Romans chapter 4. We read the
verses a few moments ago. My text will be from verse 21. Abraham, speaking of Abraham,
it says, in being fully persuaded that what God had promised, God
was able to perform. You have here three things, three
things at least that I want to consider. You have persuasion. Abraham was persuaded, fully
persuaded. You have the promise. It was
God's promise. And then you have performance.
God doing the performing as well. That was the basis of Abraham's
persuasion. God said, It was God's promise. It was God's Word. That's what
Abraham considered and nothing else. A few weeks ago, I think
I probably made reference, as I often do, to an old hymn during
the message and afterwards Pat sent me a link and I looked at
it on the computer. The hymn I quoted was stand by
me. And it became more meaningful
to me once I read the biography, brief biography, of the man who
wrote that hymn. It was written by a man named
Charles Albert Tindley, a black man. And his father was a slave. His mother was a free woman. But she died when Charles was
very young, and so that he himself wouldn't become a slave, his
father gave him to his sister-in-law. His mother sistered the race,
because she was free too. And young Charles was hired out
to earn his keep. He would be hired out to do various
things. After God saved him, He became
a preacher, and he wrote many hymns. With that as a background,
I have a more appreciation, I think, a better appreciation of that
old hymn, Stand By Me. Two verses. One says, when the
storms of life are raging, stand by me. When the storms of life
are raging, stand by me. When this world is tossing me
like a ship upon the sea, thou who rulest wind and water, stand
by me." And he has. He always has. I've told you
before, and I'm 65 years old now, so I might repeat myself. When our Lord came walking on
the sea that night, in the wee hours of the morning,
John tells us prior to that, it was dark. Oh, it was dark
and stormy when the world is tossing me like a ship upon the
sea. And the Lord Jesus came to them
walking on the water. And he said, it's I. It's I. I'm not a ghost. I'm not a figment
of your imagination. I'm not an aberration. It's I. Be not afraid. On more than one occasion during
a violent storm in my spiritual journey, he's come to me on the
sea. On my little boat's being tossed
about and I'm thinking I'm going down. And he said, John, he speaks
as never a man spake and said it as I. Be not afraid. Everything's under control. That
man also wrote, I think this is the last verse or one of the
verses into him, when I'm growing old and feeble, stand by me. When I'm growing old and feeble,
stand by me. When my life becomes a burden
and I'm nearing chilly Jordan, oh, thou lily of the valley,
stand by me. In everything that he's promised,
in life, in death, in eternity, Abraham was persuaded God helped
me to be persuaded too that everything he promised he's able to perform. Look at verse 24. Not only to Abraham, but for
us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised
up Jesus our Lord from the dead. Believe God as Abraham did and
be treated by God as Abraham was. Justified. Justified. Declared righteous. God can perform such a great
and glorious miracle as that. He can raise up sinners from
the dead. He can give them life. He's able
to justify, declare not guilty, All what blessedness is enjoyed
by the man or the woman who has experienced that. There's nothing,
there is nothing in this world, oh no, that's not enough. All the world and everything
in it doesn't compare to the value of lying down tonight and
knowing you're just with God Almighty. John, what peace, what
joy, what rest. Look what we read here in this
chapter of Romans 4 verse 5. It speaks of this very thing,
this free justification, being declared righteous by God. being
acquitted in the courts of heaven. Verse 5, but to him that worketh
not. Oh, I'm so glad that's so. Because
works never bring rest. They never bring peace. They
never bring any persuasion of your acceptance with God. But
he that believeth on him that justifieth ungodly, his faith
is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth
the blessedness of the man unto whom the Lord imputeth righteousness
without works." Aren't you glad that's true? Aren't you glad
at the end of the day, when you look back, it's not like some
poor misguided people have told you. I heard this when I was
a child and afterwards, that the basis of someone's acceptance
before God, their eternal salvation, depends upon their works, that
in heaven, if our good works outweigh our bad works, like
God's going to set out some scales there, you'll enter in, but if
not, if the balance tips and your works aren't enough, you'll
be cast out. My soul! Anybody that gives any
