Father Abraham Had Many Sons

Well open up your Bibles turn with me Galatians 3 Title of today's message is father Abraham had many sons Now do y'all know that song? We don't have to sing it I just want if you remember it that song is If you were ever in vacation Bible school or growing up in church You might have heard the church sing father Abraham had many sons many sons had father Abraham I am one of them and so are you so let's all praise the Lord that was a pretty common song Years and years ago, and I think kids probably still sing it today But why do we believe? That we are sons of Abraham That's the question today.

That's the subject of today's lesson because The physical descendants of Abraham are the Hebrew people They are known today as the Jews the Jews are the physical descendants of Abraham but We believe by faith We become the spiritual descendants of Abraham By Promise that's right It goes it's not by blood or by the works of men or by the will of the flesh But by God's promise through faith we receive the adoption of sons We are adopted into God's family and we are made part of the family of Abraham So that's what today's lesson is about and that's what we're going to look at if you're in your Bibles We're going to read Chapter 3 and we're going to focus on verses 6 to 9, but to pick up the context We're going to start at verse 1 and then I'm going to read to verse 9 and pray O foolish Galatians who has bewitched you it was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified Let me ask you only this Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish having begun by the Spirit? Are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you work miracles among you and and works miracles among you do so by works of the law? or by hearing with faith Just as Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham and the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith Preach the gospel before him to Abraham saying in you shall all the nations be blessed So then those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham the man of faith Let's pray Father I pray first That you would be grace to it gracious to us today That in the reading and understanding of your word that you would keep us from error keep me from error particularly Lord as the mouthpiece Pray that you would fill me with your spirit That you would forgive me of sin That you would make me a right instrument in your hands today to proclaim your truth pray for these men pray for Those who are believers Lord that you would encourage them in their faith and use this moment in their life as a time of Challenge to better understand what it is.

They believe and Lord for those who do not know you Lord who have yet to bow the knee to Christ that today they would be confronted in their sins and understand the desperation they have Before Almighty God without Jesus Christ the Lord we pray all this in Jesus name We're in Galatians 3 6 to 9 is the focus text of today and We are going to answer three questions I'm going to write the three questions on the board if you want to write notes you can but if not These are the three focal questions of today number one What promise was given to Abraham that's the first question we're going to we're going to see unpacked in this passage number two How was Abraham justified and then number three Who are Abraham's children You may already know the answers to those questions hopefully you would or not necessarily difficult questions, but the The heart of today's text is explaining Not only what the answers are but the why? We not only need to know the what but we need to know the why? So the questions what promise was given to Abraham to how was Abraham justified and three who are Abraham's children and that is really the heart of what Paul is dealing with in this chapter because you'll remember who the Antagonizers are the antagonists in this scenario are those who have come into Galatia and Have said to the churches at Galatia whoop y'all got some paper towels don't get them some paper towels All right, let me start my thought over again looks like we're getting getting it cleaned up over here What was the name of the antagonists who came in after Paul and sought to bring The false teaching regarding the gospel do you remember? What was there what were they yes, that's right.

What were they teaching? Yeah Yes salvation is dependent upon you're keeping the law and they would say that If you are not keeping the ceremonial laws those laws that are primarily external in nature circumcision dietary laws and The keeping of the Sabbath that if you if you're not doing those things then you're outside of the covenant of grace because that's the covenant that God made with Abraham and the primary one of those three even though I mentioned Dietary laws and Sabbath laws the primary one is circumcision if you were uncircumcised You were that was how you were identified You were either of the circumcision which meant you were a Jew or you were of the uncircumcision which meant you were everything else but a Jew and When someone became a Jew That was the difference That was made in their life that was the moment of of true Proselytization or conversion was when they were circumcised you remember in Acts chapter 10 there was a man named Cornelius who was called a God-fearer and The reason they called them God-fearers was because they were Gentiles who believed in the God of the Jews But would not be circumcised They would not become a Jew Therefore the Jews identified them as God-fearers.

Yeah, they believe in God, but they're not joining us by covenantal sign and they and therefore there was a distinction because you wouldn't call somebody a God-fearer if he was circumcised you call him a Jew because That's what made him that's what joined him to that community was the circumcision and so the primary argument of the Judaizers is That you must be circumcised and I believe part of their argument went like this and again This is a this is what we call an inference.

