Expound: Romans 3-4 - Part C

Next time you're feeling overwhelmed go outside and look okay. We live in the city. There's somewhat light pollution here not as bad as were I'm from, but it's still out there, but then take a drive somewhere. Go to the mound heartland on the hood look at the sky and realize your God focus on life's difficult they can seem insurmountable today on connect with Skip Skip shares patient trials and troubles in confidence to tell you about a resource that even deeper into God's truths.

Joy in the midst of hardship is a hallmark of the Christian life. But is it really possible.

Here's one you height, sometimes what that is the happy trail turns into a really daunting road and we have to figure out how to navigate. A lot of times God's purpose in allowing trials is to get opportunities to grow to the point where we can genuinely experience joy in the midst of trial were not appraised trials with courage, wisdom yes joy with one use booklet happy trials when you get $20 or more today to help keep this Bible teaching ministry of the air will send you a special bond with three booklets by Linda happy trials don't test me and speak no evil. Picture bundle three booklets for gift of $20 or more by calling 800-922-1888, or give online securely connectwithskip.com/offer that's connectwithskip.com/offer Romans chapter as we join, Skip step back to verse 21 and noticed but now the righteousness of God.

Part from the law of Moses is revealed. Here's the phrase I want to see now being witness by the law and the prophets if you're a Jewish listener and you just hear the rabbi say you know God makes people right through faith. And that's a principal that goes all the way back to the Torah was all the way back to the law and the prophets, your immediate question is a really forgive me Paul but I didn't read that help me understand that where exactly is that so Paul brings two witnesses into the courtroom. One is Abraham was justified by faith before the law and one is David King David. So the two great persons from the Old Testament that every Jewish person looks up to father Abraham, or as my tour guides and is really like to call them grandpa bringing grandpa is the first witness bringing David so we get on the witness stand. Abraham in chapter 4 verse one what then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh for Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast up but not before God. For what does the Scriptures say Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Now to him who works the wages are counted as grace but as debt you have an employer, you put in so many hours per week, and he gives you a paycheck and go all you are so kind to give me that paycheck. Thank you.

What what what caused you to be so overwhelmingly sweet. Nothing you earned it. You deserve it. That was the contract. So to him who works the wages are counted as grace but as debt, but to him who does not work but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.

What is Paul referring to Paul is referring to an incident in Abraham's life when one evening God took him stargazing Abraham from outside the stars together. Abraham was 86 at the time so it was one of those dry and warm Middle Eastern skies were. He looked up and he saw that panoply of stars spread out like diamonds on velvet. He looked up he said Abraham is yellow start yet that's what your family is to be like man you can have a whole bunch of kids offspring. Now when that happened.

Abraham didn't go all whole.

Come on, that's so ridiculous I maybe six hello that's a little bit impossible. He said amen. That's the Hebrew he believed God. He said main said right on. Amen. It's good to God.

I amen I agree with that.

Amen. And so God said that's all I need you. You believe that you said amen do it. I'm going to count what you just did in your heart instead with their lips as being right before me. God accounted that to Abraham as righteousness of the word accounted is a banking term like good semi means to put your account so Abraham was bankrupt before God is the thought he believed God's promise. God said, I'm changing the books. Now I'm changing the books so God says to you, and you said I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, got some change in the books are not guilty.

You are right before me your right just before me. It's a declaration God makes you counted it to him for righteousness guidance Abraham listen, I'm glad you said that. But there's 36 things you need to do first and you need to be baptized and you need to go to church regularly and then maybe then I'll make you right with me just the amen just the belief was enough you realize how great this is. Especially if you have a religious background. This is so freeing me that I want to do anything know the whole point is is he did it for you. You agreed with what he did. You believed in your heart.

It was authentic.

He takes you that way. That's the portal by which you enter you are made right before God.

Let me give you a recommendation before we mosey on really quickly. Next time you are overwhelmed with your troubles, whatever they may be. I don't even have to give examples. You have your own next time you're feeling overwhelmed go outside and look up okay.

We live in the city. There's somewhat light pollution here not as bad as were I'm from, but it's still out there. But then, then take a drive somewhere, go to the mountains in and look up parked the car layout on the hood look up at the sky and realize your God did that the God who loves you.

