Turn to Genesis chapter 15. Genesis chapter 15. In Genesis 15, I'm gonna start in
verse 6, and I'm mainly gonna look at verse 6 of Genesis 15. And he, that is Abraham, believed
in the Lord. When the Lord spoke to him, spoke
to him about his seed, Abraham believed God. In the Amplified
Version, it states that he leaned his whole entire personality
upon God. He completely rested everything
about himself upon God. He believed, he trusted in the
Lord. And he counted it to him for
righteousness. And he said unto him, the Lord
said unto him, I am the Lord as Jehovah, the self-existing
one that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees to give thee
this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord God, whereby
shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto him, take
me a heifer, take me an heifer of three years old and a she
goat of three years old and a ram of three years old and a turtle
dove and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these
and divided them in the midst and laid each piece one against
another, one against another, but the birds divided he not. And when the fowls came down
upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away. But verse six is the
verse that's got my attention. When we read here in Genesis
15, six, where Abraham believed God and it was counted to him
for righteousness, we really don't realize the real importance
of what's being said there until we read Romans 4 and Galatians
3. And Galatians 3 is where we're
going to spend a lot more of our time this morning. And I'm
going to do more reading than I am, I hope, than anything else. You know, reading the Word of
God, if the Lord opens the Scriptures, that's where we get understanding.
It's not so much my expounding of it, it's the Lord giving us
an understanding. He opened the scriptures. And
that's how we get understanding. It's in the writings of Paul
where the glory of Genesis 15.6 comes alive. And here we have
the very doctrine of justification by faith. This is where it starts.
It's right here in Genesis 15.6. Now, first of all, it says that
Abraham, and I'm gonna keep calling him Abraham. We know who Abram
is, he's Abraham. Abraham believed in the Lord.
When the Lord spoke to him concerning the seed, Abraham believed it. He was fully persuaded, it says
in Romans 4. He was fully persuaded that what
God had promised, God was able to do. even though his body was
considered to be dead, and Sarah, as far as having children, he
said, nope, God promised it. God promised it, it's gonna happen.
It's gonna happen, and he believed it. But there was a time when
Abraham did not believe God. There was a time he did not believe
God. He lived in idolatry till he was around 75 years old. Abraham was around 75 years old, when God appeared to him. And then he believed God. You
know, this is not the first time, here in Genesis 15, this is not
the first time he believed God. But it's the first time that
it's mentioned that it's counted to him for righteousness. God called Abraham, and when
he called him, he believed him, and he proved his faith by his
obedience. He packed up his family, and
he left as God sent him. He left. Faith is always followed
by obedience. It's followed by obedience. And
we know that faith is the gift of God. The faith that Abraham
possessed is the same faith that we possess. and it's the gift of God. It
is the gift of God. Faith is not something you and
I whip up. It's not that I am more intelligent
than someone else and I can comprehend what's being said and therefore
I believe it. No, that's not faith. That's
not the faith that saves. The faith that saves takes God
at His word when you can't even comprehend What's going on? You can't even
comprehend. You know, he told Abraham he's
going to have a son. He's going to have a seed. And Abraham not
only believed God concerning having a seed, but he believed
God concerning that seed, which is Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. He believed on the same one you
and I believe. The same one. Faith leans completely
on the Lord Jesus Christ and takes him at his word. And it's through faith we are
justified. It said, turn over to Romans chapter five. In Romans chapter five, and this
is following chapter four where he was speaking of Abraham. Look
in verse 20 in chapter four. Let me read something here. Well,
let me go back. I can keep going back on this
chapter. But in verse 18, who against hope, that is Abraham,
who against hope believed in hope that he might become the
father of many nations according to that which was spoken, so
shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith,
he considered not his own body now dead. He didn't look at himself
and say, this is not possible. It's not possible. when he was
about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb.
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but
was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded
that what he had promised, what God had promised, he was able
also to perform." You know, Paul said, I believe it was when he
was on that ship and they were going to wreck, he said, I believe
it'll be just as he said it would. I'm paraphrasing, but he said,
I believe God, it's gonna be just as he said. And Abraham
believed God, he's gonna be just as he said. And therefore it
was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his
sake alone that it was imputed to him. That's not why we have
this in Genesis 15, six. But for us also. to whom it shall
be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord
from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised
again for our justification, therefore being justified by
faith." We are justified, listen, by the object of faith, which
is the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the one faith is in. We
are justified by Christ. We are justified through the
blood of Christ, through faith in Christ, who is the object
of faith. And we have this very foundation right here in Genesis
15, six. And how many times the Jews read
that over and over and over, and they couldn't see it. They
couldn't see it. Even after Paul wrote about it,
they still rejected it. But therefore being justified
by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now it's written over in Acts
13, 38, it says, Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren,
that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.
