Anatomy of Faith, Part 2

Confidently with JD. There is literally nothing that you could do that would make God love you anymore than he does. Right now, and there's nothing you have done that could make him love you any less because he poured out all you bad on Jesus and peered in the grave he looks at you now is if you are the righteousness of Jesus Christ and it is time for you just to embrace that and start worshiping God for it and stop trying to prove himself dressed out in faith Abraham had Paul says that even when he faltered. Abraham did not waver in unbelief today is pastor Jenny continues to teach in Romans four. Understand that faith is not about never failing. It's about placing your trust in the God who always keeps his promises. It's admitting that you cannot save yourself that in his grace God has done it for you if you miss the beginning of this message on yesterday's program you can listen online at JD Greer, a strength ascertaining him one. Just believe in God. In general, one to believe in God without their he believed the specific thing that God had set a promise he had made and then Abraham adjusted his life around that promise.

And from that point on Abraham's start walking around as if this promise was going to come through the adjusters like the new reality even though he's 90 and childless. You build himself a nursery there pick about baby names. There you want baby showers there looking for a lamb it's good how is this massive nation that God is going to give to him and because Paul says he was fully convinced that what God promised he was able also to do therefore therefore it was credited to him for righteousness. So face object is the promise of God. Faith is believing that God will do what God said hello and then readjusting your life around. The reality of that promise.

Now Paul makes the bridge to us in verse 23, because most of us have not received a promise organ. I have kids one night trip also houses apply to you. 11 verse 23 now was credited to him that phrases it is a 56 program alone was an isolated incident. Not enough is also for you and for me is for us to be credited to us, just like Abraham, who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. Why that verse 25 is you delivered up for our trespasses and was raised again for our justification watch the resurrection wasn't God's proof that he accepted Jesus as the payment for our sin, the resurrection was the declaration that it worked right because when Jesus on the cross. He said it is finished. It is paid in many died when God raised him from the dead got to tell the truth and he did exactly what he said he did. He paid for your sin to what it means for you to show faith is for you to say I believe that God kept his promise. Just like Abraham believed God would keep his promise. I believe that he did keep his promise. That promise was that he would send salvation into the world.

Abraham believed that God was going to send it. I believe that he has sent the following this Old Testament saints or say the same with you and me. We both believe God's promise to send salvation to the world. They believed about looking forward to the cross. We believe by looking backwards at the cross. The direction is different. The object is the same that is God's promise to bring salvation is not a general hope in God.

It is a belief that God kept his word to take care of your sin debt and to remove it and to give you his righteousness. So next we have B we got faiths focus faith focus will explain. Verse 19 is God's power is what focuses on Abraham did not we can faithfully consider his own bodyguard and dad's, harsh way to say that but when 100 years old when it comes your re-productivity your dead okay since he was about 100 years old and also the deadness of Sarah's wings. I was a promise to throw lots of things Abraham could've have used about as he considered his future.

Lots of things Abraham could've thought about that discouraged him. But Abraham chose not to think about any of those things you chose instead to focus only on God's ability to keep his word nominal and tell you that you don't know dependent on God alone like that can be scary. But Abraham did most of us prefer a faith will be depend on got a little bit and depend on ourselves. A lot of it.

That's what the caliphate would prefer it if this promise. Think about it this promise were made to you today. What would you think you got thank you for this promise and then you had right to the doctor and you say okay Dr. will build on the will going to see me.

One of the techniques that we do here you be home and Internet type and how to have kids when you're 92 point is you want to hit your bet you want had your bet.

You want God to come through but if not, if not, you're going to figure out other ways of getting it done and making sure that you're taking care of.

If God doesn't come through.

You have what one my favorite Bible teacher Tony Evans what he calls mutual fund faith mutual fund works so if you're really gutsy investor, you find one company that looks like it's going to do awesome and you put all your money on that company and here's the upside if it does awesome you get rich. The downside is if it goes broke and you lose all the money you invested it so most of us cowards. We best invest in mutual funds held mutual fund work would you been to get a little bunch other people and how many exactly 6000 people, and you all invest together in a thousand different companies and here's the upside if one of them goes belly up. You lose your money because the risk is mitigated because it spread out one of the things can fall apart and you can still be okay. That's what we do with God is why God you're part of this equation, but I'm going to do other things to make sure that I am happy and that I'm taking care of because I can't risk it all on your promise you with a really good illustration but I don't understand how one. How do we do that today. Greg thinks rationally okay to invoice you know by refusing to embrace your new identity, God has declared you totally righteous in his sight yet most of you walk around with a sense of fear, insecurity and nagging sense of guilt, a vague sense of disapproval.

