as a a child of God this is one chapter that we should master and I may say that again I get over to chapter 8 or chapter some other chapters here Romans is a great book but this is one chapter that I believe that we we really should master because this chapter 4 of Romans explains how God justifies That is, declares righteous. That's what the word justify means. Declares righteous, ungodly people through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation is a broad term. And it includes all that God does for the believer in Christ. Justification is a legal term. And it's a legal term describing our perfect standing before God and the righteousness of Christ. That has to do with our position before God right now. We know how imperfect we are. I mean, we live with imperfect people. Yeah, my wife of 30, I don't know how many years, bunch a bunch and she knows how imperfect I am I leave my socks in the floor from time to time I do not close the cabinet doors like I should did you marry a imperfect husband who huh all not Bradley we but we are we're imperfect but now when God looks at us in Christ Jesus he declares us to be justified just as if we had never sinned just as if we are just as righteous as he is righteous that's in Christ Paul has just finished nailing shut the coffin of the law as far as salvation is concerned. We saw that last week in chapter 3. Salvation comes only through faith. And I want to emphasize that word only. It comes only through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe this truth and we rejoice in it this morning. Unfortunately, not everyone believes these cardinal doctrines of the faith, like justification, redemption, propitiation, remission of sin, forgiveness of sin. the grace of God I like what brother Fred said this morning Sunday school class the grace of God is not necessarily a doctrine but it is a person of the Lord Jesus I agree with that I've got in my notes as one of the doctrines of the scripture but it's more than a doctrine it is a person it is the person the Lord Jesus Christ many of the people who would read Paul's epistle to the Romans would not accept these things as facts. So what Paul does here in chapter 4, Paul calls a witness. As a judge or a lawyer would call a witness to the stand. Paul calls a witness as he continues to defend his message of salvation by grace through faith. Paul's witness is none other than Abraham as we read in verse number one. He says, Shall we say then that Abraham our father, note that he's talking to primarily Jewish believers or Jews in Rome. He said Abraham our father and he goes on to say pertaining to the flesh. He says hath found. Now every Jew revered father Abraham. And from Genesis chapter 15 we see that it declares it in Genesis, actually go back to Genesis chapter 12 when God spoke to Abraham, Abram at the time and revealed himself and told him to get out of the land of the Ur of the Chaldeans and to go to the place and Abraham began to follow God, he believed God and he did as the Lord said It's not recorded until you get over to chapter 15 of Genesis where the Bible says that God actually counted his faith, counted his belief in God, counted it as his righteousness. But the Jews, they really revered Abraham. In fact, Abraham's acceptance by God was so certain that the Jews referred to heaven as Abraham's bosom. When they were talking about heaven, they referred to it as Abraham's bosom. In Luke chapter 16, where we have the story of the rich man and Lazarus. We were talking about Lazarus this morning, the beggar that the dogs licked his sore. Moreover the dogs. Pastor friend of mine, Wesley Grant, named his dog Moreover because it was a biblical name. Moreover the dogs. Licked his sword. But we know in Luke chapter 16 the Bible says that Lazarus died. The rich man died. The Bible says in verse number 23 that the rich man, it says, in hell lifted his eyes, being in torment, and seeth Abraham afar off. and Lazarus in his bosom. So at that time we know from the scriptures that hell was divided into two compartments so to speak, two rooms or two places and a great gulf was between them. You had hell, fire and torment and then you had Abraham's bosom, what they called as paradise. And Abraham or Lazarus was in paradise, in Abraham's bosom. Do you know that this man Abraham is revered by over one half of the world's population right now? The Jews revere him, Christians revere him, but Muslims also revere him. Approximately one-half of the world's population refer to Abraham in one way or another, revere him. In our day, Abraham is held in high esteem by these three different major religions or major groups. Many people in Paul's day, especially the Jews, considered Abraham almost, and I make it almost, worthy of worship. So if Paul was going to appeal to anyone to support his case, it would be Abraham. Now we have the opportunity this morning to witness first hand the faith of Abraham. That's what I want to speak to you about is the faith of Abraham. As we look at Abraham's faith, we ought at the same time examine our own. And to be sure that ours is a salvation that is based entirely in faith Because anything less is not salvation at all. First of all, I want us to note the scuttlebutt in Abraham's faith. Now I changed that word. I was going to use the gossip. But this past week, those of you that have been in the military, Brother