The Forerunner – Part 3
Luke 3:1-20 (10-14)
November 19, 2017

As you know we are working through Luke’s gospel
And currently we are looking at the ministry of John the Baptist.

John is the forerunner for Jesus.
He is the one whom God sent before Jesus
TO PREPARE THE PEOPLE FOR HIS COMING.

According to Isaiah he is:
“The voice of one crying the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the LORD, Make His paths straight.”

According to Malachi he is:
Elijah the prophet who “will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that [Messiah] will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

John the Baptist came for one purpose
And that was to prepare the people for the arrival of Jesus.

I can’t stress enough how important his ministry was and is.
And yet, I also must admit that this type of ministry
Is rapidly disappearing in our culture today.

John’s message was about sin, judgment and the necessity of repentance
And yet we see increasingly today that people do not want that message
And so fewer and fewer churches are preaching it.

Many today try to skip the message of John
And instead try to bait people to a Jesus
Who can either make their miserable life better,
Or to a Jesus who is a great addition or “upgrade”
To their already comfortable life.

You know how it goes…
“Are you sick, hurting, or depressed? Do you have back pain, knee pain, joint pain, or is one leg longer than the other? Are you deaf, blind, dumb, bald, or otherwise impaired? Is life boring, hard, or unfulfilling? Do you need money, healing, happiness, companionship, or recognition? Well then friends let me tell you about Jesus. He heals, He restores, He makes life better at every turn. He cures cancer, heart disease, arthritis, water on the knee and general stupidity. He can give you a breakthrough, a deliverance, a rescue, an upgrade, a reboot and an absolute good feeling. Just come as you are, and take this Jesus and watch all your problems vanish away.”

• And of course the most corrupt offer this Jesus for a seed faith payment relative to how big you want the blessing to be.

• The more sly among us just want you to agree to come to their church, give to their offerings and pad their egos.
What you don’t hear mentioned much anymore is the message of John.
Which is a message of absolute and total self-denial and repentance.

Why is John’s message so important?

Because the Jesus those carnival barkers offer is not the real Jesus.
• The real Jesus will give you fulfillment and life abundant, but it does not come in the form of this world.

• The real Jesus will require you to lose everything to follow Him.

• Jesus tells you to say good-bye to your possessions, your comfort, your family, your reputation, and your safety. (Not come get more of it)

• In return He will give you Himself and His righteousness, which is required for entrance into eternal life.

• But obtaining the real Jesus is costly!

And the simple fact is this.
Because following Jesus is so costly, no one comes to Him
Unless they have come to understand the value of righteousness
And their lack of it.

People have to see their desperate and hopeless condition
Before they will just follow this Man
Who demands that they turn their back on the world.

You understand this.
I have yet to see a person just sign up for chemotherapy because they value the experience.

Agreeing to follow Jesus is an agreement to forsake this world
And NO ONE WILL DO THAT unless they realize that
Only in following Jesus can they have the hope of eternal life.

• Before a doctor can get a patient to take chemo, they first have to convince
them of their terrible condition.
• Before a sinner will follow Jesus, they must also be convinced of their terrible
condition.

IN THAT SENSE, JOHN IS THE BEARER OF BAD NEWS.
He did not come to save men, he came to condemn them.
(Or more accurately to reveal that they were already condemned)

John did that so when Jesus came by offering nothing but righteousness,
The people would value Him and follow Him.

That is the ministry of John and that is the ministry that Luke is showing us here in the 3rd chapter of his gospel.
Now we’ve been working through it for the last couple of weeks.

We’ve seen:
#1 JOHN’S CULTURE
Luke 3:1-2

We saw that John ministered in a day of Roman domination and Jewish exploitation.
• The Roman rulers of the day were corrupt and immoral.
• The Jewish leaders of the day were also corrupt and immoral.

It was a bad time to be a Jew.

#2 JOHN’S CALLING
Luke 3:3-6

In short, God sent John to preach
“a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

That is to say, John came revealing to people
That they were sinners in need of forgiveness
And that this forgiveness would only come through repentance.

He was that forerunner that Isaiah spoke of who would prepare the people for Jesus.

#3 JOHN’S CONFRONTATION
Luke 3:7-9

This we saw last week, where John confronted the people on every level.

He confronted:
• Their Sinful Nature – “brood of vipers”
• Their Superficial Motive – “who warned you to flee”
• Their Shallow Commitment – “bear fruits in keeping with repentance”
• Their Shaky Theology – “we have Abraham as our father”
• Their Sorry Discernment – “the axe is already laid at the root of the tree”

In short, John unequivocally revealed that
These people were in absolute total and imminent danger before God.

Far too long they had lived in their apathy and in their spiritual blindness
Totally unaware of just how angry God was.

God had grown weary of their empty words
And because of their fruitless lives the axe was laid at the root of the tree
And God was ready to judge them.

THAT WAS JOHN’S CONFRONTATION.

NOW…
If you were willing to take John’s message to heart
Then there is REALLY ONLY ONE RESPONSE.
In fact, the response of this crowd seems to be THE UNIVERSAL RESPONSE of those who have come face to face with their sin and the judgment they deserve.

The response can be seen in 4 words:
“What shall we do?”

You’ll see it asked 3 times here in Luke’s gospel.
By the crowds, by the tax collectors, and by the soldiers; they all ask the same question.

But it’s not just here that this question is mentioned.
Do you remember Pentecost?

After Peter preached that the people were responsible for having killed God’s Messiah?

Acts 2:37-38 “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

The revealed fact is that
Those who come to a full understanding of their sinfulness and the reality of their judgment understand that there is no longer anything to say.

• They were not interested in making excuses…
• They were not interested in arguing about the punishment…
• They were not interested in denying the charges…

They time for talk had passed, and in full submission they simply ask,
“What shall we do?”

Now, you may immediately recognize that while John and Peter answer very similarly, they do answer a little different.

It is true that both tell the people to repent and to be baptized,
But while John will give specific behaviors that must change,
Peter simply tells people to believe in Jesus.

I think it’s important for you to understand why their message is different.
JOHN PREACHED BEFORE JESUS AND PETER PREACHED AFTER HIM.

• Before Christ, all a person was required to do was to humble themselves
before God and demonstrate their contrite and repentant heart through
their change in behavior.

• However, after the cross and the redemptive work of Christ, Peter could point
people to the forgiveness which only comes through faith in Christ.

That is why their message is different.

It is also worth noting that as we sit today,
John’s message is NECESSARY BUT INCOMPLETE in regard to salvation.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
Acts 19:1-7 “It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. There were in all about twelve men.”

Even the people who were the most faithful followers of John
Still needed faith in Christ to be saved.

Even though they had responded correctly to John,
They still were not saved.
They had to place their faith in Christ and fully submit to Him.

And if Jesus had already arrived on the scene by Luke 3
That is exactly what John would have preached as well.

But Jesus has not yet shown up
So all John can do is push them to a genuine brokenness and contrition
Which will prepare them for Jesus who will soon arrive.

So I just want to make sure you understand what we are studying here.
• FOR THEIR DAY, John’s message is complete.
• FOR OUR DAY, John’s message is still absolutely essential, but it is
incomplete until that message includes the necessity of faith in Jesus.

AND TO BE FAIR TO JOHN,
In a short while His message will include that very invitation.

John 1:29-37 “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! “This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ “I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. “I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.” Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.”

So John will get there, he’s just not there yet, because he has yet to see Jesus.

So, I simply want your theology to be accurate.
• What we are learning from John this morning IS NOT how to be saved.
• What we are learning from John IS what true contrition or repentance looks like.
And this true repentance is necessary for salvation.
So you need to hear what John is saying,
And you need to let what John is saying drive you to Jesus.

Well, now that we’ve clarified that a little bit,
Let’s look at this 4th reality of John the Baptist’s ministry.

John’s Culture, John’s Calling, John’s Confrontation
#4 JOHN’S COMMAND
Luke 3:10-14

When you read that as a whole
There are a couple of things that should immediately stand out to you.

FIRST, as we mentioned, all of these people understood that repentance required a change of behavior.

They did not ask, “What do you want us to say?”
They asked “What shall we do?”

