Sermon – “Believe the Promise”

He is so faithful and true. Hallelujah I heard whispers this morning that maybe the children are having a song or preparing for me for Easter. Praise the Lord. Looking forward to that. Heard that one gives some look forward to. I love when the kids sing Amen God is good and all the time. Amen. This morning my message titled believe the promise I’m going to be sharing a passage about Father Abraham and how he believed the promise of God and set the example for us that we should believe the promises of God we should believe the promises of Jesus believe the words that he speaks on to us hear the word of the Lord. This morning from Romans Chapter four verses one through sixteen. What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh for Abraham was justified by works. He has something to boast about but not before God for what does the Scripture say. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. See it was not by works he believe what God had told him and because he believed it was accounted as righteousness’ now to Him who works the wages are not counted as Grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on him who justifies who justifies the ungodly his faith is accounted for righteousness. Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered bless it is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin. Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only or upon the uncircumcised. Also for we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted for while he was circumcised or uncircumcised not while circumcised but while uncircumcised and he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised that he might be the father of all those who believe though they are uncircumcised that righteousness might might be imputed to them also and the father of circumcision to those who are not only of the circumcision but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham head while still uncircumcised for the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law but through the righteousness of faith. Hallelujah for those who are of the law or heirs faith is made void and the promise made of no effect because the law brings about wrath for work for where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore it is a faith that it might be according to grace so that the promise might be sure to all the seed not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham who is the father of us all. A man may god add his blessings to the hearing in the reading of His Holy Word. A promise is of faith it is of faith according to grace not according to the law. Abraham was called the father of all who believed meaning all who trust in Christ all who believe the Word of God He is the father of us all. That’s why we think Father Abraham Don’t wait because he is a father of us all because he believed in chapter three of Roman. The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Jewish Christians that they were justified by grace and not by works not by the works of the law not by keeping the law they can keep the entire law and that’s not going to save them. So he using Abraham as an example here was a brilliant idea. So we know that he was truly led by the Holy Spirit right because the Jewish believers were very proud of their ancestors very proud of the or the patriarchs proud of Moses proud of Abraham they were so proud to be called the Children of Abraham that they were in his family tree is manage so by using Abraham as an example to show that even he was saved by grace that he was his righteousness was according to faith was a great idea. They could understand that they could receive that and say wow I see what you’re saying now. And then even the example that the use of circumcision uncircumcision by revealing that Abraham while he was still uncircumcised was considered righteous was justified by his faith. They too could understand that that is not by be uncircumcised or say this not by keeping the law that we are say but is by grace. He’s trying to get them to grasp on to that. That is by grace you are saying to believing on the Lord Jesus Christ believing in God in Genesis Chapter fifteen verses four three six says and behold the word of the Lord came to him to Abraham saying this one shall not be your heir but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir more applause this one shall not be your heir speaking of Ishmael. He say and no no no. Though yes you fathered. Well but he is not the one he is not the one that will be the cedar that’s going to grow into a great nation. Yes he was a great nation but not the warmth or who the Messiah would come. It is true the one of your own flesh and I say that because well I was an Ishmael born of his flesh. Yes but not of the flesh of him and Sarah. Because when the two become one or two or join together they become one. So it had to be from him and Sarah that the promise would come. That seed would lead directly to the Messiah so then he brought him outside and said look towards Look now toward heaven and count the stars if you are able to number them and he said to him so shall your descendants be. And he believed in the Lord and he accounted to him for righteousness. So God I do this and there is in this the angel the Lord taking them outside and say look and look up to the heavens. Look at the stars and just have you ever tried to count the stars. It’s impossible to count them and says look at them stars. So shall your descendants be yours your descendants will be that many. Wow And he had no Chaldea. He had no Chaldean God saying look at those stars. So so your descendants be. The God of the impossible the God of the impossible way man. But he accounted to him for righteous because when God spoke that he believed it. God knew that Abraham believed that in these heart he knew that God could do what he said he was going to do. Galatians chapter three I didn’t have this in my passage the need to look it up. Elations chapter three verses eight and nine says and the Scripture foreseen that God would justify the Gentile. It’s by faith preach the gospel to Abraham before hand saying in you all the nations shall be blessed. So then those who are of the power of