Calvary
Chapel Bible College
February
10, 2021
Introduction
The letter of Paul to the Romans is considered Paul’s most important
letter. This is why it is placed in front of all his others
writings.
When and Where
The year is around AD 57 or 58
In your Bible, we’d place the writing of this letter around Acts 20:2 –
that’s about when Paul wrote to the Romans from the city of Corinth.
Paul had been in Ephesus for three years, yet when persecution arose, he
makes his way up to Macedonia, writes 2Corinthians at Philippi, and then heads
south to Corinth where he writes his letter to Rome.
What it’s about
We’re going to see the first five chapters dealing with justification,
how a person is made right with God.
The next three chapters will deal with sanctification, the process
where we grow to be more like Jesus.
The next three chapters will unpack the differences between the Jew and
Gentile, and God’s plan for His people.
In the last five chapters, Paul will launch into personal, practical
matters – how do we live as Christians?
What does the Christian life look like?
How do we get along with one another?
In building his case for justification, Paul started by showing that
The Gentiles were guilty of sin (ch.1)
The Jews were also guilty (ch.2)
God provided Jesus to pay for our sins (ch.3)
Today we’ll see that it’s only by faith in Jesus that we are saved (ch.4)
4:1-4 Abraham justified
:1 What then shall we say
that Abraham our father has found according to the
flesh?
:2 For if Abraham was
justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
:1 What … Abraham our father has found…
has found – heurisko – to come upon, hit upon, to meet with;
after searching, to find a thing sought; to find by enquiry, thought,
examination to find out by practice and experience
perfect active infinitive
The word “found” (heurisko) is in the
“perfect” tense.
It’s something that happened in the past, and the results continue on into the present.
Abraham found something out, and it’s still true.
In dealing with those Jews who have a difficult time even considering that
God would dare think about Gentiles, let alone make them righteous, Paul is
going to draw on some evidence from the life of Abraham.
The Jews were quite proud to be called the sons of Abraham (Luke 3:8; John
8:33-40), so they would pay attention to this.
(Luke 3:8 NKJV) Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say
to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that
God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these
stones.
(John 8:33–41 NKJV)
—33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never
been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” 34 Jesus
answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of
sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son
abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son
makes you free, you shall be free indeed. 37 “I know that you are Abraham’s
descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have
seen with your father.” 39 They answered and said to Him,
“Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do
the works of Abraham. 40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man
who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not
born of fornication; we have one Father—God.”
What kind of experience did Abraham have about being
justified while he was alive?
:2 if Abraham was justified by works
justified – dikaioo – that word we saw all through chapter
3 – being made “righteous”.
Forms of this word (all related with the same root) are used 79 times in
Romans.
Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on Romans is titled “Be Right”.
:2 he has something to boast about
Paul ended the last chapter reminding us that we have NOTHING to boast
about because we aren’t the ones who accomplished our salvation.
If Abraham had been able to earn his way to heaven, then that would be a
pretty good thing to boast about.
So how did Abraham become “justified”
:3 For what does the
Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was
accounted to him for righteousness.”
:3 what does the Scripture say?
Notice that Paul is again basing his theology on the Scriptures, not on
what he thinks.
Too many people base their ideas about God on what they think God should be
like, not what God has told us He is like.
:3 Abraham believed God …
Paul is quoting Genesis.
Here’s the context:
Abraham (known at the time as Abram) had just fought a battle to rescue his
nephew Lot, who had been taken captive by marauding kings who had raided Sodom
and Gomorrah.
The king of Sodom is so grateful to Abram that he offers to make Abram a
wealthy man.
Abram refuses Sodom’s offer because he didn’t want this wicked man claiming
that he was the reason for Abram’s success in life.
After turning down the riches of the “world” …
(Genesis 15:1–6
NKJV) —1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid,
Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” 2 But Abram
said, “Lord God, what will You
give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of
Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have
given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” 4 And behold,
the word of the Lord came
to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from
your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He
brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if
you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants
be.” 6 And he believed in the Lord,
and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
God makes Abram a promise and Abram believes
God. What was the promise? That God would be Abram’s reward and that God
would give Abram a son.
:3 it was accounted to him for righteousness
righteousness – dikaiosune – in a
broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the
condition acceptable to God
This is the word used all through chapter 3.
it was accounted – logizomai – to reckon, count, compute
Be sure to write this definition down.
We saw this word used in chapter three:
(Romans 3:28 NKJV) Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart
from the deeds of the law.
This is the word that the Septuagint also uses in Genesis 15:6.
This is an old Greek accounting word which simply means to “set down
accounts”. It’s to write numbers into a
ledger. It’s to record your checks in
the check register.
This word deals with reality. If I “logizomai”
or reckon that my bank account has $25 in it, it has $25 in it. Otherwise I am deceiving myself. This word refers to facts
not suppositions.
It’s interesting that this word is found 40 times in Scripture, almost half
of them (19) are in Romans, and 11 times it’s found in chapter 4 (verses
3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,22,23,24). Romans is
Paul’s “accounting” book.
Lesson
Trust God
The bottom line is: God wants you to trust Him. God wants you to have faith.
This is what Abraham learned.
Faith is what enacts our salvation.
Paul wrote,
(Ephesians 2:8–9
NKJV) —8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of
works, lest anyone should boast.
God has paid for our salvation by having Jesus die in our
place. But for that transaction to actually go into our account, we have to
have “faith”.
It’s like paying a bill.
Whether you use online banking, write a check, or walk cash into an
office, you still have to take a step to initiate the
transaction.