serious consideration to such nonsense as that, no wonder they
need nerve pills. Oh, no! Thank God He imputes
righteousness to us without works, not based upon our works. Look
at verse 7, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,
whose sins are covered. Blessed! Blessed, the word means
happy. Blessed, happy is the man, verse
8, to whom the Lord will not, wait a minute, wait a minute,
will not, no matter what they may do, no matter how they may
fall, no matter how often and how far they may stray, The Lord
will not, even if like Peter they deny they even know him,
the Lord will not impute their sin to them. Never. It will never happen. God Almighty
would have to change who he is before such a thing can take
place. He would have to change his very nature, his very being
before that would take place because he has already imputed
all the sins of all his people on his darling son and God Almighty
will not demand payment twice for the same crime. He will not
impute sin to his people. No wonder we read that Abraham
was fully persuaded that what God had promised he was able
also to perform. And that's the first word, persuasion. The word means, among other things,
conviction, belief. And that's the bottom line, is
it not? That's the foundation for Abraham's persuasion. Verse
3 we read here in chapter 4 of Romans, Abraham believed He just
believed God. Verse 17, before him whom he
believed, even God, the object of his faith was no one less
than the Lord God Almighty. Then he must be able, Abraham
focusing his eyes, his heart, his consideration, This is what
gave rise to his full persuasion. He looks at God and thinks, there's
no problem, Louis. God Almighty, God who gives life,
God who raises the dead, God who has his way everywhere all
the time. Looking at God, Abraham said,
I'm convinced. If he tells me I'm going to have
a son, even though I'm 100 years old and Sarah's 90 years old,
if he says I'm going to have a son, I'm going to have a son. And we're told he glorified God
in his faith in believing that what he had promised he was able
also to perform. He must be able to perform all
that he promised. Now pause here just for a moment.
I just now said he must be able, that is God, to perform all that
he promised. Why not? Why not? Why wouldn't he be able? Now
think about that. Why wouldn't? If he's God Almighty,
if he's omnipotent, all-powerful, omniscient, all-knowing, the great and high and mighty
God, why wouldn't he be able to perform, to bring to pass
everything he's purposed? Why would he not be able to fulfill
every promise he's ever made to his people? Why not? What will prevent him? What will
prevent him? What shall stop him? John Condor
was a preacher of many years ago, 1700s. He was born in 1714, and when
just an infant, his grandfather, picked up that baby And the grandfather,
with tears in his eyes, kissed that baby on the forehead, his
grandson, and he said, who knows, who knows what sad days these
little eyes are likely to see. Because it was a time of persecution
for those who would not pledge allegiance to the state church.
John Connor, that babe, when he was an old man, or much older,
When he was grown, he told the story that was related to him
of what his grandfather said, what his grandfather had mentioned
about what John's eyes were most likely to see. And he said this,
these eyes have, for more than 60 years, seen nothing but goodness
and mercy. They followed me all the days
of my life. Is that not true of you, child
of God? Is there any believer that cannot
say the same? Mr. Fortner, in his article in
today's Bulletin Wonders, grace refers to God's mercy, grace,
God's goodness and mercy as being the hounds of heaven, following
him all of his life, even the days of his rebellion and darkness
and sin. There is so many a desponding
prophecy that by God's blessed faithfulness has been proven
false. How much needless anxiety we
would avoid if we would just remember what Abraham was fully
convinced of. Oh God, give me grace to remember. You are in the heavens. Where
is your God, David? A king? Indeed a king. Why are
you hiding out in this cave then? A king? God's made you king?
Why has Absalom, your very own son, rebelled against you and
seeks your life? Where's your God now, David?
Oh, for grace to do as David did, as Abraham did, and glorify
our God in doing so. And raising our hands toward
heaven and saying, our God is in the heavens. He's on the throne.
He's ruling. He's always ruling. He's the
mighty God. He doesn't take vacation. And
he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. In verse 18, look at
it again here in Romans 4. We're told what Abraham didn't
consider. Now, human reason, oh. Human reason and logic, nature,
so to speak, all said, well, the promise just can't be fulfilled.
