Today we are in Romans chapter 4 and passages verses 17 through 25. So we finish this chapter today, Lord willing, and then we'll be moving on to chapter 5, of course, right after that. The sermon title is Strong Faith for a New Year. joking around with Debbie yesterday. And it's like every new year, you know, you think about, well, we need to need a focus, right? We need a sermon for the new year. Well, all you have to do is basically keep preaching what you're preaching and just add on for a new year. Strong faith for a new year. Well, we need strong faith every day, but why not for a new year? Why not let that be our focus? Since God in his providence has given us this passage as next in Romans, I believe that that the Lord is telling us that, of course, he wants us to be strengthened and to grow in our faith. Let's read the word of God. Romans 4, 17 to 25. As it is written, I have made you a father of many nations. speaking of Abraham, in the presence of him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and who calls those things which do not exist as though they did, who, contrary to hope, in hope, believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, so shall your descendants be. And not being weak in faith, He did not consider his own body already dead, since he was about 100 years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what he had promised, he was able to perform. And therefore, it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification. This is the word of the living God. It's powerful. It's effective. It's sharper than a two-edged sword. And may the Lord do his work through his word in our hearts. Let's pray. Father, I ask that you speak to us what a privilege it is and yet a great responsibility to hear the word of the Lord. Speak, and may we humbly listen. and bow at your feet in worship, doing, Lord, not as Martha, who was busy, busy thinking about all the things that need to be done, but Mary, who sat at your feet and listened and worshiped. In your name we pray, amen. So we know from chapter four that Abraham, who lived a long time ago, who's spoken about in the very first book of the Bible, that he was justified by faith, not by works. And the Apostle Paul teaches us that likewise, just like Abraham, we too are justified through faith alone, faith in Jesus Christ alone. But what kind of faith is it that justifies? What does faith look like? What does it do? How does it save? How does it work? Well, today we'll look at just a few things concerning Abraham's faith and how we might be strengthened in that faith. Well, faith is not an easy thing to come by. In fact, no one possesses faith, certainly not saving faith, naturally. Sin has basically removed faith from us and replaced it with doubt and unbelief. That's more the order of the day for human beings, for us even as Christians. We are inclined to doubt and not believe God. All we have to do is look at the history of Israel. and how often they didn't believe God. We learned today in Sunday school that there were times that they believed God, and as a result they worshipped God. But most often it seems that they did not believe God, and that was their downfall. So we need faith. We need to hold on to that, that faith is, and what faith holds on to, and that's the Lord himself. In addition to our sinful nature, there are many external obstacles to faith. And Abraham had quite a serious one to face, and yet he believed God. Interesting thing about that word believe in the Hebrew, it's very similar. It's related to the word amen. So faith is saying amen to God's promises found in the scriptures. So Paul mentions Abraham as an illustration in this chapter of justification. And yet there are lessons to be learned about Abraham's faith that apply to all of life, not just to the issue of justification. And my prayer is that, again, that God would grant us a stronger faith in this coming year. And we need, you see, a faith like Abraham, who contrary to hope, in hope believed. We need hope in this world and hope comes through faith. Faith is a fountain for both hope and love. It says that Abraham was strengthened in faith. How was he strengthened? And then how can we be strengthened? And the first thing is If we want our faith to be strengthened that we need to lay hold of, we need to believe in the power of God, the power of God. You know, faith is only as good as its object. And in verse 16, Abraham, it says, is our father in the presence of him whom he believed, God. He believed God. And so if you want a great faith, you need a great God. Well, we have a great God, but we don't often think of Him as we ought to. As we grow, as our faith grows, our sight of God grows, our faith in Him will grow. So the greater He becomes in our eyes, the stronger the faith becomes. So faith is trusting God. It's a synonym, trust, faith. Believing that He exists and believing in who He has revealed Himself to be. Hebrews 11, 6, it's a wonderful verse, and without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He is, that He exists, and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. We just said in the Apostles' Creed, I believe in God, the Father Almighty, and all the rest that we said. Do you believe what you just confessed? You believe in God, the God of the Bible. He alone is the almighty. He is the omnipotent one. He's all powerful. And so this attribute of omnipotence, this is what Abraham is relying on. He relied on an omnipotent God. And so we need to rely on the same God. He believed that God could give life to the dead. Now it takes great