WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.300 Take your Bibles this morning and turn with me over to the book of Romans. 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:07.339 We will be in Romans chapter 4 this morning, beginning in verse 1. 00:00:07.459 --> 00:00:09.640 We'll work our way through verse 12. 00:00:09.820 --> 00:00:10.960 I know that's 12 verses. 00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:12.919 You're probably already looking at your watch thinking, 00:00:13.019 --> 00:00:14.300 are we going to get out of here on time? 00:00:14.419 --> 00:00:16.920 And I can assure you this morning, we will do just that. 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:19.839 We will get through these 12 verses in about two hours. 00:00:20.359 --> 00:00:23.719 So Romans chapter 4, verses 1 through 12. 00:00:23.980 --> 00:00:28.500 If you're like me, you like an outline, you like a neat and tidy outline, 00:00:28.500 --> 00:00:30.719 something with a title and some points. 00:00:30.859 --> 00:00:35.179 And so if you're like me, kind of OCD, you can entitle this morning's message 00:00:35.179 --> 00:00:39.000 the history of faith or the history of salvation. 00:00:39.340 --> 00:00:44.439 This morning's message is going to be more of a history lesson than anything else. 00:00:44.519 --> 00:00:51.079 And so Romans chapter 4, verses 1 through 12, the history of faith, the history of salvation. 00:00:51.519 --> 00:00:52.879 I trust that you have found our text. 00:00:52.939 --> 00:00:57.920 I'm going to invite everyone to stand as we honor the reading of God's holy and errant word. 00:00:58.500 --> 00:01:02.119 Paul writes, 00:01:02.119 --> 00:01:07.760 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather, according to the flesh? 00:01:08.599 --> 00:01:15.240 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 00:01:15.900 --> 00:01:17.579 For what does the scripture say? 00:01:18.460 --> 00:01:21.780 Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. 00:01:21.780 --> 00:01:27.239 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift, but as his due. 00:01:28.099 --> 00:01:34.640 And to the one who works, and to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, 00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:36.540 his faith is counted as righteousness. 00:01:36.980 --> 00:01:42.219 Just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works. 00:01:43.219 --> 00:01:46.939 Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. 00:01:46.939 --> 00:01:51.299 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin. 00:01:52.459 --> 00:01:56.900 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised or also for the uncircumcised? 00:01:57.640 --> 00:02:01.859 For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:04.140 How then was it counted to him? 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:07.799 Was it before or after he had been circumcised? 00:02:08.139 --> 00:02:11.199 It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:18.799 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. 00:02:19.500 --> 00:02:23.959 The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, 00:02:24.099 --> 00:02:27.339 so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 00:02:27.780 --> 00:02:30.620 and to make him the father of the circumcised, 00:02:30.759 --> 00:02:35.079 who are not merely circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith 00:02:35.079 --> 00:02:39.019 that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. 00:02:39.139 --> 00:02:39.839 Would you pray with me? 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:46.500 Father, this is your word, and Lord, this morning we are here to worship you and to hear from you this morning. 00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:48.960 And so, Lord, as we dig into your word this morning, 00:02:49.060 --> 00:02:53.000 we invite your spirit into this place to speak to us, Father, as only you can. 00:02:53.500 --> 00:02:55.900 Lord, we love you, and we praise you in Jesus' name. 00:02:56.300 --> 00:02:56.580 Amen. 00:02:56.900 --> 00:02:57.219 Thank you. 00:02:57.280 --> 00:02:57.659 You may be seated. 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:02.879 Times change. 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:11.000 And you can either go with the times, or you can get left in the dust. 00:03:11.879 --> 00:03:13.859 Let's take the telephone, for example. 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:21.460 There was a time when the only place you could talk on a telephone was at your house. 00:03:21.460 --> 00:03:24.540 It had to be plugged into the wall. 00:03:24.840 --> 00:03:26.219 I remember those times. 00:03:26.760 --> 00:03:31.480 And I remember the telephone that I had, I couldn't even really walk around the room with. 00:03:31.939 --> 00:03:38.540 The cord was so short that I actually had to sit at the desk in order to talk on the telephone. 00:03:38.539 --> 00:03:42.419 And then times changed. 