Let's open our Bibles to the book of Romans, Romans chapter number four. We're preaching through the book of Romans, and we're in Romans chapter number four. Are you glad to be in church? I'm glad to be in church as well. Romans chapter four, if you have it, would you stand with me as we read, if you're able? Romans chapter four, we'll start reading in verse number 14. Romans four, verse number 14. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect, because the law worketh wrath, for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace, to the end of the promise might be sure, to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations. Before him whom he delivered, even God, who quickeneth the dead and calleth those things which be not as though they were. who against hope believeth in hope that he might become the father of many nations according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. Being found persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. Therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but for us also to whom it shall be imputed. For we believe on him that raised up Jesus, our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. Father, thank you so much for the word of God, especially Lord, thank you for the truths that are in this text. Lord, I pray that you would set my carnality aside, my frailness aside, and, Lord, that you'd speak to us through your word. I pray, Lord, that Jesus Christ would be exalted, and, Lord, that you'd draw amen to yourself. Help us, Lord, to realize the blessings of faith, and, Lord, that we could not earn our way to heaven, and Jesus died on the cross and rose again, doing what we could not do. Now salvation's a free gift. It's by faith. Thank you so much. We love you, and we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen, thank you so much. It's amazing to me what people are willing to do if they think that it will get them to heaven. If you could tell someone if they gave this much money they could go to heaven, if people believed you they would give that much money. There would be no sacrifice too small. There'd be nothing that a man would not be willing to do if you could promise him and he believed you that what you told him to do would get him to heaven. I was reading about some Hindu people, a lot of Hindu people, as a matter of fact, in Varanasi, India, which is one of their holiest cities. In Varanasi, India, people gather together, primarily Hindus, get together in that city, which is called the City of Death. hoping that by dying and being cremated there, they can break out of the Hindu rebirth cycle and attain salvation. That millions of Hindus that think they're going to die will migrate to this city, thinking that if they die there, if they're cremated there, and their ashes are spread all over the water, then that's a way to break the cycle of reincarnation, and that's how they can finally attain true salvation. And so people thinking that they're going to die make their journey to this city. Often these people don't die as quickly as they expected. They are forced to take temporary lodging and wait until their time is up. Some people don't last long while others live for decades waiting for the end to come. They come thinking they're going to die, and some of them live longer than they think. And so as their health improves, they don't want to leave the city, because maybe I'm going to leave, and then I'll die. And if I'm not in the city, if I'm not cremated properly by Adam, one of their leaders, if I'm not cremated properly, my ashes aren't spread here, then I'll be stuck without salvation. So they stay. They stay there thinking that that's the only way they can earn their salvation. When someone dies there in Varanasi, their body is wrapped, usually in white, and adorned with marigolds. Then they are brought down to the city's ghats, which are wide stone landings separated by steps that lead up to the Ganges River. Fires burn constantly in their city as people are being cremated. They estimate there's about 200 people a day that are cremated in that city. Varanasi is the only city in India where pyres burn 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Boats with chunks of wood piles arrive every day for these cremations to burn these people, to cremate them, because that's what they think they need to do to inherit eternal life. One, this is the quote, one cannot enter into the gates of heaven if their bodies are not cremated, or if their bodies are cremated without the presence of Adam. Meaning you have to be in the right city, the right person has to cremate you, the ashes have to be spread over the right river, and then you can have eternal life. And people take all of their time, all of their money, all their efforts to move to this city to be cremated in this fashion in hopes of having eternal life, in hopes of having salvation. Can I tell you this morning that salvation is not achieved by being washed in a river. Salvation is not achieved by being cremated in a certain spot. Salvation is not achieved by keeping the law or by being circumcised. Salvation is only achieved by faith. In Romans chapter 3 verse number 28, therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. That we are saved by faith and not by our works. This morning I want to look at our text and I want to see the power of faith. the patriarch of faith, and then the point of faith. The power, the patriarch, and the point of faith. Number one, let's look at the power of faith. Let's look at how powerful faith