Abraham, you're hoping against hope. It's just not logical. It's just not practical. Look
at yourself, Abraham. No hope. You're an old man. Look at your wife. old and barren. That too equals no hope. And yet we're told in that verse,
Abraham, against hope, believed in hope. Where did the foundation
of his hope lie? What was the reason for it? Not
in himself, not in his wife, but solely, barely, upon the
naked promise of his great God. God said it. And Abraham rejoiced
in knowing that it must come to pass. He believed in hope.
He hoped in God, who, we're told, quickeneth the dead. Turn, if
you will, to Romans chapter 11. In what has been referred to
as the roll call of faith, we read concerning this same
thing that Abraham believed God. Here in Hebrews chapter 11, verse
11. Through faith also Sarah herself
received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of a child
when she was past age. How? How could that be? Because
she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there
even of one, and him as good as dead, Abraham, so many as
the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the
sea shore innumerable." That's our God. That's our God. God
who quickeneth the dead. And that's exactly what was needed,
was it not? Abraham needed quickening. So
did Sarah. Are you still in Hebrews 11?
Look at verse 17. If I'm not mistaken, this is
the only place we're told this in Scripture. Verse 17, By faith
Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac. And he that had received
the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was
said that in Isaac should all thy seed be called. And God says,
Sacrifice that son in whom all the promise was made. And look
what it says concerning Abraham even then, verse 19, accounting
or reckoning that God was able to raise him up, to quicken even
Isaac, even from the dead from whence also he received him in
a figure. Is anything too hard for me,
saith the Lord? God who quickens the dead can
do anything. Can he not? Turn back a moment
to Genesis. And here, just briefly, the account
of what we read here in Romans chapter 4 and Hebrews 11. Genesis
chapter 18. The Lord appears to Abraham. Years, years, years have passed
by since he made the promise of a son. And here in Genesis 18 verse
11. 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 of a surety bear a child
which am old? Is anything too hard for the
Lord at the time appointed? Oh, I like that. at the time
appointed, when God purposed it, I will return unto thee according
to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. And he gave Abraham that son,
God who quickeneth the dead. You had he quickened. Is this
not what Paul said in Ephesians 2? had he quickened, not offered
to quicken, not tried to quicken, not hoped to quicken, but you
had he quickened who were dead. That's your state without Christ. Without God in this world, you're
dead in trespasses and sins. And there's no preacher, there's
no soul winner that can give you life. Jesus Christ himself
said, I'm the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in
me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And he that liveth
and believeth in me, Martha, he shall never die. That's what
he told Martha. at the grave of her dead brother
Lazarus. You had he quickened, O God,
who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be
not as though they were." Someone asked Don, I remember him telling
this, asked him, Preacher, do you believe in miracles? And
Don said, man, I am a miracle. You're looking at a miracle.
I'm a miracle of God's great power and great grace. I'm reminded
just now of what Donnie Bell said. He said, I believe every
word of God. If somebody said, Donny, you
do believe that that great fish really swallowed Jonah? Donny
said, if God's word says that Jonah swallowed that great fish,
I would believe it because nothing's impossible with him. He calleth
those things that be not, verse 17 again here in Romans 4, as
though they were. He created all things by the
power of his word. In God's word, never. Never. It never has returned void. It always accomplishes exactly
His purpose. It doesn't matter how great the
promise, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter the magnitude,
the greatness of the promise, when God is the one making the
promise. The fulfillment of it, the performance
of it, depends upon God who gave it. God is not man that he should
lie, neither the son of man that he should repent. Hath he said,
and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall
he not make it good? Look at God as Abraham did. Behold him. Consider him. The very first verse of scripture. In the beginning, God. What stands out there? The glory
of creation or the greatness of the creator? In the beginning,
God created. Consider nothing as preventing
the performance of his promise. He's God. This word persuaded
in our text has with it or includes a metaphor of a ship at sea coming
into harbor, not limping in, so to speak, not banged up and
tattered through the storms, but it enters the harbor with
sails full. Full. That's what God does. The sovereignty of God gives
full persuasion to faith. of mighty support when all things
around us, all human props are tottering and failing as they
must do. God says, my word won't. From Genesis 1 and 1 to Revelation
19, the Lord God omnipotent, what? He reigneth. He reigneth. You know when it
kind of slips out, in conversation in this religious world we live
in, you're perhaps more likely than not a relative, they hear
you believe that God is sovereign. That God Almighty doesn't try,
God does. That's nothing too hard for Him. that what he has promised he's
able also to perform. God's in the heavens, God rules,
God reigns, God has dominion always, everywhere, with everyone. And they look at you as though
they feel sorry for you. You ever had that happen? You mean you believe it's not
up to man's will? Yeah, you heard me right. And
if you had any sense, you'd be thankful that it's not. Thank
God. Thank God. And we're going to
spend eternity thanking God that it was not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but it was of God, of God who quickeneth
the dead, of God who showeth mercy. But folks, here that you
believe in the absolute sovereignty of our absolute God, and they
look at you as though they feel sorry for you. They think that
our belief in God's sovereignty is something that we really don't
rejoice in, it's just something that we have to grin and bear.
