Would you turn back to Genesis
15? I am, I guess the way I would
say it, is painfully aware that if God the Holy Spirit does not
come down in our midst and speak, these will be just words. And I hope that you will pray
that we would have God the Holy Spirit in this service, that
he would give us hearing ears. Verse six of our text says, he
believed in the Lord. Abraham believed in the Lord
and he, the Lord, counted it to him for righteousness. I've entitled this message, The
just shall live by faith. That's repeated four times in
the scripture. And that is what Genesis 15 is
all about. The just shall live by faith. The just, the justified, the
righteous, There are only two kinds of people in this world,
the righteous and the wicked. You and I fall into one of those
two groups, the just. The just shall live. Shall live. Now this means more than existence. The just shall live. Some people,
to live is to acquire, is to gain, is to be healthy, wealthy,
and wise. To some, to live is to have a
good time, to party, to enjoy life. You know what Paul said? To me, to live is Christ. And to die is gain. Do you know the only time you
really live before God is if dying to you is gain? To live
is Christ, and to die is gain. The just shall live by faith,
not by works. This is so important, not by
works, but by faith. Now, it's my prayer that by the
end of this message, the Lord will have taught us what that
really means. Now, what I would like to do
is imagine that no one in here has any idea what that means. I believe some do, I really do. I believe, you know, I don't
know how many of us do, maybe all of us, although I've listened
to Henry Mahan made this statement. I thought it was so good. He
said, somebody just prayed, if there be any in this room that
don't know you, we pray that you will reveal yourself to them. And Henry got up after that prayer
and said, I guarantee you there's people in this room that don't
know you. And I would say that that is the case. And I pray
that when we leave this place, everyone will know the Lord. And I, want us to understand
just what this means. The just shall live by faith. Now, I am not exaggerating or
using hyperbole to say that there's not a more significant passage
in all the Bible. than these first six verses of
Genesis chapter 15. As a matter of fact, this is
the New Testament. If you would understand the New
Testament, if you would understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, an
understanding of this passage before us is critical here in
Genesis chapter 15. Now, you've heard me use the
law of first mention. If you want to find out what
something means in the Bible, see where it's first mentioned,
and you can usually carry that out throughout the rest of the
time, and it'll give you the meaning of that passage of Scripture.
Well, I realize that in the book of Genesis, in the book of the
beginnings, there's a lot of laws of first mention. But in
this passage of Scripture, we have the first mention of belief. Abraham believed God. We have
the first mention of righteousness. Abraham believed God and he counted
it to him for righteousness. And we have the first mention
of accounting or reckoning or imputing. Abraham believed God
and it was imputed, reckoned, counted unto him for righteousness. Now what I'd like to do first
is have you turn to Proverbs chapter 17. I'd like you to turn
with me to Proverbs chapter 17, verse 15. Proverbs chapter 17, verse 15. He that justifieth the wicked
and he that condemneth the just. Somebody that says a wicked person
is just, they're justified. SOMEBODY THAT SAYS AN INNOCENT
PERSON IS CONDEMNED. HE THAT JUSTIFIETH THE WICKED
AND HE THAT CONDEMNETH THE JUST, EVEN THEY BOTH ARE ABOMINATION
TO THE LORD. GOD SAID WHEN HE IDENTIFIED HIMSELF
TO MOSES, In Exodus chapter 34, verses six and seven, the Lord,
the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering and abundant in
goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity
and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the
guilty. Now those almost sound in opposition
one to another, don't they? He forgives iniquity, he forgives
transgression, he forgives sin, and yet he will by no means,
under no circumstance whatsoever clear a guilty man, a guilty
sinner. Now the message of the scripture
is how that can be. How God can by no means clear
the guilty and yet justify the ungodly. Now let me ask you a
question. What would you think of a human
judge that would clear the guilty? We'd get him out of his office,
wouldn't we? I mean, what's a judge supposed to do? They're supposed
to not clear the guilty. What if we've had several murders
in Lexington in the last several weeks, several. What if they
were brought before the judge and the judge said, I'm a loving
judge, I'm just gonna forgive that. Let him back out on the
streets. What would we do with a judge like that? A judge like
that would be unjust. He would be unfit. to judge. You know, an unjust judge, crime is okay with him, aren't
they? They're not afraid of an unjust
judge. The mafia, the drug cartel, the whatever you wanna, organized
crime, whatever it might be, they're not afraid of an unjust
judge. They're not afraid of a good
judge. They can be bought. We can get this straightened
