Let's open our Bibles this morning
to Romans chapter 5, Romans the fifth chapter. While he walked on this earth,
the Son of God taught the gospel by many parables. One he gave
was of a Pharisee and a publican who did what you have done here
today. They both came to the house of
God. The one a Pharisee, the other a publican. And the Pharisee
walked right up front and took his place that he esteemed to
be his proper place at the head of the place. And he prayed thus
with himself, God, I thank you. I am not like other men are. I'm not like other men. Other
men are sinful. and corrupt and to do bad things. I'm not like other men. I pray
three times every day. And I fast twice every week. And I give tithes of everything
that comes into my hands. And I'm not like this publican,
that despicable character sitting back there in the back. And then,
our Lord tells us, the publican also prayed. But he wouldn't
so much as lift his eyes toward heaven, but rather he bowed down
as in the dust, beat upon his breast, as if to say, I have
a problem, and this is it. My heart, oh, my heart. Oh, the depravity. and the corruption
of my heart. And he cried, God, be merciful
to me, the sinner. God, be propitious to me. God, look upon the sin-atoning
sacrifice of your darling son and forgive my sin, the sin of
this man, the sinner. And our Lord Jesus said at the
conclusion of the parable, this man, the publican, went down
to his house justified rather than the other. The Pharisee
went home just like he came in, proud, self-righteous, religious,
and thinking all was well as he went to hell. The publican
who came in. acknowledging his sin, looking
to Christ the Redeemer, confessing his sin. The publican who came
in with a sense of guilt and the curse of God upon him went
home at peace with God. With a testimony from God that
he pleased God, that he was righteous, justified, justified before God. It is my prayer that you will
go home this day every one of you justified before God. What does that mean preacher?
Righteous before God without sin before God knowing it. Righteous without sin before
God knowing it. by God's own testimony from his
word in your soul. Now look at Romans chapter 5,
verse 1. Therefore, being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein
we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Wherein
we stand. That's my subject. Wherein we
stand. If you believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, if you trust the Son of God, if you trust Christ the
Lord as your Savior, your Redeemer, your righteousness, your acceptance
with God, you stand justified in grace. This grace wherein
we stand and have access by faith into this grace, rejoicing in
hope of the glory of God. I can't begin to tell you, I can't begin to tell you who do
not know it, What a joy it is to walk before God with confident
hope of everlasting life. In the teeth of all my sin, knowing
who and what I am, I walk before God with joy in the hope of everlasting
glory, everlasting life in Christ Jesus. Now, back up to chapter
four. In the previous chapter, this
fourth chapter, the Apostle Paul was inspired of God to illustrate
this grace for us, this justification, this standing by grace before
God justified. Let's read what it's about. Romans
chapter 4, verse 1. What shall we say then, that
Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? Why
was Abraham called our father? Now obviously he's the father
of the Jewish race physically, but he's not talking about a
Jewish physical race. He's talking about you who believe,
the Israel of God, you who are circumcised in the heart. Why
is Abraham called our father? Because Abraham is the first
person of whom the scripture speaks, believing God. There were others before him
who believed God. Adam believed God, the Lord God
sacrificed an innocent victim and stripped the victim of his
skins and stripped Adam and Eve of their fig leaf aprons and
put the skins on them. And Adam taught his son Abel
to believe God. Abel believed God, he too worshipped
God. Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. He believed God, Enoch believed God. But Abraham
is the first one whom the scriptures speak of saying he believed God. Abraham then is described as
the father of all who believe. Look at verse 2. For if Abraham
were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory. Anybody who
contributes anything to their righteous standing before God
can boast about something. Anybody who contributes anything
to their righteous standing before God can boast about something.
If you think in your deluded imagination that you're good
and God will accept something from you, you will boast of it. You will boast of it. You'll
brag about it. That will be the thing about
which you speak when you talk about your hope before God, just
like that Pharisee. Lord, I thank you. Now, we don't
put God out of it altogether. We wouldn't dare suggest that
we saved ourselves. Oh, no, no, no. Lord, I thank you. I'm not like
these other fellows. And you brag about your good
deeds. Well, if you've got something
good in you, you have a right to brag about it, but not before
God. Verse three, for what saith the
scripture? Abraham believed God, and it
was counted unto him for righteousness. Abraham believed God, and when
he believed God, God said to Abraham, you're righteous, you're
righteous. Now unto him that worketh is
the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness. Verse 10. How was it then reckoned? How was righteousness reckoned
to Abraham? How is it that God reckoned Abraham
righteous and caused Abraham to reckon himself righteous?