is. Chapter number four, verse number 14. The Bible says in verse 14, for they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. He's simply saying this, if you could earn your way by keeping the Old Testament, keeping the law, then faith is made empty, it's made void, it's made useless, if you could work your way or earn your way to heaven. The Bible says, therefore by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in this sight. So it's not by the keeping of the law, but some people think it is. And if it is the law, then it makes faith void. You see, the law only, listen, the law does not produce righteousness. The law only produces wrath. Can I say that again? That the law only produces wrath. How do we know that? Verse 15. The Bible says, because the law worketh wrath, for where no law is, there is no transgression. The law worketh wrath. Remember in Romans chapter one, in verse number 18, the Lord tells us in verse number 18, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. That God's wrath is revealed when men are unrighteous, when they're disobedient. That's why the law produces wrath. Why? Because you've broken the law. When you lie, You've broken the law, and it produces wrath. When you cheat, you break the law. It produces wrath. When you steal, you break the law. It produces wrath. When you are dishonest, you break the law. It produces wrath. When you covet, you broke the law. It produces wrath. When you lust, you've broken the law. It produces wrath. Someone would think, well, you know, I keep the law. You don't keep the law. Now, the Bible is very clear in James, if we've offended in one point, we're guilty of all. But I'm here to tell you, you've broken more than one. And when we break the law, thinking that the law is going to produce righteousness, well it doesn't. Because we've broken the law and it produces wrath. The Bible says in Psalm 7 verse 11, God judges the righteous and God is angry with the wicked every day. I'm afraid that sometimes we overemphasize the love of God. That God is love, and God loves you, and God loves you, and God loves you, and God loves you. Well, I'm here to tell you that God loves you, but before you realize His love, you better understand His wrath. We better understand His holiness. That God is a holy God, He's a just God, and He judges sin. And He's angry at the wicked every day. And because He's holy, and because you've broken God's law, the wrath of God abideth upon you. And the only thing that will save you is His love. You say, Pastor, how can we overemphasize the love of God? Listen, the gospel is not that God loves you. The gospel is, you are a sinner, you've offended a holy God, the wages of your sin is death, and you're in trouble. And the good news is, for all sinning is short of the glory of God, for the wages of sin is death. But the good news is, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. He is trying to say, listen, you're trying to earn your way to heaven through keeping the law, but the law only produces wrath. See, sin is the transgression of the law, and you're a sinner, and you've broken God's law, you've transgressed God's law. You're guilty in your sin and your trespasses and your iniquities, and so the law only produces wrath, only produces wrath. I remember one time I was a teenager, 16 years old, and I was late for work and didn't want to be late, and I was driving my dad's van. And I decided that I was not going to be late, so I drove very quickly. I got pulled over doing, should I even say, 105 miles an hour. Can I say, when that police officer pulled me over, it wasn't, how's your day going? He was furious. He didn't care that I was going to be late for work. He, oh, he was mad. He let me know it by no uncertain terms that I wouldn't be driving for a very long time. He made it known. He made it known that I was not going to, I would lose my license, I'd be uninsurable, I wouldn't get my license back for years. I mean he, and he's on the side of the road and he's screaming this at me. Screaming it at me. And the worst part was I had to call my father. Yeah, Dad So I got more screaming. Oh My dad was upset My dad's listen. I'm upset at this you broke the law you put yourself in danger you put our vehicle You know a jeopardy, and I'm really mad at you. He said I'm gonna fix this what he said I'm gonna fix it now. He was a major in the Department of Corrections He said I'm gonna fix it and I'm not fixing it for you because you deserve everything that that state trooper said you should get and But I'm going to fix it. I'm not going to fix it for you. He said, I'm going to fix it for me. Because it's my insurance. Those points are going to go against my insurance. It's my vehicle. You drive the kids to school. And if you get your license taken away, then you can't drive the kids to school. So that puts the burden on me. So I'm going to fix this. But I'm not going to fix it for you. I'm going to fix it for me. Do you know you broke God's law? Nothing I could do to fix it. Nothing I could say. Our Heavenly Father fixed it. He didn't fix it because we kept the law. He fixed it because we broke the law. The law produces wrath. But how did he fix it? The Bible says in Galatians 3, verse 10, for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, curse is everyone that continueth not, and all the things that are written in the book of the law. So we are cursed because we have broken the law, and we continue in our disobedience. But that no man is justified by the law and the sign of God, it is evident. The just shall