It's not explicitly stated I'm inferring it from the text based on what is there? I believe one of the arguments that was made by the Judaizers went something like this Abraham is our forefather in the faith Abraham was commanded by God to be circumcised Are you better than Abraham? You understand that that'd be a simple argument, right? Who are you to say you shouldn't be circumcised if the if the head of our religion if the first? Patriarch of our faith was commanded to be circumcised.

Who do you think you are? Not being circumcised In fact, I imagine That they even used the Bible to make their argument turn to Genesis 17 Now again, I wasn't there I'm having to I'm having to create a scenario that makes sense in my mind, but here's how I think it went down The Judaizers come to Galatia You got all these Gentile Christians who have accepted Paul's Gospel who've heard the message of truth Who've heard that they can be saved by grace through faith through Christ and they say that's good You can be saved by grace through faith through Christ, but if you're not circumcised, you're not part of the Covenant If you're not circumcised, you're not really in the group.

You're still outside and here's the passage.

I think they would have used to argue Genesis 17 verse 9 And God said to Abraham as for you you shall keep my covenant you and your offspring after you throughout their generations This is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and your offspring after you every male among you shall be circumcised You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised every male throughout your generations whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised so shall my covenant be in your flesh an Everlasting covenant any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised the flesh the foreskin shall be cut off from his people He has broken my Covenant it is I Mean you can see somebody coming in and using that passage and saying see you're not circumcised.

You're cut off You're not circumcised.

You're not part of the family of God.

This is Abraham who you think you be That's that's bad English.

We'll get the out.

Yeah, that's the argument.

Yes I don't know the answer to that.

I've never asked that question.

So I've never thought about it I'm assuming it was pretty easy to prove But But it was also a ceremony that was public brother So so I guess the answer could be something to this effect if you have a child on the eighth day He circumcised everybody knows it says community-wide.

They have it as a community event So yeah today they call it a bris So that so so so it would be known if you chose not to circumcise your child because let's say you have your child eight days later you don't have a circumcision ceremony They would say what's wrong with you.

Why didn't you circumcise your child? So that would be first now even a public or excuse me Even an adult who entered into the covenant relationship would have a circumcision.

I don't know how public it was Again, I had to look that up from a historical standpoint.

I hope it weren't too public But be that as it may though It was known it was so known that if you go back if you remember the story of of when Paul was taking Timothy He made Timothy be circumcised so that that he would be welcomed into the Jewish community and And so it was known that he wasn't some No, he was he had a Jewish mother and he had a Gentile father So this he wasn't he wasn't circumcised from birth So Paul said you need to be circumcised because we're going to Jewish communities They're not going to listen to you if you're not circumcised you need it You need it.

He wasn't saying you do it to be saved you say you need to do it to be heard and and But the point being they knew he wasn't Somehow and I guess it was probably because of that community-wide it had spread Here's a boy born to a Jewish mother who didn't get circumcised.

So his reputation preceded it.

So Paul circumcised him as an adult We're all guys here.

Yeah, that just to me sounds pretty awful If I'm if I'm if I read it to you they were trying to do that you guys were trying to Have their cake and eat it too.

They were trying to say that circumcision plus Jesus.

That's how you say.

Yes They were trying to actually Start up their own little Yeah Well what they were trying they were trying to argue that this is what Jesus taught They were trying to argue.

This is the true faith So they were basically trying to hijack the faith and if you say start up their own Yeah, they were trying to hijack and say this is the truth that yes You can be a follower of Jesus, but before you really are part of the Covenant you have to be circumcised this this this step Yeah, no you're right and this step has been added to the gospel the step of circumcision So you understand though they would have used I think they would use that passage You can't prove it, but I'm pretty sure they would have went back to Genesis 17 and said see Abraham was circumcised Abraham had to be circumcised You you're not better than Abraham.

Therefore you must be circumcised.

Yes, sir Circumcision Circumcision was given as a sign by God to Abraham and to his descendants as a Distinctive mark on them to show that they were different There are different theories as to why the cutting of the foreskin of the penis was the was the mark because it's not a mark That's it's not like a cut in your forehead or on your wrist or something.

That's easy to see you have to bear yourself to show It dr.