power to bring life out of death. It's not something that we can do. It takes supernatural power. So our faith is in a supernatural God who can do more than we can imagine. Verse 19 speaks of Abraham's body. Here's the situation, you see. Abraham's body's already dead since he was about a hundred years old and Sarah's womb is dead. There's no way they're having any children at their old age. It's just not gonna happen. Not humanly speaking. And yet God said, you're going to have a son. Sarah will bear your child, Abraham. This is a child of promise. And Abraham had to believe that God's power was greater than what he could see and what he could experience, what he could imagine. So do you believe in the omnipotence of God, that he has the power to do whatever he chooses to do? You say, yes, I believe God can do anything. Do you believe that he's almighty, that there are no limits to his power? Oh sure, I believe that with all my heart. Do you believe he's able to help you right now in the difficulty that you're facing? You see, that's where the rubber meets the road. Faith is meant not for simply the theologians who are in their ivory towers just talking about the things of God, but it's meant for each and every one of us as we live our lives out in the hardships and the trials that we face. So do you believe in God's power for you right now to uphold you, to guide you, to be with you and to help you. John Calvin said that when everything's going well, no one denies that God can do all things. But as soon as something comes along that seems to go against God's promise, that we begin to doubt that God has the power to come through. And we can all relate to that. But Abraham believed that God could do anything, even in the face of a humanly impossible situation. God is the God of the impossible. He loves to do that which is impossible. He gives life to the dead. And he does that not only physically. He can do that physically. He did that several times. He raised Lazarus. Jesus himself was raised from the dead, but you and I, you see, are born spiritually dead. Do you believe that God can give life to your soul and raise you from spiritual death? Do you believe he can give you a new heart? Do you believe that you can be born from above? You know, those who are not saved. And there may be someone here today that doesn't know Jesus Christ. Most of us know him, perhaps, but there was a time when we didn't. And those who are used to living for themselves, used to living a lifestyle of sin and following their own desires, their natural desires, they can have a hard time believing that that things could be different, that there could be a new life. And I remember having a conversation one time. with a young man, this is many years ago, I was on a basketball court, and it was just me and this other guy, and we were just shooting around, so I started talking to him about the Lord, and I was basically urging him to commit his life to Christ, and he was very hesitant. He said, well, I'm afraid that if I give my life to Christ, I won't be able to follow up and really live you know, up to the standard that he's set forth. So he wouldn't commit his life to Jesus because he knew he would fail. don't know exactly what I said, but I think I said something like this, but only Jesus could really live up to God's standard. And I told him that, you know, Jesus died for us, for our sins, and that he also promises to give his Holy Spirit and to change our hearts and to enable us to live the kind of life that God wants us to. God can do that for you. Will you believe Him to do that in your life? Verse 17, God calls those things which do not exist as though they did. That's a verse to chew on. That's a good one to think about, to meditate on. God created the world when there was nothing. He used no pre-existing materials. He created the matter, and he created the world out of nothing. And if God can do that, it's not a problem for him to create a child, a living, and for Sarah and Abraham to have a son. It's not too hard for him, who created all things out of nothing. And if God created the heavens and earth out of nothing in the space of six days, then he can meet the need that you have right now, whatever that need is. You say, Pastor, you don't know my need because it's just too great. But there's nothing too great for the Lord. Nothing is impossible with him. He is the almighty God. So God spoke to Abraham. And he says, you're going to have a son. And that was long before he had a son. Isaac didn't exist yet. So he calls things which don't exist as though they did. Before Isaac was born, he said, I've made you the father of many nations. But he didn't even have a son yet. And so when Abraham believed God, His name was changed from Abram to Abraham. Do you know why? Well, Abram means a father. Abraham means father of a multitude. So his name was changed before he even had a son, before Sarah conceived. Now, if God is determined to answer your prayer, to intervene, to help you in some way, in a way that seems beyond your imagination, then God calls it done before it comes to pass. And that's the kind of certainty we need to have. And the Bible says, before they call, I will answer. You know, sometimes we think that God is hesitant. When we pray to Him and we ask Him for His help, for His direction, for His guidance, for His provision, His protection, whatever it is, we think we have to pull His, you know, tug at His arm and say, please God, please God. And He's like, okay, okay, no. God wants to help you. He wants to do for you. He loves you. If you know