Sermon Title .

Lifes Ultimate Choice

Sermon Text. . Romans 10:9-13
Invocation Scripture. . Acts 2:37-38
Main Idea :

We must Choose to believe in Christ

and in Choosing we must confess Him
before men!

Objective :

To challenge members to realize that

life is about choices and the most
important choice they will ever make
is for or against Christ!

Lifes Ultimate Choice

Romans 10:9-13

Point I :

A Critical Choice. . . . . . . . . . . . Rom 10:8

Point II :

A Commanded Confession. . . . Rom 10:9

Point III:

A Completed Conversion.. . Rom 10:10-13

Lifes Ultimate Choice

Romans 10:9-13
Slide 1 Black Screen - Click when I begin to speak
What a wonderful day we have shared thus far! We
have had the blessed privilege of Dedicating 4 children
to the Lord, with the hope and prayer that they will
come to faith in Christ at a young age and thus live a full
and meaningful Christian life!
Consider the truth today that these parents didnt
have to bring their children here today to dedicate them
to the Lord. But they made a CHOICE! It is a serious
and profound choice and even more, it is a life-long
commitment, for the only way to help assure that a child
will come to know God, to choose God, to love God and
to serve God is for the parents to choose to Model that
lifestyle.... and note, I said... Life Style... This doesnt
mean a casual once or twice a year affirmation that God
is at least worthy of Easter and Christmas... This doesnt
mean living the other days of the year like a pagan only
to pretend on these few days that you are something that
you are not.
No... for us to have any hope that our children and
our family will walk in faith before God, we must model
and teach that faith! It is our privilege and our duty to
do this, and it is critical for the sake of the future of our
children, our family, our culture and our nation!
Slide 3 I can not think of a better way to introduce the 4th
letter of our GRACE presentation than through the
example of the choices made today to dedicate these
children to the Lord, for our 4th letter is the letter that

Lifes Ultimate Choice! - Romans 10:8-13

A Critical Choice - A Commanded Confession - A Completed Conversion

reveals the truth that we have a CHOICE and even

more, that we each make a CHOICE for or against
Christ in virtually every circumstance and decision point
of our lives! I believe that this letter the letter C may
very well be the MOST critical letter of the G.R.A.C.E.
Gospel Presentation.
Slide 4 Lets take a moment and practice the first 3...
(Wait until all recitation is finished)
Now... consider once again the truth, that
Slide 5
Most everyone wants to hear the First Letter of
our Presentation, the letter G because they like the idea
that God loves them and wants them to have a full and
meaningful life! We like that!! The World likes that!
However... some people want to TELL God what
THEY think a full and meaningful life should be!
However, what the flesh wants for us is usually NOT
what God wants for us!
We are not as happy about the 2nd letter, the letter R
when we have to face the truth that everyone of us at
many points in our lives have Rebelled against God and
have Rejected Gods leadership and authority over our
lives! Most of us dont want to be told what we can and
can not do, and yet God has the sovereign right to do
just that, for He created us and He owns us, even in our
rebellious state!!! The bible is quite clear in Rom 3:23
that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God!
The 3rd letter, the letter A is also one that perhaps

Lifes Ultimate Choice! - Romans 10:8-13

A Critical Choice - A Commanded Confession - A Completed Conversion

some would not like, for if they dont like the fact that
they are a sinner, they will like even less that someone
else had to Atone or pay the price for their sin! They
would much rather believe that somehow they can fix
themselves or make things right with God! How many
times have you heard someone say... well, when I get
some things straight in my life, I am going to come to
church.... NOT... LIE!!! Thats just an excuse to put
off what you know you should and I think I told you
what Howard Eaves, a Stone Mason and Farmer in
Texas said about excuses... He said that they are
nothing more than the skin of a reason with a lie
stuffed in side! The Truth is, we need Atonement for
our sins, and remember from last week it is more than
just paying the price, it is restoring the relationship with
God, and it is empowering us to overcome our own
desires, passions and lusts so that we can become useful
members of Christs eternal Kingdom as we learn to live
a full and meaningful Christian life!!
And yet the Bible is clear in Romans 6:23 that the
wages of Sin is Death but the free gift of God is Eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Slide 6 And so we come to the letter C like the letter R,
there are two words.... We must Choose and the choice
is either for Christ or against Christ! And we must also
Confess Christ... Our statement for this letter is...
We must Choose to believe in Jesus Christ and we
must Confess Him as Lord and Believe that God
has raised Him for our justification.

