Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com

 

 

 

Sermon #46 — Romans Series

 

      Title:                                 The God We Trust

 

      Text:                                  Romans 4:16-25

      Subject:               Faith’s Holdfasts

      Reading: Psalm 119:1-41, 81

      Introduction:

 

It is my blessed privilege and honor and very great responsibility to stand here and speak to you again in the name of God, in Christ’s stead, as God’s ambassador, to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to you, eternity bound sinners, living on the brink of eternity! I am here to urge you to come to Christ, to persuade you to trust the Son of God and be saved. — Saved! What a blessed word! To be saved is to be…

  • Redeemed!
  • Forgiven!
  • Justified!
  • Sanctified!
  • Righteous!
  • Holy!
  • Accepted!

 

Five Arguments

 

How can I persuade you to come to Christ? How can I persuade you to trust my Savior? Here are five arguments found in the Word of God by which I would persuade you to be reconciled to God by faith in Jesus Christ.

 

1. First, hear this: God has planned, purposed, and predestinated the salvation of a great multitude of sinners. God will save some men and women. That is certain (Romans 8:29-30). He saves them by grace alone, without condition or qualification. If God has purposed to save some, perhaps I am one, perhaps you are one. It may be that he has kept you alive these many years that he may be gracious to you and save you by his omnipotent mercy.

 

2. Second, the Lord Jesus Christ has fully met and satisfied every requirement of God for the salvation of his elect. There is nothing for you to do, nothing for me to do. Jesus Christ has done it all. All who are saved are saved upon the basis of and by the merits of Christ’s obedience to God as the sinner’s Substitute (Romans 5:19).

  • He has finished the work of righteousness (John 17:4).
  • He has finished the work of redemption (John 19:30).

 

3. Third, God the Holy Spirit will effectually regenerate and call every elect sinner to life and faith in Christ (Psalm 65:4; John 6:63). He will effectually save every one of the chosen, every one of the redeemed. Christ will save his sheep. Not one God’s elect will perish. The Son of God shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied.

  • Christ’s blood was not shed in vain.
  • God’s purpose will not be overturned.
  • The grace of God cannot be frustrated.

 

4. Fourth, every sinner who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, every sinner who comes to Christ in faith is saved. “He that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life” (John 3:36). Faith in Christ is the proof of eternal election, effectual redemption, and saving grace. If you trust Christ, you have life. It really is as simple as that. Your faith is the fruit and result of God predestination, Christ’s redemption, and the Spirit’s call.

 

5. Fifth, every sinner who hears the gospel is called, invited, and urged to come to Christ and live (Revelation 22:17). You are invited, you are called, you are urged to come to Christ. The blessings held forth to you in the Word of life are rich beyond expression. The invitations given to you in the gospel are as free as sunshine. Throughout the Scriptures every encouragement is given to sinners to “lay hold upon the hope that is set before you” in the gospel. Everything in the Book of God is designed of God to encourage sinners to come to Christ and live. There is not a word in the Bible to discourage any sinner from trusting Christ. — “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.”

 

With that as the background, I want us to open our Bibles to Romans 4. The title of my message is The God We Trust. My text is Romans 4:16-25. — The God We Trust — That’s my subject.

 

Proposition: Here is another reason for you to come to Christ, another reason for you to believe on the Son of God. — The God we trust is a God able to perform what he has promised; and he has promised to save all who trust his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

(Romans 4:16-25) Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end 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, (17) (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. (18) 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. (19) And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: (20) He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; (21) And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. (22) And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. (23) Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; (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; (25) Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

 

Divisions: Keep your Bible open on your lap at Romans 4:16-25. I want to show you four things in this portion of Holy Scripture, four things that ought to persuade you to come to Christ, four holdfasts of faith.

1.    The Promise (v. 16)

2.    The Promiser (v. 18)

3.    The Persuasion (vv. 19-22)

4.    The Performance (vv. 23-25)

 

The Promise

 

First, in verse 16 the Lord God promises salvation, the very same salvation he gave to Abraham way back in the Book of Genesis, to everyone who believes on the Lord Jesus. — Here’s the promise.

 

(Romans 4:16) Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end 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.

 

This is God’s promise of righteousness, salvation, eternal life to every sinner who trusts his Son. This salvation is promised to faith.

 

(Matthew 11:28-30) Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

 

(Mark 16:15-16) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (16) He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

 

(John 3:36) He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

 

(Acts 13:38-39) Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: (39) And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

 

(Acts 16:31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

 

(Romans 10:9-13) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (12) For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 

Salvation is promised to faith; and that salvation promised to faith is by grace alone. Faith in Christ does not accomplish salvation. Faith receives salvation. And the faith that receives salvation in and by Christ Jesus is itself a part of God’s gift of salvation by Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10).

 

(Ephesians 2:8-10) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast. (10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

 

God the Holy Spirit uses Abraham and his justification by faith without works to teach us that God justifies sinners by the righteousness and blood of Christ. By faith in Christ sinners receive and enjoy the blessedness of that righteousness and justification Christ accomplished at Calvary.

 

`Tis the promise of God, full salvation to give

Unto him who on Jesus, His Son, will believe.

Though the pathway be lonely, and dangerous, too,

Surely Jesus is able to carry me through.

 

Hallelujah, ’tis done! I believe on the Son;

I am saved by the blood of the crucified One;

Hallelujah, ’tis done! I believe on the Son;

I am saved by the blood of the crucified One.