They knew the time for empty promises and shallow remorse had passed.
They knew God demanded a life change.
REPENTANCE REQUIRES ACTION

SECOND, it is obvious to us is that to every group John referenced the exact same sin, which was greed.

• You have the crowds who horded their possessions
• You have the tax collectors who cheated people out of money
• You have the soldiers who were brutal and discontent

But when you strip them all down, they all come from the same root sin
WHICH IS GREED OR LOVE OF THIS WORLD.

That is the root sin that John addresses with every single person.
These people loved the world and John sees that
As the main issue that is keeping them at odds with God.

Incidentally, no other gospel writer hits love of the world or greed as much as Luke does.

While Luke will hit some of the same stories as Matthew and Mark like:
• The weedy soil that was choked by the love of the world
• The Rich Young Ruler
• The widow who gave all she had (Mark)
• Not storing up treasure in heaven

Luke will also include stories that no one else mentions at all, like:
• Zaccheus who left his wealth
• The foolish farmer who built bigger barns to hoard all he had
• The wise manager who used money for eternal reward
• The rich man in Hades who enjoyed all his good in this life

In think probably most telling about Luke
Is the way he delivers the beatitudes.

You will remember Matthew talking about being poor in spirit or hungering and thirsting for righteousness. That is to say Matthew took those beatitudes on a spiritual note.

But listen to how Luke records them:
Luke 6:20-26 “And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. “Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”

From Luke’s perspective there is a definite link between
A person’s commitment to Christ and their love of the world.

When you read Luke’s gospel it becomes very clear that
• He understood that it was impossible for a person to love Christ and love this world at the same time.

• He saw that it was impossible for a person to follow Christ and follow this world at the same time.

And so it is not surprising that Luke also records this sermon from John.
It fit EXACTLY THE POINT that Luke will make throughout his gospel.

So let’s look at what John has to say
To these who are in such danger before God.

There are three commands
1) SHOW COMPASSION (10-11)
“And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”

These people knew they were in danger before God
And they wanted to know what they could do about it.

John wasted no time in confronting their greed by revealing that
They had hoarded the things of this world
To the exclusion of offering compassion to those in need.

• They had brothers and sisters who did not have a coat in the winter…
• They had brothers and sisters who did not have food…
• Meanwhile they had more than they needed and still did not share it.

Their love of the world had grown greater
Than their love for their neighbor.

And I think you understand how “out of whack” that is,
Since loving your neighbor is the second greatest commandment.

These people didn’t love their neighbor, these people loved their stuff.
These people loved the world.

And we are reminded that a person who hoards their possessions
Even while their brothers and sisters in Christ are in need
Is so out of place that it is impossible to consider them a Christian.

Listen to John the apostle:
1 John 3:13-18 “Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

Listen to James
James 2:14-17 “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

• John says that a person who hoards their stuff to the hurt of another cannot
claim to have the love of Christ in their life.
• James says a person who does that cannot claim to have true saving faith.

This is a serious issue.

In contrast Jesus said:
Luke 6:27-35 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.”

God is generous. It’s hard to claim to be like God if we aren’t as well.
Those who refuse to be generous reveal that they love the world more than God.
They demonstrate that the love of Christ is not in them
And that their faith in Him is weak and worthless and even dead faith.

You could even go so far as Matthew 25
Where Jesus spoke of the judgment and you may recall that He promised to put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left and then He will say to those on His left “Depart from Me because when I was hungry you didn’t feed Me and when I was naked you didn’t clothe Me and when I was sick and in prison you didn’t visit Me.”

And when the people asked when this occurred Jesus answered, “When you didn’t do it to the least of these, you didn’t do it to Me”

It’s not that we save ourselves through benevolent works,
But those who refuse to be generous
Clearly demonstrate that they do not love God.

So when the crowds want to know what to do to avoid God’s wrath
John is matter of fact and says that they had better stop hoarding the world and had better stop helping the poor.

So first John says: Show Compassion
2) STOP CORRUPTION (12-13)
“And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.”

And of course you are familiar with tax collectors.
(But since Rebecca is a tax collector I like to really emphasize it)

Tax Collectors in Jesus day where the lowest of the low.
They were scum of the scum.
In fact, tax collectors weren’t even allowed to testify as a witness in court
Because they were considered totally dishonest.

First off a tax collector had decided to go to work for the very Roman arm that was in power over the Jews.
• Most Jews wanted liberation from Rome, these tax collectors had gone to work for them.

But the worst part was that tax collectors had authority to really tax you for whatever they wanted as much as they wanted and they had the strong arm of the Roman centurion to back them up.
• They could tax you for going, tax you for coming, tax you for buying, tax you for selling, tax you for owning, tax you for working, tax you for giving, and tax you for receiving.

• And once they paid Rome all that Rome required they were free to keep the rest and as such had grown quite rich off of the back of the Jews.

It was the perfect scenario of extortion.
They could satisfy their greed to the fullest extent.

And so when they become aware of their guilt before God
And want to know what they should do, John again answers directly.

“Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.”
• John did not rebuke them for working for Rome.
• John did not call them traitors for having a secular job.
• But John was clear that cheating the people was a sign of greed and thus had to go.

JOHN IS NOT THE ONLY ONE TO REBUKE SUCH EXTORTION.

Listen to Jesus talk to the Pharisees:
Matthew 15:4-6 “For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’ “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”

They actually withheld what their parents deserved under the banner of having “consecrated it to God” Of course God never saw that money either.

Jesus also confronted the Pharisees:
Mark 12:38-40 “In His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”

They actually devoured widow’s houses.

Like those corrupt landlords you see in many western movies.
You get into financial trouble and they are happy to bail you out with a loan, just put up your home as collateral, and when you can’t back the loan, I get your house.

Or listen to James:
James 5:1-6 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.”

Withholding pay from their workers, taking bribes against the innocent.

John is talking about people who sacrifice their morals to gain money.
• So should we talk about cheating on your taxes?
• Should we talk about gambling or lottery tickets?
• Should we talk about squabbling with siblings over inheritance?
• Should we talk about lying to get a promotion?
• Should we talk about cheating the company on the time clock?

Oh I know you can defend all of that as recreation or just fun,
But what you can’t deny is that
There is not one single God honoring motive behind it.

• I’ve met a lot of people who cheated on their taxes but I never met anyone who did it because they thought it glorified God.

• I’ve met a lot of people who gamble or buy lottery tickets but I never met anyone who did it because they thought it glorified God.

• I’ve met a lot of people who take bribes or cheat the company out of time but never met anyone who did it for the glory of God.

MY POINT?

There is only one possible motive behind all of those actions
AND THAT MOTIVE IS GREED.

People do those things so that they can get more of the world
Even if they have to be immoral to accomplish it.

And John calls the tax collectors on this very thing.
YOU HAD BETTER LEAVE THE GREED ASIDE.

Show Compassion, Stop Corruption
3) SEEK CONTENTMENT (14)
“Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

Now granted you can see in these soldiers hints of many problems.

Most likely these were not Roman soldiers here, but probably Jewish soldiers,
Like the temple police who had been sent by the Pharisees.

And with the weight of the military arm behind them they had learned that
They could get away with all sorts of things in order to gain more money.
They could take money by force
They could make false accusations
Certainly they did the latter in Jesus’ trial.

We’ve all heard of the proverbial jail in Mexico
That arrests you until you give up your watch or your car, etc.

The point is that those with power
Prey upon those who are weaker and they do it all for money.

And the ROOT ISSUE according to John is DISCONTENTMENT.

That is to say, they didn’t think their job paid them enough so they were willing to do something immoral or dishonest to compensate.

And that opens up a whole new can of worms.

What do you do when you feel like your company undervalues you?
• Do you steal from the company?
• Do you take privileges that aren’t yours to take?

Certainly ministers aren’t exempt
In our day of exploitation and using God to pad their own pockets.

They were not content with what God had provided
And therefore they did something immoral to compensate.

That is a real problem.
James 4:1-4 “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

• Do you hear him there talking about wrong motives?
• Do you hear him speak of greed and selfish desires?

