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*Enniscorthy Christian Fellowship – 13th April 2008*
The Reasons for Faith Romans 4v17-25
The African Impala can jump to a height of over 3 meters and cover a distance greater than 10 meters with every jump.
And yet, these magnificent creatures can be kept imprisoned in an enclosure in any zoo with only a 1 meter wall.
The reason such a low wall will keep these animals penned in is that they won’t jump if they can’t see where their feet will fall.
A 1 meter wall is not high enough to take away their potential and opportunity to get free.
But it is just high enough to stop them seeing where they will land – and so these animals never take that opportunity for freedom.
We’re often like this animal.
We’re often prevented from enjoying the life of freedom and fullness that we were created for, by barriers that should not be insurmountable.
Our hesitation to jump where we can’t see, keeps us from living this life to the full.
In Romans, we’ve seen that even the best of us are sinners.
And our sin, our unrighteousness is a very real barrier to being right with God.
In our own ability, we cannot overcome this barrier.
Even if we put all our effort into good works, religious rituals, or keeping God’s law – we still cannot be right with God!
But God has provided a way for us to overcome this barrier.
“A righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known.”
Romans 3:21.
Jesus has provided this way by his death on the cross – by paying for our freedom, by turning away God’s wrath, by fully satisfying the justice of God.
Jesus has done everything so that no matter who we are or what we’ve done, we can be declared right with God.
All we need to do is to take a step of faith: “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”
Romans 3:22
And yet so many hesitate to accept this life of freedom and fullness because they struggle to trust what they cannot see.
To completely depend on someone else they cannot see.
It seems too much like a leap in the dark!
Many of us here have made that initial step of saving faith, but we are called to go on taking steps of faith.
“We live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7.
To have faith in Jesus and live in the joy and security of knowing that we’re forgiven!
To have faith in God’s presence, provision, protection, his power to transform our lives, to step out in radical obedience to his purpose for our lives.
And yet often we hesitate to live this life of faith.
We remain where we are, held back by our fear of what we cannot see.
There were many things that could have prevented Abraham from being a man of faith.
And yet as we saw last week, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as
\\
righteousness.”
v3 So this morning we’re asking, why did Abraham have faith?
What were his reasons for faith.
Read Romans 4:17-25
*1) **The Challenges to Faith*
In our lives there will always be huge challenges to faith.
Conditions that make it difficult to take a step of faith.
Abraham faced such a challenging situation.
He received the promise that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars of the sky (Genesis 15:5): “So shall your offspring be.” v18 However Abraham’s situation did not encourage faith.
Instead, his situation looked hopeless.
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed.”v18
*i) **Impossible Situations*
Abraham and Sarah were caught up in the heartbreak of childlessness.
Genesis 11:30 states that “Sarai was barren; she had no children.”
How could Abraham become the father of many nations, when he did not have even one child?
Humanly speaking it was an impossible situation.
And yet Abraham in hope believed!
Hudson Taylor the pioneer missionary to China said this: “I have found there are three stages to every great work of God: first it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.”
*ii) **Indefinite Waits v19*
And Abraham also had faced an indefinite wait.
When he was 75 years old, God told him he would be the father of a great nation (Genesis 12:4).
But there was no evidence of this promise being fulfilled for another 25 years (Genesis 21:5).
By then: “His body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.”
v19
We face similar challenges to faith.
Impossible situations.
Problems that seem hopeless.
Our own sinfulness.
An addiction in our life.
Poor health.
Our family situation, a relationship difficulty?
The impossibility of being the man or woman of God we long to be?
Or maybe it is time that has challenged our faith.
We’ve been waiting so long to know God, to serve God, to see that person you love come to Christ, that now we struggle to believe it will happen!
*iii) **Believing with Our Eyes Open!*
But faith can cope with these challenges.
Paul writes of Abraham that “Without weakening in his faith he faced the fact” v19.
Abraham did not hide from the reality of his situation.
He faced it.
Faith is not about closing your eyes and hoping for the best.
It is about believing with our eyes open to the reality of our situation.
Faith is not a kind of escapism.
It does not ask us to stick our head in the sand.
The
gospel faces up to the reality of our true sinful nature.
The life of faith faces up to the pain and suffering in the world.
It faces the delays and disappointments.
It faces the unanswerable questions, the horrendous problems in this world of world poverty, Aids, climate change, war and terrorism, natural disasters.
But faith goes further.
Yes we need to face the reality of our lives.
But there is another reality we need to face.
That is the reality of who our faith is in!
*2) **The Object of our Faith*
*i) **Who is our Faith in?*
We often focus on the need for a stronger faith or more faith, but there is a more important issue.
Some people have great faith in another person.
They accept completely what that person says - a parent, a friend, a scientist, philosopher!
Some have faith in their church!
Others refuse to put their faith in anyone but themselves.
They rely on their own goodness, morality, intelligence.
They believe whatever makes sense to them!
All these people have faith, but their faith is misplaced.
*ii) **Faith in God!*
Abraham’s faith was not in other people or their religion.
He was called to “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household.”
Genesis 12:1 His faith was not in himself, in his own understanding and abilities to fulfill his destiny.
“By faith Abraham… went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
Hebrews11:8
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