 

The Promiser

 

That’s the promise. But a promise is only as good as the one who makes it. So, second, in verse 17 we are encouraged to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal salvation by this blessed holdfast. — It is God who made the promise. — Here’s the Promiser.

 

(Romans 4:17) (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

 

He who promises salvation to all who believe is God, the triune Jehovah, the only true and living God.

·      El-Shaddai — God All-sufficient!

·      Adonai — The Cause, the Support, of All Things!

·      The Lord of Hosts!

He is God, the God of all grace, God our Savior: Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Immutable, Holy, Just, Righteous, and Good! — All-sufficient! — Self-sufficient! — Eternal! — God!

 

He who made the promise is “God who quickeneth the dead!

·      Abraham’s Dead Body

·      Sarah’s Dead Womb

·      Isaac on Mt. Moriah

·      Sinners Dead in Trespasses and in Sins

 

(Ephesians 2:1-5) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (2) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (3) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, (5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved.)

 

·      The Bodies of the Dead in the Resurrection

 

If the Lord God quickens the dead, then all hope in him is good hope, for nothing depends on me. My poor, lifeless, dying frame is no barrier to God and his grace! As Cowper put it…

 

I hear, but seem to hear in vain,
Insensible as steel;
If aught is felt, ‘tis only pain,
To find I cannot feel.
 
I sometimes think myself inclined
To love Thee if I could;
But often feel another mind,
Averse to all that’s good.
 
My best desires are faint and few,
I fain would strive for more;
But when I cry, “My strength renew!”
Seem weaker than before.
 
Thy saints are comforted, I know,
And love Thy house of prayer;
I therefore go where others go,
But find no comfort there.
 
Oh make this heart rejoice or ache;
Decide this doubt for me;
And if it be not broken, break—
And heal it, if it be.

 

Look at verse 17 again. Remember, Paul is giving us reasons to trust Christ, reasons to believe God. God who promised salvation to all who trust his Son is “God who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.” I’ve been looking at that phrase for a long, long time, with increasing wonder.

 

Remember, God never plays pretend. Paul is not telling us that God pretends that things are which are not. Not at all. He is alluding to God’s mighty work of creation, when he called all things into being out of nothing. He is telling us that God declares things to be what they are manifestly made to be before he makes them to be what he makes them to be. I’m not playing with words. I stated that just the way I intended. — God declares things to be what they are manifestly made to be before he makes them to be what he makes them to be. Let me show you.

·      He called Abraham the father of many nations before he ever had a child.

·      When God comes in grace, he calls those “things which are not to bring to nought the things that are!

·      He calls Christ “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

·      He called us his people long before we ever had any being in ourselves.

·      And he called us his saved, his righteous, his justified, sanctified, holy, blessed, accepted people in Christ “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,” when he accepted him and accepted us in him before the world was made (Romans 8:29-30; Acts 15:16-18).

 

(Romans 8:29-30) For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (30) Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

 

(Acts 15:18) Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

 

This great God, our heavenly Father, calls us perfect and holy in Christ, because he has made us perfect and holy in Christ, though we have not yet experienced what it is to be perfect and holy in ourselves.

 

(1 John 4:17) Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

 

The Persuasion

 

Third, in verses 18-21, we see Abraham’s persuasion. In verse 16 we have the promise. In verse 17 we have the Promiser. — Here’s the persuasion, the persuasion of faith.

 

(Romans 4:18-22) (Abraham) 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. (19) And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: (20) He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; (21) And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. (22) And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

 

Everything in nature, everything reasonable, everything scientific, everything biological, everything natural, everything carnal said, Abraham can never have a child by Sarah. They were both nearly 100 years old! What numbskull would ever believe that such an old woman would give birth? — One who believes God!

 

Abraham, against hope believed in hope. That is to say, he fully believed God, expecting God to do what he promised he would do! — That is faith! Our hope of redemption, grace, salvation, and eternal life is not just a wish or a desire but expectation based upon the promise of God and the purchase of the Son (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17; 1 Peter 1:3).

 

(2 Thessalonians 2:13-17)  But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: (14) Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (15) Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. (16) Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, (17) Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

 

(1 Peter 1:1-4) Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, (2) Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. (3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.

 

Abraham was fully persuaded that God was able to do and would do what he promised. — Me too!

 

(2 Timothy 1:9-12) Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, (10) But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: (11) Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. (12) For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

 

(Hebrews 7:25) Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

 

(Philippians 3:20-21) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: (21) Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

 

(Romans 8:31-39) What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (32) He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? (33) Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. (34) Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (35) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (36) As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. (37) Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, (39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

With God nothing is impossible! All things are possible with God! If salvation is God’s work, altogether God’s work, in nothing dependent upon me, then I have no reason not to trust him and every reason to trust him.

 

(Zechariah 4:7) Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

 

Bring God’s promise and God the Promiser together, and faith is unstaggered and unwavering.

 

The Performance

 

Fourth, here’s the performance of the promise (vv. 22-25).

 

Romans 4:22-25 (22) And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. (23) Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; (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; (25) Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

 

Because he believed God righteousness was imputed to Abraham. That is to say, God said to Abraham, “I have made you righteous. You are righteous.” Abraham’s faith didn’t make him righteous. God did that. But Abraham, by believing God, obtained testimony from God, like Enoch before him, “that he pleased God!” Would you obtain such a testimony from God? — “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ… Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

 

(Romans 10:9-13) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (12) For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 

Amen.

 

 

Don Fortner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pastor Fortner’s

 

Audio Sermons

Video Sermons

Books

Itinerary