Well, it's been a sobering week, hasn't it, in world news, Australian news.
Capped off with the sudden death of Shane Warne.
Like I remember that ball that just landed outside off stump,
like almost off the crease and then came back and hit leg stump.
And some of you have no idea what I'm talking about,
but it's almost impossible what he did.
And death is awful, but when it comes as a shock,
it's just got that extra sting, doesn't it?
And people were paying tribute to him.
Daniel Andrews, you've probably heard.
They've already going to name a grandstand at the MCG in his honour.
As he now stands before the Lord of heaven and earth,
I wonder what the Lord will say about his life.
More to the point this morning,
are you ready to stand before the Lord?
God's word to us today in Romans 4
is going to give us a rock-solid place to stand
so that you do not have to fear that day.
In a sense, you can look forward to it.
Did you notice, as Romans 4 was being read,
how often the phrase counted, justify, occurred?
This passage is about justification.
It pictures God as judge,
and we either stand before him as innocent or guilty.
That's what this passage is about.
Either we're in right standing before God or we're not.
To count is a word used for the Old Testament sacrifices.
When the sacrifices offered, it was counted to the person.
So the question is, what will God count to your life
that will contribute to the final verdict of your life?
Because as God revealed his glory to Moses up on Mount Sinai,
one of the things that is part of God's glory is that he says this,
he will by no means clear the guilty.
He will not clear the guilty.
And here's the scandal of Christianity.
Verse 5 of chapter 4 has a shocking description of God.
It says, God, him who justifies the ungodly.
How is that possible?
How is righteousness counted to an ungodly person?
And as we heard last week, the good news of the gospel,
the scandal is resolved.
For God to be just and the justifier of the one with faith in Jesus
is that he himself bore the wrath.
He absorbed it himself, setting us free.
It's the one who does not work but believes in him
who justifies the ungodly.
His faith is counted as righteousness.
Does that sound right to you?
I know we're kind of used to hearing that
if you've grown up in evangelical churches,
but isn't that encouraging moral laziness?
We're talking about it at Bible study.
The one who doesn't work,
the one who just morally religious isn't working.
It's not that person, but the person who believes.
Maybe if someone is on death row and they've got...
Maybe God might lower the bar and go,
OK, there's nothing else you can do.
You're about to be executed.
But maybe I'll lower the bar.
Just have faith in me.
We might think, OK, God's being generous.
One last chance.
But what about someone who's got...
Someone like Abraham, who's got a life full of good deeds?
Like, Jews saw him as the example of fulfilling the law,
of being obedient to God, walking in faith.
Muslims looked to him as the father who surrendered to the will of God.
What about him?
This passage seems to be saying,
nothing of good he did counts to his righteousness.
Just his faith.
Can it really only be by faith and faith alone
that someone is saved and counted righteous?
We should really care about this question.
We will stand before the Lord one day.
Your life depends on this.
Can you be sure that it's faith that God wants from you?
Faith alone.
Paul pauses in chapter 4 to help us understand what faith is
and help us to have confidence that faith alone
really is what God wants from us.
And who better to look at than Abraham?
So Paul draws five main conclusions
that we're going to look at anyway
from one verse in the story of Abraham's life.
Genesis 15, verse 6.
Abraham believed God
and it was counted to him as righteousness.
So the first thing,
as Marty helpfully brought out in the kids' talk,
the first thing Paul draws out of this verse
in verses 1 to 8
is the principle.
When God justifies a person,
he doesn't take into account anything
that person has done or ever will do.
So Genesis 15, verse 6,
it is the first time the word believe
is used in the Bible
and it's connected to being counted as righteousness,
as righteous.
Even Abraham had nothing to boast about in himself
because nothing, it wasn't his own making.
The righteousness comes by faith.
So the principle explains verse 4 and 5.
Now the one who works,
his wages are not counted as a gift
but as his due.
So Marty's already brought this out
but I'm just going to throw another
small illustration out there.
Imagine your dad,
maybe back in the day,
asked you to wash his car,
he'll give you 20 bucks.
All right?
Good deal.
But you've got to do it properly.
20 bucks, wash the car
and you finish washing the car,
you do your best job
and later that night,
no 20 bucks.
It just so happens to be your birthday the next day
and inside the birthday card,
lo and behold,
is 20 bucks
and he goes,
happy birthday.
Would you consider that a gift?
I wouldn't.
Like, you owe me that,
where's my gift?
There is no gift.