out with them. They're afraid of a just judge, though. They're
afraid of a good judge. God is good. And that poses a problem for
us. We're not. God is good. Oh, he's essentially
good. And that poses a problem for
me and you. We're not. How could a good God
have anything to do with somebody like me or you? A good God will not let bad people
off the hook. How can God be a just God and
forgive sin and yet by no means clear the guilty? Only the Bible answers that question. And it is the fundamental question
of the Bible. It was asked in the very first
book written. Everybody says, whoever everybody
is, I don't know, but everybody says Job's the oldest book in
the Bible. Older than the books of Moses. Turn with me to Job
chapter 25 for a moment. This question is addressed. Job 25. Verse 4. How then can man be justified
with God? Or how can he be clean that is
born of a woman? Behold, even to the moon, and
it shineth not. Yea, the stars are not pure in
his sight. How much less man that is a worm. and the son of man, which is
a worm. How can man be justified with
God? Make it a little more personal. How can I be justified with God? Now, some will find this a dull
and uninteresting subject, doctrine. And some will listen to this
as if their life depended on it. Who are these people? The people who are guilty. The people who stand guilty before
God. The people who have no claims
on God. They want to know how God could
actually be just and yet justify them when they know they are
guilty and sinful and disobedient. How can God be just and justify
the ungodly? Now in Genesis chapter 15, verse
one, after these things, the word of the Lord came unto
Abram in a vision. saying, Fear not, Abram. Abram must have been startled
by this. Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield. I am thy protection. What's a shield? A shield takes
the blows, and I don't have to because of my shield. This is
exactly what took place on Calvary's cross Christ was the shield of
his people. The wrath of God fell upon him,
and they don't take the blows. I am thy shield and thy exceeding
great reward. Now, I think this is very interesting
that he does not say, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great
gift. He says, I am thy shield and
thy exceeding great reward. That word means higher wages. He didn't say, I'm your gift.
He said, I'm your reward. Now this is the mystery of the
gospel. God has made it how somehow everybody he saves deserves to
be saved. Yes, salvation's a gift, a free
gift. No question about that. Salvation
is also a reward. Wages earned. That's how God
saves somebody. And I hope we'll understand this
by the time this message is over. Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield
and thy exceeding great reward. Now, I find the thought of high
rewards in heaven contemptible. How can you add something to
him as your reward to become better? That's utterly offensive,
isn't it? I am thy shield and thy exceeding
great reward. Verse two, and Abram said, Lord
God, what will thou give me seeing I go childless? Now look back in chapter 13,
verse 14, or verse 16, verse 15. Let's start with verse
15. For all the land which thou seest,
to thee will I give it and to thy seed, your descendants, your
children forever. And I will make thy seed as the
dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of
the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Now, God promises
to Abraham a great multitude, a vast seed, like the dust of
the earth. And this was 10 years before
this took place, and he still has no seed. He still has no
seed. God made this promise. Hadn't
happened. And Moses is not being presumptuous. I mean, Abram is not being presumptuous.
And Abraham said, Lord God, what would thou give me seeing I go
childless? You said, I'm going to have children. I don't have
them yet. And the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus. And Abram said, behold to me,
thou has given no seed. And lo, one born in my house,
a servant, not one of my descendants, is mine heir." Verse 4, and behold
the word of the Lord. Now this is the same word of
John 1, in the beginning was the word. And the word was with
God and the word was God. This is what's called a theophany.
It's a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. He actually
comes to Abram at this time. And behold, the word of the Lord
came unto him saying, this shall not be thine heir, but he that
shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. Now, Abraham at this time is
85. The promise was made nine or 10 years before this. He's
a very old man. Sarah has already gone through
menopause. They knew what that was back then. When you go through
menopause, you can't have children. And he was aware of all this,
but yet the Lord says to this old man, I don't think there's
anybody in here 85 years old. There might be. We have some
people who are not here that are that old, but that's old.
I told. And he says to this old man,
this servant is not going to be your heir, but one shall come
forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. Verse five,
and he brought him forth abroad and said, look now toward heaven.
I imagine it was one of those clear nights. I remember when
we go to Mexico, it was different looking up at the sky there.
