Well, I invite you to turn tonight in your Bibles in front of you to Romans chapter 4 as we continue in our evening service through the book of Romans. And tonight, I think every section in Romans is so appropriate for coming to the table of our Lord. And tonight we come to verses 13 through 25 of Romans chapter 4 found on 1119 in the Bibles that are in front of you. this is the holy word of the lord beginning at verse 13 tonight is our text for the promise to abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith for if it's the adherence of the law who are to be the heirs faith is null and the promise is void for the law brings wrath but where there is no law there is no transgression this is why it depends on faith in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of abraham who is the father of us all as it is written i have made you the father of many nations in the presence of the god of in whom he believed who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist in hope he believed against hope that he should become the father of many nations as he had been told so shall your offspring be he did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body which was as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old or when he considered the barrenness of sarah's womb no unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God but he grew strong in his faith and he gave glory to God fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised this is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness but the words it was counted to him were not written for his sake alone but for ours also it will be counted to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead jesus our lord who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification there ends the reading of god's word there's one uh great purpose tonight that is in front of us in the book of romans in this particular section it is to reassure our hearts we have been looking at a few important figures excuse me in the book of romans to prove and to demonstrate what they believed concerning justification by grace through faith alone and the author here paul wants to you'll notice that connection right at the end he says something so beautiful that this was not just for abraham the intention is this is also for us same faith same promises so that we would live assured in the same way that father abraham was assured that we are forgiven before the throne of grace and that we are acquitted before god of all of our sins that is the best news isn't it that's why we call it good news that's what gospel is all about and his purpose tonight is just that to show that we live in the same hope and enjoy the same free gift that abraham had through faith and I think that's such a an important message for us to always hold on to as we're going to see so much detail so much ink is spilled on this particular point because the doctrine of justification is not easy for people to simply accept it's been the one doctrine that has been railed against in the history of the church most it's been the single great a doctrine that has been most attacked because it is most unnatural to us and it is something really that is offensive to us but it shouldn't be in the sense that this is the best news God is announcing and as we come to the table tonight he wants you to receive that by faith and live in the joy of this comfort as we say in our Heidelberg it's important tonight tonight to follow Paul's line of reasoning here what he's been doing throughout this book he's he's been using it particularly in chapter four the father Abraham, if you will, to prove this one great truth. That Abraham was justified, acquitted, declared righteous before the throne of God in that great act by faith alone. That alone is important, isn't it? He proved the same thing with David. And we looked at last time, really, the testimony and the record of Scripture regarding the life of abraham and the life of david where they the scriptures are brutally honest about cataloging and showing their failures for us to show that the gospel is for sinners none other for sinners only and this is why jesus said i didn't come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance so here this is captured for us that abraham lived by faith his testimony declares that the record declares that the record shows that that's what's commended of abraham and tonight the apostle drives this home to make this great point that the same faith and the same grace that justified abraham is the very same grace and the very same faith in which we share the same promises the same consequence the same blessing that abraham received so that we might live in comfort paul demonstrates why this message is so hard to receive let's look at this tonight that's really his driving point is to he's been sort of systematically if you will and pastorally tearing down all objections to this doctrine and tonight he comes to the big one which he's already worked with numerous times in the book but he's really going after here the relationship of someone to the law of god it's very important tonight let's look at this in the previous section paul made the point that it was not circumcision that secured this blessing of justification by faith alone abraham was justified far before being the right of circumcision was given in genesis 18 genesis 15 6 paul capitalizes and shows that was the moment that evening when abraham believed when the promise was made sand on the seashore stars in the heaven abraham believed god and right then and there it was accounted to him for righteousness it was done he was forever justified before the throne room of god there was no going back to prove that paul demonstrated that he was circumcised years later but now he takes this further by zeroing in on abraham's life notice uh verse 13 tonight uh here for the promise to abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith now that's a really important argument he's making here um i don't know how much we sit around and read romans 4 there's a lot that said here tonight this is really the capstone of everything that he's developing in this section that the promise came through the law It did