Lifes Ultimate Choice! - Romans 10:8-13

A Critical Choice - A Commanded Confession - A Completed Conversion

And thus... you now understand where the Title of the

message comes from today.... I have entitled this
sermon, Lifes Ultimate Choice!
I am delighted this morning that each of you chose to
be here! I am delighted this morning that these families
have chosen to dedicate their children to the Lord!
But I am hopeful... Yes.. Even expectant that as we
consider this 4th letter of our G.R.A.C.E. Gospel
Presentation that each of us hear today, will choose for
Christ!!! The truth is... we will choose for or against
Christ before we walk out of this door... // WE WILL
make a choice... The most important Choice of our
life...
Well, with those thoughts, turn with me in your
Bibles to our scripture memory verse for this week
Slide 7
< < < Read: Romans 10:8-13 > > >
As you turn there with me, consider 3 important
points as we read....
1) A Critical Choice,
2) A Commanded Confession and
3) A Completed Conversion.
< < < Read: Romans 10:8-13 > > >
What an incredible few verses! Verses of hope, of
encouragement of confidence!!! I want you to consider
three thoughts with me this morning.
Look back then at vs 8 and consider our first thought.

Lifes Ultimate Choice! - Romans 10:8-13

A Critical Choice - A Commanded Confession - A Completed Conversion

Slide 8
Point I : A Critical Choice. . . . . . . . . . . . Rom 10:8
(Rom 10:8-13 NASB) But what does it say? "THE
WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN
YOUR HEART"-- that is, the word of faith which we
are preaching,
Did you catch the question?.... It is far too easy to
over look it!!! But what does it say? That is an
incredible question beloved...
TRAGICALLY it is a question that we are not EVEN
asking today, for we have REJECTED the BIBLE as a
source of education, the foundational book that taught
the vast majority of Americans all the up to 1941, when
it was still used as a text book in the Dallas school
system! But today... we have discarded this
CRITICAL source... But what does IT say? The IT is
the Holy Scriptures, the very Word of God!!!
WHAT DOES IT SAY beloved!!! DO YOU KNOW?
Can you quote Bible verses to address the things you
confront in any given day, verses that will give you
direction and understanding to make the RIGHT
choices? Can you quote verses from the Bible that will
help you to handle the confrontations in a manner that is
constructive and healing? Can you quote verses that
will help you to avoid the temptations that can and
WILL destroy your life, your family, your future and
perhaps even your fortune?
Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp to my feet, And a

Lifes Ultimate Choice! - Romans 10:8-13

A Critical Choice - A Commanded Confession - A Completed Conversion

light to my path.
Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I
might not sin against thee.
O beloved... do you remember what Peter said to Jesus
in John 6:68-69 when Jesus asked if the 12 disciples
wanted to leave to, as many others had because of some
of Christs hard saying?.... the Holy Scriptures read in
John 6:68-69... Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord,
to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.
John 6:69 "And we have believed and have come to
know that You are the Holy One of God."
Listen my dear friends... Jesus has the Words of
Eternal Life!!! We have one of two choices... For Him...
or against Him... there is NO MIDDLE Ground.
You are either with him or you arent... Youre either
all in, or you are all out.... O there are many that pretend
that they are in, and have even come to believe that they
can have one foot in the kingdom and one in the world,
but you cant... you cant!!! You are just kidding
yourself!!!
But what does IT say? But what does IT say?
Paul and Silas told the Jailer who had them imprisoned
in Acts 16:31
"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved,
you and your household."
O beloved!! There is a choice, Lifes ultimate choice
and we all make it, and that many times over every day!