When he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision,
but in uncircumcision. That is, Abraham believed God
God declared him righteous and Abraham recognized that he was
righteous in Christ the Lord before ever he experienced circumcision
or had any connection with any kind of legal work. And he received
the sign of circumcision, a seal of righteousness This sign of
circumcision he received after God made a covenant with him
and by this sign of circumcision God said I'm going to do everything
I promised in the covenant and the sign was circumcision in
his flesh. That's what the new birth is.
That's what faith in Christ is. It is the seal of God. declaring
to you who believe that all the promises of God's grace in Christ
Jesus are yours and in him are yea and amen. A seal of the righteousness
of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised, that he
might be the father of all them that believe, though they be
not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also. Verse 12. and the father of the
circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only,
but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham. That is, you who believe God
like Abraham believed God, which he had being yet uncircumcised. Verse 13, for the promise that
he should be heir of the world was not to Abraham, seed through
the law but through the righteousness of faith. Now wait a minute,
where did God tell Abraham he was going to inherit the world? Find me that in the book of God.
But he says here the promise that God made with Abraham that
we read back in Genesis 15 was that Abraham would be heir of
the world. That was the land of Canaan and the Jebusites and
the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and all the
other items that were involved in it. But those are just in
the land of Canaan because that was a picture of something indescribably
greater. Abraham and the covenant that
God made with Abraham and the inheritance Abraham had were
but pictures of the covenant God made with his son and made
with us in his son promising us all grace in his son and all
the world in his son to all who believe God. This is the promise
then. All right, read on. Verse 14. For if they which are of the
law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none
effect. If you can be saved, if you can
inherit God's salvation, if you can get Christ by what you do,
faith is meaningless. The promise of God is meaningless. Because the law worketh wrath,
but where no law is, there is no transgression. Where no law
is, there is no transgression. Where on earth is that? Where
on earth is that? You got it right. Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law. Ye are not under law,
but under grace. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them that are in Christ Jesus. We walk not after the law, not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit. And in Him, in Christ
Jesus, is no sin. Where there is no law, there
is no transgression. Verse 16, Therefore, therefore,
In the light of all this, it is our faith that it might be
by grace. We receive all this grace, all
this bounty by faith in Christ. And that means salvation by grace
alone. What? But isn't faith something
we do? Yep, it is. No, it isn't. Well, can't both be so? Oh, they
can. They can indeed. You see, faith
is the gift of God's grace. And that gift of grace is the
operation of God in us. Having received his grace, faith
receives grace. Having received life, faith receives
life. Having received salvation, faith
receives salvation. Having been given Christ, faith
receives Christ. We don't. Therefore it is of
faith that it might be by grace. To the end, the promise might
be sure. Might be sure. Can't be sure
any other way. The promise can't be sure any
other way. People talk about blessed assurance, Jesus is mine,
oh what a foretaste of glory divine, and don't have a clue
what they're talking about. Don't have a clue what they're
talking about. They're talking about assured salvation. People
talk about it casually and flippantly and have no idea what they're
saying. When the rubber hits the road, they don't have any
peace. They can't sleep at night. They're
constantly in turmoil. Have I done enough? Have I experienced
enough? Have I felt enough? Am I good
enough? But if you believe God, the promise
is sure. If you trust Christ, the promise
is sure. That it might be sure to all
the seed. Not to that only which is of
the law. That is not to the Jews only. But to that also which
is of the faith of Abraham. who is the father of us all as
it is 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 Abraham believed
God who quickens the dead God who gives life to the dead. God who calls those things which
are not as though they were. God who calls into existence
that which was not before. God who calls into existence
that which had no existence before. I was listening to a song where
David and Eric sang together When the recording was just yesterday
coming home, the call comes out from mighty heaven. And one part
of the song David sang, God who called eternity into being. God who called eternity into
being. God. those things into being
