## **Sermon Summary: Misdirected Zeal (Romans 9:30–10:4)**
How do we become right with God? Drawing from Romans 9:30-10:4, this message challenges us to examine whether we are running in the right spiritual direction or exhausting ourselves trying to earn God's favor through religious performance. Using the example of Jim Marshall’s 1964 "wrong-way" run, we see a sobering truth: we can be sincere and zealous, yet completely miss Jesus.
The Apostle Paul reveals a paradox—those not seeking righteousness found it through faith, while those striving for it through works missed it entirely. This message exposes the dead-end road of works-based salvation, showing that Jesus did what we could never do. Salvation is not something we achieve, but something we receive.
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### **1. Salvation by Works Is a Dead-End Road**
* **The Shocking Contrast:** Gentiles received righteousness by **faith**, while Israel pursued the law but failed to arrive because they sought it by **works**.
* **The "Wrong Way" Story:** Like Jim Marshall, many do "right things" (effort, hustle) but run toward the wrong end zone.
* **Seven Problems with Works-Based Salvation:**
1. Sets an **impossible standard** of perfection.
2. Produces **pride** (superiority) or **despair** (never enough).
3. Shifts glory from **God to self**.
4. **Misuses the law** as a ladder rather than a mirror.
5. Cannot **change the heart**.
6. **Rejects Christ’s sufficiency**; if we can do it, He died in vain.
7. Leads to **spiritual exhaustion** and joyless duty.
### **2. Humble, Don’t Stumble**
* **The Stumbling Stone:** You either build your life on Christ or stumble over Him in offense and self-trust.
* **Zeal Without Knowledge:** Israel had passion and heritage but ignored God’s righteousness to establish their own.
* **Paul’s Perspective (Phil 3:3–9):** Paul traded his massive religious résumé for the "surpassing worth of knowing Christ," putting no confidence in the flesh.
### **3. Christ the Fulfillment & Our Mission**
* **The Goal:** Romans 10:4 declares Christ is the *telos* (end/fulfillment) of the law.
* **Intercession:** Paul moves from debate to deep prayer for the saved. If we have received grace, we will long for others to know Him.
* **The Beautiful Mission:** Salvation is near—confess with your mouth and believe in your heart. But how will they hear without someone preaching?
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### **Practical Applications**
1. **Check Your End Zone:** Are you trusting Christ alone or your "Christian résumé"? Repent of self-righteousness.
2. **Trade Exhaustion for Rest:** Lay down performance-based "earning" and walk in grace.
3. **Choose Humility:** When Scripture confronts your pride, choose quick repentance over defensiveness.
4. **Relationship over Rules:** Shift from *knowing about* Jesus to *knowing* Him through daily rhythms of prayer and obedience.
5. **Join the Mission:** List three people to pray for by name and look for ways to share the Gospel.
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### **Discussion Questions**
1. Where have you experienced the "dead-end road" of performance-based Christianity?
2. What does your spiritual résumé look like, and why is it hard to let go of?
3. How do you distinguish between religious zeal and actually knowing God?
4. Which of the "7 problems with works" resonates most with you right now?
5. How does Romans 10:4 (Christ as the "end" of the law) change your daily motivation?
6. Who are you committing to pray for this week?
