Walking in the Footsteps of Faith

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How many of us like presents? How many of us love gifts? This could be material presents, or an act of service (someone doing something for you), a kind word, maybe it’s the gift of someone’s actual presence.... spending time listening.?

Have you ever been so radically taken care of that your only response that you could give was total and complete devotion? Have you ever been so loved that you felt like that person was getting a raw deal or the ‘short end of the stick’? Have you ever been blessed to the point of where you were able to pass it on to someone else?

Illus: Summer of 2000 I was living in Austria and serving at the school I had graduated from… it was also a conference center during the summer for churches and missionaries. All of the upper ministry staff had left for the summer, and my pastor there who was the director of the conference center, left me in charge! What a huge responsibility… and guess what… nobody died and nothing burned down! It was a win! I was so humbled and overwhelmed by the responsibility it was super formative for me that my pastor took a risk on me.

Fast forward 14 years… my pastor, David Grisanti, stepped down as the lead pastor of Calvary Chapel of Silverdale, he and the elders entrusted me with the leadership and pastorate of this flock. Again… a huge responsibility and gift that is overwhelming at times… in the sense that I don’t deserve such an honor. But am humbled to be in such a place to serve and lead.

How about you? What has someone done in your life that their gift is something that has inspired you to do better, to own the responsibility? Did their gift or opportunity they provide further the love you have for them?

In our text this morning, Paul talks about this gift of righteousness that God accounts to Abraham. By simply believing that God loved Him, wanted to lead him, by simply believing God… God counted it to Abraham as righteousness- or right standing before God. Abraham believed God, and God counted it to him as righteousness.

Let’s read our text-

Romans 4:1–12 ESV

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 believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing 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? For 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 the 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.

Let’s Pray

Who is Abraham?

We come to know Abraham (known at the time as Abram) in the land of Ur and settled with his dad in Haran (). God speaks to Abram and says,

“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Abram was 75yo and he went… with Sarai his wife and nephew Lot. They set out from Haran and go to Canaan.

It was while in the land, God said,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

“Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

There’s famine and Abram and family head to Egypt (chp 12b)

Lot and Abram separate (ch 13)… Abram builds another altar to the Lord (vs18)

Abram rescues Lot from invading Kings () and has an encounter with Melchizedek ()

Then in we see the Abrahamic covenant. The covenant between God and Abram;

15 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.” 2 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?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 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.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

English Standard Version Chapter 15

15 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.” 2 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?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 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.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

God promised Abram that He will provide a people for Abram. This might be lost on some of us, but in this day and age, children (heirs) were a big deal (think legacy, think retirement provision, worth, value, security, etc.). Abram was going to settle for Eliezer, but God said… I’m going to do something. Abram believed God, it was that loyalty, belief, and devotion to God that he accounted it to Abram as righteousness ‘tsedekah’.

We then go to ;

“The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord (Shamar: obey) by doing righteousness and justice (tsedekah and mishpat), so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Dimensions of Abrahamic Righteousness

1) Loyalty (Hesed) to the LORD (; )

2) Trust (Amen) the LORD even when it makes no sense ()

3) Keep (Shema) the LORD's way of righteousness (Tsedekah) and justice (Mishpat)

4) Look to the LORD’s provision (Yireh) in Messiah ()

This is what constitutes Abrahamic Righteousness.

So back to Romans… vss 1-4. Abraham didn’t earn this right standing before God. He believed God… having loyalty, trust, acting in righteousness and justice, trusting God to provide.

It would be easy to say Abraham earned righteousness because he did all of these things, but because He believed God, these things flowed from that belief.

Paul continues in and quotes a psalm from David (psalm 32);

“7  “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered;

8  blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

All of speaks to the grace of God and having sin forgiven. Paul speaks to the blessing of the one to whom God doesn’t give righteousness based on works… but rather based on the Abrahamic covenant (loyalty, trust, righteousness, justice, provision).

English Standard Version Psalm 51

1  Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy

blot out my transgressions.

2  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin!

7  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

English Standard Version Psalm 51

16  For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

This speaks to the Abrahamic covenant… not the Mosaic…

Paul in then brings in the law of circumcision. If you’ve been with us for sometime you know that Paul has addressed this matter about the law. The Jews saw it as their right to be accepted by God, but historically they never kept the law.