that are not before. Oh may he do that for you. God
calls sinners from spiritual death to spiritual life and thereby
calls that into being which was not before. Read on. Verse 18,
who against hope believed in hope. What Abraham believed was God
would do according to promise was totally contrary to anything
that he could imagine. It couldn't be demonstrated by
science, by logic, by reason, by history of any kind. It was
totally contrary to anything he could imagine. Abraham, old
man, you're going to have a son. And you're going to have a son
by that old woman you're married to. He believed in hope. believed with confidence it to
be so. Against hope he was full of hope,
against confidence he was full of confidence. Read on, read
on. 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 when he was
about 100 years old, neither 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 God had promised, God was able also to perform. And
therefore, it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it
was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to
him. You read this history we read in Genesis 15. It actually
begins in chapter 12 and runs on through chapter 22. But you
read what we did in Genesis 15. And God the Holy Spirit who calls
Moses to record it in Genesis 15. And God the Holy Spirit who
calls Paul to write it here in Romans chapter 4. says this was
not written just for Abraham. This was not God's Word just
for Abraham. This was written for you too,
for you too, for me too. If, watch this, if we believe on Him that raised
up Jesus our Lord from the dead. It is written, righteousness
shall be imputed to you if you believe on him that raised up
Jesus our Lord from the dead. Now watch the next slide. Who
was delivered for. I've said this to you, I have
no idea how many times in the last year. The word for is because
of. Write it somewhere. Because of. If you're going to school, you
young people, you children, You go to school and you get a report
card. Do you get a report card, sir?
You get a report card. And if you get an A, you got
it for your good work. If you get a B, you got it for
your good work. That's the word for. You got
it because of. Christ the Lord was delivered
into the hands of divine justice, delivered under the curse of
the law. Delivered up to death in the
most cruel barbaric manner imaginable Because he was delivered up to
death by the fury of God's justice because of our offenses Because
God made his son sin for us and Was raised again look at it now
because of justification. He was delivered because he was
made sin. He died because he was made sin. He was put to death because he
was made sin. He was punished because he was
made sin. And then he was buried in the
earth, buried in the earth as a despised thing, buried in the
earth. Because he was made sin, his
body was put to death and laid in the grave in the darkness
of the tomb. But three days later, he was
raised from the dead because of our justification. How is
that? Not that his resurrection justified
us. No, no. When he said it is finished,
When he died under the penalty of the law, when he satisfied
justice, our justification was done. Righteousness was finished. But he was raised up being justified
in the Spirit. God the Holy Spirit raised him
up from the dead and declares he who was made sin is without
sin and yonder he sets in glory because of our justification. because when he was justified
from sin, we were justified from sin. When he satisfied justice
for our sin made his, we satisfied justice because of sin made his
in the sacrifice of himself, we were justified. Now, look
at verse one, chapter five. Therefore, in the light of this,
in the light of this, being justified, Being justified by faith, we
have peace with God. Last Sunday evening, Brother
Rex asked me about a statement I made was not justified by our
faith. But the scripture says we're
justified by faith. Indeed, it does. Our justification was accomplished
by the faith of Jesus Christ, by his faithfulness unto death
as our substitute. And we receive, we experience
justification by faith in Christ so that when the sinner believes
God, he receives testimony from God that he's righteous. The
blood of Christ sprinkling your conscience from dead works so
that you may serve the true and living God in peace. So that
you can come near to God in peace. That only happens when God the
Holy Spirit works faith in you. All right, being justified by
faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein
we stand. Back up in chapter 4 verse 3,
Abraham believed God. Now I want you to turn back to
Genesis 15. We looked at this several months ago. I want us
to look at it again, and I want to refresh your memories with
things Abraham believed, the things Abraham understood. Because these are the steps of
Abraham, followed by all who believed God. Abraham believed
God. What a tremendous statement.
This is the first point of a message. Faith in God. Faith in God, which is faith
in Christ. Somebody says, I believe in God,
but I don't believe in Jesus. No, you don't. You believe what
you want to. Somebody says, I believe in God, but I'm not a Christian.