You remember I do, as a kid, having to take castor oil. They thought that, if I remember
right, they thought that cured just about anything. Man, that
stuff was nasty. Nasty. But oh, you take it. That's not our reaction to God's
sovereignty. Oh no. It's not something we
don't enjoy. Oh, no. As we quoted a minute
ago, oh, when the storms of life are raging, what gives me peace,
what gives me hope, is to take that sweet, comfortable pillow
of my sovereign God and lie down on it knowing that He is in the
heavens and nothing catches Him off guard. And when the storms
of life are raging, He stands by me. I like what Frank said
here in our bulletin, Frank Hall. He said, God sovereignly and
graciously overruled King David's adultery. His murder and sin
to bring Jesus Christ into this world by whom David's adultery
and murder and sin were put away forever. Now that's wisdom. Now that's power. Now that's
grace. That's our God. That's our God. Remember, the Word was made flesh,
speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. God had in these latter days
spoken unto us by his Son. This is my beloved Son in whom
I am well pleased. Hear ye him. Someone very well
said, the Word of God is about God the Word. With that in mind,
consider what's a few promises of our God through the Lord Jesus
Christ. Look if you will in Romans chapter
8. Very familiar verses here. Let's read just a couple of them.
Romans chapter 8. Moreover, verse 30. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
that is God, then he also called. And whom he called, then he also
justified. And whom he justified, then he
also glorified. God does all that to his people. No such thing as a predestined,
uncalled, unjustified, unglorified believer. No such critter. Everyone
he predestinated, he'll call, he'll bring to glory. Verse 31,
what shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who
can be against us? See, the Lord Jesus Christ, the
captain of our salvation, in order to bring many sons to glory,
he must be made like unto his brethren. Because the children
that God entrusted unto him in the covenant of grace were flesh
and blood, he likewise himself took part of the same. He took
hold of, not the nature of angels, he took hold of the seed of Abraham. With that glorious, glorious
truth, I ask you, will he not perform all things he promised?
