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Romans 4 What Counts?
Romans chapter 4 be being the whole chapter here the word of the Lord What then shall we say was gained by Abraham our forefather according to the flesh. For if Abraham was justified by works He has something to boast about but not before God for what does the scripture say.
Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as Righteousness. Now to the one who works his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work, but trust him who justifies the ungodly his faith is counted as Righteousness just as David also spoke of the blessings of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works.
Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin. Is this blessing then only for the circumcised or also for the uncircumcised?
We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after but before he was circumcised. He received a sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.
The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised. So that righteousness would be counted to them as well and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely Circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
For the promise to Abraham and his offspring. That he would be the heir of the world. For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be the heir of the world did not come through the law. But through the righteousness of faith for if it is the adherence of the law who are to be heirs.
Faith is null and the promise is void for the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That is why it depends on faith in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring.
Not only to the adherence of the law. But also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham who is the father of us all as it is written I have made you the father of many nations in the presence of God in whom he believed.
Who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist in? Hope he believed against hope that he should become the father of many nations as he had been told. So show your offspring be he did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body.
Which was as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God. But he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God.
Fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness. But the words it was counted to him were not written for his sake alone. But for ours also it will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
May the Lord at his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word. Well, nothing comes easily. They say when Tim Tebow's Florida football team lost the game to Mississippi in 2008. But he famously pledged you will never see any player in the entire country.
Play as hard as I will play the rest of the season. That season his team, Florida won the national championship. It's a great story because it didn't come easily. Hard work gives him. The championship victory success the secret.
His secret of success was no secret, right. Hard work. Championship football coach Vince Lombardi said the dictionary is the only place success comes before work. Hard work is the price. We must all pay for success.
Many of you many of you know that you want to succeed in business. You get up early you go out you drum up business. You do everything you can you work and work at work. And we love the stories about how people work hard to succeed pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.
Some of you here I've done that go away getting up early to work or to study or to do business staying up late exerting. Yourselves finally after a lot of blood sweat and tears. Success. I like Rocky movies.
You like Rocky movies. I like Rocky movies. There's about seven of them. I don't like them all the same. Some are better than others, but it's about seven of each though has one scene in common. There's a long Training scene, right?
Do you know these training scenes? There's kind of us. They vary a little bit. There's basically the same formula in each one. The inspirational music going as he starts out kind of in poorer condition.
But he works hard wakes up early. Maybe drink some raw eggs then runs and lifts weights does sit-ups punches. Maybe a beef carcass or punching bag or a sparring partner. He chases chickens he sprints up steps or maybe runs on the beach with Apollo or up a snow-covered mountain and.
Then finally comes the big fight scene in which he'll suffer and endure. But finally after a lot of hard work Triumph at the end. He's exulting in his victory, which is the sweeter the sweetest. Because it wasn't easy in other words.
Dreaming is not enough. You know just. One kind of motivational slogan in athletics I heard if your mind can conceive it your body can achieve it almost as if you just dream about it. Your body will follow well.
If you make your body try to do that, it's one step I guess but dreaming is not enough. Just just just conceiving it in your mind and that's true for other things in life. You know, if you're mature, you should realize that if something sounds too good to be true it probably is if someone is promising you you can get a real degree with.
Little time put into it and little work put into it or you can make lots of money lots of easy cash. They'll come flow again. You just sit back at the checks come to the mail and to you. It's probably a scam.
In in the movie in the play the music man Harold Hill sells kids musical instruments. Promising that they'll be able to play them and inform a band. It's as easy as just thinking about the music. He tells the kids there's no lessons.
There's no practice necessary. Although oddly enough. They have to practice thinking about it, whatever. But he calls it the think system. Just believe that you can play them in you add in G and you will of course.
It's a he's a scam artist and he sells them instruments and then runs away. Before they realize that the instruments are no good without lessons and a lot of hard work. You're going to have to do more than just dream.
You must exert yourself. Every successful person will tell you that the secret to success is no secret. Work hard. Now once you do that You'll get rewarded. You'll earn trophies and athletes. You'll get a degree.