00:03:43.239 --> 00:03:46.799 And something called the cordless phone came into being. 00:03:46.859 --> 00:03:48.060 You remember these cordless phones? 00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:53.299 Now, the receiver still has to be plugged in, but it had this really long antenna. 00:03:53.419 --> 00:03:54.699 It was a telescoping antenna. 00:03:54.979 --> 00:03:58.439 It was made out of metal, and when you tried to collapse it down on itself, 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:03.239 if you went too fast, you would bend that antenna, and then you would ruin the phone. 00:04:03.240 --> 00:04:08.460 These phones, for the first time, allowed us to not just talk on the phone, 00:04:08.520 --> 00:04:12.240 but we could actually walk around the room and talk on the phone. 00:04:12.300 --> 00:04:15.100 Now, you couldn't go two rooms away because it would get staticky, 00:04:15.400 --> 00:04:18.920 and if you went to the other side of the house, you would probably lose your connection. 00:04:19.220 --> 00:04:21.740 These phones were good, but you couldn't go far with them. 00:04:22.980 --> 00:04:27.900 And then times changed again, and you're going to see how big of a geek I am. 00:04:28.439 --> 00:04:32.220 The 2.4 gigahertz telephone came out. 00:04:32.220 --> 00:04:39.580 And for the first time, we were able to actually leave the room and go outside even. 00:04:39.980 --> 00:04:45.740 And if you had a really nice 2.4 gigahertz phone, you could even go to your neighbor's house. 00:04:45.840 --> 00:04:48.980 No longer did we have a telescoping antenna that was made out of metal. 00:04:49.260 --> 00:04:53.460 It had this little rubber antenna, and they were a game changer. 00:04:53.640 --> 00:04:56.640 When these phones came out, I was a flooring contractor. 00:04:56.840 --> 00:05:01.500 Before I was in ministry, I installed carpet, hardwood, and all those kinds of good things. 00:05:01.500 --> 00:05:07.879 And we would a lot of times go to the warehouse to pick up our jobs, and these warehouses were sometimes huge. 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:11.180 And we had no idea in the warehouse where the job was located. 00:05:11.459 --> 00:05:20.920 And so we were able to take phones just like this, call the main store, and then walk around that big warehouse trying to find out where our job was located in that building. 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:22.040 It was a game changer. 00:05:22.040 --> 00:05:25.740 But then times changed again. 00:05:26.640 --> 00:05:28.140 And the first cell phone came out. 00:05:28.200 --> 00:05:29.460 How many of you all remember that one? 00:05:29.860 --> 00:05:30.060 Right? 00:05:30.180 --> 00:05:33.760 If you were born in the 90s, if you were alive in the 90s, you remember these things. 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:35.060 They were huge. 00:05:35.540 --> 00:05:35.800 Right? 00:05:35.860 --> 00:05:36.600 They were bulky. 00:05:36.900 --> 00:05:38.160 They didn't work very well. 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:40.080 And they were really, really expensive. 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:46.039 And the only people that could afford one of these kinds of cell phones were the rich and famous. 00:05:47.079 --> 00:05:48.719 But then times changed again. 00:05:49.539 --> 00:05:50.979 And the flip phone came out. 00:05:51.019 --> 00:05:51.959 You all remember the flip phone? 00:05:52.300 --> 00:05:54.139 Some of you all still carry the flip phone. 00:05:54.199 --> 00:05:54.899 You know who you are. 00:05:55.839 --> 00:06:03.979 These phones were great because what they allowed us to do is they allowed us to talk virtually anywhere we wanted. 00:06:04.199 --> 00:06:05.060 They were affordable. 00:06:05.500 --> 00:06:08.759 They folded up, and they fit in our pockets. 00:06:08.759 --> 00:06:14.560 Every one of us probably had a flip phone at some point in our lives. 00:06:15.740 --> 00:06:18.519 And then times changed again. 00:06:19.139 --> 00:06:23.920 And we had these little rectangle bricks that came out that had QWERTY keyboards. 00:06:24.060 --> 00:06:25.259 You remember QWERTY keyboards? 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:28.959 They were the kind of keyboards that slid out from the bottom of the cell phone. 00:06:29.240 --> 00:06:31.039 I was in ministry at this point. 00:06:31.139 --> 00:06:32.279 I was doing youth ministry. 00:06:32.539 --> 00:06:35.019 And these are the phones that our youth would carry. 00:06:35.019 --> 00:06:38.899 And it was during this time that text messaging became a thing. 00:06:39.219 --> 00:06:41.279 And they would start text messaging back and forth. 00:06:41.359 --> 00:06:45.859 But the problem with that was is back then text messaging was not included on the plan. 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:49.500 It cost parents 25 to 50 cents a pop. 00:06:49.740 --> 00:06:58.479 And I remember parents just getting so angry at their kids for sending like 100 text messages a month and just raising up that cell phone bill. 00:06:58.480 --> 00:07:02.780 And then times changed again. 