The End of the Law [Part 2]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. You could have zeal and be running in absolutely the wrong direction.

To say that zeal without knowledge is a dangerous thing is almost entirely opposite of the message of the spirit of this age, which essentially says it doesn't matter as long as you're sincere. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in this series, Beloved, a study of Romans chapters nine through 11. It's presented at Renola Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries.

So as you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Just contact us at pastoralan.org. That's pastoralan.org, or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program. But now let's get started with today's teaching.

Here is Alan Wright. They're stumbling over who Christ was. And part of it, and this is just a reality, is that it just seemed too good to be true, and it seemed too simple. When you had this complicated system of law, and here comes Christ, and what he does, he sums up all the law, and he says, love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love one another as yourself. When he sums it up like this, and he starts simplifying it, well, it just seemed like that can't be true. I was thinking about Juan Carlos Ortiz, who was an Argentinian pastor and evangelist, and a remarkable communicator of the gospel. And if you never heard him preach, it's just worth checking it out sometime.

He just did unconventional things in his communication. He was famous for one day getting up to preach a sermon in his huge congregation in Buenos Aires, and he said, today's text is love one another. Everybody got ready for the good message on that, and he went and sat down.

Everybody was sitting there staring. He got back up. He said, I said, today's message is love one another. And he kept doing this until finally they got the point that he actually meant it.

Go love somebody. And people started finding out who had needs next to him, started sharing their resources. He was like that. But one day he was preaching, and he said, tell me, somebody tell me, what is two plus two? And his congregation was normally vocal and would shout out things.

Everybody was silent. He said, can anybody tell me what is two plus two? Again, he was met with silence. Nobody, you know, there's like a trick question, who's going to blurt out that? And so finally on the third row, he said, and you, sir, I know you're a professor of mathematics. Could you tell us in all of your great knowledge, what is two plus two? And he was like, I don't know.

Ortiz goes, two plus two is four. But everybody thought it was too simple of a question for them. And Jesus came and there was something about the gospel that was so simple and so easy and so good that it seemed too simple and too good to be true and thus became a stumbling block.

Give us something to do and we won't, we won't be stumbling anymore, you see. Chapter 10, verse one, brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. We've seen this with Paul that he has said earlier that he loved his kin's people so much that he would be willing to give up his own salvation if it would mean their salvation. He'd be willing to give up all of his benefits of knowing Christ if it just meant that somehow they could all be saved.

And so here he is again saying, this is my heart's desire. This is my prayer for them to be saved. And the first thing to say about this is please notice what the great apostle Paul, who more than anybody teaches about the gospel, he teaches about God's predestining purposes and how when he calls, he also justifies. And when he justifies, he also glorifies in an unbreakable golden chain.

The one who more than anybody in the New Testament has taught us about how God must open up the eyes, how it is all in God's choosing power. He now says, here's what I do when I see people that aren't saved. I have a huge longing in my heart and I pray. Again, if God is just in charge of everything, why do we even need to pray? Because God said, this is how he moves. So we don't sit around ever saying, well, if God's just going to do it, then I'll just let God do it.

There's nowhere in the Bible. Instead, what Paul's saying is that our prayers matter immensely. And so what he does with his time and with his heart and his energy is he's praying for the people that don't know the Lord.

Wow. A lot of beautiful moments in this book we've been reading. Glad You're Here, it's called. For those of you who hadn't finished it or hadn't started it yet, I'm not going to tell you too much to spoil this great story, but I've talked to a number of people who have been so moved by this. And if you want to have your heart warmed and you want to be inspired about being a friend to somebody else for the cause of Christ, this is a great, great story.

It's a story about a pastor named Craig Cooper, who befriended a man who was at the time not known and was trying to stumble around and start a career in country music, but eventually became well-known named Walker Hayes. But it's a story about their friendship, an unlikely friendship this pastor would have with Walker, who was, he shares in the book, an atheist and an alcoholic. And yet this pastor just took them on not as a project, but as a real friend.

And that's kind of a hard thing, isn't it actually? It's like, you've got somebody in your life right now, you really wish they knew the Lord. And the thing God calls us to is to actually love them and be friends with them, not just make them a project like, and they just became friends.

But I want to share this. I am going to give you one little spoiler here. And that is that I think you already probably guessed this, Walker accepts Christ. And because it wouldn't make for a great book to just write about how his friendship with an atheist alcoholic led to him continuing to be an atheist and alcoholic. But when Walker Hayes accepted the Lord, what happened was that he had been, he read for whatever reason, he read a book that his wife had been talking about, a Christian book. And it started, for the first time ever, he started thinking about it all. And so he said, I went to Barnes and Noble and I bought a Bible.

I'm reading from what he wrote. He said, I kept my head down and hidden as possible, making sure no one there recognized me. And the Bible lived inside the Barnes and Noble bag for several days.