Maybe graduate with honors with a golden cord around your neck. You'll have a successful business. And finally able to hire some staff to do the work that you used to all do you all by yourself? And then you'll finally be able to enjoy the luxuries that you've worked so hard for you've arrived you didn't just dream and believe you worked and Achieved and it feels so good to have arrived to have the trophies on your mantle the degree nicely Framed and hanging on your wall the money in your bank and what makes it all sweeter.
The knowledge. That it didn't come easily look at those things. I earned it so much work went into that you worked and It counted. But that didn't does that work with God. What does God count? If it's athletics, you know working out lifting weights running drills.
Practicing the sport like basketball. Ray practice your basketball over and over again that counts if Academics. Well, you got to read those textbooks. You got to memorize facts. Vocabulary words I used to sometimes run with a pack of index cards.
Even when I was studying for PhD facts that I needed to memorize so-and-so died Thomas Aquinas. Oh, I forgot what he was born. I believe he died in 1225 if I remember right things like that study notes from lectures that counts.
If business got stay up late gonna keep the shop open when others are closed. You got to go out put flyers at the YMCA. So people will pick them up and call you for when they want to have food delivered.
Do things like that that counts but with God. What counts with him? Does he look at your religions he expect you to the same kind of work if he's he's saying okay. You'll do that for a basketball. You'll do that for for getting good grades for a degree.
You'll do that for business now. You've got to do it for me. Is that what God's saying? What counts with God now to the Jews it was clear. But they they they thought they knew what what counts you keep the law.
This is law from Moses. You obey it. You do what it says beginning with taking the sign of the covenant with God. That sign was circumcision. If you did that God counted that in your favor. So they thought now today some people think well, okay I'm not a Jewish but baptism is what God is.
What counts with God. He looks at your baptism. He counts that in your favor, maybe going to church. He counts that he's seen your attendance record. You're pretty good. Okay, maybe most of the time he'll count that in your favor.
You gave to the offering. He's keeping account and he'll count that in your favor. Maybe you prayed a prayer. You responded to an invitation. You're apparently moral person. You're a good moral person.
You're a decent person. God's counting all that and you're counting on him. Counting that in your favor and and you know, you think that just like Tim Tebow and Vince Lombardi. It's not just believing that is enough.
You have to work hard. Counting is a big theme in this chapter. I don't you notice how many times that word occurs when we read through it. The question is what does God count? The hard-working religious people assume that God counts their hard work.
He counts their religion their religious deeds the things they done. Circumcision for us maybe baptism chapter 3. Paul used terms from remember from court. Justification it's a legal term. Still use here in this chapter the marketplace.
Redemption is buying back the altar. Propitiation pees in God's anger and in the stage a demonstration here in this chapter he's using over and over again an accounting term. I Guess been our day would be but their term from the bank.
Maybe the accountants office the CPAs count reckon credit. He's already shown that we're deep in debt because of our sin our accounts with God are in the red. None is righteous. No, not one. And so the question is how do you get in the black?
How do you get enough credits? Deposited into your account with God. That he will accept us that we're no longer spiritually bankrupt. How do you get in the black? What counts as credit and. Surely, we know just like in sports academics business is not so easy.
That there's no work involved. Surely we know that right. Now here in Romans for Paul tells us. Actually, it is that easy. Not only do you not have to work. You can't. God does not count Your work the same qualities that made you a champion in the basketball court or an honor student in college or wealthy in business.
Won't get you anywhere with God. He won't count them. There's nothing that you can do that God will count in your favor you have to only believe. But it can't be that easy. After all look at Abraham. Someone say back to him.
Look at Abraham. It's what how he starts. What do we say about our father Abraham? He worked in me. He worked hard for God. He for he accepted the sign of circumcision, right? Come on. Surely God counted that.
He was willing to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice, right? God surely counted that so they think he's a Pattern for us you do the religious ritual. From circumcision for us baptism do the religious ritual be willing to sacrifice everything.
Religion commitment. That's what counts with God, right? Wrong. You only have to believe. And Abraham is an example of that starting in verse 1 what was gained by him. She skeptics back to him to say he did the religious ritual.
He willing to sacrifice his son, but. But what it was it about Abraham that made him acceptable to God. Was it really those things? They say his work. Well, he was religious as shown by his circumcision and he was committed shown by his willingness willingness to sacrifice Isaac.
