We're looking at verse 16, where
Paul showed us so clearly that salvation is by grace alone through
faith alone, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's
the only way salvation can be sure, is if it's by grace. By grace that's found in our
Lord Jesus Christ. And both Old Testament believers
and New Testament believers are saved the same way, just one
way, through faith in Christ. They look forward to Christ's
coming, we look back to his finished work. And Abraham is an example
of that. Scripture calls him the father
of the faithful. And any one of us who are going
to be justified is going to be justified the same way Abraham
was, by grace, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And
those people are called the descendants, the sons and daughters of Abraham.
And that's where we pick up in verse 17 of Romans 4. As it's
written, I have made thee a father of many nations. before him whom
he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things
which be not as though they were." Now Abraham is the father physically
of many nations, both the Arabs and the Jews, the descendants
of Ishmael and the descendants of Isaac. That's not who Paul
is talking about here. He's talking about Abraham being
a spiritual father. He's the spiritual father, not
just the Jews, his physical descendants. but spiritual descendants who
had the same God-given faith that Abraham did. And we know
from reading Scripture over and over again, Abraham believed
God. And he believed God with good
reason. Same as us. We believe God with
good reason because of who He is. It says here, He's the God
of life. He quickeneth the dead. Now,
He's the God of physical life. God's the one who breathed the
breath of life into Adam and made him a living soul. He's
given life to every baby that's been born from then till now.
If they have life, God gave it. He sustains the life of everyone
and everything, both plant, animal, and human life. If it has life
on this planet, God gives it. He sustains it. Well, then God's
certainly capable of giving life to Sarah's dead womb. He's certainly
able to have Abraham father a child because he's the God of life.
And it's the same is true with spiritual life. Our God is the
God of spiritual life. He's the one who gave spiritual
life to Abraham. He gave life, spiritual life
to all the Old Testament believers. Well, the question is, then doesn't
God have power to give spiritual life to the Gentiles too? He
gave life to one idolater, a heathen idolater, Abraham. Can He give
it to this heathen too? God breathed life into that valley
of dead bones. The prophet preached and God
breathed life. Those dead bones stood up on
their feet of great army. And if we're going to have spiritual
life, it's going to happen the exact same way. God's prophet's
going to preach and He's going to breathe spiritual life into
us. Who were born dead in trespasses and sins. Just a bunch of dry
bones. Until God breathes life into
us. He's the God of life. He quickeneth the dead. That's
why we preach. Because He quickens the dead.
And we believe God with good reason because He's the God of
all power. He wills it and it's done. He calls those things which be
not as though they were. God talks about future events
and past tense. Because when God wills it, it's
done. In the mind and purpose of God,
it's done. And we may as well talk about
it as if it's already been done. Because who's going to thwart
God's will? Who's going to stop God's purpose? When Abraham stood
before God, God promised him a son. He talked about all these
descendants of Abraham, so many that you can't count them. And
God talked about those descendants and that son as though they already
existed, even though Abraham didn't have one son yet. You
know, Abraham didn't have one son. God's talking about his
descendants more than the stars. Well, God can talk that way because
He's sovereign. He has a sovereign will. We don't
have a sovereign will. You know, we can have will things,
but we can't necessarily bring it to pass. God will accomplish
His purpose. And we do well to remember that. Before we find ourselves in what
may seem like a hopeless situation, impossible situation to us, we
just may want to remember, God's will will be done. Before we
give up hope on ourselves or our children, our loved ones,
our community, before you give up hope, just remember, God's
will will be accomplished. Look back at Isaiah 46. Such
a familiar passage of Scripture. Why is it, though, the first
time we find ourselves in a difficult situation, we forget this familiar
Scripture? Let's just remember who our God
is. Isaiah 46, verse 9. Now remember the former things
of old. For I am God, and there is none else. I am God, and there
is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from
ancient times the things which are not yet done, saying, My
counsel shall stand. I will do all my pleasure, calling
a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel
from a far country. Yea, I have spoken it. I will
also bring it to pass. I have purposed it. I will also
do it." And I tell you, as long as God's on the throne, there's
reason to hope in Him. He will accomplish His purpose.
And all of God's elect, as of this moment in time, haven't
come to Christ yet. But they will. Some of them may
not have been born yet. Some of them may be back there,
a baby in the nursery, don't even know their own name. But
they're God's left. They're going to come to Him.
