Faith in God
Notes
Transcript
romans 4:9-25!
This morning while we celebrate our mothers we will continue our study through Romans
If you are for the first time we are preaching through Romans this year and we have made it all the way to Romans
Romans was written by Paul to Jewish believers in the city of Rome
This morning we go back a bit and pick up the letter that Paul has been writing to Jewish Believers in Rome
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered. 8 “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”
This is what David is writing
David understood the blessing and forgiveness comes from the Lord
Blessed are those people who have had their sins forgiven
For those who have experienced the grace and mercy of God through the forgiveness of our sins by repenting from your sins and trusting in Jesus
You know what I am talking about
David is highlighting that forgiveness of sin is only through Jesus
to know that God can and will take away the guilt and shame of the sin in your life
That God will take your sin and separate it from you as far is the east is from the west
Church that is amazing and often times we need reminded of that in Christ and through a personal relationship with Christ there is freedom and forgiveness of sin
And the amazing thing is that God doesn't leave us in the sin
He will pick up and and set us free and lead us to flee from sin
So Paul uses David to share that with the Jewish believers in Rome
They would have known that
Now Paul is going to ask the questions
And you know the way Paul asks those Questions
He doesn’t ask because he doesn’t know the answer He is asking the question so He can present them the correct and right information
9 Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.”
Question
Is the blessing that David is talking about only for the circumcised or uncircumcised
For the Jew or the Gentile
Does God only bless the circumcised or the Jew
Does God only bless America?
Does God only bless our church because it is our church
Paul says that it was credited to Abraham through faith
That the blessing Abraham recieved the promise was given not because he was a rule follower but because of his faith He had in God
Is faith available to anyone and everyone
Of course we know that when we read this it seems odd
Because we know that faith is available to everyone
That Gods grace is never out of reach for anyone who repents from their sin and trusts Jesus
10 How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.
When did God bestow the promise and the blessing of being the father of many nations
before or after he was circumcised
He was called to be circumcised as a sign of separation and set apart by God
Abraham was blessed and entered into a covenant with God before he was circumcised that he Abraham might be the father of faith of both the circumcised and uncircumcised
1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” 2 Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” 4 Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” 5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
When God spoke ti Abraham telling him he would have a child
The promise that He would be the father of many nations
That through him the world would be blessed
We know that through Abraham and a number of sons we are given Joseph who married Mary who gave birth to Jesus
The Son of God
The Salvation of the humanity
11 “And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.
This is when God spoke to Abraham to after he had been promised a son
It was done in that order so that Abraham would be the father of both the circumcised and uncircumcised alike
That Abraham would be the father of faith
13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; 15 for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.
God didn’t pick Abraham because he was a good rule follower
God didn’t pick Abraham to pour and a blessing and to use because he was perfect
Rather God picked Abraham because He had faith in God
It was credited, his blessing was credited to him because of his faith in God
God isn't looking for perfect rule followers
God is looking for faithful people who place their faith in God and because of that faith are obedient
We come to Christ just like you are and only because of Christ we recieved grace, mercy, forgiveness, and life
It has nothing about you being a perfect rule follower
After you come to Christ and after He sets up shop in your heart
We then desire to be obedient and do what He calls us to do because He has changed our life and we are no longer the same old person
Paul then shares that if it is through the law faith is pointless
And then salvation is only through what you can do
We know for certain that is not true that salvation is only through Christ and Christ alone
We have seen this time and time again
The law brings about wrath or as I like to put conviction
That conviction is for a purpose
To point us to Christ
And once you come to Christ
He won’t leave us where or how He found us
You cannot continue in sin and run after Jesus
Praise the Lord He doesn’t leave us where He found us or how He found us
16 For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, 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, “A father of many nations have I made you”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.
Faith in God makes it possible to receiving the blessing that God desires to give to all people
It is through faith both of the Jews and Gentiles that salvation is found
Salvation when dead men come to life
18 In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; 20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. 22 Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness.
It was believing that God could raise up a son from Abraham and Sarah
Who were way past child bearing years
It was believing in the God of the universe who give them a child from their own loins
And guess what church
They had a child of the promise named Issac
Abraham had to have believed
And He did
We have read that through the account in Genesis
Abraham had faith
That is evident when He takes the son of the Promise Issac up on the mountain
And being obedient He tied him up and was prepared to offer Issac as a sacrifice most likely fully believing that God who gave him Issac could raise him up from the dead
Church that is faith in the living God
23 Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, 24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.
It was only for Abraham that it was credited to but it was for us also
So we would have an example church of what it is to walk in faith with God
When we think of faith in God and what that looks like
We think immediately of Abraham, we think of Rehab, we think of others in hebrews 11
Abraham is an example of what it looks like to have faith in God and through that faith to walk in obedience to God
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Church you are saved by the grace of God
That God gave you and I something that we did not earn or deserve
But that it was from God and it is through faith in Christ
Believing He is who He said is which is the Son of God and Salvation to the world
Believing He did what He said He would do
which is to die and to come back to life thus beating death
And Believing that He would do what He said He would Do
which is to go to the father and prepare a place for us
And to come back and collect His Children
Church and one day Jesus will come back
This morning as we move into our time of invitation
Please ask yourself this morning are you ready for Jesus to come back
If the answer to is no I am not ready
I would invite you to the front to speak with someone about salvation and how you can be saved this morning by the grace of God through faith in Christ
Or maybe you simply need to spend sometime in prayer at the altar this morning
The altar is open