00:07:03.819 --> 00:07:06.439 Do you all know what happened on June 29, 2007? 00:07:07.900 --> 00:07:12.080 Apple releases its first iPhone. 00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:16.939 Now, whether you're an iPhone person or you're an Android person, it really doesn't matter. 00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:19.480 This was the game changer. 00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:30.640 For the first time, we could literally communicate with anyone all over the world with the click of one button. 00:07:30.740 --> 00:07:33.200 It changed how we do life, essentially. 00:07:33.420 --> 00:07:41.800 Today, many businesses and even churches require their staff members to have a smartphone. 00:07:41.980 --> 00:07:42.780 And for good reason. 00:07:43.520 --> 00:07:46.319 These phones make communication easy. 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:49.939 It makes life easy. 00:07:50.060 --> 00:07:53.219 I remember one time I was without my iPhone for about three days. 00:07:53.699 --> 00:07:55.920 And life got really hard for me. 00:07:56.420 --> 00:07:58.740 It was hard to communicate with folks. 00:07:58.980 --> 00:08:00.060 Many of you in here know. 00:08:00.279 --> 00:08:02.420 I can communicate with you at the click of a button. 00:08:02.860 --> 00:08:03.039 Right? 00:08:03.100 --> 00:08:07.800 I can send out a lot of text messages in the click of a button and communicate with the whole church. 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:08.860 It's amazing. 00:08:10.300 --> 00:08:13.579 Cell phones have changed the way we live. 00:08:13.719 --> 00:08:14.860 Times change. 00:08:14.860 --> 00:08:17.040 People change. 00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:20.060 And life changes. 00:08:20.540 --> 00:08:27.800 But I would submit to you this morning that there is one thing that never, ever, ever changes. 00:08:28.660 --> 00:08:30.000 And that's salvation. 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:37.860 Salvation has been and always will be by grace through faith. 00:08:37.860 --> 00:08:46.860 In 15 plus years of vocational student ministry, one question I get asked quite a bit is how were the people in the Old Testament saved? 00:08:47.960 --> 00:08:50.019 I mean, Jesus hadn't come yet. 00:08:50.759 --> 00:08:51.919 That's a good question. 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:53.740 I sincerely believe that. 00:08:53.740 --> 00:08:58.240 This morning, we're going to look at Romans chapter 4, verses 1 through 12. 00:08:58.539 --> 00:09:02.840 And we're going to see that salvation has never changed. 00:09:03.100 --> 00:09:05.899 It's always been by grace through faith. 00:09:06.019 --> 00:09:09.620 And we're going to look at three truths regarding that statement. 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:10.340 Number one. 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:14.620 Salvation was never earned through work. 00:09:14.759 --> 00:09:15.899 Salvation can't be earned. 00:09:15.899 --> 00:09:17.360 You can't do enough good things. 00:09:17.559 --> 00:09:19.519 You can't do enough religious rituals. 00:09:19.860 --> 00:09:21.679 You can't come to church enough. 00:09:21.779 --> 00:09:23.120 You can't read your Bible enough. 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:27.480 Because salvation cannot be earned through works. 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:28.759 Look what Paul says. 00:09:28.759 --> 00:09:34.220 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather, according to the flesh? 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:41.600 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 00:09:42.200 --> 00:09:44.019 For what does the scripture say? 00:09:44.840 --> 00:09:47.799 Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. 00:09:48.819 --> 00:09:53.960 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift, but as his due. 00:09:53.960 --> 00:09:59.759 And so Paul begins this section of scripture by asking a very, very simple question. 00:10:00.680 --> 00:10:02.480 What was gained by Abraham? 00:10:03.500 --> 00:10:09.980 And so what Paul is doing here is he's anticipating an argument from the Jews. 00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:19.220 And he uses Abraham as his illustration to prove that salvation never has been by works. 00:10:19.220 --> 00:10:23.840 You see, the Jews back then believed that since Abraham was called by God, 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:29.440 since Abraham was circumcised, since Abraham is the father of the Jewish nation, 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:33.519 that somehow, someway he would be saved because of that. 00:10:34.860 --> 00:10:36.280 It's about earning it. 00:10:37.320 --> 00:10:42.220 And today, if you go out on the street and you ask the person who believes that there is a God, 00:10:42.820 --> 00:10:43.940 how do you get to heaven? 