Romans 127: Romans 3 - You Can Be a Friend of God as is AbrahamWelcome To BARAH MINISTRIES a Christian Church Rory Clark Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…a worldwide Christian Church based in Mesa, AZ…my name is Pastor Rory Clark, and I’m proud to be the Pastor of Barah Ministries. I am committed to helping you see the Lord Jesus Christ as He truly is and to helping you see His Word from His point of view.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
OH HAPPY DAY
Let’s begin our worship service today by raising our voices to the Lord in song. Please stand and join June Murphy in singing the opening song…OH HAPPY DAY.
OH HAPPY DAY
Oh Happy Day…Oh Happy Day… When Jesus washed…when Jesus washed When Jesus washed…He washed my sins away
OH HAPPY DAY..
Oh Happy Day…Oh Happy Day… When Jesus washed…when Jesus washed When Jesus washed…He washed my sins away
OH HAPPY DAY
He taught me how…to watch…fight and pray… Fight and Pray! And live rejoicing every day…every day
OH HAPPY DAY
Oh Happy Day…Oh Happy Day… When Jesus washed…when Jesus washed When Jesus washed…He washed my sins away
OH HAPPY DAY
When I get to heaven…I’m gonna scream and shout And ain’t nobody there…gonna be able to put me out
OH HAPPY DAY
Oh Happy Day…Oh Happy Day… When Jesus washed…when Jesus washed When Jesus washed…He washed my sins away
OH HAPPY DAY
He taught me how…to watch…fight and pray… Fight and pray! And live rejoicing every day…every day
OH HAPPY DAY
Oh Happy Day…Oh Happy Day… When Jesus washed…when Jesus washed When Jesus washed…He washed my sins away
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful Heavenly Father for the privilege of studying the absolute truth...the Word of God…
Thank you for making us happy in a way only you can… Thank you for giving us the desires of our hearts… Thank you for opening our eyes with the truth… Help us to know that we are just as important to you as all the people you used as examples in the bible… Remind us of your perfect plan for us as imperfect beings… Show us how to live the righteous life you intended.
We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit...in Christ’s name... Amen.
TODAY’S STUDY Romans 4 You Can Be a Friend of God as is Abraham
To the resident and non-resident members of Barah Ministries,to our guests who join us from time to time, and to all believers in Christ…Grace to you and peace.
JAM 2:23 …and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and Abraham was called the friend of God.
If you have righteousness, and all believers in Christ do, then you are a friend of God as well.
We continue our study of the book of Romans in the fourth chapter…
THE BOOK OF ROMANS RIGHTEOUSNESS Your Justification is ONLY by Faith in Christ
Romans 3:21 to Romans 4:25
…we continue our look at righteousness…your justification is ONLY by faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ alone…your righteousness is the ticket to eternal life. Turn in your bibles to Romans, Chapter 4…let’s read verses 1 to 13 together. <READ ROM 4:1-13>
Romans Chapter 4, Verse 1…
ROM 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found in the matter of salvation?
All of the key biblical characters are thought of as being impeccable…as men of God who did not sin. Of course nothing could be further from the truth. The bible actual portrays very human men who did superhuman things by walking in the deeds God gave them to do, in spite of their obvious imperfections. Yet most men in the bible are deified as if they are somehow more special than you and I. They are not. In Chapter 4 of his letter to the Romans, Paul uses two of the men who are deified by human beings the most…Abraham and David. The “great” saints like Abraham and David, and the “lesser” saints like you and me are the same in God’s eyes. In God’s eyes, there is no racial distinction…no social distinction…no gender distinction. Galatians, Chapter 3, Verse 28…
GAL 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek (no racial distinction), there is neither slave nor free man (no social class distinction), there is neither male nor female (no gender distinction); for you are all the same to God who are in union with Christ Jesus.
If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, He considers you to be a friend. And he wants you to know, “You ain’t never had a friend like Me!” and the best part is that believing in the Lord Jesus Christ requires no effort.
Does the Old Testament scripture point to anything that Abraham could boast about? Is there anything that Abraham has done that would point to the fact that we should consider him more special than us? Paul says, “No.” Romans Chapter 4, Verse 2…
ROM 4:2 For if, for the sake of argument, Abraham was justified by his works, he has something to boast about before men, but not before God.