live by faith. The way that it's fixed is not by keeping the law because the law produces wrath. The way that it's fixed is by faith. Faith produces grace. The law produces wrath, but faith produces grace. Look at chapter number 4, verse number 16. Therefore, it is of faith that it might be by grace. See, grace is God's unmerited favor. Grace is not earned. It is not deserved. It is freely given. Romans 3, verse 24, being justified freely by His grace. So God says, you can't fix it on your own. I will fix it for you. You can't earn it. You don't deserve it. You deserve wrath. But I will fix it. I'll fix it not by works, but I'll fix it by your faith. By faith. The Bible says in Ephesians 2, verse 8, for by grace are you saved through? Faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. When we talk about the power of faith, we're saying trying to keep the law cancels the effects of faith and leaves us only wrath. But accepting salvation by faith gives us grace, and that is the power of faith. what a tremendous thing faith is. And to illustrate this, he uses the example of Abraham. He gives us the example of Abraham, that just shall live by faith. In chapter number four, verses 16b down to verse number 23, he talks about the faith of Abraham. Let's look at that, verse number 16. In the middle of that verse, he says this, to the end, promise might be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. That Abraham is the father of us all. We're looking at the patriarch of our faith. Abraham is the father of us all. Now, I don't know who here, how many people here are Jewish? We have Jewish people here? Okay, well then you might be surprised to know that Abraham, if you're saved, Abraham is your father. Now, I'll be honest with you, my least favorite song in all the world that kids sing is Father Abraham. Had many sons. Many sons had Father Abraham. I am one of them, and so are you. So let's just end this song. Not a whole lot of spiritual truth unless we understand what he's saying right here, that Abraham is the father of us all. He's the patriarch. I understand that word patriarch and the patriarchy is highly under attack today. When you say, well, it's just the patriarchy. It is the patriarchy. It will always be the patriarchy because we have a Heavenly Father. We have a Heavenly Father that put the man in charge. We all right? I realized a while ago when my dad passed away, I'm like, my grandfather used to always say, I'm the patriarch of the family, and then he died, and then my dad said, I'm the patriarch of the family, and then my dad died, and then a couple weeks later, I'm like, I'm the patriarch of my family. Please, Lord, bless my family. Patriarch. Patriarchy means this. It means, I heard a woman say, when I get married, I'm not taking my husband's name. I'm not taking a man's name. And somebody said, oh, you're just going to keep your father's name? OK. All right. Moving on, the patriarch, the father or ruler of a family, one who governs by paternal right. Usually patriarchy, our patriarch refers to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Old Testament. They're the patriarchs. And God had promised that Abraham, through Abraham, that all the nations and all the families of the world would be blessed. In Genesis chapter 12, verse 1, the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house, unto a land that I shall show thee, and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing. I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curses thee, and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Now I believe that Abraham, the patriarch here, had no idea the extent of this promise in chapter number 12. That he had no idea the ramifications of what God promised him, that he would be a blessing to all the families of the earth. But this blessing was going to come about not because he was circumcised. It was not going to come about because he kept the law. Remember, he was circumcised 14 years before he had a covenant in chapter number 17. Before his name was changed to Abraham, he was circumcised. And 400 years before the law was given. he had found faith and he had found righteousness. And so he was not saved by the law and he was not saved by circumstance, by circumcision, he was saved by his faith. And what a tremendous story we have here in chapter number four as he talks about the patriarch of our faith. What does he say that Abraham believed? Look at verse number 17. As is written, I have made thee a father of many nations, before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead and call those things which be not as those that were. Who against hope believed in hope that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. He said Abraham's faith was so profound, it was so strong, that Abraham believed that God could call things out that never were. Things that could not be seen. Things that could not exist. Abraham had enough faith to say, listen, I believe that if God says it, it's going to happen. Or we can't see it. It doesn't even exist. It didn't matter in the mind of Abraham. God can call things out that are not. He can make things that are not. He can make those things to be. He says, I believe who against hope believes in hope that he might become the father of many nations. Even though there's nothing tangible to hold on to, he held on to the word of God. Nothing for him to see, he believed the word of God. That is the definition of faith. That is how deep his faith was. Think about how deep his faith is, verse number 