You'll say things like, well, I know that God is said that I'm forgiven, but I do something I can forgive myself and you spend most your life trying to prove yourself both to you and others that you have worth friend that is plain and simple, refusing to believe that God did what God said he did.

Fred according to the gospel you are forgiven, there is literally nothing that you could do that would make God love you anymore than he does.

Right now, and there's nothing you have done to make him love you any less because he poured out all you bad on Jesus and buried in a grave he looks at you now as if you were the righteousness of Jesus Christ and it is time for you just to embrace that and to start worshiping God for it and stop trying to prove yourself Chris in the moment that you accepted Christ you became a chosen and adopted a cherished son or daughter of God, he will pitch you and said well done my good and faithful servant your my beloved child, in whom I am well pleased. You have been appointed now to walk in victory. Even when you walk in the valley of the shadow of death, you have to fear evil because he stayed right beside you. It means that when you are in the presence of your enemies. He's prepared a table for you and your cups going to overflow means all your needs are to be provided according to the riches of Christ Jesus you were going to rain forever is a king or queen with Christ. Nothing can overcome you anymore. No weapon formed against you can prosper all those who rise up against you will fall. Nothing can separate you from his love and goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life and all these earthly trials you go through his presence never leaves you or forsake you.

And he is commandeering all of them for your good and his glory and his continued mission in the world is that how you walk through life right there. If not you had your back okay, that's one way I here's a site away failing to face tomorrow and the confidence of God's promises like Abraham is allotting you to feel like your past failures are to define your future. But faith says my future is not determined by my past, my future is as bright as the promises of God's announcement talking to people who are considering becoming Christians. They will tell me like a pastor, I want to become a Christian.

I just got to live this out. I don't think I'm strong enough to live this out was when out to them.

So, my friend, when you say that the what you are showing that your focus is on you. The Christian life is not about you doing this for Jesus it's about Jesus doing it in and through you that many people when they become Christians living like a wrestling match. When they got to wrestle that evil triumvirate the world the flesh and the devil. And this is the Christian life. I got a wrestle these things. I used to go along. We thank you to my friend now to wrestle crystallize like a wrestling match to your other Euros in the world, the flesh of the devil to take some all the flesh and the devil will with your tail every single time. Okay is what happens after a few weeks when they're just like they're about to die spiritually in their there I got to do some to give off a minute come to church and may hear me say something about God's power supply � God needs to come help me and so they reach up and just as they are about to get your opinion about the account. Another reach out make a SMAC payment. Jesus, they tag a man, and Jesus comes off the top level like a rack attack one of the bone just takes out the will of the flesh, the devil, and you Dragon were used in the side and for several minutes, Jesus is with us around the world the flesh and the devil to get them back in the place of have to call you breath in your cover is attached back and says I can't get back out there that you back out there you go through it again. This is the Christian life. It's you and then Jesus and you and the Jesus now that's better than you. For Jesus, the Christian life is not you.

For Jesus, it's also not you and Jesus. The Christian life is Jesus in you, and it means that you stay during the whole time, but it's never your power and his you're kinda going to the motions of fighting, but it his power that is working in your marriage is his power working your parity for this power working on preaching. I'm the one who's doing it but it's his power in me that makes sense I think of it like this couple weeks ago to my family vacation place we were at a lake with a paddle budget to my nine-year-old son says let's go paddleboat so we did in the town of Hudson's course to his little legs or are just barely long enough to touch the pedals. Okay, so he's not put many energy in the battles right so but rather the ladies like dad, let's go inside now that looks little about some of this. I look back at some of your files, like son lets stop saying let's okay as Reno lets in this equation, there's dad doing this in dad's car go back with Rosalie even though his legs are going to the motions. It's all my strength and my power. The same thing is happening in the Christian life. Right you were doing it, but God is doing in you and through you with his power. So I'm facing the Christian life and say not what I have to do. I'm embrace it with the confidence comes from God and saying that my marriage is difficult but God is able to work what he wants in it. This situation is impossible, but all things are possible with God.

And I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me to refuse a wall for the confidence or the third way we had your bet. We refuse to obey fully right you like okay got. I want to know your way but some other things are here just in case, make sure that I'm still so happy and secure possible seven prescriptive 15. He said if the gospel is not true that I'm a fool because the choices I made the sacrifices that I made.

This turns out not to be true when God turns out not to keep his promises that I am of all men to be pitied because I've staked it all on whether or not God is going to keep his promise. For most of us wouldn't quite be there, which I hope God is good to keep his promise.

But I'm also going to live in ways that I'll be happy and secure even if he's not there by every meeting with him looks like the first one. For example, if you're dating what this looks like is I want God to be a part of my life but I'm not willing to wait on the one that is the choice from God. To date, because yes I want God to be part of my life and also for like I need any romance and I need a boyfriend or girlfriend to be happy.