They will. I know they will because God's willed it. Christ purchased
them. They'll come to Him. His purpose
will stand. So before we give up hope now,
let's just remember, our God will do His purpose, His will. Verse 18, Abraham here, 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. Here's Abraham and Sarah. They're
both near 100 years old, never had a child. There's no reason
to hope they're going to live another month, much less have
a child. I mean, once you're 100 years
old, you're living on borrowed time. I mean, you know, you just
don't make plans much past tomorrow when you're 100. They're going
to have a son. How do they know that? Because
God said it. It's physically impossible for
Sarah to conceive and bear a child. How is she going to have the
strength to do that? Abraham believed Sarah is going to bear
him a son. Why would he believe that? Why
on earth could Abraham have such confidence that Sarah is going
to bear him a son? other than mental instability.
I mean, you know, somebody might just be crazy and believe something
like that. And that's what men would say. Abraham, you're off
your rocker. And he would be if it wasn't
for God's Word. God's Word says, so shall thy
seed be. He's not going to just have one
son. He's got many sons and daughters because he believed God's Word. And believers today, you and
me sitting right here today, have the exact same foundation
of faith, God's Word. We believe God and His Word is
sure because of who He is. I say this over and over and
over again because I just so believe this is true. What you
believe depends entirely on who you believe. Apam believed he
would have a son. That's what he believed. He believed
that because of who he believed. God said he'd have a son. And
he believed against all human hope. He believed in hope. Now, this word hope doesn't mean
a wish. Holly and I were talking about it yesterday, coming up
with all the different scenarios that have to fall into place
just right for Kentucky to make the NCAA tournament, because
we really hope they do. But that's a wish. I mean, we
hope, but it's a wish. And it just very well may not
come true. That's not the kind of hope a believer has. That's
not the way this word is used here. This word means an expectation. Believers have an expectation
for hope, for salvation. We have an expectation for ultimate
glorification in Christ. We have the expectation to live
in a body that's free from sin, to worship our Redeemer face
to face. And that's an expectation. It's
not a hope. It's not a wish. It's not a maybe.
It's an expectation that's based on the promise of God, on the
Word of God. and on the sacrifice of our Redeemer. And that's what makes our expectation
a certainty, just like Abraham expected a son. He wasn't being
presumptuous to expect a son because God said he'd have a
son. Believers aren't presumptuous to expect to awake in glory in
Christ's likeness because God promised it and our Lord purchased
it. Now verse 19, who being not weak
in faith He considered not his own body now dead when he's about
100 years old, neither yet he didn't consider 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 here
Abraham and Sarah, they're both over 90, they're childless, they're
in their golden years, and the Lord tells him, you're going
to have more descendants than the stars. And the natural question
is, how's that possible? I don't see any way that that
can happen. How's that going to happen? Well,
Abraham believed God and he didn't stagger because of weak faith.
Physically, if we stagger, it's because we're weak. Something's
wrong in our body, your muscles start to give out and you stagger
because you're weak. Well, Abraham didn't dwell on
all the obstacles that were in the way. He didn't dwell on his
own body that was now as good as dead. He didn't dwell on the
deadness of Sarah's womb. He didn't get caught up in everything
that was in the way. Where he allowed his mind to
dwell was on who made the promise. That's why he didn't stagger,
because he allowed his mind to dwell on the one who made the
promise. And the one who made the promise
is the one who cannot fail. The one who made the promise
is the one who cannot lie. These obstacles are insignificant
because of who made the promise. Look back at Genesis 18. And if we'll allow our minds to dwell
there, we'll have a whole lot more peace, a whole lot more
calmness in the face of trouble. Genesis 18, verse 10. And he said, I will certainly
return unto thee according to the time of life, and lo, Sarah
thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent
door which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old
and well stricken in age, and it ceased to be with Sarah after
the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within
herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my
Lord, being old also? And the Lord said unto Abraham,
Wherefore did Sarah laugh? saying, shall I have the surety
to bear a child which am old? Is anything too hard for the
Lord? That's where we need to focus.
These are hard obstacles. Is anything too hard for the
Lord, for God Almighty? If you dwell there, you won't
stagger through unbelief. Look over at Matthew 19. Our
Lord taught the disciples this exact same lesson. Is anything too hard for God?