This was in essence what Jesus was getting at in Matthew 6
In the Sermon on the Mount when He first warned the crowd about being GREEDY (storing up treasure on earth instead of heaven)
And then warned the crowd about WORRYING (consumed with not having enough)

Both demonstrated a lack of contentment with what God had provided.

If you want to SUMMARIZE John’s sermon here it is actually quite easy.

John wanted this entire crowd to realize that
They valued the world more than they valued righteousness.
Because these people would sacrifice righteousness to gain the world.

They would forsake compassion,
They would forsake integrity,
They would forsake contentment
If they could just get a little more of the world.

And the question is which of those would you forsake to gain the world?

Now wait a minute preacher! I admit that I have some of those problems, but they don’t keep me from following Jesus.

Let me just ask you then, “Are you sure you’re following Jesus?”

Listen to Jesus:
Luke 9:57-62 “As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Did you catch what Jesus said?
• If you want to follow Me, then you should know I’m homeless. I don’t possess the world and you won’t either.
• If you want to follow Me, leave your inheritance behind.
• If you want to follow Me, then do so without worldly approval.

Jesus was about to ask people to forsake the world.
Anyone remember the Rich Young Ruler?
(Jesus told him to sell it all)

Jesus was about to ask people to forsake the world,
And John knows that so long as they love the world
They will never follow Jesus.

The only reason a person will follow Jesus
Is if they want righteousness more than anything else,
Because Jesus doesn’t offer anything else.

John is trying to get rid of all those weeds
So that nothing distracts people from Jesus when He calls.

Now it is true that we are on the other side of the cross.
We now understand that forgiveness comes from trusting in Christ.
Forgiveness comes when we submit our lives to Christ.

BUT YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT
IN ORDER TO FOLLOW CHRIST YOU CANNOT LOVE THE WORLD.

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

So the call of John is simple.
You need to walk away from your greed so that you can walk after Jesus
Because you cannot seek both at the same time.

The Effectiveness of Faith – Part 4
Romans 4:18-25
November 12, 2017

As you know we’ve been walking through that all-important doctrine known as SOLA FIDE, or the belief that sinners are justified by faith alone.

In order to better examine this point
We’ve been walking through Romans 4
Where we examine the justification which Abraham received from God.

• We found out very quickly that this justification was “credited” indicating that it was not earned by works.

• We found out that his works (namely circumcision) merely indicated that the faith he gave God was genuine, but did not participate in his justification at all.

• And last time we realized that not only does faith bring justification but faith is also the only way in which the promise we hope for can be guaranteed.

That is because if salvation is not by faith alone
Then it cannot be by grace alone.
And if salvation is not by grace alone then it cannot be secure.

WHY?
Because if any part of our salvation or hope of the promise rests upon our ability to do something, then there is always the chance that we might fail.
There is no genuine lasting hope when salvation depends upon us.

In fact, the last time we saw a covenant which depended on man
Was the Mosaic covenant of the Law,
And we saw that it never brought salvation. All it ever brought was wrath.

So Paul has been adamant that justification
And the security of the promise can only come through faith.
IT IS FAITH AND FAITH ALONE.

So, at this point we can confidently say that
NOT ONLY IS FAITH ESSENTIAL, BUT FAITH IS ALSO EFFECTIVE.

Faith effectively allows sinful people to be justified
And to receive a guaranteed promise of salvation.

And one could think that after having proven this point Paul would move on, but he doesn’t.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO PAUL TO MAKE ONE MORE OBSERVATION.

We say that faith is effective, but what kind of faith is effective?

Not all faith is the same.
The point is there is a required amount of faith in order to function in life.
(Every time you turn on the faucet you exercise faith
That the water will come out and that it will be safe to drink)

But obviously this is not the type of faith that God is looking for.
The faith God wants is more than just the general faith of mankind.
God is looking for what we call “saving faith”.

The difference is clearly seen in James.
James 2:14-19 “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”

James rightly reveals that even demons believe in God,
But that does not make them saved.
There is obviously something more to saving faith.

Remember it was Luther who said, “We are justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.”

Luther understood that there was a difference
Between saving faith and non-saving faith.

Perhaps you remember those 3 Latin words that reformed theology holds on to in regard to faith.

NOTITIA – referring to the information which a person must have.
ASCENSU – referring to the intellectual ascent to those facts as true.
FIDUCIA – which speaks of trust in those facts

In fact, several times in Scripture we see people
Who are said to have some measure of faith or “belief”
Who do not end up being saved.

Look at:
John 2:23-25 “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”

I don’t know what type of faith they had,
But it wasn’t enough faith to cause them to gain Christ.
He refused to give Himself to them.

John 8:30 “As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.”

It there says they believed,
But look at what Jesus says about those people just 14 verses later.

John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Obviously something is wrong
Because regardless of their faith they are still children of the devil.

Or how about this guy in the book of Acts:
Acts 8:9-13 “Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts. But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.”

This sorcerer believed, but a short while later he offers Peter money so that he can get the ability to give the Holy Spirit (and presumably start his own TV network where he can ask people to send in money in exchange for his gifts)

And look at what Peter tells him:
Acts 8:20-23 “But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”

So obviously, even in the Bible
NOT EVERYONE who “believes” ends up being saved.

So we say that FAITH IS EFFECTIVE, BUT WE MUST ALSO ASK, WHAT IS EFFECTIVE FAITH?

There are two main that set saving faith apart from regular faith.
Saving faith Obeys
Saving faith Perseveres

If you don’t obey you don’t really believe.
That is why Jesus said:
John 8:31 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;”

(Like the Weedy Soil)
If you don’t obey you don’t really believe.

And if you don’t persevere you don’t really believe.
1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”

(Like the Rocky Soil)
If you don’t persevere you don’t really believe.

Neither the weedy soil (who doesn’t obey)
Nor the rocky soil (who doesn’t persevere)
Have the type of faith God is looking for,
And that is evident because neither brought any fruit to maturity.

There were no works to prove their faith,
And if you will remember we mentioned a couple of weeks ago,
That works prove faith.

And so as we read the Scripture,
We quickly find that in order to be saved, God wants faith,
And the faith we are speaking of is a LIFE-CHANGING FAITH.

And according to Paul it is the faith of Abraham.
Which is what Paul taught us last week.

Romans 4:16 “For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,”

It is those who have saving faith who will be saved,
It is those who have the faith of Abraham who will be saved.

BUT WHAT DID ABRAHAM’S FAITH LOOK LIKE?

That is what Paul will show us here at the end of the chapter.
6 characteristics of the faith of Abraham.
#1 HE HAD A SIMPLE FAITH
Romans 4:18

I’m thankful, that if we have to have a faith like Abraham to be saved,
That the first characteristic is that it was simple.

Think God it doesn’t require
Some great amount of intellectual ability to be saved.

Abraham’s faith is really pretty simple.
“In hope against hope he believed,”

He hoped for something in which, humanly speaking, there was no hope.

Let me reiterate again what God told him.
Genesis 15:3-5 “And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

For a traveling alien living in a foreign country with a barren wife,
That promise seems just a tad out of reach.

But despite the utter absurdity of what he hoped for,
Look at the simplicity of his faith.
“he believed”.

THERE IT IS.
Simple, matter of fact, not complex.
Abraham just believed.

And this is the first aspect of saving faith.
It is a simple belief.

“In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.”

DO YOU WANT TO SEE HOW SIMPLE ABRAHAM’S FAITH WAS?
All Abraham did was believe what God said.

“he believed…according to that which had been spoken”

Abraham simply believed God’s word.
Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

People continually try to make more out of faith than God intended
God never asked you to do more than believe what He said.

People today seem to try and take that to a new level.
They first put words in God’s mouth and then try to believe that.
They first try to pretend God said something
And then they try to make it come true by believing it.

That is not what Abraham did.
That (as a matter of fact) is what Satan tried to get Jesus to do.

Matthew 4:5-7 “Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself
down; for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’; and ‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'”

Satan was really challenging the faith of Jesus there.
Satan wanted Jesus to force God to protect Him.

That is not faith in God that is faith in faith.
That is manipulative, and it goes beyond what Abraham did.