So I'm going to compromise my standards and just date whoever I want to would not wait for the one that's from God because God and comparable make sure that I'm taking care of or about this how we have dating couples engaged couples in this church listening to me right now who are living together before marriage. What that means is where insurers will not be part of our life but we don't trust God enough to actually do it his way and then will say to me like his own pastor teeth. I got if you judge us for living together how Mike so you're scared of the wrath of God, but you won't submit to the wisdom of God, tell me how that equation works either is God or he's not. And if he is God, then do it his way. Go ahead.

Your badges do what he tells you to do and obey him fully if you're married, here's what looks like a looks like my marriage and going well, and rather than trusting that God is going to do a miracle in you as you stick out a weather trust in God he can help overcome these obstacles you will for an easy way out: divorce right you just you, well, or maybe seek romance outside of your marriage right in your like I said I can't.

I gotta do it my way as well. If you're a teenager, a college student you want to belong to Jesus.

You want Jesus to be your life but you also want to do it your way and you don't trust them enough to fully surrender like a boat dock in the boat is pulled away Jesus bullet in the world and at some point you gotta decide that's a worse position to be in his 1 foot on the.1 foot on the boat and will, however, nobody okay and so you gotta choose a mate on the diagram either in Jesus if you're going to trust and knowing that your badges go all the way most miserable people the world has committed Christians, many of you are doing it. I would say in your career. This unapplied everybody but also some of you that he wants you to use your career on whether it's her church planter or or somewhere where you be part of the mission of God and you have an immoral career. You're doing good right you know well your career but you don't trust God enough to obey him about where he said he was at career and so while your career is not immoral you hedged your bet some of you do.

It is like a real personal some of you a lot of you do it in relation to this church. What I mean is you want to have churches, 40 life so your you know you're part of the church with me to come to about five on Sundays which unity feels like a lot and then, but not to join you not to get committed because that gets gets messy.

I want to be encumbered want just enough of God, stay in it, but you also want to remain separated from it so that you can head your bet many of us has our faith when it comes or finances. God wants the first and the best of what he gives us because we know we are like all monies essential for my happiness and monies. Also, since my security so I can't do that to you come to church and occasionally at the when your lunch money into the offering plate when it goes by, but but you've never actually make God first and best in your giving you never given him the place we Jesus to start the time because you don't really trust him enough to go all the way you got a mutual fund faith and it's time for a single focus faith. Whenever your focus goes from God to you. You will always had your bet now versus 20, 21, we see C face most states most is God's trustworthiness and ability. Paul says Abraham did not waver nonbelief. God's promise what he was strengthens faith and gave glory to God because Abraham was fully combat squad taught a promise. He was also able to do your big thing for Paul in Romans. Have you noticed this is what you boast in if you're saved by works. Paul says you can boast about what you've accomplished, but if you're saved by faith.

You can boast about what you've accomplished because your boast is and what God accomplished for you Abraham and had kids of his own strength when he was 90.

Abraham will be walking around heaven going mega man that's right 90 years old little boy still had a father nation when I was nine, but as it stands now, you meet Abraham. These will be like oh no mega man, I was a miserable failure at 3030. It was a miserable failure, and God did it. Also God gets the glory. If 1 ounce of your salvation came from your own strength when you get to heaven were all you hear about is how you overcame the odds to get to heaven, but as it is his will we sing when we been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise then when we first got what that means is after 10,000 years. I'm still not going to have gotten to the subject of how awesome JD is I'm still gonna be talking about the glory of Jesus because my boast is going to be not in my righteousness, but his grace by Revelation 22 four says working to have his name literally tattooed to her for it to say his name is grace because there are boast is in who he is, not what we have done that his face boast D faith feebleness is my be my favor for the whole thing first 20 verse 20 min ago you sold that phrase some did not waver nonbelief. Some of you if you know the story of Abraham that structures not phrase is not did not waver in nonbelief. Do you know the story of Abraham. They waver all over the place.

To me, not once but twice. Abraham lied to another king about Sarah not being his wife because the king was interested in her run head on what dirt bag does that not once but twice. Genesis 16 he sleeps with his housekeeper, Hagar because he thinks that Sarah is too old now to have a kids of Abraham Idaho help the process along by sleeping with with Hagar.

That's how it's like wavering to me.

So despite all of that.

Why would Paul say that Abraham did not waver in out did you not know that he forgot know he knew about him you know he's wanted.

He did not waver in nonbelief because Paul understands that's wavering in nonbelief has less to do with never falling, it has more to do with the place that you look after you fall that after you have wavered and stumble.