00:10:43.940 --> 00:10:48.740 More often than not, what they will essentially say to you is, 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:52.780 well, I believe that if my good deeds outweigh my bad deeds, 00:10:52.900 --> 00:10:58.740 in the end, God is going to bless that and he's going to allow me into heaven. 00:11:00.220 --> 00:11:07.020 A matter of fact, every major world religion teaches that in some way or form. 00:11:07.019 --> 00:11:20.559 Christianity, for a lack of better words, is the only world religion that does not teach that. 00:11:21.059 --> 00:11:22.480 We're the only ones that are different. 00:11:23.340 --> 00:11:29.899 Because the Bible teaches that salvation is by grace through faith. 00:11:29.899 --> 00:11:37.659 And so Paul says, what shall we say was gained by Abraham if he was justified, 00:11:37.860 --> 00:11:40.720 if he was saved by his works? 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:43.360 And Paul is insinuating here that he was not. 00:11:43.860 --> 00:11:47.779 And in order to prove his point, he doesn't go to the book of Deuteronomy. 00:11:47.939 --> 00:11:49.639 He doesn't go to the book of Numbers. 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:51.199 He doesn't even go to the book of Exodus. 00:11:51.199 --> 00:11:55.240 He goes all the way back to the beginning into the book of Genesis. 00:11:55.240 --> 00:12:00.960 And he quotes verse 6, Genesis 15, verse 6 in this passage. 00:12:01.139 --> 00:12:04.320 I want to put up Genesis 15, 1 through 6. 00:12:04.620 --> 00:12:07.320 I want to read the whole thing to you to give you a bigger context. 00:12:07.659 --> 00:12:11.480 But Paul shows us right here, Abraham didn't earn his salvation. 00:12:12.460 --> 00:12:13.940 He believed God. 00:12:14.320 --> 00:12:15.100 Look what it says. 00:12:15.100 --> 00:12:21.659 After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram, and that's Abraham, in a vision. 00:12:22.659 --> 00:12:23.600 Fear not, Abram. 00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:25.120 I am your shield. 00:12:25.639 --> 00:12:27.100 Your reward shall be very great. 00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:31.080 But Abram said, O Lord God, what will you give me? 00:12:31.340 --> 00:12:35.860 For I continue childless, and the heir of my house is an Eliezer of Damascus. 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:42.320 And Abram said, Behold, you have given me no offspring, and the member of my household will be my heir. 00:12:42.840 --> 00:12:45.360 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him. 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:47.340 This man shall not be your heir. 00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:48.919 Your very own son shall be your heir. 00:12:49.360 --> 00:12:53.279 And he brought him outside and said, Look toward heaven and number the stars, 00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:55.000 if you're able to number them. 00:12:55.519 --> 00:12:58.500 And then he said to him, So shall your offspring be. 00:12:58.559 --> 00:12:59.399 And here's verse 6. 00:12:59.439 --> 00:13:01.299 This is what Paul quotes in Romans 4. 00:13:02.299 --> 00:13:09.199 And Abraham believed the Lord, and God counted it to him as righteousness. 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:15.420 In this passage, God is making a covenant with Abraham to give him a child. 00:13:15.420 --> 00:13:18.379 That child, we later find out, is named Isaac. 00:13:18.759 --> 00:13:22.560 And he's going to give him numerous offspring that's going to bless the world. 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:28.179 And that, as we read, is ultimately fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. 00:13:28.299 --> 00:13:31.619 And so we see all the way back into the book of Genesis. 00:13:33.419 --> 00:13:36.179 Abraham wasn't saved because of something that he did. 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:42.259 Abraham was saved because of his belief. 00:13:42.259 --> 00:13:48.480 And so Paul says in verse 4, Now to the one who works for his salvation, 00:13:49.179 --> 00:13:53.299 his wages are counted, not counted as a gift, but as something that he is owed. 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:55.399 Let's illustrate it kind of like this. 00:13:55.460 --> 00:13:57.019 Let me see who I can pick on this morning. 00:13:58.139 --> 00:13:58.860 Joe Dunn. 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:00.080 I'm going to pick on Joe Dunn this morning. 00:14:01.019 --> 00:14:04.580 Let's pretend for a second that I'm going out of town. 00:14:04.740 --> 00:14:05.879 Let's pretend it's July. 00:14:06.039 --> 00:14:07.019 It's the middle of the summertime. 