Let's take our Bibles and go back to the book of Romans. We're looking at the subject of grace, doing this on Sunday mornings, and we see as we continue this study in grace, we've spent the last two Sundays looking at Romans 3, and in those two studies, we've seen the contrast in Romans 3, 23 and 24, the display of God's grace in 325, the distribution of God's grace in 325 and 26, and the reality of God's grace for the justified sinner in 3, 27 through 31. We looked this morning at point number one, the contrast. You go back and let's, well, let's just, we're in Romans 4, jump across the page or flip the page back in your Bible to Romans 3, 23 and 24, and let's see the contrast. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Contrast being all have sinned, but those who believe have been justified. So there is a definite contrast there between the two. So the contrast, point one, we looked at Abram's background going to Genesis 11 and 15, that he lived in Ur of Chaldea, which was a pagan idolatrous city around 300,000 residents, pretty good sized place to live. He was an unbeliever and he had done nothing to win or earn the favor of God. You don't find anywhere in the scripture where it says, because Abram did this or did that, that God took note of him. Point B, Abram's call to relocate. First of all, point one, God went to Abram. God took note of Abram and contacted him first. Two, God called Abram and gave him a promise, and that was that he would make a great nation of him. Point C, we saw Abram's normal life events. Meaning, you know, even though God had contacted him, life went on. Some of the events that took place in his life, one, a famine came into the land, and Abram fled to Egypt for survival with his family, Genesis 12. Point two, there was a conflict between Abram and Lot's herdsmen, and we saw the solution in chapter 13. They split up, one went one way, one went the other. And point four, Abram delivers Lot from his captors, in chapter 14, verse 13 through 16. And the point being here that point D, Abram is just taking care of the responsibilities of life, yet spiritually he is an unbeliever. Now I said this morning that I believe that at this point he is not a believer. He does not know the Lord based on what we look at a little later, especially in Genesis 15. Point two, the display of God's grace. From Genesis 15, Abram, the believer, first of all, Abram, the unsaved one, then Abram, the believer, God's display of his grace. Point A, God reminds Abram of his great need. Genesis 15, verse 1. B, Abram told God of his great need. The need between what God said Abram needed and what Abram thought he needed was definitely different. But Abram shared that with him. Point C, God reminded Abram that he, God, was all that Abram needed. So God took care of this situation with Abram, wondering about, is my servant going to become my heir? And on the things that concern him, basically God said, you just need to trust me. And point D, Abram accepted by faith the promise of God. And that was in verse six of chapter 15, which Paul references here in Romans chapter four. We go to point three, the distribution of God's grace. Romans four verse one, what shall we say then that Abraham, we using Abram in the outline because that's what his name was before God changed it. And most of these events occurred, if not all of them before God changed his name. So we're using that. But in the new Testament, Paul refers to him as Abraham. What shall we say then that Abraham, our father as pertaining to the flesh hath found. Now, he's the father for two reasons. One, because he is the father of the nation of Israel, and Paul was a Jew. But even more importantly, he was the father of the believer, and the children of Abraham are considered believers, those who know the Lord as Savior. It's not just Old Testament people, because this is a New Testament writing we're looking at. And so he says, what shall we say then that Abraham, our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath were of the glory, but not before God. So we see point A, Abram's faith in the promise of God brought about his justification. If he was justified by works, he had all the glory to himself, but not before God. Now, point one under A, the exercise of faith by Abram in the promise of God was a gift from the sovereign God. What I'm trying to help us to see in these verses, and it's pointed out clearly, is this is all about what God is doing. And Abraham is just the recipient, just like you and I. Abraham didn't deserve it, didn't earn it. God just flooded him with it. And that's what God does to us. He floods us with His grace. We don't earn it. We don't deserve it. But boy, we enjoy it and thank God for it. So we find here that the exercise of the faith that he used was a gift that God gave him. That faith. Go with me to Romans 12. In Romans 12, Paul takes the arguments he's been presenting about salvation and he turns the direction here and starts making application. And so his whole mindset and presentation changes and he begins it with, I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is a reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what's the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think serious minded or soberly according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. And so the faith that we exercise is a gift from God. The faith that Abraham exercised in believing what God said to him and God accounting it for righteousness was a gift from God. Salvation is a gift from God. So in the exercise of this faith by Abraham, or Abram in the promise of God, was a gift from the sovereign God because A, all man can do is his own work. That's