You're willing to obey you. God told him go sacrifice your son. He said yes, Lord. I'll do it. God saw that and this is what the people back responding back to him to Paul would say God saw that and counted that as Righteousness as something to put him in God's good graces.
That's how he earned God's favor. That's what they're saying back to Paul, but Paul says well, that's all wrong. You've totally misunderstood misread the story. If he earned God's favor He could boast it'd be something you earned like a man with a trophy or an honors degree or a booming business a lot Of money that you earned in the bank, but that's not what scripture says it tells us in Genesis 15.
You know after Abraham remember the story Genesis 15 Abraham had gone to the rescue of his nephew lot. And then the other captives who had been in Sodom and had been taken away in a raid. He went and rescued them.
He defeated their kidnappers and he gave a tenth of the spoil to Melchizedek. Who was the king of Salem and he was a priest of El Shaddai, but he's now back home. Abraham is he's back home and he's afraid for his own future.
Maybe practically are afraid that he'll get counter-attacked by the people. He just attacked but he's afraid for his own future. He has no child. He has no heir and God tells him I am your shield. Like in Psalm 3 we read God promises to be our shield and God says that day.
I am your shield your reward Shall be very great. Abraham complains. What what can you give me for? I'm childless. And he's already very rich. Abraham is already very rich. And he assumed that God was promising when he said that your reward should be very great.
God was just kind of promising more stuff more money more gold more things more camels or whatever you want. And but he didn't care about that. He didn't need more things. He thought he didn't either because you know, I don't have a child to give it to.
What is more things mean for me? It's just more to manage but then the Lord responds you will have a son to be your heir. Other words to inherit all the things from you and the promises that come to be given to Abraham and Then God tells him to go outside in this night time look at the night sky and try to count all the stars and Then God says so show your house offspring be.
But Abraham and Sarah were already very old and even though they didn't know everything that we know about Biology, they knew enough to know that a woman that old could not have children and they knew you know.
That that naturally didn't happen. It was physically impossible. But even when Sarah was young and in childbearing age. And even she was young and when she's in childbearing age, she was infertile. So the Lord has just promised an old man.
Married to an old infertile woman that he will be the father as many children as the stars in the sky. Well, that sounds impossible. Well here Abraham is asked to have faith in something have faith in that promise.
It's what he's asked to have faith in believe that promise. Having Satan something that he's never experienced before. Something that goes contrary to what he thought was possible. That is against his lifetime of experience or anything.
He's even heard about Thing that everything that people knew was just it can't happen woman that old can't have children. Everyone knows that and you expect me to believe God that it's gonna happen. So I believe in that the dead can be raised.
You know you believe that it's like leaving that contrary experience that our hard work doesn't count with God at that moment Abraham had to decide Who to believe. Does he believe his lifetime of experience?
But everyone around him knows what he's raised to know that you know, the women that old cannot have children. That Sarah's infertile anyway, so she can't have children. Does he believe the promise of God?
Does he believe that the facts that he could see in front of him from his experience or does he believe what God has promised? Now put like that. It sounds as if we're saying that faith is irrational.
That's the way some people would interpret this. We simply discount everything that science and experience tells us and we name what we want and claim it as true. Just ignore the facts right nor biology.
Well, this chapter is a favorite chapter of the prosperity preachers. They say that all we need to do is believe and We call the this is what they say the prosperity preachers. We just believe what what we want.
Okay, I hope you're seeing the differences between what they say and what the Bible is really saying. We claim what we want we believe it we then call those things that are not. You know, we want to be wealthy we call it into our existence.
We want to have that mansion that rolls Royce. We call it into existence. That's what they say back in verse 17. Just ignore the impossibilities ignore the facts. But other people call facts ignore those facts and use the power of faith to call our desires into being.
Well, that's not what's going on here at all. Paul is commenting on Genesis chapter 15 and there God promised Abraham that he was many descendants as the stars in the sky. There wasn't something Abraham made up.
It's God's promise. It's the first difference Abraham had to decide whether he was going to believe that promise or believe his experience. What he could see what he knew to be Factual the the choice he made would depend on which he thought was more trustworthy.
