Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Romans

Romans 4:1-25

INTRO: In the 1950's I believe box cake mixes made their debut. All you had to do is add water and put it in the oven. Well, you would think because of it's ease it would have been a big hit. But it wasn't. Women weren't buying it. Why? They said 'We'll make our cakes the old fashioned way, by scratch.' They thought something you don't have to work hard to make can't possibly be worth making. So what did the manufactures do? They made it so the consumer had to work a little. Add 3 eggs, 1/3 cup oil along with 1 3/4 cup water. This made the women happy and the box cake was a hit.

EXP: This actually describes the average  American's  religious beliefs quite well. Despite the fact that almost everyone knows the hymn Amazing Grace, most people think that if you just do your best you will somehow make it to heaven. Americans have a real distrust of anything that doesn't require hard work. Including salvation. Justification by faith?  No. 'We'll get our salvation the old fashioned way. We'll earn it!' Justification thru the 'good life' to many, makes sense, it's logical.

TRANS: In chapter 3 Paul introduced the theme of Justification by faith. Here in chapter 4 he digs a little deeper so that his audience, the Roman believers as well as Believers today, really understand what it means.

I. Faith and Works
     In verses 1-8, Paul once again anticipates questions he knows is on the minds of his readers, especially the Jewish ones.  The question Paul addresses in vs. 1 is a bit cryptic in the Greek and even in our English translations. Let me paraphrase:
'Isn't Abraham our father, are we not in his family because of his obedience to circumcision?
            Paul's responds with logic.

    A. The logic of faith (vs. 1-3)
        'But Abraham' , his Jewish readers say 'lived a good life. 3 times in Scripture God calls Abraham His friend. He even spoke in Gen. 26:5 of Abraham's obedience. Logic tells us that Abraham was justified by his works.' Paul had to agree that Abraham could have done some boasting before men because of his relationship with God. Their argument sounded good, compelling even ,but not where it really counted, before God. You see he reminded them Gen. 15:6 said  'Abraham believed God and God reckoned it as righteousness.'

DEF: Logizomai = to count or to reckon.
          It means to place to one's account.

ILL: Paul uses the term when he writes to Philemon about Onesimus, the runaway slave. He asked Philemon to accept Onesimus back and that if Onesimus owed anything to Philemon that he was to put or credit it to Paul's account.

        Abraham's righteousness didn't come from his works, no matter how good, but from God who counted Abraham's faith as righteousness. It was God's work. Not Abraham's and it's logical.

Trans: Paul moves in vs. 4-5 to

    B. The logic of work (vs. 4-5)
         Work means debt. When an individual works, someone owes them something for their labor. Your boss isn't being nice when he signs your paycheck each week. You deserve the payment, he is required to give it to you. Paul says that this kind of work/payment relationship is not righteousness, and is not grace. Righteousness comes not by working for it but by faith believing in the promises of God as now revealed in JC. The Jews lost that argument  but commented on what Paul said in vs. 5.  'Ex. 23:7 God says that He (God) will not justify the wicked.' And this is  true throughout the entire OT.
But now, you say, God justifies the ungodly?  Why?'

        Well, it's logical. Because there is no one godly for Him to justify. (Remember Rom. 1:18-3:20 told of the total depravity of man) Reversal motif. It is  God doing things differently than man would so that there is no mistake that it is a work of God and not of man.

Trans:     In vs. 6-8 Paul takes us to the Psalms and to the

    C. The logic of the blessed man (vs. 6-8)
         The Jews honored and respected Abraham, but they loved David. By quoting from Ps. 32, Paul showed 3 reasons that you can look at the life of one who is blessed by God and clearly see that justification is by faith and not by works because

1. The one blessed by God is counted righteous w/o works.
2. The one blessed by God has their sins forgiven and covered.
3. The one blessed by God does not have their sin counted against him. Their sin is not credited to their account.

APP:  As true Believers, God does not hold our sin against us. He looks at our account and all He sees is sinlessness, the perfection of JC. Our sins are covered, forgiven and God does not keep a record of them,  ever. That's grace. And it's logical.

TRANS: Paul  in vs. 9-16 anticipates yet another question from his Jewish audience. 'Is the blessing of covenant membership, of righteousness, available only to the circumcised, since Abraham was circumcised, or to the uncircumcised as well?' I can just hear the male Gentile Believers say 'Please Paul, uncircumcised , uncircumcised as well.'

