The Faith that Justifies

Notes
Transcript

Big Idea:

Tension: How is Abram accounted as righteous?
Resolution: By faith.
Exegetical Idea: Abram’s faith accounts him as righteous.
Theological Idea: God justifies those who have true faith.
Homiletical Idea: God justifies those who have true faith.

Outline

Introduction: Job 9:2, how can a man be just before God?
Job 9:2 ESV
“Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God?
Justification
Covenant - God makes a covenant with all mankind. That he will bless us if we keep his law and his commandments. But there is a curse on us if we do not keep the covenant.
God is a personal, relational God.
Faithfulness - God is faithful to his covenant. - Deuteronomy 7:9
Deuteronomy 7:9 ESV
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,
Faithlessness - We are faithless to the covenant God has made with us. - Hosea 6:7
Hosea 6:7 ESV
But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.
God regards Abram as righteous. In other words, he considers him as if he has kept the covenant, even though he clearly has not.- How can he do this?
God upheld the covenant by himself - Genesis 15. In other words, salvation is by grace.
God’s son, Jesus Christ, takes our curse on himself. Is 53:11
Isaiah 53:11 ESV
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
He gives us his obedience. Is 53:11
Isaiah 53:11 ESV
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
Because Christ took our curse, and gave us his obedience, God regards us as righteous. - 2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 3:23-24, Col 2:13-14, Hebrews 9:11-12, 1 Peter 1:18-19, 1 John 2:1, Revelation 5:9
2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Romans 3:23–24 ESV
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Colossians 2:13–14 ESV
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Hebrews 9:11–12 ESV
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
1 Peter 1:18–19 ESV
knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
1 John 2:1 ESV
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Revelation 5:9 ESV
And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
Therefore the Psalmist can say in Psalm 103:12: “as far as the east is from the west, so far he does he remove our transgressions from us.”
Psalm 103:12 ESV
as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
And all of this is introductory. Because the question is why does he do this for Abram? Why him? He’s not a king, he’s not wealthy, he’s not particularly moral, he’s not powerful or influential. So why Abram?
Behind this is another, perhaps deeper question. Namely, why would God do this for me? Would God do this for me?
True Faith
God does not justify Abram because of his good works. God is not impressed by our good works. (Matthew 7:22-23) Us trying to be justified by our good works is like a drunk driver who crashes into a storefront, who steals another six pack, punches out hte security guard who tries to stop him, but then, on the way to go get plastered, helsp an old lady cross the street. The rather small, good things that we do do not cancel out hte life time that we have spent of being selfish, of being hateful, of the little lies that we spread like seeds, of the gossipping and backbiting that we do. (Rom 3:28)
Matthew 7:22–23 ESV
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Romans 3:28 ESV
For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Abram believed. He had faith. He had trust. What does that actually mean? What does it mean to believe in God? What is the kind of faith that God justifies?
True faith is faith in Jesus (John 3:16) - Our faith is only as good as the object that we put our faith in. You can have all the faith in the world that the Arizona Cardinals will win a superbowl, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen. True faith is not faith in faith, but faith in Jesus.
John 3:16 ESV
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
True faith comes from God’s Word. You’ll notice that Abram’s faith believes what God told him. In teh same way, you and I have faith in what God tells us, but not through dreams or visions, rather through his Word and through preaching. After all, Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes from hearing, and hearing from teh Word of Christ.
Romans 10:17 ESV
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
True faith is a faith that produces fruit. (James 2:18-23) You call yourself a believer, but let me ask, does your belief matter? Does it change the way that you live your life. Not in a vague, “well i try to be a good person,” but, can you point to spedcific points of your life where you have been convicted of your sins and you have repented. Can you point to specific instanes of obedience. Can you point to somewhere specific in God’s Word that he has shown himself to you?” I say this with all love, if you cannot say “yes” to any of those questions, you should ask yourself, is my faith genuine?” Because it is not that those good works make you right before God, but rather, that true faith is accompanied by faith.
James 2:18–23 ESV
But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.
True faith loves God (1 Peter 1:8-9; Gal 5:2-6; Hosea 6:6). This is not talking about love in a vague, general way or even works of love. It is talking about desire, passion, purpose, hope, expectation, yearning.
Galatians 5:2–6 ESV
Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
1 Peter 1:8–9 ESV
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Hosea 6:6 ESV
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Listen to some of these images from the Psalms: Ps 131:2; Psalm 42:1-2; Psalm 46:1-3 - Is this your faith? Do you hunger and long for God? Do you desire him? Do you thirst for him? Do you wait for him?
Psalm 131:2 ESV
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Psalm 42:1–2 ESV
As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 46:1–3 ESV
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
Can you say with Paul in Phil 1:21, Gal 2:20
Philippians 1:21 ESV
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Galatians 2:20 ESV
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Is this your faith?
Application:
Ask yourself, do you have genuine faith? does this describe your faith? If not, then you are not in the covenant.
The good news is that you can be!
If this is your faith, do not turn back. (Gal 3:1-6) You have the need to continue to grow in your faith, to strengthen it. It is not enough to have this faith only once in your life. But rather, it should be an ongoing, continual growth in our lives.
Galatians 3:1–6 ESV
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
Conclusion: Job 19:25 - I know that my Redeemer lives. - Job knew the only way he could find righteousness and justification was through the grace of Christ.
Job 19:25 ESV
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
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