So Lainey, his wife and the kids wouldn't know. I eventually showed them and confessed that I was hungry to learn. And that was some ginormous pride to swallow after so many years trying to convince her, convince my wife that God was like the Easter bunny. And I told Lainey how much this book that I'd read and meant to me. And we talked about it. And I read the Bible every free second I had. And I began to meet Jesus and I'm still meeting him today.

Well, I told Craig and Laura, I told the pastor friend and his wife that I believed in Jesus or something like that at a Japanese restaurant in Franklin. And his reaction was priceless. Craig was grateful to God.

The tears in his eyes said it all. Well, the way the book's written is that's Walker's version of it. And then they'll have pastor Craig will write about the way he saw it.

And here's how he tells it. Craig Cooper, he said that Walker shared about the effect that this book he'd read it had on him, how much he appreciated how our family had loved him. And he told us that he bought a Bible and was reading through the gospels. And then he looked at me with a softness I had never seen in his eyes before. And he said, Craig, I believe, I believe all of it.

The pastor writes, I can't even describe this moment. I was more than a little stunned, but not surprised to be honest. I was overwhelmed.

I did not anticipate this conversation over sushi rolls to make sure I was understanding my friend completely. I asked for clarification. I said, walk, are you telling me that you believe that Jesus is the son of God and that you want to live your life for his glory? And Walker responded gently with, yes, that's what I'm saying. I immediately started crying. I said, bro, I need to give you a hug. We stood up and I embraced Walker like I never had before. My brother, I tried to share with him how huge an answer to prayer this night was. And then I finally said through tears, I'm going to need a minute. I'm so sorry, but I'll be right back. And I excused myself, headed straight to the men's restroom, locked the door, hit my knees and in joyful, tearful worship, I gave thanks and praise to Jesus.

That's Alan Wright. And we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. It has been called the most influential letter ever written. Every word written by the apostle Paul and his epistle to the Romans is dripping with the astounding news of what God has done for you in Jesus. Answering the two biggest questions of life, what went wrong and how has God made it right? Discover the richness of those answers and enhance your Bible journey today. Make a donation to Alan Wright Ministries this month and unlock our Romans reading guide paired with the ESV scripture journal. Immerse yourself in the word and capture personal insights, prayers and reflections directly alongside the powerful text.

These sleek portable journals amplify your study, enrich group sessions and deepen personal reflections. Elevate your spiritual odyssey and forge a stronger connection with the scriptures. Help Alan Wright Ministries reach the world with the good news of the gospel with your gift today and receive these essential tools that will elevate your study, enrich your prayer life and deepen your understanding of the book of Romans. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860. That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org.

Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. The thing I just love about that is that here is this moment of transformation in Walker Hayes life who goes on to be a famous country musician. And to him from his side, he's like, he doesn't even know enough yet to know the enormity of what's just happened in his life. He will grow into that. But this pastor who had been praying for him and being his friend and walking with him and being part of an intervention in his life to help him stop his drinking and to care for his family and for his kids to be best friends with this man's friend, to hear him say, I believe in Jesus after he'd been praying for this very thing every day for so long.

Do you see what I'm saying? The pastor was more excited than Walker was himself. He couldn't contain himself. He had to flee the scene, run into the men's room and fall down in a dirty restroom and just cry his eyes out and start praising Jesus because of the desire of his heart. He was the one who was more mature in the spirit and he knew more of what was happening than Walker himself knew.

And so you see what went on inside of him. And this is what Paul's saying. He said, I want you to understand that my desire and my prayer is for all the Jewish people that I have known and those that are my own kin's people for them to come into the saving knowledge of Christ and quit pursuing their own righteousness through the law and to see Christ who is the end of the law for righteousness for those who believe and to come with simple childlike faith. Paul's saying, I care about it more than any of them. And he prays and he's saying that my prayer moves God and changes things.

Wow. I pray and I desire. And so what this says too, is that how do you explain the mystery like this? But it is God's desire infinitely that all be saved. The scripture says God desires that all be saved. Not all are saved, but God desires.

But then Paul's saying, and I desire. And the Bible tells us that God loves to grant us, delights in granting, desires of our hearts. That there's some way in which is our desire is brought before God.

When it is holy and in accord with God's own desires that somehow our very desiring and our yearning somehow moves God. The other book I've been reading the last couple of weeks that's been stirring me is the memoirs of Beth Moore. Beth Moore is a famous layperson teacher who has written lots of women's books and Bible studies. And I've really never studied much of her stuff, but have been thankful for the impact she's had. She has impacted Christendom. And I don't know, somebody told me that her memoir was really good. So I've been listened to an audio book and I've been really stirred and endeared. She went through a lot of suffering and she shares about that in this book. But the moment that I think I was most moved, and maybe just as one who is a communicator of the gospel, I got most moved by this. Because usually behind these stories where there's somebody that's had a huge impact and is well known and you go, wow, wouldn't it be wonderful to have an impact like that?

There usually is some moment like this. There's been a lot of usually suffering and longing. And where that longing began, I thought it just moved me so much. She had been asked by First Baptist Church in Houston to lead a women's Christian aerobics class back when that kind of thing was taken off. And so she did it and loved it. And then she taught kids. And then they came and they asked her, Beth, would you be willing to substitute teach in one of the women's Bible classes for a short season? And she didn't want to.