The God who promises things to you did that, as Isaiah said God measures the universe.

The span of his hand realize and looking up at the Milky Way galaxy, something that they say has 100 to 400 billion stars that is between 10 and hundred thousand light-years across. So if you could travel at the speed of light in 186,000 mi./s to get from one end to the other end would take you 100,000 years. God says it's only about that big very very small. There are several others out there besides that one your God makes promises to you. Look up and say amen amen yes Lord and realize God loves you do that it's a good exercise. So Abraham is the first man to the witness stand.

Second one is David. Just as David also described the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works.

Here's the quote. This is on 32. Blessed are those who log whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed. Oh how happy is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin after David sinned with Bathsheba and Nathan came and said you're the dude he penned Psalm 51. As I mentioned in Psalm 32. David is declaring the joy of God not holding his sin against him and David believes that soak in Paul's courtroom Abraham and David are what you would call prima facie evidence for justification by faith.

These men are examples of people apart from the law of Moses, who simply believe God's promises and were held in right standing before God. Abraham and David. Now you say. Well David, that's a good example for Paul to bring into the courtroom.

David's not a good guy to get on the stand because David was a good Jewish boy and he did get circumcise you A lot.

He was circumcised. So knowing that rebuttal.

He circles back to Abraham and he says this is this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also for we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted while he was circumcised or uncircumcised while he was circumcised while uncircumcised, and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised that he might be the father of all those who believe though they are uncircumcised of the righteousness might be imputed to them also and the father of circumcision to those who not only are the circumcision, but also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. Genesis chapter 15, where God said, I'm counting you righteous performing happened before there was a law before there was the ritual of circumcision before Moses was ever born. So, before there was any kind of a standard whereby people were called on to do this ritual. God imputed a righteousness to Abraham. It precedes the law know if you think about it. Abraham was declared righteous before God while he was still a Gentile.

This is interesting.

It's a little bit of a quandary to the Orthodox Jewish person to call Abraham, the father of Judaism. The first two, a Gentile, but he was he came from, or the Chaldees is his father. Tara was an idol worshiper.

He had a pagan Gentile background he was uncircumcised, but he believed in God and that Gentile also. First you was made right before God without any ritual without any law just by believing it's an incredible case study. Now you need to know something Abraham does get circumcised when he's 99 years old.

I'm scared of Passover that there is so many implications, but the point is, he got circumcised and he took Ishmael and got him circumcise in Isaac and the did you got carried on circumcision was introduced before the giving of the law. The law made it a mandate for every Jewish male to do. But here's the point.

The father circumcision. Abraham got circumcised, not because it added to his faith but because it attested to his faith. It didn't it didn't make him right before God approved that he was right with God and he did it as an act of obedience.

The outward sign to prove the inward change like baptism. It came subsequent again later today for the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham was to his seat through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is made of no effect because the law brings about wrath for where there is no law there is no transgression.

No. Do you realize that there was a time in this country where there was no speed limit.

I know some of you drive is if there is no speed limit now, but there is but there was a time when you could just get on an open road do whatever he wanted to do this. Have a blast. No speed limit, no law, you can break the law.

There is no law didn't exist. You can break what doesn't exist. If you travel to Europe you can get on the autobahn. I've done that no speed limit. Now they have a recommended speed 80 miles an hour that's recommended. Nobody really follows the recommendations you can go hundred and 30. If you 140. If you want, and if you rent a car and and and drive the autobahn and to rush okay enough of that.

You can't transgress a law. If the law doesn't exist.

But once the law exists and you go over the speed limit or do what ever the law now brings wrath you get the point. Therefore, it is a faith that it might be according to grace so that the promise might be sure to all the seed not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations in the presence of him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did a Paul is referring to a principal that he clearly or I would see more clearly articulates, in fewer words in the book of Ephesians in Ephesians chapter 2 verse eight it says, for by grace you have been saved through faith for grace you have been saved through faith, not of yourselves as anyone should boast. Right. So it's all by faith not of works, lest anyone should boast your saved through faith Abraham was simply the Proto type of salvation by believing salvation by grace through faith. He did work for you and I don't work for all we do say amen to it we receive it. Verse 18 finishes out, contrary to hope, in hope believed so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, so shall your descendents be the promise in Genesis chapter 15 stars of the sky and not being weak in faith. He did not consider his own body already dead since he was about 100 years old and the deadness of Sarah's womb. I sort of feel sorry for Abraham you know his name was Abram which means exalted father and that was his name while he had no children and and then God made him change his name or God change his name to Abraham which means father of a multitude.