I guess if you're in the city, you can't see the way you can
in a place that's remote. And you look up and see all those
millions of stars twinkling. And I have no doubt that that's
the kind of night Abraham looked up into when the Lord told him
to look up. And he brought him forth abroad and said, look now
toward heaven and tell the stars, count the stars, if they'll be
able to number them. And he said unto him, so shall
thy seed be. Now that's the promise. Now look
what said of Abram, verse six, and he believed in the Lord. And he, the Lord, counted it
to him for righteousness. Now, that does not mean only
that he believed in the Lord s existence. It means he believed the Lord. He was not gullible. He DIDN'T BELIEVE SIMPLY BECAUSE
OF WHAT HE HEARD SAID, BUT IT WAS BECAUSE OF WHO SAID IT. HE BELIEVED THE LORD. HE BELIEVED WHAT HE SAID. AND IT'S BECAUSE OF WHO SAID
IT. YOU SEE, THE LORD IS UTTERLY
TRUSTWORTHY. HE CANNOT LIE. He's the faithful
God. What he says must come to pass. It must of necessity come to
pass because he said it. He's utterly trustworthy. Now,
if you know him, you know that. You can only believe someone
if you know him. He knew the Lord and he knew
him to be trustworthy. Now, listen to this statement.
You've heard me make this statement before. It came first from Donnie
Bell. I love this statement. He said, if the Bible said Jonah
swallowed the whale, I'd believe it. How could that be? With God,
nothing shall be impossible. Can God enable Jonah to swallow
the whale? Yeah. With God, nothing shall
be impossible. And that's not gullibility. THAT'S
BELIEVING HIM WHO IS TRUE. THAT'S THE POINT. ABRAHAM BELIEVED
GOD. YOU SEE, IF YOU KNOW HIM, YOU'LL
BELIEVE WHAT HE SAYS. WHAT HE SAYS IS UTTERLY TRUSTWORTHY. PAUL PUT IT THIS WAY IN II TIMOTHY
1-12, I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED. NOW, EVERYTHING WE BELIEVE IS
PREDICATED ON I know who I have believed. And I am persuaded that he's
able to keep that which I've committed to him against that
day. I've committed the complete entire
salvation of my soul to him. I burned all my bridges. I don't
have a plan B. If he doesn't do it all, I'm
toast. I've committed the salvation
of my soul to him. Abraham believed what God said. When God said, you're going to
have a seed as the dust of the earth, Abraham believed God. Now hold your finger there in
Genesis 15 and turn to Romans chapter 4. Paul speaks of this very event, verse 17, as it's written. Boy, I'm thankful
for that. We've got a written Word of God
that is completely true, completely reliable, completely inspired. What if I was dependent on you
to know God? What if you were dependent upon
me to know God? We'd be in trouble. But there
is a written Word. What saith the Scripture? Thank
God for the Holy Word of God, the Holy Bible. As it is written,
I have made thee a father of many nations, before him whom
he believed, even God, who quickens, gives life to the dead and calleth
those things which be not as though they were. And this is
who God is. Is anything too hard for the
Lord? You see, He's not going to act
contrary to His nature, you know that. He's not going to sin,
He's not going to lie, but nothing is too hard for the Lord. We
read in verse 18, who against hope, believed in hope that he
might be 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 a
hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb.
Speaking of her already going through menopause, he staggered
not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith. giving glory to God, being fully
persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform. Isn't that what Paul said? He
said, I know whom I have believed and I'm persuaded he is able
to keep that which I've committed to him against that day. Now, this thing of faith, if
I said to you, If I said to you, trust me, you know, as soon as
somebody says that, I kind of, watch out, I mean, what are they
getting ready to do? Trust me. Give me every dime you've got. Empty out your bank account.
Give me the deed to your house. Give me all your goods. Trust
me, I'll take care of it. Would you do that? Come on now,
well, you're a preacher, aren't you? Yeah, but would you do that?
No. No, because you know that I am
not. Now, I hope, I hope if you did
that, I would act in your best interest. I hope I would. I hope
I would not use any of it for my own personal profit. I hope
I would. But would you have implicit trust
in me to do that? No, because I'm a son of Adam.
As a matter of fact, now let's take it, what if a stranger came
up to you from the street and said, trust me? Man, there ain't
no way I'm gonna trust them. Let's just say they do that.
Trust me, give me everything you got. No way. Ain't no way I'd do that. But
when the Lord says it, you can trust him. You can trust him
implicitly. You can trust him completely. Abraham believed God. And what's it say? Verse six,
and he believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness."