Dave, you spent a number of years in the Air Force, you heard of... You were Navy? I thought you were Air Force. No, I stand corrected. In the Navy. It doesn't matter what branch you might be, but there was a lot of rumors, scuttlebutt, they called it. I asked Andrew today, I heard some scuttle, even here, I heard some scuttlebutt from a high-ranking Army personnel that maybe some of their group was gonna get sent to for the second week of their maneuvers, so a group of them was gonna get sent to Wyoming. I do know that there's some from Matlakatla, Josh's brother-in-law was in Wyoming. with the mountain division i think and uh... i'm thinking well every good opportunity that i called andrew anderson uh... no uh... as i don't know that i do know this time i'm going to get taste today and i will get sprayed tomorrow and i don't know where i'll be next week but uh... But you hear it. And it doesn't matter in what occupation you're in. The ferry service. You hear a lot of different rumors. And scuttlebutt moving around. There was some scuttlebutt about Abraham's faith. not right in the beginning, but as time goes on. Kind of like with Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. I think it was Davy Crockett, there's a song that says he killed a bear when he was three. Well, I think he killed a bear when he was real young, but I don't think he was three. But things change, you know, they just keep adding to it. And at three years of age carrying a Kentucky musket around, I don't think so. You know. And it might have been a little tiny teddy bear. But you can see how things change. And there was some scuttle, but there was some rumors, some gossip going on about Abraham. That he was enjoying the things of God because of the things he'd done. His work ethic, his loyalty, whatever. And so we see here, the Bible says, he starts with verse number one. and he says what shall we say then that Abraham our father as pertaining to the flesh hath found for if here's where the scuttlebutt is for if Abraham were justified by works they were rumors of going that he he got where he's at he's justified by the things he did that was going on among the Jewish people if Abraham were justified by works he hath whereof to glory but not before God we have to realize that the Jews held him up so high as the premier example of a man who had been saved by his works. They believed that Abraham was the standard of life for those living right. So the scuttlebutt, the gossip, you might want to use that word, was that... And the people believed that God accepted and justified Abraham because he had somehow earned it. Paul is telling us that if this is true, if there was just a note of truth to the scuttlebutt, to the rumor that Abraham had been made right by his works, then abraham has the right to brag abraham has the right to boast he has the right to crow about it throw out his chest if there is any truth to the rumors then abraham could say look at me look what i have accomplished if these if there is was any truth here, then he would deserve all the acclamation that we could give him. Millions today. well maybe even more millions here there are denominations all around us in one way or another. I illustrated this a couple weeks ago with these two chairs and I had one with the sign do and I had another one with a sign that said done do and done and you're either sitting in one or the other you're in a religion that you have to do do do do or you're with the group that it's already done because Christ said on the cross it is finished there's nothing else to be done for our salvation but there are millions who think that they are saved by their works Whether it's a group that believes that you have to do certain things, go to certain services, or the group that you can't have fry bread or whatever, you know, or pork chops. Well, that fry bread would be good with a piece of bacon between it. A good pork chop. But there are groups that say you can't eat certain foods. You've got to dress this way or that way. and all of this has to do or some say you must be baptized the poor thief on the cross satan heaven then I mean Jesus said this day you shall be with me in paradise he didn't get an opportunity to be baptized I'm a Baptist I have to believe in baptism but it will not save you you'll go in the water a dry sinner you'll come out a wet one and we need to know that so whatever group but only you you pick one whatever you want but if the person who believes that they are saved by faith is the only one that is truly born again because it's not of works but when we come to God when we come to faith God's way there will be no boasting in the flesh And what we have done there will only be boasted in the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. Paul said in Ephesians 5, no Ephesians 2, 8, 9, for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. Look at the last phrase in verse number two. Romans 4 verse number two. Notice the last phrase. It says, but not before God. What Paul is saying is that even if it were somehow true that Abraham were somehow justified by his works, Paul is saying God's not impressed. It doesn't impress God at all. We cannot do anything to earn our salvation. And sometimes that's hard for us because as children, we are conditioned to perform. We are conditioned to perform from the time that we are a small child. We