Hear the good news of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to John the 8th chapter beginning of verse 52 Then the Jews said to him now. We know that you have a demon Abraham is dead and the prophets And you say if anyone keeps my word he shall never taste death Are you greater than our father Abraham who is dead and the prophets are dead? Who do you make yourself out to be? Jesus answered if I honor myself my honor is nothing It is my father who honors me Of whom you say he is your God Yet you have not known him, but I know him and if I say I do not know him I shall be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word your father Abraham Rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad Then the Jews said to him you are not yet 50 years old and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them Most assuredly I say to you before Abraham was I am Then they took up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself went out of the temple going through the midst of them and so passed by The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ Thanks be to God. Let's pray together
Father, thank you for What is at the center of all of history and what is at the center of the confession of the church and what I trust? Is at the center of our lives as individuals
That is the great aid affirmation that the Lord Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and lived for us and died for us and then raised for us Who now rules and reigns for us at your right hand? All Lord as we look at the life of Abraham through these next weeks May we see Not only the work that you did in his life, but may we see Jesus And may we be glad May we rejoice May we be encouraged may we be enabled As we consider what it is that you have done in him for us We pray in Jesus name You may be seated you all well are many of you anyway. I suspect Know the little children's song that we sing That we sing invocation Bible school and we teach it at Sunday school time in our classes and we probably teach it at home. You know the little little ditty Father Abraham Father Abraham had many sons and daughters Many sons had father Abraham and I am one of them and so are you So let's just Praise the Lord Father Abraham. What does Abraham have to do with you and me What does father Abraham have to do with us and what is this little ditty reflecting When this little ditty says that we are sons and daughters Of Abraham how am I a non-Jewish person a son a daughter a child of Abraham. How does that happen And why is it that we would be encouraged To praise the Lord in view of that little affirmation in that That little ditty that little song Well, the Bible holds up Abraham as an example an example of the true believer And the gist of that little ditty is simply this that anybody Who has the faith Which Abraham has is the son or the daughter of Abraham the true son or daughter of Abraham the true legacy Of Abraham that person is Abraham's child and that person is entitled to all of the blessings all of the privileges The unspeakable glories promises securities That God first promised to Abraham We're at that place in our study of Genesis where we encounter Abram His story begins at the end of chapter 11 it continues through chapter 24 and into chapter 25 It ends with Abram's death at 175 years of age about 14 15 chapters something like that and pressed into those 14 or 15 chapters which you could read inside of 10 minutes are compressed a hundred years A hundred years Abram left there are the Caldys when he was 75 he died when he was 175 a whole Scenturies worth of life and experience pressed into those 15 chapters. It's easy to lose sight of that when you can read the whole thing inside of 10 minutes
So we come to that place in our study of Genesis Where we come face to face with Abraham Abraham as an example a model a paradigm of the life of a true believer and so what I want to do through the next several weeks His look at Abram from that standpoint from that vantage point because it seems as you look at the new testament That the new testament holds Abraham up in this way. There's a lot to be said about Abram There's a lot of stuff that sort of woven into the personal life and experience of Abram There's all kinds of stuff of a of a redemptive kind of a covenant kind All kinds of stuff of a theological kind that sort of transcends Abraham But as you look at the new testament the new testament seems to hold this man up as someone we ought to pay attention to So that we might understand the nature of God's work in the life of an individual believer So what we're going to do over the next several weeks as we look at Abraham is not neglect the theological stuff At all not neglect the historical redemptive covenant and theological stuff We're not going to neglect that but we're going to weave that stuff into what you could call a biography of faith A biography of faith Because it seems that the new testament wants for us to look at Abraham in that way And what I'd like to do this morning is simply look at some of the high points Of that biography a sort of summary if you will before we plunge into the details a summary Of this biography of faith what are some of the things that the new testament says to us about Abraham How is Abraham upheld held before us as a model or as a paradigm of faith for us and these are the things kind of like The infrastructure of a building these are the things that you hang everything else on all of these other things get hung on these strong steel beams that are connected together to form the skeleton that everything else gets hung upon So what are the things that the new testament then observes about Abraham what are the structural things about this biography of faith that you see in the new testament Well the first of them We've read about in reading Romans chapter four This is one of those points at which the new testament holds Abraham up As a model for us and he is a model for us in this way that Abram Abram shows us Where faith begins Abram shows us where faith begins the most important issue in the whole of scripture The most important question in the whole of the Bible the point of departure For your consideration of everything else in the Bible the most important thing in all of the Bible Is this question? How can a sinful person be restored to fellowship with a holy god