Then said Jesus unto his disciples,
Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the
kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, it
is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for
a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When His disciples
heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can
be saved? But Jesus beheld them and said
unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
And we're faced with a situation that seems impossible. Let's
not stagger because of unbelief. Let's remember who God is, that
He has the power to accomplish His will, His purpose. He's able
to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. I'm
so glad God's not limited to what I can think. He's able to
do exceeding abundantly above what we ask or think because
He's able. Now, in many instances, I don't
know what the Lord will do, but I know He's able and He will
accomplish His purpose. Now, I looked this phrase up
yesterday. He is able. I want to read you some of these
scriptures. You listen to these. Daniel 3, 17, before Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego are thrown into that fiery furnace, this
is what they said. Our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver
us from the burning, fiery furnace. And this is what they knew. One
way or another, He will deliver us from your hand, O king. This
is the last time your mail will touch us, because He's able.
Daniel 4, 37, you know what Nebuchadnezzar learned? Those that walk in pride,
He is able. to evase. Philippians 3, 21. Paul says he shall change our
vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body,
according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all
things unto himself. There is nothing that can resist
his will and his power because he is able. 2 Timothy 1, 12. I am not ashamed, for I know
whom I have believed, And I'm persuaded that he is able to
keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. What
have you committed unto him? Everything. He's able to keep
everything for me against that day. Hebrews 2.18, for in that
he himself has suffered, being tempted. He is able to suffer. He's able to comfort them that
are tempted. He's able. Hebrews 7.25, Wherefore
he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come to
God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Jude 1.24, this is a familiar scripture, Now unto him that
is able to keep you from falling, to present you thoughtless before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise
God our Savior be glory Majesty, dominion, and power both now
and ever. Amen. That's why Abraham didn't stagger
at the promise. Because who made the promise?
It's God's promise. And only weak faith would stagger
at any of God's word. This word stagger, in other places
in scripture, is translated doubt. Only weak faith would ever doubt
God's word. Let us never doubt God's word
because of whose word it is. Now none of us are happy or satisfied
with the strength of our faith. We never will be as long as we're
in this body. And a person with weak faith is just as justified,
they're just as saved, as the person who has strong faith.
Because it's not the strength of our faith that saves, it's
the object of our faith that saves. Now that being said, that
never excuses weak faith. We never have reason to have
weak faith when our faith is in Christ. If our faith is in
the God of Abraham, we never have reason for weak faith, do
we? That's shameful. And in our Lord's ministry and
throughout Scripture, weak faith is upbraided and He commands
strong faith because strong faith gives glory to God. Weak faith
makes it seem like there could be reason to doubt God, to doubt
His will, to doubt His purpose, to doubt His love and care for
us. Strong faith gives all the glory to God. Strong faith says,
I'm not able, but He's able and I'll rest in Him. That gives
Him all the glory. And like I said, in our Lord's
ministry, His earthly ministry, He upbraided weak faith. John
Prince wrote Wednesday night when he told that man, except
you see signs and wonders you will not believe. That's weak
faith. Look over Matthew 6. Three times in Matthew, our Lord
called his disciples, the twelve, O ye of little faith, upbraiding
their weak faith. Matthew 6, verse 28. Which of you, by taking thought,
can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not,
neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you that even
Solomon, in all of his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothed the grass of the field, which
today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much
more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought,
and you know this means no anxious thought, Saying, what shall we
eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed?
There is a recession coming, we'll all be homeless on the
street, naked, hungry, starving. No, for after all these things
do the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knoweth
that you have need of all these things. But seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be
added unto you. Oh, ye of little faith. Look over at page Matthew
8. Verse 23, And when he was entered
into a ship, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose
a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with
the waves. And he was asleep, the Lord was asleep back there
in the ship. And his disciples came to him
and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us, we perish. And he saith
unto them, Why are ye fearful? How many times have I laid awake
at night fearful? Why are you fearful? Oh, ye of
little faith. That's why I'm fearful. Oh, ye
of little faith. Then he arose and he rebuked
the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm. And
the men marveled, saying, what manner of man is this that even
the winds and the sea obey him? Why do you fear? Oh, ye of little
faith. One more, Matthew 16. Matthew 16, verse 6. Then Jesus
said unto them, Take heed, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees
and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves,
saying, It is because we have taken no bread. They did not
learn that lesson. They are still worried about
bread. What are we going to eat? Which, when Jesus perceived, he said
unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves,
because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand? Neither
remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets
you took up? Neither the seven loaves of the
four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? Do you forget? How
is it that you do not understand? I spake not to you concerning
bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees,
and of the Sadducees, not of bread, but of these fellows.