To simply believe what God tells you, through faith, is not an act of human merit. It’s wisdom. But it is not meritorious. The significance of the act comes as a result of what God does for the person who believes. Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…
ACT 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
If you don’t accept God’s righteousness as a free gift, what you choose to do is to be responsible for your own sin and for its guilt. You can take the sin offering or you can take on the penalty of your sin yourself. And the penalty of your sin is that it incurs God’s wrath. Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 18…
ROM 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and against all unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness…
Romans Chapter 4, Verse 3…
ROM 4:3 For what does the Old Testament Scripture say (in Genesis, Chapter 15, Verse 6)? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED IN GOD THE SON…JEHOVAH ELOHIM…AND HIS FAITH WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Abraham announced with his will that he was willing to accept the free gift of righteousness. It was as if a package came to his door and he simply signed for it. He didn’t even have to say thank you! Romans Chapter 4, Verse 4…
ROM 4:4 Now to the one who works for salvation, his payment is not paid as if it were a gracious favor, but his payment is paid because it is what he is due…it is paid to him as what he has earned because of his work.
We are told, in Satan’s kingdom, you have to be a good person to be saved…you have to do good to be saved. The Lord says you do not get righteousness by work. You do not get righteousness by doing good. You do not get righteousness because you are worth it. You get it as a gift.
Romans Chapter 4, Verse 5…
ROM 4:5 But to the one who does not work for salvation, but believes in the Lord Jesus Christ who justifies the ungodly, this person’s faith is credited as righteousness…
To the one who stops striving to please God…to the one who stops trying to get God’s approval…to the one who acknowledges his inability to save himself…to the one who stops thinking that asceticism is impressive to God…
ASCETICISM Self –denial
It’s not the one who gives up all his “worldly goods.” It’s not the one who doesn’t like money. Righteousness is given as a gift to the one who believes that God saves sinners…the despicable ones…Romans Chapter 5, Verse 8…
ROM 5:8 But God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankind, in that while we were yet sinners (unbelievers), Christ died for us.
Hold your places and turn to Luke, Chapter 5, Verse 30…
LUK 5:30 The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at the Lord’s disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners (prostitutes…both of whom are unbelievers)?”
LUK 5:31 And Jesus answered and said to the Pharisees and their scribes, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick need a physician.”
It’s funny how willing banks are to loan money only to people who don’t need it. It’s funny how when we see a homeless person begging for money, we’ll say, “I’m not going to give them money because they will just use it for drugs.” You’re giving to the need, not the use. God doesn’t work that way. He gives to those who CAN’T help themselves. Get that…Satan says, “God helps those who help themselves.” That’s a lie.
LUK 5:32 “I, the Lord Jesus Christ, have not come to call the righteous to repentance (a change of mind about Christ, because they already believe)…I have come to call sinners to repentance (a change of mind about Christ).”
Come as you are to God, and He will save you. Stop trying to change yourself. God saves the ungodly ones, the unrighteous ones, and the sinners! Who are these creatures?
Those with a direct disregard for God’s Person
UNRIGHTEOUS ONES
SINNER
Romans Chapter 5, Verse 12…
ROM 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man, Adam, sin entered into the world, and spiritual death through sin, and so spiritual death spread to all men, because all were considered to have sinned when Adam sinned…
God justifies the ungodly…not the godly…and we are all born ungodly. There is none righteous, not even one…all have sinned…all keep on falling short of the glory of God…there is no distinction in God’s eyes between creatures. Therefore, we rest in Him! Hebrews, Chapter 4, Verse 1…
HEB 4:1 Therefore, if we believers in Christ fear anything, let us fear that if while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.
HEB 4:2 For indeed we have had good news of the gospel message preached to us, just as unbelievers have also; but the word unbelievers who are still unbelieving heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.
Take a five-minute break.
BREAK Yes We All Agree Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Welcome back!
God saves the ungodly…the unrighteous…and sinners. And when He does, you are a friend of God. What is God the Father’s attitude toward the ungodly? His attitude to the ungodly is the same as His attitude toward the prodigal son, a believer who squandered the blessings of righteousness. Luke, Chapter 15, Verse 20…
LUK 15:20 But while the prodigal son was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
When the unbeliever refuses the gift of righteousness, it does not change God the Father’s unconditional attitude toward him, nor does it negate the power of the Father’s gift in any way. Let’s look at Romans Chapter 4, Verses 5 through 8…
ROM 4:5 But to the one who does not work for salvation, but believes in the Lord Jesus Christ who justifies the ungodly, this person’s faith is credited as righteousness…
ROM 4:6 …just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God the Father credits righteousness apart from works, saying…
ROM 4:7 “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED.”
ROM 4:8 “BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.”
Let’s take a quick peek into David’s life…turn to Second Samuel, Chapter 12…after the Bathsheba incident, here’s what the Lord did for David…his friend…a believer in Christ…
2SA 12:1 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And Nathan came to David and said, “There were two men in one city, the one rich (David) and the other poor (Uriah).”
2SA 12:2 “The rich man had a great many flocks and herds (money and concubines).”
2SA 12:3 “But the poor man (Uriah) had nothing except one little ewe lamb (Bathsheba) which he bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, and was like a daughter to him.”