Folks, there is nothing of greater consequence in all the universe for you Then the answer to that question. It's not that other things aren't important. They are important But the thing that is a first important the first order of business Is the question how can a sinful person be restored to fellowship with god? How can a sinful person be spared God's righteous Judgment that's the great issue of life folks That's the first great issue of life How can a sinful person Be spared the righteous judgment of God
She come to the scriptures and particularly as you get past Genesis 2 and you you plunge into Genesis 3 And then through the whole of the rest of the sweep of scripture Everything has to do with that particular issue. There would be no drama of redemption. There would be no covenant There would be no great theology of God no great theology of the incarnation of Christ There would be none of these things if God himself Were not concerned to answer that question and address that question How many sinners be restored to fellowship with the living god That stands at the center of it all. I look around this group. I know that you know that Trust that for you. It's more than just knowing something I trust that for you. It's believing it I Do wonder about that neighborhood over on Eli Street I wonder about the people in those homes and I've driven up and down some of those streets And I wonder about the people who are behind those doors behind those facades. I wonder What god intends to do in that neighborhood to rescue and deliver some sinners from the awful prospect Of the righteous wrath of God visited upon sinners For their rebellion and sin I say to my inquires class every time I teach it the good news is only good news because the bad news It's so really really bad That's what you encounter when you come to the Bible Jeremiah 179 the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can understand it
Psalm 51 verse 5 I was conceived and born in sin In the whole burden of this first part of Paul's letter to the Romans is to make the case For the fact that we all whether Jew or Gentile male or female Husband or wife grandparent or grandchild young or old we all together stand as guilty before God
You know an occasion in our household this last week was one of those Unpretionate and unhappy occasions
We're one of my children told me a lie
And then about 20 minutes after having told me the lie and I didn't know that this was a lie I believed her it's all I have in my household as hers I believed her If I had a mix I couldn't I couldn't use Gender specific pronouns. I'd have to veil it even more than that
But she told me this lie in about 20 minutes later. She said I need to talk to you dad. I need to talk to you So with tears in her eyes she said I lied I would not have known if she had not told me and I would not have known because I am not omissioned But the God of heaven and earth is omissioned and he knows every lie of my life And all of the deceits of my heart and because God is a moral God who governs a moral universe every Lawbreaker and every act of lawlessness will be addressed by God That is the burden of the first three chapters of Romans The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all in godliness and unrighteousness among men Who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness you come to the end of chapter 3 and says these awful things about you They're about me too But they're about you There is no one righteous no not one The poison of asks is under their tongues there is no one who seeks after God no not one They have all together become useless
There is no fear of God before their eyes destruction and misery or in their ways the way of peace They do not know I don't like it I don't like they have to preach it but I must preach it because it's the truth And Paul just a little bit later says then We know that whatever the law says it says to those who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped You understand what Paul is saying there you understand that he is saying in some courts You may be able to use your mouth because you may be able to persuade a jury of your innocence You may be able to use your mouth and persuade a judge of your innocence You may be able to use your mouth and persuade your parents of your innocence But before God every mouth is stopped because every mouth is guilty before God Every person a lawbreaker and every person faces The unspeakable unimaginable Wrath and judgment of God against sin That's the whole burden of these first three chapters that is one of the great burdens of the Bible. It's not flattering. It's profoundly troubling That's the truth and the question is how do I How do I an unrighteous person? The seatful in my heart conceived and born and sin with misery and destruction in my path How do I get restored to fellowship with a righteous God? Well, thank God the rest of the letter to the Romans is there because the rest of the letter to the Romans sets before us The perfect work of Jesus Listen to this. Get this Rehearse this for yourselves Jesus lived the life I didn't live A life of perfect obedience Well done good and faithful servant the father speaks that to his son he takes pleasure in the obedience of Jesus He lived the life I didn't live he died a death that I might not die His substitute for your folks in his living and in his dying
