Romans Week 14, October 16, 2022

Introduction

Abraham, the father of those who chose to believe in the promises of God.

Only a short while earlier Abraham and Sarah would have been considered young at around 100 years old. such was not the case. By the time God promised Sarah and Abraham that they would have a son they were 90 and 100 respectively. His wife wasn't worn out because she'd had too many children. Sarah was worn out simply from living.

Think what it would be like for you as a couple approaching 100 to be told that a nation would come from you? Think what it would be like for you to be told that even though you can see all the obvious signs of decline in your life signs as sure as the setting sun that God tells you he's going to do something different in you.

To review the story of Abraham put quite simply God made a promise to Abraham that nations would come from him. And yet despite God's faithfulness and despite God's promises abraham's wife never had any children. Of course she tried to have children with one of his wife's servants which was actually accepted back then but God stayed persistent in his promise to provide a son to Abraham through Sarah. And this was an obvious problem because both of them were around 100 years old.

Let’s read what Paul has to write here:

Romans 4:18–22 (ESV)

18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”

19 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.

20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,

21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”

Abraham believed against hope.

Abraham faced the facts

Abraham did not allow the perception of the problems he faced to diminish the reality of what God had promised. That's what faith is isn't it? Faith is facing the reality of the problems of the world squarely and then believing that God is able to lead us through them. It means facing our shortcomings and age and physical problems and believing and the God who promised that he will grow his church. Abraham was not in that much of a different position from us. God asked him to believe that he would do something he had never seen happen before. And as Abraham believed God God stayed faithful.

Abraham placed all his confidence in the word of God. Confidence is a choice. Some of the bravest things that we do are simply choices that we make. What are we willing to choose to do? Where are we willing to choose to trust God? God's word is full of the promises of God. Are we willing to trust God to keep his promises? Are we willing to trust God still today?

Abraham committed himself to what God could do.

Romans 4:20–22 ESV

20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”

Abraham didn’t waver

Romans C. Abraham: The Father of the “Fully Persuaded” (4:18–22)

Waver here is diakrino, which means to act as a judge, to pass judgement, to decide or determine. The point is that he did not allow unbelief to put him in a judgment mode where, like a trial judge or jury, he would weigh the evidence and make his decision.

Abraham chose to trust God and not to sit as judge or jury but instead chose trust and hope. You see the problem with coming to the end of yourself is that there will always be a point where you simply need to choose to trust God. We will all come to these moments where there's nothing else we can do and the only thing beyond what we can do is an act of God. It's at that point we must choose whether we will trust God or not. Whether we will trust God and grow through the experience or we will refuse to trust God and grow bitter and worse as a result of life that we walk through. Abraham chose to trust God.

Abraham grew strong in his faith

Consider this and perhaps this is the most important message we can extract from this text today. Our faith is strong or week depending on how we see the object of our faith. Take a typical example when we are young we see our parents and perhaps in particular our father as virtually that indestructible. We believe that because our parents are able to pick us up and pay for the things we need they have so much power and therefore we have so much faith in what they can do yeah sometimes as we get older we see the limitations of our own parents in that faith gets tainted by skepticism. That faith gets weakened by our perception of our parents weaknesses. And so back to God

Abraham had a strong faith because of his view of God’s strength

Abraham had a faith that was able to believe God would do the impossible because Abraham saw God in light of God's extraordinary power.

If your faith in God feels weak and you doubt his ability to keep his promises in your life or in your church then perhaps you need to reflect on how you see God. How much time do you spend meditating on his word or talking to him in prayer? How much time do you spend considering God’s power as compared to the power of any other being or thing in your life.

In short Abraham said to God I believe you and I will live like I believe you are able to do what you've said.

Genesis 15:6 ESV

6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Conclusion

What hard facts you are facing today?

What promises has God made to you about these facts today?

Consider the power of God, really consider it.

Allow your knowledge of the power of God to strengthen your faith in His promises.

Grow strong in your faith as you ponder the power of God. As you grow strong in your faith, live like you believe God is able to keep His promises.

Replace fear about the future with joyful faith.

Replace anxiety about your problems with peaceful trust in God.

Replace hesitancy about taking action with confidently stepping out to follow God.