has given them a passion for red-handed, left-handed, you know, red-handed, left-handed, third-generation, you know, Irish, immigrant, whatever. I mean, it's so specific that you... Unbelievable how specific it is. And this is their particular calling. And you go, wow, that's great that God has given you that particular and specific calling and that you're really passionate about that calling. But here's what I want to ask you. Do you really think that you need to judge the sincerity of every other believer by whether or not they share your very particular and specific passion? Cause I'm probably thinking, you know, there might be a couple of other things, one or two, that people could be passionate about and still be okay. Amen. I'm just thinking that maybe, because the body of Christ is so diverse, we all might not have to be passionate about the same things. And we might still be able to love each other and be brothers and sisters in Christ. These are examples today of our zeal without knowledge. Another example of our zeal without knowledge is the legalism of our day. There are so many of us who are in danger of this. We desire to have families that are well ordered. We desire to raise children who will live for Christ And we will follow any formula that promises that to us. Not because it's biblical or right or gospel-centered, but because it promises the outcome that we desire. And we will follow it to the letter, believing that this system will give us the desired outcome. and we raise children in zeal without knowledge. Who have been pointed again and again and again to a list of things that will make them acceptable. And the result of that, by the way, is look at the next phrase. Verse three, for being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness." There's the heart of legalism. Ignorant about the righteousness of God. Here's why their zeal was zeal without knowledge. They had a zeal for God and a desire to please God and a desire to be right with God. But they did not understand what the righteousness of God even was. So they were pursuing righteousness by their own definition and not by God's definition. And as a result, they were completely outside of the kingdom. Why is this a problem? Number one, it's a problem because of original sin. And there is no law that you can keep that will take away your original sin. It ignores original sin. So I can do all of the good things that I desire to do, but they will never ever take away my original sin. Listen to this. Go back just a couple of months here, Romans chapter three. Turn there with me, will you? Beginning in verse 10. No one or none is righteous. No, not one. No one understands. No one seeks for god all have turned aside together They have become worthless. No one does good not even one their throat is an open grave They use their tongues to deceive the venom of asps is under their lips their mouth is full of curses and bitterness Their feet are swift to shed blood in their paths are ruin and misery and the way of peace. They have not known There is no fear of god before their eyes Paul is not talking about a special class of sinners here. He's talking about every man who is outside of Christ. You can't get there from here. You also have sinful motives. Not only do you have original sin, you got sinful motives. So you're trying to be right with God, but you're not even motivated from a righteous place to be right with God. You want to be right with God for self-preservation. You want to be right with God so that people will admire you. You want to be right with God so that things will go well with you. That is the wrong motivation. Isaiah chapter 64 and verse 6, we have all become like one who is unclean and all our righteous deeds are like polluted garments. We all fade like a leaf and our iniquities like the wind take us away. Your righteousness before God is like a polluted garment. The literal phrase here is much more graphic. Your righteousness is like a menstrual rag before God is what the text literally says. That's what your best day looks like in God's sight. And so there is original sin, there are also sinful motives, and then, not to mention, are sinful actions. Galatians chapter 3 and verse 10, For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse, for it is written, Curse be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, and do them. You want the law, you can have it, but you've got to take it all. James chapter 2 and verse 10, for whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. You cannot keep part of the law, you must keep all of the law, you must keep it perfectly. You cannot do that, first of all because of your original sin, secondly because of your sinful motives. You are a sinner, therefore no matter what method you have adopted in order to try to make yourself righteous before God, you are wrong. But finally, This is what's worse. Your attempt to be righteous before God by your own works is actually blasphemy against the shed blood and broken body of Jesus Christ. Yeah, God, you might've needed to send Jesus to die for those other people, but not me. I'm better than they are. In fact, I'm as good as Christ is. Verse four, why is this a problem? For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. I'm praying for them, God, that they would be saved. The most outwardly righteous people on the planet, I'm praying that they would be saved. Not the man who's out there hitting old ladies in the head and taking their purses. He needs to be saved. But in this text, he's talking about the most outwardly righteous people on the planet. And I'm praying. He says, I'm praying to you, God, that they might be saved. I used to be one of them, and I needed to be saved. In fact, I was exemplary among the most exemplary people on the planet, and yet I needed to be saved. Why? Because my zeal was not according to knowledge. Why? Because I was seeking after a righteousness by pursuing a law that you gave not to make me righteous, but to show me that I wasn't. Why? Because that law was designed to point me toward the only one who is righteous and the only one who can be my righteousness, who is Christ. So I needed to be saved as much as the guy who hit the old lady in the head and took her purse. Maybe even more so. Because at least with him, if you ask him, he'll say he's a sinner. But with me, I thought you owed me something because I kept the law. I thought you owed me something because I was born to the right family. I was raised according to the right program. I was educated and discipled by the right teacher. And I served you in the right ministries. And yet, I needed to be saved. because I was trusting in something other than Christ to make me right with you. That's the answer. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. In other words, Christ comes and He fulfills the law and is the righteous one, but Christ is also the one to whom the law points, so that I will know that I need this righteous one to become my righteousness. I needed Him who knew no sin to become sin for me, that I might become the righteousness of God in Him. Listen to this in Galatians 3 again. Now, before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian for in Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God through faith. Listen to verse four again, for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. It's by faith. So now, instead of just looking to people who are outwardly and obviously unrighteous and saying they need to be saved because of the bad stuff that they do, when you understand the gospel, you understand that even people who are outwardly righteous need to be saved because Christ is the only answer and our only hope. He's it. Well, am I saying that their behavior doesn't need to be changed? Absolutely not. I'm saying that the behavior can't be changed appropriately apart from Christ. It's Him who works in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure. It is only when Christ's righteousness has been imputed to me that I am able to live in any kind of genuine righteousness. It is only because of who Christ is in me that I am able to approach God and be seen as righteousness in Christ. It is only because of who Christ is in me that my heart has been changed, my heart of stone has been taken out, A heart of flesh has been given to me and I now actually have desires that are in accordance with God's desires and not just my own. Christ changes my motives. And without my motives being right, my actions can never be. Christ changes my character. And without my character being right, my actions can never be. Christ changes my relationship to an orientation toward God. And without that being right, my actions can never be. You know what we usually do? We look at the outward righteous Jew And I'm speaking figuratively here when I say the outwardly righteous Jew. We look at that one who lives by all the right rules and regulations. You know what happens for most of us? We never even think about sharing the gospel with him. You know why? Man looks on the outward appearance. God looks at the heart. How many of your family members for whom you are praying diligently that they would be saved are actually members in good standing of a church? I know, I have several. Bombard heaven for them because they are as lost as lost can be. Some of them officers in the church. and they're absolutely lost. Anybody got family members in a cult? You got Mormon family members? Jehovah's Witness family members? Outwardly, they just got it together, quote unquote. Outwardly, they just do all that stuff that we want people to do. We want people to be good and wholesome and there they are living this good and wholesome outward life. Do you know what some Christians do? They won't share the gospel with those people. Why? Because they really don't need it because they're already good. God help us. The gospel is not here to make us good. It's here to make us righteous. We sang it earlier today. But this needs to be the cry of our hearts. Not the labor of my hands can fulfill thy laws demands. Could my zeal no respite? No. Could my tears forever flow? All for sin could not atone. Thou must save and thou alone. Do you believe that? Now let me tell you where this gets dangerous. I don't worry about the kid growing up in one of our homes who has us pulling out our hair on a regular basis and praying that they survive to adulthood. Don't act like you don't have those kids in your house. That's not the kid I'm worried about. You know the kid I worry about in this type of environment? I worry about the kid that's not a problem, who's outwardly compliant. I worry about the kid who's, quote, not strong-willed, unquote. By the way, that kid doesn't exist. They may appear not to be strong-willed, but most of those kids whom we say are not strong-willed have just found another way to be manipulative and get their way. But that's the kid I worry about. I worry about the kid about whom we say, oh, they are no problem at all. Here's why. That kid who's got you pulling out your hair, you go before God on a regular basis, begging God to save him. God, this kid needs you. Would you save this child? I don't know what to do with this child. Nothing seems to be working with this child. I'm at the end of my rope with this child. Would you save this child? Day after day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, all the while there's another lost child on the way to hell who's going under the radar screen in your house and you're not pouring out your soul to God. because outwardly they don't give you a problem that's the one you worry about here's what else I worry about I worry about my tendency as a father to have this desire to say to the other kids Look at this one. Because you know what you just did? This kid has not come to faith in Christ. This kid is not Christ. But this kid is what you ought to look to. No. No. No. There's only ever been one kid that we ought to tell our kids to look to. and he's the kid who grew up to die on a hill called Calvary. His name is Jesus Christ. He is the example. He is the model, not an outwardly compliant child that just doesn't give us trouble. Because remember, Paul is saying, They are the most outwardly compliant people on planet earth. And I beg you to save them. They are the most outwardly obedient people in the world. And I beg you to save them. They are not like these Gentiles. who live these slovenly lives and pursue the worship of idols. And yet I beg you to save them. The gospel changes your perspective because it helps you to understand truly what it means to be lost. and only then do you understand truly what it means to be saved. I wonder if I'm speaking to someone today who would be characterized this way. Outwardly you look at your own life and you're better than most people and you think God owes you something for it Outwardly you look at your life and you say, I'm not a robber. I'm not a murderer. I'm not an adulterer. And outwardly you say, I'm a good man. I'm a good woman. I'm a good husband. I'm a good father. I'm a good wife. I'm a good mother. I'm a good brother. I'm a good sister. I'm a good son. I'm a good daughter. And that ought to be enough. But the fact of the matter is, you have a zeal without knowledge. You don't know God. And in your soul you know I'm right. And you don't understand the righteousness of God. And so you have set out on a path to establish your own righteousness. And it has been enough to satisfy everybody you know. But it will never be enough to satisfy God. Because you are trusting in yourself and you are not trusting in Christ. And you are lost. and in desperate need of being saved. And you are in great peril and jeopardy of spending an eternity being rewarded for your outward righteousness with eternal separation from Almighty God in a place called hell. If that is you today, repent. Turn from your trust in yourself and turn in utter dependence upon Christ. Mom, Dad, may I plead with you for a moment? Would you please, please, please remember that your children need the gospel that they need to be changed from the inside out, not just from the outside in. Mom, Dad, would you please remember that you need to plead with God for the salvation of the soul of your easiest child as much as you do for the salvation of the soul of your most difficult one? Please fight the urge. to be lulled to sleep by compliance and instead passionately fall on your face before a holy and sovereign God and beg Him for the salvation of the soul even of the most outwardly righteous person you know. Because Christ is known to you and cherished as our only hope.