It's only what I'm rightly owed,
thank you very much, Dad.
You agree to that.
If a person was to do any work,
religious or otherwise,
to earn their acceptance with God,
God owes you.
You've earned it.
It would be a payment,
not a gift.
You'd have something to boast in.
By the strength of my own flesh,
I did that.
You owe me.
And we've already seen verse 5,
God's righteousness as a gift
comes simply by trusting God's promise.
It wasn't after Abraham defeated his enemies
and rescued Lot.
It wasn't when he was circumcised.
It wasn't when he was obedient,
offering up Isaac.
It was way before then
that Abraham is counted as righteous,
simply by hearing God's promise and believing.
And Paul probably brings in David,
a psalm of David,
to give a second witness from Scripture
to underscore the point that this really is
what God wants from us,
faith alone.
In fact,
it's crucial
that he doesn't count what you do
towards your final verdict
or you'd be stuffed.
Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven
and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord
will never count his sin.
These are the words of David
who after the scandal with Bathsheba
and the murder of Uriah,
there's a bigger scandal.
God says to him after that,
the law,
he should have died.
And he says,
you will not die.
There's the scandal.
There's a bigger scandal.
How can God say that to him?
The first reason we can be sure
God only wants faith
is that God will only relate to you
on the basis of gift,
not payment.
God won't be in debt to anyone.
From him,
through him,
to him are all things.
What can you give to God
that he owes you?
Zilch.
Nothing.
God owes you nothing
except judgment.
Righteousness is a totally free gift.
He doesn't count what you do
and thank God for that.
He will only relate to you
on the basis
of his free gift,
not payment.
So you can be sure
it's by faith.
The second reason we have
that we can be sure
it's by faith
is in verses 9 to 12
where the word circumcision
appears a bazillion times
and you might get lost in it
but I think the point
is fairly clear.
And there's an enormous
effect that this has.
It's speaking,
it's really important,
this paragraph.
It speaks to us
if we're not Jews.
A Jewish person
would refer to circumcision
as a shorthand way
of saying
that they are
the children of the promise,
they're the children of Abraham.
They live under God's law,
they're heirs of God's promise
of blessing,
of inheriting the world.
But who are the descendants
of Abraham
who inherit this promise?
So Paul notes,
he argues from the fact
that Abraham is justified
by faith,
the rabbis thought,
29 years
before
he was circumcised.
Way before he was circumcised,
he was counted righteous.
The Jews thought circumcision
was a sign
that pointed forward
to the law.
Whereas Paul says no,
circumcision was a sign
that pointed back
to the righteousness
he already had
by faith.
So my wedding ring
signifies being married.
But putting on a ring
didn't make me married.
It was the promises,
it was the covenant
that was entered into
through the promises.
The ring just symbolises it.
So,
Abraham
Abraham is the father
of all those
who follow in his footsteps
in the faith
that he had.
Whether Jews
who had faith
and they expressed that faith
by keeping the law,
but it was the faith
that counted them
as descendants of Abraham.
Or whether non-Jews
who just had the faith
of Abraham.
That is who
is part of the spiritual family.
That is who inherits
the promise.
I think we can sometimes
think of the Old Testament
as like,
God set up the law,
okay,
obey the law
in order to be right
with me,
and that kind of failed.
So,
let's try Jesus instead.
Let's lower the bar
to faith.
That's not the story
of the Bible.
It has always been faith.
Abraham all the way through.
Being right with God
has always been by faith,
and that's why
we can be sure
that faith
is what God wants.
So,
what's the big deal
about being a child
of Abraham?
I've got the song
that Father Abraham
and many sons,
I don't know if you know it,
and then you do
this weird kind of
dancing thing.
I think it's kind of ironic
that you're so exhausted
by being a child
of Abraham
when the fact is
he wasn't justified
by works,
he's justified by faith.
But anyway,
that's beside the point.
Who cares if you're
a son of Abraham or not?
Verse 11 is why
it is so important to you.
He received the sign
of circumcision
as a seal of righteousness
he had by faith
while still uncircumcised.
The purpose was
to make him
the father of all
who believe
without being circumcised
so that
righteousness
would be counted
to them
as well.
If you want
righteousness
counted to you,
you need to be
a child of Abraham
and walk
in the footsteps
of his faith.
God has always
given his promise
through faith.
The third reason
you can be sure
God wants faith alone
to be right with him
verses 13 to 16,
the promise
didn't come
through the law.