And by him, all that believe are justified from all things. And by him, all that believe.
It's not all that keep the ceremonies and keeps the law and goes through
all the rituals. It's those who believe God. Those
who believe God. And by Him, all that believe
are justified from all things, cleared, not one charge can be
laid against you. You're cleared from all things
to which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Now what
is it to be justified? I want to know because I tell
you, for somebody that knows something about guilt and what
it is to be guilty, being justified means a lot. It means a lot. Henry told a story one time,
he may have told it here, I don't know, but he told a story one
time when he was a young man. When he was a young man, he ran
a stop sign. There were some people in the
car with him. He ran a stop sign, and he hit this other car, hit
these other people in the car. And the police come along, and
he rode it up, and he had a court date. And he said he had his
father to go with him. Of course, he'd been a young
man. I'd be scared to death if that happened. And you're a young
man. You've got to go to court. So he went to court. And one
by one, before the judge, him and his dad just sat there until
the courtroom was empty. It was empty. And the judge asked
him what they were there for. And he told him. And he looked
at his papers and stuff. He said, there's nothing here.
There's nothing here. And there was no people there.
There was not one. That courtroom was empty except
for the judge and them. And there was no accusers there.
The people whom he hit didn't show up. The policeman who rolled
up didn't show up. None of them, no one showed up. And the judge
said, well, he said, you're free to go. There's nothing here.
You're cleared. There's no charge. There's absolutely
no charge. What is to be justified is to
be cleared of all charges. You know, Satan is called an
accuser of the brethren. He accuses us. but it's not gonna
stick. It's not gonna stick. My conscience accuses me. Does your conscience ever accuse
you? Adam, where are you? I'm over
here hiding behind a tree with some fig leaves on. His conscience accusing him,
troubled. He knew he did wrong. You know,
you know, you know when you're doing something you ought not
to do. You know it. Your own conscience accuses you. But when I stand before God,
I'm gonna stand before God, and I stand before God now, not just
when, but I stand before God now, justified, cleared of any
charge. Now listen, I am as just before
God as God is, because it must be perfect to be accepted. God
can accept nothing less than himself. And he has made us that
way in Christ. In him, there is no sin. Justify. You say, well, I, you know, I
know my life. I still have a memory. I still
have a memory. You know the reason that you,
this probably applies to most people in here. Most people.
You know why you've not spent any time in jail? You didn't
get caught, right? You just didn't get caught. I can say that, I just didn't
get caught. But before God, I'm clear, I
didn't do anything. I am absolutely clear of all
charges. When God looks at my life in
Christ, it's clean. All He sees is the righteousness
of His Son. That's all He sees in me. And
the way God sees it is exactly the way it is. That's just the
way it is. It's to be found not guilty,
it's to be cleared of all charges. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? Who? It is God who justified
them. Who is above God? None. Now, if God justifies me, if
He justifies me, there is no one above Him that can overrule
it. None. Brethren, get a hold of that.
If God has justified you, there's none who can condemn you. It
is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? It's
Christ that died. I could point to Calvary and
say, my sin debt is paid. You say, well, I don't remember
what you did. It's gone, it's paid for. God punished me in
Christ. It's gone. Who is he that condemneth? It's
Christ that died, yea, rather that's risen again, who's even
at the right hand of God, making intercession for us. His very
presence intercedes for every one of his elect. His very presence
there. He's the lamb slain before the
foundation of the world. John said, I saw a lamb as it
stood in the midst of the throne. I saw a lamb standing in the
midst of the throne as it had been slain. His death answers the demand
of God's law for my death. It's done. It's done. He believed in the Lord and he
counted it to him for righteousness. This is before the law was ever
given. This is before the ceremonial
law was ever given. Abraham was accounted righteous.
When the Lord spoke to Abraham about the promised sea that would
come, that his seed would be the air, Abraham, it says, believed in
the Lord. And this is the first mention of righteousness being
reckoned to Abraham through faith, not through keeping any law.
And what Paul does in the Galatians and in Romans, he points out
to the Judaizers, or to the Galatians, who were being duped by the Judaizers,
I should say. The Judaizers were trying to
dupe them and get them back under the ceremonial law. And he's
telling them, if you look at Abraham, when was he justified?