My faith in Jesus is what initiates God’s transaction, and
He then responds by writing “righteous” on my ledger.
The gospel of John says a lot about “faith”:
(John 3:16 NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
(John 11:25 NKJV) Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes
in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
(John 20:31 NKJV) but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His
name.
The Greek verb “to believe” (and noun “faith”) is found
103 times in the gospel of John. John
was concerned that his readers realize they needed to “believe”, to “trust”, to
have “faith” in Jesus which leads to eternal life.
“Faith” is not just an intellectual agreement.
It’s counting on someone to fulfill a promise.
It’s putting your life into someone else’s hands.
Illustration
Blondin the tightrope walker.
Jean Francois Gravelet was born February 28, 1824
in France. He developed his skills as an acrobat under the guidance of P.T.
Barnum (of Barnum & Bailey Circus). He became known as the Great Blondin.
In 1859 (35 yrs. old) he announced that he would do the most amazing of all
feats, he would cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope 1,100 feet long, 160 feet
above the water.
On June 30, 1859 the rope was in position and at five o’clock in the afternoon Blondin
started the trip that was to make history. Incredulous watchers saw him lower a
rope to the Maid of the Mist, pull up a bottle and sit down while he refreshed
himself. He began his ascent toward the Canadian shore, paused, steadied the
balancing pole and suddenly executed a back somersault. The crowd ‘screamed’,
women ‘fainted’, those near the rope ‘cried’ and begged him to come in. When he
finally stepped off the rope, he was grabbed by a delirious mob of well-wishers
who whisked him away to a champagne celebration.
He crossed the Falls several times, each time making it more difficult. In
all, he crossed the rope on a bicycle, walking blindfolded, pushing a
wheelbarrow, stopping to cook an omelet in the center, making the trip with his
hands and feet manacled, even crossing on stilts.
His most daring crossing came when he announced that he would carry a man
across on his back. He supposedly asked for volunteers, but the only one who
would agree was his manager, Harry Colcord.
It wasn’t a perfect trip, but Blondin and Colcord did make
it across Niagara.
That’s “faith”.
It’s not just saying you believe Jesus can carry you, it’s
getting on His shoulders and trusting your eternal future in His hands.
Lesson
Handle life with faith
(keyword)
Abraham’s faith wasn’t aimed specifically at trusting God for salvation to
go to heaven. It was about where his treasure was. It was about the future of
his descendants (or lack of).
Our faith is supposed to go beyond just trusting Him for salvation.
Paul wrote,
(Colossians
2:6 NKJV) As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the
Lord, so walk in Him,
We received Him by “faith”. We need to continue to trust Him and “walk”
by “faith”
When Paul was caught in the storm at sea, about to be shipwrecked, it was
his “faith” that sustained him and his shipmates:
(Acts 27:23–25
NKJV) —23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I
belong and whom I serve, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you
must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who
sail with you.’ 25 Therefore take heart, men, for I
believe God that it will be just as it was told me.
David wrote,
(Psalm 56:3 NKJV) Whenever I
am afraid, I will trust
in You.
(Psalm 56:3 AV) What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
Faith helps us deal with difficulties, “mountains”
(Matthew
17:20 NKJV) …for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith
as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’
and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
Illustration
Tony Snow, former press secretary for President George W.
Bush, battled colon cancer off and on from early 2005. He would die of it in
2008.
When asked what spiritual lessons he has learned from his
battle, he replied: “We want lives of simple, predictable ease—smooth, even
trails as far as the eye can see—but God likes to go off-road.”
Tony Snow,
"The Up Side," Guideposts (January 2008),
Faith is one of the keys to learning to pray and have God answer our
prayers.
(Matthew
21:22 NKJV) And whatever things you ask in prayer,
believing, you will receive.”
Are you going through a dark time?
Are you facing some big mountains?
God wants you to trust Him.
Abraham trusted God and it was counted as righteousness.
:4 Now to him who works,
the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
:4 wages are not counted as grace but as debt
wages – misthos – dues paid for work;
reward
grace – charis – grace; an undeserved favor
debt – opheilema – that which is justly or legally due,
a debt
counted – logizomai – to reckon, count,
compute
If you are working to earn your salvation, then you don’t think of being
saved out of God’s grace, as a “gift”.
Instead you feel that your salvation is something
you have worked hard for, something you earned, something owed to you.
4:5-8 David teaches faith
:5 But to him who does
not work but believes on Him who justifies the
ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
:5 Him who justifies the ungodly
justifies – dikaioo – yup, our word again
ungodly – asebes – destitute of reverential awe towards
God, condemning God, impious
Why would God ever justify the “ungodly”? Amazing.
Remember that Paul has already made a big point that we are all sinners.
Nobody seeks after God. Nobody does the right thing (Romans 3).
So if you are a person who has come to the conclusion that you are helpless
to be a godly person and you are unable to live a righteous life on your own,
and you come to the conclusion that you are going to trust and count on God to
make you righteous – that kind of faith is what allows God to enter “righteous”
in your bank account in heaven.
(Romans 4:4–5 The
Message) —4 If you’re a hard worker and do a
good job, you deserve your pay; we don’t call your wages a gift. 5 But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it’s something
only God can do, and you trust him to do it—you could never do it for
yourself no matter how hard and long you worked—well, that
trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer
gift.
:6 just as David also
describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart
from works:
:6 to whom God imputes righteousness
blessedness – makarismos – declaration of blessedness; from makarios – blessed, happy
imputes – logizomai – the “accounting”, “logical” word.