Abraham had a simple faith, that simply believed what God said, And he believed it beyond the point of human logic.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

Obviously by simple I don’t mean easy.
I just mean it’s not complicated.
Abraham believed God.
(It really is that simple)

So Abraham had a simple faith.
#2 HE HAD A STRONG FAITH
Romans 4:19

When I say his faith is simple, I also don’t want you to think it was weak.
That is not the case at all.

DID YOU NOTICE WHAT PAUL SAID?
“Without becoming weak in faith”

It didn’t matter what circumstances he walked through,
The bible says that Abraham did not become weak in faith.

WHAT TYPE OF CIRCUMSTANCES DID HE GO THROUGH?
He had to face some discouraging facts right in the face.

“he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;”

We know that Abraham had made some mistakes up to this point.
When he was 86 years old he went in to Hagar and conceived Ishmael.
Obviously that was an act of disobedience.

But now, 14 years later, when God reiterated that promise.
Genesis 18:9-11 “Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing.”

Even though Abraham could look at his own body,
He could look at Sarah’s body and see that physically,
There was no way Sarah was having a child.

Now listen, there is nothing complex about that faith,
It is still simple, but it is obviously also very strong.

DO YOU REALIZE IT’S BEEN 25 YEARS SINCE THE INITIAL PROMISE?
There was a time when I believed God, but not anymore.
It’s been too long. It is too difficult now.

But not Abraham.
His faith was strong.

He literally believed the impossible.
John 11:23-26 “Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

God isn’t asking for some sort of complex faith,
Just a simple strong faith.
He just wants you to believe what He says.

And to continue believing it even if your body is dead,
And your brother has been in the ground 4 days.

It was simple It was strong
#3 HE HAD A STEADY FAITH
Romans 4:20

And of course this walks very closely to the previous points.
But not only did Abraham believe the impossible,
And believe even when logic said he shouldn’t have,
But Abraham also never wavered.

“yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith giving glory to God,”

What a great statement about the type of faith that God is looking for.
“he did not waver”

God is not looking for a faith that is dictated by the polls…
God is not looking for a fair weather faith…
God is looking for a faith that will not quit.

James 1:5-8 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

In contrast speaking of apostates:
Jude 12-13 “These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”

Abraham “did not waver”.
Obviously his steadfastness was a result of his strong faith.

The reason we know his faith was strong, was because he did not waver.
He continued to seek God…
He continued to trust God…
He continued to obey God…

This is what God wants from us.
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

Too many times today our faith is anything but steady.

Our faith becomes shaky any time we base our faith on our experiences
Or on our circumstances instead of on God’s word.

That again is why the first and foundational doctrine of the Reformation is SOLA SCRIPTURA.

You have to know what you are believing.

When we don’t stand solely on God’s word we vacillate.
We ride the fence, we speak out of both sides of our mouth.
We are anything but a model of conviction.

This is why God is so adamant to give us His word.
Ephesians 4:11-14 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;”

The point is God wants us to know what He said,
Believe what He said, and continue to believe what He said
Without wavering until it happens.

Don’t let circumstances unnerve you…
Don’t let false prophets unnerve you…
Don’t let your own logic unnerve you…

Just have the faith that continues to believe God
Without wavering until God comes through on His word.

And did you notice the end of that verse?
The reason God wants us to have that type of unwavering (steady) faith
Is because that type of faith gives “glory to God”

That is to say trusting God honors Him.

When God says something is true and you believe that
Regardless of how it appears that gives God great honor and glory.
That credits God as One who is trustworthy and powerful.

Abraham’s simple, strong, and steady faith glorified God.

A simple faith A strong faith A stead faith
#4 HE HAD A SINCERE FAITH
Romans 4:21

And this statement obviously can be seen in the other points,
But it also gives a little more insight.

We see the characteristics of strength and steadiness again:
“and being fully assured that what God had promised”

That still encompasses all that we have said.
He simply believed what God said, he believed it through logic,
And he never wavered, but was fully assured.

But this verse gives us MORE INSIGHT into the faith of Abraham.
“being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform”
If you had any doubt until now,
We can see that 100% absolute recipient of the faith of Abraham was God.

Abraham wasn’t really concerned if his body was fit enough…
Abraham wasn’t really concerned if his faith was strong enough…
Abraham wasn’t really concerned if he might have heard wrong…
Abraham believed that God could and would do what He said.

Even consider the incident of when God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.

Remember what Scriptures says about Abraham’s thought process regarding that command?

Hebrews 11:17-19 “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.”

That is sincere faith.
Many times we claim to believe in God,
What we really are believing in is ourselves.

We say we believe that Jesus can save us,
But really we place our hope in the fact that we walked the aisle,
Or that we prayed a prayer, or that we really believe.

God isn’t asking you to believe in faith.
God isn’t asking you to believe in prayer.
God isn’t asking you to believe in submission.
GOD IS ASKING YOU TO BELIEVE IN HIM.

Don’t get off track.
People today say, “Prayer works!” (true)
People say, “Faith works!” (true)
People say, “Submission works!” (true)

But those are demonstrations of faith, not recipients of faith.
Don’t trust in your own works or abilities.
The faith of Abraham was in God not in his response.

He knew that God could do what He said.
“He was able also to perform”

That is the faith God wants.
To believe that Jesus was MERCIFUL enough to take our sins.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

To believe that Jesus was RIGHTEOUS enough to overcome the grave.
Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

To believe that Jesus is POWERFUL enough to secure our salvation.
Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

To believe that Jesus is FAITHFUL enough to come back and get us.
John 14:1-3 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

IT IS FAITH IN GOD THAT ABRAHAM HAD.

DO YOU SEE WHAT SAVING FAITH LOOKS LIKE?
It is simple faith (simply believing what God said)
It is strong faith (even when logic says otherwise, it still believes)
It is steady faith (life circumstances can’t shatter it)
It is sincere faith (he doesn’t believe in himself, he truly believes in God)

#5 HE HAD A SAVING FAITH
Romans 4:22

Because Abraham’s faith was simple, strong, steady, and sincere,
God “credited to Him as righteousness.”

God forgave his sin, God washed away his past,
God instantly justified him
Apart from any work, ability, or goodness of his own.

Abraham was saved because he gave God
The type of faith that God was looking for.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

That is what I want you to realize this morning.
There is a difference between faith and saving faith.
There is a difference between faith and the faith Abraham had.

God isn’t just looking for some sort of sentimental, intellectual belief.
A faith that wavers with the whims of logic,
A faith that falters under testing,
A faith that puts you at the center instead of God at the center.

God simply wants you to believe what He said,
And believe it so much that not only do you obey it,
But you do not waver from it, until the promise is fulfilled.

The Bible says, if you will give God that kind of faith,
God will give you righteousness.

John 3:16-18 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

That is why God saved Abraham – HE HAD FAITH
Real – Effective – Faith

Now because of that Paul makes one more point about Abraham’s faith for you and me.
#6 HE HAD A SAMPLE FAITH
Romans 4:23-25

“Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him,”

That is an interesting statement.
I would have thought that it was purely for Abraham’s benefit.

But Paul said it wasn’t.
God actually had Moses record that story for more than just Abraham.

(24) “but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”

Paul said Moses recorded that story not just for Abraham,
But for you and me as well.
Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

And WHO IS “US”?
“those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”

Paul says God recorded this story about Abraham’s justification
So that those of us who believe like he did might benefit.

Abraham was believing what he could not see.
• He was believing in descendants and was believing in land.
• He was believing God would keep that promise.

And what are we trusting? JESUS
Like Abraham we are trusting someone else to achieve for us what is impossible for us to achieve on our own.

We are trusting that Jesus will save us.
(25) “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.”

That verse is all about the total effectiveness of Jesus.

We know why He died.
• He died because He was bearing our sin.
• He “was delivered over because of our transgressions”
• And that we are all aware of.

We say that He did not die for any sin of His own.
But how do you know that?
How do you know that He didn’t have any sin of His own?

The answer: BECAUSE HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD

Now, the resurrection proves that Jesus was innocent
(death couldn’t hold Him)
And since the resurrection proves that Jesus was innocent
It also proves that He did not die for His own sin.

So if He did not die for His own sin then He must have died for someone else’s, correct?