When was he accounted righteous? It was before the law, 430 years
before it was ever given. He's said to be righteous. He's
said to be right now. Took more time getting to this.
Turn over to, Galatians 3 Let's turn over there. I'm gonna add
some other things. I wanted to say before that but we're gonna
run out of time See the Galatians had turned
to another gospel, which was not another they were trying
to Judaize are trying to get them back under the law the ceremonial
law and But he says here in verse 1,
let me just read that. Verse 6 is where I want to pick
it up at. Old foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you that you
should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath
been evidently set forth crucified among you? This only would I
learn of you. This is all I want to know. Received
you the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, by the works of the law, by the
hearing of faith. In other words, what was going on when God saved
you? When you were sealed by the Holy
Spirit, what was going on? Was the law being read? Were
the ceremonies being performed or was the gospel being preached?
Gospel was being preached. Are you so foolish, having begun
in the spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh? Are you
now made perfect by keeping these ceremonies, these do's and don'ts
and all these offerings? No, no. Have you suffered so many things
in vain, if it be yet in vain? He therefore that ministers to
you the Spirit and works miracles among you, doth he it by the
works of the law? Are these things happening through
the reading of the law or through the offering of the ceremonies
and types and all those types and pictures? He said, is that
what was going on? Or was it hearing a faith, or
was the gospel being preached? Now here, verse six. even as
Abraham believed God, and it was calling to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which
are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. These are
the ones he's talking about. The heirs, as far as the spiritual
heirs, the children of Abraham are those who believe God. It's
those who believe God. It's not that whole Middle East
over there. It's those who believe God. You
are the children of Abraham, spiritual. You're the spiritual
children of Abraham. And the scripture foreseeing
or foretelling that God will justify the heathen through faith.
This is back in Genesis chapter 15. He says the gospels preached
back then. The scripture foretelling that
God's gonna save Gentiles. He's gonna save them. The Jews
didn't wanna have anything to do with the Gentiles. It was
like letting the dogs in the house. They called us dogs. Remember
the Lord talking to that Syrophoenician woman. He said, it's not right
to give the food and children's bread to the dogs. This is not a new thing. This
thing of righteousness by faith, this thing of justification by
faith, this thing of Gentiles being saved, it's not something
new. Go back in Genesis 15, he says
you can read it. Foretelling that God would justify
the heathen through faith. Now listen, preach the gospel
unto Abraham. saying, in thee shall all nations
be blessed. And you know what? Abraham understood
that. Abraham understood that the Messiah
was coming through him and Abraham understood that seed was the
Messiah, the Savior, the Lord. He understood that. So then, they which be of faith
are blessed. They are blessed with salvation,
blessed with forgiveness, blessed with acceptance. You're blessed
with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works
of the law, they're under the curse. For it is written, cursed
is everyone that continues not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. If you're gonna hang on
to the law, he says, which was given 430 years after this, after
Abraham, he says, you better do every jot and tittle. You
better not miss a thing. I mean, not a thing. And here's
what's interesting. Our Lord never missed a thing.
He fulfilled every jot and tittle of the word of God. Every bit
of it, in himself. Look in verse 11. But that no man is justified
by the law in the sight of God is evident, for the just shall
live by faith. He'll live upon Christ, he'll
follow after Christ. His whole life, listen, a believer's
whole life is one of faith. It's not a mixture of faith and
works. We never mix that, we never mix
grace and works. And the law is not of faith,
but the man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. For
it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree, that
the blessing of Abraham. What is that? Well, it's salvation. It's salvation from sin. It's
to inherit glory. He's not talking about just,
you know, Canaan was a type, is just a type. But it's a real
inheritance of glory. And I don't know what all that
is, but I know this, whatever it is, it has to do with God. It has to do with a God of glory.
As God said to Abraham, I am thy exceeding great reward. I am, I am. That the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles, us. Brethren, when you read Genesis
15, he's talking about Bethel Baptist right now, you who believe. We are partakers of the blessing
of Abraham. That the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, the seed. He's
the one spoken of. That we might receive the promise
of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, through faith. Not through the
works of the law, through faith. Now he says, now brethren, I
speak after the manner of men. I'm gonna give you an example.
Though it be a man's covenant, if a man makes a covenant, if
he makes a will and a testament, that's what he's talking about,
a will, you know, you're making out a will, your last will and
testament. If it's confirmed, no man adds to it and no man
takes away from it. Well, how much more that covenant
God made with Abraham in Christ and with us in Christ? God has
made a covenant of grace with his Son and with us in his Son.