Jesus Christ, you're his child. And if you've ever had a child, you know what love is. God has all power. Do you believe that he has the power to save you from your sins, to take you to heaven, to give you salvation and never take it back? And do you believe he has the power to take you through the hardship, through the suffering, the difficulty that you're facing in life and bring you forth victorious? Do you believe that God can enable you to overcome that sin that so easily entangles you? Do you believe God is able to use you for your kingdom, for his kingdom? So believe in the almighty power of God. Abraham did. Now Abraham was a sinner. He was not some great saint. And yet God gave him the faith. Abraham believed in God who could do anything. And verse 21 says, Abraham was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to perform. So God is able. What is your need? God is able. Just say to yourself, my God is able. My God is able. But not only that, we need to trust in God's power, but not only that, if you want to grow in your faith, you need to trust in the promise. You need to trust, in other words, in the faithfulness of God. God has all the power, but does he really care? Does he really want to help? Yes, he does. He's promised. And he is faithful. Contrary to hope, verse 18, in hope Abraham believed so that he became the father of many nations according to what was spoken. And in Genesis 15, 5, we read what God did. He took Abram outside. He says, look toward heaven and number the stars if you're able to number them. So shall your descendants be. So that's the promise God made. That's the promise Abraham believed. And it was credited to him for righteousness. So faith comes by hearing, and particularly the hearing of the word of God, and particularly in that word, the promises of God. Faith in God's promise is a reliance upon his faithfulness. He believed this promise contrary to hope, contrary to what his eyes could see, to what everyone knew, that no one has a child when the husband and wife are 95 years and up. It just doesn't happen. So we need to trust in God, not only when we think, oh, well, yeah, God can do this. This would be something doable. No, pray even when it seems impossible. Jesus said this, he said, let not your hearts be troubled. Why are we troubled about anything? But he said, let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. At every turn, at every stage of your life, this is what God wants. He wants you to believe in Him, and to believe in His Son. So, it was beyond all hope, and yet he would be given this ability by God to conceive. Sarah would be given that ability to conceive and have a child. Abraham did not cling to what he saw. He did not walk by sight. He walked by faith. Today, we don't value promises very much because most of the promises people have made to us, we can't trust. A promise is only as good as the one who makes it. And we say this, we say, well, you know, someone makes a promise and say, I believe it when I see it. You know, or that, you know, if it sounds too good to be true, it's probably, it is too good to be true. It's, you know, this promise can't be trusted. But when God promises something, here's what we should say. I believe it, though I do not yet see it. I believe it even though I don't see it. as we walk by faith. So the promises of God, that's the firm foundation that we build our lives upon. The first line of the familiar hymn says, how firm a foundation you saints of the Lord is laid for your faith in his excellent word. So if God has made a promise in his word, no matter what the situation may be, you have reason to hope. You have reason to believe. Cling to that promise like Abraham did. Faith always rests in the promise of God in the written word. It's something we can trust more than anything. Numbers 23, 19 says, God is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Will he not fulfill it so we hesitate the trust the promises of men we know that they're all liars and They can't don't always have the ability to come through. They're not faithful, but God's not a man. He's not a liar He's always faithful He speaks he does it he doesn't go back on his word. He's unchanging. There's another attribute of God the immutability the unchangeableness of God Is your faith resting on the Word of God or is it resting on an uncertain feeling or experience? If you're looking somewhere else besides the Word, you're looking in the wrong place. Now we can and we should remind ourselves of what God has done for us in the past. That's very good. to do, but we don't rely on our feelings or subjective things. We rely on that which is certain, the Word of God. If Abraham had relied on his circumstances to guide him at that time, then he would have assumed that God really didn't want him to have a son. But even if he believed that, There's still going to be a temptation for him to rely on circumstances. And that's exactly what happened. He knew that God had promised him a son, but he knew it couldn't be the normal way. Sarah had this great idea, well, just sleep with my servant, Hagar, and you'll get a son that way. Right? That seems doable, doesn't it? And it was doable, and he had a son with Hagar, and he was born, he was named Ishmael. He was not the son of promise, was he? And so, they reasoned, they used human reason, and they were wrong. He was not the son of promise. God had not told them that this is how it's going to happen. They went on their own there. So we need to avoid that way. They were impatient. We get impatient too. And we think, well, we'll figure