Dr.

John MacArthur if I remember correctly made the made the point that that the that the This is the point where procreation happens This is the point where the the passing of the sin nature happens from the father to the son You know We we inherit the sin of Adam through our father and so he makes the argument that this was a cutting off of a portion of That part of the body that is most associated with the passing on of the sin nature.

I'm not arguing that for truth I'm saying that's one theory as to why but but I don't know for certain, you know in that regard Why circumcision was the mark but we know that it was we know that's the mark God gave To the Jewish to the to the descendants of Abraham to mark them out as a peculiar and distinct people Yes Okay Yes, sir, yes And I see that Okay Every man child among you shall be circumcised Okay, then in 11, that was a period in an 11 It starts up and you shall circumcise the flesh of your poor skin and it is a Dot and a comma and then And it shall be a token of the covenant between me and you period Could that be talking about? Circumcision is of the heart and in the sign of circumcision fathers I Well, let me just say this though the periods and the commas weren't in the original I know but I'm not when I am interpreting.

I don't I don't interpret it with modern Periods and commas to change how I would interpret it The circumcision of your poor skin would be the sign I'm not quite sure.

I understand the question.

I don't I Are you saying that the first mention of circumcision is different than the second mention I Don't think so.

I'm not based on the content.

No, I in this content Remember context is the is the is the interpretive grid and the context there is circumcision of the flesh even though later circumcision of the heart or spirit, you know would be that would be would Would be understood as being more important than circumcision Plus the context of Genesis 17 is circumcision of the flesh.

I don't think he's talking about two different types of circumcision there I think he's referring primarily to to physical circumstances, even though we know there's a spiritual component The focus is the physical and in chapter 17 because they're all having to be whether they're believers or not Everybody gets circumcised Yeah, okay Well Again we know later Paul and and other writers do Make a distinction that there is a such a thing as a circumcision of the heart But in the beginning, you know in 17 is focusing primarily on the on the on the physical act.

Yes, sir Okay understand though Under under understand When God makes a promise He gives an accompanying sign to remind people of the promise When God flooded the earth and they saved Noah, he gave the rainbow and what did he say? This is the sign of my promise that I will not flood the earth again That's we understand.

That's that's God's way of Reminding us and that's what I believe communion is Jesus said Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup you show forth the Lord's death until he comes You're showing forth your you're remembering what happened in this action God God uses signs and the sign of circumcision was the sign of the promise that God made to Abraham in the Abrahamic Covenant That's what we're getting.

We're we've we've digressed quite a bit but Yes Yes, but I don't you I let me tell you a word that I hate and I'm not I'm not getting on to anything But I'm telling you my opinion take it for what it's worth.

It's worth what you pay for it.

I Hate the word just When somebody says it's just a sign I Know what you mean, but I want to challenge you to think a certain way when somebody says it's just a sign I say no don't use the word just People pray a lot.

They say God.

I just want to come to you and say blah blah blah.

I say don't use the word just You're talking to the God of the universe who created all things by the word of his power You don't just come into his presence You come into his presence with thanksgiving in your heart and humility of faith understanding with whom it is you're speaking and When we think of a sign given by God to remind us of something that he did for us We should never say just now again.

I'm not getting on to you I'm just said this is my heart when I hear somebody say it's just a sign.

I say don't say just It is not it is not causal All right, let's talk about that When we talk about Causal the only thing that causes your salvation is the work of Jesus Christ even your faith Is not causal Because your faith doesn't save you in the sense of if you just have faith.

It's what you have faith in Christ is the cause He is the cause Therefore we can say our faith is an instrument God uses that we might Understand what Christ has done and be joined to him.

The Bible says we're joined to him through faith and When it comes to the Lord's table and baptism Those are signs of what Christ has done Baptism is a sign of our having been buried with him and being raised to new life That's why we believe you go down in the water and come back up We don't sprinkle or pour but we put people under the water to symbolize going into the tomb and coming out so we say it's a sign of The work that Christ has done and it's a sign of the promise that God makes to the person receiving it And the Lord's Supper is a sign, but no neither one of them can save Neither one of them is is and I want to be careful saying this neither one of them is necessary for salvation But both of them are acts of obedience Which are products of genuine faith if somebody tells me I believe in Jesus, but I don't want to be baptized I would have a major problem with that Because baptism is an act of obedience and he's your king.