What that means is that when Jesus rose,
It was proof to us that He really did justify us.

He rose because we were justified.
He didn’t rise FOR our justification.
He rose “because of our justification.”

And we, like Abraham, have chosen to simply believe that.
• We believe because God’s word says it.
• We believe regardless of the circumstances around us.
• We believe even though He has yet to return and take us home.
• We believe it because we believe that God can do exactly what He said.

And because of that faith in the work of Christ
We also are credited with righteousness.

And that type of faith (like Abraham’s) is EFFECTIVE.
God responds to that kind of faith with justification.

It is saving faith.

The Forerunner – Part 2
Luke 3:1-20 (7-9)
November 12, 2017

As you know, we are working through Luke’s gospel,
Which we have called “The History of Redemption”

We have here a historian bringing to us “the exact truth”
About the Savior whom God sent into the world.

After a lengthy section outlining the births of John and Jesus,
We have now moved forward to the days of their public ministry
And it all starts with the ministry of John the Baptist.

The first 20 verses of Luke 3
Are dedicated to giving us the ministry of this forerunner.

We started looking at it last week:
#1 JOHN’S CULTURE
Luke 3:1-2

• Luke did what all historians do, he placed our story in its proper setting.
• He showed us who the rulers of the day were (both secular and spiritual)

We learned that John’s ministry began in A.D. 26

But more than that, we learned that it was not a good time to be a Jew.
Israel was under Roman domination
And their spiritual leadership was corrupt to say the least.

John ministered amidst a corrupt and sinful culture.

#2 JOHN’S CALLING
Luke 3:3-6

We noted that John came “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;”

His sole purpose was to prepare men for the coming Messiah,
And this preparation can be summed up with the word “repentance”

It is a word that literally refers to “a change of mind” but it is such a deep and convicting change of mind that the actions are also changed.

John’s purpose, as prophesied by Isaiah,
Was to reveal to people about the tragic condition of their hearts
And to lead them to a brokenness because of it.

According to Isaiah,
Their hearts could be compared to rough and crooked terrain.
They were full of potholes and bumps, they were crooked and rough.
Their hearts were filled with wickedness and disloyalty, worldliness and corruption.

In short, their heart was no place fit for a king.
John came to confront that and lead people to remorse and sorrow.

• He came to lead spiritually arrogant men to be “poor in spirit”
• He came to lead people who loved their sin into a mourning regarding it.
• He came to lead stubborn people into meekness
• He came to lead immoral people to hunger and thirst for righteousness
• He came to lead hypocritical people to be pure in heart

THIS MORNING we actually get into John’s ministry.

John’s Culture, John’s Calling
#3 JOHN’S CONFRONTATION
Luke 3:7-9

Well, how did you like that?
I’m not sure calling it “confrontation” is a strong enough word.
John sounds down-right mean doesn’t he?

I think it’s safe to say that there aren’t many churches that would have asked him to come “in view of a call”, and not many who would have allowed him to stay long.

John comes across as
Harsh, judgmental, unsympathetic, unloving, mean-spirited, and bold.

John embodies a persona here that would quickly be called “unchristian”
By almost everyone in our culture today.

And yet, might I remind you that, this man was filled with the Holy Spirit?

Now certainly that filling does not indicate that it was impossible for John to sin, or that he couldn’t get off-course. He can, and later while in prison, he will.
But this is not one of those instances.

John is here, filled with God’s Spirit,
Speaking to these people just as God would speak to them.

Back in verse 2 we read that “in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John”

These harsh words are God’s words.
(In Matthew 12 and Matthew 23 they are also Jesus’ words)

John is declaring war on sin.
That is no laughing matter to God,
And therefore it is no laughing matter to John.

I just want you to catch that first, so that the next time someone confronts your sin you won’t immediately assume that they are “unchristian” for doing so.
It may be that they are speaking the very words of God to you.

None the less, here is John’s confrontation.
And if you look at these 3 verses
You’ll notice that there are 5 things John takes issue with.

1) THEIR SINFUL NATURE (7a)
“So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers…”

“brood of vipers” is certainly not an endearing term.
It literally means “sons of snakes”

It is to reveal them as children of the devil as opposed to children of God.
John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

And this is again a very important understanding.
John was not talking to good people who were just doing bad things.

That is the way our society likes to view it isn’t it?
People do the sinful things but instantly, even if they acknowledge what they did was wrong, they will say, “Look, I’m not a bad person.”

We like to have this view that I’m a good person who just made a mistake.

Well that is not how John talked to these people.
These were bad people.

It is a FOUNDATIONAL. Those of you who have been with us on Sunday nights will remember it as the doctrine of TOTAL DEPRAVITY.

We are not a people who are basically good who just do bad things.
Because of Adam we are born as bad people
Who do whatever we can get away with.

Remember Jesus confrontation of the Pharisees who were angry at Him for not making His disciples wash their hands before they ate?
Matthew 15:15-20 “Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.” Jesus said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also? “Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. “These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

It is important for humanity to understand.
We do not become sinners when we sin, we sin because we are sinners.
A thief doesn’t become a thief after he steals, he steals because he is a thief.

And that is true for all sin and all sinners.
People sin because they are sinful.

Now, that DOESN’T MEAN that everyone sins as much as they could or even that all people sin the same amount.

Some of us have really good restraint systems around us to help us.
I grew up with a dad who had a healthy belief in discipline,
And the type of discipline that brought physical pain.
I had a built in deterrent from doing the sinful things that were in my heart.

Our society has a justice system that brings various forms of punishment and this restrains a lot of people from being as bad as they might be.

But it doesn’t change that the evil is within you.

That is what John points out.

These were not basically good people who were coming to him,
These were children of the devil.

This is so important to our understanding of repentance.
We realize then that what God is calling for is not a change in behavior,
But a change in heart.

This is the very foundation to why Jesus will say
“You must be born again”.

And every person must come to grips with this reality,
Or I can assure you that you will not be saved.
This is the essence of being “poor in spirit”.

As long as you think you’re basically good,
There’s no hope of salvation,
But once you realize that you’re a child of the devil,
Then you’re beginning to get it.

But it has been my observation that most people fail to see that.

Let me show you what I mean.
TURN TO & READ: PSALMS 14

In that Psalm you saw two very distinct types of people described.
• You saw the corrupt fool who doesn’t do good and who is useless.
• And you saw the righteous generation whom God is with.
And when you read that, which one did you decide that you were?

I know how we are prone to read it.
We read about that wicked person as everyone worse than me,
And I am clearly that righteous person who God loves.

But would it surprise you to know that Paul quoted that Psalm about you in Romans 3?

And would it surprise you even more to know that Paul said that the fool in that Psalm was you?

Romans 3:9-12 “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

When you read Psalms 14, you are the wicked fool.
Then who is the righteous one? Christ

Look at the next Psalm
TURN TO: PSALMS 15

This Psalm starts with a good question.
“O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?”

And then you read David’s answer. (2-5)

Now be honest, can you check all those off?
If you said “yes” then you just missed the second one which says that you speak truth in your heart.

The fact is, by those criteria you are not qualified to stand before God.
Who is? Christ

That is why we cling to that precious doctrine of imputation
Whereby we realize that Christ did not come to make us righteous,
But rather Christ came to be our righteousness.

He doesn’t whip me into shape so that God will accept me.
He imputes His alien righteousness to my account.

But the point is, that there is no goodness in my whatsoever.
I was born with a broken and carnal heart, a child of wrath,
A child of the devil, a son of a serpent in desperate need of redemption.

I’m sure John’s people did not appreciate being called “brood of vipers”
But that exactly what they were,
And until they realized that, they were not ready for salvation.
Their Sinful Nature
2) THEIR SUPERFICIAL MOTIVE (7b)
“You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

In other words John wants to know, WHY DID YOU COME?
It insinuates that even though they came,
They were coming for the wrong reason.

John reveals the RIGHT REASON for coming
And that is “to flee from the wrath to come”,
But according to John that is not why they came.

In other words, we don’t know why they came,
But it wasn’t because God was angry
And they were afraid of His judgment.