faith are blessed with believing Abraham he spoke that even all the nations would be blessed because of the seed of Abraham. While Abraham was still in that state of uncircumcision Abraham wasn’t circumcised who is ninety nine years old. So it was ninety nine so they could see that it’s not because I’m circumcised it’s because of believing believing God. Circumcision was nothing more than a seal a reminder that God had set them apart. Remind them of the promise that he had given the promise that they would make of him a nation it would be this nation that through the Messiah would come. You know there was quite a long delay from the time that God promised Abraham a son until it came to pass. We all know that Wright was a long delay many years had passed. Why was this delay. Why was it why was there such a long time period between when God said You will have a son that the CD will be a great nation. Many years passed before it came to fruition. Because God had to make sure that his ability. Abraham and Sarah’s ability to birth a child was as good as dead. Their reproductive abilities were as good as dead. He’d been almost one hundred years old and she ninety from a reproductive standpoint long gone. Dust scared since. That’s why there was this long delay because the show that it was the might. And the God of the show that God was able to resurrect the dead because he basically resurrected those dead reproductive organs that they could bear a child a man. This message didn’t begin with the thought of the resurrecting power of God That’s not where I was heading but that’s what God spoke to me the other morning and heading in Easter what a better time. He believed in the resurrecting power of God though he knew that he was as good as dead. He believed that God could do what he said he could do. He believed God for the impossible. His faith did not waver in all those years that passed before until that child came his way. Faith did not waver one speck. He believed God whenever it says it is translated the Hebrew word translated believe means to say amen. Believe means to say a man he believed God So he basically said a man. It is finished. God spoke it. It is finished it will happen. The ever thought that’s what a man means when we say our prayers we can say Amen it is finished I believe it it is going to happen God can do it. God will do it. Abraham believed and he thought it will be it will be as God has said it will be. There was no doubt in his mind. Can you see how the same process that Abraham had to go through waiting those many years before the child finally came the promise child applies today. God must wait until that sinner is dead. He must wait until a sinner reaches that point where we realize that we can’t help ourselves that we cannot save ourselves all of our righteousness is as filthy rags. We have to get to that. A place where we realize that where we understand that where we understand God’s grace where we understand that it is HIS righteousness bless it is the man who sins are not imputed to him. What does that mean that they are not reckoned upon him. Blessed is the man who sins are not appeared to him but is imputed with the righteousness of God There was a pastor by the name of Dr Harry are inside you pastor of the famed moody church in Chicago for eighteen years and he shared this story that while he was on vacation he visited a church and was a while attending Sunday school the teacher asked the people there how were the people in the Old Testament saved and then after a pause one man replied by keeping the law. That’s right said the teacher. Well doctor are inside interrupted he says My Bible says that by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified. The teacher was a bit embarrassed and he said well doesn’t somebody else have an idea. Well another student replied they were saved by bringing sacrifices to God. Yes that’s right the teacher said and tried to go on with the lesson but Dr R. inside interrupted again. He says My Bible says that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin. Can not take away sin they might remind the people of their sin but they’re not going to wash them away. They’re not going to cleanse them from their own righteousness by this time the unprepared teacher was sure that the Vizard knew more than he did about the Bible. So he said Well can you tell us how people were saved in the Old Testament. Dr onside explained they were saved by faith the same way the people were saved today by faith by believing God. Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Amen do you believe the promises of God Do you believe the promises of God Amen. Do you believe that God will do what he says he will do do you believe that God can do the impossible. Amen he can because he saved May and he can save you a man he can do the impossible. First Kings eight fifty seven to fifty nine says Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel according to all that he promised. There has not failed one word of all his good promises a man there has not failed one word of God as God spoke it it has happened or it’s going to happen it hasn’t happened yet it will. If God says it it will happen. Amen believe it. There is not one word of all his promises which he promised to his servant Mozes. May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us nor forsake us that he may incline our hearts to him self to walk in His ways to keep His commandments and statutes and his judgments which he commanded our fathers. Now I’m not I didn’t add that last part the bar works in there. But May he incline our hearts to one self that will do that which pleases him. But most of all that we understand his promises understand his righteousness understand his grace the New Testament promises this second Corinthians one eighteen through twenty two. But as God is faithful our word to you was not yes and no for the Son of God Jesus Christ who was preached among you by us by me Sylvanus and Timothy was not yes and no but in him was yes for all the promises of God in him in Christ. Or yes and in him a man finished it is finished to the glory of God through us. Now he will establish his office with you in Christ and has anointed us is God who also has