not come through the law, but it came by faith. Now, what was the promise? You'll remember in the story of Genesis, God had called him out of Ur of the Chaldeans. And immediately seven promises were made right away in Genesis 12. And you could sort of summarily give them by saying that he promised, remember number one, that the seed of the woman would come through him. He would send the champion that Genesis 3 had talked about from years before. In the first gospel announcement, it was the direct promise, as Galatians picks up, that Christ would come. Christ would come. The second, that the nations of the earth would be blessed through him, through that seed who is Christ. and then third that he would inherit the land forever which we know was a hebrew says a shadow a shadowy sketch of the eternal land that's why he looked for the city that has foundations whose builder and maker is god so we could we could sum up the promise to abraham this way that that the promise made that he would have a savior that he would have a people like the sand of the seashore how encouraging when we think of salvation and how many will be saved it's there's a great number a great multitude no man can number and that it will result in eternal life it will result in a new heavens and a new earth the promise was made to abraham this of these things in seed form sort of in genesis and we see that play out in the new testament but paul's great concern here is this how was the promise received how did paul receive all how did abraham receive all of those promises that's the issue tonight you know we have in the new covenant i think our heidelberg summarizes it really well when it says that we have promises made to us you couldn't even catalog all the promises in the scripture made we are people of the promise but the heidelberg sort of summarily gives it in that the promise of God is the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. That's just, it's overwhelming. The forgiveness of all of our sins and everlasting life is the promise. How do we receive that? How did Abraham receive these kind of promises? How did Abraham receive it? And Paul's already made the case in Romans chapter 3. It was all a free gift. It's a single great issue tonight. Did Abraham secure any of these blessings, any of these benefits, really simply, boys and girls, by anything that he did? It's as simple as that. That's the simple question of the text tonight. By anything that he did. And Paul makes a direct, a clear, a hard-hitting statement in verse 13 to lay this to rest once and for all. He says, this promise and all that was included for Abraham and his seed, all that was included for you, his people, not one blessing was secured by obedience to the law. Not one work contributed in any way to the securing of the promise. It was never that Abraham had to be good enough to receive it. And I think you see how important that message is for Christianity, but how difficult that is. This is how most people see the church. Maybe they look at the Escondido URC and they look at us and they think, well, they're just the good people we could never attain to that. And you know at the heart of it, that's not our message. That's not what we believe about ourselves. Just like Abraham didn't believe that about himself. Just like David didn't believe that about himself. Abraham, the shocking sweeping statement of this, is he did not have to meet the standard himself for any of the promises. That strikes at the heart of the Christian faith. This is where our faith stands out from every other faith or religion in the world. And by far, all of them teach obedience by works for the inheritance of the promise. Think of it. We're bringing a message that says to receive the forgiveness of sins and the promise of everlasting life, there is, you know how radical this feels? Absolutely nothing. You do to accomplish it. Nothing. Nothing. Now I don't know if we realize how strong of an argument that is. It's a known fact that the rabbis would teach that Abraham knew and obeyed the law in all of its details. Rav said, one of the rabbis, Abraham our patriarch fulfilled the entire Torah before it was given. Remember, the law came 430 years later. As it is stated, because Abraham hearkened to my voice and kept my charge, my mitzvot, the statutes, and my Torah, as we find that Abraham, our father, had performed the whole law before it was given, and Abraham was perfect in all of his deeds with the Lord. So this is common teaching in Judaism about Father Abraham. Paul knew this was believed. Paul knew that this is what he was running up against. They trust in Abraham, and even more so at times Moses. And Paul's making a basic point here. You've not considered that there are two very different principles at work in this life. And they can't be mingled. They can't be joined. It's all one, or it's all the other. This is what he said in verse 5. to him who does not work but believes on him who justifies the ungodly he does not work for this that's what he said but instead believes two principles he says again in chapter 11 of romans and if it is by grace then it is no longer of works otherwise grace is no longer grace but if it's of works it's no longer grace otherwise work is no longer work so the point he's making no middle ground on this issue and it's that big of an issue and so in verse 14 he plainly says for the promise to abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness that comes by faith faith if it were works faith would mean nothing the promise would be of no effect he says and it would rest on man's obedience and if you want to go back to that then you got the first three chapters of romans to deal with which were utterly brutal in our assessment of humanity but that's not the principle on which the promise operated says paul so what does paul do to prove this point i want everyone to look closely at what he says here because this is a point of great confusion even to our day paul says plainly in verse 15 this is um a highlighting verse this is a verse that stands out in the narrative in the in the story in the section here the problem is that the law brings wrath. It's one of those little phrases you have to just stop and