all we can do. I can't do your work, you can't do mine. If I'm going to try to make myself presentable and acceptable to God, I have to do it. You can't do it for me. But that's all I can do is work. And the work that comes is from me. B. Works of the flesh are not adequate to bring about one's justification before God. It doesn't matter how hard I work or what I do. The religions of the world that teach their followers to just work hard, just obey our commandments, just keep the Ten Commandments, all those things they teach them are lies. They will never get those people saved. Never. Because all we can do is not adequate. Look what it says, verse 2. God would not be impressed with Abraham coming and saying, well, I did this, this, and this, because it's not enough. Point C, therefore, as with Abram, no one can boast in what they have done to bring about their right standing before God or their justification. No one. Ephesians 2, 8, 9, for by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves. It's a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. So we see that Abram's faith in the promise of God brought about his justification. Point one, the exercise of faith by Abram in the promise of God was a gift by the sovereign God. Two, all Abram could do was believe what God was telling him. because he had no other way of making these promises come to pass. What were the promises? God says, Abraham, I'm going to make of you a great nation from your seed, shall a great nation arise. And later, we didn't read it today, but God says, Abraham, look at the stars. Can you count them? That's how big your nation's going to be. And Abraham's thinking, I don't even have a son. How's that going to happen? I've got a servant, but it's not going to be my family. It's going to be his family. So Abraham could do nothing except believe what God had told him because he had no other way of making the promises of God come to pass. A, he was unable to deliver his family from the famine without fleeing to Egypt. B. While in Egypt, he lied to make his wife lie to save his own hide. C. After leaving Egypt, he was unable to keep his nephew from moving into wicked Sodom. D. Abram and Sarah were not able to bear even one child, much less a specific son. So Abram's in a position, God says, this is what I'm going to do. All Abram can do is believe what God has told him. That's what we have to do. Just believe what God tells us. Point B, Abram's faith in God brought about blessing from God upon his natural and his spiritual descendants. There were two lines that came from Abraham that received blessings from God because Abraham believed God and accepted the grace of God. The first line, point one, were the natural descendants, the nation of Israel. Genesis 15, 4 and 5, And behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir, talking about the servant, but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou art able to number them. And He said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And to this very day there are more Jews being born all the time, descendants of Abraham. And then the spiritual descendants, point two, all who have placed their faith in the finished work of Christ. Look at Romans 4, 5 through 8. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness, even as David also describeth the blessing of a man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without work. Say, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sin are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. So the spiritual seed, one, belief in God without works results in being declared right before God. And God's doing the declaring. Point two, even in the Old Testament, King David saw the truth of this when he wrote in Psalm 32, one and two, the verses which Paul quotes in verse seven and eight of Romans chapter four. Then we have Galatians 3, 6 through 8, which I've given you. Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness, know ye therefore that they which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen, the Gentiles through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations of the earth be blessed. because Abram was willing to just believe God. Okay, you know what, God, if this is gonna happen, it's gonna have to be you, because there's nothing I can do. And God says, it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. I'm gonna do this for you. And Abram believed God. God had said to you and me, if you'll put your faith and trust in my son and what he did on Calvary, I'll take you to heaven when you die. Or I'll take you to heaven when I come back in the rapture. I'll take you to heaven because you'll become my child. So what do we say? There's nothing I can do. I can't work my way to heaven. I'm not good enough to get to heaven on my own. I just simply have to trust Jesus. And we do. And one day we will enjoy the blessings of that decision that we made. And it'll be a great day to find that out when we come into Revelation. Of course, he hasn't gotten to the rough ground yet. But nonetheless, we know how the book ends. It ends well. Point four, the reality of God's grace for the justified believer. And that's verse 9 through 22 of chapter 4. Point A, God is not impressed by a person's heritage or influence. Doesn't matter who you are or what your background is, God's not impressed. One under that, the promise of justification by the grace of God is available to Jew and Gentile alike. Look at verse nine. Cometh this blessing then upon the circumcision or the Jew only or upon the uncircumcision or the Gentile also. For we say that faith was reckoned Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? When he was in