Good morning, everyone. If you
would, go ahead and begin turning to the book of Romans, chapter
4, beginning at verse 21. Romans 4, beginning at verse 21. This morning, We're gonna pick
back up with our studies here at Romans that I've been doing
for some time now. And we will pick back up at verse
21 this morning. But before I begin my message,
I wanna say a few words about what we're talking about here.
Some of you that might not have been here from the beginning
What we're talking about is the Apostle Paul had been wanting
to go to Rome, to the church at Rome for some time, but he
had been hindered, and by God's providence, he had not been able
to go to that particular church there at Rome. So he wrote a
letter. to the church at Rome. And this
is the letter that we read in scripture today, the Book of
Romans, that the Apostle Paul wrote to this church there at
Rome. And this church at Rome, of course,
it had within the church, it had believing Jews and it had
believing Gentiles in that church at Rome. And all the things that
the Apostle Paul writes here in the Book of Romans is to instruct this church in
right doctrine and how they should behave themselves and so forth.
But one of the things that we've been talking a lot about has
to do with circumcision, something that God had instructed. Abraham
and the Jewish nation, they had this picture and type, picture
and type of the new birth, which was circumcision. And that they
had had all those years, and this is something that Paul was
writing to this church here, to tell them and to instruct
them in this matter of circumcision. And as we begin this morning,
the title of my message is gonna be Fully Persuaded, Fully Persuaded. And of course, it is taken from
these verses here concerning Abraham, Abraham and his faith,
what Abraham looked to. Are we fully persuaded here? Today, do we have this faith
that Abraham had as he walked this earth? Do we look to Christ
and look to Christ alone for all our salvation? This God-given
faith, this strong faith, this faith that looks to the promise
of God, that God had promised not only Abraham, but us also. As we look to Christ, look at
what God promised Abraham as far as sending the Messiah in
time to save him, to atone for his sins, to pay that sin debt.
And today, as God fully persuades us, we look back to know and
be persuaded, fully persuaded that Christ did accomplish. everything
that God the Father promised. Now, to get the context of the
following verses that we're going to look into, let's go ahead
and read Romans 4, a couple of verses that we went over in our
previous study, Romans 4, 19 and 20. It says, in being not
weak in the faith, speaking of Abraham, he considered not his
own body, now dead, when he was about 100 years old, neither
yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He, or Abraham, staggered not
at the promise of God, through unbelief, but was strong in faith,
giving glory to God. Now, we're not talking about
Abraham's personal faith. a faith that might say something
like, I have faith that the economy is going to get better next year.
Because this kind of faith might or it might not come about. We base it on certain things,
but we don't have full control of these things that happen.
So it might or might not come about. There is no reason, though,
to stagger at or hesitate about any of the promises of God, since
they are made by God, God who cannot lie. His faithfulness
is engaged to perform them, all his promises. With him, all things
are possible. Every promise of God is in Christ,
is yea and amen. and none of God's promises are
able to fall or fail. All true God-given faith, this
strong faith, gives glory to God. God-given faith does not
boast in itself or the sinner to whom God gives it. God-given
faith is grounded upon God's glorious character and looks
to the Lord Jesus Christ is shed blood and imputed righteousness
for all of our justification before God. We give or we acknowledge
the glory of God when we believe God's promises or when we see
the perfections of his redemptive character actively engaged to
fulfill all his promises that are in Christ. This is why it's
the highest dishonor to God glory for sinners to seek to be justified
before him by their works. It is only in and by Christ that
we glorify the God of all grace. In Romans 21, 421, the verse
that we'll begin with this morning, it says, in being fully persuaded,
speaking of Abraham, that what he had promised, what God had
promised, he was able to perform. Abraham was fully persuaded that
God would fulfill his promises, what God had promised Abraham.
In 2 Peter 3, 8 and 9, there were scoffers that were questioning
God's promise of the return of Christ here in verse 8 of 2 Peter
3. Now, this right here has to do
with a promise that God made, and that promise was that Christ
was coming back. Okay. Now in second Peter three,
eight, it says, but beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing
that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand
years has one day. The Lord's not slack concerning
his promise as some men count slightness, but his long suffering
to us. We're not willing that any should
perish, but that all should come to repentance. God has and will
perform all his promises. It says here in Romans 4 21 that
Abraham was fully persuaded that God would fulfill his promise.