Still no children. So you you can just imagine the caravan coming through meeting him for the first time what your names are Abram, O father, exalted father, how many kids you have not zipped 009 okay weird name for that, but nice to meet you a CX comes back here later. Hey Abram no name change now father of a multitude really so you had children. Nope, not yet. There, not now notice what he says you're willing to make a quick not being weak in faith.

He did not consider his own body already dead since he was about 100 years old. The reason Abram Abraham could say amen to God's promise, so shall your descendents be okay believe that him and have kids.

The reason he could do. It is simple. He factored God into the equation when you don't factored God into any equation, it's difficult it's hard it's improbable, it's impossible. But when you factor God into it. It's like okay amen that's what we need to do factored God into life's problems.

Jesus said, with God nothing shall be impossible. We carry our limitations over on the got Sarah did when she heard the promise that she was going to have a child. She laughed. She was behind the curtain Jell-O so I have pleasured such an old age and show my master Abraham, a pleasure no way and God said to Abraham. Why did Sarah laugh and she spoke now outlived allowed for by the curtain. I laugh, God said you did last Sarah and then he said is anything too hard for God. See, that's the factoring God into the equation is anything too hard for God when you know the rest of the story. Verse 20 he did not waver at the promise. He did not waver the promise of God through unbelief but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God and being fully convinced that what he had promised, he was also able to perform and therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness, to be honest, I read this schism. He didn't waver at the promise of God, and I kind of smile and I've even got a laugh a little bit God, you're being very generous with Abraham and Paul.

You are certainly be very generous with grandpa saying he never wavered. The truth is when God said so shall your descendents be. He said amen but then he goes you know he he was having a tough time.

You know, I've only got this guy name Eliezer hanging around. How will I know that you know and then later on the very next chapter I he seemed to waver a lot when he took Sarah's advice and took Hagar the handmaiden and went into her and had a child named Ishmael because he sort of right reason. Well, maybe it's not can really be a miracle may be what God really meant is is simply this can be through natural means and and Ishmael was born. So it sorta seems like he waver. But let me answer that by saying this. Doubt is not the same as unbelief. Everybody struggles with issues of faith. You should okay to do that. If you have struggles you should voice them doesn't make you a bad person.

I have had my struggles and every struggle. I've had I've rustled through it. My faith is gotten stronger, so doubt is in the same as unbelief in these dressing unbelief here unbelief saying God can't do it won't do it at some believe it's more of a position of the heart decision of the heart. Also the fact that 99-year-old Abraham get circumcised shows he's all in and he believes what God's going to do it. He's attesting to his fate, so an upset on that bus finish it up. Now it was written. It was not written for his sake alone that was imputed to him, but also for us, it shall be imputed to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses and he was raised up because of our justification so Abraham on the witness stand. Evidence that he is saved and all of us are saved by that same principle faith in God when when you believe imputes to you a righteousness you cannot produce. You can merely receive and walk-in and you are right before God. Therefore God looks at you with the same surety that he would be hold his own son. Hard to believe hard to get your mind around that hard around that. What is the truth of Scripture.

I love Abraham because Abraham didn't focus on his impotence, but on God's omnipotence, he can do anything I can but he can and he believed God that Skip the message from the series expound to tell you about an opportunity to take knowledge of God's word to a deeper level. If you're ready to study God's word beyond going to church and personal Bible you're ready for Calvin College. Take your learning and your life's purpose to the next level with an education biblical study registration for the 2022 altar is open right now. Classes have on-site patellar church Albuquerque and online classes like Old Testament survey world apologetics and theology book specific courses like Daniel, Romans, Revelation cover college partners with Veritas international University Calvary Chapel University so you can earn an accredited undergraduate graduate degree or simply increase your knowledge of God and replication for the 2022.

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