No, not so. You just pretend. Faith in God
is faith in God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no
faith in God apart from the new birth, apart from the gift of
faith in Christ. And this faith in God, Merle
Hart, is the greatest repeated, constant, standing miracle in
the universe. This is the greatest, repeated,
constant, standing miracle in the universe, for a sinner to
believe God. Because our Savior said, you
can't do it. He said, no man can come to me,
except it were given him of my Father. You can't believe, except
God give you faith. You see, man by nature is described
Dead. Dead. I once heard a young preacher
who, he was a bit nervous, I'll excuse it, inexperienced, I'll
excuse that too. He said, I guess he was trying
to impress us, but man, he impressed me. He said that word dead, you
know what that means in the Greek? That means dead. That's what
that word means. To the astonishment of most,
dead in trespasses and in sins. What did you ever see a dead
man do? What groan did you ever hear from a dead man? What movement
did you ever see in a dead man? You can talk to a dead man all
you want to. You can tell him the saddest
stories you want to. And you won't get a tear out of his eyes.
You can pour hot water on him and it won't burn him. You can
pour cold water on him and it won't make him cold. He's dead.
Well, Brother Don, that's dumb. Isn't it though? That's dumb. Why don't folks understand that
to talk about a dead sinner doing something toward God, toward
righteousness, toward life, is dumb. You take the first step,
God'll take the rest. If you can take the first step,
you can walk to glory. If you make the first move toward God,
God'll do the rest. If you make the first move toward
God, you don't need God to do anything. You're dead. But this dead man, Believe God. What a miracle. What a miracle.
You see, faith is absolutely essential. Absolutely essential to everlasting
salvation. But you can't perform it. That
rich young ruler came to the Lord Jesus and he said, good
master, what good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal
life? And the Lord Jesus said, keep
the commandments. He said, which one? He said, what two great
commandments? Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and being.
Love your neighbor as yourself. And that fellow said, well, I've
always done that. I've been a good boy all my life. Ask my mama.
She'll tell you. I've always done that. And the Lord said
to him, all right, go and sell everything you have. Give it
to the poor, and then come and follow me, and you'll be my disciple.
And that fellow looked at his bank account, and he looked at
his Savior. I don't think so. I don't think
so. And the disciples were astonished.
That man walked away because he had great riches. But as I said to you the other
day, it wasn't the gold in his pocket that caused him to walk
away. It was the imaginary righteousness
of his heart. Ah, he thought he was rich in
goodness. rich in righteousness, and he
didn't need Christ to give him anything. The disciples said,
Lord, if such a good man as that can't be saved, who can be saved? And our Lord Jesus said, with
men it's impossible, but with God, even Tom Brice and Don Fortner,
it's possible. things are possible. God can
give you life. God can give you faith. God can
cause you to come to Christ. This is God's gift. Faith is
the gift and operation of God. The gift and operation of God. Now let me identify some things
about Abraham and his faith. Back here in Genesis chapter
15 and verse 6. This is what Paul is quoting.
He believed God He believed in the Lord and he, the Lord God,
counted it to him for righteousness. He believed God. So the Lord
God said to Abraham, you're righteous. The apostle tells us that the
word God spoke to him was the gospel of Christ that was preached
to him. And that means that Abraham believed
the gospel as the very word of God to himself. Fear not, Abram, for I am thy
shield and thy exceeding great reward. And upon the hills of
that, Abraham said, Lord, give me a son. He said, this boy here,
Ishmael, he's not mine, not really. He's what I got. Ishmael, Ishmael's
what I got by trying to take things in my own hands. Ishmael's
what I got, Sarah and I conniving to try to work your promise for
ourselves. I don't have a son. And God said
to Abraham, this boy's not going to be there. Oh, no, no, no. The heir is going to come from
your own bowels. What's that talking about? Ishmael
was born out of Abraham's loins. That's not what it said. You
see, Ishmael was born from Hagar, Sarah's mistress. Isaac was to
be born from Sarah's womb, Abraham's own bowels, because he and Sarah
were one. And Isaac will come forth out
of her womb. And he said, now, when that son's
born, he said, go out and look at the stars. Count them. Count
them. If you can count the stars, then
you can count the multitude of your seed. That's how many folks
are going to come forth out of your own bowels through this
man Isaac, this child to be born unto you. That's not just talking
about people of the Jewish nation. That's talking about a multitude
that no man can number, 10,000 times 10,000, thousands of thousands
They're described in the book of God as the 144,000, a distinct
number given for an indistinct number because no man can number
the multitude of God's elect who shall be heirs of God with
Christ in heaven. Like Saul of Tarsus, Abraham
could say, I certify to you that the gospel I believe is not after
man. I believe because God revealed
Christ in me. Our gospel came to you not in
word only, but in power, and in much assurance, and in the
Holy Ghost. You see, we don't, we don't try
in this place to trick folks into religion. We don't, we don't
have altar calls, and invitations, and try to get folks to massage
your mind, and work with your emotions, and talk you into making
a profession of faith. Because that won't do you any
good. I won't do you any good. If I can talk you into religion,
somebody down the road can talk you out of it. But if God speaks
to you, God reveals His Word in you, God reveals His Son in
you, God comes and proclaims salvation in you, nobody will
talk you out of it. This is the Word we receive from
God. Abraham believed the Word of
God concerning his son. Not just Isaac, but his son,
the seed in whom and by whom redemption and salvation is found.