See him living a life of absolute perfect obedience to God's law. The Lord Jesus Christ from the
cradle, when he who was God Almighty entered this world, the word
was made flesh and tabernacled amongst us. From the first breath
he drew until 33 years later when his last breath expired
upon the cross, every step he took, every thought he ever had,
every word he ever spoke, every deed he ever done, from the cradles
of the grave, he did always those things that pleased his father
perfectly. Think about that. Think about
that. And he did that as the substitute,
as the representative of his people. And I ask you in light
of that, will God not with him freely give us all things and
afterwards see him on Calvary? The old writer said, oh, now
we're venturing into those unknown sufferings of God. Unknown sufferings
of God. God made him sin for us. Didn't pretend he was sin. Treat
him like he was sin. That's not what it says. God
made him sin. Those two words to be are in
italics in 2 Corinthians 5 and 21. Take them out. Read them
as it should be read. God made him sin for us. I can't understand that. I couldn't
understand that, but it's so. God made him who knew no sin,
sin for us. And how can we not be made the
righteousness of God in him? In short, brothers and sisters
in Christ, what rather will God not do for us for Christ's sake? Think about that. What will God
Almighty not do for us for Christ's sake. He's forgiven us of all
trespasses and all sin for Christ's sake. He receives us unto himself,
accepted him to be loved for Christ's sake. And one day he'll
receive us in the glory for Christ's sake. We often, no, no, I often,
like the father of the poor demoniac, have to pray to my father, my
God, I believe, help thou my unbelief. Do you? Do you? What a horrible sin. We're told that Abraham glorified
God by his faith, by his trust, by his implicit full persuasion
of God's promise and performance of that promise. On the other
hand, How unglorifying to our God to doubt Him. The hymn writer
said, it's so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at
His word, just to rest, rest, just to rest upon His promise,
just to know, thus saith the Lord. Oh, what sweet rest. Remember
when Noah was in the ark and he sent out the dove to see if
there was land? I'll tell you what, if there
had been any place for that dove to rest its foot, to land on,
it would have. It wouldn't have returned to
the ark. But there was no place. And he came back to Noah into
the ark. Children of God, it's sad but
true. It's in our nature, if we can find anything to rest
in, anything to trust but our God, if we can find any other
to land on, we'll do it. but God
won't allow it. God won't allow it. He gently
forces us, as their faithful great shepherd of the sheep,
returning to me, returning to me, and I will give you rest. What Christ has promised, He
will perform. How much He already has. He says
to you and I, children of God, I'll never leave you. I'll never
forsake you. Has that not been true? He says,
My sheep I give eternal life and they shall never perish.
None shall pluck them out of my hand. Is that not true? He
says, My grace is sufficient for you. Is that not true? The words of Joshua when he was
an old man and ready to leave this world can be said by every
believer. He said, Behold, this day I'm
going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts
and in all your souls that not one thing hath failed of all
the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you.
All are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed
thereof. Is that not so? Elizabeth told
Mary when she came to visit her, blessed art thou who has believed
there'll be a performance of the things the Lord has promised
you. Paul said I'm persuaded that he's able to keep that,
that I've committed unto him against that day. Let me say
this in closing. In that wonderful chapter by
the fifth evangelist, Isaiah Chapter 53, we're told that he
shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. Look at the captain of our salvation,
the firstborn among many brethren, bringing forth much fruit. Father, he prayed before that
night he went to the garden where he was arrested. Father, I will
also that those whom thou has given me be with me where I am. that they may behold my glory
and see them coming into the eternal harbor of heaven and
all its glory under full sails." There's no second-class citizens
in heaven. There's no slums there. In my
Father's house are many mansions. And they enter in with sails
full because they're more than conquerors through Him that loved
us. Let me close by reading a few
verses here in Revelation chapter 7. Here they enter under full
sail. Is this not part of that promise
of our Lord's seeing of the travail of his soul and being satisfied? Would he be satisfied with anything
less than if we were not more than conquerors through him that
loved us? Would he be satisfied if every
child of God is not made like unto him their glorious head?
Would he be satisfied if every redeemed called out of darkness
sinner is not brought to glory to inherit everything that he
earned for them? Here in Revelation chapter 7
verse 13, and one of the elders answered saying unto me, Who
are these? What are these which are arrayed
in white robes? And whence came they? And I said
unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, these are
they which came out. I love that. I love that. Don't
you? These are they which perished
in tribulation. No, no, no. These are they which
came out. Came out. Why? Why? Because what he promised he's
able to perform. Oh, yes, it's true. They experienced
tribulation. Some through the water, some
through the flood, some through the fire. Oh, but glory to his
name all through the blood. God leads his dear children along
and he'll lead them all the way to glory. They came out of great
tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in
the blood of the lamb. The next time your little ship's
being tossed and turned, just remember, you'll come out. You'll
come out. Therefore are they before the
throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple.
And he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them." Imagine
that. They shall hunger no more, neither
thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any
heat. For the lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall
feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. That's a promise
from our God. And all that he promised, he's
able to perform. God bless you.