19. Being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief. What was his belief in? Well, we find out that he had faith that God would provide a son even in his old age. It's pretty ironic that his name is Abram. Abram means exalted father. And he has no children. Right? Exalted father, but he has no kids. Oh, Abram, you must be a father of many, exalted father. Well, I'm not a father. Oh. And then in chapter 17, you know, he tries to do things that he probably shouldn't do. Chapter 16, chapter 16, he goes in and Hagar has Ishmael. Then in chapter 17, God changes his name to Abraham. He changes it from Abram to Abraham. And Abraham means the father of multitudes or the father of nations. And at this point he has one son that he really shouldn't have had. Oh, you're a father of multitudes. How many kids do you have? Well, I have one, Ishmael. So his very name. As people called his name, it would be a reminder. Wait a minute. Oh, Abraham, a father of multitude. But he had one son. He wasn't a father of multitudes. And God even said that wasn't the son of the promise. So God tells him, listen, Abraham, I'm going to give you a son, and it's not Ishmael. I'm going to give you another son. I'm going to call his name Isaac. I'm going to give you a son. Now, at that point, Abraham is 100 years old. Now, folks, 100 years old. Now, I know that when Corbin was born, my pastor friends called me and said, hey, Father Abraham. I think I was 43 when he was born. That's not that old. But 100, there's nobody here in this room that's 100 years old. 100? And the Bible says that he looked at himself at 100, and then he looked at his wife, and he would never call his wife old, and I wouldn't either, but she was 90. 90 years old. When Sarah heard about it, she laughed. Yeah, right. But the Bible says that Abraham didn't stagger at the promises of God. He didn't waver. He didn't give God a biological lesson. Told him all the reasons it wouldn't work. He said, alright God, if you said it, then I'm gonna have a son, then I believe you, I believe your promises. The word stagger means he didn't hesitate, he didn't begin to doubt, he didn't waver. He didn't become less confident, he just believed God. The Bible says in verse 19 that his faith was not weak, being not weak in faith. And verse number 20 says explicitly that he is strong in faith, verse 20. He staggered not at the promises of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. You know, it's one thing to give glory to God after he gives us something. It's another thing to give glory to God before he gives us something. Can I say that again? Hey, if it's delivered, glory to God. It's right here. Hold in it, have it. But if you can glory in something before you get it, then that glory is faith. Believing what God said. God said it, then I'm going to believe it, and so I'm going to glory in Him. I'm going to glory in this fact. This is so important. I know you're quiet. You're probably tired. I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to tell you that he is exulting. Abraham's faith as a model, the patriarch of our faith. When I was old, Abraham said, I believe you. And that faith was counted as righteousness. He was fully persuaded, verse number 21, of being fully persuaded that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. I am fully persuaded if God said it, then God's going to do it. If God says it's going to happen, then you mark it down, it's going to happen. being confident of this very thing that he that began a good work in you? Do you have that confidence in God? He did, he had that faith. Now to expound upon this, to see his faith in totality, I think we have to go to the book of Hebrews. Can we go there? Hebrews chapter number 11. Hebrews chapter 11, we're looking at the faith of this patriarch. His faith. Out of all the people listed in the book of Hebrews chapter 11, Abraham, Enoch, Noah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Jephthah, David, Samuel, out of all the people that are listed in this chapter, who has the lion's share when it comes to faith? It's none other than Abraham, verses eight all the way down to verse number 19. He talks about Abraham's faith. Let me show you some amazing things that Abraham believed. In Hebrews chapter 11, verse number eight, by faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went out not knowing whether he went. Listen, that was his first step of faith. God says, Abraham, I want you to get away from your family and your country, and I want you to go. Okay, Lord, where? I'll tell you later, just go. And the Bible says by faith. All right, Lord, I'll go. And it's that first initial faith where God says, all right, I see your faith in Genesis chapter 15, and I will count that faith as righteousness. Then later on, he says, I'm gonna give you a son. Lord, I'm 100 years old. But he believed him by faith. Sarah's 90 years old, but he believed God by faith. He had faith that God would give him a son. He had faith that God would lead him to where he needed to go. He had faith, look at this, look at verse number 10. Hebrews 11, verse number 10. For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. He had faith in a place called heaven. Verse number 16, but now they desire a better country that is in heavenly, wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city. Listen, I don't know everything that Abraham knew. I don't know the ins and outs, but I do know this. I know that when God said, go, he stepped out by faith. And God said, that's righteous. I know when God said, I'll give you a