learn that good deeds and good performances provide certain rewards, certain privileges. It's part of our bringing up. And it gives us a sense of accomplishment. It gives us a sense of self-assurance. We start as a very young age. You do this and your mom and daddy won't spank you. You do this and you'll get a candy bar. You do that and you'll get an ice cream. And parents will say, you be good, and mom will stop at the grocery store. And for the few seconds, they'll be good as they can be till they get that candy bar and then all hell breaks loose. about the last lick or the last bite then they're about as mean as striping snakes. But we're conditioned that way aren't we? While the good things we do may prosper us in the flesh and in the eyes of men but it will do nothing for us with the Lord. Why? because God does not look at the outside he looks at the heart Samuel learned this when they were looking for a new king to replace Saul and Samuel was told over in 1 Samuel 16 Samuel was told to go to the house of Jesse Jesse had a number of boys and the Bible says the reason you're not to look at the outward the Lord seeth not as man seeth for man looketh on the outward appearance and that's true we will pass judgment on somebody whether we like them or not just by their first appearance yeah and the more you get to know them you realize well I like them for other reasons than just their appearance or I don't like them because you know for other reasons and they look good but we'll be driving down the road and we'll say Well, we'll say something. But we'll say, there goes, you know, Fred, you must have been reading my notes this morning because I was going to use your lines. There goes an idiot. Because of the way they look. God doesn't look at the outward appearance. He looks at the heart. And he told Samuel, you're going to see a bunch of boys there. You're going to see some young men there. But don't judge them because God doesn't look at the outward appearance. Should we look like slobs and smell like pigs? No. I'm not saying that. But God looks at the heart. It says, but the Lord looketh on the heart. He sees your heart. I don't see your heart right now. I don't know your heart. But God sees the heart. you may have everybody in this room all your family fooled and you're just as black as sin on the inside and wicked as hell itself but here you're sitting in church on the outside we all look good remember God doesn't look at the outside he sees the heart Bottom line is this, God is not impressed with your works or my works. All that touches God is our faith. Faith is the only thing that will save faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice the genuineness of Abraham's faith. Look at verse three through verse number five. Follow along. Four, what saith the scripture? If you ever have any questions, you know I've had people that debate all the time. I said, let's go see what the Bible says. And somehow the debate stops. They know what the Bible says. They don't want to accept what the Bible says. And they'd rather my opinion and my thoughts and my this let's look and so Paul says for what saith the scripture Abraham believed God and it that belief that faith it was counted unto him for righteousness now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Now Paul tells us the real basis of Abraham's salvation. Everybody else saying, well, it's because he got out of that pagan land of the Chaldeans. and he got up here and they did this and they were just the Jews they thought that they revered him for that Paul said it's only by faith it's only by faith simply stated Abraham believed God and God saved him you know how you got saved the same way Abraham got saved same way we got saved the same way Abraham got saved in the Bible we believe God God said he so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son the Bible's Jesus said I am the way the truth the life no man cometh unto the father but by me we believe God we take God at his word Abraham was told you leave the land of the earth and you get to a place I'll show you you don't know where you're going but I'll show you and by the way I'm gonna bless you I'm gonna make a mighty nation out of you your children are going to outnumber the stars and the sand and the sea and Abraham believed think about it Abraham was in Genesis chapter 12 Abraham was 75 years old by the time you get over to Genesis chapter 15 in verse number 6 where it actually records that his faith or his belief in God was counted for righteousness he was probably around 85 years of age and he still was childless and the Lord came to him and told him that you're going to have children In fact, God told him that his descendants were going to outnumber all the stars. Sounds crazy. To the natural man, it sounds crazy. But here's something even more crazy. Or crazier. Is it crazier or proper? More crazy. No? This is crazy. Whatever. He believed God. He believed God with no guarantees. With no guarantees but God's word. Think about it. Abraham was raised in a pagan culture. His own father, when he traveled with him, carried his false gods. the moon God and one thing or another and that was the culture he was in and he said I want you to leave all of that and I want to show you a land and Abraham believed God with no guarantees other than God's word Abraham left his business, he left his homeland, he