00:14:07.019 --> 00:14:12.139 And I'm going on a missions trip and taking a bunch of students on a missions trip for the next 30 days. 00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:16.319 And so I go to Joe and I say, Hey, Joe, I'm going on a missions trip for 30 days. 00:14:16.679 --> 00:14:18.179 And my wife's not going to be there. 00:14:18.220 --> 00:14:19.259 The kids are not going to be there. 00:14:19.299 --> 00:14:20.000 We're all leaving. 00:14:20.220 --> 00:14:21.779 I need someone to go buy the house. 00:14:22.299 --> 00:14:23.860 Maybe cut the grass once a week. 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:24.939 Gather the mail. 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:27.779 Just make sure no one's broke into my house while we're gone. 00:14:28.059 --> 00:14:34.480 And if you could do that each week, I'll mail you a check for $100 every single week. 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:36.620 Four weeks, $400 just to do that. 00:14:36.620 --> 00:14:40.320 And of course, Joe would say, I'll do it. 00:14:40.379 --> 00:14:40.580 I'll do it. 00:14:42.340 --> 00:14:46.179 And so I go out on my trip and Joe comes to my house that first week. 00:14:46.259 --> 00:14:52.820 He cuts the grass and does a little weeding, checks the house, makes sure nothing has been broken into, gets my mail. 00:14:53.179 --> 00:14:55.779 The end of the week comes and Joe goes out to the mailbox. 00:14:57.019 --> 00:14:58.899 Expects to find a $100 check. 00:14:59.580 --> 00:15:00.659 But there's no check. 00:15:01.860 --> 00:15:03.820 And Joe's thinking to himself, You know what? 00:15:04.860 --> 00:15:05.840 Mike's a good guy. 00:15:06.740 --> 00:15:08.060 He's on a missions trip. 00:15:08.100 --> 00:15:09.139 He's got a lot going on. 00:15:09.180 --> 00:15:10.680 I'm sure the check is in the mail. 00:15:10.800 --> 00:15:13.700 So the second week comes and he goes back to my house. 00:15:13.800 --> 00:15:14.540 He cuts the grass. 00:15:14.660 --> 00:15:15.399 He checks the mail. 00:15:16.019 --> 00:15:18.580 Checks out the house, makes sure nothing has been broken into. 00:15:18.980 --> 00:15:24.560 He goes out to his mailbox that second week expecting to find two $100 checks. 00:15:25.420 --> 00:15:26.879 Opens that mailbox up. 00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:27.860 Guess what? 00:15:28.680 --> 00:15:29.460 No check. 00:15:29.460 --> 00:15:33.060 So Joe thinks to himself, Mike's a good guy. 00:15:33.280 --> 00:15:34.040 He's a friend. 00:15:34.160 --> 00:15:35.120 I mean, Mike's a pastor. 00:15:35.420 --> 00:15:36.560 He's good for it, right? 00:15:36.960 --> 00:15:38.800 And so he comes back that third week. 00:15:39.180 --> 00:15:40.040 Cuts the grass. 00:15:40.379 --> 00:15:41.160 Checks the house. 00:15:41.259 --> 00:15:42.000 Gets my mail. 00:15:42.139 --> 00:15:43.920 Goes to his mailbox at the end of that week. 00:15:44.259 --> 00:15:45.060 No check. 00:15:45.759 --> 00:15:49.960 Now Joe's getting a little, I don't know, a little concerned, should we say. 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:53.120 But he still comes back that last fourth week. 00:15:53.379 --> 00:15:54.340 Cuts the grass. 00:15:54.440 --> 00:15:55.040 Gets the mail. 00:15:55.200 --> 00:15:56.580 Does everything that he did before. 00:15:57.180 --> 00:15:58.320 And the fourth week comes. 00:15:58.379 --> 00:16:01.340 He goes out to that mailbox expecting to find $400. 00:16:02.379 --> 00:16:03.420 And guess what? 00:16:04.280 --> 00:16:05.259 No check. 00:16:05.980 --> 00:16:07.759 I come back off my missions trip. 00:16:07.900 --> 00:16:11.220 I get home and I get up into my bedroom with my suitcase. 00:16:11.420 --> 00:16:15.980 I start unpacking and all of a sudden I hear at my front door. 00:16:17.280 --> 00:16:18.280 It's Joe Dunn. 00:16:18.279 --> 00:16:20.639 What does Joe want? 00:16:21.839 --> 00:16:23.039 He wants his money. 00:16:24.199 --> 00:16:24.759 Why? 00:16:25.819 --> 00:16:27.039 Because he earned it. 00:16:28.339 --> 00:16:31.399 I want you to take that for a second and apply that to salvation. 00:16:32.539 --> 00:16:32.740 Okay? 00:16:33.319 --> 00:16:40.959 If we think that we can earn our salvation based upon what we do, what we are saying is, 00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:46.220 God, you have to let me into heaven because I earned it. 00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:47.879 I worked for it. 00:16:47.879 --> 00:16:49.139 I was good enough. 00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:55.100 And what we do in that situation is we take God out of the process. 00:16:55.100 --> 00:17:02.460 And salvation becomes all about what we do, not about what he has done. 00:17:02.460 --> 00:17:05.880 And that's the point Paul is trying to make here. 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:10.960 Salvation has always been and always will be through faith. 00:17:11.079 --> 00:17:14.680 It has never, ever been earned. 00:17:15.220 --> 00:17:18.380 Second point I want to make this morning comes from verses 5 through 8. 00:17:18.600 --> 00:17:20.400 And we've kind of touched on this already. 