Lifes Ultimate Choice! - Romans 10:8-13

A Critical Choice - A Commanded Confession - A Completed Conversion

The Word is near you... is there any home without a

Bible? Is there any home that doesnt have a church
within a reasonable distance in America? I doubt that
there are any more than a few....
Its not a matter of having the opportunity to know
about God, to learn about Faith, to come to understand
Sin and Salvation.. WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY...
If any nations knows the HAND of God, the POWER of
God... that we were founded on Biblical Principles, it is
our nation... The Question is... what are we choosing!!
Our passage makes it clear. Look back at vs 8
Rom 10:8-13 NASB But what does it say? "THE
WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND
IN YOUR HEART"-- that is, the word of faith
which we are preaching...
O beloved, THIS IS the Critical Choice!!! But there is
also a Commanded Confession... Look at vs 9...
Slide 9
Point II : A Commanded Confession. . . . Rom 10:9
{9} that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as
Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him
from the dead, you shall be saved; {10} for with the
heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and
with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Listen friends... True Faith commands a response!
True Faith Brings clear life Change! True Faith calls us
to confess that Jesus is Lord to the Glory of God!!!
Over and over the book of Acts reminds us that we

Lifes Ultimate Choice! - Romans 10:8-13

A Critical Choice - A Commanded Confession - A Completed Conversion

are witnesses of the truth of who Jesus Christ is and

what He has done for us through faith! This is one of
the reasons that we are learning the GRACE Gospel
presentation!!
True Christians can not deny their Lord! There is
something that He does when He comes into our lives
that radically and totally transforms us out of the
Kingdom of this world and into the Kingdom of God.
Many Christians dont really feel this transformation,
but what they know is that they can not be who they
were, what they know is that the things that used to
motivate, move and excite them, may very well now
repulse them.
We read in 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 Therefore if any
man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things
passed away; behold, new things have come. {18}
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled
us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the
ministry of reconciliation, {19} namely, that God was
in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not
counting their trespasses against them, and He has
committed to us the word of reconciliation. {20}
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though
God were entreating through us; we beg you on
behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
NASB
Do you remember that old chorus, it speaks the truth
that there is a change that draws us to Christ and to one
another in unity and purpose in His name, bound by the

Lifes Ultimate Choice! - Romans 10:8-13

A Critical Choice - A Commanded Confession - A Completed Conversion

cords of His love, which is manifested in His mercy and

grace!
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that all unity will one day be restored
And theyll know we are Christians by our love, by
our love, yes theyll know we are Christians by our
love!
And if all of that isnt enough beloved, we have the
very Words of Jesus Christ Himself... Turn to Matthew
10:32-33 NASB) Look what He says...
"Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before
men, I will also confess him before My Father who is
in heaven. {33} "But whoever shall deny Me before
men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in
heaven.
O dear friends, we have a Critical Choice and it is Clear
that we have a Commanded Confession, that Jesus
Christ is Lord to the Glory of God and that one day,
every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that
Jesus IS LORD to the glory of God! Isnt that what Phil
2:10-11 says!
You bet it is!!! But one final, glorious thought
concern this 4th letter of our Grace Gospel Presentation...
There is a Critical Question and a Commanded
Confession and that revelas a Completed Conversion.
Look back at vss 10-13
< < < Read: Romans 10:1-13 > > >

Lifes Ultimate Choice! - Romans 10:8-13

A Critical Choice - A Commanded Confession - A Completed Conversion

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Slide 10
Point III: A Completed Conversion.. . Rom 10:10-13
{11} For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES
IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." {12} For
there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for
the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for
all who call upon Him; {13} for "WHOEVER WILL
CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL
BE SAVED."
O dear friends... what does it say... whoever believes
in Him will not be disappointed!.... whoever will call
upon the name of the Lord, WILL BE SAVED!!!
And who is that Lord? It is none other than Jesus
Christ, the very Son of God, God Himself and the Only
way to heaven!!
We have two confirmations of His assurance to us
that our Conversion is complete and that it is Safe and it
is Secure!!
whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed!
I dont know about you my friends, but I have had my
share of disappointments in this life, not only with
things and with circumstances, but even with people.
But Jesus will never let you down! The Holy Bible
will NEVER lead you astray! What He has done for
us on the cross is EXACTLY what we needed and we
will NEVER be disappointed with what He has done!
But it also says that if we call upon His name, we