Well, who persuaded Abraham of this? Well, God, the Holy Spirit
persuaded Abraham. He persuaded him in the new birth
when he came to Abraham by his spirit. He came to him in regeneration
and he give him faith. He give him faith to believe
the promise. 2 Timothy 1 verse 12 says, for
the witch cause also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I'm not
ashamed. This is Paul speaking. For I
know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. So
once again, Paul, the Apostle Paul was persuaded and this was
persuaded by the Holy Spirit who gave him that faith, that
strong faith. Faith is not a choice that we
make. It is a persuasion God brings
us to by his Holy Spirit concerning Our sinfulness and his glory
and saving us by his grace in Christ and in Christ alone. Well,
what did God promise Abraham? Well, God promised Abraham all
of salvation justification. Before him, based on a righteousness,
the Messiah would come in the future and accomplish by his
death and for his people. Now, the most difficult thing
for a natural man to believe is that God could and would justify
sinners based upon a righteousness totally outside of ourselves. Now, even for justifiers outside of ourselves,
even for those who profess to believe the gospel of grace,
they pull back. at the thought of a sinner being
justified before God even before they believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. And this is something that God has to do a work in
every one of his elect because of that sin nature that we all
have by nature. That is to turn loose of everything
everything within us that would have anything to do, any kind
of causal effect having to do with our salvation. Now, yet
what God promised, he accomplished, the promise of God, he accomplished
in the death of his son. And therefore it should not be
a surprise to any that when Christ is revealed to the sinner, he
learns of his justification, a justification already accomplished
based upon what God promised to do and did do in the person
of his dear son. And verse 23 reads, and therefore
it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not imputed to Abraham
because of his strong faith, and because he had full assurance
of it, but because it was right. It was resting on the promises
of God and relying upon God's power and faithfulness to perform
it. The next question might be, well,
what about the it that was imputed to Abraham? What about the it
that was imputed to Abraham? In other words, What was imputed
to Abraham for righteousness? The it refers to what God had
promised Abraham. This is elsewhere referred to
as faith, meaning the object of Abraham's faith, what Abraham's
faith looked to, the actual promise God made to Abraham to send a
Messiah to fulfill all righteousness on Abraham's behalf. In Romans
10, 4, reads, for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believeth. Abraham believed what God had
promised. He believed what God revealed to him because he was
taught by the Spirit of God. Abraham walked in the Spirit
and he had no confidence in the flesh, had no confidence in anything
that he did or was unable to do as it relates to salvation
and justification before God. Let's look at Romans 8 and verse
4. It reads that the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not at the flesh,
but at the spirit. Being taught by the spirit of
God, that faith of Abraham or the promise of God regarding
the seed that should come from his loins was accounted to him
far or because of righteousness. because of righteousness, the
righteousness that he, Christ, the seed should come and establish
thousands of years later. Galatians 3, 15 and 16 says,
brethren, I speak after the manner of men, this is Paul speaking,
though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man
disanoth, or add it thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds, as
of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. These
verses in Galatians parallel this portion of scripture and
clearly states that the seed promise was Christ. In other
words, as stated before, this promise had much more to it than
merely giving Abraham a child named Isaac. It was all about
the one Christ who should come from his loins and fulfill all
righteousness, revealing God to be just and justifier through
Christ's obedience unto death. In Acts 17 and verse 31, This is God's standard of judgment. This is how God is gonna judge
this world. It says, because he, because
God hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world
in righteousness. Well, how's he gonna judge it?
By what standard is he gonna judge in righteousness? Well,
it tells us here, by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof
he hath given assurance unto all men, and that he hath raised
him from the dead. Now friends, Christ is that standard
of judgment. Christ is that perfection which
a holy God requires, which no man has by nature. Christ is
the standard of judgment, his righteousness alone. What he
worked out in his obedience, even under death, his blood shed
on that cross. Abraham looked to Christ for
all of his righteousness, all of the righteousness before God,
the righteousness that Christ established here, as we just
read, is that standard of judgment for all men, is they stand at
the judgment. Now, the question is, do you
have this righteousness whereby God will judge the world? I think
that's a good question. I think there's one we need to
all know where we stand, do we have that righteousness, that
standard of judgment whereby God will judge the world? Do
we have it? This is perfect satisfaction to God's law and justice. And
so I would ask, do you have it? Do you have this righteousness?
If you do, if you say you do, if you say you have this righteousness,
Where did you get it? Was it by works of righteousness
that you have done or that you were enabled to do by God? Or
was it imputed or charged to your account? You see, this righteousness
that a sinner must have belongs to Christ. He worked it out, he shed his
precious blood on the cross of Calvary, and is now seated at
God's right hand in the heavens, interceding for all those that
come to him by faith. This is the same faith that our
spiritual father Abraham had. Now, our next verse, tells us
that all of this was not written for Abraham's sake alone, but
for us also. Romans four, beginning with verse
23 and 24. Now it was not written for his
sake alone, speaking of Abraham, that it was imputed to him, but
for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him
that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. This is not just
a story about Abraham alone as an individual, but to all who
come to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as the righteousness
Christ worked out on the cross was imputed to Abraham by grace,
it is the same with all who believe the promise of salvation by grace
and by grace alone. Not a works less any man should
both. Do you have the same faith as
Abraham had? Are you looking to the Christ?