son, in the book of Romans chapter 4, he accepted it by faith, didn't stagger, didn't waver. And God said, I see that faith. I count it as righteousness. Then he says, I'm gonna go prepare a place for you. Somehow Abraham knew that God was preparing a city. He looked for a city whose builder and maker was God, a city he could not see, and he accepted it by faith. Do you believe in heaven? I don't believe the stories of people going to heaven or hell, coming back and telling their story. I don't believe it. So why don't you believe it? I don't believe it because according to Luke chapter 16, That rich man wanted somebody to go back. Lord, send Lazarus back, and he might tell my brothers. No, they're not coming back to tell you what it's like. They have Moses and the prophets. They have the word of God. That was the principle. So I don't necessarily believe, well, I know I was 30 seconds in hell, or I saw a bright light. I don't know how all those things work, but I do know this. I know that none of us have been in heaven. You believe it's real? Do you believe that he's preparing a place for you? Do you believe that? If you believe that, then you have not seen it, so it has to be by faith. That's the faith that Abraham had. And can I tell you, we have more revelation about heaven than he ever had. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. We have more, we have the completed word of God now. He didn't have it then. But he believed. He believed in this city. He lived for that city. Hey, we say we believe in heaven, but we're living for earth. If we really believe that we're going to go to heaven and be with God, where there's no more sickness, no more sadness, no more sorrow, no more death, if we believe there's a place where when we get there, we'll be judged at the judgment seat of Christ, and we have the ability to earn rewards, if we believe in that place, if we really believe that we should live for that, because that's what Abraham did. Do you realize he received the promise of land that never got land? Do you realize that? You realize that he died in tents? He never got that. He never saw that. But he believed in a city whose builder and maker was God, and that's what he was living for. He was living by faith and not by sight, living for a place that God promised, not for the things he could hold on to and the things that he could see. Look at chapter 11, verse number 19. I can't explain this, by the way. Verse 17. Chapter 11, verse 17. By faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac, and he that had received the promise offered up his only begotten son. So Lord, I'm gonna step out by faith. You said to go, I step out by faith and I'll go. Lord, you said I have a son. I know I messed up with Ishmael, I understand that, but I believe you that I'll have a son. And he accepted it by faith. And Lord, I believe that you're preparing a city and I'm not living here for this land you can give me now, I'm living for the land you promised. And so I'm stepping out by faith. Then the Lord says, all right, God gives him a son by the name of Isaac. And then God says, I want you to take your son, your only begotten son, and I want you to sacrifice him for me. Would you do that? I want you to take your only son. Listen, the son of your promise. You're 100 years old and this baby's born. Fulfill the promise, and now everything that I told you you are, a father of many nations, and every promise I ever gave you is wrapped up in this kid. Now kill him. You know that Abraham went out to do that, right? He said, listen, to his servants, we're gonna go over to that mountain over there and we're gonna go worship. Can I say a side issue about worship? We have a strange concept of what worship is today. We conflate worship or we misunderstand what worship is and we tie it together with praise. Do you know they're not synonyms? Do you know that? We read about worship in the Bible. We read about men falling on their faces. We read about men sacrificing. It's not how we feel about the music. It's not, not at all. And you, just if you could put yourself in his shoes for a minute, he's lifting up his knife, everything, his whole hope, everything that God promised is laying right here. Literally everything he loves is right here. And he's about ready to sacrifice it. And the question is why? Why would he be willing to sacrifice his only son? And the answer is faith. Faith, he did that by faith. Yeah, look at verse number 18. Chapter 11, verse 18. Of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called, verse number 19, accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure. He said, listen, Lord, if you have me kill him, I have enough faith in you, I believe in a resurrection. Do you know, Sometimes we look back at the the people in the olden days, and I'm not talking olden days like 40s and 50s I'm talking about like like old like before the flood was anybody here before the flood anybody at all We look at them and go all those ignorant people in the Stone Age. I'm gonna tell you this they were smarter and more intelligent than we will ever be There was so much knowledge and wisdom and technology that was lost in the flood, I think it's mind boggling. I would dare say if you lived to be 500, 600, 700 years old, you'd be pretty wise at the end of that. Right? I feel like I'm at the point right now where I'm starting to get a little bit of wisdom, but my body's already destroyed. If I could take what I knew now and go back to my early 30s, How many would go back? If you could take what you know now