How are you gonna say no to the king? Oh, yeah He wasn't baptized he didn't have time to give a tithe he didn't have time to do any good work Absolutely, that's why I say the causal factor in salvation is the work of Jesus Christ and that's it Our faith is in response and it's a gift from God.

All those things are works I didn't mean to kind of digress and don't think I'm getting on to be judges that were just Like you got things that tickle your Yeah, it just it tickles my internals because I get thinking that's probably weird a way to say that yeah I mean it just it gets my heart when I think about how valuable these things are, you know, and it just really strikes me We need to understand that, you know, yes, sir, brother.

You had your hand up Yes, I mean the Bible does refer to if you you know, Jesus said if you if you Confess me before men.

I'll confess you before my father if you do not confess me for my man I will not confess you before my father but That doesn't mean though.

Let's say a man's in a dungeon and he's dying and he confesses Christ and no one hears him Doesn't mean he can't be saved.

Yeah, you understand what I'm saying? I think I think it's the it's the it's the lack of willingness to confess Christ publicly That would that wouldn't that would affect someone's salvation if somebody says I'm saved but I'm not going to tell anybody or I'm saved But I I I I refuse to proclaim Christ publicly.

That's where I think where Jesus said If you confess me before men, I'll confess you before the father, but if you do not confess me before men Why wouldn't you it's because you really don't have the faith that you say you do No, no, it's okay.

I got to get on with it brother.

Go ahead, please quickly Absolutely, that's what I said, thank you.

It's all from him.

Absolutely.

So the cause of the causal Part of our salvation is Christ not our baptism.

In fact, there's a Well, I don't get into it but there's there are those who believe that baptism causes salvation there are those who believe that the Lord's Supper is Causal in salvation and that is a that is a belief that the Reformers rejected the Reformers rejected That anything causes salvation Except faith in the work of Jesus Christ There was there's nothing else causes our salvation So so we'll we'll move on from there.

And that's what I think Paul's teaching here because he says oh Boy, I'm kind of out of place.

Let me bring my mind back where we were The Judaizers have said you got to be circumcised Last week we asked the question does their experience agree with that? The answer is no Paul asked them a series of questions regarding their experience Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? The answer is hearing with faith If you began in the spirit, are you now being perfected in the flesh no So he he makes this argument you have been saved you have been given the Spirit By hearing the word and believing it Not by working for it Verse six just as Abraham Believed God and it was accounted him as righteousness.

So now he's moving from the argument of experience to the argument of Scripture He's saying your experience tells you you were justified saved received the Spirit by hearing with faith and The Scripture agrees with that because Abraham was justified by hearing with faith You see what he's doing.

He's moving from your experience.

So the experience of the Galatians to the Scriptural argument of Abraham just as Abraham believed God Notice this please notice this it says Abraham believed God It does not say Abraham believed in God if I if I don't get anything else across to you today I want you to hear this right now believing in God Is not what it means to be saved Because every one of you knows God exists Even if you come up to me and say I'm an atheist.

I'll say you really don't understand how wrong you are In your heart of hearts, you know, God exists and not only do you know God exists, you know the true God who exists because he gave you that knowledge in your heart and all you are doing by calling yourself an atheist is Suppressing the truth in unrighteousness Romans 1 18 to 23 tells us that all you are doing is suppressing the truth that God has put in your heart You believe in God Jesus said that John 14 Let not your hearts be troubled you believe in God Believe also in me remember You believe in God that's not what saves you Believing God is Different than believing in God Believing God means you believe what God has said Believing God means you believe what God has promised Believing God means you believe what God has revealed What has God said God has said you are a sinner and you deserve to go to hell Do you believe that you say no, well, then you don't believe God Believing God means There is salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord to The glory of God the Father.

Do you believe that God said it? Well, praise Lord, I'm just Rhetorical, but it's okay.

The point is do you believe God when he says these things? Not do you believe in him? Because he's there whether you believe in him or not question is do you believe him? Abraham believed God In fact, I want to show you you got your Bible still open in Genesis turn to chapter 15 notice We were just in chapter 17 of Genesis, right? So what's where are we going? Backwards, so so did this happen before or after the last thing? Before it's chapter 17 comes after 15 not a math class, but you understand it's pretty rudimentary In chapter 15 verse 1 after these things The Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision Fear not Abram.