Paul is going to give an example from Scripture.
He’s going to take us to a psalm about a person who is an ungodly sinner
being forgiven.
This isn’t a person who has “earned” righteousness.
This is a person who is a sinner who has been graciously forgiven.
He’s going to take us to Psalm 32
:7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered;
:8 Blessed is the man
to whom the Lord shall not impute
sin.”
:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord
shall not impute sin
impute – logizomai – the accounting word.
What’s being entered into your account?
Righteousness or sin?
Paul is quoting Psalm 32.
But before we look at Psalm 32, let’s do the “back story” to the passage. Turn to 2Samuel 11.
(2 Samuel 11:1–15
NKJV) —1 It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go
out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all
Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David
remained at Jerusalem.
David is going to get into trouble.
It’s probably relevant to note that he wasn’t where he should have
been. He should have been at the battle but instead decided he needed a vacation. Perhaps that was his first mistake.
2 Then it happened one evening that David arose
from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he
saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.
We know that the original city of David was built on the hillside. David’s house would have been toward the top
of the hill, allowing him to look down on the neighboring houses.
3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone
said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah
the Hittite?”
Another mistake – curiosity gets us into trouble. David wanted to know more about this
woman. He should have ran
from temptation instead of looking at it.
Video: I am
sin
Eliam was one of David’s mighty men.
He was the son of Ahithophel, the close friend and counselor of David
that would eventually betray David and help Absalom revolt against David.
Uriah the Hittite, the husband, was another of David’s mighty men.
Bathsheba was very much connected to three men who were close to
David. This is no stranger. This is going to hurt a lot of people close
to David.
We don’t often think of how our sin is going to affect the lives of those
around us.
How will this affect my family? How
will this affect my friends?
4 Then David sent messengers, and took her;
and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her
impurity; and she returned to her house. 5 And the
woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said,
“I am with child.”
David now has a bigger problem.
The Bible says,
(Numbers 32:23
NKJV) …be sure your sin will find you out.
6 Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the
Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah
had come to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people were doing,
and how the war prospered. 8 And David said to Uriah, “Go down to
your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah departed from
the king’s house, and a gift of food from the king followed him.
David is hoping that Uriah will go home, have sex with his wife, and when
Uriah finds out his wife if pregnant, he’ll think it was his baby.
9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the
servants of his lord, and did not go down to his
house. 10 So when they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his
house,” David said to Uriah, “Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not
go down to your house?” 11 And Uriah said to David, “The ark
and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants
of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat
and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul
lives, I will not do this thing.”
It looks to me that Uriah is a better man than David.
This was the kind of thing that David used to say. It used to be that David was the one with a
conscience. When David was running from
King Saul and he had a chance to kill Saul in the cave, David’s conscience
bothered him so much he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
It seems that David’s mighty men had learned to have a noble conscience
just like David.
And now David has backslidden.
12 Then David said to Uriah, “Wait here today also, and tomorrow I
will let you depart.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem
that day and the next. 13 Now when David called him, he ate
and drank before him; and he made him drunk. And at evening he went out to lie
on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.
David tries again to get Uriah to go home and
Uriah continues to act nobly.
14 In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and
sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 And he wrote
in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and
retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.”
David has now changed his plan and has decided to have Uriah killed. He’s using “death by Ammonite” as his choice
of weapon. And he’s getting Joab
involved in his plans.
Joab will follow David’s orders and Uriah will be killed in the battle…
skip down to …
(2 Samuel 11:26–27
NKJV) —26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she
mourned for her husband. 27 And when her mourning was over,
David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a
son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.
David might have kept most people from knowing what he had done, but God
knew.
I think this is one of the issues concerning doing the right thing.
We make the mistake of either forgetting that God sees everything, or we
have simply concluded that God doesn’t care.
(Ezekiel 8:12 NKJV) Then He said to me, “Son of man,
have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man
in the room of his idols? For they say, ‘The Lord
does not see us, the Lord has
forsaken the land.’ ”
But the truth is, God does see. God
is not pleased.
(2 Samuel 12:1–14
NKJV) —1 Then the Lord sent
Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him:
“There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. 3 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb
which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with
his children. It ate of his own food and drank from
his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. 4 And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his
own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had
come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who
had come to him.”
5 So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said
to Nathan, “As the Lord
lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! 6 And he shall
restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no
pity.”
I wonder if David thought the fellow should be put to death before or after
he restored fourfold what he had taken. J
You know that Nathan is really telling David about his own sin.
We saw back in Romans 1 that our sin looks pretty bad
when others are doing it.
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you
king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that
had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 9 Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have
killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be
your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the
people of Ammon. 10 Now therefore, the sword shall never
depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife
of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says
the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise
up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before
your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your
wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but
I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ”
Sin has a consequence.
It may not be immediately, but there will be consequence.
Even when your sin is forgiven by God, there may still be
earthly consequences.
Some people think that if God forgives them that they
don’t have to face earthly consequences.
That’s not true.
Illustration
A few years ago, Michael Mohr, 51, confessed to the murder
of Myrna Gonzales, resolving a 3-year-old cold case. Mohr might have gotten
away with the slaying, but after a religious conversion, he realized Jesus
wanted him to do the right thing. Mohr immediately walked into the local
precinct and announced he had strangled a woman to death in 2004, and that
Jesus Christ wanted him to turn himself in.
“We wish Jesus would solve more of these,” one law
enforcement source said. “He [Mohr] was relieved. He was a little emotional. He
was just glad to get it off his chest.”