So after revealing to them that they were sinful to the core
John now reveals that their motives are all wrong.

And incidentally, Jesus seconded John’s message.
Matthew 11:7-11 “As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? “But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces! “But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. “This is the one about whom it is written, ‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.’ “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

According to Jesus, John was regarded by many as sort of a side show.
“Let’s go out in the wilderness and watch that raving lunatic!”

John’s gospel gives a little background as to why some of them might have been coming.
John 1:19-25 “This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

That passage indicates that many were simply “Heresy Hunters”.
• They’d been sent out there by the Pharisees to get some straight answers as to who this guy thinks he is.

• They were there to hear him hang himself with some blasphemous claim so that they could run back to the Pharisees and report about him.

They WEREN’T COMING because they wanted forgiveness that they might escape God’s wrath,
They WERE COMING because John was quite the site and they wanted to see how the battle between him and the Pharisees was going to play out.

John called them on it.

And if we wanted to we could chase quite a rabbit here as to
Why people attend church
Or why people get baptized,
Or even why they ask for forgiveness.

Israel often went through the motions with horrible motives.

Joel 2:12-13 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil.”

Amos 5:21-25 “I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. “Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. “But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. “Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel?”

The point is, they often came with wrong motives
And God who reads the heart, knew it.

When you come before God, you had better make sure it is for God
And not some self-serving purpose of your own.

John confronts their sinful nature; their superficial motive
3) THEIR SHALLOW COMMITMENT (8a)
“Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance,”

The implication here is obvious.
These are a people with no follow through.

John understood how easy it was to say, “I’m sorry”
And how rare it was to see anyone actually change.

This goes back to what we talked about last week.
• There is a great difference between remorse and repentance.
• There is a great difference between attrition and contrition.

• There are plenty of people who feel bad when they get caught, but they don’t really hate their sin.
• There are plenty of people who promise they’ll never do it again to get out of punishment, but you can’t believe them.

They were a people who say things and don’t do them.
And this was Israel.

Hosea 6:1-6 “Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. “He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. “So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth.” What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud And like the dew which goes away early. Therefore I have hewn them in pieces by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth; And the judgments on you are like the light that goes forth. For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

Psalms 78:34-37 “When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God; And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.”

Isaiah 58:3-5 “Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers. “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD?”

They had a shallow commitment to say the least,
And John says they still do.

He was not interested in some group of people who were going to run out there and get a little token holy water so that they could feel all better about themselves as they ran back to their sin.

• If you’re really interested in having your sinful heart made clean…
• If you’re really interested in escaping the coming wrath of God…
• If you’re really serious about repenting…
THEN PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS – PROVE IT!
CHANGE!!!

NOW LOOK, I understand that there will always be times when we fall short of our desires to walk holy and obediently before God.
After all, we do still all live in the flesh,
And perfection is not yet within our grasp.

So I AM NOT SAYING that if you make a commitment to Christ
And then fail that somehow you are a hypocrite.

The person John is confronting is the person who is making a verbal commitment but who doesn’t have the slightest intention of changing.
It’s not that they tried and failed it’s that they never even intended to try.

David prayed about his enemies in Psalm 5
Psalms 5:9 “There is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue.”

(incidentally another Psalm Paul quoted about you in Romans 3)

But David said you can’t reason with these people
Because you can’t believe anything they say.

The tragedy is when God feels the same way
About the commitments we make to Him.

John the Baptist was confronting that.
• He was confronting their Sinful Nature (they had wicked hearts)
• He was confronting their Superficial Motive (they came for the wrong reasons)
• He was confronting their Shallow Commitment (they were all talk)

4) THEIR SHAKY THEOLOGY (8b)
“and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”

The belief was based upon God’s promise to Abraham.
(We talked about it last Sunday night as God’s Promise)

Genesis 15:5 “And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

• Then Abraham asked God how he could know for certain that his descendants were going to inherit this land.
• And that’s when God arranged the covenant with Abraham and passed between the pieces saying:

Genesis 15:13-16 “God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

And the Jews banked on that.

Here was John railing on about repentance and all the while these Jews were thinking to themselves, “It really doesn’t matter, after all God already promised that Abraham’s descendants are going to inherit the promise.”

So while God might prefer that we repent,
It’s really a moot point because He already made the promise.

They failed to understand that this promise was spiritual not genetic.
Abraham’s descendants are those who are faith,
Not those who can genetically trace their lineage back to Abraham.

Galatians 3:7 “Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.”

John 8:39-40 “They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.”

Beyond that, you DON’T become a child of God by being born in a Christian home. You become a child of God by being “born again”

John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

These Jews didn’t understand that.

They thought God had promised descendants like the stars of the sky
And so it didn’t really matter if they repented,
God was sort of stuck with them.

To which John said:
“for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”

What does that mean?
• It means if you think it’s just a numbers thing then let me assure you that God could kill every one of you and still fulfill His promise to Abraham.

• Creating descendants is not that hard, God can do it right now out of these rocks.

• You are in no way off the hook, your theology is shaky to say the least.

It’s like people today who think they are going to heaven because:
• They were born in a Christian home…
• They “asked Jesus into their heart”…
• They got baptized…
• They go to church…
• They are American…

But they have never demonstrated the faith that Abraham demonstrated.
They are trusting in the wrong things.

This crowd was in danger before God because they were sinful people but because they thought they were fine regardless they never brought God any kind of real commitment.

And John is calling them on it.
He confronts their sinful nature; their superficial motive; their shallow commitment; their shaky theology
5) THEIR SORRY DISCERNMENT (9)
“Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Now this was a simple analogy.
If you don’t understand it, let me read to you the time when Jesus will use it.

Luke 13:1-9 “Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. “Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. “And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ “And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'”

John’s implication is that the man responded to the vineyard-keeper by saying, “Fine I’ll hold off on chopping it down, but I’m going to leave the axe right here.”

The idea is that this tree is in imminent danger.
It is out of chances…
If things don’t change its judgment will come soon…

And in telling that parable John says, “INDEED the axe is already laid…”

The implication is that the axe was there, but they didn’t realize it.
They were in grave danger but were oblivious to it.

They were a people under God’s judgment and didn’t even know it.

AND LISTEN FOLKS; THAT SHOULD REALLY GET YOUR ATTENTION.
Do you realize that it is possible to be in grave danger before God and not even know it?

Look at all the people in the gospels who Jesus said will be shocked when He shuts the door and says, “Depart from Me for I never knew you.”

THEY WERE IN DANGER AND DIDN’T EVEN KNOW IT.

• Well how do you tell?
• How do you know if you’re under the wrath of God?
• How do you know if the axe is laid at the root of your tree?

Poverty? Poor health?
No, temporal things like that have never been the barometer
By which we measure God’s displeasure.

TURN TO: ROMANS 1:18

You notice here that we are dealing with
PEOPLE WHO ARE UNDER THE REVEALED WRATH OF GOD.

They are under God’s wrath
Because they have failed to honor God as God or to give Him thanks,
But have instead suppressed His truth and remained in their unrighteousness.

Let me show you what their wrath looked like.
(They are under judgment and don’t even know it)

(21-23) Futile speculations and a darkened foolish heart
As evidenced by the fact that they do not glorify the true God of heaven but instead seek to redefine God into something they want.

(24) People who live impure lives which results in a dishonored body
(which is to say they use their bodies outside of God’s intended purposes)

(26) People who have immoral and degrading passions to do things which are unnatural to God’s original design and thus receive their due penalty

(28) People who are given to improper actions because they don’t think straight.
Like:
Unrighteous deeds Hateful toward God
Wicked deeds Rebellion
Greed Arrogance
Evil Boasting
Envy Looking for new ways to do evil
Murder Disobeying their parents
Strife Don’t get why it’s wrong
Deception Can’t trust them
Anger Unloving (selfish)
Gossip No mercy
Slander

And they don’t see anything wrong with doing those things
Even though God says they will be punished for it.

These are people who have the axe laid right at the root of the tree.
It doesn’t matter how many times they go to church, it doesn’t matter if they have Christian parents, it doesn’t matter if they’ve been baptized.

Their lives demonstrate that they are under the wrath of God,
And the tragedy is that they don’t even know it.