I am your shield your reward shall be very great But Abram said O Lord God What will you give me? For I continue childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus And Abram said behold you've given me no offspring and a member of my household will be my heir And behold the Word of the Lord came to him.

This man shall not be your heir your very own son shall be your heir and he brought him outside and said look toward heaven and Number the stars if you're able to number them, then he said to him you so shall your offspring be and he believed the Lord and He counted it to him as Righteousness now listen Abram had just experienced worship After he had rescued his nephew lot He came and he had worshipped by bringing a tithe to the priest known as Melchizedek That's the situation that had just occurred Therefore in chapter 15 when it says after these things, it's after that event after this event of worship God speaks to Abraham who was called Abram at this point his name changes to Abraham later But at this point he simply called Abram And he says fear not I am your shield your reward shall be very great But Abraham asked God a question God how is my reward going to be great? I don't have any kids with him to share How is my reward going to be great? When I don't have any offspring How is my reward going to be great? When even if I have all of the world's goods when I die, it's just going to go to another family Because I have no one With whom to pass it on or to whom to pass it on So Abram is questioning God not in a way that is on Unfaithful he's not questioning God in a way that is Harsh or vindictive or angry at God.

He just wants to know and even offers God an option It's interesting if you read it, he says I have Eliezer Which was a Servant in his home and what happened in the ancient world Oftentimes when men did not have children they would take a child from among the servants and they would make that child their descendant So that child would be like an adopted Child the way we would understand adoption today and and Abraham's offering God.

He's saying well, I guess I guess my fortune Will go to this child and he'll become the name-bearer for Abraham because I don't have any children of my own Okay, God I Trust you.

I don't know how it's all going to work.

Here's an option Eliezer of Damascus will be my descendant.

He will be my heir and God says Come outside and look up And Abram walks outside and he looks up and he sees the stars now, I don't know if you've ever Been able to really see the stars The problem with our world today is there's so much ambient light from cities and Vehicles and everything else that the sky doesn't shine as bright in cities as it does if you're out where you're away from the light of the world and You can look up and you can see how vast the stars are It's a beautiful thing and it said and it's amazing to think of how many stars are there and He said look at the stars of the heaven So shall your offspring be now and here's the here Here's the point that gets me and it will be from your body Abram is at this point old Old old Well past fruit-bearing age and God said This child this descendant is going to come from your body Not by adoption but by my promise This child will come from your body not that there's anything wrong with adoption In fact adoption is great later The Bible uses adoption to describe how we're brought into the family of God not by birth But by being adopted into the family of God, so so God is not here despising adoption, but he's he's demonstrating the promise No, you don't have to find another way You don't have to find another Another direction, you don't have to go.

I'm gonna give you this child by a promise Later we'll see that he gets a little Well, he gets a little Impatient and he uses the handmaiden and he creates another line And God says that's not him either.

No, this one's gonna come through your wife Sarah Who is old remember she laughed when he she heard she's gonna get pregnant she laughed the point of the matter though is the last verse verse 6 and He believed the Lord.

He didn't believe in the Lord, even though we know he did.

That's not the point.

He believed what he said Abraham believed him he exercised faith God said it He believed it and We know that he genuinely believed it wasn't just a head knowledge It wasn't just a passing ascent of the mind, but we know he believed it Because it says in the text and God reckoned it to him as Righteousness Now I want to tell you something.

There is very I don't know of any Very few verses that I would put on par with the importance of Genesis 15 6 Because what this is saying to us when Abraham believed God he was Declared to be righteous before God When was he circumcised chapter 17 When was he declared righteous? 15 which comes first 15 or 17 do a little math.

We know here That he was declared righteous long before he was ever circumcised He was declared righteous long before he would ever receive the sign of the Covenant He was circumcised later, but he believed here and it was here at this moment that he was declared just So with that argument with that in mind go back to Galatians 3 Paul is making the argument.