He believed God concerning the Lord Jesus. Turn over to Galatians
chapter 3. Hold your hands in Genesis 15
and look at Galatians chapter 3. I want you to see this for
yourself. Abraham understood that God's
promise is the very promise that he gave to Mother Eve in the
garden. concerning his son. All through
the Old Testament, there's emphasis on the birthright. Emphasis on
the birthright. The birthright belonging to the
firstborn. Tabar, on one occasion, took the place of a harlot because
she believed God. That's exactly right. She said
the birthright's with the firstborn. And that's my right by God's
order. And she went into her father-in-law
and her father-in-law to her and obtained the favor of God
through a horrible fall. So how do you know that's so?
Because Tamar's name is found in Matthew chapter 1 in the genealogy
of our Savior. The women of old who get a son,
when Eve got her firstborn son Cain, she thought, oh, this is
the promised son. I've gotten a man from the Lord.
every woman in Israel who believed God as she would bring forth
a son, a son, a son, a son, a son, hoped maybe, maybe this is the
son who will come the Son of God, the man who is God in human
flesh, the Messiah, our Redeemer. God promised Abraham, I'm gonna
give you a son. And he wasn't just talking about Isaac. Abraham
said God promised He's going to fulfill His promise. He's
going to send the Redeemer. Galatians chapter 3 verse 6,
Even as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for
righteousness, you see the connection? Know ye therefore that they which
are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the
scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through
faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee
shall all nations be blessed. So then they which are of faith
are blessed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works
of the law are under the curse. For it is written, Cursed is
everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified
by the law in the sight of God is evident. For the just shall
live by faith, and the law is not a 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. And he did this at
the blessing of Abraham. God's blessing on Abraham might
come on the Gentiles. What's that? Salvation. That
the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ. That we might receive the promise
of the Spirit. That we might receive God's salvation
through faith. Brethren, I speak after the manner
of men. Though it be but a man's covenant,
yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth or addeth thereto.
Now to Abraham and to his seed were the promises made. Watch
it now. He saith not unto seeds as of
many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. You see, true faith is fixed
on Christ. It always has been that way.
It is that way now, and it always shall be that way. God has never
saved sinners except by faith in Jesus Christ the Lord. When
Adam believed God, Adam believed on Christ. When Abel believed
God, Abel believed on Christ. When Enoch believed God, Enoch
believed on Christ. When Abraham believed God, Abraham
believed on Christ. When Isaac believed God, Isaac
believed on Christ. Now, Abraham believed God. He believed God would do that
which was humanly impossible. He believed God would do that
which was humanly impossible. God said, I'm going to have a
boy. Here I am, 100 years old. And God said, I'm going to have
a boy by Sarah. And he laughed just like that. God said, we have a boy. Honey,
let's go to bed. We're going to have a boy. 90
years old that woman was. 90 years old. And you know what
she did? She conceived a son and gave
birth to a healthy baby boy, Isaac, in whom Christ Jesus was
in his loins, through whom the Redeemer came into this world. Let me tell you something. I believe God can do that which is impossible. Do you? I believe God can raise
the dead. I believe that because I've been
raised from the dead. I believe God can forgive sin. Blot it out. Make it non-existent. Believe God. I believe God. I believe God. But preacher,
look at yourself. I know. And look at you. You mean he will treat us just
as if we had not sinned? No, I don't mean that at all.