Laura
Italiano, "'Jesus' Cracks Cold Case," www.nypost.com (6-9-07);
submitted by Van Morris, Mount Washington, Kentucky
We know that some of these things will happen with David’s own son,
Absalom. Absalom will revolt against
David and end up having sex with ten of David’s concubines in a tent set up on
the roof of David’s house.
13 So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you
shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you
have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you
shall surely die.”
Because David was a leader, his sin was even worse. He was giving the enemies of God a chance to
mock God.
This first child with Bathsheba would get sick and eventually die.
David would write a song from this event, Psalm 51. Here’s a portion:
(Psalm 51:7–13
NKJV) —7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and
I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones
You have broken may rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins, And
blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a
steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your
presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to
me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous
Spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners
shall be converted to You.
Note verse 8 – David mentions “bones You have broken”.
Note verse 12 – “Restore to me the joy…”
Note verse 13 – “Then I will teach transgressors…”
Spurgeon suggested that when David mentioned “teaching transgressors”, that
Psalm 32 was the result.
This is what Paul was quoting.
(Psalm 32:1–5 NKJV)
—1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is
covered. 2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
The word “blessed” in vs. 1&2 means “happy” (in both OT Hebrew (‘esher) and NT Greek(makarios)).
It’s plural in v.1&2, carrying the idea of a LOT of happiness.
Remember David’s cry in Ps. 51:12, “restore to me the “joy” of Your
salvation”.
3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long.
Remember the “bones” that God had broken in Ps. 51:8.
We don’t want to face our sin. We
are afraid of the pain.
Illustration
All of us tend to avoid pain. Sometimes, though, avoiding pain can lead to
much greater suffering.
Consider the story of William "the Refrigerator" Perry. Perry was
a colorful defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears when they won the Super Bowl
back in 1985. His nickname fit him well, because he was big and wide. Perry was
also a friendly man with a wide grin.
Unfortunately for his grin, though he was a mammoth man playing in the
tough world of the football trenches, he apparently was afraid of the dentist,
just like most of us. He was so afraid that he didn't go
to the dentist for 20 years! He didn't go to the dentist even though his teeth
and gums hurt terribly, even though his teeth began falling out. Eventually he
had lost half of his teeth—some he
pulled out himself!—and his gums suffered chronic
infection. He was suffering!
Finally, as he neared age 45, he went to a
dentist. The dentist had to pull out all of his
remaining teeth. He had to insert screws in Perry's jaw and implant new
teeth—all of which would have cost Perry $60,000 except the dentist donated the
procedure (apparently for the free publicity).
Now there's a story every mother will tell her son when she tells him he has to go to the dentist or brush his teeth. But this is
also a story for all who avoid emotional and spiritual pain of any sort, for
the body teaches you things about your soul. There are lots of things that can
cause pain to the soul but actually bring health,
things like asking for help, hard work, repentance, looking honestly into our
own souls, going to church, dealing with our problems, humbling ourselves,
reading the Bible and listening to sermons, facing the truth. This list goes
on. It takes courage to face pain. But as William Perry said of his new teeth,
"It's unbelievable. And I love them….I got tired
of my mouth hurting all the time."
Craig Brian Larson, editor
of PreachingToday.com; source: "A Story with some teeth: Fridge gets a new
smile," Chicago Tribune (12-20-07) section 4, p. 2
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality
was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I
will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You
forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
David learned that there was forgiveness if he would simply confess his sin
to God.
The Bible says,
(1 John 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Paul’s point
Remember that Paul is trying to demonstrate from the Scriptures that righteousness
comes from faith, not from works.
David’s psalm is not coming from the heart
of a person who considers that he is a perfect person.
David’s song is coming from the point of a person who is a sinner and
who has found forgiveness.
If you paid attention to the back story, you realize that David didn’t do
anything to deserve God’s forgiveness.
He received forgiveness because of his broken spirit and cry to God, not
because of his sacrifices.
David was made righteous because of his faith, not his works.
Lesson
The joy of forgiveness
It’s been my experience that even people who have been Christians for years
will go through times when they have a hard time receiving forgiveness.
It’s hard to not slip into the feeling that if I could just do enough good
things, that God would take me back.
But the truth is that it all boils down to me simply choosing to take God
at His word that if I simply confess my sins (1John 1:9), then He will forgive
me. It’s another step of “faith”.
Learning to be open like this to God, confessing our sins, is what brings
forgiveness.
Illustration
The film Amazing Grace chronicles William Wilberforce (Ioan
Gruffedd) as he endeavors to end the British transatlantic slave trade in the
nineteenth century.
Wilberforce has made an earlier visit to his old pastor and friend John
Newton (Albert Finney). Newton himself was a former captain of a slave ship
prior to his conversion to Christ and Wilberforce was hopeful that Newton would
give an account of his slave-ship days, which Newton was reluctant to do.
Now, near success in ending the slave trade, Wilberforce visits Newton and
discovers that he even though his eyesight is gone, he has recorded his account.
Video: Amazing Grace – Great
Sinner, Great Savior
That’s a great line – “I
remember two things very clearly, I’m a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior”.
Break
4:9-12 Abraham believed
before circumcision
:9 Does this blessedness
then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for
righteousness.
:10 How then was it
accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised,
but while uncircumcised.
:9 upon the circumcised only …
Now Paul is going to strengthen his argument and take the very sign of
Jewish-ness (circumcision) and see if this righteousness is given only
to those who are circumcised.
Abraham was declared righteous in Genesis 15:6 when he was about 86 years
old.