00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:21.519 And it's this. 00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:24.400 Salvation has always been through faith. 00:17:24.680 --> 00:17:26.039 It's always been through faith. 00:17:26.039 --> 00:17:30.799 From the book of Genesis all the way through the book of Revelation, it's always by faith. 00:17:30.899 --> 00:17:32.159 Look at verses 5 through 8. 00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:40.040 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. 00:17:40.779 --> 00:17:45.980 Just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works. 00:17:46.920 --> 00:17:52.040 Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. 00:17:52.920 --> 00:17:57.100 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin. 00:17:57.099 --> 00:18:04.959 And so what Paul begins to do here, he begins to make a contrast with the Joe Dunn, the wage earner, the one who has earned it. 00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:05.639 Okay? 00:18:06.279 --> 00:18:09.679 Versus the one who gets it by grace. 00:18:09.779 --> 00:18:13.259 He says in verse 5, to the one who does not work. 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:13.740 Okay? 00:18:13.779 --> 00:18:14.919 He's not trying to earn it. 00:18:15.299 --> 00:18:19.939 But believes, has faith in him who justifies the ungodly. 00:18:20.019 --> 00:18:22.379 His faith is counted as righteousness. 00:18:22.380 --> 00:18:28.120 Righteousness and justification does not come through working. 00:18:28.360 --> 00:18:30.660 It does not come through good deeds. 00:18:30.940 --> 00:18:37.700 Because when we compare ourselves with a good God, just how good are our deeds anyway? 00:18:39.020 --> 00:18:41.560 God is the ultimate standard of good. 00:18:41.559 --> 00:18:51.559 And when we compare our good deeds to a holy and good God, oh my goodness, we fall incredibly short. 00:18:52.419 --> 00:18:59.819 And so Paul is contrasting these two, saying that a right standing before God comes through faith. 00:19:00.440 --> 00:19:01.639 Comes through belief. 00:19:01.839 --> 00:19:02.940 Comes through trust. 00:19:03.259 --> 00:19:08.559 It does not come through religious rituals, deeds, or being a good person. 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:16.899 In fact, Jesus told a parable in Luke chapter 18, and it's going to be on the screen, verses 9 through 14, 00:19:17.059 --> 00:19:24.599 where he talks about the person trying to earn their salvation versus the person who was given it by grace through faith. 00:19:24.819 --> 00:19:25.679 Listen to it with me. 00:19:25.740 --> 00:19:27.099 Luke 18, 9 through 14. 00:19:27.200 --> 00:19:28.159 It should be on the screen. 00:19:29.700 --> 00:19:37.059 Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt. 00:19:37.059 --> 00:19:43.679 Two men went up into the temple to pray, a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:48.220 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus, 00:19:49.139 --> 00:19:57.819 God, I thank you that I'm not like the other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 00:19:58.440 --> 00:20:00.000 I fast twice a week. 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:02.200 I give tithes of all that I get. 00:20:02.200 --> 00:20:09.500 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 00:20:09.620 --> 00:20:12.140 God, be merciful to me, a sinner. 00:20:13.059 --> 00:20:18.360 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. 00:20:18.900 --> 00:20:24.759 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. 00:20:24.759 --> 00:20:28.379 And so, in this parable, you have two very different men. 00:20:28.779 --> 00:20:29.759 You have a Pharisee. 00:20:30.779 --> 00:20:30.960 Okay? 00:20:31.240 --> 00:20:38.259 And during Jesus' time, the community viewed the Pharisees as very religious people. 00:20:38.879 --> 00:20:43.619 I mean, they had the staffs, they had the gowns, they walked around kind of pious and holy, 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:45.879 and then you had the tax collector. 00:20:47.299 --> 00:20:51.119 And the Pharisee, even here, looks like he's devout. 00:20:51.220 --> 00:20:52.099 He looks good. 00:20:52.099 --> 00:20:55.399 I mean, he says that he fasted twice a week. 00:20:55.459 --> 00:20:57.719 I mean, when was the last time you fasted, right? 00:20:58.199 --> 00:20:59.599 But he fasted twice a week. 00:21:00.539 --> 00:21:01.539 He tithes. 00:21:01.939 --> 00:21:03.539 He tithes everything that he gets. 00:21:03.639 --> 00:21:04.819 He gives it back. 00:21:05.419 --> 00:21:08.119 He even avoids certain sins. 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:10.339 He looks religious. 00:21:11.439 --> 00:21:15.639 And then you have one of the most hated people of Jesus' time, the tax collector. 00:21:15.640 --> 00:21:22.580 Tax collectors who were known to be extortioners, for being unjust, for being greedy. 