ponder. Our doing of the law brings wrath. It's an insurmountable problem. This is exactly why Galatians says the law is not of faith. So what was the purpose of the law? Let me ask this question. What did Israel end up doing with the law? That's how you answer that question. Paul says in chapters 10 of Romans, Israel desperately tried to establish their own righteousness by pursuing the law of righteousness. In other words, they thought that by trying to do all that the Lord had commanded they would achieve eternal life and Paul is saying they did not submit to the righteousness that comes by faith now this is crucial when when God gave the law on Sinai if we could just go back there for a moment remember what the law was prefaced with this is where a lot of people get a little hung up but there's that really glorious statement that the law was prefaced with i am the lord your god who brought you out of the land of egypt out of the house of bondage you shall have no other gods before me if you're living by faith as father abraham lived by faith you know that deliverance came first and then came the law and that became for those who live by faith a thankful guide a thankful way of deliverance they had been delivered but galatians comes along and romans comes along and it helps us to understand what was the primary intention of the law what was the the great purpose of the law galatians 3 21 is the law contrary to the promises of god certainly not for if a law had been given that could have given life if the law had been given that could have produced eternal life then righteousness would indeed be by the law but that's not not what israel did with the law paul goes on galatians to say by the law comes the knowledge of sin here he states plainly what was the purpose of the law what israel did not understand about the law and what the purpose of the law was primarily so you have this great record of what happened on sinai you know we read the law on sunday mornings and we read the ten commandments and it's a pretty casual endeavor it's a pretty casual endeavor um i don't see anyone real fear and trembling when we're reading the law but you should recognize what happened when it first was given lord said i want bounds around all the mountain i it would be like no trespassing no no trespassing keep out authorized access only moses i want bounds for everyone if anyone goes up and just touches the base of the mountain puts a finger on the base of the mountain i want archers ready and you are to shoot them dead if someone touches he needs immediately to be put to death by stoning or by an arrow was the command you shoot arrows so the lord says i'm going to sound the trumpet and when the trumpet sounds then everyone will come near the mountain this is what we read then it came to pass on the third day in the morning that there were thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and the sound of a trumpet was very loud so that all the people were in the camp trembled. Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace and the whole mountain quaked greatly. So what you have here is a fire theophany where God had come down on the mountain, everything is lit up on fire. Everything goes black all around. It would be like looking up and the whole sky becoming completely black in this ominous cloud that's descending and then you'd see this awesome fire column resting on the mountain. That was the only light, was a massive column of fire and lightnings are flashing out of it everywhere. Trumpet begins to sound. It starts to get loud, louder, and louder so that they can barely handle the strength of it. The ground starts to shake under them. It begins to crumble. Hebrews says, The sound of the trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers, this is just the words that were spoken, made the hearers beg no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure what was commanded. If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned. Indeed, so terrifying was that sight that Moses said, I tremble with fear. The whole thing shook. They couldn't control themselves. They're shaking. what was happening? God was given the law. God was given the law. Immediately after the Ten Commandments, you get the effect of it. If you ever read Exodus 20, and just read the next verses after we stop at the Tenth Commandment, this is what you get. The people begged that God would no longer speak to them lest they be consumed. you see why the record teaching us something well it's teaching us something about the holiness of god something that isaiah when he came in contact with had to duck and cover i'm breaking up in his presence but it was teaching us something first and foremost about sin the law says paul here brings wrath this is just on his mind meaning if you want to try to find acceptance with god and you want to try to find acceptance with god this way very simply if you are really trying to be your best and you think that you do and live a decent moral life and you agree to those terms yourself there that will only result in wrath that's what he's saying the basic purpose of the law is to expose sin paul says god put israel under the law to stop the mouth of the whole world and its own righteousness romans 2 so the great summary of the book is right here this is the great summary of the book tonight that no one is justified by the law for the just shall live by faith the law came 400 years later when abraham what it's saying is when abraham was placed in this situation that when god made the promise this is so amazing about the book of genesis the law had not even been given yet. The whole book is grace and grace and grace and grace in these messed up sinners' lives. The law had not been given yet to demonstrate for all of us when we read Father Abraham and all the patriarchs that the promise was by faith according to grace and ran on that principle and it still runs to this day. well paul now spells out for us that's how abraham received it when god made this glorious promise to abraham he says in verse 16 that this promise was received by faith that it might be according to grace so that the promise might be sure look notice this to you to all the seed to all the