That was the people John was dealing with too, and he confronted it.
• People who were sinful in their heart
• People who had faulty motives
• People who were all talk and had no real commitment to God
• People who had bad theology and thought they were safe for the wrong reasons
• People who were under the wrath of God and didn’t even know it

AND THAT IS EVERYONE WITHOUT CHRIST!!!

John came to these people and confronted them.
Perhaps this morning he confronted you too.

The answer then is to REPENT and FALL ON CHRIST!
• Hate your sin for how it offends God
• Trust that on the cross Jesus offered payment for sin
• Ask Christ to forgive you for it and cleanse you from it.
• Throw your helplessness upon Jesus as your only hope
• Ask Him for the righteousness that only He can provide

THAT BROKEN STATE IS PRECISELY WHAT JOHN IS SHOOTING FOR.
We’ll carry on with him next Sunday morning.

025 The Effectiveness of Faith – Part 3
Romans 4:13-17
November 5, 2017

Well it seems like it’s been years since we gathered together to continue in our study on the 500 years of Reformation. And I have to apologize that until we reach the new year it’s probably not going to get much better. November and December make life tough on having any continuity to a Sunday night study.

However, we do have a couple of weeks
Before our next interruption so let’s move forward.

You will remember that we are working through the 5 SOLAS
Which came out of the Reformation.

• We have looked at SOLA SCRIPTURA
• We have looked at SOLA GRATIA
• And we are currently looking at SOLA FIDE which is the belief that we are
justified before God BY FAITH ALONE

In this third SOLA we are talking about some various realities.

1) THE NECESSITY OF FAITH
• And you will remember that we looked at Hebrews 11 and reacquainted ourselves with that foundational truth that faith is absolutely necessary.

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

But as we said, I don’t know of really any who claim Christianity in any form who deny the necessity of faith.

ROME says faith is necessary.
The CHURCH OF CHRIST says faith is necessary.
On this we all pretty much agree.

Where THE DIVISION BEGINS to occur is on the next point we have been discussing which is THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FAITH
Or perhaps a better title would be THE SUFFICIENCY OF FAITH.

It is the idea that Faith is
ALL that is required for a man to be justified before God.

This is where the Reformers really began to distance themselves from Rome, which required sacraments and penance and indulgences and all sorts of other works in addition to faith if a man was to be justified.

Perhaps you will remember the equation we talked about last time.

Rome says: Faith + Works = Justification
Reformers say: Faith = Justification + Works

There is a great difference.
But that is what we are discussing.

And so in our study of Scripture we have turned to Romans 4
And the man named Abraham to see precisely how justification works.

Romans 4:1 “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?”

And if you will recall Paul began this argument
By really JUMPING ON 2 WORDS.

The first word came out of Genesis 15 and it is the word “credited”.

Romans 4:4-5 “Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,”

Paul’s point is that if Abraham had done anything to earn righteousness, Then it is not possible to use the word “credited”.

The word “credited” can only be applied to a situation
Where a person receives something that they did not earn.

The second word came out of Psalms 32 and is the word “blessed”

That is another word that cannot be used in regard to someone
Who was forced to pay for what they received.

Romans 4:6-8 “just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. “BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.”

David used the word “blessed” because he did not earn what he received.
Had he earned it he would have had to use a word like
“just” or “deserved” or “due” or “worthy”

So we learned at the outset of this chapter that
According to two Old Testament saints,
Righteousness and forgiveness WERE NOT EARNED.

They were a blessing that was credited to those who did not deserve it.

LAST TIME we met we moved forward and addressed another argument.
There are those who would say:
“God might give righteousness,
But He gives it to those who do what is required.”

It is a misunderstanding of the relationship between faith and works.

So Paul asks a pivotal question regarding the TIMING OF JUSTIFICATION.
Romans 4:10 “How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised;”

What we learn from the Genesis timeline is that
• Abraham didn’t do anything until after he was declared righteous.
• Abraham’s works played absolutely no role in his justification.
• All Abraham’s works did was verify what type of faith he had.
• His works proved his faith was the real deal.

Romans 4:11 “and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them,”

We learned that works do not produce or earn or participate
In the process of justification.
All works do is prove that justification has genuinely occurred.

And of course, as we looked at, this was the main point of James.
Faith justifies, but it has to be real faith;
Namely the type of faith that produces works.

In fact, if you have no works it only indicates that you have no faith.
And if you have no faith, then you are not justified.

It is a concept common referred to as “Lordship Salvation”.
It is the belief that a person is justified by faith alone, but if that faith does no produce a life change of obedience then it was no saving faith.

Works are important, but only as verification,
Not as a means of earning righteousness.

So, thus far in our study of the effectiveness of faith,
We have found that faith is all that Abraham had and all that God required
In order to grant him forgiveness and righteousness.

Tonight we move forward in our look at Romans 4.

And here we introduce a new word to consider.
Paul speaks of “the promise”.

(13) “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.”

Earlier Paul spoke of justification
And said that Abraham achieved that by faith alone,
Now Paul speaks of the promise
In order to determine how Abraham received it.

WHAT WAS THE PROMISE?
Well it was reiterated to Abraham several times.

Genesis 12:1-3 “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Genesis 12:7 “The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.”

Genesis 13:14-18 “The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. “I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. “Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.” Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD.”

And again in Genesis 17 and again in Genesis 22.

However for our purposes I want to look at it in Genesis 15.

TURN TO: GENESIS 15

Of course you remember the setting of this chapter.
• It immediately follows after Abraham rescued Lot and was blessed by Melchizedek.
• And God opens the chapter by reminding Abraham that he made the right decision and that He was going to bless him greatly.
• Of course at this point Abraham says, “What good will it do, my heir is actually a servant born in my house?”
• And God reveals that he will have a son
• And of course we then read that Abraham believed God and God credited that to him as righteousness.

So Abraham is convinced that God will give him a son
And through that son will make his descendants like the stars of the sky.

But next we move to the issue of the promise,
And that is regarding the land God had promised to give him.

Verse 8, “He said, “O Lord GOD, how may I know that I will posses it?”

And then comes God’s verification to Abraham.
(READ 9-21)

Now that is the promise yet again reiterated,
AND THIS TIME IT EVEN COMES WITH PROOF.

God actually cuts a covenant with Abraham.
• Abraham cuts up a heifer and ewe and a ram and then he sets up the dove and the pigeon
• And God passes through the pieces.

The implication being, “May such happen to Me, if I fail to keep My word”

We also notice that Abraham did not pass through the pieces, only God.
This was a one-way covenant.
It all hinged upon God, not Abraham.

So now you are familiar with the promise and the circumstances surrounding it.
This is what Paul is about to refer to.

And he has two main points regarding the certainty of this promise and faith.

#1 IF FAITH ISN’T SUFFICIENT THE PROMISE IS NULLIFIED
Romans 4:13-15

(13) “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.”

And again the very timeline makes this clear to us.
1) Did Abraham receive that promise before or after circumcision? (before)
2) Did God confirm that promise before or after circumcision? (before)
3) Did God confirm that promise before or after justification? (after)
4) Did God require anything else from Abraham besides faith before He would confirm it? (no)

That timeline once again makes this point clear to us.
• God did not promise Abraham that he would inherit the land based upon something good Abraham did.

• God did not promise Abraham that he would inherit the land based upon something good he must first do.

• The only thing Abraham has done at this point is believe God and God has guaranteed the promise.

That is clear to us.

And now Paul takes that reality and makes a point to us.
(14) “For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified;”

Paul is explaining why it is necessary
For the promise to be guaranteed by faith instead of works.

Paul says that this promise must be by faith instead of works
Because if “faith is made void” then “the promise is nullified;”

“void” translates XENOO
It means “of no effect” or “useless”
(we are talking about the effectiveness of faith aren’t we?)

“nullified” translates KATARGEO
It means “to cause to cease”

So what Paul is saying is this:
If you take away the exclusivity of faith, then you lose the promise with it.

If you say that faith is not effective, “void” (of no effect) then you need to know that at the same time you say that, you will also nullify God’s promises.

I think we can agree that that is a pretty severe statement.
Take away faith as solely effective or sufficient
And the first thing you do is lose the promise.