Paul moves from Faith & Works to:
II. Faith and the family of God (Rom. 4:9-16)
    A. The family and circumcision

         The answer to the question 'Is the blessing of  covenant  membership available only to the circumcised'  is 'uncircumcised as well. ' Whew! thank you Paul, the male Gentile Believers exclaimed in great relief.  Paul  states that Abraham was reckoned righteous BEFORE he was told to be obedient to circumcision. About 14 yrs. before, in fact. Abraham is father then of all who by faith believe in JC. The physically circumcised and uncircumcised.

         Then why circumcision? The text tells us it was a sign and a seal.  As a sign it was physical evidence that Abraham belonged to God and believed His promises. As a seal is was a reminder to Abraham that God had given the promise to him and that He would keep it.

         Circumcision means 'to remove the flesh'. Remember last week I said that faith was moving away from self and moving toward God? Faith then, is really 'spiritual circumcision'. It is the removing or cutting away of the self, the flesh in obedience to the requirement of the covenant. Some believe that baptism is the sign of the covenant with God in the NT. But I say, God's covenant requirement has never changed. Faith (spiritual circumcision) is still the sign to the unbelieving world of our relationship with God. A  life of  faith is evidence that the Believer belongs to God and believes His promises. Why do you think they call Christian's  Believers?

TRANS: With the questions answered, Paul  in vs. 17-25 ends with a description , thru the life of Abraham, of what faith really looks like.

III. Faith's ABC's  (Rom. 4:17-25)
    A. Faith is confidence in a person. (vs. 17-18)

         Abraham's faith was based on  his knowledge of God. According to our text, Abraham knew at least two things about God.
           1. He knew that God was the One who gives life to the dead.
           2. He knew God calls into existence that which does not exist.

APP: I have been drawn this week to vs. 17. 'God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.'
 This has obvious meaning for the unbeliever who is dead in their sin, but what about the Believer, the Christian? Is God, thru Paul, speaking to us too? Yes. Especially in those times we are in rebellion to God's will or are in the middle of a difficult trial. This text tells me that it is not until the pride of the Believer is dead, until he realizes that he is unable to help himself, that God can move and restore life to him. As long as the proud thinks he is strong enough to get himself out of any given situation, God can not and will not help him. God opposes the proud. (James 4:6) Notice that it was when Abraham admitted he was dead (couldn't possibly have children) that's when God's power went to work in his body to bring life. So it is with the Believer. Men and women of faith  must live Gal. 2:20 lives.

    B. Faith  recognizes problems. (vs. 19)

         Abraham did not close his eyes to what was going on around him. He evaluated his circumstances. He understood the problems associated with a faith in God's promises. And, he still believed.

   C. Faith has stick-to-it-tiveness. (vs. 20)
       Abraham had to wait a long time to see the promise of God revealed in his son Isaac. 25 years. But through it all he remained consistent, he believed God and never wavered.

APP: This is the hard part isn't it? Sticking it out through the tough times. Times when it seems like God isn't there, like He has forgotten you? This is the hard road of faith. The dark and lonesome valley, perhaps even the valley of the shadow of death, yet we will fear no evil, we will not stray, we will remain faithful. Why?  Because our faith is in  the person of JC, God's Son, our Savior,  the One who travels this road with us.

    D. Faith is convinced of God's promises. (vs. 21)

         Remember Charles Spurgeon's definition of Faith? 'Believing JC is who He is said to be, will do what He promised  He will do...and then expect that of Him'. Abraham was thoroughly convinced that God would keep His promises to him.

APP: How about you? Are you convinced that God loves you? That He has only good intended for you, regardless of your current situation? Are you certain of His promise to give you eternal life through belief in JC? Will you bet you life on it? In a very real way... you are. You can stand firm on the promises of God because your God is faithful.

    E. Faith is necessary for justification. (vs. 22-25)

         This is the kind of faith that God reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. But, praise God, we are told here that this was not only for Abraham's benefit, but also for our own. Abraham was justified by faith and not by works. Salvation is available to the sinner today in the same way. Thru faith to those who accept it.

Conclusion:
         Abraham's life of faith is truly amazing. Especially since he didn't even have a Bible to read. Just a single promise from God. He was not part of a large fellowship of God followers. In fact, he was surrounded by heathens. Yet, Abraham still believed God.We have Bibles to study, and often they collect dust.We have a gathering of Believer we call church and yet at times we remain strangers to one another. We say we have faith,   yet crumble under the slightest pressure.

         How big is your God? Can He handle whatever circumstance you may find yourself in? If not you don't have faith in the God of Abraham, the God of the Bible. Knowing and Experiencing God requires faith.   Are you, a Believer?