circumcision? Before God gave him the commandment of circumcision? Or once God had given him the commandment? Paul says, not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. God made this promise to Abraham before he gave him the commandment to circumcise the male children, making them distinct from other males on the earth. So when God gave him the promise, he was not circumcised. Gentiles are considered in Scripture uncircumcised. And so there's the distinction. Verse 10, how was it then reckoned when he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of righteousness of the faith, which he had yet being uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed upon them also. And the father circumcision to them who are not of this circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. So what Paul saying is God's not a respecter. He gives his grace to both Jews and Gentiles. Point two, doing works to earn the favor of God is not salvation, and it's not in the equation of getting saved. Verse 13. For the promise that he should be heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of none effect, because the law worketh wrath. For where there is no law, there is no transgression." So Paul says here, If righteousness comes from the law, then the promise God made to Abraham and Abraham's believing God and God counting it for righteousness, that just nullifies all that. It has no value to it. But we know differently because the entire Bible is based on faith in the finished work of Christ. The entire Bible. And the New Testament profoundly promotes and teaches faith in Christ alone for salvation. And many, as we're reading here, Old Testament references are given alluding to that thought. So we see here that God's not impressed with a person's heritage and no one can do anything to earn their salvation. Point B, Under four, exercising God-given faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ is a display of the grace of God toward the undeserving. In other words, the day you got saved, you became a display of God's grace. When people around you, maybe your parents or in a church environment, wherever it was, or you told people that you got saved, you became an illustration of what God's grace looks like. Notice this as we see it in the Scripture. Verse 15, because the law worketh wrath, for where no law is, there's no transgression. Therefore it is a faith that might be by grace to the end, the promise might be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. Now he distinguishes here in this verse, not only which is of the law or the Jew, but that which also is of the faith of Abraham, the Gentile. And Abraham became the father of all who have placed faith and trust in Christ. So we are in Abraham's family. Now, I'm gonna get off on a side track just for a moment here. There have been some that have taken this and moved it over into saying that God has moved away from the Jews and now is taking the Gentiles. Basically, and I don't mean to be racial here, but it's what's been taught. White Gentiles. And they become the children of God. The Jew is no longer the children of God. The white people who trust Jesus become the children of God. And they use verses like this to teach that. That's not what this is teaching. There are many born-again Jewish people. I know of a church right now in Greer that's a Jewish church made up of Jewish born-again believers that worship there and bring in many of the Jewish traditions in, not degrading from the gospel, but doing that which they feel as a Jewish nation they should do. But they're believers. They're called Messianic Jews. They know the Lord. And so we find here that what he's saying is exercising faith in the finished work of Jesus is a display of God's grace to all who are undeserving. Jews, Gentiles alike. Point one, both the undeserving are Jews and Gentiles. Two, because the promise made to Abraham by God was because of God's grace. God made this promise to Abraham because of his grace, meaning a the sovereign God makes the dead alive. Abraham was dead, physically unable to bear children. Sarah was dead. God brought them to life so that they could bear children. Be the sovereign. God speaks of things as reality, even before they ever happen. I want to follow along. I stopped at verse 16, 17. As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations, God telling Abraham that, before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead and calleth those things which be not as though they are. God speaking to Abraham says, listen, here's how it is, Abraham. This nation is coming from you. Look at the stars. Can you count them? That's how big this nation is going to be. Is it a reality? No, Abraham still doesn't have a son. He didn't have a child at all. He has a servant. And that's kind of what he's figuring. This servant's going to be my heir. And God says, no, it's not. God speaks about that which is non-existent as though it is already reality. Heaven, God speaks of it being even though we have not gone to see it. It's there and we are already there. We are already citizens of heaven as children of God. We just haven't gone to the city yet, but we're legal bound residents because God has made us. So his grace. Point C, a biblical example of properly exercised faith in this sovereign God is given. So we see in the preceding verses, 16 down through 17, that God speaks through His grace of that which is going to happen as though it has already happened. Then the proper response on the part of the believer follows the example as we see it in Abraham here. How should we respond to God's grace? I don't have a coupon book. Some of you know what a coupon book is. Some of you