The law given to Moses (mosaic covenant) was a deeper dive into the Abrahamic covenant. God said, love me, trust me, obey me, do right and seek justice for all, and I will provide for you. The mosaic law helped them understand what that meant. But it would only go so far as to show them where they were falling short.

Jesus would fulfill the Mosaic covenant () but fulfill it. Jesus would say… you have heard it said X, but I say to you Y… what was his authority… the Abrahamic Covenant!

The division in Rome was between the Jewish followers of Jesus and Roman-Graeco followers of Jesus. Paul is saying to the Jewish believers… Abraham doesn’t separate you… in fact Abraham was a gentile when God found him righteous… and it was before the outward sign of circumcision!

So Abraham is not the father to the Jews only, but to all those that believe, love, trust, and obey God. Their lifestyle that is one where righteousness and justice is an identifier. Where deep love is found for God and for others. These are God’s kids.

Application:

The question of “how” and “who” comes up when we think about salvation, hope, and righteousness. Sometimes when we think about following Christ, if we are not careful we can fall into the trap of us vs. them. We can look at things in a spiritual vs non-spiritual lens… saved vs. not saved. Sometimes we can approach God with “how” do I do this, how do I become justified. While I won’t discount that, I think the better question (IMO) is “who” can be justified?

Who, indeed? Who did God find righteous… the one that believed Him at His word. Abraham wouldn’t see the culmination and fulfillment of God’s promise. He’d see the beginning, but still He believed God.

(If we have time… shows us where Abraham is told to sacrifice Isaac… his one and only son… Father and son working together, bringing an act of propitiation… God long ago foretelling of what He would do, the act of the Father and Son to bring justification to those that believe).

If you love Jesus… if you are seeking after God:

What is God showing you? What is God asking you to take at His word?

What opportunity do you have before you to show your loyalty to Him?

What opportunity is the Lord leading you in to trust Him even when it doesn’t make sense?

What opportunities are you seeing for righteousness and justice... with all relationships – God, others, self, and land – well ordered so that life is full of shalom, all things flourishing as God designed them to be. Shalom is God's intended state of perfect beauty; peace and completion in all things. Righteous people work toward righteousness, in fact they like the LORD, disadvantage themselves for the sake of community.

In light of current events… how can we seek the benefit of all people. Believing in what God says about all people and His great love for them.

“Meet the Press”: David Brooks, “I looked back and read about all the different pandemics over centuries. And you think people come together in a crisis? They do in some kind of crisis. But in pandemic, they fall apart. The reporting from every crisis for the last thousand years of this sort is that neighbors withdraw from neighbors. You get widened class divisions. Out of fear you get a spirit of callousness.

And so in 1918, we lost 675,000 Americans to the flu, and nobody wanted to talk about it afterwards. And that's because they were ashamed of how they behaved. And so we need to take some moral steps to make ourselves decent neighbors to each other as we go through this thing.”

Don't forget xenophobia.

DAVID BROOKS:

Let’s not look back at this time and be ashamed because we didn’t step up.

Xenophobia -- And so in 1918, we lost 675,000 Americans to the flu, and nobody wanted to talk about it afterwards. And that's because they were ashamed of how they behaved. And so we need to take some moral steps to make ourselves decent neighbors to each other as we go through this thing.

Pastor Josh said it last week, and I’ll reiterate… check on your neighbors. Leave notes and let them know you are thinking about them and love them well.

Let us walk in the footsteps of faith, of our father Abraham… believing God at His word, trusting God with our whole lives, obeying God through His grace and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, seeking righteousness and justice, believing in God’s provision for us in Jesus Christ. 5

If you are listening and watching this morning and realize that you want to give your life to God, if you want to live for Him because without Him hopelessness and disillusionment can set in. Believe God when He says that He loves you. Jesus was the embodiment of that love, He gave His life for you, and that if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved. Saved from the hopelessness and emptiness, and saved to a life of peace, purpose, and meaning. If you believe that and are confessing this for the first time… please reach out to us and let us know. FB, Twitter, Email ([e-mail])… let us know so we can encourage you.

Let’s pray.