it out. We'll figure it out for God. No, don't do that. Wait on the Lord. Wait on the Lord and His fulfilling and His will. If you want to have faith in God, then that faith and your obedience, which is the fruit of faith, needs to be based upon the word, not experience, not feelings, not circumstances. Stand firm on the promises and you will stand. But lastly and briefly, we need to believe in God also without wavering, without wavering. Look at verse 19. It says, Abraham did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. Now again, we saw some of the, we just spoke about a mistake he made, but in the end, you see, God gives us, he gives us second chances and third chances, okay? You messed up once, but I'm not gonna, God says, I'm not gonna leave you alone. My promise is still good. Now, get back to square one. And Abraham believed, and he didn't waver in the end. He was strengthened in faith. You see, his faith was weak. And our faith is too. So you may have messed up. You say, well, I didn't trust God in the past. I blew it. I tried to do it on my own. Let's try again. God says. I'll give you another chance. Now, when God promises something, we either believe it or we don't. There's either belief or unbelief. Faith is believing his power and his promise. And Abraham didn't waver in the end. He didn't stagger, though there was plenty to stagger about. No, he remained strong in faith. He didn't doubt God. in the end. He had to be taught that. He had to be strengthened in faith. And that's what faith leads to, this unwavering commitment. James 1, verses 6 through 8, says that when we ask God for something, when a person asks God for something, he must believe and not doubt. Because if you doubt, you're like the wave in the sea. You're tossed by the wind. And he said that man who doesn't believe who has unbelief when he prays, shouldn't think that he will ask or receive anything from the Lord. He's a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. So what does God want? He wants you to be a single-minded person that just looks at God and ignores the wind, the waves, the circumstances of life. So how did Abraham remain so strong and unwavering? Well, because in the end he kept his eyes God he got his mind off himself. He stayed focused on the Lord in his work Reminds me of Isaiah 26 in verse 3 you will keep him in perfect. Peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in you So to have a mind that stayed on God is to have a heart that trust in him. So faith is not very easy and Do you think it was easy for Abraham and Sarah to believe that they would have a son in their old age? Do you think it was easy for Noah to build an ark and to believe that there would be a worldwide flood? Do you think it was easy for Moses to believe that God would open up the Red Sea to enable the Israelites to cross on dry land? Do you think it was easy for Mary to believe the Holy Spirit would cause her to conceive as a virgin and give birth to the Son of God. Faith has never been easy. And it never will be as long as we live. As long as sin clings to us and we live in a sinful world, faith is going to be the uphill thing to do. It's going to be that which goes against the grain. And it may not be easy, but it is ultimately the most reasonable thing for you and I to do. Faith is not a blind leap into the dark. It is a step onto the solid foundation of what we know, the truth of God's word. You see, we need to believe that word more than we believe what we see. It's that simple. The Bible says, We must fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despised the shame, and now has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. So how did Jesus himself endure? By focusing on the joy set before him. By focusing on the resurrection and what he knew that God had promised Even though he did pray in the garden, Lord, you know, if it's possible, take this cup from me. Nevertheless, thy will be done. He stayed focused on the resurrection. How will we endure in our faith by staying focused on Jesus and remembering that in Christ, we too will rise. Verse 20 says, because of Abraham's faith, he gave glory to God. Now this is the ultimate end, the chief end of man and woman, of each one of us, is to glorify God. And we talk about that, 1 Corinthians says, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God. Well, how do we do that, practically speaking? Well, verse 21, it says, he glorified God by being fully convinced that what he had promised, he was able to perform. If you want to glorify God this year, you do so by believing Him, by trusting Him, without doubting, without wavering, that He's both willing and able to help us in our time of need, and that He makes all things work together for our good. You see, I've asked God, and it didn't happen the way I thought, but it happened the way God wanted, because He makes all things work together for your good. Verse 21, therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness. And you know, why does Paul go into such detail about the life of Abraham? He lived so long ago, what relevance does he have for us today? Verse 23, now it was written, not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him, but also for us. Through our faith, also God, by trusting in Jesus Christ, Christ's righteousness will be imputed to us who believe in him who raised Jesus from the dead. So Abraham's faith is an example for us. How it can be justified and counted righteous, just as he was. That God can bring life out of death, just as he did. He can bring new life to our souls. And we need