I think we have to ask:
WHY?

(15) “For the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.”

Paul’s argument here is tremendous, let me spell it out for you.

The goal is to achieve the promise; that’s what we all want.

• How do we get it?
• Is it something we secure through faith, or is it something we secure through works?

Well Paul is ready to tell you what you will get
If you abandon faith and try to pursue the promise through works.

What will you get?
“For the Law brings about wrath”

And if you are puzzled by this, let me push you a little further into this book of Romans where Paul will explain this.

TURN TO: ROMANS 7
In Romans 7 Paul is revealing that through Christ we died to the Law, and that it is necessary that we die to the Law if we have any aspirations of salvation.

Starting in verse 5 Paul begins to explain the effect that the Law has on people who seek to please God by perfectly obeying it.

(5) “For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.”

People who seek to be justified by their works quickly forget one thing…
THE FLESH.

They fail to recognize that the flesh is not going to be compliant.
And Paul says that all the Law does is arouse our sinful passions.

That is to say, you can take a person who has lust in their heart and then tell them not to, but all that command is going to do is make them want it even more.

Ever go on a diet?
You will never want a donut more than when someone tells you that you can’t have one. (That’s the flesh)

Paul says that all the Law ever did was stir up those sinful passions in us.

Now the obvious question then
Is if the Law is in someway the problem?

(7-8) “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead.”

No, the Law is not the problem.
We wouldn’t even know about sin if it wasn’t for the Law, it’s just that when that command tells me that sin is bad, my flesh just wants sin that much more.

So while the Law did not make me sin,
It did bring that sin to the forefront of my mind and my flesh did the rest.

Which is why Paul goes on to say:
(9-10) “I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me;”

The Law didn’t actually make me better, the Law actually resulted in death.

And here is the definite tell-all statement:
(11) “for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.”

AND THE POINT IS SIMPLE.
The Law does not help wicked people become righteous.
All the Law does is awaken the sleeping giant of sin in a person’s life which ends up making them more sinful.

Paul actually gives a first-hand account of this battle in the rest of the chapter, but for time sake, we’re going to skip it.

But look down to chapter 8 where Paul begins to reveal that while the Law couldn’t save, we find that salvation in Christ.

I want you to notice what he says:
(8:1-3) “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,”

Now did you notice what Paul said about the Law?
• He said there was something it “could not do”.
• And that is kill “sin in the flesh”
• And the reason it can’t is because it is weakened by the flesh.

Paul is reiterating what he just taught us.
No one ever achieved righteousness through the Law,
All they ever achieved was a greater knowledge of sin
Which caused their sinful flesh to rebel even more
And thus only managed to increase their judgment, not remove it.

Romans 3:20 “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

Now that’s a crash course on what the Law does.

So when Paul says here in chapter 4, “for the Law brings about wrath” YOU KNOW WHAT HE MEANS.

So while Paul was definitive that faith brings righteousness
And thus the promise of God.
The Law (works) brings only wrath
And therefore nullifies the promise.

And that is why Paul goes on to say, “but where there is no law, there also is no violation.”

That is to say,
• If there is no required command, then there is no way to break it.
• If there is no required standard of perfection then there is no way you can fall short of it.
• If no works are required then there is no way you can be disqualified for failing to do them.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?

So long as faith is all that is required for obtaining the promise
Then that promise is solid,
But if you say that you are required to do something to earn it,
Now it is conditional and no longer a sure thing.

That is why Paul can say that “if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified.”

And that’s the first point.
If faith isn’t sufficient then the promise is nullified.

#2 IF FAITH IS SUFFICIENT THE PROMISE IS GUARANTEED
Romans 4:16-17

Someone may ask, “Well if works can’t guarantee the promise, how can you tell me that faith will?”

And here is the answer.
“For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed”

Follow with me a moment:
• If justification is by faith alone, then no one can say that they have
earned it.
(because they didn’t do anything)

• If justification is by faith alone all we can say is that I am saved by
grace alone.
Right?

If justification is by faith alone then it has to be by grace alone
AND THE REVERSE IS ALSO TRUE;
If justification is by grace alone then it has to be by faith alone.

Throw works in there anywhere and it messes the whole thing up.
Romans 11:6 “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.”

Galatians 2:21 “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

Galatians 5:2-4 “Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”

When you add works, it kills any notion of grace.
But, if faith is all that is required then grace is still a reality.

And if grace is a reality then “the promise will be guaranteed”
Because it rests on God’s performance and not ours.

And we talked about this when examining SOLA GRATIA
We know that salvation is sure because of grace.

• We didn’t deserve to be chosen…
• We didn’t deserve to justified…
• We don’t deserve to be sealed or protected either…
But it has never been about what you deserve,
It has always been about grace.

We know salvation is secure because
God in His sovereign grace determined for it to be secure.

And so long as salvation is by grace, it is “guaranteed”
And that is WHY IT MUST ALSO BE BY FAITH.

And notice who it is for:
“to all descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, (as it is written, “A father of many nations have I made you”)”

Not for those who do the right amount of works,
But for those “who are of the faith of Abraham”

Remember what Paul told the Galatians?
Galatians 3:6-9 “Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.”

Galatians 3:26-29 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

Everyone (regardless of the Law) is a child of Abraham
And recipient of the promise and of grace
So long as they give God the same faith that Abraham did.

• AND WHEN YOU COME WITH NOTHING BUT FAITH, YOU ARE TRUSTING IN NOTHING BUT GRACE,
• AND WHEN GRACE IS THE POWER BEHIND THE PROMISE, IT IS ALWAYS SECURE.

For when you come to God without works, but only faith,
THEN THE BURDEN of keeping the promise
FALLS SQUARELY ON THE BACK OF GOD, not you.

Again, this was the whole point of Genesis 15
And why only God (not Abraham) passed through the pieces.
God was not making this conditional upon Abraham.
God was making this conditional only upon Himself.

And Paul even reveals WHY IT IS A GOOD THING
That the security of the promise rests on the back of God.

Because let me tell you something about God:
Paul says it is God “who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.”

There are two things God does no one else has ever been able to do.
• Raise the Dead
• Create something from Nothing

He did both for Abraham.
• He brought for a child from a dead womb,
• And He figuratively brought him back from the dead.

That is also why God has done for believers.
• He raised Christ from the dead on our behalf
• And through Him makes us a born again new creation.

And none of that is done by our works…God does it all.
And because it all rests on God, it is guaranteed.

Now, I know that is a pretty weighty passage to go walking through so let me just give you THE QUICK SUMMARY to make sure we’ve all got it.

We’re talking about whether or not faith is sufficient (effective).
Whether or not faith is enough by itself.

And here is Paul’s answer.

• Faith is sufficient because that is all Abraham gave to God and in result God gave Abraham righteousness.

• Furthermore in response to Abraham’s faith, God guaranteed the promise to him by passing through the pieces.

• We can confidently say that this salvation and this guarantee were acts of pure grace because Abraham did nothing,

• And since they are grace they rest solely on the back of God and that is why the are secure.

On the flip side (Paul would say)

• If you throw works into the mix then the first thing you do is lose the certainty of the promise.

• In fact that promise is nullified. It’s no longer a promise it is now a contract.

• And it is only as secure as the strength of both parties.
• And since we have seen how pathetic man is at keeping up with his end of the deal whenever he is told to do something we aren’t real confident that he will ever obtain the promise he seeks.

If works are required then that promise is anything but guaranteed.
It is only guaranteed if it is made by grace alone,
And it can only be made by grace alone if it is received by faith alone.

That is Paul’s point.

That means that faith is sufficient.
It is sufficient because it is all God requires.
He says, “Give Me faith and I’ll do it all.”

One last passage that illustrates this:
Hebrews 6:13-20 “For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.” And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Abraham rested solely by faith on the word of
The God who cannot lie and who never changes His word.

And just like him the writer of Hebrews says that we do the same thing.
We trust that when God says I will save you, that He can and He will.

The result of this for us is a tremendous and steadfast hope.

All we bring to the table is faith.
It is sufficient and it is effective because it trusts God to do it all.