Like us Abraham wasn’t perfect, he made loads of mistakes and got things wrong, but God saw his heart.
Romans 4 talks about Abraham’s faith in the face of impossibilities and gives us an amazing example of how we should live our lives with God.Awake Christian Church Videos
So, I want to look at some verses in this chapter and consider what we might learn from the for our daily walk with God.
In verse 3 it says - What does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Firstly, Paul refers to the scriptures, this is always a safe place to start, which say that ‘Abraham believed God’. Note: it doesn’t say Abraham believed in God, but that he believed God which is why it was then credited to him as righteousness. How quickly do we turn to the scriptures and how much do we take them on board and do what they say? In other words, do we believe God for the possible when all we see is the impossible?
Paul goes on to talks about work and faith and then quotes the scriptures again from Psalm 32:1-2 where David says ‘Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.’
Do you know whether you feel like it or not, if you know Christ you are truly blessed. Paul then talks about this blessedness being for the circumcised and the uncircumcised, that is both Jew and Gentile. But very importantly in verses 13 to 15 Paul explains that this righteousness does not come through the law but by faith.
Verses 16 and 17 explain this really well but look at how verse 17 finishes off:
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. (NIV. Underline added)
Paul says that God calls things into being that don’t exist. So, what we can’t see God can. Abraham knew this truth and so believed God. Look at what verse 18 says ‘Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Against all hope! Abraham in hope! 'Believed.' What a challenge for each one of us, when we’re up against it and all looks lost, will we nevertheless, in hope, believe?
How does Paul say he did this? Verses 19 - 21 tells us.
Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
Abraham saw with his eyes the desperate situation he and Sarah were in, but I love what it says at the end of verse 20 and 21 ‘but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
How was his faith strengthened? In his situation he gave glory to God because he was fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He had promised. WOW!!
Paul then tells us in verse 22 - 'This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”'
Was this righteousness just for Abraham? No! It’s for us too.
Paul finishes Romans 4 with this declaration: verses 23-25 'The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.'A Clay Jar
Like us Abraham wasn’t perfect, he made loads of mistakes and got things wrong, but God saw his heart. Right from the minute God called Abraham to leave his home and just go, God had a plan and Abraham believed Him for that plan, even against ‘All hope’. God also has a plan for our lives, will we believe Him even when we’re faced with what looks like complete hopelessness?
We are living in the most dangerous and the most exciting times in history. How we look at these times will determine how we walk with God. We can look at all that’s going on in this world and fall into hopelessness, or we can look up and believe that we’re living in His-story, give glory to Him and be fully persuaded that He's able to do what He's promised.
May God bless you with believing that He has the power to do all that He has promised. Walk in faith child of God and be blessed. Amen.
May God bless and enrich your life
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