00:21:23.900 --> 00:21:30.980 But since the tax collector confessed his sin and went to God and asked for his mercy and grace, 00:21:31.380 --> 00:21:38.460 Jesus said that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, walked away justified. 00:21:38.460 --> 00:21:45.660 You see, the Pharisee was trying to earn his salvation, and you cannot do that. 00:21:46.380 --> 00:21:49.440 It's only by grace alone through faith alone. 00:21:49.519 --> 00:21:53.600 And I would submit that faith impacts who you are. 00:21:53.900 --> 00:21:56.519 It impacts who you live, how you live. 00:21:56.600 --> 00:22:00.440 It impacts your priorities, even your view on life. 00:22:00.440 --> 00:22:07.840 In his book, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, Charles Swindell wrote this. 00:22:08.920 --> 00:22:13.660 Legend has it that a man was lost in the desert, just dying for a drink of water. 00:22:14.600 --> 00:22:22.059 He stumbled upon an old shack, a ramshackled, windowless, roofless, weather-beaten old shack. 00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:26.539 He looked about this place and found a little shade from the heat of the desert sun. 00:22:26.539 --> 00:22:31.279 And as he glanced around, he saw a pump 15 feet away. 00:22:31.700 --> 00:22:32.819 An old rusty pump. 00:22:32.920 --> 00:22:39.319 He stumbled over to it, grabbed the handle, and began to pump up and down, up and down, up and down. 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:41.039 Nothing came out. 00:22:41.319 --> 00:22:42.799 Disappointed, he staggered back. 00:22:43.379 --> 00:22:48.700 He noticed off to the side an old jug, and he looked at it, wiped away the dirt and dust, 00:22:48.819 --> 00:22:50.259 and read a message that said, 00:22:50.259 --> 00:22:55.700 You have to prime the pump with all of the water in this jug, my friend. 00:22:55.700 --> 00:22:59.360 P.S., be sure you fill the jug again before you leave. 00:23:00.380 --> 00:23:03.819 He popped the cork out of the jug, and sure enough, it was almost full of water, 00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:06.460 and suddenly he was faced with a decision. 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:11.279 If he drank the water, he could live, but if he poured all of the water in the old rusty pump, 00:23:11.380 --> 00:23:15.400 maybe, just maybe, it would yield fresh, cool water from deep down in the well. 00:23:15.840 --> 00:23:17.120 All the water he wanted. 00:23:17.880 --> 00:23:21.160 And so he studied the possibility of both options. 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:22.460 What should he do? 00:23:22.460 --> 00:23:26.100 Pour it into the old pump and take a chance on fresh, cool water? 00:23:26.279 --> 00:23:29.259 Or drink what was in that old jug and ignore its message? 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:35.400 Should he waste all the water on the hopes those flimsy instructions written not telling how long ago? 00:23:37.220 --> 00:23:40.160 Reluctantly, he poured all of that water into the pump. 00:23:40.740 --> 00:23:43.420 And then he grabbed the handle and began to pump it. 00:23:43.620 --> 00:23:45.600 Squeak, squeak, squeak. 00:23:46.480 --> 00:23:47.640 Nothing came out. 00:23:48.279 --> 00:23:48.920 Pumped it again. 00:23:49.460 --> 00:23:51.319 Squeak, squeak, squeak. 00:23:51.319 --> 00:23:54.779 A little bit began to dribble out, and then a small stream. 00:23:55.200 --> 00:23:57.119 And finally, it gushed into his relief. 00:23:57.639 --> 00:24:00.000 Fresh, cool water poured out of that rusty pump. 00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:03.339 Eagerly, he filled the jug and drank from it. 00:24:03.720 --> 00:24:06.919 He filled it another time and drank again of its refreshing contents. 00:24:07.439 --> 00:24:09.500 And then he filled the jug for the next traveler. 00:24:09.980 --> 00:24:14.299 He filled it to the top, popped the cork back on, and added this little note. 00:24:15.339 --> 00:24:17.879 Believe me, it really works. 00:24:17.880 --> 00:24:22.180 You have to give it all away before you can get anything back. 00:24:24.180 --> 00:24:28.480 Now, this illustration breaks down just a little bit. 00:24:29.760 --> 00:24:33.020 But our faith in Christ is similar to it. 00:24:34.040 --> 00:24:36.640 God has given us everything that we need for salvation. 00:24:37.280 --> 00:24:42.420 He has given us the water of life, which in this story is that pump. 00:24:42.420 --> 00:24:46.759 But God's also given us the jug. 00:24:47.600 --> 00:24:49.400 He's given us the faith. 00:24:49.519 --> 00:24:50.820 He's given us the grace. 00:24:51.220 --> 00:24:58.700 Everything we need to prime that pump, he has given us everything that we need. 00:24:59.660 --> 00:25:05.720 Throughout the pages of Scripture, from beginning to end, we see that salvation cannot be earned. 00:25:05.720 --> 00:25:11.819 It is something that is only given to us by grace through faith. 00:25:11.940 --> 00:25:13.400 Salvation cannot be earned. 00:25:13.900 --> 00:25:16.039 Salvation has always been by faith. 