sealed us and given us a spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. You see we too have that seal that guarantee is called the holy spirit that dwells within us. Amen like the Amen for all the promises of God in him are yes and a man. What did Christ say when he said his last upon that cross it is finished it is finished it is complete or righteousness is sealed. There is no other way no other way. Here’s a wonderful promise from our passage in Romans Chapter four. Blessed are those who lawless deeds are forgiven and his sins are covered blesses a man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin. Our Lord of the lawless deeds are absolutely completely forgiven. God is faithful and just to forgive us of all of our own righteousness when our sins are covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ. His words spoke it it is true. Two impute means it is an action to reckon to a person so therefore undocked in the doctrinal language. You know the sin of Adam is imputed to all of his descendants. It is reckoned as theirs as in Adam of sin and they are therefore guilty. But the righteousness of Christ is imputed to them that believe in him. It is reckoned upon them. So we have Christ’s righteousness upon us. It’s considered our own considered our own or our sins therefore our imputed upon Christ he has assumed our place he took upon Himself the demands for justice for since he took them upon himself he has fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law when he allowed our sins to be imputed upon him and his righteousness to be imputed upon us. Romans five eighteen in one nine hundred says therefore as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men being Adam’s offense resulting in condemnation even so through one man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men resulting in justification of life for us by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners so also by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous. In Genesis twenty two I truly believe that Abraham’s faith was also in the resurrection because after that long awaited for son family came and Abraham had a number of years to love and cherish that wonderful child that God gave him in his old age. It’s a hard game. Having come sit on his lap and you are a gift from God You are the promise that God is fulfilled. But then one day I’m not going to turn to and read the whole thing. But God says to Abraham Abraham I want you to take that son and sacrifice in the ME YOU ALL thread the story I know. So Abram took a couple of his servants along and left for the place that God was going to show him and when he got near the place at all. The servants you stay here while we live while the lad not go on and Abraham takes that precious son of his he built an altar gathered would place that child on the altar and had his knife drawn and was ready to sacrifice that sign that was the true test of Abraham’s faith wasn’t the greatest one of the greatest test of faith found in the Scriptures. He did not wait for one second you did not read in the Scriptures where God told him to go and sacrifice his son you did not read where he pleaded with God for days and said Oh God how could you possibly do that. You promised me this check out how could you ask me to take an sacrifices child. You don’t find out in the Scriptures. God said take that child and sacrifice him in a branded one thing. He obeyed God he didn’t question God one not one word of question. He obeyed God. So how much faith that Abraham had he had resurrection faith because God told him that that was the son for whom the Messiah would come that he was the promised child he was a son in whom and all the earth would be blessed. He knew that he was the one. So he had resurrection faith a man are you getting he know that if we sacrifice our child to God revive him that he would rise again. He had resurrection faith the same faith that we have today a man our lawyer. Do you believe God sometimes I get myself excited up here. Hallelujah. You know what we are his descendants. We are Abraham’s descendants. I got to thinking about a family tree ever. A man’s family tree is a magnificent tree it is. It goes out and yes there is that branch that goes out here that Ishmael and and that nation but also that branch that leads directly to the cross. I can turn to Matthew and read you the whole Jena logical yet you’re ready for this. Yeah come on now come on and the book at genealogy of genealogy of Jesus Christ the Son of David the son of Abraham. I’m not going to go through more than just that just that the genealogy of Jesus Christ who is the son of David who is the son of Abraham. Turn to Matthew Chapter one today or this we can look at a direct line a direct line. Abraham got Isaac. He got Jacob the twelve. But through Judah direct line at the top of that family tree you’re going to find a cross. Because it’s through Abraham the Christ came. But here’s the good news if you look at Romans eight for you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear but you receive the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out Abba Father the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and if children then heirs heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ if indeed we suffer with Him that we may also be glorified together. So if you look in that family tree of Abraham who are you going to see will look in the mirror. That’s who you’re going to see your names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life if you’ve accepted Jesus Christ. Your names are also on their family tree. Why because we are joint heirs with Christ that Christ is the direct descendant of Abraham. All who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are heirs and co-workers with God. If they meant do you believe that today. Do you believe the promise. Amen do you believe the promises of God because in Him They are yes and Amen amen masher save that one for Easter so we’ll be talking a lot about the resurrection here in the next few weeks. Amen I believe the promises of God are closing him today. No where I have opposing him yet I want to ask if Dave would like to come if he would come forward so we can pray.