He wasn’t circumcised until Genesis 17:24, when he was 99 years old.
He was declared righteous by faith BEFORE he was circumcised.
He received the righteousness first, the circumcision came later.
:11 And he received the
sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had
while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who
believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to
them also,
:11 the sign of circumcision, a seal …
sign – semeion – a sign,
mark, token
Circumcision was intended to be a “sign” of something. It was to be a sign
that this person was choosing to follow God instead of their flesh.
seal – sphragis – a seal; that by which anything is
confirmed, proved, authenticated
Circumcision as a “seal” was meant to authenticate that his faith had been
certified.
Meat used to have a “USDA” seal stamped on it, showing it was inspected and
approved.
Lesson
Trust the right thing.
Circumcision was the seal of authenticity on Abraham’s righteousness. It wasn’t what made him righteous, it was the
proof that he was already righteous.
Baptism is that for the Christian. Baptism doesn’t make you a
Christian. It is supposed to be the seal
that your Christianity is authentic. But
sadly we’ve got some people who have it backward,
thinking that the ritual of baptism is going to save them.
Illustration
Imagine that going to heaven is like going to a movie theater. When you receive salvation from the Lord, He
gives you the tickets to get into the theater. The tickets are like the
“righteousness” that is required to get into heaven. When you are baptized, it’s like God wraps up
the tickets by putting them in an envelope and seals it for you. The envelope is your baptism.
Trying to get into heaven by baptism (or circumcision) is like trying to
get into the movie theater with an empty envelope. The envelope doesn’t get you in, the tickets
do.
:12 and the father of
circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also
walk in the steps of the faith which our father
Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
:12 who also walk in the steps of the faith
walk – stoicheo – to proceed in a row as the march of a
soldier, go in order; to walk
steps – ichnos – a footprint, track, footstep
Abraham is an example to both the Jew and the Gentile.
There are some examples about Abraham that we are
to follow, especially examples of faith.
4:13-25 Abraham’s enduring
faith
:13 For the promise that
he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed
through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
:13 he would be the heir of the world
It’s a little unclear what this refers to, but the best explanation seems
to be a reference to the promise that God made to Abraham that in Abraham, all
nations would be blessed.
(Genesis
18:18 NKJV) since Abraham shall surely become a great and
mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
It is reiterated again in:
(Genesis
22:18 NKJV) In your seed all the nations of the earth shall
be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
But it all began back in
(Genesis
12:3 NKJV) I will bless those who bless you, And I will
curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
This was given before the record of Abraham having righteousness imputed to him:
(Genesis 15:6 NKJV) And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for
righteousness.
Abraham wasn’t declared righteous because he obeyed the
law. He was declared righteous (Gen.
15:6) six hundred years before the Law of Moses.
:14 For if those who are
of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no
effect,
:14 faith is made void
made void – kenoo – to empty, make empty; to make void;
deprive of force, render vain, useless, of no effect
The verb is a “perfect” tense, meaning it would be something that happened
in the past and the effects continue on to the
present.
made of no effect – katargeo – to
render idle, unemployed, inactivate, inoperative; to cause a person or thing to
have no further efficiency; to deprive of force, influence, power; also a “perfect” tense.
The idea would be that if God changed the rules and made righteousness come
by the Law instead of faith, then Abraham’s faith would be made useless and the promise made to Abraham would have lost its
value and Abraham would no longer be righteous.
:15 because the law
brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.
:15 where there is no law there is no transgression
You can’t be guilty of breaking the law if no law exists.
When a law exists, then the breaking of the law brings about a penalty,
judgment, wrath.
Abraham was declared righteous before
the law existed.
:16 Therefore it is
of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might
be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to
those who are of the faith of
Abraham, who is the father of us all
:16 those who are of the law … of the faith
Paul is talking about Jews (of the law) and Gentiles (of the faith).
The Law was only given to the nation of Israel, the Jews.
If salvation comes only through the Law, then how could the rest of us be
saved?
How could Abraham be the father of “many nations” (Gen. 17:5) if only the
Jews could be saved?
(Genesis
17:5 NKJV) No longer shall your name be called Abram, but
your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.
Salvation comes by grace through faith so that every one of us, whether we
are Jews or Gentiles, can be absolutely sure of our
salvation.
If salvation came through the law, then some of us would wonder whether
we’re saved or not.
:16 the promise might be sure to all the seed
sure – bebaios – stable, fast, firm
Lesson
Assurance
God doesn’t want you wondering about your salvation, He wants you sure of
it.
(1 John 5:11–13
NKJV) —11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and
this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who
does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things
I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know
that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the
name of the Son of God.
Some folks say it is prideful to say that you know you are going to
heaven. But John says that he wants you
to KNOW that you have eternal life. God
doesn’t just want you wondering, He wants you to know.
Our salvation is based upon whether or not we have
Jesus, and we only have Jesus when we believe in Him.
I believe this is one of the important steps of growing up as a Christian.
You need to get to the point where you are no longer wondering whether you are
saved or not.
I remember as a young Christian feeling like I needed to
get saved every time there was an altar call.
One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that the
person who is stuck in that place of always wondering – never gets much done
for God. They are continually stuck
wondering.
God wants you to put the doubt behind you. He has things for you to do, things that a
true child of God can do.