2SA 12:4 “Now a traveler came to the rich man, and the rich man was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him; rather he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
David stole Uriah’s wife rather than drawing from his own concubines. Second Samuel, Chapter 12, Verse 5…
2SA 12:5 Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die.”
2SA 12:6 “He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion.”
2SA 12:7 Nathan then said to David, “You are this man!”
David did a heinous thing, yet the Lord heaped blessings on David. The Lord gave David Bathsheba…the Lord gave David a son, Solomon…the Lord came from David’s lineage…and the Lord called David this way…Acts, Chapter 13, Verse 22…
ACT 13:22 “After the Lord had removed Saul as king, He raised up David to be Israel’s king, concerning whom the Lord Jesus Christ also testified and said, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, to be A MAN AFTER MY HEART (the kind of man I like), (one) who will do all My will.’”
God’s grace in action….God’s attitude toward creatures…the world hates grace…so it insists on works. Romans, Chapter 4, Verse 9…just as righteousness does not come by works, it also does not come by ritual.
ROM 4:9 Is this blessing of the Lord not taking sin into account then on the circumcised (Jews), or is this blessing on the uncircumcised (Gentiles) also? For we say, “FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
ROM 4:10 How then was the righteousness from God credited? Was the righteousness from God credited to Abraham while Abraham was circumcised, or wile he was uncircumcised? Not while he was circumcised, but while he was uncircumcised… Romans Chapter 4, Verse 11…
ROM 4:11 …and Abraham received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had been given while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them as well, even though uncircumcised…
ROM 4:12 …and that Abraham might be the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision (the Jews), but who also to those who follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised (the Gentiles).
In today’s world, we would say it this way…blessed are all those who receive righteousness…who receive salvation…without being baptized with water…who receive righteousness without inviting Christ into their heart…who received salvation without working for it…for ritual works do not save us…only faith in Christ…only through believing what God tells us to do…
Water baptism is often described as “an outward sign to demonstrate a heart decision.” Okay. As long as we all realize that the water baptism does absolutely nothing in the matter of salvation or righteousness. Satan loves to intervene with his distortion here.
We have to remember who God justifies…the ungodly…not the one who works…not the one who follows rituals…God justifies those who are despicable! God’s friends are the ones who have faith, even though they are despicable! Remember Romans Chapter 4, Verse 5…
ROM 4:5 But to the one who does not work for salvation, but believes in the Lord Jesus Christ who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness…
This is something that believers and unbelievers alike have such a hard time with. We are inundated with thoughts that you have to work for everything and earn everything. You have to get right with God. You have to. You have to. You have to. You have to work to impress people. Perhaps in the world this is true. With God it is not true. Who is God impressed with? The ungodly! The unrighteous! Sinners! Luke, Chapter 5, Verse 32…
LUK 5:32 “I (The Lord Jesus Christ) have not come to call the righteous but I have come to call sinners to repentance, a change of mind about Christ.”
Luke, Chapter 6, Verses 32 to 36…God’s attitude toward us…
LUK 6:32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners (unbelievers) love those who love them.”
LUK 6:33 “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners (unbelievers) do the same.”
LUK 6:34 “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners (unbelievers) lend to sinners (unbelievers) in order to receive back the same amount.”
LUK 6:35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.”
LUK 6:36 “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
And love your enemies, but not for this reason…
ROM 12:20 “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK ; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.”
We want to believe it is works…we want to believe it is rules…we want to believe it is prescriptions…we want to believe it is complexity rather than simplicity that helps us receive the gift of salvation.
When we think about the people in the middle of Africa…do they need a library? Do they need the Greek? Do they need exegesis? Do they need categories? Do they need the doctrine? If with God there is no distinction, how can they be saved if they are not as smart as us…if they don’t know as much as us…if they don’t have as much as us? I’ll tell you how. There are going to be a lot of smart people in hell, and a lot of dumb people in heaven. The ones who will be in heaven are the ones who will be dumb enough to exercise a child like faith in Christ and have it credited to their account for righteousness. These are the ones who will be the friends of God.
There is always a simple solution to every problem. Find the people who know what it is and follow it. Christ knows the simple solution to righteousness.
The Promises of the Lord Jesus Christ
PSA 37:3 Trust in the Lord and do good…
PSA 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.
PSA 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord…and He will do it.
PSA 37:7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him…
PHI 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in (union with) Christ Jesus.
CLOSING SONG There is a Love
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
THANKS INTERCESSION PETITION
And we pray that You continue to shape the messages from this pulpit that are a reflection of Your unconditional love, Your Magnificent Person, Your perfect thinking, Your impeccable work, and Your indescribable essence... we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit, in Christ’s name, Amen.
Thanks for coming! Thanks for watching! Thanks for listening!
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