left most of his relatives. He took his dad with him and took his nephew Lot. Dad slowed him down. Lot fought with his herdsmen and one thing or another. And another thing, Abraham's faith, another thing, Abraham's faith wasn't perfect faith. You know that? he hadn't been gone long and he didn't go all the way you know stopped about halfway until his father died and then he started to make and then a famine came to the land and this is the God that said I'm gonna bless you I'm gonna take care of you and they run off down to Egypt instead of believing God and while he's in Egypt Pharaoh looked at Sarah and said whoa she's nice-looking Abraham got scared to death and said you make sure you tell him that you're my sister I have truth, but it's a lie. Because Abraham was afraid that Pharaoh would kill him and take Sarah. Sounds like a man of faith? Well, think about it. I didn't say perfect faith. What did Jesus say about faith? About the grain of a mustard seed? But Abraham kept going back back to God's word God's work and in Genesis chapter 15 he he's he's reminded God what he said the Bible said he believed God has counted to him for righteousness he just the Bible tells us that that this faith in God in the Word of God was considered the basis of Abraham's righteousness The word there in verse number five of Romans chapter four and it's also used in verse number three but in Romans the word counted it means to credit one's account and to treat them accordingly. To credit one's account and to treat one accordingly. When we place our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, God credits our account In the books of heaven, with the righteousness of Christ, the songwriter said, in my hand no price I bring, simply to the cross I cling. Listen, the day I got sick, I had nothing to offer. I was just a bag of sin. I mean, if I could have bought if I could have paid a little bit I might have got three cents together but God credits when we put our faith in Jesus Christ the finished work of Christ God credits our account in heaven with the righteousness of Christ and then God begins to treat us just like he would treat Jesus Christ however if we do not open that account by faith and with that deposit of faith we try to secure God's favor by substituting with our righteousness by the way the Bible says our righteousness is filthy rags then we will be treated just like we deserve will wind up in hell the whole point Paul is trying to make is summed up in verses four and five now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt but to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness Paul tells us that if we were saved by good works Then God is just paying us off, paying off his debt. Imagine, there's no man in here that looks more like they've really put in a day's work when I see them get off than Travis. Travis comes in out of the woods, he doesn't look near as good as he looks right now. You're looking good this morning, man. Last time I saw him, he came in to Papa's pizza. And you can tell he'd been up very late. His eyes were just, he barely could open them. And he's covered in dirt and grease and one way or another trying and trying to act like you're having a good time. And I know if if if somebody wasn't talking to him, he just filled his is right in the pit. And so I know he works hard. and he works hard and and payday comes and boss comes and says here Travis here's your gift you know what Travis would say gift my I work for that that's no gift I worked hard for that. I got up at three o'clock every morning. I made my way out to the woods. I made my way into that yard. I stayed there all day long and then make it home late in the evening and I did that for a number of days and I've had to camp out and stay out in the camp and all that. Gift! I've earned that check. The same is true of salvation. If I am saved by, because I have earned it, then I can brag about my goodness. If that is the case, then you are, then you're not saved by grace, but because God owes it to you and because of what you've done. This is a false view of salvation. You can count on one fact that God will never be indebted to anyone of us. What blesses me as I read verse number five is the fact that I don't have to get good before I come to God. Look at verse number five. Notice that word ungodly. but to him that worketh not but believeth in him that justify thee ungodly God isn't setting up in heaven saying I wish that boy would get his life on track and start living for me and get straightened out I would sure love to save him let's reverse that God in His grace moves on us by His Spirit. We've been studying John chapter 3 on Sunday night. The wind bloweth where it listeth. We hearth the sound thereof, but canst not tell. And the Spirit of God moves and draws us. He's drawing us and we come by faith and trust in His grace and we're saved. And because we're new creatures in Christ, we're teachable now. We're no longer the natural man, we are a new man. Because the natural man receiveth not the things of God. You see what I mean? This falling right, our Sunday school, everything we talk about, falling right into this. Our heart now paneth after the Lord. The songs we sang. Not because we just finally got to the point where we just thought, you know, I'll try this for a while. let me show you something Bible says Jesus said for I am