Illustration
Believe me, the life of grace is no dead level; it
is not a marsh country, a vast flat. There are mountains, and there are
valleys. There are tribes of Christians who live in the lowlands, like the poor
Swiss of Valais, who live between the lofty ranges of mountains in the midst of the miasma, where the air is stagnant and
fever has its lair and the human frame grows languid and enfeebled. Such
dwellers in the lowlands of unbelief are forever doubting, fearing, troubled
about their interest in Christ, and tossed to and fro;
but there are other believers, who, by God's grace, have climbed the mountain
of full assurance and near communion. Their place is with the eagle in his
eyrie, high aloft; they are like the strong mountaineer who has trodden the
virgin snow, who has breathed the fresh, free air of the Alpine regions, and
therefore his sinews are braced, and his limbs are vigorous. These are they who
do great exploits, being mighty men, men of renown.
-- Charles Haddon
Spurgeon
Illustration
Wilfredo Garza lived the life of an illegal immigrant for more than 35
years. Year after year, he eked out a living crossing the border from Mexico
into the United States—some days finding work, some days not. Regardless, he
was constantly looking over his shoulder. He was caught by the Border Patrol
four times during that period and bused back to Mexico every time. Undeterred
by each apprehension, he swam back across the Rio Grande to try again.
The cycle would likely have continued for several more years if not for an
amazing discovery. One day, Wilfredo worked up the courage to walk into an
immigration lawyer's office. There, incredibly, he found out that his father
was born in Texas and spent time working there, which meant that Wilfredo was actually a U.S. citizen!
All these years he possessed the very papers—his father's birth certificate
and work records—that proved his citizenship, and yet he lived in guilt and
fear. Now he has a certificate of citizenship. Now he doesn't have to sneak
across the border; he can walk through the main gate.
Anderson
Cooper, "360 Degrees, On the Border" (aired 5-25-06), CNN; submitted
by Jay Caron, East Wenatchee, Washington
:16 Therefore it is
of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might
be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to
those who are of the faith of
Abraham, who is the father of us all
:17 (as it is written, “I
have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he
believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not
exist as though they did;
:18 who, contrary to
hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according
to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”
:17 “I have made you a father of many nations”
Paul is quoting Gen. 17:5
This was the promise that God made to Abram when He changed Abram’s name to
Abraham:
(Gen 17:5 NKJV)
"No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name
shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.
Originally his name was Abram, meaning “exalted
father”; afterward it was changed to Abraham, meaning “father
of a multitude”.
Paul is saying that the “many nations” refers to those who believe in God
like Abraham did.
It’s not just the Jews, but “many nations”, including us Gentile believers
who can claim that Abraham is our father as well.
:17 in the presence of Him…
You have to go back to verse 16, Abraham is the
father of us all … in the presence of God whom he believed.
In God’s eyes Abraham is the father, the spiritual father, of all
believers.
:17 God, who gives life to the dead
This is something that only God can do – raise the dead.
This applies to Abraham and his OLD body…
(Hebrews
11:12 NKJV) Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead,
were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable
as the sand which is by the seashore.
It may also refer to what Abraham was thinking when he took his son Isaac
up the mountain to sacrifice him.
(Hebrews 11:17–19
NKJV) —17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who
had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even
from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
Perhaps Abraham thought, “If God raised my body, perhaps
God will raise Isaac too”.
It also applies to us pagan Gentiles, as well as Jews, are as good as dead
because of our sins, yet God gives us life.
It also applies to Jesus – who would die on the cross and be raised from
the dead three days later.
God gives life to dead things.
:17 calls those things which do not exist as though they did
God alone sees the future. He sees
things happening before they even existed.
(Isa 44:24-28 NLT) The LORD, your Redeemer and Creator,
says: "I am the LORD, who made all things. I alone stretched out the
heavens. By myself I made the earth and everything in it. {25} I am the one who
exposes the false prophets as liars by causing events to happen that are
contrary to their predictions. I cause wise people to give bad advice, thus
proving them to be fools. {26} But I carry out the predictions of my prophets!
When they say Jerusalem will be saved and the towns of Judah will be lived in once
again, it will be done! {27} When I speak to the rivers and say, 'Be dry!' they
will be dry. {28} When I say of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd,' he will certainly
do as I say. He will command that Jerusalem be rebuilt and that the Temple be
restored."
What’s fascinating is how God talks about being the one who knows and
causes the future, and then He gets specific and mentions someone by name. Cyrus would be the Persian ruler who would
make the decree to set the Jews free from Babylon to go back and rebuild
Jerusalem and the temple.
Isaiah is writing this several hundred years before Cyrus was even born.
When God says to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, you
can bet that this is what would happen.
And it has.
:18 contrary to hope, in hope believed
(Romans 4:18 The Message) When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway…
The idea is that Abraham’s situation was “beyond hope”, but that didn’t
stop Abraham believing in hope.
:18 so that he became the father of many nations
The purpose behind Abraham’s believing God was so that God’s promise of
many nations being blessed would come true.
How could he hope even when he was hopeless? Read on …
:19 And not being weak in
faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a
hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
:19 he did not consider his own body
being weak – astheneo – to be weak, feeble, to be without
strength, powerless; the grammar has the idea of “not becoming weak”
Abraham’s body was weak, but his faith was not.
consider – katanoeo – to perceive, remark, observe,
understand; to consider attentively, fix one’s eyes or mind upon
The “not” is not in some Greek manuscripts, that’s why some
translations read that Abraham “considered” his own body …
Whether it’s there or not, the point is still the same.
dead – nekroo – to make dead; worn out; of an
impotent old man; The verb is a “perfect” tense, meaning that the action has
happened in the past (dying), and the results continue on
into the present (still dead).