Are you looking to Christ alone for all your salvation? If you
are, then you're the ones that are mentioned in this next phrase
here in verse that we just read. To whom it shall be imputed if
we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Some use this to try to prove righteousness imputed on the
condition of are on the basis of faith or the act of believing. And some try to use this to prove
that faith or believing is accepted by God in the place of righteousness. Neither of these things are true.
The if we believe on him is not stated as a condition of being
declared righteous, but rather an evidence that we do indeed
share in the same faith of Abraham. Paul states it to make sure that
just not anyone reading this would take and apply it to himself. The if is not in the original
text and would be better translated, those who are believing on him
that raised our Lord from the dead. They manifest that they
also have the same faith of Abraham imputed to them also. Again,
the faith are the sum and substance of the work of the Lord Jesus
and his obedience unto death was not Abraham's personal faith,
but that righteousness which his faith looked to, which his
faith laid hold upon as his only ground of salvation. Abraham's
faith itself could never be reckoned for righteousness to another,
nor was it even reckoned to himself. However, those who believe, as
Abraham did, manifest they have the same righteousness imputed
to them as Abraham had, and the same faith of Abraham who believed
God, believed what God said concerning how he was gonna justify an ungodly
sinner. Now we went over the following
verses on our last study, Romans four and verse 12. Speaking of
Abraham, It says, and the father of circumcision, speaking of
Abraham, to them who are not of the circumcision only, but
who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham,
which he had being yet uncircumcised or being yet uncircumcised. The spiritual descendants of
Abraham are both descendants of the law referring to believing
Jews and descendants of the faith of Abraham, referring to the
believing Gentiles. Now, referring back to verse
24, which is speaking of Christ here, our last verse that we'll
go over here in verse 25, Romans 4, 25, says, who was delivered
for our offenses, speaking of Christ, and was raised again
for our justification. But what does this verse have
to do with Abraham's faith or David's acceptance with God?
What does it tell those who have any interest in being accepted
by a holy God? Well, it tells us that the Lord
Jesus was delivered by the Father into the hands of wicked men
to die. He was given up to wicked men
to die for only account of or because of the offenses of that
people he chose from all time and all eternity, whether under
the Old Testament dispensation or sentenced to cross. There
is the one obedience under death that God the Father required
in order to justify or declare righteous those that he's chosen
from eternity, called his sheep or his elect. Note that the verse
does not stop with the taking away of the offenses of his people
by the death of Christ but declares that he was raised again for
or on account of or because of our justification. If the righteousness
by which God justifies sinners was not fully accomplished at
the cross, we would not read here that he was raised because
of our justification. Christ was raised because the
righteousness by which Christ justified all his elect people
was fully accomplished at his death. Here are the great truths
of substitution, imputation, and satisfaction, all referring
to Christ and what he did in our place. Here we see the grace
and glory of the death, the burial, and the resurrection of our Lord
Jesus Christ. This is what Christ accomplished
for all his people. as their surety, as their redeemer,
who stood in their place. In a nutshell, what does this
all mean to us here today? Well, it should be an encouragement
for us, should be an encourage for us to look to Christ for
all of our salvation, all of our eternal life. Just as Abraham
believed God and as he looked forward to the coming Messiah
that God had promised him, the Lamb of God, which took away
all his sins as it would atone for all his sin, we today should
believe God when he says that Christ has come, that he has
shed his precious blood on the cross of Calvary, and that one
work, that one work that Christ did redeemed all those, all of
those that the Father gave him, all those that will in time come
to him as God gives them faith. gives them eyes to see, gives
them the heart to lay hold on, the heart to believe, that mind,
affections, and will, as we believe and trust in what God had promised.
This is the faith of Abraham, as well as all who come after
him, is they look to Christ for all of salvation, and that they
have no confidence in the flesh. I pray today, friends, that as
we look back to Abraham as he believed God, he believed what
God had promised him to do in sending the Messiah, that perfect
lamb without spot of blemish, that all those sacrifices that
took place under that old dispensation, we pray that God will give us
that same faith of Abraham. And he will, he will in time
as he draws all of his elect to him by this gospel, this gospel
that reveals the righteousness of God in and by the Lord Jesus
Christ.