And he has accumulated all of this benefit all of this merit before the father the father takes pleasure in him How can I get to the place where the father takes pleasure in me a son Abraham is held up as an example What then shall we say chapter four verse one what then shall we say that Abraham our father is found according to the flesh If Abraham was justified by his works that is by something that he does he would have something to boast about But he has nothing to boast about before God Abraham Believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. How do I benefit from this substitutionary work which Jesus did in his living and in his dying I look to God and I say I am the sinner here this Here this I am the sinner. I knowledge my sin before you I know that I am worthy of this judgment But I acknowledge that you have taken it upon yourself to do something for me that I'm powerless to do for myself You have sent Jesus to live for sinners and die for sinners and I accept I receive what you have offered in him I believe you and I trust In this thing that you have done in behalf of sinners Abraham is held up as the example of how a person gets restored to fellowship With the living God and how a person is spared the prospect of judgment Are you clear about this? Are you clear about this in your own minds in your own hearts? It is Jesus' task to do the work He came in the likeness Paul says in chapter 8 of sinful flesh
And he did his work in the flesh because we failed to do our work in the flesh
It is Jesus' place to do the work of living and then to do the work of dying It is yours to receive it to accept it to believe to believe Are you clear about this? Are you clear about this in your own mind? And do you understand if you've if you've crossed over if you've stepped across that line If you have received this gift, do you understand that everything Everything that Jesus possesses you possess You understand that everything that belongs to him belongs to you If you are sons and daughters that you are heirs in him of all of the fullness of his kingdom
Theological word for this the theological word for the point of the departure The beginning of the Christian faith is justification It's a biblical word And in the language of the child's catechism justification is this They ask the question what is justification? I tell you apart from the words of the scriptures I doubt that there is any more precious sentence in the whole A spoken language what is justification? Justification is God's forgiving sinners And treating them as if they had never sinned and you take that with you And you ruminate That is you think you ponder that you contemplate that See Abram is held up as the model The example of what it means to be justified that is To be forgiven and to be treated as if he had never sinned to be treated That's one of God's very own treasured possessions. Do you know that? See that's why we sing the little song Father Abram had many sons many sons And father Abram and I am one of them. So let's just praise the Lord
Abram Abram is a model for how faith begins But then second Abram is a model for how faith proceeds For how faith proceeds How do we live as Christians? How do we live as sons and daughters of Abram? What is the point here in suggesting that Abram is a model for how faith proceeds? Well This is how Abram is a model for how faith proceeds. It is simply this that true faith leads to faithfulness True faith leads to faithfulness true faith leads To works leads to righteous living leads to obedience And that you find in the book of James The second chapter of James Verse 14 what does it profit my brother? If someone says he has faith, but doesn't have any works What's the prophet there? What saved him? It's a rhetorical question the answer is absolutely not
If a brother or a sister is naked and destitute a daily food and one of you says to him Depart in peace be warmed and she do not give them the things they need for the body. What does it profit? That's also faith by itself if it does not have works is dead But someone will say you have faith and I have worked show me your faith without you works and I will show you my faith By works you believe that there is one God you do well even the demons believe they tumble You understand what he's saying there? It's great to believe But there's no select company Simply in believing in simply believing you've just joked yourself to the devils They believe but do they have any interest in righteousness? Do they have any concern to pursue obedience? Does their belief issue In lives that are lived in submission to and in love for Christ obviously not You say you believe that's wonderful so do the demons of foolish man
Faith without works Is dead was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar Do you see that faith was working together with his works and by works faith was made perfect You see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only what's the pointer? What's the point is is James Saying something which contradicts what the Apostle Paul has said in Romans chapter four Paul has said that Abraham was justified by his believing James is here saying that a person isn't simply justified by faith but by works The controversy that's raged Across the centuries about this The answer to the question is simply this it's simply the way I stated at the beginning true faith leads inevitably to faithful works And so works righteousness obedience
Become the evidence the confirmation the justification if you will of one's belief Of one's faith that's what James is saying
And a person who truly believes will be a person Who pursues faithfulness and that faithfulness will be a justification of that person's faith Faith leads to obedience How does that happen? Why is that? Well, it happens That faithfulness inevitably flows from faith because what precedes faith is the mighty work of God which God did in Abram's life Which we will look at more exhaustively next week the mighty work of God which God did when God plucked Abram up out of darkness in Ur of the Caldys and brought into himself and effected a transformation a change in the soul of Abram So that Abram was first enabled because of that change to believe God and then because of the same change Which God effected in his life was increasingly enabled to live obediently before God