Lifes Ultimate Choice! - Romans 10:8-13

A Critical Choice - A Commanded Confession - A Completed Conversion

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WILL BE SAVED ! // not might be, not could be, not,

if you do some great thing... You WILL BE SAVED!!
You WILL not be disappointed, for as Paul exhorts
young Timothy in 2 Tim 1:12...
2 Tim 1:12 ...but I am not ashamed; for I know whom
I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to
guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.
O beloved... The Grace Gospel Presentation is designed
to bring each person with whom it is shared to a point of
Choice, of Confession and of Confidence in Gods
completed work in Jesus Chrst!
The problem is... we all have to choose!!!
Let me close with a gripping account that drives home
the truth of what we have considered today...
William Tidewell recounts the event of a VERY wealthy
old man in London who in his waning years decided on
one of his birthdays to call all of his servants together
to give them some presents. He had a Bible and some
twenty-pound. Each servant would be given the choice
between the Bible and the money.
The gardener came first and said, "I would like to
have the Bible, but my wife is very sick and I need the
money. So I will take the note."
The cook came forward and confessed, "I can't read,
so the Bible would not do me any good. Give me the
money." Then came the coachman who said, "I would
appreciate having the Bible, but I have some pressing

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A Critical Choice - A Commanded Confession - A Completed Conversion

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obligations. I believe the money will help me more."

Finally the errand boy came running in from an
errand and was offered the same choice as the others.
The old gentleman asked, "Son, which will you
choose?"
The boy thought for a moment and looked at the Bible
and then looked at the money, still in the Rich mans
hand... he pondered for another moment and replied, "I
really want the money, but my mom, who is in heaven
now, she used to read to me from the Bible and told me
that if I could ever get one it would be worth more than
any thing I could ever have, so I will take the Bible."
The old gentleman smiled, moved and deeply pleased
that the boy would so honor his mother... As he handed
the Holy Bible to the boy, he said, "God bless you, my
son, for your wise choice. I present to you this Bible
and all that it contains as your personal gift."
All the other servants still standing in the presence of
their master, some touched by the tender encounter,
others smirking at the foolish choice of the boy. But as
he took the Bible in hand, a shining twenty pound gold
piece dropped out of the pages.... The boy immediately
picked it up and handed the coin back to the old man,
who refused to take it and said... "No, remember, I gave
you the Book with ALL that it contains." The boy then
began to turn the pages, and all along through the
Bible he found large bank notes in its pages. When
these were counted, they proved to be quite a fortune,
more than enough that the boy would never have to

Lifes Ultimate Choice! - Romans 10:8-13

A Critical Choice - A Commanded Confession - A Completed Conversion

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work another day in his life!

The other servants were abashed at their foolish
decision, in the presence of the boy whose' choice had
meant more than he could ever have imagined, and they
each reflected with remorse on what they had each just
lost. So it is when one fails to choose Christ. If we are
true, and choose wisely by choosing Christ, it means the
pages of our lives, will be filled with the presence and
the power of the God of the universe, with riches that
far exceed the bank notes of this world...richest of
salvation, of peace and happiness, and the promise of a
mansion in the world to come for all eternity, and if we,
like these other servants, allow the pressures of the
world, the desires of our wants to dictate our choices...
we will stand on that day in the presence of the
sovereign of the universe in great remorse when the
books are opened on that day, revealing all that God
had for us.... all that we could have had in this life and
the next and but worse... many will stand in that
moment in stark terror of what is to come, as they are
invited by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to go to
the place that He prepared for Satan and his host, the
place that they frequently, willfully and foolishly chose
throughout their lives... In that day... as with these
servants, they WILL get what they chose!
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By William Moses Tidwell, "Effective Illustrations."

Slide 11
O beloved... what are WE choosing?
Where will we each stand on that day...
You can choose Christ today... The question?

Lifes Ultimate Choice! - Romans 10:8-13

A Critical Choice - A Commanded Confession - A Completed Conversion

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Will you?... Will you?

Everyone of us WILL choose... in fact,
we are in the midst of that choosing even now...

The writer of Hebrews says...

Heb 3:7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,
"TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, {8} DO NOT
HARDEN YOUR HEARTS...
My ears ring with the words of Moses... We read in
Deu 30:19-20 "I call heaven and earth to witness
against you today, that I have set before you life and
death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in
order that you may live, you and your descendants,
(20) by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His
voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life
and the length of your days...
Let us pray...

Lifes Ultimate Choice! - Romans 10:8-13

A Critical Choice - A Commanded Confession - A Completed Conversion

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