She was scared to. Finally, she was convinced to do it. And so she was going to be a teacher in this Sunday school class. And she said, well, I feel like I will teach adults, I need to get a little bit more training. And so it was announced in her church that there was going to be a Bible doctrine class that was going to be taught on Sunday nights and what they call training union. She said, I decided to go and study some Bible doctrine.

And she said, I pick up her and she said, I prepared for the sacrifice by motivating myself with a clean new spiral notebook and a package of colored pens and the obligatory yellow highlighter. Around 15 of us, she says, showed up as well as I'm able to recall the class didn't grow significantly larger. Training union after all was on Sunday evenings for an hour before another church service. This was discipleship for diehards. And the teacher's name was Buddy Walters. Buddy Walters had a quiet presence. There was no fanfare in his class, not even for the kickoff. No, let's go around the room and introduce ourselves. When the clock struck 6 PM, he plainly walked to the podium in the small Sunday school room, flopped open a King size King James version and told us to turn to Genesis.

I've never seen a Bible in worse condition. The man bowed his head and asked the Lord to use him. Then launched into a lesson without bell or whistle. He didn't have a booming voice. He didn't even use a lot of inflection.

His deep voice and long drawl stayed steady and authoritative. Even at times when tears mystifyingly pooled in his eyes, he'd not told us a sad story or anything. He just taught shifting back and forth between the podium and the chalkboard. Each time he added an item to the Bible chart he'd drawn, he clapped a plume of chalk dust off his hands and flipped another page of his Bible. I don't recall turning pages that first night or taking down notes. All I remember is sitting mesmerized.

I'd never seen a person like Buddy. I never met anyone who seemed to study the Bible for the sheer delight of it and not simply the discipline. I appreciated the Bible, respected it, embraced a way of living and talking that developed from it, but I didn't love it.

Not like that guy loved it. The second he closed in prayer, I stood up from my chair, grabbed my purse, and walked straight out of the door without a word. Instead of staying for the service, I walked quickly down the stairs and through the hall, out the door to the massive parking lot as fast as I could. I ran to my car, threw my purse in the passenger seat, got in, shut the door, and burst into tears. I don't know what that was, I cried to God, leaning forward the windshield in case he couldn't see me through the roof, but I want it.

Now listen to this. There are not many, she says, not many parts of my life story that make me cry nearly every time I tell them, but this one does. We can't explain how it is that our desires move God, but they do. I desire and I pray earnestly for the Jewish people. That's what Paul is saying. So all of the theology and doctrine about the glories and sovereignty of God never stops Paul from the deepest yearning. I long for them to see the grace in Christ, he's saying. Verse two, for I bear them witness, Romans 10, verse two, I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. He knew a lot about zeal for religious things, because he himself had been a Pharisee.

He said, but it's zeal that doesn't have the knowledge of the real nature of God or the grace of God. October 25, 1964, Minnesota Viking defensive lineman Jim Marshall picked up a San Francisco 49er fumble, saw the goalposts in front of him, and scampered 45 yards into the end zone. And then got congratulated by the opposing team, because he'd run the wrong direction. He thought he had a touchdown, but he'd given his made a safety instead.

You can have zeal and be running in absolutely the wrong direction. Alan Wright, today's good news message is the end of the law. It's in our series, beloved Study of Romans. And Pastor Alan is back with us in the studio, sharing his parting good news thought for the day in just a moment. Alan Wright Ministries this month and unlock our Romans reading guide paired with the ESV scripture journal. Immerse yourself in the word and capture personal insights, prayers, and reflections directly alongside the powerful text.

These sleek portable journals amplify your study, enrich group sessions, and deepen personal reflections. Elevate your spiritual odyssey and forge a stronger connection with the scriptures. Help Alan Wright Ministries reach the world with the good news of the gospel with your gift today and receive these essential tools that will elevate your study, enrich your prayer life, and deepen your understanding of the book of Romans. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.

When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. Back here with Pastor Alan and our parting good news thought for the day. The teaching is the end of the law.

So Pastor Alan, where do we go from here? Well, the thing that is so important to understand about the end of the law is that everything that then follows from it is glorious and beautiful. So law essentially is a system that's built upon performance. And when we need to perform, when we need to, by our own righteousness, prove ourselves, we're forever anxious.

Because we always know what happens when I fail. How will I ever know if I've done enough? And so if we want to really get at our anxieties, instead of trying harder to not be afraid, or trying harder to be brave, I think what we need is we need to come to the end of law-based mentalities. And that's really what Paul is leading us into.

And so to say the end of the law, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, say it's the end of a whole way of living. You're free. You're free from performance-based living, and therefore you can be free from anxiety and free to serve God with joy. Thanks for listening today. Visit us online at pastorallen.org or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. If you only caught part of today's teaching, not only can you listen again online, but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching, delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Allen Wright Ministries.