Then understood they how he bade them not beware of the leaven
of bread. of the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. See, he upbraids those with little
faith. O ye of little faith. But now
he commends strong faith, the faith of the sons of Abraham.
Look back in Matthew 8. Here earlier, Matthew 8, before
he called his disciples, O ye of little faith. Look who the
fellow he is where strong faith is found. Matthew 8, verse 5. And when Jesus was entered into
Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, a Roman centurion,
beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick
of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus said unto him, I'll
come and heal him. The centurion answered and said,
Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof,
but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For
I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say
to this man, Go, and he goeth. And to another, Come, and he
cometh. And to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus
heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily
I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel,
not among the Jews, that the natural descendants of Abraham
I have found great faith like this. And I say unto you that
many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down
with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. They're
going to come from the four corners of the earth. Spiritual Israel,
sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But the children of
the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness. There shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto this centurion,
Go thy way, and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto
thee. And his servant was healed in
the selfsame hour. This fellow, who our Lord said,
I haven't found so great faith, no, not in Israel, he wasn't
circumcised. He didn't have Jewish ancestry.
He didn't go to the temple every Saturday. But he's one of the
sons God promised Abraham. This man's a son of Abraham.
He had the same faith that Abraham did based on God's Word, because
of who he is. Now, verse 21, back in our text,
Romans 4. And being fully persuaded that
what he had promised, he was able also to perform. Now see,
the unbelievers like King Agrippa. King Agrippa told Paul, I'm almost
persuaded. The believer, Abraham, is fully
persuaded. And you know the difference?
In Agrippa's case, the difference was Paul almost persuaded him. The preacher almost persuaded
him. The Lord revealed Himself to
Abraham. So Abraham was fully persuaded
because the Lord revealed Himself to him. And the same is true
today. The Lord's promising His Word
to save a people. I look around me and all I see
are people who are like me, dead in trespasses and sins. They
will not come to Christ if they might have life. They have no
interest. And if you would drag them in to hear the gospel preached,
they're miserable. Oh, it's just they'd rather do
anything. They're just dead in trespasses and sins. And you
see, people who for years and years listened to the Gospel,
no difference made whatsoever. What are you doing continuing
to study and preach? Because I am fully persuaded
that some of them are going to come to Christ. That's why. I'm
fully persuaded of that because God promised it in His Word.
Our Lord promised in His Word to make a people righteous. Make
an unrighteous, wretched lot perfectly righteous through the
imputed righteousness of another. And I see believers who love
Christ. I'm convinced they love the Lord
Jesus Christ and they still sin. Yet, I'm fully persuaded that
they're righteous. Perfectly righteous. Because
God said it. Not because I see them do anything
perfectly righteous, because I see quite the contrary. I believe
that I'm fully persuaded because that's what God said. With the
human eye, you can look at me, I look at me, and it's very difficult
to see anything that resembles righteousness. But I'm fully
persuaded that in God's sight, I am perfectly righteous because
God said in His word, it's so. It's the belief of the word. The Lord promised in the last
day to raise the dead bodies of every human being. And he's
going to take his elect home to be with him eternally. Now,
I've seen lots of dead bodies without life. I look at those
bodies to, except for one or two cases, they've always been
treated by the mortician, you know, and they're cold and hard
and they've got all kinds of chemicals pumped in them to keep
them from stinking until you have the funeral. Now, I've touched
that body. There's no way that body is ever
going to live again. It's quickly decaying and returning
back to the dust from which it was made. And I look at that
body. They close the casket and they
put the casket in the ground and they throw dirt on it. And
I'm fully persuaded that out of that grave is going to come
that body. I can't explain that, but I'm fully persuaded because
my Lord said that He's going to raise them by His power. And
I've never seen anything above you know, the 35,000 feet or
whatever airplane flies. I've seen pictures of outer space
and the end of the universe. And I, you know, they say nothing's
out past that. I don't know. I have no reason, no physical
scientific reason to believe anything exists beyond that.