Jehovah counted it, reckoned it, imputed it to him for righteousness. Now here are one of these laws
of first mention. We've already talked about belief,
it's trust, trust. But we have two other words Imputed
and righteousness. Now what are meant by these two
words? Abraham believed in the Lord
and it was counted. It was imputed to him for righteousness. What does righteousness mean?
What's an attribute of God? It means inability to sin. It's perfection. It is sinlessness. If you have sin in any sin at
all, you do not have righteousness. This is an attribute of God,
the righteousness of God. David said in Psalm 71 verse
16, I've made mention of thy righteousness. Now listen to
the wording. I've made mention of thy righteousness,
even thine only. Now, why did David say that?
I know exactly why David said that, because his righteousness
is the only righteousness there is. You believe that? His righteousness is the only
righteousness there is. You know what the Bible says
about my righteousness and your righteousness? Isaiah 64 verse
six says, our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. And that is literally minstrelss
rags. That's what the word of God has
to say about my righteousness and your righteousness. There
is only one righteousness, His righteousness. Turn to Psalm
41. These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, and He gives
us a summary of His preaching. Psalm 40. Now, we know this is
Christ speaking because verses 7 and 8 says, Then said he, Lo,
I come in the volume of the book. It's written of me. I delight
to do thy will. O God, my God, yea, thy law is
within my heart. Now he tells us of his preaching.
Listen real carefully. This is Jesus Christ describing
his own preaching. He says, I have preached righteousness
in the great congregation. Lo, I've not refrained my lips,
O Lord, thou knowest. I have not hid, whose righteousness? Thy righteousness. Within my heart, I've declared
thy faithfulness and thy salvation. I've not concealed thy love and
kindness and thy truth from the great congregation. I have preached
thy Righteousness now Paul said in Romans 1 16 and 17 He said
I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ For it the gospel is
the power of God into salvation to everyone that believe it for
therein in the gospel is the righteousness of God Revealed
now The righteousness of God If I ask you, or if I ask the
average person out on the street, what does the gospel reveal with
regard to God? What would they say? I know what
answer came up in your mind, the love of God. That's what
your average religious person would say. And I'm not speaking
against it. Yes, the gospel does reveal his
saving love. I'm not saying, but that's not
the word the Holy Spirit uses. He doesn't say it reveals the
mercy of God or the grace of God or the love of God. He says
the gospel reveals the righteousness of God. Let me show you what
that means. Turn to Romans chapter three. You see, that means that if you're
saved, the righteousness of God demands your salvation. You know,
somebody thinks, well, I'm just going to get into heaven by the
skin of my teeth. No, no, I'm not going to get into heaven
by the skin of my teeth. The very righteousness of God will
command me to come in because that's what I deserve. Now, how
can that be? How can that be my wages? I mean,
I'm not, this is honoring the law of God. This is honoring
the very righteous character of God. Romans chapter 3, beginning in
verse 19. Now we know, I love the we knows
of the scripture. I know this too. I mean, I'm
dead sure of this. I know this. We know that what
thing soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the
law, that every mouth, every mouth may be stopped and all
the world I mean, you're in that demographic may become guilty
before God. What that means is, if God cuts
you off, if God sends me to hell, just and righteous is his judgment. It's exactly what that means. Well, Is there anything we can
do to get out of this mess? Here I stand guilty before God.
Is there anything I can do to get out of this mess? Therefore, verse 20, by the deeds
of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for
by the law is the knowledge of sin. No, there is nothing you
can do. Does that mean there's no hope?
No, it doesn't mean that. Verse 21, but now the righteousness
of God. Now remember, this is the only
righteousness there is. But now the righteousness of
God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, by the faithfulness of
Jesus Christ, His law keeping. But now the righteousness of
God without the law, without my obedience to the law, is manifested,
being witnessed by the law and the prophets." This is what the
scripture has ALWAYS taught! "...even the righteousness of
God, which is by the faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, and upon
all them that believe." That believe WHAT? That there's no
difference. "...for all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God." We like to think that we're all
unique individuals, and we are in some respects. There's no
doubt about that. There's only one me. There's only one you.