Jews thought
of Abraham
that it was
his obedience
that secured
the blessings
of God,
the blessings
in the promise.
So a child
of Abraham
needs to keep
the law
like Abraham
did.
But what would
happen if God's
promises came good
by both believing
and keeping the law?
Verse 14 tells us
what would happen.
If it is the adherence
of the law
who would be
the heirs,
faith is null
and the promise
is void.
So what's that saying?
Being void.
That word is used
in 1 Corinthians 15
verse 14.
Faith is in vain,
is void,
if Christ has not
been raised
from the dead.
It's basically saying
it won't come good.
It will fail
if it's based
on the law
as well as faith.
Why is that?
Verse 15.
Because the law
can't give you
righteousness.
What it can give you
is wrath.
The strange phrase
where there is no law
there is no transgression.
Sometimes I'm
driving along
and I just don't know
that it's a
a school zone
and I'm going
20km
over the limit.
Now that's bad.
That's dangerous.
But what's way worse
is if I see
those flashing signs
saying 40
slow down
and I still
choose
to transgress
and go 60.
Isn't that worse?
I think that's
what's going on here.
The law
can't
produce righteousness.
It says
here's what it is
to be righteous
and all Jews
have transgressed
that law
and so the wrath
is even greater.
Here's the positive news.
Verse 16.
That is why
it depends
on faith
in order
that the promise
may rest
on
grace
not works
and be
guaranteed
to all
his offspring.
for the promise
to take effect
if it required
your obedience
frankly
you would
stuff it up.
It would fail.
I would
stuff it up.
But it doesn't
rest on
our obedience.
It rests
on his
grace.
And if God
is committed
to keeping
his promise
it can't
fail.
It is
guaranteed.
If God
is determined
to freely
give his
promise
the inheritance
is guaranteed
to each
person
who believes.
Righteousness
is by faith
alone
so it depends
on God's
grace
alone
and so
the promise
is guaranteed.
At this point
I think
Paul gives us
a picture
of what faith
is.
What is
the faith
of Abraham
then?
What is
this faith
we're to
share in?
I think
we get
three lovely
phrases
and we
get a
picture
of what
faith is.
One of
the lovely
phrases
is verse
18.
In hope
Abraham
believed
against
hope.
So we'll
come back
to that.
Then we've
got verse
21.
Fully
convinced
that God
was able
to do
what he
had
promised.
So there's
two sides
to faith.
There's what
you don't
put your
faith in
and what
you do
put your
faith in.
When
Abraham
looked at
the evidence
and just
used common
sense,
if you want
to use
common sense,
he saw
his own
body which
was as
good as
dead.
Sorry for
anyone who's
approaching 100.
being about
100 years
old,
how's he
going to
produce an
heir?
How's
Sarah going
to produce
an heir
when she's
approaching 90?
The deadness
of her
womb.
All he
could see
with his
eyes said
that it
was not
possible to
have an
heir.
I think
maybe more
than just a
biological
impossibility,
I wonder
if they
consider
themselves under
the curse
of God.
I'm not
sure.
So looking
at just
evidence and
common sense,
there's no
hope.
But when
you consider
God staring
up into the
night sky
that the
Lord created
all this
out of
nothing,
if the
Lord of
heaven and
earth says
that something
is and
will be,
it's as
good as
if it
all exists.
this.
And here's
that third
description of
faith,
verse 17.
God who
gives life
to the
dead and
calls into
existence the
things that
do not
exist.
That is the
object of
our faith.
The God
who gives
life to
the dead
and calls
into existence
the things
that do
not exist.
against all
hope in
human reason
and common
sense,
he looked
at who
God is,
what God
promised,
and he
took God
at his
word.
And so
Paul,
in verses
23 to
25,
he connects
it to all
Christian faith,
all Christians.
Paul says
that what was
written about
Abraham wasn't
just written
for his sake,
it was written
for our sake
so that we
would hear it.
So that we
would know
for sure,
God is
speaking to
you and
me.
Jesus was
the one to
make good
the promises
to Abraham,
to bless all
the families
of the world.
So Abraham
believed the
God who
promised,
we believe
the God
who fulfilled
that promise
in Jesus
Christ,
to bless
the world.
To believe
the promise
in the gospel
is the same
faith as
Abraham's.
It requires
you to
believe that
God brings
life out
of death,
that God
will justify
the ungodly,
those who
deserve death
are given
life,
that it is
all God's
doing,
trusting that
God took the
initiative,
it is what
he does that
matters,
that he
offered up,
delivered up
his only son
for our
trespasses,
to never
count what
we do
against us,
and then
raised him
for our
justification.