I've never seen glory. I'm not being like the Apostle
Paul who was taken to the third heaven. But I'm fully persuaded
that my Redeemer is there right now, making a place, preparing
a place for me. I've never seen it here. I've
never seen my Lord. I've never seen his body. Never
seen him. But I know he's here. I'm fully persuaded that he's
here right now because he promised, I will never leave thee nor forsake
thee. That's one of the comforting
scriptures come to my mind. I stand right here. I'll never
leave thee nor forsake thee. Fully persuaded. Therefore, verse
22, it was imputed to him for righteousness. Righteousness
was imputed to Abraham because he believed God. Not because
he kept the law or he was circumcised or he did this or didn't do that.
It's because he believed God. Because his faith rested in him
who is righteous. And Jehovah said, can you, the
Lord, our righteousness? And I am fully persuaded that
the righteousness of Christ is mine. Not just legally, not just
on paper, not pasted on, as Scott Richardson says, but mine. Actually mine. Because God imputed
it to me. Now verse 23. Now it's not written
for his sake alone. Here's why I believe that. It
wasn't written for Abraham's sake alone 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. God's promise
to justify Abraham wasn't just to Abraham. It wasn't just so
that Abraham could be justified. That same promise is made to
all of God's elect. All those who believe like Abraham
believed on Christ. Our Lord said, Abraham saw my
day and was glad. He believed the Lord Jesus Christ. And the story of Abraham is not
just a history lesson. Abraham's a pattern of how God
saves sinners. He's a pattern. of how God makes
a heathen wretch righteous, not through our works, but through
the imputed righteousness of Christ. In verse 25, this is
the one on whom we believe, who is delivered for our offenses
and raised again for our justification. See, here's how we're justified.
Here's how sin is put away. Substitution and satisfaction.
Our sins imputed to Christ. And He paid the penalty for those
sins. The law demanded and justice
demanded death for those sins. And He paid the penalty for our
sins imputed to Him. The righteousness of Christ imputed
to the people for whom He died. And we enjoy the life, the eternal
life that He purchased, that He gives His people because justice
demands you have life. Because the righteousness of
Christ is imputed to you. His obedience is your obedience. And he was delivered for our
offenses. The Father delivered his beloved
son into the hands of death. He delivered his son into the
hands of justice. Because the sins of God's elect
were imputed to him. He became guilty and God delivered
him over to justice. The punishment and death for
those sins because he was guilty. The son willingly delivered himself
into the hands of justice. The father and the son were in
agreement on this. He willingly went to judgment. He willingly
gave himself over to death so he could glorify his father.
And he willingly delivered himself over to justice because he loved
his people. Greater love hath no man than
this. that a man laid down his life for his friends. He laid
it down willingly because he loved his people. He said, no
man takes my life from me. I lay it down. I lay it down
to myself. I have power to lay it down.
I have power to take it again. He laid it down willingly because
he loved his people. Christ delivered himself to suffer
and to die as a substitute for his people. And when he died,
He put all those sins that were charged to Him away. All that
sin was imputed to Him and He washed it away forever. He washed
every stain, every remembrance of it, He washed it away under
His precious blood. And the proof that that sin that
was imputed to Him is gone is He's raised from the grave. The
proof that sin really was imputed to Him is He died. The Father
never would have killed Him. The Father never would have let
those men nail Him to a cross to suffer and die under the blackness
where the sun wouldn't shine unless He was guilty. He became
guilty and the proof of it was He died. And the proof that that
sin is put away through His sacrifice is He arose from the grave. The
grave and justice couldn't hold Him any longer because the sin
is gone. He put it away. Now we're not
justified because Christ arose. We're justified through His obedience.
We're justified through His death, through His sacrifice, through
His blood. But the proof that we are justified, that we have
been justified, is Christ arose from the grave. He was made sin,
and if that sin wasn't paid for, if the debt's not paid in full,
He'd stay in the grave. But sin's gone. So Christ is
raised. And the proof that our sin is
gone, You can't see proof of it. You cannot see proof my sin's
gone. You look at me just for two seconds,
and you're going to see some more of it. But the proof that
we stand justified before God Almighty is our Savior is raised
from the grave. And we're justified by grace
through faith in Him, through faith in His finished work. Alright,
well, I hope that'll bless you.