But you know what? We're just like about seven or
eight other billion people. We've all sinned. And we've all
come short of the glory of God. And we're all lacking greatly. All have sinned. You take the
most moral man alive and you take the most vile, reprobate,
acting man alive, before God, there's no difference. There's
no difference. You believe that? There's no
difference. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God, having been justified freely by his grace,
through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus. Now here's how
a man can be justified before God, having been justified. Now, I love this. Can you imagine
a judge standing and saying, will you accept justification?
Here it is, if you accept it. Now, if you accept it, you'll
be justified. If you reject it, you'll not be justified. Well,
that's foolishness. If you're justified, it's because
the great judge declared you to be justified. And this justification
is free, at no cost to you. Now, that costs price for you
to be justified, but it doesn't cost you a thing. You had no
hand in this. having been justified freely
by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, verse
25, whom God set forth. God foreordained is the word. This has always been God's purpose.
Whom God foreordained to be a propitiation, a sin-removing sacrifice through
faith in His blood Now what is faith in His blood? You really
believe that if His blood was shed for you, you're saved. That's all your hope is, that
His blood is all that's required. Through faith in His blood to
declare, look at this next word, His righteousness, not His mercy,
not His love, not His grace, not His pity, but his righteousness
for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance
of God. To declare, I say, at this time, his righteousness,
that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is
excluded. By what law of works? Nay, but
by the law of faith. Now, The Bible declares that
if God saves me, his righteousness is honored. Yes, his love is
honored. Yes, his grace is honored. But
here's the glory of the gospel. The gospel makes it to where
I am righteous before God, where I am sinless. Not just that righteousness
is counted to me, but that that's me. I'm righteous before God. And when God brings me into glory,
it's an act of his righteousness, not just his mercy, not just
his grace. And I don't want to in any way
say just, because those are glorious things, his mercy and his grace.
But the very justice of God says, bring him in, he deserves it.
Now, how can that be? For he hath made him to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness. Their righteousness is of me,
saith the Lord. Now Abraham believed in the Lord
and he counted it to him for righteousness. Now let's close
with this word. He counted it to him. He imputed
it to him. He reckoned it to him for righteousness. Now what in the world does that
mean? What in the world does that mean? Well, you're there
in Romans. Look in Romans chapter six, verse
11. Romans chapter six, verse 11.
Paul says, Reckon, that's the word, that's the word. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves
to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Question, Would God tell us to
reckon ourselves to be dead to sin if we were not? Would He say reckon yourselves
to be dead and to sin even though you're not, even though you're
still? No, the only reason He says reckon yourselves to be
dead indeed to sin is because you are in fact dead to sin. Sin has nothing to say to you.
You stand before God's law without guilt. Literally? Literally. Because of the work of Christ
on Calvary's tree. Now we're going to close by looking
at Romans 4, where Paul speaks of this event we've read of in
Genesis 15. Romans 4, what should we say
then? that Abraham, our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath
found. For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to
glory. He could say, I did this, but
not before God, for what saith the scripture, Abraham believed
God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Now, to him
that worketh is the reward Christ, not reckoned of grace, but of
debt. In other words, God owes you something, and that's never
gonna be. Verse five, but to him that worketh not, but believeth
on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Now here's what that means. Even as David also describeth
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth, Righteousness,
without work seen. Blessed are they whose iniquities
are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to
whom the Lord will not impute sin. What supreme blessedness. Now, what is the evidence that
he's done that for me? I see it. I see it's what the
scripture teaches. What is the evidence that He's
done it for me? We look back in verse 5, to him
that worketh not. Do you see how the salvation,
if it's in any way dependent upon your works, is impossible
for you? It's over for you if that's the
case. To him that worketh not, but believeth. on Him that justifieth
the ungodly." Do you believe that when Christ said, it is
finished, the ungodly were justified? You believe that? You believe
He is all that's needed to make you absolutely righteous and
just before God, and the very righteousness of God will demand
your salvation because of what he did. That, my friends, is
faith. To him that worketh not, but
believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted
for righteousness. That is the New Testament. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you that you made a way to be absolutely
just and yet justify the ungodly. Lord, we know that when you punished
your son, you didn't punish the innocent, but that our sins were
laid upon him, and your justice demanded his
death because our sins became his, and how we thank you for that
perfect righteousness that he worked out that is ours because he bore
our sins. How we thank you for the gospel.
Lord, I ask in Christ's name that you would teach each one
of us what the just shall live by faith means. Bless us for
Christ's sake. In his name we pray, amen.