Are you? Justified by works of the law or by hearing with faith It's by hearing with faith just as Abraham believed God and was counted to him as righteousness No, then verse 17 that it is those who are of faith Who are the sons of Abraham That That's the point Paul is making verse 7 know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham why because Abraham was Justified before he was circumcised Therefore if we believe and are justified we become on the same place as Abraham We are we we are in the same line as Abraham because we believed and we are justified Abraham believed and he was justified That's just that's that should that should whoo-hoo that should be like amen.

Oh, yes, because that's the point if You're saying I have to be circumcised to be justified.

Then what you're saying is that Abraham wasn't justified Because he was justified long before he was circumcised You see It is the rebuttal If you're telling me that Abraham was circumcised, therefore, I have to be circumcised I respond by saying this Abraham was justified before he was circumcised Therefore justification does not come through circumcision Justification comes by faith alone and it is not a New Testament concept It is a concept that goes all the way back to Abraham justification by faith is not a New Testament doctrine.

It is a biblical doctrine Therefore we go now to verse 8 and he says this and The scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith preach the gospel Beforehand Abraham saying and you shall all the nations be blessed now I may spend some more time with this next week because this the verse 8 is one of my favorite passages because this is what it's saying and This is the question.

We'll probably deal with next week.

How were Old Testament Saints saved? If you have to believe in Jesus to be saved How were people saved before Jesus came because they believed the gospel And you say well, they didn't have the gospel.

Yes, they did.

The Bible says the gospel was preached to Abraham And here's the thing wasn't preached in chapter 17 Wasn't preached in chapter 15.

When was it? chapter 12 I well you could go back to chapter you go back to chapter 3 where where it talks about the head of the serpent and But it's chapter 12 where God calls Abraham out and He says in you all the nations will be blessed.

Come on That's the gospel given to Abraham because you say how are all the nations blessed through Abraham? Through his seed who is Jesus? The the promise that God gave to Abraham in Genesis 12 is Fulfilled by Christ on the cross And we're gonna talk more about that next week Because I want to I really want to help you understand how the gospel is all in the Old Testament The promise of the coming Messiah all through the Old Testament This would be a good Christmas message because really we see it all the way through going up to Christmas and what what did the shepherds? What did the wise men? What did they what was it about Jesus? This is the one this is the promise This is the one who's going to destroy the head of the serpent, this is the one who's going to bring life This is the fulfillment of all of those prophecies and promises For unto you a child is born for unto us a son is given and his name shall be called wonderful Counselor the mighty God the everlasting father and the prince of peace And of the increase of his government there will be no end And the government shall be upon his shoulders He is the fulfillment of the promise of the gospel given to Abraham Let me I'm gonna finish that at the end let me do verse 9 and now I'm giving the answers real quick Yeah, but I'll do that just real quick I'm gonna look at verse 9 because this finishes up the father Abraham next week We'll go back and look at how the gospel was given to Abraham, but finishing today verse 9 so then those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham the man of faith and by the way that word man of faith there actually can be translated the believer and I like to say it that way so here it this way Those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham the believer because that's what he was he was a believer That's what you are.

If you're in Christ, you're a believer.

You have the same blessing of Abraham because you are a believer Because you're in Christ You have the same blessing And it comes through Jesus Christ Now, let's walk through these three.

I'll give you the three answers and then we'll close the prayer What promise was given to Abraham? All the nations would be blessed through him all the nations would be would be blessed through him And you could say you could go it further You say all nations would be blessed through his descendant and his descendants Jesus all nations That's the gospel.

We're talking about that more next week all nations would be blessed through him How was Abraham justified? He believed God you could say faith alone, but that's he believed didn't believe in God.

He believed God Who are Abraham's children All who share his faith all who share his faith those who believe in Christ we're going to see next week that Abraham believed in Jesus You know who tells us that? Jesus John chapter 8 Jesus said very clearly Abraham Abraham long to see my day and the Pharisee said you're not even 50 years old How can you say our father Abraham look forward to you Jesus said before Abraham was I So we'll talk about that next week I let let's pray Father, I thank you for your word.

Thank you for this time of study I pray Lord as we look further next week into the subject of Abraham and we look further next week into the issue of Jesus Christ being that one promised seed of Abraham who would bless all the nations Lord I pray that you would help us to just Completely understand as best our minds can't completely understand what it means to be true sons and daughters of Abraham and In turn being true sons and daughters of God in Christ's name and for his sake.