He wasn't asked to be unreasonable. It's always reasonable to trust the trustworthy, isn't it? And so he decided that that God was more trustworthy and more powerful than his experience than nature. He believed God.
And Genesis chapter 15 verse 6 is quoted here in Romans 4 verse 3 Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. So what was it about Abraham that God counted? It's it's hard work. Is that his religion his morality his willingness to sacrifice?
No, there's for if we work for something it is do us. It's not it's not a gift, but it's wages. It's ours by right. The government enforces you work an hour for an employer. You have a right to the pay.
It's not something the employers not doing you a favor giving it to you. It's not giving you a gift you earned it. It's yours by right the government could come in and make your employer pay you because it's yours you earned it.
But that's not what's going on here. But that's what many people assume counts with God just like any just like anything else. Jump through the right hoops put in the right amount of work. Apply yourself and you'll get the result you want but in verse 5 to the one who knows he can't.
Your verse 5 he the one who knows he can't do anything that will count with God but just trust trust God who Justifies that is the one he makes right. He declares you right with him put you in a good relationship.
Trust God to do that. The ungodly, how do you justify the ungodly? Just if you're God, I mean the ungodly are against you. They have to admit that they're ungodly that their that their heart was not right with God that they believe in God's promise.
To put them in a right relationship with God and not in what they've done. They believe and God counts. Who counts. God counts we believe. Now David too is a good example of this in verse 6. It's quoting from Psalm 32.
David extols that the blessedness that it's the the happy contented peaceful protected we can say maybe successful condition of those who even though They were lawless. They have things that need to be forgiven.
They lived in rebellion to God's law. They are now Forgiven their sins are covered so that they aren't they aren't seen those sins aren't seen anymore. All right seen they can't be counted. The Lord does not count.
And there's that word again in verse 6. Their sins against them when it comes to to the blessed you one of the blessed when it comes to the blessed God does not count Their sins in other words. It's it's a great life when the Lord fixes your books.
When he puts you in in the black. There's nothing that you can do to make him do that. Who counts. Well, if you're one of the blasts when it comes to your sins. Nobody does. God does not count the sins of those who believe.
But the religious person thinks well, he knows better than that. I mean nothing good comes easily. We all know that Abraham was right because Right with God because he jumped the right hoop. He did the religious ritual, you know for him circumcision for us Baptism for or we responded to an invitation.
We said the right prayer for Abraham. He was a religious guy. That's that's what did it his religion, but when was Abraham counted as righteous? When was he put in the black? With God when was he profitable in verse 10?
Paul asked you knows it was it before think about this because he's trying to respond to these other people saying Abraham earned his right relationship with God through his religion and there was sacrifice and in Paulist trying to say no.
No, think about it clearly. When was Abraham declared right with God in a good relationship? When did God count him as one of his people was it before or after he was circumcised? In other words, did God tell him be circumcised.
Abraham do this and then he when he obeyed it God counted that obedience enough to get him out of debt. God counted him then as right because. Now you debate. Well, that's religion religion says do it's like a job you work first and then you're paid.
Religion says do and then according to the religion then God counts what you've done. But that's not what's going on here. But it just says do the gospel says done. Here Abraham is declared profitable in the black before He obeyed in Genesis chapter 15.
He was told to be circumcised in Genesis chapter 17. You don't have to be very good at math to figure out 15 comes before 17 his salvation then precedes his work. It is as easy as Believing in verse 10.
He was counted. There's that word again Counted right before he ever received and obeyed the command To be circumcised. In fact the sign of his covenant with God. Paul says here verse 11. That sign is a seal.
It's like what a king in their day would would put an imprint on to some document official document with this but they put work for wax on it and Signet King would have a signet ring and seal it. This is authenticating it.
This comes official from the king. We still kind of do that today something like it we put seals on some documents. Usually imprints like notary public's will do right. They'll have you sign and then they'll sign and they'll Put an imprint on it.
They'll seal it to authenticate it. They showed that this is this is this thing. This document is for real here the right relationship with God is shown to be for real that God has really credited to him righteousness because of his faith.