Lesson
Get your eyes off the impossibility
of the problem
Sometimes we can get so fixated on our problems that we get to thinking
that they’re too big!
When the children of Israel first got to the doorstep of the Promised Land
(Num. 12), they sent in spies to check things out. Two of the spies said that things were
awesome and they should go in. The other
ten could only think about the giants they had seen in the land. The people were discouraged and didn’t go
because they couldn’t stop thinking about giants.
Peter had an encounter with an interesting problem. He and the guys had been out in the boat
rowing against the wind all night. Jesus
shows up and He’s WALKING ON THE WATER!!
I don’t know how He did this considering there were a lot of waves. Was He surfing? Hurdling over the waves? Peter gets excited and asks Jesus if he can
try walking on water. Jesus says,
“Sure”.
(Matthew 14:30–31
NKJV) —30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid;
and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 And
immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to
him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
When Peter began to focus on the problems around him
rather than Jesus, he began to sink.
It’s not wrong to be aware of the difficulties in life
ahead of us, the problem is when we start thinking that the difficulty is
bigger than God.
:20 He did not waver at
the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving
glory to God,
:20 He did not waver at the promise of God
waver – diakrino – to be at variance with one’s self, hesitate, doubt
The Old King James reads “He staggered not at the promise of God”
This word is found in:
(James 1:5–8 NKJV)
—5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all
liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts
is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not
that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
James (James 1:6) tells us that doubt and unbelief are the
things that cause the tossing in the storm.
They are the things that are really tearing you up, not the situation.
The truth is, even when things seem bleak, it’s not over.
:20 strengthened in faith, giving glory to God
strengthened – endunamoo – to be
strong, endue with strength, increase in strength
Lesson
Strengthened in praise
(keyword)
I think there’s a connection between Abraham growing strong in faith and
his giving glory to God.
Jehoshaphat was faced with an invasion from three enemies at once. When they cried out to God for help, God
promised to deliver them. They decided
to respond to the situation with praise to God:
(2 Chronicles
20:20–22 NKJV) —20 So they rose early in the morning
and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat
stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in
the Lord your God, and you shall
be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who
should sing to the Lord, and who
should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were
saying: “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures
forever.” 22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of
Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were
defeated.
You can measure your trust in God with your praise. You can strengthen your trust in God with
your praise.
Illustration
Pastor Chuck wrote: Years ago while pastoring in
another area, I was working at a supermarket to meet the family’s needs. We had
three children and the church only paid twenty dollars a week. My mother-in-law had died in Phoenix, and we
went there to take care of the funeral arrangements. While I was gone my union
dues at the supermarket lapsed. When I returned to pay them, the union had
attached a fifty-dollar fine. I couldn’t afford to pay the fine plus the dues.
I was in a bind, because the union wouldn’t let me work, and I couldn’t get the
money without the work. Since my income
from the supermarket had stopped, things were pretty tough
and I became discouraged. I’ve always believed in keeping my accounts up to
date as a witness for Jesus Christ. Now for the first time in my life I started receiving letters
from my creditors. One morning I got up
and totaled our debts. They came to $416.00. I laid them before the Lord, but I
was very disheartened. “Where in the world am I ever going to get $416.00?” About
that time the phone rang. I picked it up, and a friend said, “Chuck, I’m
calling to let you know that I put a check in the mail for you. I sent it
special delivery, and you should get it tomorrow morning. It’s for $425.00.” Was I ever elated! I ran into the kitchen,
grabbed my wife, and danced her around the room. I was
praising the Lord. “Victory! Bless God! Hallelujah! We’ll be out of debt! We
even have enough money to go out for dinner!”
Later, after I had settled down again, God began speaking to me. “How do
you know that he sent the money to you?” “Lord, I’ve known my friend for many
years. He wouldn’t call me unless he’d done it. I trust his word, Lord.” “Very
interesting,” said the Lord . “You had My word this
morning that I would provide the money, but I didn’t see you dancing your wife
around the kitchen. Instead, you were down in the mouth and blue. Now that you
have a man’s word for the money, you’re all excited.
Tell Me, whose word is greater?” I had to repent. My faith didn’t include
praising God for His promise before it was fulfilled. We often become defeated and discouraged even
though we have God’s guarantee of victory and success.
You can trust God’s promises. Try
giving Him thanks.
:21 and being fully
convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
:21 what He had promised He was also able to perform
fully convinced – plerophoreo – to
bear or bring full; to fill one with any thought, conviction, or inclination;
to be persuaded, fully convinced or assured
able – dunatos – able, powerful, mighty, strong
to perform – poieo – to make; to do
How can I have faith like Abraham in my everyday life? There were two components to Abraham’s faith.
Lesson
Know the promises
Abraham’s faith was based on something that God had promised to him.
It wasn’t based just on something that Abraham wanted, it was based on what
God specifically had promised Abraham.
(Gen. 15:4)
(Genesis 15:4 NKJV) And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This
one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be
your heir.”
Abraham wanted a son, but so did God.
Some people make the mistake of thinking that if they have enough “faith”,
then they can get God to do anything. Not so.
(1 John 5:14–15
NKJV) —14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask
anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we
know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that
we have asked of Him.
God wants us to trust Him, to have faith when we ask. But He also wants us to learn to ask for the
things that He wants for us.
How do I know if something is God’s will for me?
Can God speak to me directly like He did to Abraham?
Yes. But when He
does, you’ll know He’s spoken. And when
God clearly speaks to you, there comes a point where you need to buy into
trusting Him completely.