and go back, probably most of us would. What am I saying? I'm saying we look at them and think, well, they didn't know anything back then. I think they knew more than we thought, and I think spiritually they knew more than we thought. Don't you remember what Job said? Job said, listen, I know that my Redeemer liveth, and I know although worms may eat this body, that I know that in my flesh I shall see God. That's a resurrection. They knew about it. So he says this, all right, Lord, you want me to take this step of faith? I'll take it. I believe your word. And you said this is the son of my promise. So I believe that you're going to have to raise him from the dead, because you said this is my son. This is my son of the promise. So you asked me to kill him, so you must have another plan. I trust you by faith. And he raised up that dagger. That's tremendous faith. Do you believe in a resurrection? Do you believe that one day your corruptible body will put on incorruption and that your mortal body shall put on immortality? Do you believe that? If you do, it's by faith. Then I want to show you one more thing about our patriarch's faith. Go with me to the book of John, just real quick. John chapter number eight. John eight, you'll remember this conversation that Jesus has in John chapter eight. John 8, verse number 52. John chapter 8, verse number 52. The Bible says, Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets. And thou sayest, If a man keep my sayings, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead, and the prophets are dead, whom makest thou thyself? Who do you think you are? You're talking about if you believe in you, they'll never die, but Abraham's dead. Prophets are dead. Who do you think you are? Verse 54, Jesus answered, if I honor myself, my honor is nothing. It is my father that honors me, of whom you say that he is your God. Yet you have not known him, but I know him and if I should say I know him not I shall be a liar like unto you but I know him and keep his sayings verse 56 your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he sought and was glad Did you catch that Abraham was looking for me. He was looking for the seed that was promised in Genesis 3. He rejoiced to see my day. The Bible says in Galatians 3, verse 6, even as Abraham believed God, it was counted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham. saying, in thee shall all the nations be blessed. So then they which be of the faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham. The blessing of the seed was not just Abraham's children and offspring. It was that one would come by the name of Jesus, the Savior of the world. And through Abraham's seed, there would be one that would be born, that would be the anointed one, the Savior of the world. And that he would die for the sins of the world. and then he'd rise again the third day. I am not trying to fabricate all that Abraham knew, but I'm here to say that Abraham knew a whole lot more than we think he knew. But everything he knew, he knew by faith. So he's our father. He stepped out by faith, he believed by faith, he believed in heaven by faith, he believed in a resurrection by faith, and I believe he believed in the coming of the Savior by faith. Lastly, are you still with me? I don't know if you ever were with me, but I hope so. Go back there to our text in chapter number four. So we looked at the power of faith. Faith did what the law could not do. Faith produced grace where the law produced wrath. We looked at the patriarch of faith, that is our Father Abraham. who had faith that God would bring him to a land, that had faith that God would give him a son, that had faith that God was preparing a place in heaven, that had faith in a resurrection, and had faith in a coming Savior. Lastly, I wanna look at the point of faith. The point of faith that's found in the end of our text, verse number 24 and verse number 25. The point of faith, verse 24, but for us also to whom it shall be imputed If we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. When I'm talking about the point of faith, I'm talking about what is our faith in? Where is our faith pointed? What is our faith trusting in? And I know there are some people that say, well, I have faith. And they're still trusting their works. They're trusting their denomination. They're trusting in their goodness. But what is your faith in? What are you really trusting in in order to have eternal life? There's probably nobody here that's trusting in cremation and your buried ashes or some sacred river. There's probably nobody here, I hope there's nobody here, that's trusting in water baptism, that somehow going into the water is going to wash away your sins. The taking of communion, the being a good person, or being a proper citizen, or being faithful to your spouse, that somehow you're trusting in those things. Where is your faith pointed at? What is your sole trust for eternal life? Well, he tells us what it needs to be. In verse number 24, he says, but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him. that raised up Jesus, our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. Our faith and trust needs to be in Jesus Christ. in Jesus and in only Jesus. That is, that we believe that Jesus lived a sinful life and that on the cross he became sin for us. The Bible says in verse number 25, who was delivered for our offenses. Isaiah 53 says he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was laid upon him and by his stripes we are healed. That is the idea that, listen, I know that I'm