romans7

We’re going to continue on the Book of Romans. Last week we finished with Chapter 3, so we’re going to start right in on Chapter 4.

    I. Let’s start chapter 4   ROM 4:1-8

              A. In these Vs he’s saying that if we could be justified by works, then we would have something to glory or boast about what we did.

                        1. But it was nothing that we did and it was all what Jesus did for us.

                        2. In (V 3) It says, “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”

                                  a. That is a quote from (GEN 15:6) which says, “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

                                  b. It’s not keeping the Moral Law or the Mosaic Law that is going to get someone saved but it is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

                        3. There are so many people that are trying to keep the Moral Law in themselves, even Christians, but we can’t live that holy, moral life in ourselves.

                                  a. Some of you might be struggling with that, trying to do it yourself.

                                  b. You need to cast that care upon the Lord, Let the Lord work it through you.

                                  c. Don’t try to do it in yourself, do it in the power of the Spirit.

                                d. Salvation is not so much a sin question, but a Son question.

                                           i. What are you going to do with the Son of God?

                                           ii. He’s the only way for salvation.

                                e. As we put our faith in Him, then we are made the righteousness of God.

                        4. Notice in V 4 again (ROM 4:4) It says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”

                                  a. Notice that it says that “Abraham was counted Righteous.”

                                           i. He was not the righteousness of God, he was only counted to be righteous.

                                  b. Jesus had not died yet, He did not yet shed His blood on the cross when Abraham was alive.

                                           i. He could not be made the righteousness of God, at that time he could only be counted righteous.

                                           ii. (It would be like me giving you $100.00 to deposit in the bank and you agree to it. I count it as done, but really it was not done yet.) (Not until you went to the bank.)

                                           iii. It was the same with Abraham. He was only counted as righteous, until Jesus work was done.

     II. Let’s on with ROM 4:9.

              A. This “blessedness” is referring to righteousness.

                        1. Having ones sins removed, and having that relationship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

                        2. In the last part of (V 9), He says, “For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.”

                                  a. The NIV translation says, “We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.”

                                  b. In other words, it was Abraham’s faith accounted him to be righteous, but it wouldn’t take place until the resurrection of Jesus.

                                           i. But for us, we are saved and made righteous through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

              B. ROM 4:10

                        1. To understand this you must understand that Abraham was the 1st Jew. The 1st one that we know of that was circumcised.

                                  a. Look at GEN 15:6

                                           i. In this V 1st of all we see that Abraham put his faith in the Lord. Because of that he was accounted as righteous.

                                  b. The question that was asked in (ROM 4:10) “When was Abraham made righteous? When he was circumcised or when he was uncircumcised?”

                                           i. Paul is asking the question “When was he made righteous? When he was keeping the O.T. Law or before he kept the law?”

                                           ii. To answer that question you have to look at GEN 17:10.

                                           iii. This is the 1st mention of circumcision.

                                  c. Abraham was made righteous before he kept O.T. law.

                                           i. 2 Chapters before circumcision was ever mentioned.

                                           ii. What was it that made Abraham righteous? Faith in God!

                        2. Let’s go back to ROM 4:11

                                  a. We see in Abraham’s life that he didn’t have to do anything to get saved just believe in the Lord.

                                  b. He came to God just the way he was.

                                           i. The NIV translation says, “And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.”

                                           ii. Because he was saved the Lord gave him things to do.

                                           iii. That’s the same with us. We can come to God just the way we are, then the Lord begins to clean us up and gives us things to do, like service to Him and He also give us His commandments like love one another, put away sin and so on.

              C. ROM 4:12

                        1. When He makes the statement, “Father of circumcision” he’s talking about being the father of the Jews.

                        2. What he’s saying is that it is not important if you are circumcised or not. What is important is that we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

     III. ROM 4:13

              A. One thing that this V does say is that the Seed of Abraham is the Heir of the world through their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

                        1. According to this V, the book of GAL and other places, we are the seed of Abraham.

                        2. We can have victory right now in the Lord Jesus Christ, but there’s also coming a time that we are going to be ruling and reigning with the Lord.

              B. Vs 14-16

                        1. In (V 14) he says that if salvation or being heirs of this world comes through keeping the law then what good is faith.

                        2. But then in (V 16) he says, “It is by faith, that it might be by grace.”

     IV. ROM 4:17

              A. Now I like that, God the Father calls Abraham “father of many nations.” Then it says that God “Calleth those things which be not as though they were.”

                        1. This is what we call confession.

                                  a. The Bible tells us in (EPH 5:1) “to be imitators of God as dear children.”

                                  b. That means that if God calls things that be not as though they are, we are to do the same thing.

                                           i. Now confession is only based on the Word of God.

                                           ii. There are times that people get off because they are confessing things that are not one of God’s promises.

                                           iii. Things like someone else’s wife or something that someone already owns and that is covetousness.

                                  c. But confession is part of the Word of God. To deny it, is to deny the Word of God.

              B. V 18

                        1. The 1st part of that V may be a little unclear to you. The phrase, “Who against hope believed in hope” means that in the natural all hope was gone, he was too old to have children, But his hope was not in the natural, his hope was in God.

                                  a. We must never loose hope. With God all things are possible.

                                  b. Then it goes on to say, “That he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.”

                                           i. Again we see that God was operating in the law of confession.

                                           ii. Confessing that Abraham was the Father of many nations.

                        2. V 19

                                  a. There is so much in this V. 1st of all Abraham was not weak in faith. If he was not weak in faith, he must have been strong in faith

                                           i. Strong faith is what is going to get the job done. We should strive to have strong faith.

                                           ii. How do we get strong faith? From (ROM 10:17) it tells us that faith comes by hearing, and in (JOSH 1:8) says, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

                                           iii. When you have God’s Word in your heart and your meditating on it, it’s going to produce faith and then you will have good success.

TFC 12/26/90 and WOLCC 7/20/95