to believe in the resurrection. This is an important point in Scripture, Romans 10, 9 and 10. If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Believe in the resurrection. That gives us hope in any situation. Because no matter what happens, even if we die, and we will die unless he comes back first, then we know, we know we'll be with them for all eternity. So we need to believe in the resurrection. And, you know, Paul didn't just say, believe in Jesus and you'll be saved. He tells us how Jesus saves us. He gives us more information and it's important. It's not just, you know, the sound bites. But verse 25 does sum it all up. He was delivered up because of our offenses. He was raised because of our justification. You see, only as the living Lord can he be the object of our faith. Only the living and resurrected Christ can save us, but he is risen. So keep that in the uppermost part of your mind if you want your faith to grow. focus on his power, focus on his faithfulness, and stay focused on those things. May God help us to lay hold of these promises this year, even when they seem contrary to hope. Then we'll be true children of Abraham. And so as we approach the Lord's table now, let's believe that God did and gave indeed give Jesus' body and His blood for our justification, that He did give Him for our salvation, and that not only was He raised from the dead, but He's coming again. And Jesus said, observe this meal until I come. And that's what we're doing. Now, I want to ask the elders to come forward as we come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. The Bible says that Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the feasts. O taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who trusts in Him. We don't see Jesus, we only see Him pictured. We don't see Jesus, we only hear of Him in the Word. That's enough. That's enough for us for now. We will see Him one day. But let's take now the elements of bread and of the fruit of the vine, which represent His body and His blood, shed for us, given for us. The Lord's Supper is given for those who believe in Him. what we've been talking about. Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Have you been baptized and become a member of his church? And if you are a member of the church, it doesn't have to be his church, you're invited to come to the table. If you don't know Jesus Christ, What you need to do is pray. Let the elements pass you by and pray, God, open my heart, enable me to put my faith in you, and then receive Christ. You can receive Christ right now where you're sitting if you need to do so. But for those who believe, come to the table. Feed on Christ by faith and be strengthened. Just as the elements of the Lord's Supper literally, though it's a small amount of food, there's nourishment for our bodies. This is why we eat. But it's spiritual food that's the emphasis in the Lord's Supper, as we commune with Him, We feed on him by faith. Let me now read the words of institution that Christ gave to Paul. For I received from the Lord that which I offered and delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, in the night in which he was betrayed, took breath. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, this is my body which is broken for you. Do this and remember of me. In the same way, he took the cup also after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord and the mugwort, the manner shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for the gift of life in Jesus Christ. Lord, that new birth, the regeneration of the soul is an amazing miracle of God. We also thank you for the daily sustenance of that life. We thank you that the Lord's Day is given to us to be refreshed by your grace and that the corporate worship of God is given to us that we might come before you humbly and receive the word of God and also, Lord, to receive the elements of the Lord's supper, reminding us, remembering what you did for us, Jesus. But Lord, may we not only remember in a fair remembrance, but may the Holy Spirit enable us to rise and to realize that we are seated with Christ in heaven and places and that one day he will come again and we will feast with him In that new heavens and new earth, we ask, Lord, that we bless now the elements and the receipt of these elements in our faith through this time in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Jesus. When they observed the Passover, he did something new. He took bread and he broke it. And he said, this is my body now. This represents my body, which is broken to you. Take it and eat it. And do it in remembrance of me. Take the bread and we'll all wait together to take it at one time. You may take the cup as you are individually ready. There is a small cup that has gluten-free cracker in the middle if you need that, but otherwise take the bread and let's all wait together to do so. So, And... Take heed, Jesus said, this is my body which is broken for you. When they had finished eating the bread, Jesus then gave them a cup and said, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for the remission of your sins. Drink you all of it. So, Okay. so so Lord Jesus, you are the bread and water sprinkling us by this bread today. You've given us living water to quench the thirst of our souls. May we walk by faith as we leave to get forward. each day of this coming year in Christ's name, amen. Amen. Let's take our hymnals and turn to number 34 as we think of Abraham. We need to think of Abraham's God as we were talking about. The God of Abraham praise, the first four stanzas. you