That he had earlier the seal the religious thing here circumcision is the seal of the faith. That he had earlier. Now sign and seal don't come before the thing they are signaling today. You don't you don't seal something before the thing.
Notary public's don't seal a document before you sign it. They don't work that way that you got to sign that thing and then they'll seal it. They come after God counts we believe and Then we get baptized or join the church.
We follow and obey we are saved by faith alone. But faith that saves is never alone. So the second half of verse 11 Says that the purpose of declaring Abraham, right? The second half of verse 11 says that the purpose of declaring Abraham, right and a good relationship with God.
Before he did the religious thing. For him circumcision the purpose of that was to make him the father of all who believe. So that we who also believe. Like Abraham can be counted right and in the black before We did anything religious?
Whatever it might be before we got baptized or became a church member or prayed the prayer or whatever we did right, we We follow like Abraham. Abraham believed first since chapter 15 got the seal of the from God.
Genesis chapter 17 we believe first. Right, and then we get the seal like baptism after God told Abraham. See if you could count the stars. Who counts. Abraham can't count. That's how many children you will have if we believe.
God counts you as Abraham's children. But the hard-working religious person, you know, thanks being successful with God. It's like Tim Tebow's secret to success. You've got to work hard, you know the secret to success.
There's no secret for these people. They thought it meant keeping the law not only get circumcised, but keep the Ten Commandments. You know, don't eat pork. Don't eat shrimp. Sorry. It's hard for Chinese food.
Offer the right sacrifices. Keep all the little rules of Leviticus. The law says you shall but God's promise says I will. Study verse 13. Paul starts to deal with the hard-working those who insisted that somehow you've got to keep.
Some laws. To be right with God. Let me say it can't be that easy. Just believe. It's just too easy to say believe Paul. We've got to do something got to do our part. But Paul points out that the promise to Abraham fulfilled by Jesus and the gospel was made before Abraham.
Started keeping any laws in verse 14 if you earn being an heir of God. We might say earn being safe. You're an heir of God if you earn that by works. By what you've done by your law-keeping by your religion.
What everyone said but something coming from you by your hard work if you earned it. Then it's not through faith if you earned it that way. It's not through faith. You can't earn God's blessings because he says the verse 15 the law law-keeping.
Brings wrath. That's the result. Some people think the law Through. I can get through the loss. I keep it well enough. I can get God's favor. I can earn something from God. I can earn something God will count for my on my behalf.
Paul says no you cannot do that. The only thing you will get by trying to earn something God will count is something he will count against you wrath. That is if you think it's like anything else you think it's like being successful in sports and academics and business.
I Can work hard enough I can do it. None are righteous. No, not when you forget that you're not righteous. You've broken God's law and you so you've earned his anger. You're deep in debt. You forget that you think you can dig your way out.
Because you are sinful by nature. Where there is a law from God. We will break it. You know, that's that's the delusion. We're under when we think we can do something that counts with God. Well, we will end up violating that law somehow or the other if in our hearts if not in our actual out living in our actions.
Law-keeping trying to earn what counts with God by our hard work. The only result of that is wrath. God's anger judgment punishment. But if there is righteousness right relationship with God that is prior to the law and that comes before.
These boundary markers he talks about trespasses you've stepped over the no trespassing line. You're into a zone that says no trespass. You went there. That is before we we've sinned and fallen short of God's glory.
We can still have that right relationship with God. Then we can have that as a gift in verse 14 if by law-keeping. That is if if by your work. You if by you trying to do something you think God will count if by that you are a child of God.
Then God's promise to Abraham. He says it's useless. It's null and void. Why don't I make a promise to Abraham if if the secret a Abraham's righteousness was his works? You just tell him to do stuff. But that's not what happened but if that's the way it is.
If it's if you become a child of God by what you do then it's all hard work. It's all hard work that counts. It's do do do but if there is a credit with God that is before and separate from our transgressions.
Transgression is a specific kind of sin. It's a violation of law. Giving you a law and you transgression. You're not either that tree you eat it. If anyone you've tried dressed if God will count something for us apart from our law-breaking.
Then we have hope that our ledger with God can be fixed that God can count that. That faith and credit it to our account. That is why in verse 16, I know it's a difficult chapter hang on try to look at it maybe they'll help but these Abstract ideas.