The resurrection
declares loudly
to the whole
world that
Jesus is
right with
God,
he is
righteous.
If you want
to be righteous,
you need to be
bound up in
him,
and the way
to do that
is faith,
faith alone.
If you want
to be right
with God
as Jesus
is,
you need
to be
attached to
Jesus,
you need
to be
hidden in
Jesus.
So how
can we be
sure that
faith is
what God
wants?
As we
look at
Abraham,
because he
doesn't count
against us
the sin we
do,
he only
will give
us righteousness
as a free
gift.
It's always
been by faith
through all
history,
and the
promise is
guaranteed,
it can't
fail because
it doesn't
depend on
obedience,
it depends
on his
grace.
So I'd
like to
ask two
questions,
in case
there's a
few barriers
in your
mind,
having heard
all this.
Perhaps
the most
looming
question is
how do
I have
faith then?
How do
I have
it?
I think
at this
point,
our
language
in
Christian
circles
isn't
all too
helpful
when we
say
making a
decision
to
follow
Christ.
Your
willpower
doesn't
produce
faith.
You
can't
muster
it up.
Even
faith is
a gift
of God.
If you
think of
Abraham
when he
heard the
promise,
if you're
watching him,
the moment
God
declared him
righteous,
what would
you see
him do
to express
faith?
He's just
staring up
into the
sky.
You
wouldn't see
anything.
God saw
his heart.
What
produced the
faith is
what I'm
getting at.
Did he do
anything?
All we
would hear
is God's
word to
him,
so shall
your
offspring
be.
It was
those words
that produced
the faith
in Abraham.
So I'm
indebted to
the ex-principal
at Moore
College,
John Woodhouse,
who spoke
at our
camp just
before COVID,
wasn't it?
I can't
believe COVID
has been
wrapped around
with church
camp,
either side.
Just a
gift of
God to
us.
He's
helped
me,
he's
clarified in
my mind
at least,
where faith
comes from.
So here's
what he
says.
Where there
is the
word of
God and
faith in
God because
of that
word,
there is
the totality
of
Christianity.
That is
Christianity.
The
Christian life
of faith in
both Old
and New
Testaments
and in
the experience
of believers
down the
centuries and
across the
world,
is brought
into being
and nourished
and brought
to maturity
by God's
word.
I just
find that
incredibly
helpful.
You don't
produce the
faith, it's
the word of
God that
produces faith
in you.
Faith is
hearing and
receiving what
God says.
You can do
lots of
things.
You can
immerse
yourself in
God's
word, you
can surround
yourself with
God's people
so that you're
hearing God's
word, you
can think
critically about
what society
says life is
all about.
You can do
all those
things but
it's the
word of
God itself
that produces
the faith.
So it
calls us to
humbly and
sincerely engage
with God and
take him in
his word.
God's
word.
God's
word.
God's
word.
Maybe you're
feeling overwhelmed
by the lack of
evidence of
faith in your
life.
You look at all
the evidence,
the mountain of
sin just in the
past week,
your failings,
the doubts and
fears that are
raging in your
mind and heart,
maybe the apathy,
the sufferings
you experience
and is God
judging me?
You consider your
impending death,
like I don't know
what it is for you.
you look at the
evidence and you
might be going,
I'm not sure
faith is there.
But it's
against all
hope.
Will you
hope in
the God who
gives life to
the dead?
Here's how
John Calvin
put it.
Let us also
remember that the
condition of us
all is the same
with that of
Abraham.
All things
around us are
in opposition
to the promises
of God.
He promises
immortality.
We are surrounded
by mortality
and corruption.
He declares
that he counts
us just.
We are covered
with sins.
He testifies
that he is
kind to us.
Outward judgments
threaten his
wrath.
What then is
to be done?
We must with
closed eyes
pass by
ourselves
and all
things connected
to us
that nothing
may hinder
or prevent
us from
believing
that God
is
true.