You get up with confidence in God's grace and his ability to keep his promise, and that's what Abraham did every single time of Abraham is that guy that I told you about improper 24 she one of my favorite like illustrations department for 60 where it says that the righteous man falls seven times and I told you member I said, I can imagine being behind the guy who fell 7 times what is asked to imagine what happened up here your lights come on for preaching or working out walking off like a good right I what happened. What happens will fall like that happens is what you laugh, but you will feel bad about laughing in your Lord Jesus on the left was funny and I send out I can embarrass, clumsy, make some joke about you been on the carpet or whatever and we right, it is not. But after being here for two minutes.

I fall again and now for third time and then before I hit minute 15 I'm on number six.

By the time I stand up there ENT up here because her like a student got probably not just clumsy, he's got a problem. The writer of the book of Proverbs is the righteous man falls seven times. All he does is fall. That's Abraham he fall seven times the righteous fall seven times because your righteousness is not shown, but never falling, your righteousness is shown by where you will look after you fall, and every time Abraham fell like a messed up again, so again, the Lord, your promise is secure. Your promise is true and thank God this promise is not conditioned on my continued faithfulness. Your promise is secure because your promise depends on you, so my faith is feeble, but the object of my faith is secure. Though my faith is wavering.

The object is solid and so Paul says he didn't waver nonbelief because even though he fell and fell and fell. He kept getting up and looking at the promise of God I don't know about you that brings me a lot of comfort because it means that just because I don't have flawless unflinching faith doesn't mean that I'm not regarded as God by righteous because I know the object of my faith is secure. Which leads me to the last thing E is the best faith result faith result is amazing.

Therefore, he says it was credited to him for righteousness is credited to him for righteousness.

Only one righteous boy faltered all the time.

He is regarded as righteous now that phrase.

It was credited to him when River just Abraham no freedom is written for you credited to you. When you believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord up from the dead because he was delivered up our trespasses as it is finished and was raised again for justification was raised again showing the God and accomplish what God said he was going to accomplish faith is merely the hand that lays hold of the finished work of Christ. Faith is the admission that you cannot save yourself.

Therefore, God did it all for you is the declaration that know you are faithless, he is faithful though you are powerless.

He is power folded know you are on righteous God's gracious but he is faithful and just and all of his ways, though you are crooked and deceiving and all of yours is. Faith is what will propel you outward into the mission of God.

As I was reading Romans for over and over again this week. One thing stood out to me, never seen before how Paul every time he brings us on can't help himself. He always says like it's not just Ross for the nation's this one go to the nations because God wanted to say people everywhere, not just me when you really believe this will start to develop business confidence that God will save the people around you and you'll start to go share some of you as you drive you to Muslim nations or peoples in the world that are never heard the gospel because you can be convinced that God wants to save them to what he promised in the same God that brought Jesus out of the grave to fulfill this part of promise to therefore walk across street tell my neighbor who seems hard to Christianity. I walk across the street and I'll share price with them because the God that brought Jesus out of the grave can soften that person's heart and the God that brought Jesus out of the grave is going to not let history and until there is a thriving church movement in every single people group on earth God that brought Jesus out of the grave is the God that is going to finish his work in the world.

Therefore, I will share with my neighbor therefore I will go on mission trips and I will deliver overseas and that's what got asked because I'm believing you will accomplish them promise the Christian life, written it is begun, it is sustained is completed by faith question is if you ever made that faith commitment. Have you ever exercised that faith. But I hope you see is a faith is not a general belief in God. Faith is the decision that God has told the truth about accomplishing your salvation and resting the weight of your soul on that promise. Faith is just the hand that lays ahead on Jesus and said it was the rest of my hopes on that thing anyway and when he came to earth pastor Janie Greer blown away by the generosity of our gospel partners we mentioned and often here on the program but what exactly is a gospel partner yet gospel partners really are a part of our team Hoeksema like their listeners who are integral pieces of boldly proclaiming the gospel through this radio podcast ministry if you give a gift of $25 or more each month.

Get a new and selected resource from me every month. In addition to exclusive updates that going on.

The impact of your giving is my voice this one coming through on the radio but the reason it is able to come through is because of the support of people who make the production possible. They're able to get us airtime in different places and you been bless through this. Why not give in a way that will allow somebody else to experience the blessing and also the gospel partners so you can sign up to be one that JD Greer.com there is a tab there that you can click on you all the instructions you that you'll receive the first study in this three-part series. The Romans were so excited about that I think will really help you dive deeper in Romans and also titles that he's created a copy of this first study Remington today. Thanks for 335-5220 866-335-5220 even downy curriculum online.com wasn't interested inviting you to join us on Janie Greer