come not to call the righteous for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Jesus said in Matthew chapter 11 verse number 28 he said come unto me all ye that labor and heavy laden and I will give you rest I want to illustrate something I tried to find a clean handkerchief this morning I think I did brand-new and I thought I had brand-new and it'd be a lot wider than this it's all head I'm gonna let this represent the Lord Jesus Christ in his purity holiness his righteousness I'm using my right hand usually the Bible refers to the Lord on the right hand of the Father but I want to use my right hand because it's the of both of my hands this is the most imperfect way I got a blood blister right there I got a finger that don't work right there. See that? It's all crooked. Cut that thing off. Don't have no ligaments to hold that up. It moves. There's no ligaments. It fused it back together. But when I drink tea, it's imperfect. There's scars. Our lives is all scarred up and beat up. I've got age spots. hand right there if you've never seen my grandfather that's my grandfather's hand that those age spots this is us this is me this is me in Christ now I still know that fingers crooked as a dog's hind leg I still know that there's age spots there, but when God looks at me... Amen, Bradley? See, we know each other's imperfections. I don't know all of them, but you look pretty good right now. But if you're in Christ Jesus, He says, what sins are you talking about? You only get here by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me bring my last point. The results of Abraham's faith. We see that in verse 7 and 8. Because Abraham reacted in faith to the promise of God, there were certain results in his life that we need to notice. And Paul uses David, he uses David to illustrate this point. Paul's actually quoting, quotes David in his prayer from Psalms 22, or 32, excuse me, Psalms 32, verse 6 through verse number 8. Even as David was also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputed righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Paul reveals three great results that becomes ours when we trust Christ for salvation. Number one, verse seven, sins are forgiven. Sins are forgiven. In a very real sense, when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, our sins are forever removed from us. from our life I mean for me as far as God is concerned again you and I we know okay but as far as God is concerned Psalms 103 we use this a few weeks ago in verse number 12 says as far as the East is from the West as far so far have he removed our transgressions from us first John One in verse number seven says if we walk in the light, but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. You know what my right hand is doing? Because we're in the same light. I can't. We walk in the light as he is in the light. We have fellowship one with another. And the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Sins are forgiven. Sins are covered. We also see in verse number 7. Covered so completely that they never can be uncovered. The word of God tells us that the blood of Christ is so powerful and covers all washes them away covers all of our sins all the past the present and even the future sins by the way that's what this is one reason I believe that I am saved forever if my future sins can send me to hell then I'm really not saved I'm talking about the sins of tomorrow I don't know what they might be but if my future sins were not forgiven and covered and those sins could send me to hell then I'm really not saved right now you understand but he forgives us of our past our present and even our future there we are and the third thing sins are not counted against us verse number eight blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not will not will not impute sin even those future sins Jim that two weeks from now at 530 in the morning or whatever I don't know I'm just giving an example or a year from now when babies kept you awake all night long and you think what in the world have I got into or when they're 19 and they look at you say I'm an adult You come that close to killing them. But even then, God will not impute that. Will not! Your wife may. You know, grandpa and grandpa might, you know, they might hold it against you. But the Bible says that the Lord will not. I don't know about you. Thank God that we're not saved by our works, that we're saved by faith. The same faith that Abraham had when he believed God, it was counted him, is the same faith that we put in the Lord Jesus Christ. No guarantee. Listen, I've never seen the empty tomb with these eyes. I just have God's word on it. I wasn't among the 500 witnesses that saw him. I just have God's word on it. It's the same word. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse number 21, for he, God, hath made him Christ. to be seen for us who talk about Christ you know see that we might be made the righteous of God in Christ that's the key the righteous of God in Christ are you out here trying to do something get yourself it's not by doing is not by the things we do is not by works It's by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Where's your faith? In the things that you do or in what he's done, what he's already done. He said from the cross, it is finished. Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. It is finished.