And the law coming 430 years after this does not make this
void, does not make the promise God made to Abraham and to us,
to Abraham in Christ and us in Christ. It doesn't void that. It doesn't void that. Now to Abraham and his seed,
and I wrote over top of that, now to Abraham and Christ, to
Abraham and Christ, that seed is Christ. Where the promise
is made, he says not, and to seeds, it doesn't say, now to
Abraham and his seeds, but he says, he says not, and to seeds,
as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ.
Abraham understood that. Abraham understood that. If you're in verse 17. And this
I say, and I'm going to close. And this I say, that the covenant
that was confirmed before of God in Christ, and most of the
translations I read, they drop this in Christ, before of God
in Christ. But I tell you this, the covenant
that was made with Abraham was made with Abraham in Christ.
And the covenant, that covenant of grace that's made with us
is made with us in Christ. Christ is never apart from it.
He's the center of it. Everything we have, we have in
Christ. Every blessing we have, we have
in Christ. The acceptance we have, we have in Jesus Christ. And this I say, that the covenant
that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which
was 430 years after, cannot disannul, cannot do away with that, that
it should make the promise of non-effect. It didn't do away
with that. The only reason the law was given,
and he tells us here, the only reason the law was given was
because of sin. It was to expose sin. It was
that sin might be exceedingly sinful, that we might know what
sin is. Because Paul said before the
law came, I didn't know what covenant this was until the law
said, thou shalt not covet. And then Paul realized, great,
that's all I ever do. That's all I ever do is covet.
Well, I wish I had that, didn't I? I'd like to have that. Now, there was no law that says
thou shalt not covet. You wouldn't know that was wrong. It wouldn't
bother you. But the law arouses that in you.
It says don't covet. Like I said, don't go through
that door now. Everybody here is going to want to go through
that door. You're going to want to go through that door. What
the law tells us not to do, it just arouses that which is in
us to do it. I was, back when the boys were
playing Little League football, there was a guy that was a head
coach and I was helping him, I was helping. And he said, I'm
gonna write down, he was all frustrated. He's gotten all frustrated
with the team and stuff. He said, I'm gonna write down
a bunch of rules and stuff and I'm gonna make them. He said, I'm
gonna make these boys adhere to this. I said, I wouldn't do
that about you. I said, buddy, I said, I'll tell you what, you
better not make more than one or two or you're going to have,
you'll be pulling your hair out. I said, make as few rules as
possible. If you want to have any control
over this team, because other than that, you're going to constantly
be having to discipline somebody. Then you're going to show respect
to persons of somebody not disciplined. And then you're going to be,
then you're going to have discipline. I said, don't do it. Don't do
it. The law just arouses that in us, it just arouses it.
For the inheritance be of the law, the inheritance of glory,
the inheritance of all that we have in Christ, all that God's
given us in Christ. If it was by a ceremonial law
that we can keep and do, then it wouldn't be anymore by promise.
But God gave it to Abraham by promise. You and I have in Christ,
now in Christ we have forgiveness, acceptance, pardon, justification
by promise. God keeps His promise. God keeps
His promise. When you stand before God, you
who believe, when you stand before God Almighty, God will fulfill
that promise. You'll stand there clear, justified,
accepted, forgiven, pardoned. God gave it to Abraham by promise.
Wherefore then serves the law. It was added because of transgression
until the And they write Christ over this again. Why, in what
way serves the law? Listen, it was added. It was not given to replace. It never replaced the promise
that God made to Abraham, that God actually made to Jesus Christ
before the world began. It never replaced that. It was
added because of transgression. Till the seed, now you're right
over top of that, till Christ, till Jesus Christ should come
to whom the promise was made. Who was the promise made? Who
was the promise made to originally? Jesus Christ. When? Before the
world began. Before the world began. And it
was ordained by angels in the hands of a mediator. I won't stop there. I think I
got the point across. If not, I just muddied it up.
I hope I didn't muddy it up. But here in Genesis 15, 16, the
first time it's mentioned that Abraham believed God, and he
believed Him before this, but when he's speaking of the seed,
he counted it to him for righteousness. And Abraham didn't do a thing.
to obtain righteousness. He believed God. And Paul was
saying to those Galatians, he said, that was established back
in Genesis 15. This is not something new. It's back from the beginning.
Back from the beginning.