don't. But I don't have one of those. I don't make a payment every month. How do I know that it really is so? How do I know I'm experiencing the grace of God? Is it just I'm lucky? Good things happen to me? Is that what it is? Or is it God's grace? So how do I respond to what God has promised? Well, let's look at verse 18. Talking about Abraham, he says, Who against hope? believed in hope that he might become the father of many nations according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. God said, this is where it's going to be, Abraham. Abraham has no evidence of it, but he just chooses to hope in God's promise, even though everything looks like it will never happen because Abraham and Sarah are getting older and it looks like they'll never have children. who against hope believed in hope. So we see point one that Abraham placed his confidence in and his focus on God, who made the promise not on the things around him that seemed to show that God was a liar. He didn't worry about the circumstances, the events. He looked at what God had promised him. How do we respond to the grace of God? We look to God. They don't look at the events. We accept what God's doing, and we praise Him for His goodness, His mercy to us, against hope if necessary. 2, verse 19, And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body, now dead, speaking physically of having children, neither yet of the deadness of Sarah's womb, he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what God had promised, God was able to do. And therefore it was imputed, it was placed on His account. It's like you have a ledger, an account, you owe something. And God took on Abraham's account and wrote, righteous. which took care of the sin problem, the lost condition, he became righteous. God imputed to him righteousness, and being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able to perform, and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. So point one, Abraham placed his confidence in and focus on God who made the promise, not the circumstances to, because Abram's faith was focused on the promise of God. God increased his faith. Hey, this resulted in Abram, not looking at his own inability and being not weak in faith. He considered not his own body now dead. It caused him not to focus on his own inability. It caused him not to focus or look at the inability of others. Verse 19b, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He's focused on God. He's not focused on the circumstances. This also resulted, point C, in Abraham not being a double-minded man, struggling with, do I believe God? Don't I believe God? He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief. So, his focusing on God's promise, and God increasing his faith, Abraham did not look at his own inability, nor the inability of others. He didn't become double-minded. What it did do, it provoked Abram to glorify God for what God had promised to accomplish. That's what we need to be doing. We need to stop focusing on the negative and praise God for what he is doing. The grace of God is all over our lives. But when we choose to meditate and focus on the bad stuff or that which doesn't look like it's going to turn out right, we take away from our praising God and giving him the glory that he deserves. So times are hard. They could be worse. So what do we do? We praise God that things are not as bad as they could be. And we praise God that He's going to give us the strength to get through the bad things we're going through. And we rest in His grace and we keep our focus on Him and on His promises. He said, I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. He's promised that. So we focus on that. One under D, because now Abram, he glorifies God for what God's promised him because now Abram did not have to worry about how to pull this off in his own strength or in his own ingenuity. Okay, God's gonna make me a big nation, so how am I gonna start this family? It was no longer his problem. Sometimes we worry about stuff that God says, I don't want you worrying about that. I got this, I got it. But God, this servant is all I have. God says, I've got this, Abraham. You're going to have a son. You're going to have a nation. It's going to come from your loins, from Sarah's womb. I've got this. So now Abram no longer has to worry about how he's going to pull it off or doing something in his own ingenuity. It didn't come up with a plan. He just trusts God. That seems so, you know, people say, just trust the Lord. Oh, that no, that's just too simple. I've got to be doing something. Really? Where's that found the Bible. You just need to be trusting God, trusting God, resting in the Lord. Let him take care of the circumstances and the outcome. And to God being trusted and glorified Abram responding to God, God fulfilled that promise in verse 22. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Verse 23, now it was not written for his sake alone, or this was not written just for Abram or an account of Abram. This was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses, but was raised for our justification. God's grace. I mean, I just simply say, enjoy it. Thank God for it and just be excited in it. You can't buy it. Money can't buy it. God just gives it to us. And it's OK. Say, well, I don't know. You don't deserve it. I agree with you there. Nor do I. It's not based on our deserving it. It's just based on God said, hey, I'm going to give it to you. I'm going to give it to you. I'm going to give it to you. Help us, Lord, to rest in Your grace, to trust You, to believe in You, to walk by faith and not by sight. Thank You for the grace of God. Help us, we pray, to be faithful. In Jesus' name, amen.