But if you claim that God has “spoken” to you, don’t be
upset if some of us aren’t quick to believe you. The Bible says to “test” these things. Some people tell me that God wants them to do
things, and I think it’s just their way of doing what they want and nobody will
question them.
The best way to know for sure that God has spoken is when the promise lines
up with things in the Bible.
Like salvation:
(John 3:16 NKJV) For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life.
This is one promise God wants you to believe!
Like victory over temptation:
(1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV) No temptation has overtaken you
except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow
you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also
make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
If I pray for God to help me with my temptation, do you
think God will answer? Absolutely!
What if my request isn’t mentioned in the Bible?
When it comes to finding out whether the thing I’m asking for is God’s will, I’m going to get three
possible answers:
1) Yes, it’s His
will.
2)
No, it’s not His will.
3)
I’m not sure.
Frankly, there are plenty of times when we just don’t know
for sure. Does this mean we shouldn’t
ask? No, I think we should keep asking,
but we need to be willing to be open to whatever God wants. Sometimes we find
out by asking.
The second component to Abraham’s faith …
Lesson
He is able
I have to honestly face the question,
can God actually keep this promise? Will He keep His promise? This is a key to faith.
(Heb 11:6 NKJV)
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who
comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek Him.
Illustration
Vic Pentz writes, About a year and a half ago, I
bought a new navy blazer at Nordstrom. It was one of those cases you may have
gone through where you buy an item of clothing and the more you wear it, the
more you realize you don’t like it. My blazer wasn’t the right color, and to
make matters worse, it attracted lint like it was going out of style. After
wearing it pretty regularly for six months or so, I
stuck it in my closet and didn’t wear it for a long time.
Tucked away in the back of my mind all the while was that famous Nordstrom
unconditional-return policy. I thought, I’ve had this thing for a year and a
half. I’ve worn it lots of times, and there’s just no way they’re going to take
it back. About two weeks ago I decided I had nothing to lose. I pulled the
blazer out, threw a lot of lint on it to make it look bad, and took it down to
Nordstrom’s men’s department. I walked in, and immediately I felt nervous. I
felt like I was about to pull a scam of some sort, but I played it straight. I
walked right up to the first salesman I saw and gave this little prepared
speech. I said, “I am about to put your famous unconditional-return policy to
its ultimate test. I have here a blazer. I’ve worn it lots. I’ve had it for a
year and a half. I don’t like it. It’s the wrong color, and it attracts lint
like it’s going out of style. But I want to return this blazer for another
blazer that I like.” Then I stood there.
I couldn’t believe it. This guy with a big handlebar mustache just looked
at me and shook his head. He said, “For heaven’s sake, what took you so long?
Let’s go find you a blazer.” Ten minutes later I walked out with another blazer
that was marked seventy-five dollars more than I paid for the one that I
brought in. It was perfect for me. Didn’t cost me a
penny. God is like Nordstrom.
-- Vic Pentz, "A
Twinge of Nostalgia," Preaching Today, Tape No. 88.
We may have a hard time believing that God could possibly keep His promises
to us, but all we have to do is to give it a try. Try trusting Him. Try putting your life in His hands.
God says,
(Jeremiah
32:27 NKJV) “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for
Me?
Paul writes,
(Ephesians
3:20 NKJV) Now to Him who is able to
do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the
power that works in us,
:22 And therefore “it
was accounted to him for righteousness.”
:23 Now it was not
written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him,
This teaching about Abraham’s righteousness goes beyond Abraham…
:24 but also for us. It
shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the
dead,
:25 who was delivered up
because of our offenses, and was raised because of our
justification.
:25 raised because of our justification
Jesus died to pay for our sin.
He was raised from the dead because He was able to pay for the sins of the
world and He still had some “life” left over.
His resurrection is proof that we’ve been “justified” (dikaiosis)
When I baptize people I like to ask them questions
in front of the crowd as a way of allowing them to share their faith with their
friends and family.
One of the questions I ask is, “Do you believe that Jesus rose from the
dead after three days and proved to everyone here that all of your sins have
been paid for?”
:24 It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him
imputed – logizomai – our
accounting word
Lesson
It’s all by faith
What Paul has been saying is that all we have to
do to know we are saved, is to trust the Lord.
We have to believe that He will save us.
Illustration
Dr. Harry Ironside, for eighteen years
pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago, told of visiting a Sunday School class
while on vacation. The teacher asked, “How were people saved in Old Testament
times?” After a pause, one man replied, “By keeping the Law.” “That’s right,”
said the teacher. But Dr. Ironside interrupted: “My Bible says that by the
deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified.” The teacher was a bit
embarrassed, so he said, “Well, does somebody else have an idea?” Another
student replied, “They were saved by bringing sacrifices to God.” “Yes, that’s
right!” the teacher said, and tried to go on with the lesson. But Dr. Ironside
interrupted, “My Bible says that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away
sin.” By this time the unprepared teacher was sure the visitor knew more about
the Bible than he did, so he said, “Well, you
tell us how people were saved in the Old Testament!” And Dr. Ironside explained
that they were saved by faith—the same way people are saved today! Twenty-one
times in Hebrews 11 you find the same words “by faith.”
Pericope Project
4:1-4
Abraham justified
4:5-8
David teaches faith
4:9-12
Abraham believed before
circumcision
4:13-25
Abraham’s enduring faith
All of chapter 4?
Abraham believed
Homework
Reading in NLT
Memorize Romans 6:23
(Romans 6:23 NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Prayer Request – please do this today!
Quick Quiz
Keywords
Handle life with faith
Strengthened in praise