sand on the seashore to all the stars in the heaven what do we really learn from the life of abraham beloved god decided of his own free good pleasure that's the amazing thing about salvation why did he do it for us he decided to he decided to for you to love you to give you his son to forgive you and freely to justify you by grace through faith why does God do that for us what a marvel what a question you know what is the response that gives him the most glory that's the whole point here the response that gives him the most glory is faith faith verse 20 no unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of god but he grew strong in faith and as he gave glory to god there it is there it is what glorify god in abraham what glorifies god in us what is the single great choice made by god himself by which we can glorify him? It's faith alone. It's faith alone. This is where Abraham, I went through all his failures and it's uncomfortable. I went through David's failures and it's uncomfortable. You want to know where they're commended? Right here. And it's a big commendation. Faith. Faith glorifies God. our heidelberg defines it beautifully it's not only a knowledge and conviction that everything god said in his word is true but it's also a deep-rooted assurance now think about this created in me by the holy spirit through the gospel that out of sheer grace earned for me by Christ God grants not only to me but also to others to have my sins forgiven that I've been made forever right with God and have been granted salvation what a God I mean what a God what a debt we owe what a debt was paid for us and he says receive it by faith and Paul won't stop commending this beloved he will not stop commending this verse 18 abraham contrary to hope believed so that he became the father of many nations according to what was spoken he became the father of us so this would be the example this would be what we see in the great patriarch he did not waver in unbelief but was strengthened in faith he grew in faith that is the whole of our life isn't it he gave glory to god i love this being fully convinced being fully convinced god was able to perform what he promised there's the heart of your faith tonight there's the heart of christianity tonight it was accounted paul falls up right after he says that he was so sure god would perform what he promised that's why he it was accounted to him for righteousness do you do you believe that to believe he's forgiven your sins do you believe he's fully done it do you believe he's washed them all away do you believe he's he's promised eternal life for you contrary to everything you see and everything you experience at times that's what's celebrated that was the centurion this morning this morning my servant whom i love is over there i don't even need to see it i believe your word all you have to do is speak it i believe that's what i'm after right there jesus says i haven't seen such faith in israel abraham's life was tested on this point everything that god promised abraham seemed impossible you're going to experience that you know he's he's 100 years old sarah was 90 pretty tough to believe your wife's going to get birth god said she will and in that body all the nations of the earth will be blessed was all impossible humanly speaking he did not waver oh he struggled you struggle but he did not waver. He believed in the resurrection. That's highlighted here. Every time Abraham struggled, God loved him so much, he would come down and he'd confirm his word and he would strengthen him. And guess what he's doing for you tonight? In just a moment, the same thing. It's going to feed you with the supper to strengthen your faith. He knows you're weak. He knows it's hard. He understands faith, a gift of God. You're going to be tried and tested. How does the promise of forgiveness and eternal life seem to us right now? It seems maybe for the first one, we struggle because we still fight sin. And he wants you to believe, I nailed him to the cross. Hard to believe that eternal life is waiting for me. That heaven is reserved for me. You're a breath away. So am I. And it's yes and amen. The same is true for us, beloved. He wants us to trust his word. Even when we feel like nothing's happening. Even when all the culture around us is going chaotic. Even when everything seems to be moving at a snail's pace. Even when everything seems backward. Even when everything seems impossible. Even when everything seems contrary to hope. God's promises are coming to pass. He spoke. And what did Jesus say? It's finished. It's finished. That promise of forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. No one can take from us. He wants you to receive that by faith. It's my gift to you, children. That's how much I love you. So he closes in verse 23, but the words that was counted to him were not written for his sake alone, but for us also. It will be counted to us. This is the best news here. It will be counted to us who believe in him, who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. That's for you, he just said. That's not just for Abraham. That's for you. I want you to believe that tonight. Contrary to human reasoning, everything that he's done for us is done. Yes and amen and sure. He promised it. He spoke. And the same is true about justification by grace through faith alone. You believe? Do you believe? oh it's a question we ask often do you believe are you unwavering in that belief trust him he's faithful the same promises made the father abraham are the same promises made to you they're yes and amen and they're solely as a gift of grace so receive it why are we fighting this receive it and come to the table tonight and receive the nourishment for your souls as he strengthens your faith in these very promises amen let's pray lord bless us tonight as we come to the table thank you for such encouragement thank you for strengthening our faith thank you for encouraging us in this great message of the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. Help us to be believing and not unbelieving. Help us to receive this gift, this free gift from you through the gift of faith that we also might glorify our God in a way that pleases you. In Jesus' name, amen.