The Faith of Father Abraham

Good Morning

Good Morning and Welcome to Freedom Chapel. My name is Pastor Terry, my wife Michelle and I serve as the lead pastors here at Freedom Chapel. We exist to bring hope to our community we do that by being a Place to Belong, Church for the Whole Family.

If you are new with us this morning would you please take the time fill out that little flap on the side of your bulletin. If you put it in the black boxes by the back door we will make a donation in your name to a local charity and send you cookies. Church can we show our guests some love this morning.

House Keeping

Freedom Fest Sign up is available on Church Center..If you want a T-shirt

Softball Meeting after service.

Easter is Next Week and We want to be prepared.

Three Nights of Prayer: Begins Tonight at 7:00 PM.

You get what you pray for and our prayers this week are for the three following things.

1. For Our Church to Be Reminded of Christs Sacrifice for Us. 2. Renewal of our Passion for the Gospel. 3. For a The Lost to Find Jesus and a Home at Freedom Chapel.

2. Invite your FRANS

Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, Neighbors

3. Join us in Fasting and Praying through the Week.

There are so many New and Exciting Activities Coming Up make sure you check out your Bulletin.

Let’s Pray!

The Faith of Father Abraham

Justification is the act of God Whereby He forgives the sin of an unsaved person and credits/assigns to them the righteousness of Christ when through faith they believe.

1. YOU ARE FORGIVEN

2. YOU ARE ASSIGNED CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS

3. YOU ARE GIVEN FAITH TO BELIEVE.

Today we are going to talk about Faith. Faith is the only absolute when it comes to relationship with God. Faith is truly the only thing that binds us into relationship with God. It isn’t works, it isn’t our abilities to be anything or overcome anything, it is absolutely positively the only path to salvation.

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I shared with you how Salvation is a life long process.

Justification> Sanctification> Glorification

My justification comes through Faith, my sanctification is happening through faith, and I believe in the eternal hope of Glorification in Heaven because of Faith.

Today we are going to take a deeper look at the faith that Abraham Demonstrated and how by following his example we can have a deeper walk with God.

Today, as we dive into Romans we are going to discover three fundamental truths about Justifying Faith that Paul wanted everyone to understand.

Three truths that will fundamentally change your walk with God if you grab a hold of these ideas and put them into practice.

The first of these truths is:

1. FAITH RECEIVES GOD’S PROMISE

Romans 4:13–15 ESV

13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

You are part of Abraham’s Offspring.......If by Faith you have recieved Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

We teach this in Children’s Church by Singing a very special song.

Father Abraham had many Sons.

This is a fact backed up by scripture.

Galatians 3:29 ESV

29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

That means not only am I Abrahams Offspring I am an Heir............to the promise.

Romans 4:15a (ESV)

15 For the law brings wrath,

Romans 4:15b (ESV)

15 but where there is no law there is no transgression.

You see the promise to Abraham came 400 years before the Law was given to Moses.

To truly understand this we have to go back and see the theme Paul is trying to get across to the Roman Church.

Romans 3:20 (ESV)

20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Romans 5:20 ESV

20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

The law and your ability to follow it did not bring you to Jesus........It made you aware of your need for Jesus.

No more than the number of bible studies or meetings you attended has the ability to sanctify you. No more than being here in Church this morning has the ability to sanctify you.

Romans 4:16 ESV

16 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 adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

It all depends on Faith.......

Romans 4:17–20 ESV

17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 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,

When you act upon your Faith-You will grow stronger.

When your Faith sees you through an obstacle you will see your confidence grow.

When you overcome a temptation through faith you will feel empowered to continue on in the battle.

Just like Abraham we may hesitate or question our own

FAITH CALLS ATTENTION TO GOD’S CHARACTER

Romans 4:21 ESV

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

When was the last time you just leaned into God not because you were expecting a blessing you just kept on because you knew he was true to his word.

Hebrews 12:2 ESV

2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Tithing: God Doesn’t need you money......You need God’s blessing on your money.

Tithing is an act of Faith and it is single most uncomfortable topic for a Pastor to bring up and it is the topic that causes the majority of believers to shut down and stop listening.

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Abraham was fully convinced that God would come through on his Word. Abraham was fully convinced that even in his inability God was able. Not because anything Abraham was capable of doing but because He knew what God was capable of.

Romans 4:21 ESV

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

Romans 4:18 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.”

Romans 4:19 ESV

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.

Romans 4:20 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,

Romans 4:21–22 ESV

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.”

3. Faith Counts us in on God’s Goodness

Romans 4:23 ESV

23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone,

Romans 4:24–25 ESV

24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Romans 4:24–25 (NLT)

God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.