You see there's always something that precedes the exercise of faith and the thing that precedes the exercise of faith Is God summoning and calling and delivering one out of darkness and changing his fire changing his whole orientation So that he doesn't want to stay in the flop Of the ear of the Caldys anymore But he wants to go to a promised land a promised land where there is life God changes hearts and by changing hearts they come to see their need and they hear and they respond And they believe and that changed heart Will inevitably Will inevitably Produce a changed life. Is it perfect? Of course, it's not perfect. That's why the cross is so necessary for us as we walk through each day Because it's not a perfect obedience. It's not a perfect faith It's not a perfect righteousness And yet the New Testament clearly clearly expects that the people of God Can be delineated from the people of the world. They can be demarcated. They can be identified
From the people of the world because of their righteousness You are the light of the world. Jesus said let your light shine
You were the salt of the earth slavery Preserving Things that are fallen and dead and decay
So Abram is an example of how faith begins it begins as one comes to the place Where he denies himself he rejects himself he acknowledges his own sin and embraces what God has done in Jesus And faith continues and Abram is an example of this Faith continues as it manifests itself more and more and more in a life of obedience A life of righteousness The righteousness which is not burdensome Which does not crush but a righteousness Which means life Abram is an example of how faith Begins how it continues and Abram is an example of how faith ends where it ends What its focus is Look at Hebrews 11 Verse 8 by faith Abram obeyed when he was called to go out to the place Which he would receive as an inheritance and he went out not knowing where he was going By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country dwelling in tents With Isaac and Jacob the heirs with him of the same promise For he waited he waited for a city Which has foundations whose builder and maker is God Verse 14 Abram and others who say such things who acknowledge that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth Are declaring plainly that they seek A homeland they seek a homeland where does faith end Upon what is the faith of Abram fixed is a striking contrast in these verses between tents which are impermanent Which have to be picked up and moved There's a striking contrast between a wondering Pilgrim life and a city with a foundation which is fixed and a life which is no longer a wondering life But a permanent life upon what did Abram fix his gaze and his hope he fixed his gaze not upon this world not upon these tents Not upon this transient transitory Changing impermanent broken down life but he fixed his gaze upon the permanent city of God
This year we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the death of Joanne Sebastian Bach I'll listen to a little piece on a tape this last week On the themes in box contadas he wrote over 200 of them He wrote them probably in the space of two and a half to three years He wrote them for use in worship As a part of the liturgy of the church and one of the themes one of the recurring themes in box contadas is the theme of death And actually the theme of looking forward to death Looking forward to death. Do you look forward to death?
Do we as I am afraid Do we as Bob described in that announcement before the service do we have so much stuff And are so are we so stuffed with our stuff That we've lost the capacity to look forward to the sweetness of death and the glorious of our permanent homeland that lie beyond death you remember in field of dreams Remember James Earl Jones Walking out to the end of that baseball diamond looking at that corn Sticking his head in there sort of between the stocks and wondering what was on the other side What awaited him with that next step And you remember in laughing and you remember as he took the step from the ball field Into the corn field you could hear the ripples of laughter across that field to the transition from this broken down life To your permanent home are you a son a daughter of Abraham
Justify freely forgiven on the basis of the perfect finished work of Jesus Do you know that do you know that if you die today You'd step off that ball field into the glories of that corn field a place filled with laughter and singing Do you know it do you know that your faith is a real faith because however imperfectly you can see That there's righteousness growing up in your soul manifesting itself in your life however imperfectly It's sure there's weeds growing too But there are the fruits of righteousness do you see those fruits And acknowledge that there's real faith here and like Abraham Do you know what face ultimate issue is do you know how it ends? Are you seeking The homeland looking for your permanent residents are you Child of your father Abraham. Let's pray together
Father I pray for these folks. I pray that you would deal with him about this issue this matter That he causes all to have great joy In the assurance that we are sons and daughters of our father Abraham I pray for anyone here Who might be a bit confused or might be uncertain For someone who might know That he or she in fact is not a daughter or son of Abraham and so of the Lord Jesus I pray for that one You'd wrestle with that one's heart Do the work in that person's soul which you did in Abraham's soul and bring that person to a place of belief and trust in Jesus Give that person the courage to seek someone out Who can be of help in dealing with the greatest the first of all issues Oh Lord So we look at Abram may we be encouraged may we be taught may we be blessed We ask in Jesus name