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Christian Network

 
Don’t Stay Lost
(Or Help me find my way!)
Romans 10:8-13
 

Romans 10:7 through Romans 10:14 (KJV)
7Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from 
the dead.) 8But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in 
thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9That 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. 10For with the heart man 
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto 
salvation. 11For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be 
ashamed.
12For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord 
over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13For whosoever shall call upon 
the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14How then shall they call on him in whom 
they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not 
heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
 
   During the presidency of Andrew Jackson, George Wilson, a postal clerk, 
robbed a federal payroll from a train and in the process killed a guard.  The 
court convicted him and sentenced him to hang.  Because of public sentiment 
against capital punishment, however, a movement began to secure a presidential 
pardon for Wilson (first offense), and eventually Jackson intervened with a 
pardon.  Amazingly, Wilson refused it. 
   Since this had never happened before, the Supreme Court was asked to rule on 
whether someone could indeed refuse a presidential pardon. Chief Justice John 
Marshall handed down the court's decision: "A pardon is a parchment whose only 
value must be determined by the receiver of the pardon.  It has no value apart 
from that which the receiver gives to it.  George Wilson has refused to accept 
the pardon.  We cannot conceive why he would do so, but he has. Therefore, 
George Wilson must die."  George Wilson, as punishment for his crime, was 
hanged.  Pardon, declared the Supreme Court, must not only be granted, it must 
be accepted. 
 
n       George Maronge, Jr., Birmingham, Alabama.  Leadership, Vol. 12, no. 3
 
It is just this same sort of pardon that we are going to be discussing this 
morning.  We are going to be talking about that wonderful pardon that Christ 
secured for us through His death, burial, and ressurection.  We will be looking 
at some common fallacies concerning salvation, and we will explore the truth 
about the path to heaven.  
 
  The story of "Wrong Way Riegels" is a familiar one, but it bears repeating. 
   On New Year's Day, 1929, Georgia Tech played UCLA in the Rose Bowl. In that 
game a young man named Roy Riegels recovered a fumble for UCLA. Picking up the 
loose ball, he lost his direction and ran sixty-five yards toward the wrong goal 
line. One of his teammates, Benny Lom, ran him down and tackled him just before 
he scored for the opposing team. Several plays later, the Bruins had to punt. 
Tech blocked the kick and scored a safety, demoralizing the UCLA team.
 
Now, this poor ol’ fellow was lost as he could be.  He was headed in the wrong 
direction, and no amount of coaching from the sidelines could get him to find 
the way.  It finally took the intervention of his teammate to rectify the 
situation.
 
We too are like poor ol’ Roy Reigles.  We are as lost as he was, and we are 
desperately searching for the way.  Our sinful lives need a moral anchor, and we 
are consistently in search of something to guide our way.
 
Over the years mankind has tried to find the way to heaven in many different 
ways.  Many people are convinced they are going to heaven, when in reality they 
are going to bust Hell wide open.  Like Roy Reigles, many folks, some of them 
sitting right amongst us in churches across our land, are headed full tilt in 
the wrong direction because they have bought into some faulty theology.
 
Destroying the Myths
 
The first myth we are going to discuss is the myth that where you are born makes 
you a Christian.  Some people have this idea that being born in America makes 
you a Christian.  They reason that because America is viewed as a “Christian 
Nation”, then they too must fall under that umbrella.  Being born to a Christian 
home doesn’t make you a Christian either.  I saw a baby being born in an 
Ambulance once time, that didn’t make him an EMT did it?  We can’t get to heaven 
on someone else’s coat tails.  If you were fortunate enough to be born into a 
Christian family be thankful for it, but don’t count on it for your salvation.
 
The second myth is that if you live a good life you must be a Christian.  Not 
hardly.  Many people are “good” people.  Many people live a good life, and don’t 
believe in God at all.  There is no way we can be good enough to meet God’s 
criteria for righteousness.
 
You might say going to church makes you a Christian.  Often I’ll talk with 
someone and they will tell me they are going to heaven because they’ve been a 
member of the 2nd Self-Righteous Baptist Church since they were small.  Yahoo!  
That’s fabulous!  But are you saved??  Going to church won’t get you to heaven.
 
You may be hoodwinked into buying into this touchy-feely New Age-ish idea that 
if you will just think positively God will surely let you into heaven.  Well I 
say to you this morning that God will positively NOT let you into heaven just 
because you think you can.  Leave that kind of idea back with the little engine 
that could where it belongs. That train doesn’t stop at heaven.
 
You may have heard that taking the Lord’s Supper or being baptized will get you 
into the pearly gates.  Don’t believe it for a minute.  All that will get you 
without the sanctifying blood of Jesus Christ is a little snack and a wet head.  
It won’t get you into heaven.
 
Another fallacy is this idea that believing in God will get you to heaven.  Now 
I don’t mean the faith driven kind of belief that is the hallmark of a 
Christian, instead I’m talking about believing there is a God!  You ask most 
people, and they will tell you that God exists, very few people are true 
atheists.
 
You might hear that praying makes you a Christian.  Well, the Hindus pray, the 
Buddhists pray, but they aren’t going to heaven.  The pagans and Satanists even 
offer prayers to their deity, but they are surely not going to be in heaven.  
 