a sinner and that that I've broken God's law and that imputed on my account. When God sees me, he sees my sin and my transgression and will not allow me into heaven. But the belief is that Jesus became sin for us who knew no sin. That Jesus became a curse for us For it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth upon a tree. That Jesus died on the cross for your sins and my sins and the sins of the world. And that God was willing to take our sins and put them on the cross of Calvary and to take his righteousness and give it to us. Unearned, undeserved by grace because of our faith. You believe that? That Jesus died for you. It's one thing to think, well, I know, I believe Jesus died. Well, that's good. I believe that Jesus died for mankind. That's good. Do you know he died for you? Wasn't that special? Did he do that for you? Because you couldn't save yourself? And can I finish the story? It is not just in his death, it's also in his resurrection. In essence, what he's saying is this, if you really want eternal life, it's not by the law, it's not by circumcision, it's by faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15, I declare unto you the gospel that Jesus died according to the scriptures, and was buried, and rose again the third day according to the scriptures. That's the gospel, that he died for you. It's your faith in Christ. Again, I close chapter number four, verse 24. But for us also to whom it shall be imputed, Well, what do we want imputed? Well, righteousness, verse number 23. And we can have righteousness imputed or added to our account if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. Why did he die? He was delivered from our transgressions and was raised again for our justification. If you want justification, it comes by faith in the finished work of Calvary. Do you believe that? He already said that in Romans chapter three, verse 25, whom God had set forth to be the propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. Do you believe that? Is that what your faith is? If your faith's in anything else, then you're lost. If your faith is in Christ and only Christ, then you are justified, sanctified, washed, redeemed. not by your works, but by your faith and by faith alone. Let's pray. Father, thank you so much for what Christ has done at Calvary. Lord, we're in amazement how faith did what our works could not do, what the law could not do, that our faith provides grace, what we do not deserve, our faith in Jesus Christ. Lord, I'm so thankful for Calvary. I'm so thankful for what the cross truly means and what that empty tomb has earned for us and our salvation. Lord, I've been around long enough to know that there's probably a few in here right now that their faith and trust is not in Christ. They've never truly been saved. Maybe they're trusting in their goodness, their denomination, their deeds. Lord, may they put their faith and trust in Christ and Christ alone here this morning. For those of us that are saved, Lord, as we look at the patriarch of Abraham, Lord, his faith was counted as righteousness and his faith pleased you. Lord, what tremendous faith. Lord, many times we accept Christ as our Savior, but we stagger. at walking by faith. Lord, there's some in this room that are going through some difficult times right now, and they're staggering, they're wavering. Lord, may you increase their strength, increase their faith. I pray, Lord, that you would be with those, perhaps they're, maybe it's a financial burden, maybe it's a physical need. I don't know what it is, but Lord, I pray that you'd help our faith in you to grow, knowing that you're a God that can do all, and that your word is true, and that it will never return void. And if you say it, then it will come to pass. Lord, only you are worthy of our faith, and may our faith increase. We're also aware, Father, that without faith, it's impossible to please you. So help us, Lord, to have more faith. If you had body, if you had clothes this morning, let me ask you this. Did someone here this morning say, you know what, Pastor, I'm not sure if I'm saved. I just really don't know. I'd like to pray for you. If you're not sure of your salvation, would you just humbly slip up your hand right now, quietly, that I might pray for you. Pastor, here's my hand. I'm not quite sure if I'm really on my way to heaven. Please pray for me. Anyone at all? Christian, let me ask you this. If you're saved and your faith is in Christ, but are you walking by faith? Are you living by faith? Maybe you're going through something right now, and you're kind of staggering, and you're kind of wavering, and you realize this morning that, boy, all that Abraham went through, his faith never wavered. His faith was strong, and I need to have as strong a faith as he did, because my God's the same God. Who would say, I need more faith at this time in my life? Would you honestly? Amen. Praise the Lord. Father, I pray that you bless this time of invitation. I pray, Lord, for those that perhaps might be lost, whether they raise their hand or not, that, Lord, that they'd be saved. And for those of us who are saved, help us to walk by faith. With every head bowed, every eye closed, I'll ask you to stand to your feet. I'm going to ask you if the piano would play. And I'm going to give you a moment, maybe, to come ask the Lord to forgive you for a lack of faith or ask him to give you more faith. Maybe you need to come and thank him for so great salvation. I want to just give you that opportunity for him doing at Calvary what we could not do.