I mean that Jesus Christ, by the sacrifice of himself, hath
put away sin. Where did he put it? Rex, he
put it behind God's back. He cast it into the sea of infinite
forgiveness. He removed it from us as far
as the east is from the west. So that God says by Balaam's
mouth, the Lord hath not beheld sin in Israel and has not seen
iniquity in Judah. I look in the mirror and I see
nothing but sin. But I look in this mirror. Take a good look. I see perfect
righteousness. Complete atonement. Absolute
forgiveness. No sin. No sin. Is that what
the book says? Christ was manifested to take
away our sins. And in him is no sin. It's gone. Gone. Gone. Abraham believed the promise
that God made to him. though vast and sublime beyond
measure, to be a matter of absolute certainty, because God had spoken
it. I preach salvation so magnificent,
so complete, so absolute, so free, that to some men It is
just dumbfounding. Confusing. And I can't tell you
how many times I've had folks to say, don't say it to me, but
I'm aware of it. He confuses justification and
sanctification. He confuses time and eternity.
He confuses the will of God and the work of God. And I ain't
confused, you are. I ain't at least been confused.
I believe God has made me the very righteousness of God in
His Son. He says this is the name whereby
you shall be called. You who are God's. Do you believe
God? This is God's name for you. Jehovah
Sidkenu, the Lord our righteousness. But that's the Savior's name,
isn't it though? Isn't it though? Jeremiah 33, 16 says, it's your
name if you believe God. Abraham believed the gospel as God's word to him. God said, I am thy shield, thy
great reward, thy savior. David prayed like this, say unto
my soul, I am thy salvation. God has said to my soul, I am
thy salvation. And he just now said it again,
I am thy salvation. The gospel comes to God's elect
at the appointed time of love as the gospel of your salvation. Believing God, Abraham was justified. Let's look just for a minute
at Genesis 15. Let me show you what he saw. Standing justified
before God. Standing in this grace where
we stand. Abraham believed God. He was justified, born again,
and taught of God. And this is what he saw. He saw
the value of God's call and he prized it. Look at verse 7. The
Lord said to Abraham, I am the Lord that brought thee out of
Ur of the Chaldees to give thee this land to inherit it. He said, Abraham, here you are
believing me. I'm God. I went down to her,
and I chose you, and I fetched you out, and you stand here because
I called you. Who maketh thee to differ from
another? What hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if
thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou'st not
received it? God called me. God called me. God called you. Oh, cherish God's call. You see your calling, brethren?
Not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but
God called you. God called me by his omnipotent
free grace. Look at verse 8, Genesis 15. Believing God, Abraham saw the
glory of God in the sacrifice God ordained and accepted. He
said, verse 8, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit
it? And God said, on the basis of a sacrifice. He said unto
him, 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 against another. But the birds he divided not.
And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove
them away. Abraham took sacrifices, specifically
ordained of God, specifically made by God, specifically given
by God, to be sacrifices of atonement. These are the very same sacrifices
that God gave to Aaron as the high priest, by which the children
of Israel came and made atonement for sin ceremonially. They pointed
to one sacrifice. One sacrifice God accepts. One sacrifice by which you may
be sure all God's promises are yours. And that sacrifice is
Jesus Christ the Lord. in 17 and 18, Abraham saw God
in the covenant. Look at it. When the sun was
going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abraham. And lo and horror
of great darkness fell upon him. He's standing here believing
God, standing in the midst of these sacrifices, and he goes
to sleep. Oh, what rest there is for weary
sinners in Christ Jesus crucified. And a horrible, horrible great
darkness fell upon him. A horrible darkness. Recognizing
the cost of redemption. Here's the cost. Hereby perceive
we the love of God. Because he laid down his life
for us. And Abraham saw himself involved
in that sacrifice. He saw himself involved in the
sacrifice. When Christ died, I died in Him. When He suffered all the horror
of hell on the cursed tree, I suffered all the horror of hell in Him. And Abraham saw God in the sacrifice. It came to pass that when the
sun went down and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and
a burning lamp passed between those pieces. And the same day
the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying unto thy seed have
I given this land from the river of Egypt unto the great river,
the river Euphrates. He sees God in the covenant,
sees God as his covenant keeping God, and he sees that God accepted
the sacrifice. God has accepted the sacrifice. The pillar of fire, a pillar
of smoke, emblems of God's presence with Israel in all their journeyings
in the wilderness. God's presence here testifies
that Jesus Christ crucified is to our God a sweet-smelling savor,
acceptable and well-pleasing to God. God accepts us, believing
sinners, in the sacrifice and declares himself to every believer
his covenant-keeping God. But then standing in grace, justified
by the righteousness of God's darling Son, believing God, Abraham
saw a great trouble ahead. Look at verse 13. that every trial and every trouble,
every heartache, every sorrow we experience in this world is
ordained by God in covenant mercy and comes according to God's
purpose to do us good. The Lord just made all these
promises to Abraham, all these promises. He reveals Christ in
His sacrifice to Abraham and He said to Abraham, know of a
surety. Now you can bake on this, buddy. You can bake on this.