Finally, you might believe that reading the Bible will get you to heaven.  It 
won’t, but it will show you the way.  It will show you the right path to take to 
become saved.
 
So you might be saying, “Preacher, how do I get there then?”  Well, I’m so glad 
you asked.  Our passage of scripture today, along with some other’s I’m going to 
read to you will show conclusively how to get to heaven.  I’m going to help you 
find your way today.  If you will listen carefully to what is said this morning, 
you will know how to become a Christian when we are through.  There is only one 
way to get to heaven.
 
What is That Way?
 

John 14:6 through John 14:7 (KJV)
6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto 
the Father, but by me. 7If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: 
and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
 
Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms how to get to heaven.  He tells us point 
blank and without apology that He is the only path.  So how do we get to Jesus 
so that He can direct us in the right way?
 
Paul gave us two clues in this morning’s passage of scripture.  Let’s look at 
verse 9 a bit more closely.
 
 
 

Romans 10:9 (KJV)
9That 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.
 
So here it is, step by step what you must do to get to heaven.
 
First We Must Confess
 
The first thing Paul tells us we must do is confess the Lord with our mouth.    
Matthew 10:32 puts it this way:
 
32Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also 
before my Father which is in heaven.
 
This confession is a test of our faith.  But what does it all mean?  Well it 
means to testify that Christ is Lord.  To acknowledge and agree with God  that 
we are sinners and cannot achieve righteousness on our own.  It means to 
publicly affirm your belief and trust in God.  
 
It is an acceptance of God’s adoption of us into His family.  It means outwardly 
proclaiming that we are following the Messiah wherever he might lead.  
 
The believing heart results in righteousness and the confessing mouth results in 
salvation. This is the confession that we make of Christ. One of the things this 
confession of Christ does is give us a personal expression of the Lordship of 
Jesus Christ. It means that with our hearts we come to faith in Christ. We 
believe there. That is where we experience the new birth. That comes first. Then 
something else must follow—an outward expression of that faith. It is not enough 
to be an inward Christian. You must be a Christian inside and out. Not only must 
you believe in your heart, but you must confess with your mouth the Lordship of 
Christ. Confession gives you an avenue of personal expression for your faith in 
Christ. You do that by positioning yourself before others as a believer in Jesus 
Christ.
 
 
We Must Believe that God Raised Christ From The Dead
 
This second step is crucial to our Salvation.  It is through the miracle of the 
resurrection that our salvation is sealed.  Many today try to rationalize the 
resurrection because it’s hard to understand.  We can’t fathom the idea of 
someone who was once dead becoming alive again.  But it is precisely this belief 
that we must be confessing.  We have to be committed to the truth of the Gospel 
and accept nothing less than its truth.  
 
Then You Will Show Your Salvation
 
12For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord 
over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13For whosoever shall call upon 
the name of the Lord shall be saved.
 
Are you willing to call upon the name of the Lord today and be saved?   This 
call is for everyone.  Young, old, male, female, it doesn’t matter, God is 
calling to you.  This salvation which we speak of this morning is for each 
person here today.  We just have to realize we are headed in the wrong direction 
and turn back to the right way.
 
Do you remember the story I told you at the beginning of this message?  The one 
about Roy Reigles?  Well I didn’t tell you the rest of the story.  Let me finish 
it in conclusion.
 
The strange play came in the first half. At half-time the UCLA players filed off 
the field and into the dressing room. As others sat down on the benches and the 
floor, Riegels put a blanket around his shoulders, sat down in a corner, and put 
his face in his hands. 
   A football coach usually has a great deal to say to his team during halftime. 
That day Coach Price was quiet. No doubt he was trying to decide what to do with 
Riegels. 
   When the timekeeper came in and announced that there were three minutes 
before playing time, Coach Price looked at the team and said, "Men, the same 
team that played the first half will start the second." The players got up and 
started out, all but Riegels. He didn't budge. The coach looked back and called 
to him. Riegels didn't move. Coach Price went over to where Riegels sat and 
said, "Roy, didn't you hear me? The same team that played the first half will 
start the second." 
   Roy Riegels looked up, his cheeks wet with tears. "Coach," he said, "I can't 
do it. I've ruined you. I've ruined the university's reputation. I've ruined 
myself. I can't face that crowd out there." 
   Coach Price reached out, put his hand on Riegels's shoulder, and said, "Roy, 
get up and go on back. The game is only half over." 
   Riegels finally did get up. He went onto the field, and the fans saw him play 
hard and play well. 
   All of us have run a long way in the wrong direction. Because of God's mercy, 
however, the game is only half over. 
 
o        Wayne Rouse in Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Baker), 
from the editors of Leadership.
 
You have a chance today to get back in the game.  You have a chance to accept 
Christ’s call and get headed down the right track.  Don’t stay lost, find your 
way and let’s meet together over on that other shore.  Come to Jesus today.
 
 

©1999 by Claim The Victory Ministries, All Rights Reserved
South Peninsula Baptist Church 
Daytona Beach, FL
Rev. Charles S. Mims