00:25:16.120 --> 00:25:21.860 And then finally, salvation through faith results in a changed life. 00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:24.640 Look at verses 9 through 12 in closing. 00:25:24.640 --> 00:25:54.620 Paul says, 00:25:54.619 --> 00:26:17.099 And so the question at hand is this. 00:26:17.839 --> 00:26:20.199 How did Abraham obtain a right standing before God? 00:26:20.200 --> 00:26:27.620 Paul tells us in verse 9 that faith is what God counted to Abraham as righteousness. 00:26:27.840 --> 00:26:29.200 And then again in verse 11 says, 00:26:30.240 --> 00:26:38.200 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith before he was circumcised. 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:41.960 And so the answer is by faith. 00:26:43.240 --> 00:26:47.220 And his faith impacted how he lived. 00:26:47.220 --> 00:26:56.460 And as you read through the book of Genesis and read about Abraham, you see how his faith had impacted his life. 00:26:57.720 --> 00:27:10.819 Many of the Jews believed that because of their ethnicity, because of their religion, because of circumcision, they were going to be right with God. 00:27:10.819 --> 00:27:31.319 And what Paul does here in chapter 4 is he shows us that before the Jewish race began, before Judaism ever existed, before circumcision was ever instituted, it was faith that made people right with God. 00:27:31.319 --> 00:27:38.659 They were depending on themselves to have a right standing with God. 00:27:39.960 --> 00:27:43.519 Let me ask you, what are you depending on? 00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:53.039 Are you depending on church membership, coming to church, being a good person, once again, good deeds outweighing bad deeds? 00:27:53.839 --> 00:28:02.940 Or are you depending on the finished work of Jesus Christ, whose birth we just celebrated? 00:28:02.940 --> 00:28:16.240 My appeal to you this morning is that if you're here and you don't know Christ as your Savior and your Lord, don't walk out of these doors this morning without doing business with God. 00:28:16.799 --> 00:28:26.019 Don't walk out of these doors this morning knowing that you know that I have faith in the complete work of Jesus. 00:28:26.019 --> 00:28:36.779 His death, His burial, His resurrection, and through faith in Him, I will be in a right standing with the Lord. 00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:40.099 I will one day see Him for who He is. 00:28:40.819 --> 00:28:43.279 I will be with Him in eternity. 00:28:44.339 --> 00:28:45.139 Would you pray with me? 00:28:47.139 --> 00:28:49.160 Father, we come before You right now. 00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:51.259 Lord, such a simple message. 00:28:52.440 --> 00:28:53.519 It's the gospel. 00:28:53.519 --> 00:28:56.339 And that's what Christmas was about. 00:28:56.740 --> 00:28:57.279 The gospel. 00:28:58.980 --> 00:29:00.740 Jesus coming into this world. 00:29:01.500 --> 00:29:03.259 Who took on flesh. 00:29:04.759 --> 00:29:06.079 Took our sins. 00:29:07.359 --> 00:29:09.019 He led a perfect life. 00:29:09.319 --> 00:29:11.119 But yet died for us. 00:29:12.379 --> 00:29:13.740 So we could be forgiven. 00:29:14.740 --> 00:29:16.500 And so Lord, this morning. 00:29:16.940 --> 00:29:18.220 In a room this size. 00:29:18.220 --> 00:29:23.700 There are people all over that, Father, don't know Jesus as their Savior. 00:29:23.940 --> 00:29:32.759 And I pray this morning, this last Sunday of 2019, that they would give their life to You. 00:29:34.140 --> 00:29:37.740 There may be some here this morning that have strayed away. 00:29:37.740 --> 00:29:45.420 Father, for a lack of better words, a resolution, a New Year's resolution they need to make is to get right with You. 00:29:45.500 --> 00:29:46.700 To make their life right with You. 00:29:46.819 --> 00:29:52.819 To follow You with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength once again as they did it at one point in their life. 00:29:53.539 --> 00:29:57.420 I pray this morning that Lord, they too would come to You. 00:29:58.099 --> 00:29:59.880 And so Father, this morning be with us. 00:30:01.019 --> 00:30:02.440 We thank You for our time together. 00:30:02.579 --> 00:30:03.880 We thank You for the church. 00:30:03.880 --> 00:30:08.460 We thank You for Your love and most of all for Your precious Son, Jesus Christ. 00:30:09.460 --> 00:30:10.480 In whose name we pray. 00:30:11.260 --> 00:30:11.600 Amen. 00:30:12.580 --> 00:30:13.980 I'll be down here at the front. 00:30:14.220 --> 00:30:17.580 And if you would like to pray, I'd love to pray with you. 00:30:17.660 --> 00:30:22.120 If you do not know Jesus as your Savior and your Lord, you've got questions, I'll be down here. 00:30:22.140 --> 00:30:23.740 And I'd love to spend some time with you. 00:30:23.820 --> 00:30:25.320 I'll stay here as long as it takes. 00:30:25.780 --> 00:30:27.360 But thank you so much for coming. 00:30:27.600 --> 00:30:30.220 And let's just go to the Lord in an attitude of prayer.