You make all this, folks, this health, wealth, prosperity, preaching
of our day, believe in Jesus and he'll heal your bank account.
Believe in Jesus and your eyes will get better and your hearing
will get better and you'll wear better clothes and drive a Cadillac
and live in the best part of town. Somebody ought to shoot those
fellas. I'm going to just shoot them. I'm not being serious. Well, I'm a little serious. No,
no, no. He said, Abraham, know with surety,
thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs,
and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them for four hundred
years. Paul picks up on that very same
thing in Romans 5. He said, we rejoice, we glory in tribulations,
knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience,
and experience hope. We recognize this. This is God's
work. The trials God sends are for
our good. Israel went down to Egypt. Do
you remember how they went down to Egypt? Do you remember what
they took with them down there? They were poor as Job's turkey.
They didn't have a thing. They spent everything they had
going down to Egypt to get some corn to feed to their sheep who
were starving like they were. They didn't have anything. They
went into that land of darkness, and bondage, and affliction,
and heartache, and trouble with nothing. For 400 years, they
experienced nothing but trouble in Egypt. The other eye. Crying
and bitterness went up to God, and God heard their crying and
bitterness. And He sent a Deliverer. And
do you remember how they came out? You remember how they came
out? They came out carrying everything
that was worth anything out of Egypt. They took out of Egypt
everything that was worth anything. You fellows are leaving us? Here,
get out. Here's some gold. Here's my silver. Take it! Get out! And gave them everything!
And when Pharaoh said, oh, no, we can't do that, and got up
and chased after them, God drowned Pharaoh and his armies in the
Red Sea, and they went back and spoiled Pharaoh's armies. They
took out everything. Because for believers, triumph
is sure. The God of peace shall brew Satan
under your heels shortly. Look at verse 14, Genesis 15. And I know exactly when he's
going to do it. Everybody wants to know when's the end of the
world coming. When's Christ coming? When's this mess going to be
over? When's it going to happen? I
want to tell you today. You want to get somebody to listen to
this sermon? Make an advertisement, put it in Advocate Messenger,
and tell them the preacher told us Sunday morning, April 19th,
exactly when Christ is coming. I'll guarantee you 90% of folks
in Danville will listen to it. When's he coming? When's he coming?
I want to show you. Also verse 14 that nation whom they shall
serve will I judge? Afterward they shall come out
with great substance We're going to triumph over this thing and
all the glory of the nation shall be ours and Thou shalt go to
thy father's in peace and thou shalt be buried in a good old
age but in the fourth generation They shall come hither again.
Now watch this. For the iniquity of the Amorites
is not yet full. When the iniquity of the Amorites
is full. We're going out of here. What's
that talking about? When all the evil God from eternity ordained to
bring to pass in this world in judgment upon the ungodly for
the saving of his elect when it's finished Christ is coming
and triumph forever shall be ours and like Israel took everything
worth anything out of Egypt at the end of long, long, long trouble. The nations of the world, the nations of the world, read
Revelation 21, will bring the riches of all the world and lay
them at defeat. of Christ Jesus and his bride,
his church, and we shall inherit all things according to the promise
of God made in the covenant by the blood of his darling son.
Oh, may God make that salvation yours so that you can leave here
today justified, standing in grace, rejoicing in hope, of
the glory of God. Amen.