Against
all the
evidence of
your life
do you
look away
from yourself
look at what
Jesus has done
for you
and take God
at his word
when he says
justify
you are
justified
you are at
peace
with me
I give
you no
wrath
only grace
when you
look into
your future
all that's
in your
future
is the
hope
of glory
do we
take him
at his
word
against
all hope
in hope
do we
believe
his word
some
might be
fearing
that you
don't
have
enough
faith
to get
you over
the line
with
Abraham
set up
as the
model
of faith
who didn't
waver
no
unbelief
fully
convinced
yikes
I'm not
sure I've
got enough
faith
that doesn't
seem to
describe me
I'm
inconsistent
in my
faith
the quality
of my
faith
I don't
know
but do you
remember the
story of
Abraham
what follows
chapter 15
after a
decade or
so
still no
son
what does
he do
he sleeps
with his
maidservant
what an
idiot
sorry
he
takes
matters
into his
own
hand
trying to
produce the
promise
by his
own
efforts
God
speaks to
him
again
when he's
almost
100
years
old
in
chapter
17
and
this
time
he
is
a
promise
he
laughs
he
goes
come on
God
just
fulfill
your
promise
through
Ishmael
through
my
efforts
it's
not
that
Abraham
never
doubted
or that
he
always
lived
in
light
of
the
promise
I
think
a
commentator
put it
well
in
that
he
avoided
a
deep
seated
and
permanent
attitude
of
distrust
he
grew
strong
in
faith
over
time
he
had
to
learn
not
to
put
confidence
in
himself
that's
the
Christian
walk
that's
the
walk
we're
all
on
living
in
light
of
the
promise
that's
ours
not
in
light
of
the
evidence
with
our
eyes
his
justification
occurred
way
back
remember
on
that
starry
night
when
he
believed
God's
promise
to
him
in
that
moment
justification
was
sorted
he
was
right
with
God
it's
not
the
strength
of
your
faith
that
counts
it's
the
strength
of the
one
you
have
faith
in
that's
the
only
thing
that
matters
someone
used
the
illustration
and
I'm
just
going
to
steal
it
I
don't
know
who
to
attribute
this
to
but
if
you
imagine
the
Passover
in
Egypt
that
night
when
God
sent
the
death
of the
firstborn
son
over
if
you
imagine
that
night
and
you've
got
two
Israelite
families
and
they've
both
sacrificed
a
lamb
and
they've
painted
the
doorway
of
their
house
like
one
of
the
parents
might
have
been
sleeping
soundly
going
yeah
God
will
keep
his
promise
the
other
one
might
have
been
just
up
all
night
sweating
drops
I don't
know if
blood is
appropriate to
say but
absolutely
concerned
is an
understatement
that their
child is
going to
die
I'm
not
sure
if
anyone
got
much
sleep
that
night
did
all
that
fear
count
it
didn't
matter
that
doubt
if there
was any
doubt
that doesn't
count
what counted
was they took
God at his
word
and the
sacrifice
the blood
that's what
counted
they took
him in his
word
so the
question for
us is
is the
blood of
Jesus
your only
hope
is it
painted
over your
life
is the
blood of
Jesus
your only
hope
of being
right with
God
and receiving
blessing
from God
the strength
of your
faith doesn't
matter
but if you
think
it's the
strength of
Jesus
what he
has done
that matters
there's one
final reason
and I'm
finishing on
this
there's one
final reason
in this
passage
that we
can have
confidence
that it's
faith alone
that God
wants
to think
in our
hearts
and our
minds
and to
live in
such a
way that
says
that we
don't put
confidence
in ourselves
but in
Jesus
alone
that we
receive
righteousness
as a
gift
guaranteed
by his
grace
even with
the evidence
of our
lives
the sin
the doubt
the suffering
even
against all
that
if we
know we
can't earn
God's
blessing
by anything
we do
that's a
life of
humility
it's a
life where
there is
no boasting
you've got
nothing to
boast in
I've
contributed
nothing
not even
my faith
God's
word
produced
that
there is
no boasting
I think
that can
give us
confidence
that that
that is
the life
of faith
because
God gets
all the
glory from
beginning to
end
it's his
doing
to rely
on God's
promise
his grace
alone
boast
in Jesus
alone
he gets
all the
credit
it's his
resurrection
power
it's his
trustworthiness
it's his
sovereign
freedom
to give
freely
not because
he owes
you
it's his
grace
that makes
the promise
it's his
grace that
keeps the
promise
it's his
love that
offered up
his son
he gets
all the
glory
by faith
alone
and I
think
that's why
the life
of the
Christian
is
meant to
be
characterised
by singing
he gets
the praise
he gets
we boast
in him
alone
so I
think we're
going to
sing now
amazing
grace
he gets
all the
glory
when we
believe
that our
righteousness
is by
faith
alone
so
why don't
we sing
together
to
do
to
and
to
do
to
do
to