Stay With Faith!
Romans 4:13-25
The righteous will live by faith
 
 
 
Stay with faith!
Don’t add a second way to God   vs 13-16
-vs 13-14  Abraham made righteous 430 years before the Law
-The Jews benefited from God’s promise to Abraham before
   The Law
-vs 15  The Law “produces wrath”- it shows how sinful we are!
-“There is no deliberate disobedience of positive commands
   where there is no positive command to disobey”
-The more we know the more accountable we are to God!
-vs 16  We are made righteous by God’s grace
     -“God’s riches at Christ’s expense”
-Abraham’s faith is the only kind of faith that God accepts!
 
-Stop heaping onto new believers rules and regulations that
    Even mature believers are learning to obey!
 
 
Follow the example of Abraham    vs 17-24
-vs 17 “I have made you the father of many nations”
   -Past tense- it was already true, before it became true
   -Gentile followers of Christ are the fulfillment of this promise!
-Trust God like Abraham trusted God!
-vs 18  He was “hoping against hope”-   humanly impossible
-vs 19  He did not weaken in his faith- as he waited for the
     Promise, even when he and Sarah were both “dead” for
     childbearing
-vs 20 He did not waver in unbelief,
-He was strengthened in his faith as he gave glory to God
-Abraham applied his faith day by day against the impossibility
   of God’s promise to him, and this made his faith grow.
-Our faith grows day by day when we apply God’s promise to
   save us and provide the necessary power to over come the
   temptations of our flesh!
-vs 21  Abraham was fully convinced God keeps his promise
-vs 22  This is the faith that saved Abraham! That saves us!
    -We trust God for who God is, not what we will get from God
    -the “getting from God” may be years in coming- be patient
    -God may give you more than you can ever imagine
-vs 23-24  Abraham was saved by faith as an example for us!
   -Just as God credited Abraham’s faith with righteousness,
      So also, we are made righteous by trusting in Jesus Christ
 
 
Trust what Jesus did for you   vs 25
-Faith is always tied to God promise to fully pay for our sins!
-Abraham looked forward to what Jesus would do for him
-We now look back at what Jesus already did for us
-Romans 3:24  “justified freely by his grace through the
   redemption that is in Christ Jesus”
-Galatians 3:13  Christ became “cursed” in our place!
-Gal 3:14 “The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would
    come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could
    receive the promised Spirit through faith”
 
 
Let God grow your faith
Trust God’s promises
-Trust that God makes you righteous through faith in Jesus
-Trust God to do the impossible of making you like Jesus!
    -of giving you love for enemies, compassion for others
    -trust God to heal your heart from broken relationships
    -trust God to restore relationships His way, in His timing
 
 
Keep trusting God’s promises-  Stay with faith!
-Hope against hope for the impossible in human ability!
-Give glory to God for what he has already promised you!
-Apply your faith day by day to that which does not yet exist
-Wait for God to make alive what is dead!
-Trust in the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ
 
What is God asking you to do right now?
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Faith Starts It All!
Romans 4:1-12
Intro:  The Righteous Live By Faith
-Everyone can know God
-We must come to God by faith
-No one is good enough to be with God
-Jesus came to bring us to God
-We become righteous through faith in Jesus Christ
 
 
Faith started it all!    Romans 4:1-12
1.  Abraham believed God
-He had nothing to boast about to God
-Ephesians 2:9  “not from works so that no one can boast”
 
2.  God credited Abraham’s faith with righteousness
-Genesis 15:6
-God saved Abraham out of a pagan culture that did not have
  faith in Him
 
3.  David trusted in God’s unconditional forgiveness
-Psalm 32:1-2
 
 
4.  Abraham was declared righteous before he obeyed God
-Circumcised 14 years AFTER he was declared righteous
-Circumcision was the “seal” or mark that set Abraham apart
-Today: Baptism is the “seal” that sets us apart with God
-In the same way, faith and salvation occur BEFORE baptism
-Illust:  the thief on the cross was saved by faith, never worked!
 
5.  Abraham is the spiritual father of Jews and Gentiles
-vs 12 “who also follow in the footsteps of the faith” of Abraham
-Every Christian is a fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham!
   -descendants as numerous as the stars, as sand
-Abraham’s faith began a personal relationship with God that set apart the nation of Israel as God’s chosen people
-God continues to set apart a chosen people today—us!   
 
We must Start with faith!
1. Place our faith in Jesus Christ
-Stop trying to earn God’s salvation by works
-Stop boasting in self, thinking good works earns salvation
    -We may be able to boast in front of other people
    -We aren’t good enough to boast in front of God!
 
 
2.  Obey God to prove our faith
-John 14:15  If you love me, you will keep my commandments
-Matthew 22:37, 39  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind… love your neighbor as yourself!
-Matthew 28:19-20  Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.
-James 2:26  …faith without works is dead.
-Work comes after our faith
-But faith is always followed by works!
 
 
3.  Help others start with faith!
-Show them you trust God by faith alone, not your works
-Don’t make people obey before they trust
-Don’t mislead people to think obedience earns right standing
-Be REAL!  Let others know you aren’t boasting in front of God
   -Don’t hide your sin, pretend you are perfect
   -show them how to grow spiritually
   -show them how to keep asking forgiveness, continuing on!
 
 
What is your next right step today?
1 Corinthians 5:15    And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the one who died for them and was raised.
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