I know but that is why in verse 16 it that is our relationship with God depends on Faith that way the promise of being heirs of God that is Inheriting a relationship with him as being his people his children that promise.
He says rest it depends on Grace. Not on what you do. Because it depends on God's grace not our attempts at hard work. Then it can be guaranteed. Now this is for certain to all Abraham's children and all people who have faith like Abraham are His true offspring.
Those are the ones who fulfill the promise to Abraham in Genesis chapter 15 and to have as many As many offspring as the stars of the sky. Who God who God counts? What what Abraham couldn't count. It was never ultimately about literal descendants.
For Abraham see people misread the Old Testament. Okay, you promise a lot of a lot of children, but it was never even from the beginning about literal descendants about a little Israel but about those who have Faith as it says in verse 16, he is the father and here Paul's talking to the church to believers Jewish and Gentile he's the father of us all.
He was the first of a new nation a holy nation called out of the world to be different and the distinguishing quality. What what counts about them what makes the citizens of that holy nation citizens?
It was not a certain skin color. Not descent. It's not ancestry. It's not a physical race. It's not a common ethnicity. It's not even circumcision. It's not the mark of the Old Covenant, but the one thing that set the new nation apart from the rest of the world was faith.
If You have faith that marks you as one of Abraham's children. It's a citizen of this new nation. We believe God counts. But some will say can't be that easy. Oh. You think faith is easy. I don't think you know what faith is then.
Faith is not easy. It's not as easy as just deciding. I'm gonna have some new opinions. I used to have the opinion that Making money and having a great time on a Saturday night was all that mattered now.
We changed our opinions. Alright, that may be a result of faith. But that's not all that faith is. Faith is not stealing ourselves against kind of all contrary ideas. Just refuse to listen become unreasonable.
Closed-minded faith is trust in a person. So faith is more about who you believe Than what you believe. But of course who God tells us what. And we believe in what we believe. Because the one we trust who?
Told us to believe it. Well starting verse 17 Paul first begins with the object of faith. Who we believe in then says three things about faith. First faith hopes against hope. Second faith considers without weakening and Third faith worships without wavering.
Well first the object of faith. That is the one we believe in. Who are we having faith in? In verse 17 The object of faith is the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
He's describing God. That's why God does and this verse has been greatly abused by the preachers of the prosperity gospel. Who say that we should be doing that that by our words we can call into existence.
Things that do not yet exist things we want like that Mercedes-Benz. I want that I'll call that into existence that trophy that sweet relationship that healing that millions of dollars. That instead of working for things like that.
We just speak them into existence. But this verse doesn't say that at all. It says Abraham believed that God could do that not that he Abraham Could do that himself. God could give life to the dead just by speaking the word and so God then Could decree that speak the word that Abraham have as many offspring as the stars of the sky.
Abraham believed that God could do that and he believed that God would keep his promise. And so God saw that faith In God and declared that Abraham was right. Wiping out the debits in his ledger and crediting to him Rightness the right life of Christ who fulfilled this promise to Abraham the one Abraham was believing in.
Without fully understanding it all. Well, how about you? Are you able to believe? That God can raise the dead. Something you never see that's naturally impossible. And so you can believe that the Christian loved one who dies Will live again and so you grieve differently than the world.
Like someone who has hope do you believe that? Do you believe that only God is capable of doing? The table of a doing it but you but he has already raised up Jesus and that's what we celebrate every Sunday.
The first day of the week the Lord's Day the day the Lord was raised up. Manifesting by doing that raising him up manifesting how to be right with God in verse 25. Jesus was raised for our justification.
Are being legally declared, right? So all it takes is faith, but faith is not easy. Because it asks you to trust in something you haven't seen yet. Just like Abraham. Faith isn't easy. It makes you hope against hope that's what he says in verse 18.
Abraham in hope. Believed against hope now we kind of that idiom idiom today hope against hope. Today it kind of means something different it means something just to hope in something desperately that We hope will happen even though you know.
It's not very likely as then, you know, we were hoping. I was hoping my team would win the championship. But they got knocked out in the first round something like that in this case what Abraham hoped for was was not likely at all.
It was impossible. Naturally, he hoped against hope that Sarah would be able to have a child. The only thing that could make that happen Was a miracle with God. It's not chance not a freak of biology.
Only only God could do that. So when it comes to believing that our accounts with God will be settled and When the accounting day comes and will be found in the black we had better be hoping. Against hope we had better be trusting in one thing and one thing only and not.
Not that maybe we've earned enough credits by our religion in a hard work, but that we believe in it act of God Alone, it's what it means to hope against hope. We believe and God Alone when you come before the final auditor.
Don't come claiming credits that you hope God will count for you come hoping in what God Alone has done. Come with nothing in your hands, but only faith in your heart. Faith is not easy. Faith does not blind itself to the realities of life.
It's not a denial of facts in verse 19 Abraham Actually says he considered His own advanced age. He considered Sarah's infertility. He didn't forget those things. When he believed he didn't just deny that they were real any longer.
Just refused to accept the facts is what some of these prosperity people tell you this don't even Acknowledge that the facts are what they are. You get a diagnosis of cancer just refuse to believe it views to accept it.
Act like it's not true. Well, that's not what Abraham did. He considered in verse 19 the facts. He simply reasoned that God the object of his faith was able to overcome the physical realities. He considered Without wavering faith is not easy.
And it enables us to worship without wavering like Abraham and verses 20 and 21. It instills in us such trust in God that we know he'll keep his promise. Abraham knew God would keep his promise. We know He did keep his promise and he kept his promise to us in Christ in the past and he will to us in the future.
He'll raise us with Christ. We won't waver even though we'll be shaken and tempted. We'll grow strong. And you grow strong. By exertion if you want your muscles to grow. You want them to grow strong? You've got to push them against something.
Strain them like Rocky. It isn't easy. And if you do though your faith will grow strong if you are pushed and you don't waver believing in in Christ risen from the dead and Giving glory to God in verse 20 that is worshiping the God who is the object of your faith to him.
Paul returns in verses 20 and 21. Abraham's faith was counted to him as righteousness because Abraham showed by being fully Convinced by worshiping him without wavering. That he did indeed Trust God that his heart was turned to him the the God who has raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Abraham believed in him and so was counted by God as Right with him. It is as easy as believing. And those last three verses were told that the story of Abraham was written for us notice that some people say the Old Testament.
That's not for us. That's a former time if we can just got unhitch it from our faith here Paul says no it is written for us. It's written for our faith to show us what God counts. What does God count.
Not our religion or our hard work, but our faith, but our faith in what. Now it has to be in the right thing in Someone who was trustworthy and the end Paul returns to the object of our faith. That is who?
We believe in we believe in Jesus who Abraham looked forward to some people as well. How did Abraham say before a Christ? He looked forward to him because it's Jesus was the one who fulfilled the promise to Abraham.
Remember the promise you know as many descendants that the stars in the sky who made that possible who fulfilled that? Christ did when Abraham believed the promise he was believing in Jesus and to us to God makes a promise.
That even though we've sinned Jesus took that guilt. It's it's true that nothing good comes without work and sacrifice. But it's not our work our our sacrifice that brings our right relationship with God.
Jesus worked and he sacrificed his life. We sinned. He suffered. Now for us it is as easy as believing but we have to believe in him who did what was not at all Easy, and so when God counts him. Now, we're right.
We're justified counted. Just if I'd never sinned and so God raised him up and he'll raise us up with him to inherit the earth. What does God count? God counts Jesus our Lord. That's the promise now. Do you believe it.
People want to think somehow There's got to be something that I can do something on my part. They want to do their part something they feel they could be proud of so they can earn that. God can count like trophies or championship rings or honors degrees or Lots of money in the bank.
The pride of life that craves in our heart to have something of ourselves that's worth counting and so always wants to lead us away from the Savior and back to self-reliance back to pride. Something to boast about to accomplish for ourselves, but God doesn't come to us with a ritual saying do.
But with the Savior. Saying done. He doesn't come with a law a list of instructions saying you shall but with a promise saying I will and Finally the Lord Jesus comes with the declaration. It is finished.
What counts God counts we believe. It really is. That easy.
